/lifestyle/technology/rss 九一星空无限 Thu, 19 Jun 2025 23:18:04 Z en /lifestyle/technology/hp-officejet-pro-9120e-boring-is-better/ /lifestyle/technology/hp-officejet-pro-9120e-boring-is-better/ Even after all these years and all the technological advances we've made, there are still certain problems yet to be solved... Why isn't the office air-con working properly? Why does the jug take so long to boil? And perhaps the greatest mystery of all; why can't I get this to print? Between paper jams, toner or ink issues and network connectivity dropouts, it seems we'll be more likely to land humans on Mars before we can just get the printer to print. Until now... The HP OfficeJet Pro 9120e isn't going to win any beauty contests. Oh, there's nothing wrong with the way it looks - especially if you're into mostly featureless beige boxes with grey lids. But if you were to picture a generic printer in your mind, that's pretty much what you're dealing with here. On an initial run-through of the 9120e's features, you're not really seeing anything new; it can connect via Wi-Fi, USB or ethernet. You can print directly from an external USB-A memory source. It has a document feeder and can do high-resolution scanning and copying. You can do double-sided (duplex) printing and it's Instant Ink enabled. To be fair, it would be more surprising if it didn't do all those things. In saying that, features like Instant Ink are at least unique to HP. I've covered this off before; it's an automatic subscription service that sends you discounted replacement ink cartridges right before you need them. It's a fantastic option if you do a lot of printing at your place - there are different price points to suit your usage although if you're a very light user, you may be better off just buying cartridges as you need them. Probably not though; the compatible cartridges are NZ$54 for each colour option and NZ$86 for the larger black one. That means replacing a whole set will cost you more than the original price of the printer. Phew! See? Some things never change. Not only do you get three months of Instant Ink free with the purchase of the printer, depending on your usage, you could save up to 50% over time. What's more, the cartridges turn up on your doorstep without you even having to order them. The 9120e has a user-friendly, full colour, touch control screen. This can tilt up at an angle and here you can access most settings and other useful information - like ink levels for example. Obviously, these options and details are also accessible via the HP Smart app, which is the easiest way to set the printer up and connect it to your network. Where it will stay - reliably - thanks to it's dual-band, self-healing Wi-Fi ability. I don't know how this works but because I've owned other HP printers with this feature I can assure you it does. If you've ever been confronted with a "Printer is currently offline" or "No printer found" message, you'll definitely appreciate a printer that's always ready to go, no matter what. There's a 35 page document feeder and the print quality is great; high resolution and good detail in both colour and black and white. In the past I've usually reviewed printers from HP's Home Office range. The 9120e loses the "Home" designation and belongs to the Office selection instead. Make no mistake, these classifications are pure marketing. Regardless of your office being at home, I can thoroughly recommend this printer to you too. Everything is just that little bit better with this printer that means "business." The paper tray holds 250 pages - that's half a ream.  You'll print faster too - up to 22 pages-per-minute in colour. It also makes no difference what device you're printing from - I've found it just as easy to print directly from my phone as it is on my laptop or desktop. There are also HP Smart apps for every platform. And there are some other nice touches that make this one of the most easy-to-use printers I've tried. When it's time to change ink cartridges, you don't have to open the top of the printer completely; instead there's a front-facing access panel that brings the cartridges into view where they can be easily swapped out. However, if for some reason things go wrong (I haven't had a single paper jam yet but it's only been a week or so) then when you DO open the 6120e up, it really opens all the way, giving you full access to anywhere things may have come a cropper - including a removable paper-feed component that snaps easily out and back in again. It's this kind of straight-forward, user-focussed design that makes the OfficeJet Pro 9120e my new favourite pinter - it overdelivers in terms of speed, paper capacity and network reliability and makes tasks that used to be tiresome (like ordering and replacing cartridges) a total breeze. Click here for more information and pricing on the HP OfficeJet Pro 9120e. Tue, 17 Jun 2025 23:57:06 Z /lifestyle/technology/microsoft-surface-laptop-13-inch-not-all-updates-are-improvements/ /lifestyle/technology/microsoft-surface-laptop-13-inch-not-all-updates-are-improvements/ If it ain't broke, don't fix it. Easy to say. Sometimes hard to do - especially if you're a multi-national tech company under constant pressure to release new and exciting products on a regular basis. By the same token, change isn't always bad but sometimes it's a challenge to get people on board. Microsoft has never shied away from launching less conventional devices to a mass market in a "let's see how it goes" sort of approach. So how are the this year's Surface devices faring so far? The latest iteration of the Microsoft Surface Laptop is the thinnest and lightest yet. That doesn't mean this is the skinniest 13-inch laptop on the market but for those Surface fans who are looking to upgrade this year, the new slimmed-down model may attract customers who've previously gone with the tablet version of the Surface to save a little weight and space. Starting from NZ$1,999.00, in many ways the Surface Laptop represents better value than its sister product, the 12-inch Surface Pro - because by the time you add a keyboard and a power adapter (that's right, for the tablet, the adapter is now an optional extra) even the base model adds up to hundreds more. Available in Violet, Ocean or Platinum, the 13-inch Surface Laptop not only looks great, it has some other very useful features, starting with a decent selection of ports. All too often these days we consumers are left out in the cold when it comes to adding peripherals or even just charging. Thankfully, this year's Surface Laptop has foregone the weird, proprietary magnetic chargers of the past and now charges via USB-C, like any other device. There's a 45W wall-charger included in the box and you'll get excellent battery life. You won't get the 23 hours of local video playback Microsoft claims on its website, because nobody is turning off Bluetooth, Wi-Fi and every other background process in order to do that. But you should make it through a typical work day with no issues. Not if you're a gamer though - but we'll get to that. Back to those ports though; not one but two USB-C 3.2 slots, capable of fast data transfer via Thunderbolt 4 accessories and also DisplayPort 1.4a-enabled which means you can run two external 4K monitors at up to 60Hz. On the other side, a headphone jack and amazingly, a full-sized USB-A port because although some manufacturers refuse to admit it, we all still own plenty of things that plug in via USB-A. The keyboard is nicely spaced out and the keys have a nice, clicky travel to them that you don't always get with a laptop. There's a Windows Hello fingerprint sensor under the power key for secure login. This works well - the device remembers your fingerprint when you first turn it on so you don't have to scan again once it has booted to the login window. Oddly, the built-in Surface Studio Camera is not Windows Hello compatible so you can't log in via facial recognition. I've never understood why Microsoft would produce a device with a camera that doesn't do Windows Hello. But then, Microsoft does a lot of things I don't understand. Like this whole ARM / Snapdragon thing. I realise there are more devices running on ARM architecture than any on other system. But the vast majority of those devices are phones and tablets. And yet, right from the very first Surface RT, Microsoft has dabbled with ARM. Over the years, the odd Surface has been ARM while others have been based on a more conventional Intel setup. Now, again, Microsoft seems to be all in on ARM - this time running the Surface Laptop with the Snapdragon X Plus 8-core processor. It's fast. It's efficient. But it still doesn't play well with others.  Last year I was prepared to cut Microsoft some slack. When you release new technology - especially new hardware - it can take third-party developers a while to catch up and provide compatible products. But as I said, this isn't the first time Microsoft has gone this route and yet popular tools like Adobe Audition still can't be downloaded onto this device. That's the audio editor I use every day at 九一星空无限talk ZB, by the way. Who's to blame here? Microsoft or Adobe? Other Adobe apps work via emulation so who knows what's going on? Then I tried to install some games, some via Ubisoft, some via Steam. Some worked, some didn't, some booted up but then couldn't find a suitable video driver so performance was pretty scratchy. I certainly couldn't recommend this device as a gaming machine - not least of all because as soon as you start running anything too graphically intensive it starts eating battery life like a Pac-Man eats dots. Meanwhile, the 13-inch PixelSense display has its pros and cons - it's great having a 10-point multi-touch screen - I always find that pretty much eliminates the need for a mouse. I'm a fan of the 3:2 aspect ratio too. The taller shape always gives me the impression there's more space to arrange different windows on.  However, the refresh rate maxes out at 60Hz and 400 nits of brightness is fine but certainly not dazzling. Like I say, this ain't no gaming rig but I found it perfectly adequate for streaming my shows. Where the Surface Laptop excels is with its video capabilities. The mic/camera/speaker combo is excellent and there are some genuinely useful settings for your next online meeting, like the new Portrait Blur option, which washes a gentle, soft-focus filter over whatever's in your background. You can see me demonstrate this in the video below. This is also a Copilot+ PC. That means a dedicated Copilot button on the keyboard which gives you instant access to the latest incarnation of Microsoft's built-in AI. Copilot's integration into products like Office 365 and Edge makes it very useful when it comes to summarising web-pages and messages or organising data. It's actually a great way to learn how to use the Surface Laptop itself. Can't remember the keyboard shortcut for screen recording? Ask Copilot. Another exciting Windows 11 feature has been a long time coming but it's finally here; Recall, the ultimate undo. This utility constantly saves full-system snapshots over time and when you open it, you get a timeline and preview of all your previous work on the device. This is more than just the ability to restore back to your last update - you can literally revisit forgotten webpages or go back to the first draft of your big presentation. Tools like this and other native apps like Clipchamp (which I used to edit the video below) work seamlessly, which makes the frustration of dealing with third-party compatibility issues all the more acute. As a business tool, the 13-inch Laptop Surface is a powerhouse. The integrated AI tools, excellent battery life and sublime video-call performance are all more typical of a much more expensive machine. If only all the software developers were as onboard with ARM as Microsoft certainly seems to be.      Click here for more information and pricing on the Microsoft Surface Laptop (13-inch). Thu, 12 Jun 2025 01:47:16 Z /lifestyle/technology/oppo-watch-x2-not-perfect-but-most-of-it-is/ /lifestyle/technology/oppo-watch-x2-not-perfect-but-most-of-it-is/ Smartwatches have come a long way. What were originally clunky devices with limited functionality and poor battery life have quickly evolved into stylish status symbols, capable of almost everything your phone is, plus a whole range of health and fitness tracking features. Still bad battery life probably. That aside, the modern smartwatch is no longer a gimmicky gadget only the nerdiest of early-adopters would be prepared to wear in public. These days they're a genuine fashion accessory, not to mention a bonafide productivity tool, with the ability to monitor all your online comings-and-goings right there on your wrist. Because New Zealand's smartphone market is a bit of a two horse race, it would be easy to assume the choice of watch is just as limited. But I'm here to tell you, the third-placed phone brand offers a pretty decent watch as well. There's no denying the OPPO Watch X2 is an attractive timepiece, straight out of the box. I was so stoked to discover they'd sent me the Summit Blue variant and not the more boring (but potentially more practical) Lava Black model. The blue one features a hybrid leather strap with contrasting stitching, while the black strap is fluororubber - very comfortable and more durable but, you know... still black. The casing is stainless steel, the bezel is titanium alloy and the crystal is extra-thick sapphire glass - basically this thing is very hard to break or even scratch. In fact, the Watch X2 carries the renowned MIL-STD-810H durability rating that means it can survive knocks and drops, extreme cold, high altitude and of course it shrugs off water and dust. When it comes to GPS tracking the Watch X2 now uses dual-band satellite connectivity for more accurate activity mapping and what's more, it seems to connect instantly which means you can chart your run the moment you're out the door. Speaking of maps, being a Wear OS device, you can use Google Maps on the watch no problem, not to mention summoning up Google Assistant for spoken commands. Wear OS also means access to a bewildering number of apps and watch faces, all of which look amazing on the 1.5-inch AMOLED display. It's worth noting High Brightness Mode goes up to 1000nits, which is impressive for any mobile device, let alone a smartwatch. Even more impressively, it will crank things up to a peak brightness of 2200nits in strong sunlight. You won't have any trouble reading it, even in the snow or at the beach. Whatever activity you're tracking - and the Watch X2 can do dozens and dozens - you can customise the data to display the stats you're most interested in. For example, if you want to monitor your pace and cadence, you can prioritise those over things like heart rate and duration. This watch can even keep an eye on your running posture. To be honest, there's not much the Watch X2 can't track; blood oxygen, Heart Rate Variability, snoring, wrist temperature, breathing rate during sleep - even vascular health, which turned out to be a bit depressing for me. Every so often you'll be prompted to fire off a 60-second Health Check-In. This runs an ECG, tests your circulatory system and alerts you of any major issues. Unfortunately, I couldn't hide my "arterial stiffness" and although my risk is listed as "low," it's definitely something I'll keep an eye on as I'm already taking heart medication to lower my blood pressure and cholesterol levels. Despite that, the Watch X2 is both a joy to wear and a pleasure to use. This is partly due to the rotating crown which allows you to scroll through what's being displayed and even do things like adjust the volume in the media controller. But it's battery life that gives OPPO's flagship watch a distinct advantage over its competitors. OPPO claims you can squeeze up to 16 days out of a full charge but I assume in order to do this you'd have to be running in power-saving mode the whole time, which would mean deactivating high-drain features like continuous heart monitoring and animated watch faces. However, in my more realistic, everyday use I still managed to get three or four days in between charges which is significantly better than what you'll get with some other high profile smartwatches. The only drawback is you need to use a specific wireless charging cradle and I'm not sure if there's the same range of 3rd-party charging accessories as there are for those more widely-sold brands. My biggest frustration with the Watch X2 is there's no eSIM capability which means unlike other high-end smartwatches you can't use it as a standalone cellular device with the addon plans now available from some New Zealand telcos. This doesn't mean it suddenly stops working when it's out of bluetooth range with your phone. You still get GPS tracking etc - you just won't get any notifications, messages or phone calls. When it IS connected to my phone (any Android phone - doesn't have to be an OPPO) I've been surprised and impressed by how well I can access and interact with apps like Outlook and Messenger. When using other smartwatches I often think I'm reading, reacting to or deleting messages and emails only to discover they're still on my phone and my reply didn't go through. Not with the Watch X2. The connectivity is reliable and very functional. All this combined with an impressively powerful Snapdragon chip means the performance is smooth, fast and dependable - which is important when using functions like Camera Remote or making contactless payments with Google Wallet. I've come to lower my expectations when reviewing smartwatches from "minor" brands - not that OPPO is a minor player internationally, of course. So it's little wonder the Watch X2 has impressed me so much I'm in no particular hurry to go back to my "usual" watch. Short of adding eSIM functionality, there's really not much OPPO could do to make this one better. Click here for more information and pricing on the OPPO Watch X2. Thu, 05 Jun 2025 00:34:42 Z /lifestyle/technology/samsung-qn90f-hey-samsung-dont-forget-what-tvs-are-actually-for/ /lifestyle/technology/samsung-qn90f-hey-samsung-dont-forget-what-tvs-are-actually-for/ When it comes to TVs, I'll admit it; I'm a bit biased. If I'm not currently reviewing one, the TV I watch every night is a very nice 65-inch, 8K QLED made by Samsung. I've had it a few years now and in that time a lot of new telly tech has come along. OLED panels are now bright enough to use during the day, LEDs have become mini and QLED has evolved into Neo QLED... I'm only 75% sure I know what any of that really means so these days, I tend to judge each TV on its own merits. Some are brighter. Some less reflective. Some have a much more user-friendly operating system than others. Yet I keep coming back to my trusty Samsung. Nothing I've seen has been so dazzling I've thought, "I must upgrade immediately!" (Although 75-inches would be nice) This year, like every year, New Zealand's market leader, Samsung, has upped its game again. So is this the TV that turns my head?... One thing Samsung has really nailed is slimness.  The 55-inch QN90F I was sent to review is no exception. Not only is this TV just 26.9mm deep, it's described as "4 Bezel-less" which means the 4K Neo QLED display goes right to each edge, top and bottom included. This makes it a wonderful TV for wall mounting and also for use with rear-mounted RGB lighting systems. The QN90F comes in six different sizes, from 43-inches right up to 85. At 55, my review unit was fairly easy to handle and I had no real issue setting it up out of the box, other than a slightly fiddly situation when it came to screwing the two-piece stand on.  The plastic moulding on the stand seemed specifically designed to lose the small screws in. My expert hack? A wee blob of Blu-Tack on the tip of the screwdriver. Or just use a magnetic screwdriver, I guess. If you haven't set up a Samsung TV before, the most efficient way to do it is using Samsung's SmartThings app on your phone. This makes things like entering email addresses and Wi-Fi passwords a lot easier than it would be using the remote. Speaking of which, is Samsung still the only TV manufacturer to go with a solar-powered remote? What's the deal here? There are literally millions of batteries being used in remote controls that obviously don't have to be. It's almost as if some of those other brands also make batteries... Oh. Believe it or not, other than your phone or the remote, there's a third way to control the QN90F. If you have a Samsung Galaxy Watch, you can use gestures to navigate the home screen, select apps and even play and pause. The future is now, people. If you're after a telly with all the bells and whistles, this might fit the bill. Feel like a spot of karaoke? There's a pre-installed app for that, with a long trial subscription. What's more, thanks again to the SmartThings app, you can use your phone as a microphone. And of course, via Xbox Cloud Gaming, if you have a Game Pass Ultimate subscription, the TV essentially works like a console without the console - you just need to connect a bluetooth controller. But that's nothing new, Samsung has been offering this feature for years now. The operating system formerly known as just plain old Tizen is now called One UI Tizen - presumably to fit in a bit more with the OS on Samsung's phones, watches, tablets and who knows what else? I used to like it more when it was mostly just a scrolling selection of icons at the bottom of the screen. But now there's much more to offer. So much. Too much? The home screen features your favourite apps and rows of suggested content from those apps. This is actually quite useful, although the "infinite scroll" nature of the layout is initially a bit overwhelming. At least there aren't any ads pushed on you for services you're not currently subscribed to. Better still, the order in which this stuff is displayed is yours to customise, so your favourite apps and shows should come up first. But there's even more to see. There's another menu to the left which includes your choice of artwork for your screensaver and a whole section called Daily+ - essentially an alternative home screen featuring "services and apps beyond traditional TV entertainment." This means that karaoke app I mentioned earlier as well as links to a variety of video-led home fitness apps. This is not to be confused with your "Daily Board" - a feature that has also recently been introduced to Samsung tablets and phones. This is a customisable set of widgets that shows on screen when the TV is "off" - things like weather forecasts, shortcuts to music streaming or perhaps a sticky note reminder for the rest of the household. Your Daily Board doesn't display all the time, only when someone enters the room or you can set it to be voice activated. Oh yeah, that's right, there's a fourth way to control the QN90F, via Bixby or Alexa voice assistant. If you're using the TV as a smart home hub (because, obviously you can) it's pretty cool to be able to ask it to show you who's standing at your front door. So that's a lot, right? Although, by now you may be wondering, is there any TV on this TV? Not only can you install all the usual apps, don't forget Samsung TV Plus; dozens and dozens of subscription-free live channels featuring everything from kids to music to documentaries to music to... well, you get the picture. Now, about that picture. Samsung's big selling point for this year's TVs is "Vision AI" - the 4K processor is AI-powered. The QN90F upscales lower resolution content to 4K using AI. Bixby is Samsung's own AI assistant. You can even create your own "mood-matching' wallpapers using AI and a combination of key words and phrases. So I figured I'd just set picture to AI Mode and settle down to the finest viewing experience I'd ever... uh... experienced. Sadly, no matter what I watched, all the people seemed green and shiny and the colours were washed out and drab. Disappointing. A show like Murderbot on Apple TV+ is supposed to be larger-than-life, surreal, out-of-this world (literally). On AI Mode it just looked kind of muddy and dusty. Luckily the QN90F has another AI trick up its sleeve - smart calibration. Some sound systems run an automated tuning system like this - you use your phone as a remote mic and the speakers balance themselves according to the unique characteristics of the room. Samsung can now do this via - you guessed it - the SmartThings app. You position your phone's camera about a metre away from the screen (preferably on a tripod) and the TV then spends several minutes showing your phone a series of test images so your phone can tell the TV what they look like in your particular setting. The picture quality improved dramatically after this and I began to understand how this TV has been PANTONE validated for colour accuracy. Whatever's going on, everything now looks perfect; sport, movies, games, whatever. This is all enhanced by Samsung's Glare Free anti-reflection technology, which seems to be rolling out to most of its premium displays this year. I've been especially impressed by the Neo Quantum HDR+ technology that automatically adapts brightness and colour to suit the content. This is a wonderful screen for gaming - no hidden enemy is safe. At a refresh rate of up to 165Hz, action is smooth and once again, AI automatically adjusts to your content, with a Game Bar you can access to tweak expert settings like input lag and aspect ratio. Sadly, sound performance doesn't really match up. Although Samsung pioneered features like Object Tracking Sound+ - where the sound matches the location of people and objects on the screen - and Q-Symphony - where you can combine the TV's built-in speakers with an external Samsung sound system, the general quality of audio from the QN90F leaves a lot to be desired. This may be due to the smaller size of the TV. Supposedly there are upfiring speakers to achieve Dolby Atmos effects but I couldn't detect much of anything and there was certainly no real bass response to speak of. Needless to say, I plugged my usual surround sound system in fairly early on during my testing. And that kind of sums up my overall impression of the QN90F - for once I feel like Samsung hasn't quite delivered on some of its promises. Instead, there's a lot of stuff I didn't ask for and probably don't need. Am I using my watch to control my TV on a daily basis? Of course not. Do I want my TV screen to turn on and show me a weather forecast when I tiptoe past on my way to work in an otherwise dark house at 3:00AM. No thanks. Will I sing karaoke using my phone as a mic? Well, okay, maybe - but you see what I'm getting at here. Samsung has always blown me away with its TV tech but this year, for the first time, the shine has worn off. Make no mistake, the QN90F is a remarkable device and it's capable of many incredible things. In fact, it may even have more features than almost any other TV on the market. Trouble is... I just want a great picture when I take it out of the box and turn it on. Is that too much to ask?           Click here for more information and pricing on the Samsung QN90F. Wed, 04 Jun 2025 01:37:23 Z /lifestyle/technology/jbl-charge-6-and-jbl-flip-7-connected-and-upgraded/ /lifestyle/technology/jbl-charge-6-and-jbl-flip-7-connected-and-upgraded/ From tiny speakers you can clip to your pack, to party speakers you can use as a P.A. - even with their own light show - JBL has a bluetooth speaker to suit any occasion. Not only is there a dizzying range to choose from, many are the critics' choice in their category. It's not just about sound quality, although JBL now has an established reputation for producing speakers that seemingly outperform their small size. People also love JBL's proven durability - many speakers are now both waterproof and drop-proof. But perhaps where JBL is really setting the standard is connectivity. And two of the latest examples are no exception. In recent years JBL's Charge series of bluetooth speakers has been an affordable but effective way of taking your music with you without compromising too much in terms of big bass and genuine power. As for the Flip; as each generation has been released it's won over more and more fans until by now it must be one of the most purchased portable out there. The Charge 6 and Flip 7 are very similar devices - essentially the Charge 6 is a bigger, more powerful version of the Flip 7 with the added ability to charge connected devices via its USB-C port on the back. Being bigger, the Charge boasts a larger woofer and tweeter setup. The battery also lasts longer - you'll get up to 28 hours of playback as opposed to 16 on the Flip. That's a significant battery boost for both devices over their respective predecessors though; 4 hours longer for the Flip and a generous 8 hours between the Charge 5 and Charge 6. Unlike some ho-hum product reboots, there have actually been significant upgrades to the 2025 versions of both speakers. They're now IP68 rated for water and dust resistance and both claim a lab-tested durability upgrade that means they should survive a one-metre drop onto a concrete floor. As all tech gadgets seem to these days, the Flip 7 and Charge 6 have vastly increased amounts of recycled materials incorporated into their construction and both come in black, blue or red. Perhaps even more exciting are the new clip-on accessories. For the first time the Charge 6 comes with a rugged handle strap in the box. This makes carrying and hanging the speaker much easier and you can just unbutton it if you don't need it. The Flip 7 goes a step further.  The previous carry cord has been replaced by a new PushLock system that lets you choose between a fabric carry loop or a steel carabiner. These are easily swapped out with a simple press and click. Although both speakers are pretty much the same size as their previous models, there's no denying they sound even better - and the last ones sounded pretty damn good, by the way. This must be due to something JBL calls AI Sound Boost. Supposedly your music is being analysed in real time by this "audio genie" to provide a room-filling result with no distortion. Whatever it is, it seems to work. "Ever After You" by the Gabe Dixon Band is a very stripped-back track, pushing vocals, piano and bass to the foreground during the verses, with the rest of the team kicking in for the choruses. This is a great example to show how both these speakers seem to be able provide crisp, clean focus in the quieter moments, while expanding the soundscape out much wider once the drums start crashing, the guitars start wailing and the strings start stirring. And I'm not really comparing the Flip 7 to the Charge 6 - they both perform admirably with the Charge just offering that much more volume and bass. And when you have a really big band, like Lawrence performing "Wash Away," the best thing to do is combine the both speakers using my favourite JBL feature; Auracast. That's not strictly accurate - Auracast is not specific to JBL although I haven't really seen it promoted by other manufacturers yet. Meanwhile, JBL is all-in and I've alreaady featured it in previous reviews. With a push of the Auracast button, you can stream from the same source via multiple speakers, as I demonstrate in the video below. One big advantage to this is if you have one large speaker with superior bass response, it'll compensate for any smaller devices you've connected via Auracast because bass frequencies are non-directional. The only real downside to Auracast is it's still quite new. That means although you can team up with most other recent models of JBL bluetooth speakers, you can't connect with the previous generation. Confusingly, those ones could pair with each other but using a different, JBL-specific protocol called Party Boost.  Let's hope Auracast is here to stay and becomes more brand agnostic as time goes on. Imagine your favourite playlist booming out of every speaker in the house, regardless of who made them. In the meantime, why not collect up a few JBLs? Especially when you can actually "hard-line" into the Charge 6 via its USB-C port for even better quality, high-resolution sound. At NZ$199.95 for the Flip 7 and only $30 more for the larger Charge 6, neither device will break the bank, although together, they may well shake the floorboards.      Click here for more information and pricing on the JBL Charge 6. Click here for more information and pricing on the JBL Flip 7. Thu, 29 May 2025 00:56:58 Z /lifestyle/technology/dyson-supersonic-r-just-when-you-thought-it-couldnt-get-better/ /lifestyle/technology/dyson-supersonic-r-just-when-you-thought-it-couldnt-get-better/ Has there ever been a tech brand more forward-thinking than Dyson? Every time I've ever heard from a Dyson engineer - or even Sir James himself - I've always been impressed by their commitment to creating problem-solving devices. The Dyson philosophy seems to be completely unafraid to start again from scratch, even when creating the next generation of an existing device. With the launch of the original Supersonic hairdryer in 2016, Dyson sent shockwaves through the hairdressing world. By applying lessons learned from decades of vacuum cleaner innovation, Dyson introduced us to an entirely different sort of hairdryer. Not only did it look crazy, it set a new standard. It was lighter, more compact and it dried hair fast. So obviously, back in the lab, the Dyson crew immediately started asking themselves, "Can we make this even lighter, even smaller and even faster?" In many ways, the Dyson Supersonic r isn't much to look at. It's essentially a tube with a bend in it. This is a typical example of Dyson's performance-first, aesthetics-second design approach. Which is not to say it doesn't look cool; my review unit is Ceramic Pink and Rose Gold or you can opt for the Jasper Plum model (essentially, two-tone purple). I can't stress enough how small and light this device is - that's the first thing any of my test subjects tell me when they pick it up and start using it. The Supersonic r has a very long power cable - 6 feet (1.8 metres) - which gives you plenty of room to move. There's a Professional model which has an even longer lead but either way, the plug on the end is truly gigantic. I can only hypothesise Dyson has moved some of the bits you'd normally find inside the dryer itself down to the power plug instead. This would explain why it's so big and why the cord is so thick. Conversely, the controls are minimalist in the extreme - a power button, a tiny fan-speed rocker and an equally small temperature rocker about where your thumb rests on the back, with a cooling button under your index finger on the front. This Cold Shot trigger allows you to set your style in place by deactivating the heating element and blowing only cool air while pressed. There are five different styling attachments included in the box; Powerful Air, Gentle Air, Smoothing Nozzle, Professional Concentrator and Flyaway Attachment. Some of these are self-explanatory, some less so. For example, if you're prone to frizzy hair, chances are you'd like it to un-frizz sometimes. That's where the Smoothing Nozzle comes in. I've featured the Flyaway Attachment before - this is where Dyson utilises a law of fluid dynamics known as the Coanda effect to bend stray, sticky-up hairs back into line with the rest. Quite a useful physics experiment. Meanwhile, the Professional Concentrator is a bit like a hair-drying version of a water-blaster, focussing the air precisely where you want it. If this all sounds a bit overwhelming, Dyson has a library of styling guides online - short videos showing you how to use which combination of attachments to achieve anything from Curtain Bangs or Soft C-Curls to a 90s Supermodel Blowout. This can be facilitated even further with the application of Dyson's "Chitosan" pre-style cream - some kind of magic serum that comes in its own ingenious, Dyson-engineered pump dispenser. Best of all, the five attachments easily magnetise on and off and each one has its own RFID chip built in. This means the Supersonic r remembers exactly what settings you opted for last time you used each attachment. Yet another very smart, time-saving feature. And that's the other thing my hairy lab-rats all tell me, after they tell me how small and light the Supersonic r is... How fast it is. This isn't just a matter of blasting your head with a hurricane force gale, although to be fair, this is Dyson's most powerful hairdryer yet. Despite that, it's amazingly quiet. Although I don't use one personally, I often find myself in the same room where a hairdryer is being operated. Sometimes I'm asleep when it's turned on. Talk about a rude awakening. Thankfully, the Supersonic r is so quiet, you can actually maintain an intelligent conversation without shouting. Have I mentioned how clever the Dyson engineers are? There are also ten separate heater foils in the curve of the device to ensure exact temperature control. As the Dyson people always tell me, too much heat is how you damage your hair - and maybe even your scalp. Those mysterious hot and cold spots you can experience with other hairdryers just can't happen with the Supersonic r; the flow is always even and precise. Even cleaning the filter is fast and simple - it just pulls off. As the guy designated to fish hair and other gunge off the back of many a hairdryer in the past to prevent overheating, I certainly appreciate one smart enough to tell you itself, when it needs cleaning. Given the Supersonic r is so compact, it's a fantastic option for travelling and although the cable is long, because it's so thick, it's unlikely to be tangled when you take it out of your suitcase. One thing to watch though is the voltage used at your travel destination. Hairdryers are notoriously fussy about what voltage they require and this one is no exception. Not all countries run at 240-volts like we do. It's a shame there's no option to switch voltages as there is on some other devices. But that's literally the only thing either my test subjects or I could find to mark the Supersonic r down on. And to be honest, it was me. The hair-test dummies have no idea it might not work if they travel to the Galapagos Islands. Otherwise this seems to be the perfect successor to an already perfect hairdryer. Small. Light. Fast. Small. Light. Fast. That's what they keep telling me. And I believe them.      Click here for more information and pricing on the Dyson Supersonic r. Tue, 27 May 2025 02:07:32 Z /lifestyle/technology/sony-wh-1000xm6-reigning-champion-of-anc-is-back/ /lifestyle/technology/sony-wh-1000xm6-reigning-champion-of-anc-is-back/ For about three years now, Sony has set the standard for Active Noise Cancellation with the iconic WH-1000XM5 headset. And that was after doing the same thing with the XM4. Somewhere along the way Sony stumbled across a magical chip - known as the QN1 - that was able to sample the sounds of the outside world and reduce them to virtually nothing by the time they made it through the headphones and into your ears. With a couple of very high-end exceptions, most people agreed Sony was now the king of ANC. If you're not convinced, take a quick look around the airport lounge next time you're on a business trip. I can pretty much guarantee the majority of regular travellers waiting for their flight will be wearing Sony. The question then becomes, if you're nailing it, why try to upgrade it? Luckily for us, Sony has not been resting on its laurels. The WH-1000XM6 takes everything the XM5 did so well and gives you much more - or much less, if you're talking about noise. The QN3 is Sony's latest HD noise cancelling processor and it uses an unbelievable twelve microphones to stop the outside world in its tracks, supposedly seven times faster than the previous generation. The result is close to perfect. From the outset, I can confidently claim these are the most effective noise cancelling headphones I've worn to date. As such, it's well worth your time digging into the various settings and customisations on offer through Sony's Sound Connect app. There are plenty. Let's start with the controls. The power/pairing button on the left earcup is now recessed, round and concave, making it much easier to find by touch. There's also an NC/AMB button just above it to toggle through Noise Cancelling, Ambient Sound or ANC Off - or any combination of these three you choose. The XM6 can sense where you are and what you're doing and adjust the ANC automatically if you want it to. The right earcup still works as a touch control pad for volume and playback and you can still cover it with your hand to instantly mute the music to hear what someone is saying, although the Speak to Chat function has been moved off the headset and onto the app only. This is great news for me because I always used to accidentally activate Speak to Chat while using my otherwise trusty XM5 headset to monitor the country's biggest radio show. That meant my headphone feed would cut out as soon as I started talking, on air. Not ideal. Now that simply isn't a problem. Thanks for listening, Sony. There's a host of other controls you can activate or switch off from the Sound Connect app - like answering or rejecting calls by nodding or shaking your head. You can also set your streaming services like Amazon Music or Spotify to start playing automatically when you connect the WH-1000XM6 to your phone or you can do this with double or triple taps on the NC/AMB button. When paired with compatible devices, the XM6 can connect using the latest Bluetooth LE codec - this means better range and extremely low latency. Which brings me to my favourite setting; Listening Mode. The three choices here are Standard, Background Music or Cinema. Background Music makes what you're listening to sound further away, as though heard from external speakers, either like a cafe, your living room, or your bedroom - the choice is yours. The Cinema mode is where things get really crazy. Sony can now "upscale" your listening experience in much the same way 4K and 8K TVs can improve the quality of a lower resolution SD or HD video. They've called this 360 Reality Audio Upmix and it converts a standard, stereo input to spatial surround sound, ideal for gaming or Episode 8 of the latest season of the Handmaid's Tale I watched yesterday. The tension created by the soundtrack was truly immersive and as June and her fellow Handmaids crept around in the dark, I could have heard a pin drop... Or a knife, as it turns out. Spoilers. But make sure you go back to Standard if you're just listening to plain old music, because on these headphones, there'll be nothing plain about it. "Some Kind of Love" by the Killers would have to be one of their more laid-back, atmospheric tracks. As such, the WH-1000XM6 creates a massive stage to set it on, almost as though the song continues on to the horizon in every direction. By stark contrast, Ed Sheeran's "This" is so intimate and close; with just him and his acoustic guitar. Somehow, the WH-1000XM6 recognises this and tightens up the space accordingly. The effect is as though you're all alone with Ed in a small room. "Last Hello" by Melissa Etheridge starts in a similar, small, close-up fashion, then builds and builds in the most ominous way, before a sudden rug-pull that leaves you with just her voice and nothing else. This is the perfect track to demonstrate how capably the WH-1000XM6 instantly switches its soundstage from wee and cosy out to bold and expansive. There's been no real change in battery life, although at around 30 hours with ANC on, you'll make it through even the longest long-haul flight. Which brings me, finally, to another dramatic upgrade; the case. Like the XM5, this year's headset folds flat but it also hinges just above the earcups which means it can curl up tighter than ever, to fit into a more compact and lighter hard-shell case, constructed from recycled materials. More compact and lighter? Exactly what any traveller or commuter wants to hear. The best thing about the new case is there's no zip - the magnetic clasp just flips securely in place when you close it. The WH-1000XM6 still comes in Black, Midnight Blue and Platinum Silver. Platinum Silver still isn't silver, by the way. It's more of a beige, flesh-tone colour. Seems popular, whatever it is. The soft, squidgy ear cushions and headband are more comfy than ever and at just 255grams, you can wear these headphones all day with no problem. And I do. In fact, they're so good, I'm reluctant to take them off.      Click here for more information and pricing on the Sony WH-1000XM6 wireless noise cancelling headphones. Wed, 21 May 2025 00:20:36 Z /lifestyle/technology/harman-kardon-go-plus-play-3-premium-speaker-with-almost-no-features/ /lifestyle/technology/harman-kardon-go-plus-play-3-premium-speaker-with-almost-no-features/ Harman Kardon is one of those brands with "stop and stare" credentials. By that I mean pretty much every H/K device I've come across has made me do a double-take - and that's before I've even turned it on. These things are works of art. They may not be to your personal taste but at least they make an aesthetic statement. Then you DO turn it on and wow... Every time. Just wow. So, looks astounding. Sounds incredible. What more do you need? Well... nothing - if the latest Harman Kardon is anything to go by. The Go + Play 3 is a further refinement of an excellent speaker that first launched way back in 2009. Originally, it was designed as an iPod dock, had its own remote control which was stored in a pop-out compartment and was powered by, wait for it, eight D-size batteries. Oh, if you don't know what an iPod was, ask your parents. Now, sixteen years on, certain features have been upgraded quite dramatically. Others, not so much. The general shape of the Go + Play 3 still resembles a bowling bag, with its tapered, oval shape and distinctive brushed aluminium handle. It looks sleek and streamlined but even without eight D-size batteries in it, it's still quite heavy, weighing in at almost 5kg. As you would expect, the Go + Play 3 is now powered by a 25.92Wh rechargeable cell that will provide around 8 hours playback on a full charge. Otherwise you can leave it plugged into the mains via the standard figure-8 power cable included in the box. That cable plugs into a panel around the back where you'll also find a USB-C slot for charging connected devices and an AUX input if you've prefer a hard-wired connection over a bluetooth one. Pairing via bluetooth is incredibly straightforward... and this is where things start feeling decidedly retro. No app is required to set up the Go + Play 3 - in fact, there isn't a companion app at all. A simple press of the bluetooth button on the tempered glass control panel puts the speaker into pairing mode, then you just select it from the list of available devices in your bluetooth settings menu. No app means no firmware updates, no EQ options (either preset or customised) and no ability to add the Go + Play 3 to a group of speakers. You can connect with another Go + Play 3 to create a stereo pair by double-pressing the bluetooth button, but there's no way to connect with any other kind of speaker. This seems weird to me when Harman Kardon's sister brand, JBL, seems to be including an Auracast button on every new device these days, allowing wireless connectivity between all shapes and sizes of speaker. This app-less configuration seems to fly in the face of pretty much every other device out there by contemporary standards and obviously, with no Wi-Fi connectivity you can't use the Go + Play 3 with smart home assistants like Alexa, Gemini or Siri. Although... If you can control your source device with a virtual assistant, there's a workaround. Likewise, you can probably tweak the EQ in your phone, tablet or computer - although pre-mixing audio before it gets to the speaker is an unusual way of going about it. Not that I've felt the need to do that. I've found the way Harman Kardon's audio boffins have tuned the Go + Play 3 is perfect as it is. You get a 160W of pristine power from two mid-range transducers, a couple of tweeters, a passive front-facing radiator and a mighty, downward-firing, 5-inch subwoofer. "Never There" by Cake is potentially a challenging song for a portable speaker that packs the bass punch the Go + Play 3 does. The stop-and-start nature of the bass line is matched on the drums and I could imagine it being left somewhat exposed to distortion and rattle on an inferior speaker. However, the Go + Play 3 is a superior product and as such, when the bass and kick drum stop, so does everything, giving extra punch to Cake's quirky track. Air's trippy instrumental, "La femme d'argent" sounds so organic through this speaker. In the foreground, the jazzy keyboard riffs bubble over the steady bongo/bass backing like a meandering mountain stream. Meanwhile, more ethereal string and synth sounds fill out the background and the Go + Play creates a space for every sonic ingredient, positioning them perfectly. H/K says by using its dual built-in far-field mic array, the Go + Play 3 senses its surroundings and automatically adjusts to create the most room-filling mix possible. This claim seems to hold up. I tested the speaker in different rooms, different spots in those rooms and I placed it on different surfaces. Whether it sat on a table, a shelf, even carpeted or hardwood floors, the result was essentially the same; fabulous, crystal clear sound over a wide range of frequencies with booming-yet-accurate bass response. And so you see, although this speaker has very few high-tech addons, I'm not really missing any of them. I haven't felt the need to meddle with any EQ settings, which is lucky, as there aren't any. Sure, it would be nice to be able to summon Alexa or Siri with a spoken command but let's be frank, even now those virtual assistants don't always get the message, which can be a frustration in itself. There IS a phone button on the control panel which means you can take handsfree calls through the Go + Play 3 and your connected phone, which is potentially useful if your phone is what you were already streaming from. The one thing I'd like to be able to do and can't is pairing with other speakers. I don't have another NZ$400 for a second Go + Play 3 but I do have several other devices that could provide decent multi-room coverage if only there was Auracast or similar interconnectivity on offer. That's my only major gripe though, because this yet another fantastic-sounding Harman Kardon speaker. And personally, I think it looks pretty funky too.      Click here for more information and pricing on the Harman Kardon Go + Play 3. Mon, 19 May 2025 22:59:48 Z /lifestyle/technology/samsung-galaxy-tab-s10-fe-and-tab-s10-feplus-keeping-the-fans-happy-again/ /lifestyle/technology/samsung-galaxy-tab-s10-fe-and-tab-s10-feplus-keeping-the-fans-happy-again/ When it comes to Android tablets, Samsung rules the roost - and has done for a while now. By combining powerful, late model chips with Samsung's renowned display panel technology and the streamlined One UI operating system, the flagship Galaxy Tabs are hard to beat. All that high-end tech comes at a price, of course. So - just as Samsung has recognised with it's Fan Edition handsets, there's probably a market for an FE tablet too... The key to a successful FE device is finding the balance between including enough of the latest features to meet your requirements while compromising on certain nice-to-haves in order to keep the price down. And just as it has done with its FE handsets, Samsung seems to have nailed it again with the Galaxy Tab S10 FE and Tab S10 FE+. I've been fortunate enough to trial both devices simultaneously and the first thing I can report is there's no real difference between them, other than screen size. The base model has a 10.9-inch display while the plus version scales things up to a hefty 13.1-inches. Other than that, the only disparity is battery size, although I'm not sure you get much of a bump in time between charges as a bigger screen takes more power to run, obviously. In saying that, I was impressed by the battery life of both devices and I've literally used them for several days without having to charge them, depending on how I've been using them. With the right charger, you'll also juice up pretty fast - at 45W - just like the flagship Tab S10 machines. Both Fan Editions have identical processors and storage options and although the in-house Exynos 1580 chip is described as merely "mid-range," I've certainly had no issues when it comes to gaming, multi-tasking or anything really. You also get plenty of AI features bundled in here and I won't go into all of them as I've spent plenty of time explaining these in my recent Samsung phone reviews. Rest assured you can do things like Circle to Search, either with your finger or S-Pen. The stylus is also a great way take notes, especially when the on-device AI can tidy up your handwriting and even solve any maths problems you scribble down. I'm not sure you'd choose the 13MP rear camera instead of the one on your phone but it's certainly an improvement over the 8MP sensor on previous generations. The 12MP front-facing cam is excellent though and will serve you well for any online meetings or social-media vids. Interestingly, even at this more affordable price, the Tab S10 FE and Tab S10 FE+ are both IP68-rated against dust and water. That kind of durability is still rare with tablets and gives good peace of mind if you're using one for your travel computing or holiday poolside entertainment. As I've admitted many times before, I'm not really a regular tablet user but recent updates to Samsung's DeX mode mean using these Tab S10 FEs as laptops is not only possible but in many cases, practical too. By simply pairing a bluetooth mouse and keyboard, I suddenly have a very slim and portable computer at my fingertips; one I'm using to type this review with, in fact. DeX mode transforms the One UI home screen from the giant phone-like experience any Samsung user would be familiar with, to a more PC-like desktop display. You can open multiple apps in multiple windows and there's even a taskbar at the bottom of the screen. The larger Tab S10 FE+ is more suited to be used this way but there's nothing stopping you doing the same thing with the 10.9-inch model. When it comes to using these tablets as a streaming solution, I'm torn. There's definitely a noticeable difference between the display quality of the FE versions and the sublime viewing experience on offer from the much more expensive Galaxy Tab S10 Ultra. This is no surprise - after all, you're comparing a TFT LCD panel with a full Dynamic AMOLED one and Samsung's widely-lauded anti-reflective technology hasn't quite made it this far down the Tab S10 range. The refresh rate also tops out at 90Hz which might be an issue for super-serious gamers and creatives. On the other hand, at up to 800nits, the screen gets pretty bright. What's more, the audio quality is sensational. As far as I can tell, there are only two speakers, one one each side, but the result is quite room-filling. The first time I dialled up an episode of the latest season of Andor, I couldn't believe what I was hearing; music and sound effects flying all around me. I don't know how Samsung has achieved this but colour me impressed. Ironically, I probably wouldn't choose either of these devices for eReading. Not because of any display quality issues - quite the opposite - my books have never looked so good. It's a size thing; I've found even the smaller Tab S10 FE is too big to comfortably hold in bed. At NZ$949.00, you can't argue the Tab S10 FE isn't great value - especially given the S-Pen stylus is included in the box. Meanwhile, the FE+ starts at NZ$1,249.00 which I guess is about what you'd expect for the jump in display size. While the pen is included, there's no keyboard case or charger but as I've explained, there's nothing stopping you pairing any bluetooth mouse and keyboard you may already own. Compare those prices to the Galaxy Tab S10 Ultra at NZ$2,449.00 and you'd have agree, there's a reason they call these Fan Editions. Obviously the Ultra has ALL the extras and an even larger display again, but unless you were using one of the FE devices right beside it, I think you might struggle to come up with too many shortfalls.           Click here for more information and pricing on the Samsung Galaxy Tab S10 FE and Tab S10 FE+. Wed, 14 May 2025 23:38:38 Z /lifestyle/technology/dyson-ontrac-who-knew-theyd-get-this-so-right/ /lifestyle/technology/dyson-ontrac-who-knew-theyd-get-this-so-right/ It's no secret I'm a massive Dyson fan. (No pun intended) As I've often discussed, Dyson's function-before-design approach has always appealed to me. Over the years I've met actual Dyson engineers and it's obvious they all have a shared passion for producing the best performance possible. Things like how the device ends up looking come later, although that philosophy itself has resulted in some of the most unique designs in home cleaning appliances, hair care devices, heating and cooling. That "Performance First" mindset doesn't always pay off. A lot of time and money went into developing a Dyson EV that never ended up going anywhere. Both metaphorically and quite literally. Meanwhile, the Dyson Zone actually made it into stores. This was the combination of noise-cancelling headphones with a detachable, air-purifying face mask. I'm not making this up. The Zone sucked air through its filtered earcups and blew cleaned-up air into your face, keeping out nasties (and noise) while travelling or just out and about in the city. I don't have any information on how well this device sold (it's still available on the New Zealand website but no longer in some other markets) and you'd have to think wearing a headset that makes you look kind of like Boba Fett wearing his beskar helmet isn't for everyone. But what if we forgot about the weird face-fan and just focused on the headphones? Like most Dyson products, the OnTrac headphones are priced at a premium; NZ$849.00 - this puts them squarely at the upper end of the consumer headphone market. At that price they have to deliver in every aspect; comfort, aesthetics, battery life and above all, sound quality. That's a tall order for a brand best known for making vacuum cleaners. Well, right off the bat, I can tell you the Dyson OnTrac definitely has all those bases covered. In fact, Dyson even goes one unique step further. But we'll get to that. Unboxing the OnTrac is unique in itself. The headset comes bundled inside a kind of flattened cardboard egg, which I assume is more environmentally friendly than foam or plastic. Unusually, for a set of cans in this price bracket, there's no zip-up hard travel case. Instead, you get a kind of elasticised sandwich to slide the headset into. This is a more compact way to protect your headphones when stashed in your bag or briefcase and it has a little stretchy storage pocket for accessories like the braided USB-C charging cable. Any space saved by the Slimline Case is a welcome benefit because these might be the largest headphones I've ever worn. I'm not saying that's necessarily a bad thing - oversized over-ears have been their own fashion statement for a while now. However, the OnTrac is also heavy; 451grams. This means a comfy headband and ear cushions are essential and the device must be perfectly balanced to keep fatigue to a minimum over long listening sessions. Somehow, Dyson has got it right. The microfibre ear cushions and small, central pad on the headband are snuggly soft yet still breathe well. Dyson's engineers have done a lot of research on the right amount of "clamp force," that's how hard the headband squeezes the OnTrac together. I have a massive head and while this headset sits firmly on it, there's nothing claustrophobic or uncomfortable going on. I've been wearing these headphones at work for five or six hours every morning and I've experienced no fatigue at all. In order to monitor the breakfast radio show I work on, I need a headset with a wired connection. Although the OnTrac has no dedicated AUX-in port, you can use an AUX cable with a USB-C plug on one end. Dyson sells an In-Flight Adaptor Kit for NZ$49 that will work but when you hand over $849 for a set of cans, you'd think they could throw in the cable other manufacturers include for free. The Dyson tradition of redesigning existing devices from scratch is also evident with the onboard controls. There aren't many - only three in fact - a power/bluetooth pairing button on the left ear cup, double-tapping the left cup cycles through your ANC settings and then there's a little joystick on the back of the right cup. Why wouldn't you go with a joystick? Press to play/pause, toggle up or down for volume, and forward or back to go, well, forward or back. It's intuitive. It's genius. Navigating the MyDyson app is also slightly unusual - and no, I don't necessarily mean bad. If you own other Dyson products, this is the same app you use to change the settings on your desklight or update the firmware on your hot and cold fan. To Dyson, the OnTrac is just another connected device, so why would you need a different app? Here you can choose from preset EQs or create your own, adjust the Active Noise Cancellation settings - even find out how long you've been listening and whether you've exceeded recommended decibel limits. Dyson also takes a unique approach to multi-point connectivity. Rather than seamlessly switching between two or three paired gadgets automatically, once you pair with a device it's added to a list in the app. Then you can just choose any device on that list when you want to switch. This is a bit more hands-on but it means more devices without having to re-pair every time. Two new modes have just been added to the ANC options too; Reduced Isolation and Reduced Transparency. I'm an all-or-nothing kind of a guy, so I prefer complete silence or a feed of all external sounds. Still, it's nice that Dyson is catering to consumers who like a mix of both. But it's the exquisite sound quality that has impressed me most. Dyson created it's own purpose-built sound testing facilities when developing the Zone headset and that work hasn't gone to waste here. Ray LaMontagne sings a driving wee track called "How Come?" Acoustic rhythm guitar is mixed to the right while electric lead and bongos appear out to the left. LaMontagne's husky vocal track floats through the middle while every other element - drums, bass, occasional tambourine - all find their own space in my mind. That space, the space created by the OnTrac headset, is big but not hollow at all. "GLT" by Kimbra and Erik the Architect is a sonic work of art, as most Kimbra tracks are. The pulsing, monotonous bass hit that features throughout has to be big and proud or the song doesn't work. When heard through the Dyson OnTrac, this song definitely works. Neil Finn's writing and production genius shine through on Crowded House's "Walked Her Way Down." This is another track where different guitars are mixed to one side or another and Finn makes use of dramatic changes in dynamics to pull the aural rug from under you just when you think you know where the song is going. Sometimes it sounds upbeat and hopeful, the next minute there's a more menacing undertone forcing its way through. Again, the OnTrac finds space for each of these elements. I have a suspicion Dyson is underselling the OnTrac's battery life. The claim is up to 55 hours on a single charge. As I said earlier, I've been using the headset - with ANC on - for 5-6 hours every morning at 九一星空无限talk ZB, then running it for at least an hour once I get home. It's been a week and the MyDyson app tells me I'm still on 62%. I've only charged it once. The fact you can set Head Detection to pause your music every time you take the headphones off probably helps but still... I guess all those years refining stick vacuum batteries has really paid off. Finally, perhaps the OnTrac's most ingenious trick yet; a range of mix-and-match ear cushions and cup covers are available for you to customise your headset in dozens of possible combinations. Both the caps and cushions twist off and on with a single easy click. The OnTrac already comes in four different colour combinations, while there's a choice of seven different colours for the caps and cushions. Whatever colour combination you go with, everything feels durable and extremely well manufactured - just like every other Dyson product I've ever used. A greater frequency range, superior battery life, impressive and tweakable ANC, a comfy, beautifully balanced fit and a colour combo to match your mood, your outfit or maybe just your eyes... I'm starting to think Dyson hasn't just shaken up the headphone market, it's created a whole new category. Again.      Click here for more information and pricing on the Dyson OnTrac. Wed, 07 May 2025 23:35:30 Z /lifestyle/technology/wiz-smart-flex-strip-bending-light/ /lifestyle/technology/wiz-smart-flex-strip-bending-light/ Of all the smart home devices available today, the various lighting options might just be my favourite. How cool is it to have preset lighting scenes activate automatically when you walk in the room, or at a scheduled time, or at a spoken command? Admittedly, my home is only partially lit by such technology. If I was really serious about it, I'd take the time to train the other members of my household in how all my smart lights work. That's just never going to happen. Mainly because some of those members aren't as excited about it as I am. Anyway... While it's certainly handy to have lights turn on by themselves when you need them to, I've found the smart lights I really like are lighting strips. The standout is the one I have on the back of my TV to project colours on the wall in sync with what I'm watching. But it's also fun to use lighting strips elsewhere - especially under shelves and behind furniture to create an ambient effect in the colour of your choice. And now thanks to WiZ, there's nowhere I can't go... WiZ gets no points for the way it names its light strips. Today I'm reviewing the Smart Flex Strip... although it's just called the Flex Strip 5m on the WiZ website. That's not to be confused with the LED Strip (which comes in various lengths) or the Neon Flex Strip (which looks similar but is shorter). What the Smart Flex Strip gets maximum points for is - as its name suggests - flexibility.  I've mucked around with a few light strips over the years and this one is easily the bendiest. That's because the designers seem to have taken a normal strip and put the lights along its edge, making the whole thing very thin and malleable. If you haven't used them before, light strips come in several forms - some are quite literally just a line of LEDs stuck on a backing strip, often grouped into short sections, each of which may or may not be able to change colour in contrast to the section on each side. Some strips like these treat each LED individually, creating what's known as a "gradient" effect - so dynamic, moving patterns become possible as one colour fades into another. A further step up puts a cover over the LEDs so the whole strip then appears to be one long light, potentially still using its gradient abilities to create dynamic, moving patterns. The WiZ Smart Flex Strip falls into this last category. The non-lit part of the strip is white and it comes with some very slim-line white mounting brackets which can either be screwed in or stuck to the wall with double-sided adhesive pads. It's all very minimalist and subtle when not switched on and five metres is more than enough length to create some pretty cool shapes - in fact, you'll find a pamphlet full of suggested patterns in the box.  However, rather than making a feature of the light strip itself, I decided to accessorise my desk. The generous five metres was more than enough for me to attach the Smart Flex Strip underneath the main work area, the back shelf and even behind my monitors. No screws were required; those 3M guys really know what they're doing when it comes to sticky stuff. I have got a lot of random bits and bobs on my desk - all absolutely necessary of course. Normally, installing the amount of lighting I'm talking here would have involved me taking nearly everything off my desk to get to all the places I needed to go, assuming I had a light strip flexible enough to even be able to twist and turn that way. Clearing my desk just wasn't necessary with the Smart Flex Strip. It's so narrow and bendy I was able to easily thread it through holes and between other devices with a minimum of desk disruption. I was stoked with the final effect, as you'll be able to tell from the video below. The clever abilities of the Smart Flex Strip don't just stop at the ease of installation. You can control the it from the WiZ app, via your preferred voice assistant or perhaps most boringly, using the actual button on the control unit at the beginning of the strip. Although, that button only turns them on and off. In fact, when setting up using the WiZ app, you're supposed to be able to choose a colour or pattern that starts with a single click and a different one with a double click. I've tried this and it doesn't work. Some kind of firmware update will probably fix this eventually but in the meantime, WiZ also sells a remote control which might be handy if you have several WiZ devices to operate. I prefer to use Alexa or Siri to turn my lights on and off - the Smart Flex Strip is Matter-enabled so that works well enough, although you can't access the more complicated themes and dynamic patterns without using the WiZ app. Like other WiZ lights, you can set up automations to kick in at scheduled times and if you have more than one WiZ product in the same room, thanks to SpaceSense, they can also act as motion sensors, turning on when you walk in. One of the weirder features is Music Sync. This lights up the Smart Flex Strip in time with your favourite playlists but there's a catch; there's no microphone built into the controller - it uses the mic in your phone instead, so that'll involve you leaving your handset next to a speaker, which seems like a bit of a faff to me. The WiZ line of smart lighting is owned by Signify, the same outfit that produces Philips Hue devices. Don't be fooled though, there's no real compatibility between the two brands. So you can't control the WiZ Smart Flex Strip with the Philips Hue Play HDMI sync box for example. That said, WiZ has just launched its own version of the sync box - it's not as feature-packed but it is much, much cheaper. Regardless, the Smart Flex Strip is perhaps the most versatile light strip I've used yet. Thanks to its super-slim profile and subtle mounting system, there's almost nowhere you can't install it, quickly and easily. Wherever you end up using it, it'll look great and there's no doubt it's created a vibrant, fun atmosphere around my cluttered desk.      Click here for more information on the WiZ Smart Flex Strip. Mon, 05 May 2025 23:52:29 Z /lifestyle/technology/ring-outdoor-cam-plus-one-of-the-best-security-cameras-id-never-buy/ /lifestyle/technology/ring-outdoor-cam-plus-one-of-the-best-security-cameras-id-never-buy/ The rise and rise of subscription services over the last decade or so is lamentable although predictable. Once we consumers demonstrated how willing we were to pay a monthly fee for access to music, TV and movies, it was only a matter of time before there was a subscription on offer for almost any aspect of modern life. These days we ask, why cook when your meal can be delivered? - either as just the ingredients or the finished product, piping hot. Be it petfood, contact lenses or coffee, if it's something we "need" regularly, let's set up a subscription so it'll arrive at our door before it runs out. Fine. We were going to buy those things anyway. But when you purchase a car with electric seat warmers, wouldn't you expect to be able to use them without having to fork out each month for the privilege? Personally, I'd rather pay a higher up-front cost to keep my bum warm than an ongoing fee. That'd be like paying someone else to store your security footage for you. The Ring Outdoor Cam Plus is another in a long line of top-quality home security products. We'll get to all its features and benefits shortly but I'm going to get my usual Ring whinge out of the way first this time. You can't record using the Outdoor Cam Plus unless you sign up to one of Ring's subscriptions. That annoys me. Especially when there are other cameras out there that allow you to store your recordings for free. Perhaps you can insert an SD card into the camera itself or the camera might save recordings to a storage drive of some kind attached to a central hub. In fact, some camera manufacturers let you link to the cloud storage service of your choice. Imagine that. Not Ring. And it's not just storing your videos. Most of the features I'm about to describe are only fully usable for a 30-day trial period and then you'll have to pay. Admittedly, from as little as NZ$49.95 a year, a Ring Home plan probably won't break the bank and maybe I should just get over it like I did when TV streaming services came along. I guess that depends on just what a device like the Outdoor Cam Plus has to offer, and whether it really is the Netflix or Apple TV+ of the home security world. Previously I've discussed how confusing Ring's naming policy is. I mean, can you tell me the difference between the Video Doorbell Elite and the Wired Video Doorbell Pro Plug-in off the top of your head? Me neither. So whatever you do, don't get the Outdoor Cam Plus confused with the Stick Up Cam Elite or the Spotlight Cam Pro. The Outdoor Cam Plus I've been sent to review is the battery version. There's a plug-in model too, which comes with an Indoor/Outdoor power adapter instead of a Quick Release Battery Pack, although you can purchase the power adapter separately and plug it into the battery version if you want. Alternatively, Ring also sells a Solar Panel which can power the Outdoor Cam Plus too. See? Told you it's confusing. So let's stick with what I've got. A camera, a battery and an extremely versatile mount - which can attach at the base to act as a stand or screw in at the rear for wall or even ceiling installations. As usual, Ring has included all the screws you'll need and attaching the Outdoor Cam Plus is very easy, it just slides on and off the mounting plate and can be locked into place with a screw. The advantage of running a camera like this on battery is that you can install it anywhere within Wi-Fi range. No cable means you can position it on a fence or high on a wall, without having to worry if a power outlet is close by. Although the rechargeable Quick Release Battery pack looks the same as all the others I've come across when reviewing Ring doorbells and cameras in the past, it's got a new model number so I'm hoping that means its charge will last longer than the couple of weeks I usually get. The base of the camera just unscrews to access the battery which is nice and easy although disappointingly, it still uses a microUSB to charge. Hardly anything charges via microUSB anymore and sure, there's a cable in the box but it's quite short so isn't necessarily a particularly convenient option. What's really weird is you can remove a waterproof lug from the back of the camera to run it off the aforementioned power adapter or solar panel - both of which connect via the much more common USB-C. In fact, if you leave the battery in the camera you can just plug in a USB-C charger and juice it up that way. More confusion. What's less confusing is the improvement in picture quality. The Outdoor Cam Plus is one of Ring's new range of 2K cameras which is a step up from HD, although not a full jump to 4K as we've seen from other manufacturers. More impressively, the viewing angles have been widened out to 140° horizontal and 80° vertical and Ring has introduced a new feature called Low-Light Sight. This enables the Outdoor Cam Plus to shoot in crystal clear colour, even at night without having to rely on a built-in floodlight, as long as there's enough ambient light - perhaps from nearby streetlights. This works very well indeed and I have to say the nighttime footage I'm getting is quite impressive. As with other Ring devices, you can set up multiple detection zones and adjust the sensitivity so you're only monitoring the exact areas you need to and there's the option of two-way communication via the camera's mic and speaker. You'll also get preview gif notifications on your phone which can be helpful when it comes to deciding whether you need to respond or not. The new feature I'm most excited about is the AI-Powered Smart Video Search. If you've used a home security camera like this before, you'll know how tiresome it can be sifting through recorded footage to find out exactly what time those unexpected visitors arrived or when that package was delivered. Now the Ring App has a browser-like search bar at the top of your saved videos and this is where you can type specific phrases like "red car" or "delivery man" to filter out non-related content. Every time I've used it I've been amazed by the results. This could be one of the only truly useful things I've seen AI do to date. But... As I said at the beginning, all this comes at a cost. An ongoing cost. At NZ$179.00, the Outdoor Cam Plus is not outrageously expensive but after the first month, unless you subscribe, the only thing this camera will do is send you motion notifications and provide a live feed. Because subscriptions are just what we do now.        Click here for more information and pricing on the Ring Outdoor Cam Plus. Wed, 30 Apr 2025 01:02:33 Z /lifestyle/technology/philips-hue-play-hdmi-sync-box-8k-my-favourite-thing-i-definitely-dont-need/ /lifestyle/technology/philips-hue-play-hdmi-sync-box-8k-my-favourite-thing-i-definitely-dont-need/ The things I review for the 九一星空无限talk ZB website can be loosely categorised under one of two headings; Tools or Toys. Occasionally, if I'm lucky, there's a small intersection in the Venn diagram where the tool is so fun to use, it feels like a toy. I think that's what all tech should aspire to. On the other hand, sometimes there's a gadget that doesn't really serve any purpose at all, but once I get in the habit of using it, I can't imagine life without it.  That's all very well until a) I'm somewhere where I don't have it or b) it doesn't work properly for some reason. Then I have to do life without it. Stop being so oblique, Glenn. Say what you really mean. Okay. I really like having backlighting that syncs with my TV. Is that too much to ask? Of all the gizmos I've ever reviewed, the Philips Hue Play HDMI sync box might be the most overpriced - except for one important fact; nothing else works quite as well. In 2021 it cost around NZ$550 and for what? To make your Philips Hue lights glow the same colour as whatever's on your TV. To be clear, the lights are not included. The Philips Hue range features various options that can be paired to the sync box - not just bulbs but bars and flexible light strips too. The latter options can be positioned behind your TV, pointing at the wall, creating a kind of borderless effect to the image on screen. So they cost extra. Oh, and Hue lights need a Hue Bridge to connect to by the way - this keeps the traffic down on your Wi-Fi router but yes, that's extra too. Even after all that. After hundreds and hundreds of dollars spent, what do you get? That's right. Pretty lights on the wall. I could never argue that it's worth it. But I love it. I really love it. And I've been surprised at how many ways it's enhanced my viewing experience - not just providing extra atmosphere for when the cinematography gets artsy - but also extra fire and explosions, bigger skies and landscapes, even extending the size of sports fields way beyond the screen itself. The most optional of optional extras and yet now, as I said before, I wouldn't do without it. But the 4K version of 2021 had its limitations. I mean, it's 4K and my TV is 8K. The HDMI ports are HDMI 2.0 - not 2.1. It doesn't support devices that play at 120Hz refresh rate. And for some reason, when I run my Apple TV box through it, the remote won't turn my TV on like it's supposed to. I know. Boo-hoo sucks to be me, right? Thank god Philips now makes an 8K sync box. First things first. There is no 8K content. Well, virtually none, anyway. However, that doesn't mean a TV like mine doesn't do a pretty decent job of upscaling what's being fed to it. This is also where the HDMI 2.1 ports come in. Just like USB cables, not all HDMI ports and plugs are created equal. The later versions have a dramatically higher data capacity and that ability to exchange more information faster is crucial when it comes to displaying higher definition video at a higher refresh rate. As for that last issue, as far as I can make out, I'm the only person in the world this happens to. I push the home button on my Apple TV remote. My TV turns on like it's supposed to, I get a blank screen followed by the spinning buffer wheel for a bit, then I get a message that the source isn't powered on. Even though it is. For those of you not quite following what I mean - and I don't blame you - the other spinoff benefit of using the Philips Hue Play HDMI sync box 8K is that you can plug up to four different devices into it - for example, perhaps your Sky TV box, a gaming console, a Blu-ray player and yes, maybe even an Apple TV. All this takes up only one HDMI port on your TV (which will have to be an HDMI 2.1 port for everything to work properly). Switching between sources happens automatically - pushing the home button on your Sky remote will put that on screen, while the Xbox button on your controller will switch over to your console. You can also use the Philips Hue app to select a source and start syncing manually - which is what I've been doing with my Apple TV. There used to be a separate Hue Sync app to set things up with but that's all been incorporated into one now. Anyway, given most of my issues seemed likely to be solved by upgrading to the 8K version, I reasoned my last, weird, apparently un-Google-able issue might work itself out too, so I decided to give it a try. Boom! Well, first I had to figure out the position of the HDMI ports was different on the new box and I'd plugged some things into the wrong place but eventually... Boom! Improved high-def viewing. I could ramp up the refresh rate on my Xbox. And mysteriously, my Apple TV remote made everything work again. (Who really knows why?) All this for just NZ$799.99! Oh... did I not mention that? The new, 8K sync box costs a bit more. But come on, it's a bit bigger, has faster HDMI ports and four more K's... whatever they are. It also now has a manual reset button if everything goes horribly wrong and you're unable to restore the device via the app. I can't imagine what that would be though because this thing works like a charm. And in all seriousness, that's why Philips can charge a premium. There are other similar systems around but in my experience, none are as bulletproof as what Hue has to offer. You didn't NEED this anyway. You may as well get the best.      Click here for more information and pricing on the Philips Hue Play HDMI sync box 8K. Fri, 11 Apr 2025 00:44:27 Z /lifestyle/technology/samsung-bespoke-jet-ai-ultra-elite-an-appliance-evolution/ /lifestyle/technology/samsung-bespoke-jet-ai-ultra-elite-an-appliance-evolution/ Five years ago Samsung decided to take the world of whiteware and tip it on its head. For starters, it wouldn't necessarily be white anymore. In fact, in many cases, consumers would be able to choose styles and colours to suit their decor, rather than put up with a featureless metal box just sitting there taking up space. Not only did this make for some of the hippest kitchens and laundries in town, the new range also backed up their good looks with high-end performance, even introducing unique, market-leading features. As cool as these devices are, (especially the fridges and air-con... dad joke) to call them "art" rather than appliances is perhaps going a bit far. Mind you, after trying out the new Samsung vacuum, I did get a little emotional... The Bespoke Jet AI Ultra Elite stick vacuum is, ironically, white. Well... Samsung calls it "Satin Greige" so I guess maybe its... off-white? Regardless, it may just be the craziest vacuum I've used yet. And I mean that in a good way. When I initially unboxed it, which takes some time - there are a lot of bits and pieces - I was actually slightly disappointed. At first glance it's very similar to the Samsung's original Bespoke Jet; a bagless stick vacuum that sits in a minimalist Clean Station that both empties and charges. Don't get me wrong, my disappointment was not with the design. I loved the first one. I still use the first one nearly every day. Because it's so compact, the Clean Station and vacuum fit easily into the hall cupboard, conveniently at hand to chase the latest cloud of dog hair away. I was disappointed because I thought Samsung may have changed things up again. Maybe this time the Clean Station would also double as a reading lamp? Or a coat stand? Or... Perhaps next time. It wasn't long before I started noticing the upgrades though. Starting with the handle, which is more ergonomically shaped, has a grippier surface and is more accommodating to those of us with larger hands. This is also where the LCD display is but we'll come to that shortly. The next big improvement literally is bigger. The Telescopic Pipe now extends to three different levels - again catering to taller users who now no longer have to stoop while vacuuming. Sadly, as with the original design, one still has to retract one's Telescopic Pipe when placing one's vacuum back on one's Clean Station. What an inconvenience for one. Because this is the Elite model, there's pretty much every accessory you can imagine; Active Dual Brush, Slim LED Brush+ specifically for hard surfaces, Pet Tool+ for furniture, Combination and Long Reach Crevice Tools - both of which can be used in conjunction with the Flex Tool so you can literally vacuum around corners - and the legendary Spray Spinning sweeper. Well, if it's not legendary yet it should be. This uses the supplied disposable wet pads or reusable antibacterial pads to give your hard surfaces a professional buffing - one of the most effective and mess-free mopping solutions I've come across. But back up the truck... Did I say Slim "LED" Brush+? Yes indeedy. Both the Active Dual Brush and the slimmer, fluffier one now have bright white LED lights to expose the full extent of your filth, whatever dark corner it may be lurking in. This was both a satisfying and disturbing new feature for my Bespoke experience. Before we get to that, we have to turn the darn thing on - or at least pop it on the Clean Station and let it start to charge. It's at this point the AI part of the equation ramps up and you can pair the Bespoke Jet AI Ultra to your phone, using the Samsung SmartThings app. This allows you to monitor a raft of data like how long and when you vacuum, how many times it's been emptied, whether the dust bag in the Clean Station needs emptying and even how much it's costing you to run! (So far, for me, about one cent apparently). You'll also be informed of any maintenance issues and obviously, the level of charge in the battery. There's a couple of other nice little features on the app - you can turn off the LED display and the charging light on the Clean Station if you prefer the room to stay dark while it's charging and you can also set the Bespoke Jet AI Ultra to notify you of any incoming calls or messages while you're vacuuming. Which is handy, because it's easy to miss calls and messages while you're vacuuming. Because you're vacuuming. The AI doesn't stop there. Although there are several different power modes you can select manually, if you set the vacuum to AI, it will sense the type of surface and adjust the suction accordingly. At 400W this is a very powerful beast and yet it instantly recognises if you're vacuuming a rug or mat and dials things down immediately to avoid any clogs and stoppages. This is such a brilliant feature and is one of the first times I've ever thought AI was doing something genuinely helpful. As you'd expect, the LCD display tells you exactly how many minutes of vacuuming you have left before you need to charge. Samsung tries to claim you can clean for up to 100 minutes. The obligatory asterisk then leads you to a footnote explaining that's only on the lowest setting using a non-motorised tool. So no, you won't vacuum for 100 minutes non-stop but guess what? Nobody WANTS to vacuum for 100 minutes non-stop. However long it lasts, it's easily enough for me to do my large, two-storey, four-bedroom home. (That's not a humble brag, by the way. More of a complaint) And what a great job it does. Let's get real. You can have all the good looks and swanky AI features you like but unless that 400W sucker-upper is doing the business, it's all a waste of time. The Bespoke Jet AI Ultra is the opposite of a waste of time. It really gets the greeblies out from deep down in the pile and on my first vacuum I had to empty the half-litre bin twice, it was so chock-a-block with a combination of woman hair, dog hair and whatever detritus falls off me. As I said before, the Clean Station lives up to its name, sucking every last scrap out of the bin without you getting your hands dirty. Then, unlike the original Bespoke Jet, it runs a self-diagnosis to make sure everything is running properly. This closes the door on the bin automatically - something I've often forgotten to do on the more manual original, not realising till I've started vacuuming, dropping dust straight back on the floor again. So it's now idiot-proof. This idiot has proved it.  The problem of long hair wrapping around the mechanical roller head still hasn't been solved, although at least Samsung's design let's you easily take the roller apart to clean it. Best of all, there are very few consumables here; the bin and its multi-stage filtration system is all washable and reusable. The only thing that needs replacing is the large dust bag in the Clean Station. This is also a very easy and fuss free operation and there are a couple more bags included in the box. Sounds great, right? Does it sound NZ$2,099.00 great? Because that's what the Bespoke Jet Ultra AI Elite costs right now. But remember, it's also a mop. And a pet-hair remover. And it can see in the dark. And it empties itself. And it can tell you when someone's on the phone. Oh... And it's a work of art. Totally worth it.      Click here for more information and pricing on the Samsung Bespoke Jet AI Ultra Elite. Thu, 10 Apr 2025 05:46:07 Z /lifestyle/technology/oppo-reno13-series-serious-value-for-money/ /lifestyle/technology/oppo-reno13-series-serious-value-for-money/ Oppo is a big player global smart phone sales, ranking fourth or fifth in market share depending on which survey you read and which quarter you're referring to. Here in New Zealand, Oppo ranks a clear third and yet time and again, when people ask me which phone I'm using, they claim they've never even heard of Oppo. It's weird. More often than not, the reason they're asking me about my phone is because they've seen the photos I've been taking. Oppo has always taken a camera-first approach to smart phones. And this year's Reno series is no exception... At NZ$699, NZ$999 and NZ$1399, the Reno13 F, Reno13 and Reno13 Pro are all priced to be a very competitive alternative to devices with similar specs from the likes of Samsung and Apple. It's hard to make a like-for-like comparison though, because while one handset may have a superior camera, if it has an inferior chip running it, that doesn't count for much. What I can do is compare the Reno13 Pro with the Reno13 F - because I've been sent both to test. Firstly, let me just say how impressed I was with the sub-$700 device. I was expecting a lot of compromises, especially with photo quality and the performance of the chip. I didn't need to worry. Without getting to bogged down in the nerdy stuff, let's start with the chips; the Pro sports the MediaTek Dimensity 8350 while the F runs on Qualcomm's Snapdragon 6 Gen 1 Mobile Platform. Neither of these chips are the flagship product from their respective suppliers but those suppliers are both well regarded and I can't say I experienced any performance issues at all. Admittedly the Reno 13F wasn't quite as snappy as its twice-as-expensive sibling - but it still operated very smoothly, with apps installing and opening quite speedily. This is despite the Pro having 50% more RAM and twice the internal storage. In fact, when it came to using both handsets, if I was judging them on usability alone, I couldn't honestly justify the $700 price difference.  Both are eSIM capable, which is a relief for me because I chucked my physical SIM card away years ago. Likewise, both devices have large, 5,800mAh batteries, although the Pro will charge much faster with the 80W SuperVOOC power brick included in the box. And that's how it is with most features on these two handsets; the Pro just adds that little bit extra. For example, both displays offer refresh rates at up to 120Hz but the screen on the Pro is bigger - 6.83-inches as opposed to 6.67-inches - and can run at a higher resolution, which means side by side the Pro looks clearer and a bit more colourful. The Pro's screen is also protected by Corning Gorilla Glass 7i, which adds to its durability - although, because its flexible AMOLED display curves slightly at the edges, I did run into the old simultaneous touch problem; that's where my fat fingers register touches on the edges at the same time as what I'm trying to control in the middle of the screen. This results in nothing happening at all. It's a price I'm willing to pay though, because a curvy phone like this definitely feels more premium in the hand. My review Reno13 Pro is Plume Purple, which reflects light in a very eye-catching way on the back panel. My Reno13 F is a much more subdued, Graphite Gray. Both phones come in both colours but again, the Pro is slimmer and feels less plasticky than the F model. Both handsets carry an IP69 rating against dust and water. I don't think I've ever encountered an IP69-rated device before and I had to look up exactly what it means. Apparently, now you can not only drop your phone in the toilet, you can literally squirt it with a high-pressure hose. Which you might want to do if you've dropped it in the toilet, I guess? I paired the same set of earbuds with both phones and was intrigued to discover how much better they worked with the Reno13 Pro. Turns out this is because the Pro connects using the latest Bluetooth 5.4 protocol which is much stronger and transmits at very low latency compared to the Bluetooth 5.1 on the Reno13 F. You'll need a decent pair of buds to make the most of it though - luckily, Oppo is currently offering its own Enco Air4 Pro buds for free with a Reno13 Pro purchase. I haven't tried the Enco Air4 Pros but I do know they are also Bluetooth 5.4 enabled.  Camera performance is where the Pro really starts to pull ahead. As I said in the intro, I've never met an Oppo phone that didn't take great pics but I'd argue the Reno13 Pro can hold its own with the best of the best. On the back, both Pro and F have 50MP wide and 8MP ultra-wide sensors, although when you really dig down, the Pro's lenses are more well endowed. The third sensor on the F is a 32MP macro lens - so yes, it'll do great close-ups but I'd rather have the 50MP telephoto sensor on the Pro. That means way better zoom shots and quality close-ups too. It's not a level playing field around on the front side either. The F has a 32MP camera which is very respectable - especially for a phone in this price-range. You can shoot lovely bokeh (blurred background) portraits if you like and even create panorama selfies. You can shoot dual-view video (using front and rear cameras simultaneously) and the selfie-cam can film in 1080p@30fps - very good quality video for a forward-facing camera. But not as good as what the Pro can do. 4K@60fps from a selfie-cam? Crazy. You get auto-focus too. Don't get me wrong. The Reno13 F's camera performance is great. It's just that the Pro's is quite a bit greater. Both phones have an underwater mode though. So that whole IP69 thing must be for real, right? Now for my pet peeve. As usual, Oppo has left wireless charging off both devices. I wouldn't expect it from the $699 device but every iPhone charges wirelessly and has done for years. As do Samsung's Galaxy S and Z series devices. Because Oppo's SuperVOOC charging has always worked so well, effectively out-charging the opposition, it's never made wireless a priority but that needs to change. I can't be the only one who finds plugging and unplugging my phone clumsy and annoying - not to mention the fact cables, plugs and USB ports break and wear out a lot more often than wireless charging pads do. Or is that just me? If it is, and if pure camera performance is your priority, you won't find many phones that can out-photo the Reno13 Pro, certainly not at NZ$1399. On the other hand, if you just want a phone that'll take a licking, keep on ticking and is more feature-packed than many others in the below $700 category, the Reno13 F is definitely worth a look. And by the way, it's 5G, so could be the perfect replacement for those of you with older devices that are going to stop working at the end of the year.      Click here for more information and pricing on the Oppo Reno13 Pro. Click here for more information and pricing on the Oppo Reno13 F. Wed, 09 Apr 2025 01:01:21 Z /lifestyle/technology/apple-macbook-air-m4-air-by-name-pro-by-nature/ /lifestyle/technology/apple-macbook-air-m4-air-by-name-pro-by-nature/ Apple seems to be going hard-out in 2025. If the rumours are to be believed, by December Apple will have announced at least 20 devices. From what we've seen so far this can mean anything - from the predictable (yet still pleasing) iPad Air update from M2 to M3 I reviewed last week - to creating a whole new category of iPhone, with the introduction of the more budget-friendly member of the 16-series, the iPhone 16e. This year's shotgun launch approach seems to be partly due to the fact Apple now puts its own chips in things. What's more, those chips seem pretty amazing. So although Apple just launched a fistful of new computers, you may not even have heard about it. For some reason, these devices don't always get the same in-person, Tim Cook-led hype the flagship handsets do. But don't worry. Although I haven't been lucky enough to try the computer to end all computers; the new Mac Studio powered by the brain-bendingly powerful M4 Max, or even the one that runs on the M3 Ultra - which confusingly might be even MORE powerful - I have been sent something else to play with... The Apple MacBook Air (M4) looks exactly like its predecessor from last year. Except it's now available in a new colour, Sky Blue, replacing boring old Space Grey. This is in addition to Silver, Starlight and Midnight. Sky Blue is nice but let me be perfectly clear; it's not as blue as the sky. In fact, when I ask most people what colour the device is, they tell me it's silver. So... silvery-blue then, I guess. Other than that, physically the M4 MacBook Air looks the same as the last two. But it isn't. There are three important tweaks that make this one of the most desirable MacBooks now available and as such, one of the best portable computing devices on the market today. The first and most significant upgrade is of course, the M4 chip. I've used several devices running Apple's in-house M4 now and I can confidently attest to its speed and reliability. On paper, there are technical improvements in things like the number of cores, graphics performance and the various AI abilities of the 16-core Neural Engine. A list of specs is one thing. Real world performance is another. The M4 MacBook Air runs so faultlessly it's hard to imagine how much better it could get before it starts carving chunks from the market share of its more full-featured sibling, the MacBook Pro. Another physical change is, although there are still only two external ports - not counting the MagSafe charging socket of course - these are now both Thunderbolt 4 USB-C slots. This means much higher data transfer speeds and coupled with the M4 chip you can now connect to two external monitors while still using the built-in Liquid Retina display. Like everything else I tried with the MacBook Air, it ran three screens effortlessly. The last improvement Apple has made is adding Desk View to the built-in, 12MP Centre Stage camera. This is a new feature some Mac users have been trying in conjunction with Continuity Camera - the option to use your iPhone's camera as a wireless webcam. Now the MacBook Air can also show viewers a live feed of your physical desktop via your Zoom, Facetime, Webex or other video call. This means you can demonstrate using something in your hands without running a second camera feed. The quality is not as good as the usual Centre Stage video (which is truly excellent) but it's useful to have it as an option. If you're in any doubt how good that camera is, check out my video below. I think this is the best built-in camera/mic/speaker setup I've seen on any laptop I've ever reviewed. Never have I been more relieved to be reviewing a MacBook than last Friday morning. Due to an unfortunate series of unforeseeable events, I didn't have my security card with me when I arrived at work on Friday. That in itself is not an unsurmountable obstacle, even at 3:40AM. (I work in breakfast radio. Sounds fun, right?) Even in the middle of the night, there's a security guard on duty who can be persuaded to let an idiot like me in. (I've got form. He recognises me now) Unfortunately, the key to my personal locker is also attached to my security card. Really unfortunately, I'd locked my work laptop away the day before. Not something I'd normally do. But, like I say; an unfortunate series of unforeseeable events. Luckily, I had figured all this out the night before and even more luckily, I was reviewing this M4 MacBook Air. In just a few minutes I was able to load my work Wi-Fi profile and set up Adobe Audition (my preferred audio editor) so I could hit the ground running the moment I got into the studio the next morning. Thanks to macOS 15 (just upgraded to macOS 15.4 this week, in fact) connecting to the studio printer and even connecting to the network drives at work was simple and fast. Just like everything else about this device. I was able to run my radio show exactly as usual, without a hitch. In fact, the MacBook Air did such a good job I'm thinking of leaving my work laptop permanently locked away. It seems so clunky by comparison. I've covered off most of the latest Apple Intelligence features in other, recent Apple reviews but it's worth pointing out the latest update to macOS 15.4 introduces the option to let AI sort and summarise your emails for you. I've been using this on my iPhone for a while now and it's great to be able to see if there's anything that needs urgent action with a single glance at your inbox. I could spend all afternoon waxing lyrical about the myriad ways this year's MacBook Air has blown my socks off - but that would make for a very long read. I will just make a quick mention of its gaming abilities. Slowly but surely more and more AAA game releases are being ported across to macOS, if not being released on Mac day one. Even if they're not, the powerful M4 chip seems to have no trouble running emulators to play titles from other platforms and the Wi-Fi 6e connectivity has impressed me when streaming games as well. With a screen that looks this good and spatial audio that sounds this convincing, the MacBook Air is a superb multimedia entertainment device, in either the 13.6 or 15.3-inch display options. Intellectually, technically, I know the MacBook Pro is the superior device. And yet, while I type this, edit this and upload this using the MacBook Air, I can't quite remember why.          Click here for more information and pricing on the Apple MacBook Air (M4). Wed, 02 Apr 2025 04:07:49 Z /lifestyle/technology/apple-ipad-air-m3-the-only-change-is-everything/ /lifestyle/technology/apple-ipad-air-m3-the-only-change-is-everything/ 2025 seems to be a landmark year for Apple already. We’ve seen the launch of a phone, several computers and now a new iPad. And it’s still only March. Some of these have been breakthrough devices; the iPhone 16e effectively creating a whole new product category for Apple. Other 2025 updates seem less significant. After all, if the only difference is a new chip, is it really that different? Let’s find out. Because the 2024 iPad Pro became the first Apple device to ship with Apple's M4 processor, this year’s iPad Air is the first iPad run by the M3. If you think that’s confusing enough, don’t even get me started about the various iterations of the M3 and M4 chips. Rest assured, even if it’s not an Ultra, Pro or Max version of Apple’s in-house CPU, you’ll still be treated to a superbly smooth, efficient and powerful computing experience. The same can definitely be said for the new iPad Air, which, admittedly, looks pretty much identical to the previous model. And I do mean exactly; both 11-inch and 13-inch models are precisely the same size and shape as their predecessors and are a mere gram or two lighter. But Apple (quite reasonably) is under no illusion about how often people upgrade their devices. Which is why the default comparison devices on the website tend to be nothing later than the M1 iPad Air from 2022. A lot has happened since then, not least of which, Apple Intelligence. The M1-powered iPad Air was future-proofed enough to be able to juggle the neural processing required to use Apple Intelligence features like Image Playground, Writing Tools and Clean Up for your photos. However, it goes without saying, the new iPad Air chews through this kind of work even more smoothly. The camera setup on this year’s iPad Air seems to be the same on paper; a 12MP Wide sensor on the back, paired with a 12MP CentreStage selfie-cam. And yet, the photos and videos are just better. They’re certainly better than what you get from just about any other built-in laptop or tablet camera out there - check out the video at the bottom of this review if you need further convincing. But it’s the little things I’ve noticed and appreciated even more. For example, I’m writing this review using the new Magic Keyboard for iPad Air (backwards compatible with several previous generations). This is the Air version of the Magic Keyboard that has been available for iPad Pro for a while now. I consider the Magic Keyboard to be one of the the best-designed accessories ever produced and I’ve said as much in previous reviews. Not only do you get a surprising amount of travel from what is essentially a flat keyboard but also a wonderfully responsive touchpad and a full row of dedicated function keys, including brightness and media controls. But perhaps the best thing about the Magic Keyboard is it literally adds another USB-C port to your iPad, with a pass-through charging option built into its spine. This means you can keep the iPad Air charging while you work (or play) simultaneously using the USB-C for something else; perhaps transferring files at up to 10Gbps or even connecting to an external display. The Magic Keyboard is damn expensive though; starting from NZ$549.00 - but I’ve used it quite a bit and it really is that good. Especially when paired with the power of M3 in this latest iPad Air. As I type, I’m literally using the new 11-inch iPad Air as a mini laptop and it’s a sublime pleasure. This is always a temptation for those of us who aren’t regular tablet users and are more likely to tap out their work on a laptop or desktop machine. Every time I swear I’m not going to get sucked into the “laptop comparison” and yet, when the Magic Keyboard is so full-featured and the power of M3 means a task like filling in the appropriate fields on the back-end of a website works exactly as it should, I start to wonder if I even need a laptop. Especially since no MacBook yet features a touch display. Meanwhile, iPads were born to be touched. Certainly there aren’t too many laptops out there that can compete with the iPad Air’s legendary ten hours of battery life. This hasn’t changed since the last model but remember, the M3 iPad Air is now doing a lot more. If anything, I’ve found Apple’s ten-hour claim somewhat undersells what this device actually delivers - and that NEVER happens in tech. But seriously… why would you choose the iPad Air over a laptop or even the iPad Pro? For a start, it’s smaller and lighter than a laptop. Even with the addition of the 355gram Magic Keyboard, the 460gram 11-inch iPad Air still weighs substantially less than a MacBook Air at 1.24kg. Of course, price is a major consideration too. iPad Pro starts at NZ$1,999 while the new iPad Air kicks off at NZ$1,199. I’ve used (and reviewed) the M4 iPad Pro and yes, it’s a genuine powerhouse of a machine but given I’m not trying to render 3D movie projects on a regular basis, for a user like me, there’s not a lot the M3 iPad Air can’t do. Take the app Morpholio Board, for example. This is a tool that lets you visualise interior design options by combining real images of your space taken with the iPad Air cameras with images of products, furniture, appliances and art you’ve yet to purchase. You can literally create a 3D walk-through to give you a solid idea of what will work and what won’t. Gaming is another area where I think a lot of users would be surprised by how well the new iPad Air performs. You can pair pretty much any controller and jump into a game like Horizon Chase 2 to waste a few hours racing, upgrading and crashing your car. The laminated Liquid Retina display is nice and bright and also sports an anti-reflective coating, meaning you’ll get all the details, even outside. Meanwhile, the sound provided by the stereo speakers built into the short edges of the device is surprisingly full and powerful. That doesn’t just add to an immersive gaming experience but also makes the iPad Air a fairly passable mobile music machine. Somehow these speakers, although small and hidden, create a genuine illusion of space - the music seems to surround the iPad Air rather than emanate from it. Is it weird they didn’t go straight to a variant of the M4 chip with this device? Presumably that’ll happen next year or soon thereafter. I mean, the M4 exists. I have an M4-powered Mac Mini. And as good as the M3 iPad Air is, I can tell you when it comes to high-demand actions like rendering video, the M4 absolutely creams the M3. (I’m talking about the standard variants of the chips here of course - not Pros, Ultras or Maxes). If the answer is to keep the price down, that’s a pretty good answer. Although I tried not to, because I was sent the Magic Keyboard with my review device, I found it impossible not to compare this iPad with the laptops I’ve used lately. When I’ve done this with other tablets in the past, they generally do an okay job but start to fall down when it comes to browser-based interfaces and editing apps. Not this time. There’s something about the maturity of iPadOS and the streamlined performance of the M3 chip that has ironed out most (if not all) of those compatibility bugs. You’ll have to take my word for it but I really did create this entire review on the iPad Air, not using my Mac Mini as I normally would. That includes all the formatting, adding photos from my cloud storage, then transferring and reformatting it all for the 九一星空无限talk ZB website. The M3 iPad Air never even blinked. What a pleasure. Click here for more information and pricing on the Apple iPad Air (M3). Wed, 26 Mar 2025 23:19:41 Z