Author: Trent Meikle

Did you know South Africa manufactures its own electric vehicles (EVs)? Sure, it’s one little company working out of Stellenbosch going by the name MellowVans, but still. It’s cool. Even if the so-called MellowVans are just fancier-looking tuk-tuks with an electric motor that’ll only go 130km on a single charge. What’s less cool is the company’s decision to partner with Itemate Solutions to “introduce an innovative mobile store solution tailored for telecommunications companies in Africa.” Essentially, MellowVans plans to partner with South African telcos – Telkom, MTN, etc. – to better help their sales through a ‘mobile storefront’. Is mobile…

A smarter, dumber Alexa It’s not just you. Amazon has taken an unusually long time to give its Alexa assistant the artificial intelligence (AI) treatment, despite its many competitors slathering their every product in the stuff. The delay is not by choice, according to a report from Bloomberg, which reckons the transition hasn’t gone quite as smoothly as Amazon had hoped. As such, the company’s planned rollout, which was scheduled for late 2024, has been pushed back to 2025, according to “a person familiar with the matter.” Amazon instead pivoted to a quieter, softer launch that involved the announcement of…

It’s that time of the month again, folks. Except this time, we don’t have any good news to share, contrary to the past couple of months. In fact, the news we do have to share is all bad, with the Department of Mineral Resources and Energy (DMRE) publishing the official petrol and diesel prices (via the Central Energy Fund) earlier this morning, announcing a (minor) price hike across the board. Bad news for petrol and diesel drivers Fortunately, this doesn’t match the R1+ price hikes South Africans have felt before. The DMRE has kept the figures relatively tame this month, despite…

It may only be the first of November, but Samsung isn’t messing about where Black Friday is concerned. Traditionally, stores save their best deals until the last Friday of the month but South Africa does things a little differently. Samsung unveiled its catalogue of Black Friday deals earlier today, which run from today until Monday, 2 December. Is that all you got? “This year, the tech giant is rolling out the red carpet for South Africans, and redefining the Black Friday narrative as an opportunity for every shopper to become the leading character in their own shopping story,” Samsung South…

Because Google can’t simply backtrack on the artificial intelligence (AI) hype, we’re the ones who have to suffer so Google’s line can go up. This time, it’s Google Maps’ turn to receive the AI treatment, supposedly employed to help its users find more places to visit. More so than the literal GPS, we mean. It’s doing so by adding more than 150 new explorable cities to Immersive View, and a revitalised search that’ll give Google’s Gemini AI something to do. Just search whatever you’re looking for – using natural language, of course, like “places with a vintage vibe in SF” –…

Despite being the main selling point of the iPhone 16 and iOS 18 as a whole, it’s taken Apple over a month to get Apple Intelligence into the hands of users through the recent iOS 18.1 / iPadOS 18.1 / macOS Sequoia 15.1 updates. And yet, it’s still incomplete, with plans to roll out the entire suite of AI features as late as December. No matter. This small taste of the Apple Intelligence lifestyle is enough to pass judgement. We’ve spent the past couple of days messing about with Apple Intelligence on an M2 iPad Air, getting a feel for…

This is it folks. Months of speculation have led up to this point – this very week, this very day. All for it to culminate in Nintendo coming out of the woodwork to announce the… Nintendo Music app? That’s not a joke, either. Nintendo, supposedly on the cusp of revealing a successor to the wildly popular Switch has unveiled a mobile streaming app, unlocking The Legend of Zelda, Mario, and Wii Shop tunes for iOS and Android. Nintendo Music to get you in a Switch 2 mood https://youtu.be/DQ5EeImWYaI This is Nintendo, so of course, there’s a fee involved. Only those subscribed…

We’re not going to sugarcoat it. South Africa’s petrol, diesel, and paraffin prices are likely to go up as soon as next week Wednesday (06 November). That’s despite the five consecutive petrol and diesel price drops South Africa has been relishing for months, now. It’s not all bad news, however (okay, maybe a little). According to a report from the Central Energy Fund (CEF), the latest predictions expect the increase to come in well under a Rand. Pouring (more) fuel on the fire Even so, we’d advise heading down to the nearest petrol station before that happens – again, the…

So that was a lie. Apple, which promised the world a week’s worth of “exciting” announcements, has delivered a fresh-faced Mac Mini – following up the M4-flaunting 24in iMac it unveiled earlier this week. Similarly, the new Mac Mini has been kitted with Apple’s top-of-the-line M4Silicon SoC inside the streamlined chassis. Apple hasn’t forgotten about the M4 Pro, either. It’s there, somewhere, as long as you’re willing to part with a hefty $1,400 (R24,600). Settle for the regular M4, and you’ll be paying a far more manageable $700 (R12,300) – though what these will cost by the time they reach…

It’s time for Apple to put its money where its mouth is. Apple Intelligence, Tim Cook’s AI attempt, has finally arrived – inside the new iOS 18.1, iPadOS 18.1, and macOS Sequoia 15.1 updates released this morning. Kinda. For one thing, Apple’s pushed out an incomplete suite of Intelligence features, set to be completed by December. For another, only red-blooded Yanks can access the new features for the time being. How to download and install Apple Intelligence in South Africa Don’t worry. That’s not a permanent situation. Apple has no qualms about anyone with a supported device simply switching their…