STAND A CHANCE TO WIN THE SAMSUNG GALAXY S8

JUNE 2017
SA tech to scan Superior
the stars keyboards
and mouses

How to

5EXCEL
Tips for make a
SCREEN
USERS VIDEO
FINGERPRINTING

GAMING Top brands FOR HONOR

A clash of steel heard
HEADSETS compared around the world
 C NT ENTS
FEATURES WIN A
SAMSUNG S8
Details on
GOING WITH THE FLOW
Dr Muthoni Masinde on IT studies in SA
10 page 6.

FINGER-PAINTING
Add arty effects to your smartphone photos
20
TAKING CONTROL
Keyboards and mouses that boost productivity
22
SUCKING STARDUST 28

8
Innovative tools from SAs top space scientists
CELL YOURSELF
Tips and tricks for Excel users
34
SHOW AND TELL
How to record your PC screen
36
DIGITALLY DELIVERED
The SA Post Office enters the digital era
40
TRACE EVIDENCE
Local geeks are pioneering 3D fingerprinting
44
REGULARS SWAG
4 Eds letter 8 Icaros
6 Benefits 38 Tag Heuer Connected
Modular 45
15 Need to
know

28
18 Life hacks
50 Game
reviews
74 Backspace
22 GEAR
62 Smart buys
70 Buyers guide

40
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EDS LETTER 4

That was nothing like this. I spent

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RIDING A high-tech fusion of
work, play and active VR

HIGH
Words William Horne @awilliamhorne

Some of the
muscle groups that
can be targeted
are abdominals,
shoulders, triceps
and quads.
 SWAG 9

ICAROS
FLIGHT RISK VR workout rig
The name of this ultra- Call your condescending uncle and tell
modern apparatus was
taken from ancient Greek
him the debate is over: heres your proof
mythology. In the story, that gaming is a sport. VR gaming has
Daedalus and Icarus, his flown to a whole new level of immersion,
son, are incarcerated in
a high tower. The father
all thanks to the German design team
PHOTOGRAPHY: COURTESY IMAGES

gathers the feathers of behind the Icaros rig, which allows you
visiting birds and builds to exercise while you play.
two pairs of wings Icarus
and he can use to fly to
The floating platform sees you lying
freedom. It is something comfortably in a flying position, with
of a cautionary tale, in strategically positioned pads and rests to
that the boy then flies
too close to the Sun,
support your limbs. Don the VR headset
destroys his wings and of your choice (all the current leading
crashes to Earth. models are supported) and the Icaros
counterweighted tilting mechanisms will
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experience of actually flying.
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the experience not the swimwear models of the future is still
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WITH
Dr Muthoni Masinde is using tech
to help small farmers predict
the weather accurately and
produce more food

THE
CURREN
Words Joanne Carew @littleCarew

WHEN DR MUTHONI MASINDE

first took up her role as a senior
lecturer at the Central University
of Technology (CUT) in the Free
State, she was a bit of a fish out
of water. She had moved from
Kenya in 2010 to study at the
University of Cape Town, where
she received her doctorate in
2012. Today, as head of the IT
department at CUT, Muthoni has
been attracting a lot of talented
young IT students to pursuing
their postgraduate studies at
the university.

WHEN DID YOU DEVELOP AN

INTEREST IN TECHNOLOGY?
Having grown up in a rural area, my
exposure to technology was very
limited. But when the time came
to choose something to study at
university, I decided on computer
science. I was in the first class ever
to study computer science in Kenya.
This was only offered in two other
 FULLY CHARGED 11

places in Africa: Zimbabwe and DR MASINDES

South Africa. At the time, I wasnt TOP GADGETS
really sure what I wanted to do
with it, but I went ahead anyway. iPad and iPhone

WHAT PROJECTS ARE YOU

WORKING ON?
Where I grew up, we did a lot of
v small-scale farming. Over time,
I noticed the amount of rainfall
was declining and it was getting
difficult to predict the seasons.
and a second phone with
There was a lot more guesswork, her Kenyan phone number!
and you could really lose out if
you planted too early or too late. Portable hard drive
The only weather information
these Kenyan farmers have is the
newspaper or the radio, but many
of them cant read and they dont
understand the weather reports.
I wanted to help using the tech
knowledge Id acquired through Weather station
my studies, so I built a bridge to (home and office!)

Information Technology and Indigenous Knowledge with Intelligence

The software tool combines, or bridges, local knowledge
with scientific data for improved drought forecasting. In
eastern Kenya, itiki refers to a river bridge, designed using
expert indigenous knowledge of local trees and river flows.

mobile phones
wireless sensor networks
artificial intelligence

Tested by250
NOW AVAILABLE TO FARMERS IN KZN AND LIMPOPO
farmers in SA, Kenya
and Mozambique
FULLY CHARGED 12
connect scientific and indigenous
knowledge. So we collected data
around weather patterns and then
combined all these with scientific
modelling to provide us with more
accurate forecasts all through a
mobile app. Using this, a farmer
can request the weather forecast
for their region for a specific date
and they will receive an SMS with
that information.
CAN THIS BE USED IN SA?
The information is highly localised,
which is what makes it so reliable
and accurate. At the moment, we
havent collected all the necessary
data for South Africa, though that
isnt to say that we couldnt do so
and provide the same forecasts for
farmers in any region.
HOW DO IT STUDIES IN SA
COMPARE WITH THE REST
OF THE WORLD?
Were just not there quite yet. At
the moment, our focus is all on IT
to solve small-scale problems. If
someone were to design the next
high-tech aircraft in South Africa,
how would that really help the
South African people?
IT solutions designed for
healthcare and education,
for example, have a much
greater impact, so were
not in the right position
to create cutting-edge
innovations now.
In the coming five
years, we will witness
the next revolution
The Fourth Industrial
Revolution which
will be focused more
around issues such
as the Internet of
Things and building
artificial intelligence.
Unfortunately, we
as Africans havent
been inventing these
technologies: were
still just users.
HIGHER LEARNING
Dr Muthoni Masinde has spent a
total of 16 years in IT research and
teaching at university level.
Since shes been the head of the IT
department at Central University
of Technology:
Staff members with, or studying
for, higher degrees have doubled.
Research output has increased
from two to more than 15 articles
a year.
Postgraduate enrolment has
increased from three to more
than 20 students per year.
She is active in the Association
of SA Women in Science and
Engineering.
Unfortunately, we
as Africans havent
been inventing these
technologies: were
still just users.
HOW CAN WE GET KIDS
INTO IT-RELATED FIELDS?
I think our parents play a critical
role. At home, Ive tried to always
assure my kids that they can do
anything. Computer science is a
very promising career path, but I
wouldnt want to mislead young
people: its still a lot of hard work!
ARE YOU A GEEK AROUND
THE HOUSE?
I think my kids see me as a mom
and as a techie. Theyre teenagers
now, so they already know quite a
lot. Sometimes I think they know
more than I do!
WHAT REAL-WORLD
PROBLEM WOULD YOU
MOST LIKE TO SOLVE
WITH TECH?
I think I have done it. For me, any
tech that increases the amount of
food we can produce from
our farms will solve many of
our problems. A hungry
person is never a nice
PHOTOGRAPHY: KENDALL-LEIGH NASH/HMimages.co.za, ISTOCKPHOTO, COURTESY IMAGES
person to be around.
Anything that fills
our food basket
is critical in
my eyes.
 16273 IDEA ENGINEE S
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 need to know 15

Say What?
Speak like a geek on top of their game

Words Craig Wilson @craigwilson and Joanne Carew @littleCarew

iris scanner
Originally the stuff of sci-fi movies, iris scanning is
commonplace today. Youre as likely to encounter it
at airport security as you are on modern smartphones
such as Samsungs new S8 (reviewed on page 62). On
phones, the front-facing camera tracks the iris; it uses
infrared optics to scan your eye for added security.
Like the ridges, troughs and valleys of skin cells that
make up your fingerprints, the patterns in your iris
are unique to you, making it an excellent hands-free
alternative to fingerprint scanners on phones.

Pixel density twitter canoe

Why is the screen of This results from someone inserting themselves into
the LG G5 better than the a Twitter conversation between two other people,
iPhone 7 Plus? Well, it has prompting others to join in until the limited character
higher pixel density. The count is taken up by all the usernames. And just like
more pixels that can be an overloaded canoe, the thread sinks because too
crammed into a display, many people have hopped on. Luckily, Twitter has
the sharper your image announced plans to exclude the usernames from the
appears. The pixel density tweet character count in future.
(how tightly all the pixels
are packed together) is
calculated by taking the
number of pixels in a given
display and dividing that
by the size of the display.
On the 5.5 screen of an
iPhone 7 Plus, the pixel
density is an impressive
401 ppi (pixels per inch).
But cram the same pixels
into a smaller screen and
you get a higher density,
and a sharper image. So,
for example, because the
LG G5 has a smaller screen
than the iPhone (5.3),
its pixel density is higher
(554 ppi).
NEED TO KNOW 16

#DELETEUBER
A perfect storm of public-relations
blunders rocked Uber earlier this
year. First, Uber appeared to be
ruthlessly profiting from New York
taxi drivers protesting the Trump
travel ban against largely Muslim
countries. It didnt help that Uber
CEO Travis Kalanick had joined
one of Trumps committees. Then,
a senior manager at Uber went
public with horrific tales of sexist
corporate culture rampant within
the company. In the midst of that
scandal, Kalanick was caught on
camera verbally abusing his own
Uber driver.
WIREFRAME
One of the core elements of good design is planning. A wireframe is
part of the planning stage of creating a website. Its like a schematic
or a floor plan in that it shows where all the important elements will go,
but without worrying about the specifics. So, in the same way that a
floorplan shows where a door should go, but not what sort of door itll
be, a website wireframe will show you where the navigation buttons
will go, but not what they will look like.

VIRTUAL MACHINE TWITTER LITE

Sometimes, developers working in A constantly updating Twitter feed
one sort of operating system (OS) burns through your mobile data.
want to be able to test software This low-data web-app version is
using another operating system. aimed at emerging markets and

PHOTOGRAPHY: ISTOCKPHOTO, COURTESY IMAGES

Or you might want to use a piece
of software that doesnt exist for
your PC OS yet. Using a process
called emulation, your operating
system can run another operating
system on top of it, as if its just
another application, to create a
virtual second PC. Now you can
run your incompatible software
inside the second OS running on
your virtual machine. One popular
trick is to run Windows on a Mac,
for example.
those on slower networks. It loads
up faster and uses much less data,
but still has almost all the primary
features of the full app.
BITMOJI
Tired of the laughing till you cry- or the good old thumbs up emoji?
You can now give your emoji a more personal touch. Download the
Bitmoji app and create emoji that actually resemble you, customising
skin colour, hairstyles, clothing and more.
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LIFE HACKS 18

H CK YOUR LIFE
Quick tricks to cope with your digital world
Words Joanne Carew @littleCarew
CLEAN BREAK
They say that sitting is the new
smoking, and most of us spend
the whole day staring at our PC
anyway. You really should take a
break every hour or so. Luckily,
theres a website that can help.
At donothingfor2minutes.com,
you can listen to the gentle lull of
the ocean as a timer counts down
your two-minute break. Should
you move your mouse at all, or
attempt to switch tabs, the timer
will restart. The idea is really to
do absolutely nothing for two full
minutes. Just dont tell your boss.
Tech subscribers
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SECRET MESSAGES
Two-step verification is one of the
most reliable ways to keep any data
secure by requiring you to provide
two forms of ID. If youre worried
about some schemer getting into
your WhatsApp messages, heres
how to secure it:
Open WhatsApp and navigate
to Settings, then Account. Choose
Two-step verification (if you dont
see it, update to the latest version
of the app). Youll be asked to enter
a six-digit passcode and confirm it.
Then, enter and confirm your email
address. Done.
To fully unlock your WhatsApp in
future, youll need to provide both
pieces of information.

SCREEN SAVER
If your smartphone uses AMOLED
screen technology (mostly high-end
phones), you can save battery by
using a dark wallpaper and themes.
Unlike LCD screens, which have to
light up the full screen all the time,
OLED tech lights only certain areas.
This saves more than youd expect.
PHOTOGRAPHY: GALLO/GETTYIMAGES, COURTESY IMAGES

PICK SIDES
Its important to make sure you
use your left and right earbuds
the right way round. Tie a small
knot in the cable of one side to
easily distinguish right from left.
Or you can dab one bud with
a colourful, hard-wearing
substance like nail polish.
TAXI TROUBLES
Left something behind in an Uber? Heres how to go about retrieving it.
Open the Uber app, tap the menu at the top-left corner of your screen
and select Help. Under your last trip, select Report an issue with this
trip and then tap I lost an item. Select Contact my driver about a lost
item and fill in your phone number. When you hit Submit your phone
will start dialling the driver.
DID YOU KNOW?
All TFG Account customers are
AUTOMATICALLY Rewards members

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FINGER-

PAINTING
FOR ALL
PRISMA
Android, iOS
Its easier than you
think to make your
humble creations
look like world-famous works of art.
Prisma is an AI-powered app that
does precisely that, using computer
smarts to simulate your favourite
artists, such as Picasso or Munch,
or you can use modern art filters.
Simply choose your photo, select
your desired style and watch the
results take shape. The introduction
of an effects store is an interesting
addition to your creative options.
CARTOON
CAMERA
Free, Android, iOS
Most are familiar
with the slick filters
and camera effects from Snapchat
by now, but Cartoon Camera is a
lovely bonus app that also works for
non-Snapchat users. It lets you take
photos with an arty filter attached
to them, featuring a pencil style,
PHOTOGRAPHY: iSTOCKPHOTO, COURTESY IMAGES
sepiatone effect, negative filter and
a few more. Perhaps your camera
already has some of these filters,
but you can never have too many,
can you?
PICSART
Free, Android, iOS
This app is a real
one-stop shop that
allows you to dress
Quick ways to turn your
smartphone pics into art
Words Hadlee Simons @hadleesimons
up your snaps with clip art, stickers,
drawing tools and something the
developer calls AI-powered magic
effects. This latter feature is pretty
cool, and delivers some psychedelic
effects to your pictures. Otherwise,
it has all the usual filters, effects and
editing tools found on most of the
apps listed here.
COLOR POP
EFFECTS
PHOTO EDITOR
Free, Android, iOS
Colour-pop apps
are a clever way to give your selfies
and photos something different.
There are some fantastic results out
there. The app effectively turns your
photos into greyscale images, and
then allows you to re-introduce bits
of colour back into the picture. Its
not completely user friendly but still
a great app for producing digitally
enhanced photos.
BESTME SELFIE
CAMERA
Free, Android, iOS
If youre obsessed
with photo filters
and have a more-is-more attitude,
check out BestMe Selfie Camera,
which offers more than 100 filters,
some of which are not available in
the free app. In addition to these
arty filters, BestMe offers emoji
overlays and clip art too, so you
never send a regular picture to
APPTITUDE 21
anyone ever again. However, its a
little light on the standard drawing-
and editing features.
FRESH PAINT
Free, Windows
Phone
Microsoft may have
walked away from
the Windows Phone app store, but
Fresh Paint is still one of the shining
beacons on the platform. The app,
available for both Windows Phones
and PCs, is effectively the spiritual
successor to the original MS Paint.
So you can start from a blank canvas,
of course, using pencil, watercolour
paints and other brush types, but
you can also transform your works
or any images using half a dozen
filters and some other effects.
DRAW ME!
Free, Android
Ever needed a little
caricature or pencil
sketch of yourself?
Draw Me lets you submit photos of
yourself or others, with other users
then volunteering to recreate your
likeness for you.
Naturally, you can also volunteer
to draw other people and showcase
your artistic prowess. The massive
downside is that you will probably
be waiting a while for someone to
complete your drawing, but there
certainly isnt a shortage of photos
for you to draw.
decider 22

taking
Its easy to overlook the critical role of mouses and
keyboards in our computing experience. Of all our
personal electronics, these are probably the hardest
working, but they cost the least.
Keyboard and mouse malfunctions can be simply
infuriating, but smart, ergonomic equipment promotes
healthy computing practices and can even help you
up your productivity.
With touch screens and voice-activated systems
now increasingly common, its likely the humble
keyboard and mouse wont survive into the next
digital age. But until then, it makes sense to
invest in the best desktop equipment
you can afford. Your wrists, arms
and shoulders will certainly
thank you.

The cushioned
palm rest provides
support for hands
and wrists, but
can be removed
to keep things
more compact.
control
Great mouses and keyboards
can give you a productivity boost
Microsoft sculpt
ErgonoMic
DEsktop
Microsoft ushered in the era
of workplace computing and
still takes that responsibility
extremely seriously, investing
heavily in research towards
healthy computing practices.
And this crazy-looking set-up
reflects some of its findings.
Your hands will naturally tilt
slightly outwards when in
a relaxed position, and that
informs the keyboards wavy
shape. The thumb scoop for
the mouse gives you more
control with less effort, and
the rounded shape also fully
supports your palm and tilts
your hand into the optimal
position. Sure, it takes some
getting used to, but looking
after your arms and wrists
will keep you productive for
much longer.
Cordless, ergonomic design,
add-on number pad, R1 600
BUYING GUIDE
WIRELESS
Most keyboards and mouses are
going cordless. This connectivity,
using the 2.4 gHz radio band, has
become far more reliable and uses
much less power than it did before.
Bluetooth equipment is the most
efficient for laptops, as you wont
need a receiver that will take up
one of your USB slots.
BATTERIES
Energy use has become so efficient
that youll only need batteries every
few months, not weeks. We would
recommend you keep two sets of
rechargeable batteries on rotation
to avoid unplanned downtime.
MOBILE WORKERS
Mobile workers and frequent flyers
alike should invest in a high-quality
compact mouse with a single AAA
battery and Bluetooth connectivity.
The best travel mouses have sensors
that allow them to work well on just
about any kind of surface (Microsoft
BlueTrack and Logitech Advanced
Optical Tracking, for example).
DOCKING
Laptop users should also invest in
a full-sized keyboard and mouse to
work comfortably at work and at
home. Connecting these is simply
no hassle now, because theyre all
cordless these days.
ERGONOMICS
For healthy computing tips using
your keyboard and mouse, go to
download.microsoft.com. Search
for Guide to Healthy Computing.
DECIDER 24

Microsoft
Microsoft Sculpt Arc touch
Comfort BluEtooth
Even if you dont want to take This striking design has some
on a crazy-shaped mouse, you genuinely practical application.
should still be able to work in For the road warriors who find
comfort. This ergonomic model themselves working anywhere
has a premium feel to it, with and everywhere, this mouse
a slightly pronounced rear to presses flat to slip more easily
support your palm and lift your into a pocket or bag. Bend it
wrist off the table. It uses a tilt into the arc shape to turn it on
wheel that will scroll up and and it works reliably on just
down and side to side useful about any kind of surface using
for spreadsheets, design work BlueTrack sensor technology
and image editing. and Bluetooth connectivity.
Cordless, Bluetooth, BlueTrack Cordless, Bluetooth, BlueTrack
sensor, R530 sensor, R1 300

logitEch M330 silEnt

This mouse is small enough to take on the
road, but big enough to work in comfort
at the office. Its mechanical clicking and It goes to sleep
scrolling sounds have been reduced by when not in use.
Logitech claims up
nearly 90%, so your frantic mousing on
to two years of
deadline will be less of an annoyance for battery life.
co-workers. The sides have soft, patterned
rubber for a superb grip.
Cordless, 3 buttons, R440
 Hackers cant
intercept these
keyboard inputs,
because the
wireless data
is encrypted.

Microsoft
DEsktop 850 sEt
The majority of business
owners regard keyboards
and mouses as inexpensive
disposable tech, but they
never think to measure the
lost productivity owing to
malfunctions, replacement
turnaround time, or the big
impact on the environment
from throwing out cheapies.
This no-frills cordless desk-
top set offers great tactile
feedback, and is definitely
built to last.
Cordless, R580

Genius SlimStar 8000ME

Genius has been making computer peripherals for nearly 30
years. If youre feeling the pinch in your pocket, this affordable,
basic set-up is still good value. We especially like the compact
size its a far smaller footprint than most budget desktops
but youre still getting well-sprung keys, multimedia controls
and cordless convenience.
Cordless, R250, takealot.com
decider 26

Change the resolution

and mousing speed by
pressing a small button
on the underside: fast
for gaming, regular for
office work, and slow
for detailed artistic
work, for example.

ZowiE fk2 gAMing MousE

Zowie is a new brand in SA, and its
usually linked to competitive gaming.
This is a true-blue high-performance
gaming mouse boasting an advanced
sensor and buttons built for seriously
rough treatment. Unlike most gaming
mouses, though, its a subtle, elegant
shape specifically designed for both
palm style and claw grip mousing,
and without any of those customary
garish lighting effects, so it fits right
into your work environment. If youre
putting in a solid days work, but you
want to cut loose after hours, look
no further than this unassuming, but
highly specced rodent.
Cabled, up to 3 200
DPI resolution,
R1 300

Logitech K750
solar-powered
keyboard
Logitech has produced some
innovative keyboards one can

STYLInG: ROBYn LAnE; PHOTOGRAPHY: AndREAS EISELEn/HMimages.co.za

wash under the tap, and half-
sized ones for operating your
smart TV, but our favourite is
this solar-powered unit, which
stores three months of charge
at a time, and never needs new
batteries. Its a great keyboard
too, with enough bounce and
quiet operation.
Cordless, solar powered, R1 900
 PROTECT AND CONNECT
WHILE YOU ARE AWAY

Circle is the modern home

security camera designed to
help watch over your kids,
pets and home while youre
away. Whether youre at work
or just next door, keep a close
eye on unexpected or planned
household activity, all in real
time, then save and replay
all the important moments.
With Circle, youll never miss
a thing at home.

Logitech MX Master Wireless Mouse
The MX Master wireless mouse is
Logitechs flagship device, designed
for power users. It offers a comfortable
hand-sculpted contour*, stunning
design, advanced features and a
rechargeable battery.
* Mouse mould manufactured from
an original hand-sculpted design.
Wireless Presenter R700
Youll have powerful control for high-
impact presentations with this
wireless presenter.
30-meter range
Brilliant red laser pointer
Logitech K780 Multi-Device
Wireless Keyboard
Type on your computer, smartphone
and tablet with one fully equipped,
beautifully finished keyboard. Easily
switch typing between all devices,
whether Windows or Mac, Android
or iOS.*
*USB-equipped or Bluetooth Smart
ready device that supports an external
keyboard (HID profile).

www.logitech.com
primer 28
SUCKING
STARDUST
South Africans are building the tech that
uncovers the mysteries of the universe
Words Mandy J Watson @mandyjwatson
The Square KilomeTre
array (SKa) is a project
that sees South africa and
australia building massive
radio telescope arrays that
will help map out the universe
by detecting the faintest of
radio signals travelling through
space. When finally completed in
2025, it will be a scientific marvel,
and easily the biggest technology
project SA has ever undertaken.
Eventually, the radio telescopes
of the SKA will produce more than
1 billion gigabytes of data per day.
Thats one exabyte more than is
generated across the entire internet
in a day right now.
To manage this volume of data,
you would normally custom-build a
supercomputer costing hundreds of
millions of rands. But being out in
the desert poses some challenges:
theres nowhere near enough band-
width, power is scarce and the hot
and dusty environment is tough
on electronics.
The project had to build its own
roads as well as install its own power
lines, and then install a fibre-optic
cable capable of 10 gigabit speeds
(a thousand times faster than your
home ADSL). It has also had to find
innovative ways to set up necessary
computing hardware thats rugged
and long lasting.
With the first phase of 64 dishes,
called MeerKAT there are 16 dishes
up so far our own scientists and
engineers have already devised
some innovative technologies and
tools, some of which have turned
into impressive tech projects in their
own right.
Slick operation
Astronomer Simon Ratcliffe has
invented an innovative way to have
massive processing power despite
the hostile desert climate. Basically,
he submerges the computers in a
mineral oil, which helps with their
cooling, keeps dust away from the
circuitry and saves on electricity.

MAKING PLANS
In Star Wars Rogue One,
the Imperial data vault on
the planet Scarif comprises
three towers, each six stories
high, and stacked with data
cassettes retrieved by robot
arms, the sci-fi equivalent of
the SKA installation. The rebels
proceed to steal the Death
Star schematics, and the rest
is sci-fi history.
This idea was first tested more than
two years ago, when a computer
board was lowered into the oil. It
has been running ever since. The
only problems have been the plastic
cables becoming a little stiff and the
mineral oil occasionally leaking and
splashing out of the unit.
To build the computers, Ratcliffe
has also been combining a number
of NVIDIA Tegra processors (usually
used in smartphones and tablets)
into modules that are subsequently
networked together inside a box
filled with oil. Seal the box, plug it
in and you have created a kind of
supercomputer that works out in
the desert, but which uses much
less electricity: just 18.4 kW, or half
as much as a laptop.
Dumping Data
Storing all of that data is another
hurdle. Ratcliffe decided SKA should
build its own data-storage system
to save some money. There are two
versions of its storage pods, one of
which has 48 ordinary hard drives
that total 360 terabytes, and one
of which has 48 solid-state drives
made of memory chips without any
moving parts, storing 1 TB each. This
gives the team two types of storage:
one for bulk and one for extremely
high performance.
For long-term data storage, which
gets used very seldom, Ratcliffe has
chosen a pretty old-school system:
magnetic tapes. To speed up the
archiving and retrieval process of
these tape cassettes, the team is
building a robot that moves through
the library to find and extract the
correct tapes, but this homegrown
robotic solution costs 30 times less
than other similar systems.
perfect timing
Francois Kapp works on SKAs real-
time signal-processing systems. He
and a few other SKA scientists have
developed all of the timing-systems
technologies keeping the telescopes
signals synchronised. Laser-assisted
timing systems that synchronise all
the telescopes down to a couple of
nanoseconds were all developed
internally by SKA team members.
 primer 31

MEET THE
INNOVATORS
Simon ratcliffe
Astronomer
He was one
of SKAs very
first technical
recruits, back
in 2005. He
says that the
project has an MeerKAT will eventually
house 60 data-storage
assortment
pods requiring 2.5 tons of
of disciplines, hard drives. Thats three
from producing thousand drives, each
its own hardware to researching holding 8 terabytes.
machine learning.

Francois Kapp
Digital
back-end
subsystem Each telescope is receiving at most PCs and servers. The resulting
manager 40 gigabits per second, so the 64 circuit board is known as SKARAB
What first drew antennas together will stream 2.5 (SKA Reconfigurable Application
him to the SKA
terabits per second into the SKA Board). Lots of these boards can be
project was, he
says, the unique processing system. This is several mounted in racks and configured
combination of thousands of times more than any to work together in a network. It
working at the kind of conventional processor or looks like a supercomputer, but uses
cutting edge of tech, and also data network can handle. FPGA nodes, not CPUs.
being clearly for the greater
However, programming FPGAs
good of humankind.
The SKA will produce is an extreme science mastered by
Jasper horrell only a handful of people worldwide,
Experimental more than one billion so now the SKA has joined a project
physicist
He was one gigabytes of data known as Casper (Collaboration for
Astronomy Signal Processing and
of the projects
first recruits,
per day Electronics Research) started at the
back in 2004. University Of California to attempt
Jaspers geek Data ruSh to make it easier. The Casper project
interests focus The big solution was a contraption will employ a sort of drag-and-drop
mostly around
called a field programmable gate graphical software interface to allow
control systems
and artificial array (FPGA) which utilises gates scientists to figure out how to put
intelligence/machine learning operating in parallel instead of the modules together to build a radio-
and real-time distributed data. regular central processors used for astronomy instrument.
primer 32

okay, meerkat The AI system The scientists have already applied

Imagine being able to communicate
with something as complicated as
will learn to look for machine learning to classification of
galaxy shapes with some success,
MeerKAT and have it respond by astral phenomena and are now working on detecting
telling you its maintenance needs,
what part of the sky its looking at,
that we dont even pulsars (super-dense stars emitting
strong electromagnetic radiation)
or what it has found of interest on know about today with MeerKAT. Its expected that the
a particular day. research into AI for MeerKAT will
Drawing inspiration from the Star The SKA telescope is going to have applications in other sciences
Trek communicator, which seemed produce so much data, we humans and in business.
to effortlessly draw on massive sets wont ever be able to look over all The SKA project has attracted
of scientific data using mostly of it. It will need to be automated, some of South Africas best and
plain-language questions and so the SKAs computers will be brightest, and their innovations are
responses, SKA physicist taught how to analyse and nudging the country back into the
Jasper Horrell is now interpret astral data, and world spotlight of edgy scientific
working on powering totally unsupervised. discovery. So its comforting, then,
Last year, MeerKATs
MeerKAT using AI Also, this AI system to know that if they encounter any,
16 antennas found 1 300
and other kinds of galaxies in a piece of will have to learn how well, extraterrestrial life, theyre the
machine learning. the sky where we had to look for types of ones representing humanity.
previously been able
astral phenomena
to count only
70 galaxies. we dont even know
about today, and it
will have to be able
to both analyse and
categorise this data.

PHOTOGRAPHy: GALLO/GETTyIMAGES, COURTESy IMAGES

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 CELL
YOUR SELF Boss your spreadsheets with these five tricks
DESPITE HOW INDISPENSABLE
spreadsheets have now become
in almost every kind of office job,
theres no denying that Excel can
also be a bit overwhelming. Here
are some handy tips and tricks that
should make the whole thing seem
a lot less intimidating.
QUICK ANALYSIS
If youve been using Excel for a long
time, especially for producing work
presentations, you will know that a
massive spreadsheet filled with row
upon row of nothing but numbers
can be challenging to make sense
of. Fortunately, Excel has a fantastic
built-in tool to quickly turn your data
into a graph or represent it in some
other kind of visual system.
Since 2013, Excel has included the
very clever Quick Analysis feature to
simplify the creation of data tables,
graphs and charts down to nearly a
single click. Simply highlight a data
set and the Quick Analysis button
should appear at the bottom-right
corner of your selection. Click it to
see your various options for sorting,
labelling or graphing your data. And
best of all, by simply rolling over the
Words Zaid Kriel @zaidkriel
options, you will be able to get a
real-time preview of the final result
right then and there.
AUTOFILL
By nature, Excel is a data-capturing
tool, but logging repetitive numbers
can be pretty mind-numbing work.
Master Excels AutoFill feature and
youll eliminate a lot of the drudge
work and increase your productivity
all in one fell swoop.
If the data youre entering follows
a predictable pattern days of the
week, incremental invoice numbers
or multiples of seven, for example
AutoFill can help you. You start by
filling in the first few entries (Sun,
Mon; 1202, 1203; or 7, 14, 21). Now
drag a box around these cells and
then move the pointer to the lower
right-hand corner of the selection.
It will turn into a black cross. Now
click and drag across all the cells
you need to fill.
Using some artificial-intelligence
magic, Excel can figure out exactly
what you need done and will fill all
the cells you have selected with the
things you want them filled with
just like that.
 HOW TO 35

CONVERTING ROWS
TO COLUMNS
So, youve misjudged your data set
and created rows of data when you
really needed to use columns.
If you dont know your Excel from
your elbow, you could be looking at
hours of tedious work rebuilding the
whole table. Luckily, you can change
your 450 rows into 450 columns in
just a few clicks.
First, highlight all your data and
hit right-click. From the drop-down
menu that materialises, select Copy.
Now move along to the cell where
PHOTOGRAPHY: COURTESY IMAGES
SAME DATA, MANY CELLS
Occasionally, youll need to put the
same piece of data into lots of cells.
This could easily become a mundane
copy-and-paste chore, but again,
Excel has your back.
Start off by selecting the cell you
need to replicate, right-clicking and
hitting Copy. Next, youll drag a box
around all the cells you need to fill,
right-click and hit Paste. Each new
cell will be filled with the contents
of the first one.
But what if the cells you need to
fill are not all together in one place?
the very last cell you highlighted
and, when youre done, hold the
Control key when you press Enter.
Whatever text you typed or copied
into that last cell will now appear in
every other highlighted cell as well,
saving you even more time.
RESIZING COLUMNS
AND ROWS
The most obvious way to resize rows
and columns is by dragging them
bigger or smaller, but theres a fast
way to automatically resize cells to
fit your data. As before, mouse over

you would prefer your new data to
start. Right-click in that cell and, on
the fly-out menu that appears, look
for the Transpose icon. Now you just
click that and marvel at how far we
have come while your rows transform
into columns.
You can still do this replication move. the space between columns (or rows)
First, highlight all the cells you until the pointer changes to a cross
need to fill by holding the with two arrow points. Instead
Control key and clicking of dragging, just double-click
These tricks
each cell, wherever it may not all the left mouse button and
is on the spreadsheet. work on much the field will adjust to your
older versions
Now type your data into largest piece of data.
of Excel.
SHOW AND
A simple screen-capture
video can replace hours of
frustrating tech support
TELL
Words Zaid Kriel @ZaidKriel
 HOW TO 37

SOMETIMES THE BEST WAY TO
teach someone something is to
just show them. Thats all too true
with computer programs, especially
those with unfamiliar software or
particularly complex interfaces.
When you need to walk someone
through a procedure on a computer,
especially if youre doing it over the
phone, it would be ideal to simply
show them a video of the actions
required. YouTube has made a virtue
of showing us how to do DIY, fix our
cars and cook the perfect steak. So
wouldnt it make a lot of sense to
film computing processes too
anything from formatting Word
documents to changing
network settings?
So how do you record
on-screen procedures?
In the past, you would
some popular software,
download additional
software to accomplish
this, but mastering that
software alone could be
challenging. Luckily, there
are some readily available
programs for PCs and phones
that make this process much
easier. So easy, in fact, that you
wont need a video tutorial!
YOU HAVE THE
POWER(POINT)
There are both free-to-use and paid
PHOTOGRAPHY: GALLO/GETTYIMAGES, COURTESY IMAGES
ensure they are easy to follow.
Once you are satisfied with your
dialogue and procedures, youre
ready to record.
Start PowerPoint, click the Insert
tab, and select Screen Recording
it should be all the way on the
right-hand side of the top menu
bar. A menu will drop down from
the top of the screen showing video
control buttons: Record and Stop.
Other buttons include:
Select Area
Use this to decide if you want to
record the entire screen or just a
specific portion.
If the tutorial you
Audio
have created solves a Click this if
common computing you need to
problem, or applies to
record audio
you could upload your (voice-over
instructional clip to instructions,
YouTube, where it
for example)
could help a much
broader audience. alongside your
on-screen activity.
Pointer Recorder
Click this if you want people to see
the mouse pointer moving around
in your recording.
THE FINAL EDIT
Once youve made these choices,
you are ready to start with your
Depending on the length of your
video, this file may be too large to
send by email. At work, you can copy
this file to a common server so your
co-workers can play it. For friends
and family, you may have to upload
it to a file-sharing service such as
Dropbox or Google Drive.
SCREEN TIME
AZ SCREEN
RECORDER
Free, Android
Recording can
also be done
for a smaller screen such as
your Android phone, and this
straightforward, free app is
the best weve found.
Download and install the
app from the Google Play
Store. A widget with four
buttons will appear: a Record
button, a Settings button, a
Gallery button and a button
to close the app.
The Settings button can be
used to change the recording
quality and to start/stop audio
recording. Audio recording
can capture sounds from the
device or voice instructions.
There are a few options, but
theyre pretty self-explanatory.

downloadable apps that will record
your screen activities, but the easiest
way to go about doing this is likely
already installed on your computer.
If you have Microsoft Office, using
PowerPoint to record your screen is
just a few clicks away. Since Office
2013 edition, youve been able to
use it to record on-screen activity.
It pays to do a few trial runs first,
so you can discover any hiccups and
rehearse your voice instructions to
recording. Simply click Start and
PowerPoint will begin recording.
When youre done, click Stop and
the recording will appear as a slide
in the presentation.
Right-click this slide and, from
the drop-down menu, select Save
Media As. Select a folder to save
your new recording in, and give
your file a name. Now you have
exported the video file, so you
can use it outside of PowerPoint.
We recommend you walk
through the procedures youre
planning to record a few times
before recording. Then press
the Record button and, after a
brief countdown, the app will
record everything that happens
on-screen. To stop recording
once youre done, swipe down
the notification panel to find
the Stop button.
THE TEST One Swiss watchmaker turns
smartwatches into classic collectables
Words William Horne @awilliamhorne

The watch uses

mechanical gaskets to
connect parts together
for years of longevity,
as opposed to the
glues youd find on
other smartwatches.
 SWAG 39

OF TIME
EEE
Using the online
watch-builder tool, TAG HEUER CONNECTED
you can build your
own completely
MODULAR 45
custom Tag Heuer modular smartwatch
Connected Modular As mens fashion accessories go, the classic
45 from hundreds of wristwatch has been the one staple that, once
different variations.
adopted, has never really been out of style.
Since the First World War made pocket-
watches impractical and thus obsolete, the
wristwatch has been a timeless ambassador
of ones style, taste, and, of course, status.
Unfortunately, much as with most modern
electronic gadgets, smartwatches have not
proven very heirloom-worthy so far.
Now, premium watchmaker Tag Heuer has
given the fashion-forward gadget-hound a
way to pay homage to the staid heirloom
timepiece without having to pass up the very
latest in smartwatch technology.
The Tag Heuer Connected Modular 45 is
the perfect blend of Swiss watchmaking and
smart technology. Running the latest Android
Wear 2.0 operating system, it has GPS, runs
Google Assistant and can even handle mobile
payments. With a scratch-resistant sapphire
glass, 50m water resistance and full titanium
construction, no other smartwatch comes
close in build quality.
Then, to solve the problem of creating a
timepiece that can stand the test of time and
earn its place as an heirloom, Tag Heuer has
also come up with a modular design. You can
swap everything from the bezels, straps and
links to the actual digital innards, which can
also be replaced with a traditional analogue
mechanism if youd like.
PHOTOGRAPHY: COURTESY IMAGES

Android Wear 2.0, Sapphire glass, 1.39-inch

AMOLED touch screen, 50m water resistant,
4 GB storage, 512 MB RAM, WiFi, Bluetooth, GPS,
gyroscope, haptic feedback, swappable modular
components, 30-hour battery life (claimed),
from R24 000
NKOSINATI TOLOM
SA Post Office Group
Executive: Commercial
virtualpostoffice.co.za

IN TRANSIT
The SAPO app does pretty
sophisticated parcel tracking
using a unique number that will
lead you to your parcels location
on a map. You can also look up
contact details for any post office
in the country.
 MOVERS & MAKERS 41

DIGITALLY
DELIVERED
The SA Post Office is making bold moves into
the digital realm and taking the wraps off
its new virtual services
Words Joanne Carew @littleCarew

THE DAY NKOSINATI TOLOM
joined the SA Post Office back in
November 2015, he knew that it
would be a big ask. The troubled
state-owned enterprise was living
under a cloud of controversy, having
spectacularly failed to adapt to the
internet age. But Tolom brought with
him a wealth of experience, including
nearly twenty years of transformation
at Telkom, and he decided he was
well up to this challenge.
WHAT MADE YOU DECIDE TO
START WORKING FOR THE SA
POST OFFICE?
We all know about the previous
struggles at SAPO. Someone told
me there was an opportunity at the
Post Office that would fit me like a
glove. I really wasnt looking for work,
but when I started researching SAPO,
it was very discouraging. But I saw
it as my opportunity to contribute to
the South African marketplace, and
to the country.
I finally submitted my CV with just
one hour to go before the deadline.
Going through the interview process,
I believe it also helped a lot that I had
a plan and solutions ready for some
of the problems Id already identified.
Since that day, it has been quite
a challenging time, but an exciting
one too.
WHAT PLANS DID YOU HAVE
IN MIND WHEN YOU DECIDED
TO TAKE THE JOB?
During my time at Telkom, I was part
of the companys transformation from
a telephone company to a solutions
provider. One of the ideas there was
to bring the physical Post Office into
the modern, digital world. After all,
technologies change and the profile
of our customers has changed, so
we had to follow the changing needs
of the market and of our customers.
Without acknowledging and then
pursuing that transformation, you
miss opportunities.
WHAT NEW DIGITAL SERVICES
ARE YOU ROLLING OUT?
Digital Post allows businesses to
communicate with their customers
using a Digital Post Box and send
registered mail digitally.
The main use for registered mail is
the need for proof that something
has been sent. If someone sends you
an e-registered mail via our Digital
Post Box, youll receive a notification
on your phone. Clicking the link will
allow you to register to access the
documents being sent to you. This
gives you Digital Post Box for life at
no charge. Instead, we charge the
sender of the document.
The data is encrypted and secure
so that any communication between
you and your customers can easily
be tracked, from proof the document
was sent, to a notification when the
recipient has opened the document
on their side. This is a very attractive
option for businesses, because it is
fast and also reduces costs.
MOVERS & MAKERS 42

WHAT OTHER DIGITAL

PRODUCTS HAVE YOU
DEVELOPED?
We wanted to bring the Post Office
into the comfort of your own home
or office. Accessing our Virtual Post One of the ideas was
Office platform, users can now renew to bring the physical
their post boxes, buy postage and Post Office into the
pay for traffic offences online.
We have also been working with digital world
government departments to allow
SA citizens to apply for government
services, complete and send off their
forms and get approval, and all of it
done electronically. The solution has
already been designed and tested,
and were really just waiting for final
approval on the project.
Our Trust Centre also offers digital
certificates, authentication and digital
signatures in an encrypted format.
This means that multiple parties can
sign off on documents in a secure
way without having to move paper
documents around between them.
We are also doing work around
verifying Proof of Life so we can help
prevent identity theft and be able to
guarantee that people are who they
claim to be.

HOW CAN SA CITIZENS FIND

OUT ABOUT THIS ASSORTMENT
OF NEW SERVICES?
I must confess that we havent done
a very good job of this so far. One
of my strategic positions for the next
financial year is that were going to
OPEN FOR BUSINESS

1 52
share with the public what we have

2.6M
done with these digital platforms and ADDRESSES
to bring SAPO to this point. REACHED
The general public still sees us as
DAILY
little more than a letter-distribution

2 M
PHOTOGRAPHY: SAMANTHA PINTO/HMimages.co.za

company, but these days, we are a

combination of the physical and the SAPO BRANCHES

5.7M
electronic, with the digital supporting
and also speeding up many physical
processes. Theres a lot weve already
done and so much more that we plan
to do.
We would like to reassure the public
FINANCIAL
that were still open for business, and TRANSACTIONS
show that we also have lot of new
digital efficiencies in place too. POSTBANK ACCOUNTS PER MONTH
HE IS YOUR
ACTIVE INSPIRATION
SPOIL HIM WITH
A GIFT CARD
THIS FATHERS DAY
18 JUNE 2017
 Scope NATURAL WORLD
TRACE
EVIDENCE Crime fighting gets a boost from SAs new
fingerprint technology
TECHNOLOGY HAS LONG BEEN
transforming every sector of
society, and crime-fighting is no
exception. South Africas Council
for Scientific and Industrial Research
(CSIR) has now propelled one of
the cornerstones of forensic science
fingerprinting to a whole new
level using technology developed
right here in SA.
Distortion is a big problem when
trying to determine if a fingerprint
belongs to someone. Despite what
TV shows such as CSI may tell you,
criminals very seldom leave behind
perfect prints.
Words Mark Crozier
There is smudging when a person
touches a surface, and the fingerprint
image gets further distorted when
something that is three-dimensional
(such as a fingerprints ridges and
whorls) is reduced to two dimensions
(the simple lines of the print left on
a surface). Also, the pattern on the
finger can be damaged by exposure
to chemicals, scarring or disease. In
particular, people who work mainly
with their hands, whether artisan or
manual labourer, often have poorly
defined prints. Forensic techs often
struggle to collect a decent image
as a result.
LASER SCAN
For the first time, an ostensibly 2D
fingerprint can be lifted in 3D. The
new device can help the police and
other investigators to identify the
person who has left traces at the
crime scene, a process investigators
refer to as transfer.
In a world first, the CSIR has now
developed a method of gathering
these fingerprints making use of a
3D-scanning process. This allows
the print to be rendered as not just
a simple outline, but with its ridges
and troughs too, which makes for
more accurate matching.

The process, known as Optimal the scanner can also pick up prints
Coherence Tomography (OCT), is without destroying other material
performed by scanning a fingertip useful for forensics. For example, if
using a red laser beam, which then fingerprints are left in a blood stain,
penetrates fractions of a millimetre you can still easily retrieve the prints
below the skin to capture maximum without, for example, the DNA in
detail. This data is then processed the blood being compromised by
to build an extremely detailed 3D- chemical reactions or heat.
fingerprint image. But the OCT scanner can also be
Crime-scene investigators can useful for other things. It can detect
therefore lift fingerprints without
using the normal dusting technique,
which can be imprecise and messy
Fingerprints are
and damage the print. rendered with their
Since OCT doesnt destroy the ridges and troughs too,
original evidence, this means you
can lift a print a number of times
for more accurate
without degrading the original. matching
LIGHT TOUCH the presence of sweat glands and tell
Zelda Graham, CSIR National Laser if the object being scanned is dead
Centre operations manager, says a or alive, both of some interest to the
major benefit of the scanner is that security industry, for example when
it doesnt need to actually touch the preventing fake fingerprints being
print. Besides the print itself being used for identification. This makes it
retained for longer, this means that all very useful in high-end biometric
The first crime solved using fingerprints occurred
in the UK in 1902. Using a system devised by
Sir Edward Henry, a man named Harry Jackson
was convicted of theft from prints taken off a
window sill.
SCOPE 45
The CSIR was
also tasked with
building SAs
supercomputers.
security of the sort that military and
national security agencies require to
restrict access.
In fact, potential applications for
the OCT scanner are pretty broad,
including identifying stolen animals
in stock-theft cases and scanning of
newborn baby handprints to help us
conclusively identify babies in the
event of switching or kidnapping for
trafficking purposes.
Already a great deal of interest is
being shown in the new technology,
which has enormous potential both
locally and internationally. The CSIR
expects the device to go on sale in
the next two years or so. The larger
version, to be used in laboratories
and morgues, will roll out first.
The second phase will see the
development of the portable OCT
scanner, which can be used at crime
scenes, for example.
 Scope SCOPE 47

NATURAL WORLD

CREEPY
X
FACTOR

Amazons popular voice-

controlled virtual assistant,
Alexa, is now accessible on
dozens of devices. The hard X
sound in her name helps this

MAULIES
artificially intelligent liaison
recognise its name more easily
when addressed. But Alexa is
also a homage to the ancient
Library of Alexandria, inside
Every year, spiders eat more animals in biomass than all which was contained almost
humans combined. Researchers have determined that our the entirety of all human
creepy-crawly friends consume up to 800 million tons of knowledge way back in the
prey each year, mostly insects. Despite this all sounding first century BCE.
rather macabre, the role spiders play in controlling insect
populations is certainly due some respect.

DEAD
SERIOUS
The man who invented the automatic
telephone switchboard was not an
engineer, but an undertaker. Almon
Strowger had first come up with the
invention because the wife of his direct
competitor was the town operator, and
kept directing all calls for undertakers
to her husband instead of Almon.
SCOPE 48

TARGET
AUDIENCE
In the late 1930s, darts was experiencing its first boom.
Besides broadcasting live darts matches, BBC Radio in the
UK also had one neat gimmick up its sleeve. A professional
darts player, one FH Wallis, would be live in studio playing
a round of 301, and would then announce his score and wait
in silence as listeners at home played their turn.

SET TO G
STUN O ING
The USS Zumwalt stealth destroyer is one of the
most advanced ships in the United States fleet,
sporting sophisticated stealth technologies and
weaponry. Star Trek fans will be delighted to know
that its captained by a man named James Kirk,
whose namesake captained the USS Enterprise
in the classic sci-fi TV series.

Automation has fast been

reducing the number of
PHOTOGRAPHY: ISTOCKPHOTO, COURTESY IMAGES

people required for certain

careers since the Industrial
Revolution. But in the past
60 years, only one actual
occupation really has been
completely eliminated by
the rise of the machines:
the elevator operator. The
machines may be taking
over... but very slowly.
PLANTRONICS RIG500
This speedy design includes the
ability to customise your sound
experience. Swap the cups from a
ventilated pair with a fabric finish
that stays cooler for extended
sessions to a pleather pair, which
seals out any audio distractions
and keeps you focused. We are
fans of Plantronicss sound, but
the lack of controls on the cups
or cable will probably frustrate
some gamers.
PC/PS/Xbox, 7.1 surround sound,
R2 320

ASTRO A50
Recognised as the gold standard
by e-sports fans, these updated
wireless Astros extend that lofty
reputation. They still sound pretty
fantastic, and are beautifully built
and extremely comfortable, and
now come with a smarter base
station (you can jack in your own
background music!) that will also
double as a neat charging dock.
However, at this price, were kind
of shocked theres no option to
switch from wireless to cable.
PC/PS/Xbox, 7.1 surround sound,
15-hour battery claimed,
R5 000

STEELSERIES
SIBERIA 650
Extra-wide and soft cups make
for an especially comfortable fit
and the dual headband ensures
theres never too much pressure
against your head. The external
sound board lets you tweak your
settings, including even the LED
lighting on the cups. Those who
consider the 10-channel equaliser
software too finicky can simply
choose a sound profile such as
FPS, music or movies for instant
audio optimisation.
PC/PS/Xbox, 7.1 surround sound,
R3 000
 GAME REVIEWS 51

ACER V NITRO BLACK

EDITION
Its the gaming laptop for the rest
of us. Sure, its more than a year
old, which makes it a bit long in the
tooth by gaming standards, but we
like it as a solid value buy for the
casual gamer who expects to use
his PC for a lot more than fragging.
The styling is very subtle for a
gaming rig, perhaps even a little
boring, but that fits right in with
the businesslike feature set of four
USB ports, DVD drive and SSD and
HDD storage. But with an i7 and
6 GB under the hood, and a solid
workhorse Nvidia Geforce 860M
for graphics, you can still keep up
the pace of most FPS duels, even
if you have to crank down some
settings on the very latest titles.
Intel i7, 17 Full-HD screen, 16 GB
RAM, 256 GB SSD, 1 TB HDD, 2
USB 3.0, 2 USB, DVD drive,
Windows 8, R20 000
 GaMe ReviewS 53

Razers Green
switches are most
common, but the
quieter orange and
yellow models are
also available, and
theyre all rated for
80 million strokes.

RazeR Blackwidow chRoma V2

This updated model keeps everything that was great about the original Chroma keyboard:
the insane lighting schemes, the superb mechanical switches, the built-in USB and audio
port, and the overall build quality. It also adds some more macro keys for automating your
keystrokes, and a truly useful palm rest, which attaches magnetically.
Razer Green Mechanical Switches, R3 200

logitech oRion g810

We liked the compact and subtle
design of this mechanical model. It
sacrifices the dedicated macro keys
found on some models and replaces
them with more practical multimedia
keys, including the genuinely handy
volume-control roller. Youll still get
the fully programmable LED lighting
effects and Logitech uses its own
highly responsive Romer-G switches
which are, thankfully, a bit quieter
than some other models.
Romer-G switches, R2 450

You can programme

the normal function
keys to fire off your
keystroke macros.
GAME REVIEWS 54

ZOWIE ZA11
This ordinary-looking rodent has top gaming performance where
it counts, from 400- right up to 3 200 DPI precision, with a raised
contour for better palm control, and its completely symmetrical
so its easily set up for left- or right-hand users at the touch of a
button. We especially like how it grips and how lightweight it is
to manoeuvre but, strangely, the DPI switch is on the underside,
so you cant change modes on the fly.
5 buttons, R1 400

Camade? Thats
geek speak for CAble
MAnagement DEvice.
ZOWIE CAMADE
If youre finding your desktop a bit
crowded with cables, cans and, well,
pizza boxes, then you will want to
keep your mouse tail well clear of
any snags that could end up costing
you the game. Just slot your mouse
cable into the toggle on these two
springy arms, extend to the height
desired, and its lifted well clear of
any obstacles, keeping your mouse
moving freely no matter how much
detritus piles up around you. R700

Subscribers,
SMS JUNE LENOVO
and your ID
number to
43183.
Lenovo Ideapad
110 Intel
Celeron Notebook

MICROSOFT XBOX
ONE CONTROLLER

STYLING: ROBYN LANE; PHOTOGRAPHY: KENDALL-LEIGH NASH/HMimages.co.za,

FOR WINDOWS
Rumour has it that Microsoft has
spent several millions of dollars
perfecting the beloved XBox One
controller; perhaps PC gamers
should look to benefit from all
that R&D. The truth is that some
games simply play better with
console-like controllers: fighting
games, platformers and driving
games, for example. Connect
over USB with this extra-long
cable so that you wont need to
swap batteries, or pair with your
phone over Bluetooth for a slick
mobile-gaming experience. Unlike with previous Xbox controllers, you
Xbox One/PC/mobile, Cable/ can now plug in any kind of headset using a
Bluetooth, R1 300 standard 3.5 mm jack.
 Choose your moves wisely to survive this medieval battlefield
FOR HONOR
PS4, Xbox One
and PC
This highly
anticipated
property is a
third-person
online hack-
and-slash game with a number of
role-playing elements thrown in.
The game includes three playable
factions: Legion (noble English-style
knights), the Warborn (bloodthirsty
Vikings) and the Chosen (disciplined
Japanese Samurai) who are pitted
against one another in an epic and
rather complicated story featuring
a warlord, Apollyon, who triggers
a never-ending war between these
three factions. You play as one of the
colourful cast of twelve characters,
four from each of the factions.
The unfolding story also serves
as an in-depth tutorial for the game,
introducing the various characters
and some useful gameplay tactics.
As with most of todays leading
titles, though, the campaign serves
as a teaser for the main event: the
online multiplayer modes. There are
six basic modes featuring matchups
between one, two or four players at
a time. The objectives vary slightly
between these modes, but they all
include suitably gory endings.
Words Sam Friedman
MOTION CAPTURED
The game features some beautifully
fluid animations, with every action
thats performed by the characters
flowing naturally and easily from the
previous action. This was achieved
using motion capture, which means
that every action performed by the
characters in the game was based
on motions by real people.
The sound design, also, is nearly
flawless. The developers truly outdid
themselves in slotting all the audio
elements of the game together. You
can make out the clanking of metal
armour and weaponry amidst the
clamour of tearing flesh and bones
breaking above the heavy breathing
of your exhausted characters. The
music speeds up during battles as
the health of each character drops,
just adding to the immersion and
tension of the game.
ARTFUL BATTLES
In the end, this is still a game that
is centred around dispatching your
opponent, and For Honors unique,
complex combat system is called
The Art of Battle.
Melee combat attempts to bring
some weight to the weapons and
makes players directly responsible
for every move in a battle, including
changing from attack to defence.
This system can be managed at
a very rudimentary level, but once
mastered, skills can allow you to
perform devastating combinations
akin to a traditional fighting game
such as Mortal Kombat or Tekken.
Keep in mind that timing and
precision are valued, so if you
decide to just spam buttons
mindlessly, you simply wont
do well at all. But string
together some kills and
you will earn perks in the
shape of more hit points
or healing abilities.
Each playable character
has a unique combat style
and weapon. This
makes each
character
feel as if
they are
distinctly
different and
adds a whole lot of replayability,
because each characters moves
take some time to master. There
is also a system for customising
characters, so you end up with
your own personalised warrior.
The level of immersion and
atmosphere the game develops
is outstanding, and you can find
yourself lost in this world, but it
is held back a bit from outright
greatness by a few bugs and a
poorly narrated story. However,
compared to the majority of
other combat-centred games,
it definitely helps to put some
thought behind your actions
and this pays off in a satisfying
rush when you finally crush your
opponent into dust.
GAME REVIEWS 57

8
GAME REVIEWS 58
TORMENT: TIDES
OF NUMENERA
PC, PS4, Xbox One,
Mac, Linux
Amid a slew of endlessly
updated sports simulators
and rehashed first-person
shooters, stumbling upon
a strongly story-driven role-playing game such
as Torment: Tides of Numenera transports you
back to a long-gone golden age of gaming.
This genre has many avid fans right across
the globe and this title set a new record for
crowdfunded games when it raised a crazy
$4.2 million back in March 2013.
DEVELOPMENT CYCLE
Youre thrown right into the fantasy world
of Numenera knowing precious little about
yourself, other than that your body was
once occupied by another. An ancient
being known by some as The Changing
God discards vessels such as yourself
once he is done using them for his own
purposes. Soon after, you become
recognised as The Last Castoff.
You begin to develop your
character by interacting
with the world around
you. This is Torments
main focus, shying
away from combat
CIRCLE OF
LIFE
An old-school role-playing
game thats a voyage of
8
self-discovery
Words Jonathan Meyer @jonathangmeyer
and item collection (although these are both
present) in favour of story-driven character
arc. Should you be skilled in the art of stealth,
using the shadows to hide and avoid conflict,
or will you become dominant and intimidate
your foes into submission before youve even
had a chance to come to blows?
You have vague memories of your masters
past lives, and you soon realise youre being
hunted. As you explore, you meet others like
you, gain control over parts of their lives, and
flesh out your own story, piece by piece.
Who you become is decided by the choices
you make when following the main storyline
and by completing side quests along the way.
NEW RETRO
The game looks good and I was quickly drawn
into the vibrant Numeneran landscape and its
bustling cities. You are able to equip clothing
and items, but the focus heres clearly on what
makes you tick, rather than how you look.
The text-heavy screens of Torment: Tides
of Numenera will chase away most modern
gamers within an hour, but cut through that
and into the gripping and intricate storyline,
and youll enter a world where simple words
can elicit a powerful emotional response.
This is video gaming in one of its oldest
and purest forms, and it offers escapism and
entertainment value unmatched by todays
rehashed franchise games.
 For only R4.50 per month
charged to your store account,
you can receive SMS alerts
sent to your cellphone every
time a purchase of more than
R100 is made using your store
account card, providing you
with detail on the value of the
purchase made on your store
account, and when and where
it was made.

TFG
FrAUd
Alert
Stay informed.
Stay Alert. Always

Interested?
To activate, simply SMS FA_TECH
and your store account number to 43183
standard SMS rates apply.

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Earn Rewards every time you shop.
Account customers are automatically
Rewards members.
 GAME REVIEWS 61

GUNMAN
TACO TRUCK
Free, Android,
iOS
Players drive a
sick taco truck
through the post-apocalyptic US,

9
with the ultimate aim of reaching
Canada. Hold the Trump jokes. The
game has you driving to various
cities on the way to the border,
dodging and shooting your way
past monsters and animals. In a
cool touch, taking out all of these
creatures means you have more
taco ingredients with which to
prepare enticing tacos to attract
customers at your next location.
Each city reached means more
opportunities to make and sell
tacos to residents, so make sure
you have the right ingredients for
each order and dont keep your
customers waiting.

BIT CITY
Free, Android, iOS
Coming from the team behind the popular Tiny
Tower, Bit City now has you managing an entire
city. The title combines those idle games with
light management, so you dont have to do too
much to get cash rolling into the citys coffers, but you will need to
upgrade buildings, introduce transport options and build the city in

7
general, all by using simple tap mechanics. Bit City has neat visuals
and simple gameplay that may even be a little too basic for some.
PHOTOGRAPHY: COURTESY IMAGES
 NEW FEATURES
DEX
Perhaps the most significant
new feature is the ability to
plug in a full-sized monitor,
keyboard and mouse, and
use your cellphone as a full
computer, and running an
Android OS, obviously. But
unfortunately, this will only
be possible using a special
Samsung DEX dock.

BIXBY
This is Samsungs own AI
personal assistant, just like
Googles Voice Assistant,
Apples Siri or Amazons
Alexa. Right now, you can
voice-control a handful of
apps as well as the phone
settings, but more Bixby-
ready apps are expected
in the future.

The screen covers 83%

of the front of the
phone, far more than on
previous models, and
the traditional front
button is now a touch
sensor below the glass.

The fingerprint scanner

has moved to the back
of the phone, alongside
the camera.

Its covered in tough

Gorilla Glass, front and
back, but the curved glass
edges make it far too
easy to drop.

UPWARDLY
MOBILE Leading-edge gadgets that wont break the bank
SAMSUNG GALAXY S8
smartphone
One of the most exciting products
of the year, Samsung has pulled out
all the stops with its new flagship,
the S8.
With an innovative power-saving
processor and a breakthrough new
curved-screen design, it is simply an
engineering masterpiece. But let us
separate the hype from the facts.
SIZE The S8 comes in two sizes: a
5.8 screen and a 6.2 screen. That
means the regular size has a bigger
screen than an iPhone 7 Plus, though
the phone is still physically smaller.
It stands 7 mm taller than the S7,
which may prove to be a little bit of
a stretch for certain people during
one-handed operation.
SCREEN The AMOLED screen now
flows all the way down the sides of
the phone, and covers 83% of the
front face, compared with just 72%
of the S7. Its as pin sharp as youd
expect, boasting the highest pixel
density in its class (2 960 1 440,
570 pixels per inch).
CAMERA Its employing the same
top-notch 12 MP arrangement from
the S7, with Dual Pixel auto focus
for precise photography. The front
camera is now 8 MP.
PORTS As expected, the S8 uses
USB-C for connectivity, has a slot
for microSD memory, and is still
waterproof, rated IP68. Wireless
charging is also possible using a
pad, sold separately.
SECURITY The fingerprint sensor
now lives next to the camera and
flash arrangement, high up around
the back of the phone. Two other
biometric measures have now been
added too. The front camera can
now unlock your phone simply by
recognising your facial features.
Much more sophisticated is the iris
scanner, which, as you may expect,
SMART BUYS 63
Subscribers,
SMS JUNE S8
and your ID
number to
43183.
SAMSUNG S8
scans your iris, thought to be even
harder to fake than fingerprints.
Whats missing?
The curved glass makes it far too
easy to let this slip through your
fingers. Its also a really powerful
fingerprint magnet, both front and
back. We would have preferred a
less fragile metal backplate, and
not glass all around.
Verdict
We truly marvel at the pinnacle of
technological achievement that is
the S8, though deep down, we also
know this is way more phone than
most of us will ever need. And if
you just have to have it, remember
that the S8s extraodinary lines will
end up inside some clunky cover.
But you will know its there.
4G LTE, 5.8 screen, 12 MP rear /
8 MP front camera, 4 GB RAM, USB-C,
microSD slot, IP68 waterproof, Android
7.0, R15 500 (S8+, 6.2 screen, R17 500)
 All manufacturers
are using very
similar LED
nanotechnology.
Samsung called it
SUHD, Hisense calls
it ULED and LG
calls it SuperUHD.

SAMSUNG 55KS9500
UHD TV
The quantum-dot technology seen
on Samsungs latest TVs allows it to
shine bright blue LEDs through a
microscopic film of green and red
nanoparticles to produce a much
wider spectrum of colours many
millions more than ever before. The
results are, frankly, breathtaking. Itll
be most noticeable in UHD nature
footage, and in skin tones, which
are always notoriously difficult to
reproduce. Black picture areas are
now properly dense, and not the
darkish-greyish shadow caused by
leakage from the white backlighting
that is still used on older TVs. We
also enjoyed the strikingly elegant
design: the bezel edge is practically
invisible, and the fine lines of the
tripod stand are finished in a classy
chrome lustre.
Whats missing?
This is still a lot of money to pay for
a TV, especially with so little UHD
material around.
Netflix offers a
Verdict limited selection
Yes, its difficult to justify spending of UHD shows and
movies. UHD disc
anything more than R20 000 on a
rentals are very scarce,
TV, particularly without much real possibly because the
content readily available. But for DVD players are still
those who spend a bunch of time very expensive.
bonding with their set, this is the
smart investment that pays out in
hundreds of nights of satisfying,
ultra-crisp viewing.
55 LED UHD Curved, 4 HDMI, 3 USB,
WiFi/LAN, R30 000

APPLE MACBOOK PRO
with TouchBar
Apple products have a reputation
for being expensive and, certainly,
they are a bit pricey. But the user
experience Apple delivers over time,
from the rugged reliability to the
apparently timeless designs, is still
unequalled by any other major tech
brand. Thats where the value lies:
Apple products straight up outlast
their competitors efforts. The new
MacBook feels fantastic in hand; its
balanced and sturdy, with none of
the flex we see in other thin-and-
lights. Apple has pulled off a neat
trick, with the full-sized keyboard
providing tactile feedback that is a
delight to the fingertips. The screen
is also among the best weve ever
seen on a laptop.
Whats missing?
There are four USB-C ports, and
nothing else (and one of these is
used for power). So none of your
old USB devices will work.
Verdict
There are plenty of Windows PCs
with more horsepower than this
that look as compelling, run all your
familiar software and cost half this
price. But they will never feel as
personal as owning a MacBook.
i5, 13.3 LED screen, 8 GB RAM, 256 GB
SSD storage, 4 USB-C (Thunderbolt)
ports, 304 212 15mm, 1.37 kg,
R31 800
SMART BUYS 65
ADAM ELEMENTS
IKLIPS DUO+
This flash drive has
Apples Lightning plug
on one side and regular
USB on the other, so
transferring files from
an iDevice to any
other is a cinch.
64 GB, R2 000
THE FINAL
TOUCH
The TouchBar is a HD LED
panel that presents buttons,
controls and other shortcuts
that change in context with
the application youre using.
When youre playing music
or video, youll get standard
multimedia controls. When
youre in the Finder, youll
get one-touch layout and
viewing options. It sounds
gimmicky, but we found it
extremely useful if you dont
know all of your keyboard
shortcuts, especially when
using Apples own built-in
app selection.
 ON GUARD
This is likely the most secure Android phone on the market
right now. The built-in DTEK tool shows your security level at
a glance, including clear steps for how to improve it. It helps
you to monitor unauthorised access to your phone systems:
tracking your location, using your contacts or turning on your
camera, for example.

SHARE ALTEC LANSING

BLACKBERRY DTEK50
smartphone
Even after the market moved en
masse to Android, we remained big
fans of Blackberrys touch-screen
handsets. Now Blackberrys lending
its name to other manufacturers to
brand their own phone designs, and
they are all running Android. This
one, produced by TCL, feels great
in hand. Its thin, but feels sturdy,
and we loved the way our fingers
grasped the edges and textured
backplate. The build quality really
exceeded our expectations. At a
glance, this is just another Android
phone, though there are still some
traces of Blackberry DNA in the
excellent on-screen keyboard, and
we still delight in the unified inbox
for all our email, texts and social
media updates.
& Weve got a soft spot for hardened
Post your comments to
TechMagazineZA
on Facebook and you could
win the latest Blackberry
DTEK50 smartphone,
powered by Android.
Whats missing?
For the potent CPU and generous
3 GB of RAM on board, we found it
a little slow to work. Also, theres no
fingerprint sensor.
Verdict
This is an interesting design, but
other than security (see sidebar)
theres no real standout tech to
hold your attention in a market
full of samey Android offerings.
4G LTE, 5.2 screen, 3 GB RAM, 13 MP
rear / 8 MP front camera, 16 GB storage,
microSD slot, Android 7.1, R5 500
LIFEJACKET 2
bluetooth speaker
speakers and this example is built
particularly tough, the robust plastic
case covered in two thick layers of
rubbery, shock-absorbent silicone.
Its IP67 shockproof and waterproof,
which means you can drop it in the
pool or get it full of sand and sea
on your beach picnic. Sound quality
is merely average, though. It lacks
punchy bass, but still manages to
get seriously loud. A nice touch is
The included mounting bracket.
Whats missing?
Probably a little expensive for so-so
sound quality.
Verdict
This is a clever design thats equally
at home on counter tops, in picnic
baskets or bungeed on to the roll
bar of your Hilux. But for a simple
stay-at-home Bluetooth speaker,
you can probably do better.
IP67 waterproof/shockproof, 5 drivers +
bass radiator, aux in, USB charging out,
191 79 72 mm, 910g, R2 500
 SMART BUYS 67

Fondi MegaPower Box 11400

Power banks are now available in every shape and size, so
why dont we use them to boost our laptops too? Well, first,
laptops draw a lot more juice than phones and, second, they
dont use convenient standard plugs like microUSB. This
powerbank will output 2.5A, suitable for laptops, and is
available with plug tips for all the big brands (Dell, Lenovo, HP,
Acer). Of course, it will also charge your phone several times
over. 11 400 mAh, 2.5A max output, 90 90 34 mm, 285g,
R700, drivecon.net
On both
Both these watches, parents
watches include can remotely
activity trackers deactivate most
with step-count non-critical watch
goals you can features while the
monitor on the child is in class,
companion either manually or
phone app. on a regular
schedule.

DOKIWATCH up a safe zone (a circle around the

kids watch
Its a sad truth: we live in paranoid
times, especially when it comes to
kids. But strap this funky-looking
watch on their wrist, slip in a SIM
card, and youll buy yourself some
peace if mind. The range of features
comes straight out of the paranoid
parents playbook. It reports your
childs location to your phone app
and allows you to call each other
or leave each other simple voice
notes (like a pre-teen WhatsApp).
Even better, you can make video
calls using a tiny camera built into
the watch face. A single press on
the SOS button sends a message
with your childs GPS coordinates
to all the adults on the trusted list,
from grandparents to your friends.
One advanced feature lets you set
school premises, for example) and
youll be notified whenever your
child enters or leaves the area.
Whats missing?
It has a non-standard charging cable,
which means you cant charge it with
any old microUSB phone charger. The
wristband is too small for man-sized
wrists, so its strictly for kids.
Verdict
This clever feature set was clearly
based on a real wish list from actual
parents, but its also well executed
at the technical level, so things work
reliably and as expected. A low price
to pay for your childs safety.
3G, colour touchscreen, 2 MP camera,
GPS, 24-hour battery (claimed), R3 000
TINYTRACK SIDEKICK
kids watch
The Sidekick offers almost identical
features to the DokiWatch, including
voice calls, voice messaging, SOS
alerts and safe-zone alerts. It lacks
a camera for video calls, and its a
slightly less robust build than the
DokiWatch, but its less chunky on
the wrist and its also much more
affordable. We like the tiny charging
mat, which makes it easy for your
child to recharge their own gear.
3G, colour touchscreen, GPS, 24-hour
battery (claimed), R2 000
SMART BUYS PAGE 68
BOOMPODS
SPORTPODS VISION
sports earphones
While running at night sounds, well,
slightly dangerous, if not outright
foolish, many enthusiastic athletes
are obliged to work out after work
or in the wee morning hours. The
neck band on these cordless buds
lights up, flashing or solid, so youre
highly visible if youre running in the
dark. They fit securely enough for
running and light gym sessions, but
theyll tend to pop out in a vigorous
workout. The sound lacks bass, so
they sound a little shrill, and they
stick out quite a bit on the sides of
head, which looks odd.
IPX6 splash-proof, R1 300
earphones include
tips in various sizes
BOOMPODS
SPORTPODS RACE
sports earphones
Instead of the more commonplace
ear-to-ear arrangement, these buds
connect back up to a large control
button you use for managing your
music, changing tracks and taking
phone calls. The earbuds are small,
very light and subtle and, while we
think theyre a little fussy to fit by
trailing the cable behind your ear,
this does help them seat far more
securely good enough now for a
moderate workout. And the control
button has a solid clip for attaching
to a convenient spot on your clothes.
As with the previous Boompods, we
found the bass lacking, making the
music sound shrill. And if there is a
way to turn off the annoying little
flashing light on the button, we
couldnt find it. R800
All good sports
and are water
resistant so you
can rinse off dirt
and sweat.
STYLING: ROBYN LANE; PHOTOGRAPHY: GARETH VAN NELSON/HMimages.co.za, COURTESY IMAGES
SKULLCANDY XTFREE
sports earphones
These are fitted into the ear using
the twist-and-lock action, which
will probably make them the most
secure fit of the buds on test here,
although they began to feel slightly
uncomfortable after about an hour.
As with many other sports buds,
the sound quality seems to be less
important than sweat-proofing and
a secure fit. These could use a lot
more bass, but the controls on the
cable were well positioned and easy
to navigate, even with your fingers
shaking from a jolt of post-workout
adrenalin. R1 400
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TOP
5 BUYERS
PHONES
1 Huawei G8 32 GB
Replacing our previous mid-price
hero, the G7, this latest incarnation comes with a
generous 5.5 screen and a whopping 3 GB RAM, the
most important spec to keep your phone flying. The
metal body and reasonable price clinched this top-
value deal for us. R5 500
2 LG K10
For an entry-level phone, it comes with
great specs, a brilliant screen and excellent
build quality, and feels secure in hand. And weve always
been big fans of moving the buttons out of the way on
to the back of the phone. R3 900
3 Xiaomi Redmi Note 3
This is great value for a big-screen phone
in a full-metal body with some oomph under
the hood. With a sharp 5.5 screen, 2 GB RAM
and a massive 4 000 mAh battery, it is gaming-
friendly too. R3 800
4 LG Stylus 2
With its massive 5.7 screen, this phone
is great value, especially if you dont need
top-end processing power. We liked the tough plastic
body and large 3 000 mAh battery, and the stylus is
a nice touch. R4 300
5 Xiaomi Mi Max
At a whopping 6.4, this is the biggest
phone screen weve ever used. Its backed
by a large battery, a quality 16 MP camera and
3 GB RAM to make everything fly. Great for serious
screen readers, and very affordable too. R4 700
LAPTOPS
1 Acer Swift 7
The worlds thinnest laptop is not without
its flaws, like the meagre two USB-C ports, but it more
than makes up for that by being the perfect thin, light
and sturdy travel companion for the mobile professional.
The solid-state drive and toughened screen are nice
touches. i5, 13 screen, 8 GB RAM, 1.1 kg R18 000
2 Alcatel Plus 10
This is a converted tablet, so processing
power is limited, but its light, with a set of
ports to add USB devices or a screen, and the
keyboard feels responsive. Theres also built-in 3G.
Atom CPU, 10 screen, 2 GB RAM, 4G LTE, 850g R3 600
3 Dell Inspiron 15 7559 Pandora
For a gamer who can only buy one PC for
work and play, this sturdy, well-priced model
ticks a lot of boxes, including the classic Nvidia 960M
graphics chip. We liked the understated styling and big
display. i7 CPU, 15 screen, 8 GB RAM, 2.57 kg R21 000
4 Apple Macbook Pro
with Touchbar
Not a budget buy and, at this price, specs
are nothing spectacular, but it pays for itself in reliability
and peace of mind. The Touchbar is a genuinely useful
addition. i5, 13.3 screen, 8 GB RAM, 1.37 kg R31 800
5 HP ProBook 450 G3
With very basic specs, this is considered
an entry-level business machine, but its
conservative design also means its optimised for
reliability, battery life and the daily grind, which works
for us. i3, 15 screen, 4 GB RAM, 2.1 kg R10 000

GUIDE
HEADPHONES
NE
1 Plantronics BackBeat Pro 2
We were surprised by the great sound,
superior build quality and comfy fit of
these cans. Throw in the effective noise-cancelling
system and the excellent on-ear controls, and they are
the complete package for lounge, office and mobile
audio enjoyment. R5 300
2 Skullcandy Smokin Buds 2
Wireless
Taking us by surprise, these plain-looking
Skullcandy buds delivered excellent sound,
a comfy fit and a novel neckband that keeps
everything tidy. R900
3 Sennheiser HD 202 II
What a pleasure! These boring-looking
cans are a sturdy build and delivered an
unexpectedly powerful audio performance
for the price. Easily our best budget buy on
this list. R630
4 Skullcandy Grind Wireless
This streetwear brand has matured,
swapping its crazy colours for better build
quality. This subtle design caught us off guard
and was as pleasing on the eye as it was on
the ear. R1 500
5 Happy Plugs Deluxe Edition
The gold finish makes a strong personal
statement on the street, while on the inside,
the handmade drivers deliver a detailed
and balanced sound that is much better than the
price suggests. R500
BEST BUYS 71
The top gear tested and
compared on features,
price and build quality
by the experts at Tech
W TELEVISIONS
1 LG 49UH600T
This big-screen UHD TV costs less
than R10 000, which is extraordinary value, even if its
a bit plain-looking and forfeits the premium metallic
finishes of more pricey models. Its backed up with a full
range of ports and both LAN and WiFi connectivity, and
powerful audio performance to boot. R9 000
2 Samsung 55K6000
The secret to getting the right Samsung
model at the right price is to choose from
the Series 6 models. This one has classy metallic finishes
and uses the new Tizen operating system with a great
range of apps, including Netflix. R12 000
3 Hisense ULED55T910
This is the latest tech from Hisense,
delivering a rich, more accurate picture on
a massive, but supremely elegant, curved screen. The
image quality is better than on other sets in this price
range and the audio is also strikingly good. R25 000
4 Hisense 50K390PAD
These locally made TV sets come with
great features, WiFi and plenty of HDMI
ports. The OS can be a little clunky, but
the standard Hisense four-year warranty
gives you peace of mind. R10 300
5 LG 43LF540T
This bare-bones model has no
connectivity options, and only one
HDMI and one USB port, but for the
low price, itll display a quality picture
day in and day out. R6 000
BEST BUYS 72
TOP
5
E HUAWEI Y6II WITH
ID
U SLIM POWERBANK
YERS GU
B
ACCESSORIES
1 Outdoor Tech
Buckshot Pro
Like a Swiss army knife for mobile users, this gadget
is a punchy, rubber-clad, weatherproof Bluetooth
speaker that also doubles as a power bank. Then,
plugging the USB torch attachment into the front,
it becomes a multifunction LED flashlight. R1 000
2 Microsoft Universal
Mobile Keyboard
This is the keyboard thatll pair seamlessly
across platforms. The detachable magnetically
latched cover doubles as a stand, making it a real
everyday product. R1 000
W
3 Soho back support
NE
Banish the back pain youve built up from
your years behind that PC. Fitting this back
support is simplicity itself, using just two elastic straps,
and it can easily be moved from office to home and
even to car. R990
4 Alcatel Move Time
Strap this on to your childs wrist and you
will be able to chat via voice calls, send
voice messages or respond to their SOS alerts.
And you can even know their GPS location
at a glance. R1 100
5 Logitech Z533 speakers
This simple 2.1 speaker set delivers 60W
of pounding bass with clear highs, and
comes with a convenient oversized volume-control
dial that rests on your desktop and doubles as a hub
for connecting your phone. R1 800
Subscribers,
SMS JUNE HUAWEI
and your ID
number to
43183.
SELFIE STICK AND
GAMING GEAR
1 Cooler Master
Sentinel III mouse
The whole package: great grip, 6 400 DPI sensor and
programmable buttons, but its a handsome devil too.
You can colour-code its LED-lit back panel and check
your set-up on the tiny OLED display. Then weight your
weapon perfectly using add-on 4.5g modules. R810
W
NE
2 Zowie ZA11 mouse
Its an ordinary-looking, no-frills model,
but can still change resolution from 400
up to 3 200 DPI by tapping a button on
the underside. Its very light, with the body contour
optimised for palm- or claw-grip mousing. R1 400
3 Razer BlackWidow
Chroma V2 keyboard W
NE
Still our top gaming keyboard, the new version
keeps the Razer Green mechanical switches and
USB and audio pass-through but adds a detachable
palm rest and more programmable macro keys. R3 200
4 Logitech G430 headset
The G430 comes in at a great price point
that somehow doesnt compromise on
quality. The 7.1 surround sound immerses you fully, and
despite the bulkier build, the headset has a comfortable
fit for long sessions in front of the PC. R800
PHOTOGRAPHY: COURTESY IMAGES
5 Acer Predator Z35 monitor
Using the increasingly popular 21:9
widescreen style, this racy design tops
out at a record-breaking 200 Hz, and Nvidias own
G-Sync technology matches your monitor to your
PCs frame rate to prevent screen blur. R23 000
 R2
IN
PR 0
IZE
S UP 00
FO
RG
RA0
BS
PHOTOGRAPHY: COURTESY IMAGES

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BACKSPACE 74
FORGET ME NOT
The more high-tech devices we carry, the more likely we are
to leave one behind. But dont worry: theres an app for that
FORGET ABOUT IT, AL PACINO
says to Johnny Depp in What
was that movie again? I forget.
But one thing I do know for sure:
if I was in that restaurant in that
famous scene, I probably would
have forgotten to take half of my
stuff with me when I left. This is
the curse of the modern age.
Whenever I stumble across old
photographs or black-and-white
films of urban street life, the thing
that first catches my eye is all of
the things that go unseen. Almost
no one in those black-and-white
movies carries any items on their
person. Now and then you might
see someone carrying a quaint
brown-paper package tied with
string. Otherwise, the walkers walk
empty-handed. How free they are
of burdensome material possessions.
Nowadays, when I wander into a
place, for a meeting or a coffee or
just a rest from the chaos, the table
groans as I set down my phones
I always carry two, in case I leave
Words Gus Silber @GusSilber
one behind my iPad, my keys, my
Moleskine notepad, a plastic folder
full of papers and my glasses.
Then, later, I leave believing I have
everything with me, only to discover
even later that I do not. Once, I left
my iPad on top of a toilet. Once, I
left my camera on the back seat of
a taxi. More than once, I have left
expensive laptop chargers lying in
conference rooms.
I blame the technology that, in
solving one problem, inadvertently
creates another. The tools we carry
are miracles of convenience and
portability. But, for every new tech
problem comes a new tech solution
and, as is so often the case these
days, it comes in the form of an app.
It is called Dont Leave It! and,
in line with that command, you set
yourself a reminder as soon as you
sit down, choosing the items you
dont want to forget from a list of
dozens, or adding one of your own.
Then, when you leave, within a few
paces, your phone buzzes you.
Donnie boy!
I dont need a phone to tell me
where my pants are!
You slap yourself on the forehead,
turn round and, with a sheepish sigh
of relief, collect your forgotten stuff.
But what if you left the phone itself
behind? Forget about it.
The way the human brain works
is that it is good at focusing on one
function at a time. Multitasking is a
myth. So if you can just keep a close
eye on your phone (and who doesnt,
these days?) and remember to set
and engage the app, you ought to
be fine.
Ive been using the app for a while
now and am pleased to report that,
so far, I havent left anything behind.
Well, except for my glasses, which
I only realised I didnt have on me
when I got in the car. So I rushed
back to the restaurant and looked
ILLUSTRATION: RYAN SEDEMAN
all over, finally realising that I had
them in my pocket.
As soon as someone invents an
app for that, Ill let you know.
Dont Leave It! (dontleaveitapp.
com) is free for iOS and is coming
soon to Android.
 T HE

C
GUARDIAN SERIES
M

L EARN MORE AT S EAGATE. CO M

CM

MY

CY

CMY

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