Bucket Seat: 2022 VW Polo TSI Life

During the fourth quarter of last year, Volkswagen SA released their latest generation Polo. A model that has been a firm favourite with South Africans over the years and saw it dominate sales in its segment. There is no denying why the model does so well, VW have created the perfect formula for a compact hatch that offers great features, decent engines, comfort, space and not forgetting that excellent price point. This new model still continues with those key values and adds a bit more, hence its bound to be a resounding success with the consumers. VWSA have also changed the model line up a bit with them offering the new Polo in four trims, being the Standard Polo, Polo Life, Polo R- Line and the range topping Polo GTI. I had the opportunity to spend a week with the Polo Life and here are my thoughts on the car. 

DESIGN

While at first glance the overall design of the new Polo looks pretty similar to the previous generation but on closer inspection you will notice quite a few design changes apart form the lights. The car I had was in the new launch colour of  "Vibrant Violet Metallic" and it was pretty vibrant and surprisingly very appealing to many.  The car has grown in size with it being longer, wider and slightly higher than its predecessor but yes, the key design changes are with the lights, up in the front the LED headlamps are more angular and wider than the older model with lovely details that tie into the solid LED bar that runs along the grille just like the Golf 8. The light bar stops at the VW badge in front and gives off a very impressive look at night. The bottom of the front has been revised to more of the Golf 8 style cues as well with the wider radiator grille and smaller more angular side pods. Side profile of the new Polo looks pretty similar to the older generation and as you head to the back, the revised rear lights with the extension of them that are on the tailgate give the car a more mature look to it. The interior has been completely redone as well with, again styling cues coming from the Golf 8 and T-Cross. 

PERFORMANCE

The VW Polo Life comes with one engine, the 1.0 TSI but with two transmission options, the 5-speed manual or the 7-speed DSG. I had with me the manual derivative and I quite enjoyed it. While the trend focus may shift to automatics these days and when it comes to automatics, the VW DSG is up there with the best but every now and then you don't mind the old "stick shift". The 5-speed manual has less power output from the 1.0L TSI engine though with it producing only 70kW, a whole 15kW less that the DSG. Having a manual did assist with this lack of power as you could easily down change when required. The eco assistant advising you when to change gears helps you obtain a healthy fuel economy but the motor itself does so well on using minimal fuel in any case. Whether on the highway for long distances or just urban driving the Polo seemed well equipped to propel me around on my journeys with it. 

COMFORT

Like I said, the Polo has grown a bit and its evident in the interior with their being ample space to comfortably seat four grown adults. The new design is very welcoming with everything being new, from the steering wheel to the dash. The large touch-screen infotainment screen greets you as you enter the car with it tilted to face the driver. There are a number of features to this including profiles for multiple moods or drivers. The instrument cluster is fully digital as well displaying all kinds of driver related info as well as media. I love the various modes and views you can choose from, you can opt for the traditional analog dial setup or go for something new with digital readings that make more room for other information. The Polo comes with built-in mobile apps that offer wireless integration, there is the option of USB wired charging with two USB C ports located just below the analog AC controls. The car came with optional extras such as Park Assist, Park Distance Control and A large panoramic sunroof. The cabin is laid out with good quality materials and textures which keep the car vibrant and appealing to the youth. 

VERDICT

You can't really go wrong with the Polo, while it has a legacy of being an affordable hatch aimed at students and emerging professionals, it really is growing up to tap into other markets of buyers as well. The inclusion of technology and robust materials could see it appealing to others in the buying spectrum. Given the recent and future fuel increases, this 1.0L TSI engine will become extremely popular with those that do not wish to frequent the pumps. Apart from looking nice and performing well, the car is such a pleasure to drive and I feel that is one thing many brands lack with of recent, with them concentrating on so many other things to keep their models up to date, sometimes they dont put in much effort into the drivability of their cars and that is one thing VW do brilliantly. Another great reason to purchase this car is that its produced locally so there's nothing wrong in showing some patriotisms.

SPECIFICATIONS

Engine	1.0L TSI
Gear Box	5-Speed Manual
Torque	175Nm
Power	70kW
Top Speed	187km
Price	R353,600*

*Base Price

Bucket Tech: Huawei Nova 8i & Watch 3

Last night would have been the launch of the third device from Huawei's Nova series in South Africa, the 8i but due to bad weather and the event being an outdoors one it had to be cancelled which is really sad, apart from the many months of planning and money spent on the set up, the brand really know how to put on a show, so I'm sad that we never got to see what they had planned. Regardless there was a make-shift plan B which saw us getting to experience the new devices from the Chinese brand. Suffice to say we were not disappointed to see the new hardware up close and personal over dinner with the Huawei Execs. 

So lets get into it, the Nova 8i, Huawei classify it as a "Gen-Z" smart phone, encapsulated in a stunning metal unibody design, the device is ultra slim and surprisingly light, weighing it at just 190g. It features a 6.67" Huawei edgeless display that offers unmatched viewing experience for devices in its pricing bracket. With this great display, it makes it the perfect device for watching movies and for the avid gamers. As with most smartphones, the first thing people look at is what camera it's packing, the Nova 8i does not disappoint in this regard, as it has a 64MP AI Quad camera that photographers will love. The camera system compromises of a main camera, an ultra wide angle camera, a macro camera and a depth sensing camera which come together seamlessly to take professional-looking shots. 

The Nova 8i comes with a 4300mAh three-electrode battery which works in tandem with Huawei SuperCharge technology which allows for more battery life when in use. The SuperCharge is a 66W which means that the device can be fully charge in less than 40 minutes, or charged for two hours of gameplay within just five minutes. Internal storage on the device is 128GB which allows you to save more on the device. The Nova 8i is powered by a Snapdragon octa-core chipset which is designed to keep up with your demands,  with high-performance specs like Huawei smart memory technology and 8GB RAM, this means it gives the user a smooth experience even when running multiple background apps at once. 

Also announced was the introduction of the Huawei Watch 3 and Watch 3 Pro. Both stunning smartwatches that offer convenient and smart life experiences through enhanced interaction, independent connectivity and all-scenario interconnectivity. What makes these wearables great is that they support a standalone communication system that allows you to stay connected even when you're doing outdoor activities without your smartphone. This is done by simply activating the eSIM service on your Huawei Health APP on your smartphone. This will basically clone your SIM for your watching so you have the same phone number on your watch and enjoy the same data and voice tariff plans from your phone. Battery life on the Watch 3 and Watch 3 Pro is claimed to be up to 21 days in ultra-long battery mode, this is extremely significant and much greater than its competitors. Both devices are beautiful to look at and wear with 3D curved glass and clear, vibrant display with is elegant, smooth, scratch-proof and fingerprint-resistant. The body of the Watch 3 is made up of 316L stainless steel that has undergone a cold forging and PVD coating process. The Pro is made of an aerospace-grade titanium fused with sapphire glass lens. 

Pricing of the devices are as follows. 

HUAWEI nova 8i - R6,999 

HUAWEI Watch 3 - R7,299

HUAWEI Watch 3 Pro - R7,999

All devices have specific pre-order deals with bundle gifts offered for each, more info can be found on the HUAWEI online consumer store.

Ultra South Africa 2020 - Set Times

Just 2 more sleeps till Ultra South Africa 2020 kicks off in Cape Town at the Ostrich Farm followed by the Johannesburg leg at Ultra. Many Ultranauts cannot wait for this weekends events and probably itching to see their favourite artists, the best way to make sure you don't miss any is to take note of the official set times and plan your time at Ultra SA with the official App! It's been the saving grace for many over the years and if you are attending, it's the best thing to have! You can schedule the DJ's sets you want to see so you can plan in advance to make sure you make the most out of your Ultra experience.

Download the app: ultrasouthafrica.com/app

Cape Town

Johannesburg

Bucket Tech: Digital Migration in Africa

We've been hearing about it for over decade now, South Africa was poised to migrate to digital broadcasting since the early 2000's but it never materialized due to a number of setbacks but are we finally on the cusp of digital migration? It's already being rolled out in certain parts of Africa and has shown to have loads of benefits but what is the difference and how will it impact us? Samsung have given a brief summary of what digital migration is and how it will impact the space we're in. 

Shifting to a digital format offers a number of advantages, including improved reception quality, expanded channel options and the ability to add enhanced applications like video-on-demand. Additionally, once TV broadcasting switches to digital, the freed-up spectrum can be used for wireless applications, like those required for 5G for smartphones, that could contribute to broader economic growth. Then there are the added advantages of maximising the potential of pioneering technology like Samsung's 8K QLED. 

The OLED range offers crystal clear TV and a host of incredible benefits to viewers. This includes more screen size options, stunning picture quality enhancements, dazzling colours from every angle, exciting new design elements and it provides even more entertainment options. It does this by offering a new iTunes Movies and TV Shows app and supports Apple AirPlay 2. 

The shift to digital will unlock even more potential from both 4K and 8K technology. 8K QLED can upscale current content to a level closer to 8K. However, digital migration will allow for the creation and viewing of content that even more matches the tech that goes into the breath-taking QLED range. It's therefore important that digital migration is still on the agenda for most African countries. The continent has 54 countries and each presents broadcasters with unique challenges in the shift from analogue to digital signals. 

When it does, pioneering advancements in mobile technology, as well as pioneering products like Samsung QLED, will capture our imagination even more so. 

Entertainer 2019

Last night we attended the Durban launch of the Entertainer 2019, at a 60's themed party at Buff Parlour in Umhlanga. The event was to launch the 2019 edition of the much loved app which allows the buyer to make use of 1000's of buy one get one free offers. Speaking at the launch, Tyrone Rothwell, the country manager for the Entertainer South Africa said that Durban has shown phenomenal growth for them in the past year, with a percentage of 157%!  Other cities including Johannesburg and Cape Town have also shown a great growth margin but Durban led the pack and its with that, they've decided to bring you more on offer for the new year. With over a 1000 various offers, ranging from food, drinks, beauty and travel if one had to make use of every single deal on the app, it would give you a combined saving or approximately R5.5million!

I've been personally making use of the app since I got it last year, and saved a lot on a night out with them having most of my favourite spots available on there. The great thing about the app now is that you can save not only just for food and drinks but also beauty treatments, sporting activities and travel. The list of partners is ever growing and it is an investment that will pay itself out within two or three times by using the app. It really is a no brainer if you're one that frequents going out, with the number of deals and the variety on offer, it will have something for everyone. 

Ultra South Africa 2018 - Set times

With just 1 week to go, the official set list and times is now available for Ultra South Africa 2018! But its only accessible through the Ultra Worldwide App which is on both, Google Playstore and Apple App Store. So if you're heading to Ultra next weekend, download the app now, check the set list and timings for the various stages and also get a look at the site map to see where everything is so you can pre-plan your Ultra journey and make sure you don't miss anything! The app will also bring you all the latest news regarding the festival as well as all the other Ultra Worldwide Festivals taking place across the globe, it is a must have for a fan.

If you haven't gotten your tickets yet, you'd be please to hear that there are still some left, and if you buy them using the Budweiser promo-codes budfridayjhb / budfridaycpt you will get R100 pre-loaded on your Howler wristband for use at the event. 

Entertainer Durban 2018

I first heard about the Entertainer a while back from a mate of mine, it was this book of coupons that you could use at restaurants and get a buy one, get one free deal on some of the meals. At the time it didn't really seem worth it to me and also the book was kinda big. As with all things, technology tends to take over and with the Entertainer that just made things for it a whole lot better with the app! Now with vouchers at the touch of a button...or screen, it's simple enough to score on these great deals at any time given. The first time I really used the Entertainer was while I was in Dubai on holiday, with our Rand not being the best currency to travel with, eating out did work out to be quite heavy on the pockets, but with the Entertainer we scored big time and saved a lot! 

The second time I've experienced saving with the Entertainer was in Cape Town last year, a friend of mine has the app and whichever restaurant we ate at, she found it on the app and just like that, half the bill was taken cared off. Now with something like this that can save you so much of money, it's almost a no brainer if you a person like me that tends to eat out at least 3 to 4 times a week. 

Last night saw the Durban 2018 launch of the Entertainer app, and with the launch brought some new surprises, with the introduction of fashion and beauty discounts as well as pet grooming and beverages! Along with this, there is also discounts on Hotel bookings, worldwide! while you purchase the app per location, you can select any hotel in the world to book at. Celebrating the Durban 2018 launch, you can now get the Entertainer app at the reduced price of just R295! That amount is minimal compared to the possiblity of saving 100s and 1000s of rands. It really is a great investment to make and a sure way to experience new places and enjoying what the city has to offer all while saving cash at the same time.

Fanbible

How often do you know of live performances happening in and around your area? If you're like me, you rely solely on on-line media, radio advertising or just so happen to see a billboard on a light pole for a live gig. Often I find out too late about bands or artist that I would have liked to see perform live or miss it completely but read about it later. 

What if there was a way to know exactly what's going on in your area in terms of live music performances? Almost like an events calender specifically for your taste in music which shows gigs that are happening near your location? Sounds good right? 

Well that's what the guys at Lab19 Digital have been busy with and now its ready for you to enjoy and make use of, this is Fanbible. The developers , Dave MacMillan, Ian Petzer, Luke Siedle and Iain Mackenzie all have a rich heritage in the music industry. They as musos found it hard in the past to get word out on info for their upcoming gigs and fans of their music being clueless about performances going down in their own hood.

How it works? The app automatically detects the area of the user by using HTML5 geolocation API and then displays thumbnails with info on upcoming events in the area. What's also cool about it, the user can log in with Facebook and can import their Likes in terms of music preferences and the app will customize the events list to their liking. It will also enable them to star certain events so they can receive notifications on the event should there be any new info arising for it. 

The application is available for iPhone, iPad, android and desktop browsers and is really easy to use. It's a must have for all music lovers so you never in the dark over performances from your favourite bands or artists that's happening in your town.

Check Fanbible out at: http://fanbible.com and http://www.facebook.com/fanbible

And you can find Lab19 here: http://lab19digital.com/

Nokia HERE

We've all got smart phones for various reasons, one of them being to make phone calls but with the dawn of 3G/4G and all the goodness that came with it, our phones can do so much more. One of which is serve as a GPS. Now as most phones with small screens weren't the best for this feature it helped out none the less. The GPS apps gave you the bare minimum which is, location, directions, navigation, places of interest and speed limits but what if it could offer you more? How you may ask? Yes there are other things such as speed traps and traffic notifications but imagine if you could edit your GPS and add more info on certain places and share it with others also you could see what others had to share about other places.

That's what Nokia HERE is all about, they call it a "location Cloud" and here's what Nokia's CEO Stephen Elop had to say: "People want great maps, and with HERE we can bring together Nokia’s location offering to deliver people a better way to explore, discover and share their world. Additionally, with HERE we can extend our 20 years of location expertise to new devices and operating systems that reach beyond Nokia. As a result, we believe that more people benefit from and contribute to our leading mapping and location service."

Sounds interesting and it does get better, Nokia has worked with Mozilla in developing HERE, they are one of the leaders in HTML5 and web development applications and key to that is location, Vice President of Products,  for Mozilla Jay Sullivan had this to say: "We are excited to work with Nokia as the combination of Firefox OS and HERE's location platform provides rich possibilities for mobile application developers to create amazing experiences for users."

Navigating around in 2D is one thing but what if you had the benefit of exploring a location in 3D? With HERE that would be possible as Nokia is planned to acquire Berkely, Calif company "earthmine" who's reality capture and processing technologies will become integral in HERE's 3D map making capabilities.

Now I know what you thinking, pretty impressive but I wont buy a Nokia so I wont be using this application but that's where you wrong. Nokia are making this software available for the 2 major giants in the mobile industry, that being Apple and Andriod. With the flop that was Apple maps on iOS6, HERE will be a welcomed relief to those with iPhones and it should be available to download on iTunes pretty soon if not already. The Andriod uses on the other hand will have to wait until 2013 to try it out. The reason for this is it is aimed at enabling partners to create location-based applications for Android or Apple devices with Nokia’s leading content.

Just when you thought you heard it all, like a TV infomercial ...but wait, theres more! Imagine you walk down a street, see a rather interesting building but want to know more about it. What if I told you, all you had to do was pick your phone up and with your camera point to the building and all the info on it will be brought up on your phone? Cool right? Well that's what LiveSight™ is all about.

As part of its announcement, Nokia introduced LiveSight™, a technology based on a highly accurate, 3D map of the world.  LiveSight™ provides the most precise and intuitive augmented reality experience and uses a phone’s camera viewfinder to make discovering the world as easy as lifting up a phone. Nokia City Lens, which was developed exclusively for Nokia Lumia devices, is the first application providing a LiveSight-enabled experience. “Establishing a new brand is the right move for Nokia in the map and location business.  Nokia's assets in this space are world class. We believe mapping and location will be increasingly important to developing next generation devices and services across a wide array of segments,” said Crawford Del Prete, executive vice president and head of worldwide research at IDC.

I know most people think Nokia had its hey day and now its just a dying brand but I've been using my Lumia 800 for roughly 7 months now and to say I'm impressed is an understatement, sure there is a few things that they could do to improve it but the same could be said for many other devices. Also with them using the  Windows 8 OS in the newer models it could prove key for businesses that use Microsoft for easy synchronisation. It will take time for them to get back into the market but don't right them off just yet.

Fruit of choice

If you're in the market for a new cellular phone, the most talked about devices are undoubtedly the Apple iPhone or a Blackberry smart phones. Sure theres 100's of others to choose from, like the Sony Ericssons, Nokia's , HTC's & Samsung's but the top 2 best sellers are the ones that share their names with fruit. Now if you're like me, the most important features to the phone must be:

• Fast internet
• Good camera
• Processing speed
• Good screen resolution
• Easy to use but not too childish
• Oh and make phone calls of course!

Now if you have to go through all of those key facts, one can easily find any other phone on the market that fits for what I need. It get mores technical as choice varies and so does price, plus with call rates differing from various networks it makes things even more complicated! I had the Nokia 5800 express music, and it served its purpose. The 3 megapixel camera was a major down grade from my previous 5 megapixel I had on my N95 but I learnt to live with it. The build quality is what got to me on the 5800, within a week I already started experiencing problems with the slide keylock function on the side, it worked at times, and didnt. That and the back cover clips are more flimsy than light bulb glass, the first of those broke off within the first 2 months. It did how ever hold on with the 3rd clip being more solid. The touch screen interface was simple and easy to use, it did how ever lack good app's and struggled when you installed a lot of them.

Apple iPhone4

Seeing that I already was used to touch screen one would have thought the iPhone4 would have been the obvious choice. Yes it is pricey but at the time Vodacom offered a pretty good bundle at R250 per month with 110mb data, while it had all the quialities I needed I just found it pointless as I am in the market to get the 4th Gen iTouch iPod, which is basically the same thing as the iPhone but without the phone. When I travel I like to listen to music instead of the boring crap certain airlines choose to show. So by me having this one, I couldnt make use of the mp3 player since South Africa Airline Safety regulations require all cell phones to be switched off despite what ever mode it is in. So I'd be wasting a good mp3 player. There were other factors too that weighed in, like is 110mb enough for uploads, downloads, and app use? Then there was the usual worry of my clumsiness and the durability of the LCD screen, I tend to drop things a lot. I was extra careful with my Nokia but some how that stopped but the phone it self still lives on.

Blackberry 9800 Torch

The Blackberry on the other hand meant going back to buttons, and not the kind I was used to, tiny flippin things that when first gazed upon you feel like you might smash 10 at once. There were 2 options I was looking at, firstly  the Torch which is both touch screen and has a keypad. The new OS6 it comes with is pretty good so I've heard, and it comes with a 5 megapixel camera so I could take decent pictures again. The other option was the 9700 bold, which is a fairly old model on the market but still has features that would make some of the latest androids look like a toy. The downside for this model was the size of the screen and camera being 3 megapixel. Cost wise getting the a Blackberry worked out the best in terms of internet use. With BIS I have unlimited internet, so I can tweet all day long with out wondering how much my bill is going to be, plus there major plus is BBM. Yes its a glorified instant message chat service and the iPhone has whatsapp but by my god it is brilliant! I now know why most of my friends forced me to get this phone, just for BBM. 

Blackberry 9700

Well as per that last sentence you would have made out I have settled for a Blackberry, the 9700, like I said its practical and I love how the internet integrates with most things on the phone. The tiny buttons look daunting but believe me you really have to try to press more than 1 button. The design of the keypad is brilliant with each button at a certain angle so that when pressing it, you press that one alone. The build quality is pretty good and it looks great, there is the cheaper 8520, which some say is the modern day Nokia 3310, but there is a major difference between the 2 phones besides having 3G and Edge, the 9700 has the new OS and a 3 megapixel camera. The screen resolution is much sharper as well. The camera doesnt take the best pictures, even when compared to my old Nokia but I've gotten used to carrying my cybershot around for proper pictures so it doesnt bother me that much. The internet services are quick and the trackball is very responsive. So far the phone seems like a winner in my books, there are certain bugs I've picked up like certain app's freezing from time to time but no major problems to report of as yet.

People who get these phones do tend to take sides, so you're either an Apple or a Blackberry person, I on the other had seem to be partial to the both. They both are remarkable phones and if I had the finances I would have gotten both but for now the Blackberry will have to do.