Gadgets and Gaming
Instax Mini 40 to Launch in South Africa
Fujifilm has announced that its newest entry-level camera, the Instax Mini 40 instant camera, would soon launch in South Africa. The Mini 40 embraces the old-school look and feel of film cameras thanks to its all-black leatherette body combined with a classic silver frame. Despite its retro looks, the Mini 40 incorporates the latest technology, as found on Instax’s Mini 11 and Square SQ1 instant cameras released last year. With the ‘Automatic Exposure’ function, for example, the Mini 40 automatically optimises the shutter speed, flash output and other settings according to the overall shooting conditions. This allows for balanced prints that are correctly exposed in both bright outdoor and low-light indoor environments. Users can also activate the ‘Selfie mode’ for taking selfies and ...
LG to Quit the Manufacturing and Sales of Smartphones
LG has announced that it is closing its loss-making mobile business unit – a decision approved by the board of directors. The tech company says this will allow it to “focus resources in growth areas such as electric vehicle components, connected devices, smart homes, robotics, artificial intelligence and business-to-business solutions, as well as platforms and services”. According to LG, it will still provide service support and software updates for customers of existing mobile products for a period of time which will vary by region and it will also work with suppliers and business partners throughout the closure of the mobile phone business. Moving forward, LG says it will continue to leverage its mobile expertise and develop mobility-related technologies such as 6G to help further streng...
Scaling the Tough Terrain: How to Manage Rugged Devices Deployed for Field Operations
The global demand for smartphones intended to be used for corporate purposes is at an all-time high. Considering the pandemic-driven requirements for working remotely, the organizations- be it across supply-chain, manufacturing, military or first response that earlier did not consider bringing their frontline workforce into digital transformation have been compelled to do so. The businesses that earlier employed a large number of frontline employees or field forces depended largely on the paper-pen-based model of operations. Rugged devices can be monumental in helping organizations scale the tough terrain The apprehensions against bringing the field force under digital transformation were not simply because of the foreseeable challenges the employees could face while using technology...
How AI Puts the ‘Smart’ in Smartphones
Artificial intelligence (AI) is a wide-ranging branch of computer science concerned with building smart devices capable of performing tasks that typically require human intelligence. From the realm of science fiction, AI has evolved to, in some applications, match human performance, with the latest facial-recognition software having a 99% accuracy rate. Strategy Analytics, a company that shares insights and analytics, states that 41% of consumers believe AI will improve their lives in some way and South Africa isn’t lagging behind the rest of the world in its development and application of this cutting-edge technology either. “We’re seeing even more companies using AI in more daring ways through innovative products or services that disrupt the status quo,’ says Dries Cronje, CEO at Deep Le...
HHW Gaming: Bruno Mars Silk Sonic Dance Moves Is The Newest “Fortnite” Emote
HipHopWired Featured Video Source: Theo Wargo / Getty Bruno Mars and silky smooth dance moves are coming to Fortnite. Epic Games announced Silk Sonic crooner’s dance skills would be coming to the game as an Icon Series Emote. Bruno Mars shared the news with a post on his Instagram account featuring the singer, masked-up, dancing alongside a Fortnite character to the Anderson .Paak assisted single “Leave The Door Open.” In the caption for the post, Mars wrote, “Yo @fortnite let ya uncle Brunz teach ya how to swang to this thang.” Bruno Mars’ emote joins the likes of the Fornite floss which is considered one of the most well-known Emotes of all time. According to a press release, Mars partnered with Epic Games exclusively for Fortnite players. The union between the two artists was in t...
Huawei FreeBuds 4i Officially Available in South Africa
Huawei’s latest addition to the FreeBuds series, the FreeBuds 4i, are now available in South Africa. The all-new True Wireless Stereo Bluetooth earphones offer users high-quality sound with long-lasting battery life, active noise cancellation and intuitive controls. With the help of customized internal components such as its 10mm dynamic, the Huawei FreeBuds 4i is capable of providing users with high-quality audio with balanced sound across various frequency ranges. Audio output is tuned professionally and the wind noise reduction structure ensures crystal clear audio at all times, even in noisy environments. The earphones also offer users 10 hours of battery life on a single charge with Active Noise Cancellation (ANC) off and 7.5 hours with ANC on. Together with the charging cas...
Huawei Mate40 Pro Officially Launches in South Africa
Huawei’s newest flagship smartphone – the Mate40 Pro – is officially available in South Africa. The device incorporates Kirin 9000, the world’s first 5nm 5G SoC; Ultra Vision Cine Camera technology and user-friendly AI. The Mate40 Pro comes with the Huawei 88° Horizon Display, an ultra-curved display featuring an 88-degree arc. The practically invisible edges allow for a wider perspective that lends itself to a more immersive visual experience. The streamlined display fills the frontal view of the device, and extends beyond the edges, sitting flush with the mid-frame to produce a more comfortable hold. The smartphone sports the highly advanced 5nm Kirin 9000 flagship SoC, which packs more than 15.3 billion transistors. The cutting edge 5nm Kirin 9000 is manufactured with one of the industr...
HHW Gaming: Latest ‘Call of Duty’ Update Will Be Kind on Your Hard Drive Thanks To This New Feature
HipHopWired Featured Video Source: Activision / Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War When Activision usually announces the latest Call of Duty season update, gamers are usually excited to prospect for new features coming to the game. Still, it comes with the huge caveat that it’s going to eat up all of your hard drive space. This latest update looks to tackle that troublesome issue. As part of its Call of Duty season 2 reloaded update, Treyarch announced it would be reducing the overall file size of both Warzone and Modern Warfare across various platforms by more than 30GB and over 10GB. This news will come as a relief to Call of Duty fans who have seemingly have to constantly figure out what games they need to delete to free up space for massive updates. The latest update, whic...
Why Cybersecurity is Crucial in the Age of Tap-to-Pay
Tap-to-Pay is by no means a new technological development, but thanks to the COVID-19 pandemic, it has become increasingly popular as a method of payment since it is ostensibly contactless. It is also a payment method that can be used even without a card, since many wearable devices such as smartwatches feature tap and go payment options. With rumours that Apple Pay will be launching in South Africa this year, it is likely to become increasingly available. However, this begs the question, what about security? When no physical card is required and often not even the authentication of a Personal Identification Number (PIN) for smaller transactions, who is responsible? The reality is that banks, merchants and users all need to play their part to minimise fraud and safeguard their money. Are c...
HHW Tech Review: HyperX Takes The If Ain’t Broke Don’t Fix It Approach With The Cloud II Wireless Headset
HipHopWired Featured Video Source: Bernard Smalls / @PhotosByBeanz83 HyperX’s Cloud II headset has been the company’s workhorse for 6 years and has seen minimal updates since then. So how does the latest iteration of the headset stand up to newer models from other companies? Surprisingly very well. When it comes to the Cloud II, HyperX has taken the if ain’t broke, don’t fix it approach with the headset model only dropping other various models with the Cloud handle like the Cloud Mix, Cloud Orbit S, and Cloud Alpha S. For this most recent design HyperX got a little bold and decided it was time to cut the cord. We are ecstatic the company has decided to go this route and dropped the Hyper X Cloud II Wireless. Designed For Comfort Source: Bernard Smalls / @PhotosByBeanz83 HyperX, as expected...
HHW Gaming: ‘NBA 2K21’ MyTEAM Season 6, “Glitched Reality” Announced, Here’s What’s New
HipHopWired Featured Video Source: 2K / NBA 2K21 Like the regular season in the NBA, MyTEAM in NBA 2K21 is chugging along. In its latest Courtside Report, 2K revealed season 6 “Glitched Reality.” NBA 2K21’s new season structure keeps things interesting for players who enjoy MyTEAM mode in the game. Season 6, “Glitched Reality,” won’t be any different in that regard, allowing players to progress, earn rewards, and more, but this time, the folks at 2K are throwing in some mystery. Throughout the season, MyTEAM community players will be tasked with discovering secret locker codes and new challenges and uncover the mysteries of the Glitched Reality that can be shared with friends that will benefit the community. According to 2K, players should be on the lookout for “peculiar things” happ...
Xiaomi’s Black Shark 4 & 4 Pro Could Take A Huge Bite Out of Gaming Phone Market Thanks To This One Innovation
HipHopWired Featured Video Source: Xiaomi / Black Shark 4 and Black Shark 4 Pro For those who do spend a dedicated amount of time playing games on their smartphones, Xiaomi’s newest mobile devices might be right up your alley. This may come as a surprise to many, but yes, there are smartphones designed strictly for gaming. Just in March alone, we have seen the release of the Asus ROG Phone 5 and Nubia Red Magic 6. Xiaomi is now getting in on the fun with the Black Shark 4 and 4 Pro model launch. Both phones are high-end gaming phones featuring 6.67-inch screens, FHD+ resolutions, 144Hz refresh rates complimented with 720Hz touch input rate, which is very important because it deals with how quickly your touch is registered by the phone, a crucial factor when playing mobile g...
