Author: Trent Meikle

Following the team-up of FNB’s eBucks and Pick n Pay back in October, FNB is ready to take the relationship to the next level. The two are once again collaborating to “add more value for all their FNB and RMB Private Bank’s customers,” the local bank said in a press release. That means even better deals for FNB customers who like to do their shopping at Pick n Pay, or even have their products delivered directly. “This follows the increasingly positive customer response to the 99c bread rewards and the launch to the FNB Private Segment (those earning in excess of…

We were all for it when Amazon floated the idea of a smarter, AI-powered Alexa assistant. We were even willing to fork over the rumoured $5-10/m subscription fee to give it a go. But after Amazon’s Alexa-themed showcase last night, our excitement is sapped. Not because it can’t live up to Amazon’s bold claims, but because it’ll cost you $20/m (∼R370/m) for the privilege. “Today, we’re excited to introduce Alexa+, our next-generation assistant powered by generative AI. Alexa+ is more conversational, smarter, personalized—and she helps you get things done,” Amazon’s Panos Panay wrote in a press release. ” Alexa+ knows,…

At a launch event held in Johannesburg this afternoon, Oppo debuted the Reno 13 Series in South Africa a couple of months ahead of schedule. Unlike last year, the Reno 13 Pro was missing from the launch line-up this year, paving the way for the Reno 13 5G and, eventually, the Reno 13 F 5G – both of which are set to join Oppo’s broader smartphone array in SA. That doesn’t mean Oppo’s Reno 13 Pro won’t land locally eventually. Oppo might just have a couple of tricks up its sleeve to keep itself in the conversation as 2025 progresses.…

We feel as if we’ve stepped back in time what with the daily load shedding updates from Eskom. This time, however, we come bearing good news. After four days of non-stop power cuts, spanning Stages 2-6, Eskom has finally suspended load shedding, ending this week-long nightmare. For now, at least. “Following the recovery of the generation capacity and replenishment of emergency reserves, load shedding will be suspended at 5:00 AM,” the power utility wrote in a post on X during the early hours of Wednesday morning. Eskom followed through on its promise, halting power cuts at 05h00 on the morning…

Google may have removed its vow to never use artificial intelligence (AI) for warfare, but hey – at least we’re getting some free coding help out of it. Right? Google Cloud announced today that its code-optimised Gemini Code Assist tool is adding a free version for individual developers who need a hand in the coding department. Like the premium model, it’s kitted out with the Gemini 2.0 model to ensure the “quality of AI-generated recommendations” is “better than ever before,” Gemini Code Assist for individuals landed globally today as part of a public preview, targeting students, start-ups, and even full-blown…

Microsoft is a lot of things, but stupid is not one of them. When the Windows maker hit Microsoft 365 subscribers with a massive price hike that turned a lot of people off, that wasn’t the end of the story. The company is now testing a free version of its Office productivity suite on Windows riddled with the industry stand-by: ads. Heading to the Office? Here’s an ad Those unable to stomach the hike or ditch the service out of principle might be more willing to eat the ads in exchange for a working version of Office locally. Beebom was the…

Don’t feel too bad if Eskom spoiled your evening plans to watch IGN’s ID@Xbox livestream event last night. The stream was privy to hundreds, if not thousands, of frantic Hollow Knight fans just begging for a glimpse of Silksong, alongside a couple of indie titles, a new trailer for Lies of P, and arguably the biggest news of the night: Balatro is coming to Game Pass. What are you still doing here? https://youtu.be/3tUJdI3AO9I Now there’s no excuse to not dip your toes into the wonderfully weird pixelated world that is Balatro. If you missed out on LocalThunk’s GOTY-worthy sensation that was released a little over a year…

Following the recent implementation of load shedding Stages 3, 6, and 4 (in that order) over the weekend, Eskom has finally relented. Stage 2 has made a triumphant return, significantly easing the strain placed on South Africa’s residents. We’re not out of the woods yet – but Eskom’s comments on the subject are certainly encouraging. Don’t get Stage 2 fright “This decision follows the successful recovery of eight out of ten generation units and the restoration of 3,808MW from units that tripped over the weekend, with an additional 1,146MW expected to be recovered overnight,” the power utility said in a…

February has proven to be a whirlwind of emotions when it comes to the impending petrol price adjustment in March 2025, which tends to take place on the first Wednesday of any given month. At first, it was believed that all motorists would be hit with a sizeable hike before the outlook brightened to shine on SA’s diesel drivers. Now, the Central Energy Fund (CEF) has published another daily predictive snapshot that raised our spirits further. We’re not out of the woods yet. According to the CEF’s latest figures (captured 21 February), petrol drivers are still expected to pay a…

Between all the hustle and bustle that was Eskom’s load shedding schedule this past weekend, we found some time to play on the PS5 – and it wasn’t quite the smooth experience we’ve come to expect. After spending roughly 45 minutes with God of War: Ragnarök we began to notice some serious stuttering every few seconds. Not ideal. We didn’t think much of it at the time. Being hooked up to LG’s fantastic OLED evo 55CS3 and experiencing no issues with the superb Astro Bot, we believed that we were the problem. Before long, we were plunged into darkness which took further…