Bucket Tech: Huawei Nova 8 & Y60

Last night saw Huawei introduce it's new Nova series to the market with two devices hitting our shores in September. The Nova 8 and Nova Y60. Aimed at the youth, Nova series brings you the best in tech, style and performance all while being affordable.

 

The Nova 8 is the flagship level device of the Nova series that launched. Featuring a stylish unibody design with a 6.57-inch 90Hz curved OLED screen, that has a 392 PPI Pixel Density and 10 bit colour depth. The rear has a quad camera system, with a 64MP high resolution lens that lets you capture vividly sharp photos using 4-in-1 light fusion technology it can capture more detail in crystal clear quality. The front selfie camera is equipped with a 32MP high resolution lens that optimises the perfect lighting conditions for your selfies. The Nova 8 also features HUAWEI SuperCharge technology that charges the battery from 0-60% in just 15 minutes and 0-100% in 35 minutes. Ensuring you're good to go in a flash should your battery be depleted.

The Nova Y60 is the cheaper alternative in the range. It comes with a 6.6-inch full view display that has bright colours that gives the user an immersive multimedia experience. The 13MP main camera makes use of an F/1.8 large aperture which translates to great pictures in low-light. It also has a 120-degree ultra-wide angle lens that ensures your capture everything on one snap. The 8MP front selfie camera has AI beauty algorithm that guarantees perfect selfies. The Y60 comes with a 5000mAh battery with AI power saving technology that helps conserve power when you not using it.

With th Nova devices aimed at Gen Z, being youthful and playful, Huawei have teamed up with local Sneaker brand Bathu Sneaker to release a custom made Nova edition, of which only a 100 will be made available and will be offered to the first 100 pre-orders of the devices. This collaboration is a first of its kind in the country and really highlights local talent at its best. 

Overall both devices in the Nova series offer great value for money and are perfect for young users. Making sure you have great features in a devices that doesn't cost as much as the other flagship devices on the market. Both devices are available for pre-order from the Huawei online store, from now till 30 August, with great free gifts as part of th pre-order bundle. Devices will be on sale from September 1st. 

Huawei Nova 8 - R10,999

Huawei Nova Y60 - R3,099

KNQ Comedy Giveway

Durban will erupt to the sound of laughter on the evening of the 16th of February as some of the  countries top comedians take to the stage at Durban's ICC for a one night only comedy special. Back again is East Coast Radio Kings and Queens of Comedy show, featuring the likes of Darren Maule, Carvin Goldstone, Schalk Bezuidenhout, Angel Campy, Tumi Morake, Riaad Moosa, Mo Vawda, Chester Missing and many more. Tickets are currently on sale at Computicket and start from R200. 

We at the Bucket, in conjunction with Blu Blood are giving one lucky reader a chance to win themselves a set of double tickets to the show in Durban. For more information on how to win, follow our Instagram account, the competition closes on Monday and the lucky winner will be announced on Wednesday next week. 

Monday Choon: Kyle Deutsch - Summer Love

Summer is here and there's nothing like getting you feeling festive like a good track that would be the soundtrack for the holidays and I think local pop sensation Kyle Deutsch nailed it with his latest track, Summer Love. Teaming up with award winning producers, Ganja Beatz, they giving us yet another reason to long for the heat of summer, this coupled with his Corona #ThisIsLiving tour across the east coast is the perfect way to kick off the summer vibes. Speaking to the Ganja Beatz, they had this to say about the track "This vibey alternative pop house feel is laydon with catchy melodies that will have you humming along all day" while Kyle had this to add "The track has the uncanny ability to make you feel nostalgic and optimistic at the same time. Either way you know its for the right reasons". The track is out on the various online streaming services and should make the radio waves pretty soon, we have the official music video for it below.

BMW X3 xPlore Tour - Exploring

The main purpose of the BMW X3 xPlore tour was to give us more insight into the final product consumers purchase from BMW. We got a glimpse of the X Lifestyle Park which opens in November, and got to play in a few of the obstacles the course has to offer, we toured Plant Rosslyn to view the upgrades made and to see first hand, the production line of the new X3. We were given a tour of the brand new training facility and lastly, toured the Bio2Watt plant to find out how they generate renewable energy and in turn feeds 30% of Plant Rosslyn. All that was left to do was drive the locally made product and see how it compared to the ones we drove on the launch, which were fully imported. 

BMW had planned a brilliant 2 day road trip which would see us travel through three provinces, on multiple types of surfaces, traversing through some of the best driving roads the country has to offer and not to mention the brilliant scenery along the way. For the trip, we had a choice between 3.0L Diesel or 2.0L Diesel engines to choose from, with the long journey ahead with some days consisting of 600km drives, diesel was the obvious choice for this tour. I'm a massive fan of BMW's diesel engines, light on fuel, plenty of torque, minimal lag and once they get going, there's no stopping them. First up it was a chance to get behind the wheel of the 3.0L, each car was also specc'd differently to the other, displaying some of the differences in styling options for both the interior and exterior of the car.  The car came fitting with BMW's 21" multispoke rims which would made things interesting for the gravel roads. 

One thing I have to say from the get go, the quality of the product was faultless, in fact if you had to take the locally made X3 and one assembled from another plant, it would be very very difficult to find a difference. So much has gone on behind the scenes to ensure the quality of product being delivered by BMW Group SA is top notch as these cars are to not only supplied to our country but also to most of Europe! The route for the journey encapsulated everything that is to love about our country as we meandered through breathtaking mountain passes and villages, but at the same time making us fall in love with the BMW X3 as it proved to be a match for every terrain, every obstacle that came in its way. 

Day two saw us tour through Mpumalanga stopping at some of the popular tourists hotspots, one of them being the Three Rondavels and Blythe River Canyon, place I last visited as a kid a good 20 years ago, so visiting it again brought back some fond memories of my family vacations which harked back to the car. The X3 is the perfect vehicle for family vacations, it's a brilliant drive, very spacious, loads of luggage space and with the wide range of options available to suit anyone's budget and preference. While the price would put some off, you have to realise what you getting for your money is worth every cent, yes there are cheaper options available on the market but with these you getting inferior quality finishes and materials. On the way back we got a pretty basic base model 2.0L diesel and even in this, you cannot distinguished any comprise in quality. While it didn't have any fancy finishes, nor lots of options, it still gave you that premium feel and more importantly, that terrific drive. 

Reflecting under the night skies of the Kruger,( where its so clear that you can actually see star belts with your naked eye!) of the past few days on tour, really gives you a sense at how far BMW SA have come, not only as a brand but as a company. Showing faith in our country, investing in it and it's people, and with that return of investment being this quality product. It still amazed me that Plant Rosslyn was BMW's first plant outside of Germany and that's a good heritage to hold, with over a million 3 Series being produced at the plant, I can only look forward to a million X3's running off the line in the near future. 

Monday Choon: GoldFish - No One Has To Know (Midnight Kids Remix)

Following the SAMA's that took place this past weekend, we thought we should keep today's featured track local and when it comes to electronic music in South Africa, look no further than Golsfish. Dominic Peters and David Poole have come a long way in the industry, their style of music is unique and they continue to enjoy worldwide success with it. From playing in Ibiza, Ultra Miami, to the local venues, they've done is all and continue to do so to packed out audiences. Signed onto Armin van Buuren's Amarda label has only done more good for the duo, today's track is a remix of a track taken from their ablum "Late Night People",  "No One Has To Know" which has been remixed by Midnight Kids. Giving this mellow choon an uplifting beat. 

COMPETITION: Durban Street Food Festival

Anyone from Durban or visiting the city will know that it is one of the most culturally diverse cities in the world, let alone South Africa. In a city which doesn't get the global limelight it deserves, locals know what makes it great and it's part of the reason we chose to stay here and make this city even greater. With such a diverse population and a mixture of cultures, comes many talents that shine through, whether it be in food, business, song, dance or fashion, with this in mind, the Durban Street Food Festival was born. After a successful event in 2015, the Street Food Festival is back and promises to be bigger, better and at a new convenient location  

Taking place at the Pavilion Shopping Center, from the 22nd to the 25th of September, this years 3 day Durban Street Food Festival is set to have 40 Street Food vendors with authentic flavours from around the world, 10 Craft Vendors, Live Durban Bands, Live Stand-Up Comedy by local comedians, Craft & Gin Beer Garden, Local Artists, Durban DJ's, Short Film Screenings, Food Demo's, Info Sessions, Jazz Expressions and Food Blogging. 

The Durban Street Food Festival provides a venue to build appreciation for Durban's diversity. The Festival celebrates the global culture and ethnic diversity of Durban through culinary arts, music, performance art and social connection. The Festival proudly welcomes people from all across the spectrum yearly, to share with us their cultural traditions with another another, it also serves as a vehicle to promote cultural understanding and appreciation in our community. In addition to all of this, the Durban Street Food Festival also creates a platform for local Durban talent to perform and showcase themselves as well as provide a unique opportunity for corporate sponsors to receive highly visible and concentrated recognition which includes the likes of large-scale signage at the event and advertisements in the regional media.

The Durban Street Food Festival in conjunction with the Bucket is giving two lucky readers the chance to win tickets for them and two friends to the Festival. And you can enter either on Facebook or Instagram...or both to double your chances!

Facebook:

All you have to do is like the Durban Street Food Festival Facebook Page as well as the Bucket Facebook Page, share this blog post and tag the two friends you would like to take with to the Festival. 

Instagram:

Follow @DurbanStreetFoodFestival and @theBucketza on Instagram, like the post about the Durban Street Food Festival and in the comments, tag the two friends you would like to take with to the Festival later this month. 

The competition will run for 2 weeks, with entries closing on the 20th and the winners will be announced later that day. So good luck! If you aren't any of the lucky readers to win, you could always buy tickets for the festival on the day or via the website: durbanstreetfoodfestival.co.za

Monday Choon: Cara Frew - Dance

We're bringing some local flavour this week as apposed to International artist that seems to be the norm in this segment. Cara Frew's career has skyrocketed over the past few years, she's performed to some of the biggest crowds locally and in the world, including Coachella. I saw her perform live at Ultra and Corona Sunsets Festival, her energy she has on stage is mesmerizing and her voice is nothing short of beautiful. She currently is based in LA where she's signed onto Sony records and recently debuted her new single Dance. It has been played for about a month now on the local stations and has been received really well. It's currently one of my favourite tracks at the moment so it only fair that I feature it on the blog. Enjoy!

Keeping Up With The Kandasamy's

Last week Thursday saw the premiere for the much anticipated local movie "Keeping Up With The Kandasamy's" and I was one of the fortunate few to get a pre-screening of the movie before it's official release date on March 3rd. I went into the screening with a my mind made up on what the movie would be like as we've become accustomed to what to expect when it came to local productions but I left astounded at what I saw. 

Keeping Up With The Kandasamy's was nothing like what I expected and really was a great and enjoyable movie. The production was top quality, story line was brilliant as well as the acting. It featured a host of well known actors and actresses as well as introduced us to some new ones. Directed by Jayan Moodley, the story is loosely based on a forbidden love between the children of neighbors who do not see eye-to-eye in the suburb of Chatsworth. The mothers played by Jayaloshni Naidoo and Maeshni Naicker are central to the story line, where they were once close friends but now foes, but put aside their differences to try and separate their kids, played by Madhushan Singh and Mishqah Parthiephal, who are madly in love with each other. Jayaloshni was teacher of mine in high school, so it was great seeing her on the big screen. 

The movie offers light-hearted comedy with the added Durban twist, and is certainly a must for all. Jayan says this movie is a love letter to Chatsworth and it's just that, while this tale does depict a story of two families its also an ode to the township where Indians were shunted to back in Aparthied but the area flourished because of the togetherness and perseverance of the community. The movie showcases many of the local attractions in Chatsworth, giving the audience an experience like they've just visited the place. 

It was a great night out at the movies, and getting to meet some of the stars of the production was pretty cool too. Overall it's one of those feel good movies that you know isn't going to win any major awards but leaves you feeling happy inside.  I'm no Barry Ronge but I'd give the movie a scintillating seven, be sure to pre-book your tickets now!