Gadget

Image by Google Gemini, based on a prompt by Gadget. Meta has launched Muse Image, its first image generation model developed by Meta Superintelligence Labs, placing generative AI at the centre of its family of social apps. The new technology allows users to create, edit and share AI-generated images directly from Meta AI, Instagram and WhatsApp, with Facebook and Messenger due to follow. South Africans, however, will have to wait.

Image by Google Gemini, based on a prompt by Gadget. South Africa’s financial institutions face growing demands for conduct and compliance, and regulation is moving to keep pace. The Conduct of Financial Institutions (COFI) Bill, now before Parliament, will consolidate and tighten the rules the sector operates under, with an expected transitional period of around three years once enacted.

Photo supplied. The Radisson Hotel Group (www.RadissonHotels.com) has launched an AI-powered real-time hotel price matching technology that automatically detects lower publicly available rates for the group’s properties on third-party booking platforms. It then instantly matches the rates on RadissonHotels.com, removing the need for guests to submit claims, screenshots, or wait for manual approval.

Photo: SHERYL GOLDSTUCK. While many manufacturers have chased sharp edges and aggressive styling, GWM Ora has happily embraced rounded curves and a personality that is impossible to mistake. Now that quirky character has grown up. Instead of a compact hatchback, it has evolved into the new GWM Ora 5, a crossover that has been launched in South Africa with something rather unusual these days: choice.

Photo courtesy Evetech. Gaming accessories often force buyers into a compromise, with a low price usually meaning sacrificing features, while premium functionality often comes with an equally premium price tag. However, the Marvo Niro 50 gaming mouse narrows that gap by offering wireless flexibility, solid performance and a comfortable design without stretching the budget. Straight out of the box, the Niro 50 impresses with an understated design.

Taival, a new co-op game, places players in a quest to restore a destroyed sacred stone tied to the last of a shape-shifting creature species. The adventure launches into Early Access today (14 July 2026). The story begins when players find the last Henki, a rare shapeshifting creature that helps keep the world of Taival in balance. Together, they travel across the world to recover the shattered fragments of the creature’s lost heritage. Henki forms the centre of the adventure.

Photo: FRANK VAN BEEK. A high-tech demonstration of a surgical procedure at a hospital in the small city of Nieuwegein in the Netherlands holds the promise of reducing operations backlogs, as well as making them more affordable. It resonates from the besieged National Health service in the United Kingdom to the crowded wards of South Africa.

Photo courtesy ITU. The winners of the 15th annual WSIS Prizes, honouring innovative technological approaches that support global development, oincluded the Zimbabwer chapter of the Ionternet Society and South Africa’s Reach Digital Health. The awards, announced at the World Summit on the Information Society Forum 2026 in Geneva, Switzerland, gave top honours to projects from 15 countries and 3 international organisations.

Photo courtesy GirlCode. GirlCode has opened applications for the 2026 edition of its annual Pan-African Hackathon, aimed at advancing young women in coding, finTech, and artificial intelligence (AI). Now in its 12th year, the initiative has evolved from a coding competition into a Pan-African platform for skills development, innovation, and career pathways in technology.

Photo courtesy Toyota. Toyota South Africa Motors (TSAM) delivered a strong June 2026 performance as South Africa’s domestic new-vehicle market recorded the strongest overall June sales performance since 2007. According to the latest data from Naamsa (the Automotive Business Council), aggregate domestic new-vehicle sales reached 54,482 units in June 2026. This was an increase of 7,213 units (15.3%) compared with June 2025 (47,269 units sold).