JOHANNESBURG, SOUTH AFRICA – Applications are now open for Red Bull Basement 2026,
the global innovation programme empowering first-time founders and students to turn
ideas into products using AI-powered tools, mentorship and world-class resources.

Following the success of South Africa’s 2024 national champions, Ndzilo Fire Solution, who
represented the country on the world stage with their AI-powered wildfire detection
system, Red Bull Basement continues to make innovation more accessible. You don’t need a
tech degree, a prototype or prior experience. You just need an idea and the drive to make it
happen. Whether you’re a student with a world-changing concept, an entrepreneur with a
sketch on a napkin, or someone who sees everyday problems differently, Red Bull Basement
2026 is your launchpad from brainstorm to the world.

Red Bull Basement runs as a global incubator in collaboration with Microsoft and AMD,
providing participants with access to AI tools that help move ideas from brainstorm to
prototype. The South African national winner will be invited to the World Final in Silicon
Valley, USA, where teams compete for USD 100,000 (around R1.6 million) in equity-free
funding, while retaining full ownership of their idea, along with additional Microsoft Azure
and Replit AI credits and mentorship from Red Bull Ventures.

Reflecting on the impact of the programme, Paul Malinda, Red Bull Basement South Africa
2024 winner, says:

“Winning Red Bull Basement South Africa in 2024 was more than a competition for us. It was
a rare space to meet teams from different countries, working on different challenges, yet
finding shared purpose across our ideas. Being exposed to how entrepreneurship looks in
both the Global South and Global North helped us understand how interconnected these
challenges really are. What stood out most were the relationships built through the
platform. Red Bull Basement creates more than winners. It creates a global community that
helps you grow as an individual and as a founder.”

HOW RED BULL BASEMENT 2026 WORKS

• Phase 1 – Application: Individuals or two-person teams submit an idea online. Applicants can refine existing ideas or use AI mentors to help shape new ones. Selected teams progress through local judging and video pitching.
• Phase 2 – National Finals: Finalists develop a basic prototype and deliver a short pitch to a panel of local industry leaders. One team is selected to represent South Africa at the World Final.
• Phase 3 – Development: National winners receive tools including an AMD AI laptop, Microsoft Azure credits and mentorship to build their Minimum Viable Product (MVP).
• Phase 4 – World Final: Teams travel to Silicon Valley for a three-day immersive experience, pitching their MVPs to global judges, investors and industry leaders, with one team crowned Global Winner.

The programme is open to anyone over 18 residing in South Africa. Applications may be
submitted individually or in pairs, with participants from all fields welcome, including AI,
sustainability, education, health and agriculture.

Applications for Red Bull Basement 2026 are now open.

For full details and to apply, visit www.redbullbasement.com.

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Microsoft is shaking things up: its Xbox Game Pass subscription is being restructured into three tiers — Essential, Premium, and Ultimate — with changes to benefits, libraries, and yes, pricing. If you’re an Xbox or PC gamer (or cloud gamer), this is worth paying attention to — especially if you live in South Africa, where local pricing is set for a steep hike.

What’s Changing & Why

The new three‑plan model replaces existing tiers.

• Game Pass Core becomes Essential
• Standard becomes Premium
• Ultimate remains Ultimate — but with more features (and a higher cost)

Microsoft’s goal is to give users more flexibility depending on how and where they play (console, PC, or via the cloud).

A major shift: cloud gaming is now included in all tiers — you no longer need the top-tier subscription just to stream games across devices.

Xbox is also leaning heavily into added value for Premium and Ultimate tiers: Fortnite Crew, Ubisoft+ Classics, upgraded Rewards points, and more day-one titles — especially for Ultimate subscribers.

New Features by Tier (and What You Actually Get)

The South African Price Hike — What You Need to Know

• Essential (formerly Core) jumps from R79 to R139/month — a 76% increase.
• Premium (formerly Standard) rises from R149 to R199/month — up 34%.
• PC-only plan more than doubles from R119 to R249/month — a 109% increase.
• Ultimate climbs steeply from R199 to R349/month — a 75% hike.

Cloud gaming is now accessible across all tiers — so you technically get more for your money — but whether that extra value makes up for the cost increase will depend on how you play.

Because all plans now include streaming, some users may consider downgrading if they don’t need the Ultimate perks. However, doing so means losing day-one titles, Fortnite Crew, and a bigger rewards system.

Microsoft says it will “regularly evaluate exchange rates and market conditions,” so future adjustments — up or down — remain on the table.

Microsoft is repositioning Game Pass to better fit a wide spectrum of gamers — from casuals who want quick access to a curated library, to hardcore players chasing exclusive perks, cloud convenience, and day-one titles.

But with major price hikes, particularly in South Africa, many will now have to reassess their subscriptions:

• Are you using enough features to justify the price?
• Do you need day-one access or just want a stable library?
• Is the rewards program enough to offset the monthly costs?

As always, it’s worth reviewing your usage before you renew or upgrade. The value is there — but only if you’re actually tapping into it.

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Today, the Xbox Ally debuts across South Africa, bringing portable Xbox‑and‑PC hybrid gaming to local gamers.

• Powerful Hybrid Gaming in Your Hands– The Xbox Ally blends Windows 11, Xbox integration, Game Pass access, and full support for PC game stores — all in a sleek 7″, 120 Hz handheld.
• Available from Major South African Retailers– You can buy today from ASUS Estore, Evetech, Computer Mania, Incredible, Takealot, and Amazon. Local stock is limited, so early purchase is recommended.
• Local Pricing & Bundled Game Pass- Xbox Ally (base model, 512 GB) – R 12,999, Xbox Ally X (premium model, 1 TB / 24 GB RAM) – R 18,999

Each unit includes three months of Xbox Game Pass Ultimate as part of the launch offer.

Johannesburg, South Africa, 16th October 2025—ASUSRepublic of Gamers (ROG) today announced the official on shelf of the 2025 Xbox Ally and Ally X.

The Xbox Ally is a handheld gaming PC co‑developed by ASUS ROG and Microsoft. It merges full Windows functionality with a streamlined Xbox interface, enabling gamers to run Xbox Game Pass games, PC libraries, and cloud streaming, all in one portable device.

For more details, visit https://bit.ly/4qikwMS and the retailer websites. Press kits, further imagery, and specifications are available on request.

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Samsung brings Samsung Vision AI to its widest lineup yet — including Neo QLED, OLED, QLED and The Frame — with intelligent, adaptive screens that go beyond the conventional TV watching experience. Expanded Samsung Art Store and The Frame lineup, including the new The Frame Pro, Neo QLED and QLED, to bring premium art experiences to more homes. New display technologies and strategic partnerships highlight Samsung’s vision for a smarter, more connected future. Samsung Electronics unveiled Samsung Vision AI at the CES 2025 First Look event, delivering personal AI-powered screens to enrich your everyday life. Samsung also unveiled the latest flagship Neo QLED 8K QN990F and exciting updates to its Lifestyle TVs and future display technologies, reflecting Samsung’s vision to transform screens into adaptive, intelligent companions to simplify and enrich everyday living. “Samsung sees TVs not as one-directional devices for passive consumption but as interactive, intelligent partners that adapt to your needs,” said SW Yong, President and Head of Visual Display Business at Samsung Electronics. “With Samsung Vision AI, we’re reimagining what screens can do, connecting entertainment, personalisation and lifestyle solutions into one seamless experience to simplify your life.”

Samsung Vision AI: Smarter, Adaptive Screens for Seamless Living

Samsung Vision[1] AI represents the next step in Samsung’s journey to deliver intelligent, intuitive and seamless screen experiences. With the ability to make your Samsung TV aware of its surroundings, adaptive to user preferences and autonomous in delivering intuitive features, Samsung Vision AI transforms screens into smart companions that enhance entertainment, simplify interactions and seamlessly integrate into connected lifestyles.

At the core of Samsung Vision AI are its personalised features, which redefine how users interact with their screens.

Click to Search offers instant information about what’s on screen — whether identifying an actor or exploring displayed content — all without disrupting the viewing experience.

Live Translate, powered by on-device AI translation model, eliminates language barriers with real-time subtitle translations, allowing viewers to enjoy global content seamlessly.

Generative Wallpaper transforms screens into dynamic, personalised art canvases, allowing users to make images that perfectly match their taste or occasion.

Beyond personalisation, Samsung Vision AI positions screens as central hubs for smarter living through integration with the SmartThings ecosystem:

• Home Insights provides real-time updates about your household environment, including safety alerts and daily updates, ensuring peace of mind whether users are home or away from home.
• Pet and Family Care keeps a watchful eye on loved ones, detecting unusual behavior in both pets and family members. It enhances comfort by automatically adjusting room settings, like dimming the lights when a child falls asleep, while providing real-time updates and recorded events through TVs.

Samsung Vision AI also delivers exceptional advancements in picture and sound quality, making every on-screen moment captivating. On-device AI picture and sound technologies analyse content and environmental factors in real time, dynamically adjusting visuals and audio for an optimised experience.

Building on its history of recognition for innovation, Samsung’s latest Vision AI features, such as Click to Search and Live Translate, along with cutting-edge products like the AI companion Ballie and the Smart Monitor M9 featuring Copilot, have earned the prestigious 2025 CES Innovation Award.

Driving Innovation Through Open Partnerships in AI

Samsung Vision AI also offers limitless potential by collaborating with various AI partners such as Microsoft, paving the way for even more intelligent and personalised experiences and AI screen ecosystem expansion.

In collaboration with Microsoft, Samsung announced the new Smart TVs and Smart Monitors featuring Microsoft Copilot. This partnership will enable users to explore a wide range of Copilot services, including personalised content recommendations.

Samsung also plans to work closely with leading AI partners such as Google and others to expand what Vision AI can do. With Samsung Vision AI, Samsung is redefining what screens can do — delivering personalised, intelligent experiences that adapt to users’ needs, simplify their routines and enhance their daily lives.

The Era of AI Screens: Samsung Brings Samsung Vision AI to Its Widest Lineup Yet

Samsung is ushering in a new era of AI-driven screen technology, with Samsung Vision AI features now integrated across its most comprehensive lineup ever — including Neo QLED, OLED and QLED, and The Frame models. This expansion underscores Samsung’s commitment to bringing intelligent, adaptive screens to more users, redefining what’s possible in home entertainment and smart living.

At the forefront of this innovation is the Neo QLED 8K QN990F, Samsung’s most advanced TV to date, designed to deliver unparalleled performance, sleek design and smarter AI-driven experiences. Powered by the latest NQ8 AI Gen3 Processor, the TV leverages a suite of on-device AI features to enhance picture quality, sound clarity and overall viewing experience:

• 8K AI Upscaling Pro: Elevates lower-resolution content up to stunning 8K quality, ensuring incredible detail and clarity in every frame.
• Auto HDR Remastering Pro: Analyses content frame by frame, applying scene-adaptive color expansion for lifelike visuals and vibrant colors, even in dark scenes.
• Adaptive Sound Pro: Uses AI to separate and optimise sound components like speech, music and sound effects, delivering clear, balanced audio.
• Color Booster Pro: Enriches color expression with AI-driven scene analysis and enhanced image processing for each frame.
• AI Mode: Adaptively optimizes picture and sound leveraging AI-based content recognition and TV area analysis for an optimal viewing experience in any setting.

Encased in an ultra-slim, minimalist design, the QN990F is a premium home entertainment device that combines cutting-edge technology with elegant aesthetics. With its advanced features and refined design, it elevates both the performance and style of any living space, offering a truly sophisticated entertainment experience.

A New Vision of Art: Expanding the Samsung Art Store and Introducing The Frame Pro

Samsung is continuing its commitment to blending art and technology with the expansion of Samsung Art Store and the launch of The Frame Pro, a new addition to the iconic Frame lineup. Together, these innovations reinforce Samsung’s mission to make art more accessible, personal and seamlessly integrated into daily life.

Samsung Art Store now features over 3,000 curated works from prestigious global partners, including MoMA and the estates of Magritte and Basquiat. For 2025, this expanded collection is available not only on The Frame and MICRO LED series but also on Neo QLED and QLED models,[2]giving users more ways than ever to transform their screens into personalised art galleries. This marks another milestone in Samsung’s commitment to enriching homes with dynamic art experiences.

Complementing The Frame, Samsung unveiled The Frame Pro, the latest model of the lineup, which enhances the art and entertainment experience with advanced Neo QLED picture quality — delivering brighter colors, sharper contrasts and improved local dimming for deeper blacks. Powered by the NQ4 Gen3 AI Processor, The Frame Pro offers unparalleled picture quality for both artwork and video content. It also comes with the innovative Wireless One Connect, allowing for more flexible installations that blend in seamlessly with their environment.

Further strengthening its connection to the art world, Samsung has partnered with Art Basel, making The Frame the official art display of the globally celebrated event.

“As our mission is to power the world of art, having Samsung as our official global display partner is helping us break down physical and digital barriers, allowing more people to experience art in innovative and meaningful ways,” said Hayley Romer, Chief Growth Officer at Art Basel. “Through The Frame and the Samsung Art Store, art lovers can bring world-class works into their homes, transforming how they engage with and appreciate art.”

Shaping the Future of Display Technology

As Samsung continues to lead the way in reimagining the role of screens, its advancements deliver more than just technology — they create meaningful, personalised experiences that elevate everyday life.

At First Look 2025, Samsung unveiled The Premiere 5, the industry’s first interactive triple-laser ultra-short-throw (UST) projector. Designed to redefine home entertainment, The Premiere 5 introduces an interactive touch feature, allowing users to engage directly with the screen. This innovation seamlessly combines high-quality projection with versatile functionality, featuring Samsung LightWARP technology to project images onto everyday objects for creative and immersive experiences.

Samsung also showcased its commitment to shaping the future of display technology with the MICRO LED Beauty Mirror. This innovative mirror display combines advanced reflectance and transmittance capabilities with personalised beauty insights, demonstrating how cutting-edge technology can enhance daily routines. By analysing individual skin types, the mirror provides tailored product recommendations to make self-care more intuitive and effective, leveraging innovative beauty solutions developed by Amorepacific, Korea’s leading cosmetics company.

[1]Available features may vary by country and model.

[2]Available models may vary by country.

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Well, it isn’t actually the end of Microsoft Office. Its more like the first major re-brand that office has had in the past three decades. Microsoft office is going to be re-branded as Microsoft 365.

Microsoft365 is actually Microsofts response to a sort of software as a service which was set up many years ago as something the market required. It has moved away from just being online to also being able to download the applications to your devices, which you can actively work on.

On 7th November 2022 Microsoft made it public that the 2021 version of Microsoft office was the final version that was going to be released. Although they are saying the Microsoft Office 2021 is the end of office, they will be still be selling one time purchase licences for it. So it is not the end to our Microsoft apps, what is going to happen is Microsoft365 is going to have continuous changes effected to it, and not every three years you get a new version.

With the re-brand comes a change in pricing plan. With Microsoft office, you were able to purchase a licence and use it lifelong. With Microsoft 365, it is a yearly subscription to the software. It is somewhat of a good and bad thing. So every year you pay your subscription and get access to your full set of applications. As well as what gets thrown in, is a terabyte of cloud storage.

There are two types of personal subscriptions that we could purchase:

• A personal subscription, which is for a single individual. It is for one user with up to five devices. It comes with access to all applications, as well as the one terabyte of free cloud storage. This costs R999 a year.
• A family subscription, which is suited between two to six people. It is for up to six users, with five devices per user. It comes with access to all applications, as well as the one terabyte of free cloud storage for each user. This costs R1300 per year.

The family subscription works out much cheaper than the personal subscription. Realistically speaking you could buy it and share it with your friends and family, sharing the cost instead of paying R999 each.

What are the benefits of Microsoft 365?

• Obviously the first thing is the one terabyte of free cloud storage. If you have to purchase one terabyte of cloud storage by itself, it will come to much more than the price of the subscription.
• Flexibility is another advantage, with the cloud storage you can drop and download files across multiple devices.
• We are going to receive automatic updates with Microsoft 365.

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