Author: Duncan Pike

Local internet service provider Afrihost is gearing up to relaunch AirMobile, its mobile virtual network operator (MVNO), with what seems to be a very enticing offer — 10GB of free data and R100 free airtime. The promotional offer starts sometime next week with the MVNO’s relaunch. But there is, of course, a catch. The Afrihost catch Apparently winning an ‘ISP of the Year’ award five times doesn’t come with a cash prize because the email states that the company can’t afford to give everyone the free 10GB of data and R100 airtime. The number of available promotional deals will be…

French media and telecommunications conglomerate Canal+ Group has confirmed its submission of a letter to MultiChoice Group’s board of directors containing a non-binding indicative offer in which it seeks to acquire the remaining ordinary shares of the South African entertainment company. In human language, the French group is attempting to buy SA’s media giant. Canal+ already controls a +30% chunk of MultiChoice Group’s equity, according to MultiChoice’s 2023 annual financial report published in July last year. Its stake was bought on the open market over the last three years. In its non-binding indicative offer, Canal+ has set the potential buyout…

As Samsung’s latest and greatest Galaxy S smartphones roll out worldwide, many people are probably looking despondently at the device in their hands and wondering if this is the year that an upgrade makes sense. If you’re the type to ponder this question and you’re holding a Galaxy S23+, does Samsung’s new middle child warrant an upgrade? The new one is always at least a little better. Samsung is no fool, it has a strategy and sticks to it. You don’t get to be a top global smartphone maker by fumbling around in the dark. But is it better enough…

Arc Search is expanding and hopes to shape the future of how you browse the web. Today’s web browsers all function more or less the same way. You type in a question or part of the page you’re looking for and a search engine, usually Google, presents a few sponsored links before (hopefully) providing the answers to your question or your desired webpage. Arc Search, an AI-powered search tool from The Browser Company based on the Arc browser for Mac, has just launched on iPhone and takes a different approach. It prioritises quick search results free from distractions and clutter.…

This past weekend, Honor announced its successors to 2023’s X9a and X7a midrange smartphones – the inventively-named X9b and X7b. The X9b is headlining the new group and while its spec sheet is fairly respectable, Honor is making the most fuss about the tech behind the display. The 6.78in 120Hz AMOLED display might not seem that impressive – you’ve probably seen those numbers before. But you probably haven’t seen a smartphone display survive a 2-metre drop screen-first onto a concrete floor, an assault from a mini-wrecking ball, or a barrage of paintballs. My phone can beat up your phone We…

Today, at its seventh annual State of the Motor Industry event, Toyota South Africa Motors announced its strategy for the next few years. But not before enthusiastically patting itself on the back for the progress it made last year, despite the challenges it faced – load shedding, fuel price increases, and 2022 flood recovery being chief among them. These challenges saw Toyota fall short of its predicted 2023 figures by 7%. Yet, as much as that might suck for Toyota execs and their annual bonuses, the brand remains the most popular in the country by number of units sold -…

https://youtu.be/cfyEv2Okl_8 If you’re interested in audio gear, you will have heard of Klipsch. Born in 1946, in a tin shed in Arkansas, it was one of the first US loudspeaker companies to bring live music to people’s homes. Today, the company produces a wide range of audio products that all bear some of the brand’s rich history. That’s especially true of The Sevens, which fall under the aptly-named Heritage-inspired speaker range. The Sevens are the middle child of the ‘Heritage’ family, along with the smaller ‘The Fives’ and larger ‘The Nines’. They are high-end active loudspeakers which means you won’t…

Sticking with last year’s theme of putting AI into everything, Android Auto is the latest to receive the AI treatment. The improvements were shown off during last night’s Samsung Unpacked event but that doesn’t mean they will be S24-exclusive. It’s more likely that Google gave Samsung the announcement honours due to the pair’s deepened partnership. While the extent of the improvements doesn’t seem to run very deep, they could end up saving users valuable time – whole seconds, in some cases. Android Auto still can’t drive for you First up is the now-familiar text summary feature. Taking your eyes off…

Samsung has just unveiled its next crop of flagship Galaxy S devices. Meet the Samsung Galaxy S24, S24+, and S24 Ultra. Most will already be familiar with the trio thanks, in part, to numerous leaks in the preceding months, but also because Samsung tends not to make sweeping changes to its devices. The new Galaxy S24 handsets do feature familiar bits but Samsung has made improvements all over, not least of which are centred around Galaxy AI. Despite initial expectations, Galaxy AI isn’t the Bixby-replacement next-generation AI assistant that will remind you to buy milk before you head home. It’s…

CES 2024 officially ended last week Friday. We’ve already picked the best and weirdest gadgets we came across from this year’s Consumer Electronics Show, now it’s time to pick out the duds. This takes longer than you might think. This is the sort of tech that makes you scratch your head and wonder what the creators were thinking. They were probably thinking “Can it be done?” without the all-important follow-up, “Should it be done?” The answer to that last one is usually ‘No’, yet here they are. “I’m sorry Dave. I’m afraid you can’t buy that.” US-based “grocery technology company”…