/lifestyle/technology/rss ¾ÅÒ»ÐÇ¿ÕÎÞÏÞ Wed, 03 Dec 2025 03:09:29 Z en /lifestyle/technology/philips-hue-festavia-globe-outdoor-string-lights-a-long-line-of-quality/ /lifestyle/technology/philips-hue-festavia-globe-outdoor-string-lights-a-long-line-of-quality/ When it comes to lighting the exterior of your home, there are two ways to go about it. You can do it cheap... You know; solar pathway lights that look good for a few weeks then one by one, mysteriously stop working. Perhaps accentuated by a DIY sensor light that you were sure you could set to stay on - until you wired it in and discovered unless you move around every thirty seconds, your outdoor dining experience resembles more of a nightclub with a strobe light. Or you can do it right... When it comes to doing lights right, Philips Hue has never let me down yet, although the Festavia Globe Outdoor String lights were the first I've tried for outside. I knew I was dealing with a quality product right from the git-go, even when I was just taking them out of the box. I'm talking a 21-metre long set of 30 globes, each light meticulously wrapped in paper and the entire length tied into more manageable bunches to avoid the frustration of any pre-hanging tangles. 21 metres is decent - that should cater for most outdoor areas in one way or another, although there's a 14-metre extension available if you really want to go to town. Just note, while it's called an extension, it actually connects at the beginning of the string, close to the plug end with its own T-shaped connector. The so-called "Lightguide" bulbs are almost perfectly spherical and perhaps a little larger than I was expecting, which I consider to be a bonus. The globes aren't glass - Hue describes them as "glass-look" - again, that's a good thing because it means they're both weather and shatter-resistant, so you can leave them up permanently. Helpfully, even if you do manage to damage one of the bulbs somehow, you can replace each one individually. My only disappointment early on was the lack of mounting hardware included in the box. At NZ$659.99 you really are shelling out a fair whack for what is essentially a string of coloured lights and while both the bulbs and cable seem very durable I thought there may have been a few sticky hooks or something to help me hang it all up. Luckily, I happened to have a bucket of plastic gutter hooks stashed away from a previous life when I felt co-ordinated enough to run strings of fairy lights around my whole house each Christmas. These sorts of fastenings are relatively inexpensive and I found they worked with the Hue Festavias just as well. While lights like these are generally used to create a little atmosphere above outdoor dining areas, over spa pools or suspended from pergolas, given the time of year I decided to give the front of my house a more public display of holiday cheer. It didn't take me long to run them along the guttering above my garage door, then around my entrance porch, the idea being anyone who arrives at the house will be bathed in a Christmassy glow of some sort. As always, with Philips Hue, setup is streamlined and effortless with the latest version of the Hue app. Remember, Hue has been around a long time now so when it comes to a user-friendly configuration process, they definitely know what they're doing. Like most other Hue products, the Festavia lights connect via a Bridge - not directly to your Wi-Fi. Initially this may seem like just an extra expense but it ultimately works to your benefit as the Bridge ends up being the only device taking up space on your home network instead of each Hue product you own hogging the Wi-Fi individually. It also results in a reliable connection that never seems to drop out or fail when it comes to automations. Hue has good compatibility with virtual assistants like Alexa and Siri, so you can easily control your lights with a simple voice command. But here’s where Philips flexes: customisation. Not only can the Hue Festavia globes get very bright, they can also wind down remarkably dim - and obviously can be set to any colour imaginable or a combination of both. Hue offers a wide variety of scenes - both static or dynamic - all customisable to your preferences. Don't like how fast or slow something changes? You can adjust it. You can even match your lights to a photo (or an album of photos) if you're going for a particular style or theme for your next party, or if you prefer, sync them with your playlist and see the colours move in time with the music. I was after something Santa would approve of, so I went with a preset called "Under the Tree" - although the Hue Scene Gallery has a selection of ten different themes in its Winter Holiday section alone. I then bumped up the brightness and increased the speed of the colour changes because that's the kind of tech tweaking nerd I am. Now, the front of my house lights up like a beacon for Rudolph to follow every night from 7:30 - 10:00. Just like the colour settings, setting up automations like that is easy too. Is more than $650 to much to pay for a set of lights? Probably. But knowing they're exceptional quality, there are plenty of them, they're durable and easily customised with one of the best smart-home apps I've used, means a lot less stress at the most wonderful time of the year.      Click here for more information and pricing on the Philips Hue Festavia Globe Outdoor String Lights. Sun, 30 Nov 2025 23:39:15 Z /lifestyle/technology/mighty-ape-3-in-1-magnetic-chargers-bend-me-shape-me/ /lifestyle/technology/mighty-ape-3-in-1-magnetic-chargers-bend-me-shape-me/ Have you ever gone from not knowing something exists to loving it so much you can't live without it? I kind of feel that way about MagSafe chargers. It started out as an Apple thing; why just charge wirelessly when you can actually stick your phone to the charger with a magnet? Then you can produce a bunch of other accessories that magnetise on as well... Battery packs, wallets, car cradles - you had me at magnets. Unfortunately, because I review a lot of different handsets, most of them aren't magnetic like iPhones are, even if they charge wirelessly. Luckily, you can usually pick up a third-party case that is, so you can continue using that nifty MagSafe charger. Now, with the holidays looming, and travel potentially on the cards, you might be looking for a more portable magnetic charging solution. Boy, does Mighty Ape have some options for you... Today I've picked out three of my favourite Mighty Ape 3-In-1 magnetic travel chargers. Each one has its strengths and weaknesses but I'd be happy to find any of them wrapped up in my Christmas stocking come the end of the year. Let's start with the Kogan 3-in-1 Qi2 Foldable Wireless Charging Stand. This charger caught my eye because it's quite a different shape to most other options, about the size and shape of a camera lens. At 340 grams its surprisingly heavy, which may be a bit of a drawback if you're planning on stuffing it in your handbag or backpack - although its cylindrical profile makes it a good contender for sliding into your drink bottle pouch so it's always handy. Of the three options I'm highlighting today, it's the most fun because not only does the top charging plate hinge forward to reveal a second wireless charging cradle for earbuds or AirPods, the third charger pops out of the side for you to perch your Apple Watch on. Because this is a newer-generation Qi2 device, it promises faster charging speeds and safer, cooler operation. It'll charge your phone at 15W, your buds at 5W and your Apple Watch at 2.5W - which isn't bad, although some of the latest iPhones and Apple Watches can juice up faster than that with the right chargers.  The folding phone plate is where the magnetism happens, so you can choose to MagSafe your iPhone to it in landscape mode to make use of the recently added Nightstand clock iOS feature. When I first plugged it in, I was alarmed to see a bright white ring light flash on around the base of the device. I was worried this was some kind of over-the-top status LED to let me know when the charger is charging - an absolute no-no in the otherwise pitch-black master bedroom in the Hart House. Thankfully, this simply turned out to be a nightlight, that you can turn on, off and adjust the brightness of via a capacitive button on the side of the device. It's not really bright enough to read by or anything but it could be useful for helping you navigate an unfamiliar hotel room in the middle of the night. The next option is Mighty Ape's own Foldable Magnetic 3-in-1 Wireless Charger. This is probably the clumsiest-looking of the three but it's very light and folds quite flat, so it's nice and portable. The main phone charging panel hinges up from the base where you'll find a pad for your earbuds, while the watch charging stand folds out from behind the phone charger. This model also features a ring "Ambient" light, this time around the back of the phone charging pad. There's a physical button for this on the base that toggles through several different brightness settings, which seems like overkill for a feature you'll probably hardly ever use. Alarmingly, right next to that button, there IS a status LED that can't be turned off once this charger is plugged in. I know it sounds silly - after all, it's just a tiny line of light a few millimetres long - but some people simply cannot sleep with glowing lights in the room, no matter how little they are. Personally, I'm not worried by them. However, I'm not the only person in the room at night and that other person matters a lot more than me. So out comes my roll of black insulation tape and away goes the little light. This charger is actually the most powerful of the three - still 15W for phones and 5W for buds, but twice the wattage - at 5W - for Apple Watches, which is especially good news if you wear an Apple Watch Ultra - they have bigger batteries and can take longer to top up. The third offering is my favourite; another Kogan-labelled gadget, the 3-in-1 Aluminium MagSafe Compatible Wireless Charging Stand. Why do I like it so much? For starters, it's the most compact; it folds down to the shape of a credit card and is only 22mm thick. Secondly, it looks classy - a combination of brushed aluminium and matching grey charging pads. And thirdly, it's the only one of the three that will charge both an Apple Watch and a Samsung Galaxy Watch. This is especially convenient for me because I'm often swapping between Samsung's and Apple's ecosystems, so it's nice not to have to change chargers every time. I note there's at least one other non-folding charger on Mighty Ape's site that has a reversible watch pad but I've never come across one that'll just accept both types of smartwatch before. As you can see from the photos, this aluminium beauty simply folds up in a Z-shape, with that bi-charging watch pad popping up in the middle. The pads for phone and buds are rubber-coated, so they won't scratch the devices you're charging and the hinges are reassuringly stiff and stable, so the stand will stay at whatever angle you prefer. It's not all good news - although its webpage assures me this charger has been designed with Overcharge Protection, Overvoltage Protection, Overcurrent Protection and Temperature Protection, this stand is the only one of the three that does get a little warm when in use - perhaps something to do with its aluminium casing? It also only promises a meagre 2W charge from its otherwise uniquely versatile watch stand. In saying that, I just popped my Samsung Galaxy Watch Ultra on while writing this and went from 51% to 61% in fifteen minutes, so it's not exactly the end of the world. Lights-wise, it's the worst of both worlds. No "Ambient" light at all and a tiny - but inexplicably bright - status LED right on the front of the base, that had me reaching for my roll of tape again. So there you have it, the pros and cons of just a few of the chargers Mighty Ape has to offer. Each one pledges not to overcharge or overheat and all seem to be well designed and manufactured. They all come with a USB power cable in the box but no wall charger. This is a potential trap because you're unlikely to achieve maximum charging speeds if you don't plug into the right power brick. Luckily, Mighty Ape sells plenty of those too. Maybe that'll be a topic for another review, another day. Meanwhile, priced between just NZ$50 and NZ$62, I'm sure any of these three chargers would make a welcome addition to someone's Santa Sack this Christmas. Or maybe give one to yourself if you're planning on going away and you want to keep things magnetic.      Click here for more information and pricing on the Kogan 3-in-1 Qi2 Foldable Wireless Charging Stand. Click here for more information and pricing on the Mighty Ape Foldable Magnetic 3-in-1 Wireless Charger. Click here for more information and pricing on the Kogan 3-in-1 Aluminium MagSafe Compatible Wireless Charging Stand. Wed, 19 Nov 2025 23:20:34 Z /lifestyle/technology/jbl-grip-get-hands-on/ /lifestyle/technology/jbl-grip-get-hands-on/ The world of tech is funny. Sometimes the big brands invent products and spend a lot of time and energy trying to convince us how much we need them... even though we never asked for them in the first place. Virtual headset, anyone? Luckily, the opposite scenario also happens occasionally too. Customer demand and popular trends can prompt manufacturers to, you know, actually give people what they want. For example; if people are going to keep dropping their phones in the toilet, I guess we'll have to make them waterproof. Likewise, JBL has seen what you've been doing with its speakers and has decided to make it easier for you. The JBL Grip is about the size and shape of a can of soft drink. That can't be a coincidence.  My guess is someone noticed how many people were shoving their speakers into the bottle-holders on their bikes, into cupholders in their cars and into the drink-bottle pouches on their backpacks. I reckon that same someone thought to themselves, "Hang on, the Flip is really the only speaker we have that sort of fits that scenario. What if we came up with one especially for it?" And the Grip is the result. A fairly powerful bluetooth speaker with good battery life that fits easily in one hand. Like JBL's other portables, the Grip is ruggedly put together, with durable rubber bumpers on each end to keep it drop-proof and an IP68 rating to keep it beach-proof. There's no lanyard or handle attached to the speaker but there is a small loop around the back you can clip or tie something onto - like a carabiner perhaps? It has a 16 watt output and that's enhanced by JBL's AI Sound Boost algorithm to create a "bigger" sound without any distortion or unwanted vibrations. As usual, no matter what size the JBL speaker is, it still manages to magically create a decent amount of bass punch. JBL claims the Grip will play for about 12 hours on a full charge and my testing so far seems to match up with that. By activating Playtime Boost through the JBL Portable app, you should squeeze out an extra couple of hours before having to recharge - although that feature in turn deactivates some others, like the customisable EQs. The JBL Portable app is also required to control the light. Yes, this portable comes with its own light show. If you've ever read any of my other reviews, you'll know I'm no fan of having flashing lights just for the sake of it. When I first tried the new LEDs out on my review units I was pretty underwhelmed. It's a fairly small panel on the back of the speaker and while it glowed brightly and I could change the pattern slightly, that was about it. In fact, initially, I thought it was only white. Then I updated the JBL Portable app. Suddenly, I had a choice of colours - not a big choice, and weirdly, there's an extra option on the iOS app than on the Android one, but still, by the time you choose a theme and a colour, you've really personalised the look of the thing. Then I realised why the light panel is on the back - not behind the front grille like the party lights are on JBL's much bigger PartyBoxes - it's called an Ambient Light, so I figure it's supposed to wash against the wall, rather than be viewed directly. Once I started using it this way it was actually pretty cool - you can even control the brightness or thankfully, turn it off completely. But my favourite feature by far is the same feature I love on every JBL speaker I've reviewed lately; Auracast - the ability to connect and stream to any other Auracast device, regardless of what make or model it is. Yes, you can create a stereo pair with two identical Grips (and at the time of writing, they're on special for just NZ$99,95 each, so why wouldn't you?) but with speakers this compact, I like to hide a few around the house to create an invisible Auracast ambience - not necessarily loud, just music everywhere. Of course, if you leave their lights on, they probably won't be that invisible. Especially since when you connect via Auracast, the light theme syncs too. The great thing about Auracast is, if you're not satisfied with the bass boom of the Grip on its own (although as I've said, it's quite respectable, given its size) you can team it up with a much bigger option - perhaps the Boombox 4 or Xtreme 4. Bass frequencies are pretty much non-directional, so with the Grip on one side of the room and a bigger speaker on the other, things will still sound fairly balanced. I'd wrongly assumed the Grip would be just another speaker, but between its more than adequate power and frequency range, its durability, its impressive battery life and the all-new light effects, I have no problem recommending it as a "handy" stocking-filler this Christmas.      Click here for more information and pricing on the JBL Grip. Tue, 18 Nov 2025 23:24:08 Z /lifestyle/technology/eero-max-7-push-your-home-network-to-its-limits/ /lifestyle/technology/eero-max-7-push-your-home-network-to-its-limits/ If you're anything like me, you've found yourself on a never-ending quest for better Wi-Fi. It's not just about speed - although speedy downloads and uploads are great. More and more, it's about creating a home network to which everything stays connected, reliably.  I currently have 59 devices connected to my Wi-Fi, with another 29 that are either switched off or are away from home right now. Not all of those gadgets need the fastest, most powerful connection. They just need a router that recognises them and can help them access the net if and when required, every time. Not too much to ask. And yet... even in 2025, all too often our smart speakers ignore us, we can't seem to turn that one smart light on or off and the movie is still buffering before it starts. WHY??? Well, as I've discussed before, there are many reasons your Wi-Fi may be under-performing; What type of plan are you on? How many devices are connecting to your router? Where have you placed your router or routers? You might even be using the wrong kind of cables - after all, they have maximum speeds too. So when I unpacked eero's top-of-the line mesh Wi-Fi system, I decided to give it every advantage... On paper, it's easy to understand why the eero Max 7 system blows its other stablemates out of the water. The more entry-level eero 7 devices are great - but they're only dual-band which means when used as a mesh system, some of their bandwidth is taken up with the routers talking to each other. Meanwhile, the eero Pro 7 units are tri-band, so they have dedicated backhaul. But even the Pro 7s are no match for the still larger eero Max 7 devices. Each eero Max 7 has twice the number of auto-sensing ethernet ports; 2 x 2.5GbE and 2 x 10GbE - that means an incredible potential for wired connectivity if you're on a HyperFibre plan like I am. Not only that, but the larger, more powerful units can cover a massive area - up to 700 square metres, so pretty much my whole section, not just my house. And finally, Amazon claims you can connect at least 250 devices simultaneously. Which should be plenty. Well, until the robots take over completely, I guess. Just because the Max 7 is faster and more powerful, it doesn't mean setup is any more complicated. Quite the opposite in fact. Because I was upgrading an existing eero system, the eero app gives you the opportunity to simply swap devices out, maintaining your network SSID (password) and even the location in your home. You can then choose to use the old eero device as another mesh extender. The eero app might just be the most user-friendly of its kind. You can see every connected device at a glance, including their connection strength and which router they're connected to. You can rename them, pause them, even block them in seconds. But here's where I was really impressed. The problem with my fibre connection - and I bet this is true for many of you out there - is it comes into my house at about the worst place possible, through the garage wall. This was conveniently close to the road for the installers, but that corner of the house couldn't be further away from where I need the internet most; upstairs and diagonally opposite, in the living room. Luckily, I do have limited data cabling installed so in the past I've always just plugged in my ISP's default router, down in the garage, then run my actual home network via a hardline from there, feeding into my primary router upstairs. This time I decided to eliminate any potential chokepoints by using one of my three eero Max 7s at the point of origin, plugged directly into the ONT box. I know in theory, it's virtually impossible to push decent Wi-Fi from a lower storey up to a higher one but I crossed my fingers and hoped I had a way around that. Following the step by step instructions in the eero app, I fired up the first unit in the garage and... it didn't work. No internet at all. There was a brief moment of panic, then I realised there was probably some unique protocol required for the primary router to connect with my ISP. As it happened, that's exactly what the eero app then asked me for. A very quick Google search provided me with the correct VLAN tag, which I entered and I was away and laughing. I've never experienced blazingly fast Wi-Fi in the garage like this - as you'll see in the video below, I could now connect at well over 2 Gbps. I could also plug in cables for other rooms in the house via the three remaining LAN ports. Time to take it to the rest of the house. Next stop, downstairs family room. Here, I set up my next eero Max 7 unit as a Wi-Fi only mesh extender, replacing an older model. This took all of about 60 seconds, again resulting in very satisfying speeds. Now for the real test. One last Max 7 device, in the upstairs living room. I knew connecting over Wi-Fi through the floor and several walls was a bad plan so I plugged into my hard-wired access point instead, just to see what would happen. Amazingly, the upstairs Max7 talked to the garage one with no issues and no input required from me. This was a relief because I needed to run a lot of gear off that upstairs unit - a television, an Apple TV streaming box, an Xbox, a bunch of smart lights and just everybody's phones, tablets and computers. Because my house is wired with Cat5e ethernet cable, I was hoping I could get close to the 1 Gbps it's rated for. When I tested the speed and got the result you'll see in the video below, I was gobsmacked. It was definitely safe to uncross my fingers. If you're upgrading from Wi-Fi 6e, 6 or even 5, I really recommend you go whole hog and give the eero Max 7 a try - especially if you're coming from an older eero system, because you can probably use your existing units to strengthen your mesh network even further. Remember, many late-model Amazon Echo smart speakers now have built-in mesh Wi-Fi too, so you might be closer than you think to the bullet-proof, no dark-spot network you've always dreamed of. Although the eero Max 7 units are bigger, they're still fairly blank and featureless, so should fit in with your decor without too much difficulty and yes, best of all, (for me anyway) you can turn off the status LED using the app. I've decided I'm no longer cutting corners when it comes to my Wi-Fi. I even bought a whole new set of Cat7 ethernet cables to connect my other devices to the eero Max 7 units, just to be sure. I now have the most reliable, wide-ranging and above all, fastest home network I've ever had. An exciting new benchmark has been set.      Click here for more information and pricing on the Amazon eero Max 7 tri-band Wi-Fi mesh system. Tue, 18 Nov 2025 00:34:49 Z /lifestyle/technology/dyson-v16-piston-animal-submarine-re-setting-the-standard/ /lifestyle/technology/dyson-v16-piston-animal-submarine-re-setting-the-standard/ I'm no vacuuming expert - although I have been reviewing all kinds of vacuums for a while now. I'm also in charge of vacuuming at our house, so if I'm not an official expert, I am at least experienced. Anyway, for what it's worth, in my view, there's nothing quite like a Dyson. Because of Dyson's driving philosophy of innovation, I think you'd be hard-pushed to come up with another brand that consistently manages to reinvent itself in such revolutionary ways, others struggle to keep up. And wouldn't you just know it? They've gone and done it again. As you might be able to deduce from its somewhat multi-barrelled name, the Dyson V16 Piston Animal Submarine has a lot going on. In fact, unboxing this thing is a bit like spending Christmas with your slightly crazy uncle who thinks it's funny to wrap every present in 17 different layers of wrapping paper to maximise the enjoymnent. Except in this case, every compartment of every box-within-the-box holds a new and exciting present that you really weren't expecting. Even the accessories are painstakingly designed for ultimate performance. The Combi Tool has long been my favourite car-cleaning aid, with its retractable brush allowing me to quickly swap between two heads depending on whether I'm vacuuming hard or soft surfaces.  When Dyson first introduced the Hair Screw Tool, I thought its ability to dispose of even the longest of hair was so groundbreaking, I dedicated a whole review to it. Version 2.0 has been modified to remove even longer hair still and there are now "rug strips" to keep soft furnishings like covers of duvets and cushions from being sucked in and causing the tool to stop spinning. They've even made the Crevice Tool longer, because who doesn't want the longest Crevice Tool possible? But the main "head"-lines are the titular Submarine 2.0 Wet Roller head and the All Floors Cones Sense cleaner head. Both of these are classic examples of Dyson's engineers being told to go out and start again from the beginning; design a wet mopping head and an all-purpose one from scratch, paying special attention to the pain points current users experience. With the Submarine 2.0 Wet Roller, they certainly nailed the cleaning part. I never trialled the original version of this head, so I'm not sure exactly how it's been improved, other than it now offers two levels of hydration - so you can up the amount of water being applied to the roller to help remove more stubborn messes from your hard floors It's a breeze to use and even though it's quite a large head, it's well balanced and the connecting joint folds down almost flat to allow you access under furniture. It cleans throughly with every pass, and unlike other similar devices I've used with rotating, disc-shaped mop heads - or even manual mopping for that matter - the Submarine 2.0 leaves a streak-free finish and the precisely measured water flow means floors are dry in minutes. For me, it worked particularly well on the bathroom tiles and was easy to manoeuvre under vanities and into other tight spaces. There is a downside; the cleanup afterwards. The Submarine 2.0 is not a vacuum head as such - unlike a robot vacuum, for example, which might vacuum at the front then mop at the back on the same pass, Dyson's method forces any hard debris up into the head where it is trapped in a thin, removable collection tray, which requires rinsing off after ever clean. As does the roller and the head itself. This is all a bit of hands-on and gross - and bear in mind, I'm a father of two so I've seen plenty of hands-on and gross in my time. The roller and head then need to dry out - which takes days, not hours. There's a base/cover just for the Submarine 2.0 head, to keep everything tidy. I'd prefer this to be some kind of auto-cleaning and drying station, in a similar vein to the various robot vacuums I've reviewed lately. As great a job as this cleaning head does, I'm not sure it justifies the inconvenience of the cleanup afterwards. On the other hand, the All Floors Cones Sense head couldn't be more user-friendly - and effective. Dyson has obviously gone all in on cones. I've already mentioned the cone-based Hair Screw Tool 2.0. I reviewed the PencilVac Fluffy Cones cleaner a few weeks back. The All Floors Cones Sense head takes that philosophy to new heights. The duo of conical brush bars are each wrapped in a twin spiral of sturdy, nylon bristles to help loosen any bits and pieces from carpet and a softer, wider brush that polishes hard floors without scratching them. The head automatically detects what surface it's on and can adjust the suction power accordingly. And best of all, this is the most tangle-free full-sized vacuum head I've ever used. As long as I've been vacuuming, I've been untangling hair wrapped around the cleaning brush. For years. I've actually become pretty good at it. I've even collected up a few useful tools to help me do it along the way. Told you I'd seen "hands-on and gross." Ah, the stories I could tell. The problem with the All Floors Cones Sense head is I don't get to use those skills anymore. At all. Since I've been using the V16, I haven't had to remove a single hair, not one. In fact, the conical brushes are so effective, when I'm vacuuming particularly hairy spaces -  like where the hair drying and straightening happens - the first pass leaves a tidy little hairball behind which is then easily sucked up on the next pass. It's a miracle. The newest incarnation of Dyson's Hyperdymium motor never misses a beat, of course. The 900w motor drives up to 315AW of suction. Don't worry if you don't know that AW stands for Air Watt - just trust me; there's all the power you need and more. The battery behind it all should last around 70 minutes on a full charge and if that's not enough, you can purchase a second one as they swap out easily. Even now, so few of Dyson's competitors offer anything like the detailed, colour LCD display on the top of the device. Never underestimate how useful it is to know what your remaining battery life is in minutes - it can be very motivational. The screen also shows a breakdown of the particles being sucked up by size, so you know when you've got the surface completely clean. As you'll see in the video below, when you have a vacuum as effective as this one, you may worry about how quickly the 1.35-litre bin fills up. That's where Dyson's next big upgrade comes in; Bin compression. They call it CleanCompaktor technology but it just means you can now squash all the yucky stuff down to the bottom of the bin and keep on vacuuming, drastically reducing the number of times you have to empty the V16. Even the emptying process is better because that same CleanCompaktor mechanism now ejects all the dust and debris out of the bin without you having to stick anything in there - like your fingers - to work any stubborn clumps of ick out. Essentially, it's the totally hands-off experience I was hoping for with the Submarine head. By now, it goes without saying Dyson totally aces the filtration system, the durability (yes, I dropped the whole shebang on my hard floor first time I used it) and the app experience; I just updated the firmware this afternoon. There are so many new and exciting features here, I almost forgot to mention the great ones that have carried over from previous models - like the dust-seeking green light on the brush head and the hidden tools - I mean, how come nobody's talking about the "Easy-Access Wand Tool?" Now you can just push down on the red ring at the top of the main tube to eject the cleaner head without having to bend down. I hate bending down. I love this vacuum. For the most thorough, tangle-free cleaning experience I've ever encountered from a stick vacuum, the V16 Piston Animal Submarine is the new champ. Now, if we can just get that mop head to clean up after itself, I'd be in vacuum heaven.          Click here for more information and pricing on the Dyson V16 Piston Animal Submarine. Mon, 17 Nov 2025 04:12:46 Z /lifestyle/technology/avast-ultimate-business-security-set-your-cyber-security-to-god-mode/ /lifestyle/technology/avast-ultimate-business-security-set-your-cyber-security-to-god-mode/ The trouble with being the go-to person when it comes to tech stuff - whether that's in your home or at your small business - is getting other people to take some responsibility for protecting their gear. I don't mean carrying it around in a case or not leaving it on the passenger seat of their car. I'm talking cyber security. Boring. But essential. Especially as day after day we hear more and more nightmare tales of people - and businesses - being scammed, hacked or compromised in some way. Unless software is kept update and all patches are installed in a timely manner, you, your family, or your business may be exposed. It's a risk that can cost you money, not to mention your valuable files and sensitive information, But what can you do? Other than nag them to take this stuff seriously. Now Avast offers you overall control. And it's easy too. Avast Ultimate Business Security takes all the responsibility of keeping your network secure and puts it back on you because, let's face it, who else can be trusted? Am I right? But unlike other attempts I've made to keep an eye on the PCs and laptops of those close to me, the installation and setting up of this ingenious tool is so simple, it's almost automatic. Once you've signed up and logged into the Avast Business Hub via your web browser, you'll be guided through the initial checks and tweaks to create your new security network. You can then scan your network for any unmanaged devices and add them to your dashboard by sending the owner a download link, or, assuming you know the user name and password, you can install the necessary software on the target device remotely. From that point on they'll have access to Avast's Antivirus, Web Control and USB Protection - and if it's a Windows device, Patch Management and VPN as well. In return, you can set up specific security policies for each device, or assign them to a group. You can choose to have updates installed across your network automatically, or do it manually on a per-device basis - probably more practicable if you're using this tool for your family than if you're trying to keep everyone at your business safe and secure. And unlike so many other security tools, Avast Ultimate Business Security doesn't seem to mind too much if there's already another security product installed - although you'll get the option to remove that remotely too, if you want. What surprised me the most is how thoroughly and effectively Avast Ultimate Business Security was able to detect any required patches and updates. Let me be clear; I'm not just talking about updates to the Avast suite of apps you have installed. Your new, Sauron-like, all-seeing eye will pick up any pending OS updates and third-party patches too. As hard as it may be to believe, you may never have to nag your recalcitrant teenager or long-suffering Domestic Manager to update their computers ever again - because you can now do it for them! Just a warning; your new powers as Network Overlord are not to be underestimated - or abused. Believe it or not, you can even restart your underlings' devices remotely if that's required after the installation of any updates. Mwah hah hah hah ha! Is there anything that can stop you now? Actually, there is. They'll see a little window pop-up to let them know you've activated a restart so they can delay it if they're in the middle of some important work... Or some important gaming. Both Avast's Firewall and VPN are comprehensive and effective - and yet, I haven't noticed any dramatic slowdowns when they're in effect - although I did have to customise my security policies to get Plex to work. My Plex media server resides on the Windows tablet you see highlighted in some of these pictures but after I first installed Ultimate Business Security, I couldn't seem to stream from other devices around the house. Luckily, it didn't take much prompting for Google Gemini to offer up the solution. Not only was I able to allow Plex full access through my firewall for locally connected devices, I now have it set up so I can stream from that tablet, even when the VPN is activated - which I've never figured out how to do before. This really is the most watertight security suite I've ever used on my home network. Depending on how you set it up, nothing gets in or out without being scanned and vetted first. Even unrecognised USB devices will be flagged for approval, in case they have something nasty lurking inside - or perhaps even more importantly, to prevent anyone nicking off with your company's valuable IP. Unsafe and fake sites can be blocked, emails with suspicious attachments intercepted and Ransomware Shield helps you easily protect your most precious files and folders from any outside attacks. Best of all, it really isn't that expensive. In fact, the more devices you protect, the cheaper it works out. What's more, you can trial Avast Ultimate Business Security on up to 100 devices for 30 days. Give it a crack - I'm pretty sure you'll be impressed with how easy it is to set up and monitor. In this day and age, maintaining an effective cyber security regime - both at home and at work - is just as important as insuring your business, house and contents. But I can't stress this enough; that security regime is only as strong as its last updated security patch. The bad guys aren't going away and they get more sophisticated all the time, so it's vital to stay up to date on every device you can. Thanks to Ultimate Business Security, Avast really does make it easy.      Click here for more information and pricing on Avast Ultimate Business Security. Fri, 14 Nov 2025 02:03:37 Z /lifestyle/technology/jbl-partybox-encore-2-and-jbl-partybox-520-create-your-own-light-and-sound-extravaganza/ /lifestyle/technology/jbl-partybox-encore-2-and-jbl-partybox-520-create-your-own-light-and-sound-extravaganza/ The holiday season is upon us and you know what that means... Party time. House party. Deck party. Pool party. Street party. Beach party. Whatever kind of party you're planning, you're going to need music and you're going to need lights. Oh, and karaoke. There might be karaoke. And somebody might also bring a guitar. Basically, you need to be prepared for any eventuality. Don't worry, JBL has got you covered. Take one PartyBox Encore 2, then upsize it with the PartyBox 520. Party success, guaranteed. I know I've reviewed a few of these sorts of JBL speakers before, but I don't think I've ever specifically tried an Encore and I've certainly never brought home anything as large as the 520. Even the Encore 2 is a hefty wee beastie - weighing in over 6kgs. Its size and shape kind of remind me of the 14-inch CRT TV a friend gave us for a wedding present nearly 30 years ago. Unlike that TV though, the Encore 2 has a convenient retractable carry handle on top, so it's easy enough to move from place to place. Meanwhile, at 26kgs, the 520 is one of the heaviest non-car devices I've ever reviewed. Luckily, it has a suitcase-style, telescopic handle and two hard-wearing, easy-rolling wheels at the base, so it too is reasonably portable. This is good news because there's no reason not to take your party on the road - both these PartyBoxes boast an (up to) 15 hour battery life and both have easily accessible battery compartments, so if you really want to go bush, you can purchase spare battery packs and swap them out as required. Functionally, in many ways, these speakers have similar features. A play/pause button in the middle of a volume knob on one side, a lights on/off button in a lighting theme selector knob on the other. You'll also find JBL's obligatory Bass Boost button, a bluetooth pairing button and a set of silly sound effect buttons nobody has ever used on any speaker at any party ever. What is of much more use is the Auracast button. As we've seen on pretty much every other recent JBL speaker, Auracast lets you link any enabled speakers you have, regardless of model or size. Not only does this mean you can combine the Encore 2's decent output with the 520's MIGHTY blast, it's also a clever hack that means you can use the 2 digital mics that come with the Encore 2 through its much more powerful, bigger brother. Those wireless mics are pre-paired with the Encore 2 by the way - all you have to do is charge them up via USB-C, switch them on and you're good to go. There are separate mic controls for volume and echo and they also come with convenient stretchy holders that clip into the back of the speaker. Now you have karaoke and can travel. Apart from the 400W vs 100W sheer power differential, the other major difference between these speakers is the number of I/O ports around the back. Both let you plug in a guitar or an external music source via 3.5mm AUX jack or USB-C. But the 520 reveals itself to be a genuine P.A. system with two hybrid standard/XLR (canon) inputs so you can plug in mics, instruments or perhaps even a turntable deck. There's even a pair of In and Out ports if you choose to daisy chain via hardline with other speakers - although, as we've established, Auracast essentially makes that unsightly cable business obsolete. Right, let's talk lights. Personally, I've never really got the whole "lights built into your speaker" thing. I've always considered it a bit of a token add-on. And with JBL, I find it even more confusing because the built-in lights don't really seem to have changed that much over the years. I mean, if you want lights, get some lights. Even JBL has its own range of PartyLights. They're really good. In saying that, yes, there are lights built into both the Encore 2 and the 520. It seems to be a three-way combination of the traditional RGB LED shape, top and bottom RGB bars and very bright, white strobe-like lights dotted throughout. As usual, these can play various different preset themes at random, or there might be one you particularly like. The JBL PartyBox app also lets you customise your own lighting design, which could be handy if your party was themed around a specific colour. Despite my "meh" feelings towards them, other people seem to like the lights and there's a fairly new aspect to them that does actually make me happy. Again, it's that Auracast thing. Just like the JBL PartyLights I have reviewed before, when speakers are connected via Auracast, their light shows will eventually sync up too. You can watch this happen in the video below. Don't ask me why it doesn't happen straight away but the fact it happens at all is pretty cool - even I have to admit it. There's a world of speakers - of all shapes and sizes - out there. But thanks to Auracast, I keep coming back to JBL. Some makes of smart speaker allow you to play from multiple units simultaneously but it usually requires a drawn-out setup process in an app - which you then have to alter if you want to use a different mix of speakers. It can get pretty complicated pretty fast. With Auracast, it's as easy as a press of a button, no Wi-Fi required. Tell your friends to bring their JBLs and add them to the party. Why not? Get the special features of one speaker (like the wireless digital mics paired with the Encore 2) on all your speakers. That's the kind of user-friendly connectivity that means your party can carry on everywhere - inside or out - even beside the pool. After all, both the Encore 2 and 520 are IPX4 splash-proof. The 15-hour battery life means the party never stops and synced-up lighting from every speaker is bound to please the crowds... and maybe even me.      Click here for more information and pricing on the JBL PartyBox 520. Click here for more information and pricing on the JBL PartyBox Encore 2. Wed, 12 Nov 2025 01:55:51 Z /lifestyle/technology/glenn-harts-2025-gadget-gift-guide/ /lifestyle/technology/glenn-harts-2025-gadget-gift-guide/ By my calculations, I'm about a week late with my guide this year. That mean's you've got less time than usual to peruse my suggestions and make someone close to you very happy with your selections - so the pressure's on. Some of these ideas will make prefect, seasonal stocking-stuffers, while others are the kind of completely over-the-top gift that says either, "I really love you," or "Sorry about the terrible present I gave you last year." Some are just fun for everyone... like this, for instance... 1. Laser Smart Gaming Projector To start with, I was very impressed with how much stuff was in the box. Not just the projector itself but a remote control, two wireless controllers and a large fabric screen, complete with stick-up hooks and a couple of lengths of rope to allow you to hang it up pretty much anywhere. All that for under NZ$400 - not bad. The second thing to impress me was how simple the plug-and-play setup was. All I had to do was insert batteries into the remote and controllers, plug the projector in and switch it on. I was surprised to see the projector find the screen and automatically adjust keystone perfectly with no input from me, other than to fine-tune the focus using the physical ring around the lens. There are 80 "Classic Retro" games pre-installed on this device, taking up next to no space on the included 64GB microSD card.  It's honestly like being back in an amusement arcade in the 80s. If you're looking for hours and hours of simple fun in a box, this is a package that's hard to go past. There's virtually no setup required and everything you need is in the box, including two pre-paired, wireless controllers. I think this is fantastic value, especially given the inclusion of the large, cloth screen and I reckon it'd make the perfect family gift come Christmas time. Click here for more information and pricing on the Laser Smart Gaming Projector. 2. Sony WH-1000XM6 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. 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. 3. Apple iPhone Air The iPhone Air might just be the most significant iPhone since Steve Jobs showed off the first one back in 2007. The way Apple has pretty much started from scratch to come up with the world's thinnest phone is so much more groundbreaking than it seems to be getting credit for. Okay, at 5.6mm the iPhone Air is not actually thinner than a couple of folding phones out there (when they're unfolded) but for a conventional handset, this is definitely Apple's least conventional yet. It really is quite breathtaking when you see it and hold it for the first time - in fact, I've yet to meet anybody who wasn't impressed when I showed it to them. It's not just that it's noticeably thinner than other phones, at just 165 grams, it weighs almost nothing. It exudes sci-fi movie vibes - you know; when they pull out a wafer thin piece of glass and use it as a phone. For me, the biggest surprise of all is battery life. As part of its new host of accessories, Apple included a MagSafe Battery customised specifically to fit the iPhone Air. Inevitably, most of us assumed this meant the Air's battery life would be terrible and we'd need to supplement it with this magnetised external power supply. Except, I haven't had to use it. Not once. I love this phone. I didn't think I would. I loved the idea of it but when does a great, truly innovative idea like this ever work so well first time out of the gate? Kudos, Apple. You got me. Click here for more information and pricing on the Apple iPhone Air. 4. 360PRO Travel Water Flosser The 360PRO Travel Water Flosser takes everything I love about my 360PRO plug-in model and essentially manages to fit it all in my pocket - well... just about. It really is very compact - the main reason being 360PRO's ingenious extendable design. When not in use, the Travel Water Flosser simply slides down into its own water tank, which essentially means it's about half as long as it would be otherwise. There's a USB-C charging cable included in the box, with the charging port covered by a watertight cap when not plugged in. I'd like to be able to tell you how long a single charge lasts but it's been two weeks of using it at least once a day and I haven't had to recharge it yet. There's even a simple, soft travel case to keep everything in. Pop it in your bag, purse, satchel or suitcase and you'll never be caught out, desperately hunting for a toothpick. Technically, the 360PRO Travel Water Flosser isn't capable of blasting between your teeth with quite as much pressure as the Plug-In can - but I've been using it exclusively for a while now and I haven't noticed any lack of cleaning power. If anything, I've probably ended up with a better result because I've been using it more often. Ideally, you'd have the Plug-In in your bathroom and the Travel version on the road with you - and to be honest, at just NZ$99.00, adding the Travel Water Flosser to your defence against tooth decay really isn't all that extravagant.      Click here for more information and pricing on the 360PRO Tavel Water Flosser. 5. Dyson Airwrap Co-anda 2x  And it comes in a beautiful presentation box.  The latest Dyson Airwrap is called the Airwrap Co-anda 2x - and that box is just full of surprises. It's a large box, with a luxurious, soft-touch feel to it. Not only will it keep the new Airwrap and its associated accessories safe inside, the upturned lid becomes a velvet-covered beauty console, complete with a little stand for your smartphone. That's not so you can keep up-to-date with your social feeds. The idea is to pair with your new Airwrap Co-anda 2x via the MyDyson app. Not only will the app then serve you a selection of instructional videos on how to get the most out of your new styling toy, it will literally guide you, step by step, if that's what you need. The curling barrels are now straight cylinders, not cone-shaped as before. This means you can curl more hair at once, more evenly. And obviously, using the larger 40mm barrel means looser, more wave-like curls. There are two styling brushes; First, the round volumising brush 2x, to help you plump up your style without the frizz you'd encounter with old-fashioned teasing. Dyson has tapered the bristles so you can focus the brush's attention on one section of your hair at a time. Secondly, the anti-snag loop brush 2x let's you pull your style into shape without pulling uncomfortably on your scalp. It's all thanks to Dyson's clever little loop bristles. Because great hair shouldn't give you a headache. Before I started reviewing Dyson hair care products, I didn't know what a flyaway was. In fact, I'd never even heard of them. What an amateur! Now I'm experienced enough to know these are those rogue hairs that just won't fall in line with the rest, ruining your otherwise pristine do. Unless you use the Airsmooth2x attachment, of course. But it's the new fast dryer 2x that's caused the most comment, because it's just so damn good. The Dyson Hyperdymium 2 motor provides twice the air pressure - thus the 2x on the end of everything. That means you can now dry your hair faster than ever, still at tightly regulated temperatures to prevent any damage.      Click here for more information and pricing on the Dyson Airwrap Co-anda 2x. 6. WiZ HDMI Sync Box with TV Backlight, Gradient Light Bars and Gradient Floor Light TV backlighting is perhaps one of the more unnecessary bits of tech you can invest in. As much as I personally love it, it's certainly not something you need, especially given how much it can cost to set up - but this is a system that doesn't have to break the bank. I like the way the WiZ HDMI Sync Box comes packaged with the TV Backlight strip, complete with its own sticky backing or the option of some little sticky clips to hook the Backlight up with. Unfortunately, the TV I was sticking it to had a textured surface that the little hook things refused to stick to, so I had to go with the more permanent sticky backing on the light strip itself. While I chose to use the WiZ Gradient Light Bars to fill out the effect along the bottom of my TV, if the base of your telly is obscured by a giant soundbar or something similar, you may feel you only need the effect of the Backlight strip on its own. The Gradient Light Bars also come with two kinds of mounting stands. You can set them up horizontally, as I have in the video, or you you might want to stand them up vertically and move them further out to extend the backlighting effect on either side of your screen. A pair of WiZ Gradient Floor lights can take this either further to each side or, as I have in my case, you can use one or two to project synced lighting effects on the wall behind you - working in much the same way as surround-sound speakers do. As you'll see in my video, this works brilliantly and the immersive way the rear-projected effect brings you into any scene with fire or explosions is particularly convincing. Click here for more information on the WiZ HDMI Sync Box with TV Backlight, Gradient Light Bars and Gradient Floor Light. 7. Logitech MX Master 4 The Logitech MX Master 4 looks similar - but not exactly the same - as its predecessor. On close inspection, the surface is slightly grippier. The whole thumb rest is now a button, instead of having a tiny one set into it, and there is now a new button entirely, just in front of the forward and back ones. Other than that, ergonomically it feels very much the same. That is to say, it feels sublimely natural in my relaxed hand. The "skates" - the smooth patches on the base that ensure the mouse slides around as frictionlessly as possible - are much larger on the new model. The list of operations you can assign to each control seems to have grown exponentially over the years. From things like play/pausing media, opening favourite apps or taking screenshots, to setting off a dialogue with your preferred AI, here's not much that can't be put on a button and yes, that includes changing devices. In fact, if you have a compatible Logi keyboard like I do, you can transfer it over to the other device, along with the mouse, in one single click. And if the choice of eight buttons isn't enough, now Logitech has introduced Action Ring - an on-screen circle of eight more programmable options, another eight virtual buttons if you like. This is set to provide a haptic vibration when you hover over or select any option. Now, not only can I open my most commonly used folders with the touch of a button, I can also copy or paste with single click. I don't know about making my workflow a third faster, but it's definitely more efficient. And that's before you get to the fact this is just a great mouse to use; it feels super comfy, it's beautifully crafted, has excellent precision and can work on practically any surface - including glass. And have you heard how quiet the clicks are? No? Exactly.    Click here for more information and pricing on the Logitech MX Master 4. 8. Satechi FindAll Collection of Travel Accessories To be frank, I don't know if I've come across a Satechi accessory that hasn't impressed me; the manufacturing standard and high quality materials have rarely let me down, if ever. Why attach a tracker to your glasses case when the case can also BE the tracker? Why slip a tracker into your passport cover when the passport cover can itself be tracked? Get the idea? In fact, Satechi has kicked things off with five ingenious FindAll products; Passport Cover, Glasses Case, Luggage Tag, Keychain and a Card. Yup, just a plain old card, the size and shape of a credit card, which will slip much more comfortably into a wallet or purse than a disc will. The real magic behind each of these accessories is the built-in rechargeable battery, compatible with any Qi, Qi2 or MagSafe wireless charger. I've been using other trackers for quite some time - especially on the two things I always need to know exactly where they are; my keys and the access card for the building I work in. The discs attached to these items work well but I've been surprised how often I have to change the batteries. These are those flat, button batteries and usually they're exactly the wrong kind - when I go to replace them I invariably have every other model of battery in the garage drawer except the one I need. With the Satechi FindAll Collection, that's just not an issue. Pop any of them on any wireless charger and not only will they juice up surprisingly quickly, the charge lasts an amazingly long time - up to 5 months for the Passport Cover right up to 18 months for the FindAll Card. Simple, right? And the keychain is just cool (well, my one is because it's all black, including the keyring itself).All in all I was surprised how much these five simple objects appealed to my geeky brain. Not only easy to pair but quick and easy to charge up too. These are definitely the sort of "Why didn't I think of it?" devices that immediately become essential tools. If you're planning on travelling soon, they're certainly an elegant and stylish way to keep track of your stuff. Click here for more information on the Satechi FindAll Collection of travel accessories. 9. JBL Charge 6 and JBL Flip 7 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. 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. 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. 10. Samsung Galaxy Z Fold7 The Z Fold7 is both bigger and considerably smaller - in all the right ways. The main display (unfolded) is now a full 8-inches - last year's was only 7.6. Because of that, the cover display has also expanded out to 6.5-inches but more importantly, it has a more familiar aspect ratio, no longer unnaturally tall and skinny in the hand. The even bigger headline is how slim Samsung has managed to make this thing; just 4.2mm when unfolded. It's lighter too; only 215 grams which means it amazingly now weighs slightly less than its S25 Ultra stablemate - and not much thicker, even when closed. Despite this incredible new slimness, there's a new feel of durability about the device - not only are the displays protected by some of the latest developments from Corning Gorilla Glass, Samsung has made the Armor Aluminium frame even tougher and has completely redesigned the all-important hinge mechanism, now rebranded as the Armor FlexHinge. It's only taken seven generations but now we have a 200MP wide camera, a 12MP ultra-wide and a 10MP telephoto module that really stands out - both figuratively and literally. This is a classic illustration of the reality check Samsung has given itself; Yes, you can have one of the thinnest phones ever - but if you want great photos and videos, you'll have to put up with a big camera module. That's just physics. And I'm pretty sure Fold fans will be fine with that compromise. If you've been an early-adopting Fold fan from the start, it's probably more because you saw the potential of the device rather than being super satisfied with the reality of those first few iterations. Now all of that potential has been realised, so it might be time to upgrade and start living the dream.      Click here for more information and pricing on the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold7. 11. Apple AirPods Pro 3 The Apple AirPods Pro 3 don't look wildly different to their predecessors but a close inspection reveals a slightly more elongated design that twists the ear-tip a little further into your ear canal. That may sound a little intrusive to you in-ear skeptics out there but trust me, these may actually be the most comfortable AirPods yet. That's not just because of the new shape. There's also an extra size of ear-tip included in the box, so now there are five sizes to choose from; XXS, XS, S, M and L. In even better news, instead of including a set of foam tips, as some other manufacturers do, Apple has opted to incorporate foam into the silicone tips themselves. Another interesting addition in the AirPods Pro 3 is the heart-rate sensor - which is great news for Apple exercisers who don't currently wear a Watch. I've read some very positive reports about the accuracy of having a sensor in each ear - enhanced even further if you do have an Apple Watch. AirPods Pro 3 are now rated IP57 for sweat and water resistance, making them the most durable AirPods to date. Add that secure, snug fit to the equation and they're pretty much the perfect workout option. The sound quality was already great. Now it's nearing perfection. The heart sensors are useful and the new physical design and foam-infused ear-tips provide one of the most secure, comfortable fits I've ever encountered. As for the ANC? I hope I've made it clear how good I think it is. Click here for more information and pricing on the Apple AirPods Pro 3. 12. Samsung Galaxy Tab S11 Ultra The Galaxy Tab S11 Ultra is definitely not just a giant phone with worse specs.  For starters, it'd be a particularly giant phone, with a display that measures in at an unbelievable 14.6-inches. That's huge. When I got married (a million billion years ago) someone gave us a 14-inch TV for the bedroom. The Tab S11 Ultra is wider than that - especially given its cinematic 16:10 aspect ratio. The display itself is a magnificent, 120Hz Dynamic AMOLED 2X with an anti-reflective surface - just like you might find on the latest flagship Samsung TVs. The toned-down reflection paired with a searing peak brightness of 1600 nits makes for fantastic viewing, whatever the lighting conditions. The Tab S11 Ultra is a mere 5.1mm thick (or thin). Think about that for a minute. That's a 14.6-inch display on a tablet slimmer than any non-folding phone on the market. Talk about jaw-dropping design. What's more, it feels perfectly rigid and robust in your hands - probably due to its enhanced Armor Aluminium chassis. It's even rated IP68 against water and dust. Only weighs in at 692grams, by the way. It's flagship fast and the screen is huge while the rest of it is super slim. Even the battery life is great. There's simply no way to mark this tablet down.     Click here for more information on the Samsung Galaxy Tab S11 Ultra. Mon, 10 Nov 2025 23:42:17 Z /lifestyle/technology/laser-7-inch-portable-carplay-android-auto-touchscreen-instantly-upgrade-your-cars-console/ /lifestyle/technology/laser-7-inch-portable-carplay-android-auto-touchscreen-instantly-upgrade-your-cars-console/ When you think about it, other than the move to hybrid and electric, cars haven't really changed that much over the years. Obviously, there have been many constant improvements along the way, enhancing things like passenger comfort, levelling up performance and economy with what's under the hood and changing the aesthetics, both inside and out, to suit whatever look is trending at the time. But at the end of the day, I reckon you could take a driver from the 1950s, put them in a modern car, and they'd figure out how to make it go without too much difficulty. One thing that's definitely new, though, is the advent of the car infotainment system. These days, you can access almost everything on your connected smartphone from your dashboard, via CarPlay or Android Auto - from maps and weather information, to streaming services and even your virtual assistant. That's assuming your car HAS Android Auto or CarPlay. If not, have I got the device for you... The Laser 7-inch Portable CarPlay / Android Auto Touchscreen brings all that functionality to your car - and all your car needs is a charging port and a radio. The idea is simple, really; just because your car didn't come with a fancy touchscreen doesn't mean you can't add one. What can be even more frustrating is if your car DOES have a fancy touchscreen, but doesn't have CarPlay or Android Auto - or if it does, you have to connect using a cable every time. Domestic Manager drives a 2019 Toyota Rav 4 - quite a late-model automobile, but apparently not quite late enough to have the latest connectivity options. Yes, it has a large touchscreen infotainment system, but it's only of limited use because the GPS map option hasn't been updated for six years - so we often find ourselves driving in the middle of nowhere on roads that didn't exist in 2019. That's where the Laser 7-inch Touchscreen comes in. Apart from the screen itself, there's a car charger cable, a 3.5mm AUX cable and a high-quality, versatile mounting arm all in the box. The jointed and extendable mount attaches with a suction cup for the windscreen, and I've found this extremely stable. The cables are both a decent length, so you can probably find a way to run them over or through your console so you don't end up with too much of a visible tangle. Setup is as easy as pairing your phone's Bluetooth - the device will then figure out if it's an iPhone (for CarPlay) or an Android (for Android Auto) and fire up the appropriate homescreen. Before it does, there is a generic home screen with a few icons and a clock, but you're not likely to spend much time looking at this so I wouldn't bother setting that clock - especially since it resets every time you turn your car off. However, there are a few settings that might come in handy via that initial screen during setup. There's a fairly well-appointed EQ app - probably unnecessary given your car stereo is likely to have its own EQ. If you're playing music from an SD card (which I've never actually heard of anyone doing) you can search that card from here too. The most useful thing is the radio transmitter function - which is one way you can connect to your car's stereo. The simple interface shows a selection of pre-set frequencies, or you can choose your own manually in order to find one that isn't already in use by an actual radio station. This works surprisingly well and is obviously a great option if your car doesn't have an AUX in port. The only downsides are you might have to change frequencies on long trips to avoid any region-specific interference and your car stereo will blast static at you for a few seconds when you first start up while the screen is booting. The best option is to connect via the aforementioned AUX cable. In just a few seconds, the screen boots up, connects to your phone, flicks straight into CarPlay or Android Auto (depending what kind of phone you're using) and will start playing your music or podcasts right where you left off. At this point, you now have enabled complete smart-screen capability in your vehicle, with touch-screen access to navigation apps like Waze, Google Maps or Apple Maps, not to mention streaming apps such as Spotify, Apple Music or Tidal.  Enjoy the safety and convenience of hands-free messaging via WhatsApp, SMS or Messenger, or just ask Siri or Gemini to make a call. There's even a slightly less-safe option; you can stream content from your phone via AirPlay or Miracast, which is definitely not a feature you'll find in factory-fitted smart screens. Obviously, this is for passengers' use only and you should definitely not be watching the cricket while you drive. Believe it or not, you don't even need a stereo at all. The screen has its own built-in speakers and they're not terrible - which is just as well because although I assumed they would be muted when the AUX cable is plugged in, not so, as you'll see me demonstrate in the video below. This isn't necessarily a bad thing, my motto has always been the more speakers, the better. Besides, your car stereo speakers are much more powerful and you probably won't even notice if you have the volume on the screen set to about half. That one minor anomaly aside, I've been pretty impressed with this device. Setup is easy. The power and AUX leads are long enough to ensure a tidy installation and the windscreen mount is probably the best I've ever seen. For around NZ$200.00, this might just be the most cost-effective upgrade your car ever had.      Click here for more information and pricing on the Laser 7 Inch Portable CarPlay Android Auto Touchscreen. Fri, 07 Nov 2025 01:20:05 Z /lifestyle/technology/oppo-find-x9-pro-a-strong-case-for-phone-of-the-year/ /lifestyle/technology/oppo-find-x9-pro-a-strong-case-for-phone-of-the-year/ This may come as a surprise to some of you, but there are more than two makes of phone out there. I have to keep reminding myself that a lot of people still don't really realise that. Or if they do, they certainly have never considered buying one of those "other" phones for themselves. If you're one of those people, this review is for you. I'm not trying to patronise you. Far from it. Today, I'm here to educate you about a new phone that is quite simply, factually, better than any other phone in many ways. As the telemarketer once said, "I'm not trying to sell you anything." I just thought you might be interested. For a while now, it's been Oppo's strategy to try and own the final flagship phone launch of the year. Last year, the Find X8 Pro turned a lot of heads with its unique design and premium performance. While I was reviewing it, I had more than one person stop me and ask me what kind of phone it was. I just told them, "A great one." So even if the 2025 Find X Pro ended up being a predictable, iterative upgrade, I had every confidence it would still be a pleasure to unbox and use. Well, despite a lot of pre-launch leaks, teasers and hype, the Find X9 Pro has pretty much blown my mind. Let's begin with how it looks; very different this year. The Hasselblad camera module is no longer a wide circle, with four lenses, set in the middle of the back panel. Instead we now have an asymmetrical bump pushed to the upper left-hand corner. Oppo claims this allows for a more natural grip on the phone, now that you don't have to worry about your index finger obscuring any of the lenses. Of which there only appear to be three now - but we'll get to that. The Find X9 Pro comes in just two colours in New Zealand; Titanium Charcoal and Silk White - both have an attractive, metallic sheen under the tough Corning Gorilla Glass, while still maintaining a matte, fingerprint-resistant surface. Unfortunately we don't seem to be getting the Velvet Red option that's available in some markets. Meanwhile, the 6.78-inch display is protected by even tougher Gorilla Glass; Victus 2. The handset also carries IP66, IP68 and IP69 ratings against dust and water - even hot water and high-pressure water. I haven't tried using it in the shower, but it would probably survive. There are new buttons - the Snap Button, which is a customisable shortcut key that can be set to launch tools like Do Not Disturb or turn the Torch on and off. Alternatively, it can fire off AI Mind Space, which is sort of Oppo's gateway to Google Gemini. A short press takes a quick screenshot for Gemini to analyse if required. A long press let's you save a voice note and a double press opens Mind Space to show you all the info it's collated - useful for planning your calendar or remembering that show your colleague said you should watch. On the other side there's now a Quick Button, for more tactile control of the camera. This not only opens the camera app with a double press, but can also be used to click off photos, you can hold it down for continuous burst shots or swipe it with your finger to zoom in and out. Which you may well want to do because the telephoto lens is part of the big news with the Find X9 Pro. The camera array is somewhat confusing to a non-photography aficionado like me - it's described as a triple-lens setup, even thought when you dig into the specs, there's definitely a fourth sensor; the True Colour Camera which is claimed to be an "industry first" 8-channel spectral sensor that effectively ensures the colours you capture are as you see them with your own eyes. If it's clever colours you're looking for, check out the sunset examples I show in the video below. There's a redesigned 50MP Ultra XDR main shooter, which performs particularly well in low light and the 15mm Ultra-Wide camera provides very consistent tone and colour. Then there's this 200MP Telephoto lens. I'll never forget when Oppo introduced the first periscope telephoto camera back in 2017. They thought outside the box to fit a bigger optical zoom INSIDE the box. Now, in collaboration with Hasselblad, they've blimmin well done it again. The new sensor is huge and the Hi-Res shooting unlocks a world of options when it comes to editing both photos and video. Just look at these two shots, both taken from exactly the same spot... You don't get long distance detail like that on any other phone camera I've ever used.  Video quality is incredible, obviously. You can shoot 4K at 120fps from the rear camera and there's a quad-mic system that effectively lets you capture your own surround sound footage. Something else you don't get on any other phone is a 7,500mAh battery, which is probably why the Find X9 Pro is noticeably heavier than last year's flagship. I'm thinking a few grams extra is a price a lot of people will be prepared to pay for the unbelievable battery life on offer here. Oppo says you'll get through two days on a single charge. That's not what I found. I got through three. The massive Silicon-Carbon cell never raises a sweat - and can be charged super fast with the 80W SuperVOOC charger included in the box. What's more, with the right charger, you can juice this phone up wirelessly at 50W - significantly faster than many other flagships' wired rates. What a phone. There's so many other things about this phone that make it unique and awesome, but we haven't got all day. From little things, like the fastest, most reliable under-display fingerprint reader I've ever used, to more important things, like the MediaTek Dimensity 9500 chip, the 16GB of RAM and the advanced vapour cooling chamber that keeps this thing running like a Swiss watch. It even pairs with my Oppo Enco X3i earbuds better - they stay connected all the way from the other side of the house! If I'm starting to sound manic, it's because this really is one of the best phones you can buy in New Zealand today - but I'm just not sure how many people know that.  At least now YOU know that and I can finish my glass of water and calm myself down.      Click here for more information and pricing on the Oppo Find X9 Pro. Thu, 06 Nov 2025 20:40:30 Z /lifestyle/technology/hyperx-cloud-alpha-2-and-hp-omen-max-16-lose-yourself-in-a-world-of-gaming/ /lifestyle/technology/hyperx-cloud-alpha-2-and-hp-omen-max-16-lose-yourself-in-a-world-of-gaming/ I'm constantly confounded by people who game. How do they find the time? Don't get me wrong, I love gaming. But it's not really something you can do for half-an-hour during your lunch break. For most games, if you're going to make it past the first training level, you'll need to invest hours, not minutes. So it stands to reason you should be prepared to invest in the best gear to play the game with too. Given we still haven't achieved the Tron-like ability to literally become part of the game, what are the tools currently available to get us as close to that as possible? Pairing the HP Omen Max 16 with the HyperX Cloud Alpha 2 might be a good place to start. If you've ever wondered what eight or nine-thousand dollars buys you in terms of a gaming laptop, you could do a lot worse than the HP Omen Max 16. Obviously, there are few different configurations around but my review unit features an Intel Core Ultra 9 processor, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 dedicated GPU, 32GB of RAM and a 1TB SSD hard drive. If you know anything about the latest standards of PC tech, you'll know all that sounds like a pretty solid base to build something fairly special around, and that's certainly what HP has done here. This is perhaps the most specced-out laptop I've ever reviewed. Yes, it's big and yes, it's fairly heavy but it's actually not as brutishly ugly as I was expecting. The large, 16-inch display is set into a surprisingly slim lid, which closes to a stylishly tapered front edge, giving the impression of a much thinner device - from the user's end anyway. Around the back, things are a bit chunkier - plenty of ventilation and some useful ports; 10/100/1000/2500 GbE LAN for ultra-fast, hardwired connectivity, an HDMI socket for an external display and a USB Type-A port. There's another USB-A on the right side and two Thunderbolt 4 USB-C options on the left. The power supply IS a brute; a 330W brick that might even be heavier than an actual brick. You'll need to lug it around with you if you're planning on taking the Omen Max 16 anywhere - nothing else is really going to keep it charged when you start gaming, despite HP's rather optimistic claims of extended battery life. I'm sure you'll manage many hours on battery alone if all you're doing is browsing and checking a few emails - but if that's what you're planning, this is not the computer you require. Fire this puppy up and as usual for an HP device, you'll be confronted with the standard double-up (or even triple-up) of configuration and settings apps. Between HP Support Assistant, HP Hardware Diagnostics and HP Smart, there's no excuse for not keeping any of your drivers up to date. In fact, because this is an Omen, you have the even more comprehensive Omen Gaming Hub pre-installed, which essentially blows all those other apps out of the water. This is where you can customise absolutely everything, from the keyboard backlighting to the speed of the fans. You can even get those fans to clean themselves by running them backwards. If you're an experienced gaming uber-nerd, you can literally tweak every component. If, like me, you just want the games to look good and keep running with no drop in performance, you can click a button labelled "Unleashed Mode." At that point, you'll definitely start to hear those fans but your game will load nice and fast and that immersive experience we were dreaming of in the intro kicks into high gear. The illusion of being inside the game is enhanced by that big, 2.5K OLED display - complete with 240Hz refresh rate, which I didn't even realise was a thing. My one criticism of the screen is it's very glossy - so reflections can be an issue. That clever anti-reflection tech everyone's using on TVs and monitors these days seems to be taking a while to make it onto laptop screens. The keyboard is rewardingly tactile, with RGB backlighting you can control with the Omen Gaming Hub app. The keys are nicely spaced out - for the most part - and as nice as it is to have a full number pad on the right-hand side, that's where things get a bit cramped and I keep pushing NumberLock instead of BackSpace as I type. The HyperX dual speaker setup is powerful enough, although I might have expected a quad-system on a device in this price bracket. The Windows Hello camera does a nice job too, as you'll see me demonstrate in the video below. Speaking of HyperX, let's plug in the Cloud Alpha 2 headset and see how that stacks up. Wait, did I say, "Plug in?" Why would I plug in a wireless headset? Because this one comes with its own RGB base station, with a big, friendly dial for easy, no-look access to volume controls and six big, reprogrammable buttons. Essentially, the base station replaces the 2.4GHz dongle other headsets use and saves you the bother of having to memorise exactly which controls do what on the earcups themselves. The buttons can be set to act as media controls, they can swap what the dial controls between mic, headphone and chat levels and there are several totally new features on the way. That's right; Cloud Alpha 2 is so new, HyperX hasn't finished yet. To adjust the settings, you'll need to download the new NGENUITY Beta app. There you'll see functions like app launches and programmable macros are still "Works In Progress." Ultimately, what that means is you should be able to create your own macros of certain key combinations you use all the time and add those to the buttons on the base station. To be honest, I'm not sure I really need yet another console on my desk - especially one that doesn't yet have all the functionality it was designed for. But I get how convenient it is to have those controls sitting right there in front of you, rather than having to fiddle about with buttons on the headset you can't actually see while you're playing. As I expected, from my previous experience with HyperX headsets, the Cloud Alpha 2 is extremely well built - both durable and comfortable. And its performance when gaming has been stellar so far - accurate reproduction of music, effects and dialogue, with plenty of space for each element. Indeed, although Spatial Audio is another feature still in development, the surround sound effects are already top notch. I've found this multi-directional soundscape to be very useful when it comes to avoiding attacks from behind and finding contacts lurking down dark alleyways. The mic quality is exceptional - definitely up to podcast standard. What's more, if you find the boom mic too intrusive, you can simply unplug it and rely on the built-in mics instead. One other interesting feature is the Cloud Alpha 2 can pair to a bluetooth source, even while connected via the 2.4GHz base station. This means you can turn off the music on your game and listen to your preferred playlist from your phone instead. Not a bad option when you consider some of the rubbish game designers like to assault you with - especially in racing games. I'm starting to regret my decision to combine these two excellent devices into one review - I could go on and on about either of them. But the fact is, they truly are the ideal combination to bring your gaming library to life. Between the comfort, desktop control and 3D soundscape of the Cloud Alpha2 and the fantastic 16-inch display of the Omen Max - not to mention the raw power of its high-spec chip and GPU - you could be well on the way to that fully immersive gaming experience you know you deserve.          Click here for more information and pricing on the HyperX Cloud Alpha 2.  Click here for more information and pricing on the HP Omen Max 16. Wed, 05 Nov 2025 23:49:32 Z /lifestyle/technology/dreame-aqua10-ultra-track-s-now-this-is-technology/ /lifestyle/technology/dreame-aqua10-ultra-track-s-now-this-is-technology/ If you ever needed an example of how far we've evolved as a species, look no further than the robot vacuum. Of all the gadgets I've reviewed over the years, I honestly believe the robot vacuum is one of the most significant. And I've reviewed electric cars. Sure, cars are clever - but I've never seen one automatically detect what kind of road it's driving on so it can clean that road accordingly. Oh... and then clean ITSELF when it gets back to its garage. So I admit, up until now, I've given robot vacs a bit of leeway. Given they haven't even been able to come up with a reliable self-driving car yet, I was prepared to ignore a few minor shortcomings, vacuum-wise, as long as the job got done in the end. Well, today there are no holds barred. Going easy, just because it's complex technology, is no longer acceptable. That's because I've found a robot vacuum that gets almost everything right. Almost. The Aqua10 Ultra Track S from Dreame (pronounced, "Dree-Mee") is an extremely solid piece of kit. I'm not meaning it's well-built and reliable - although that certainly seems to be the case. No, I mean the device itself is fairly large and relatively heavy. There's a good reason; there's an awful lot going on under the hood, which we'll come to soon enough. By comparison, the PowerDock (base station) is really quite compact and better still, it got the aesthetic thumbs-up from Domestic Manager. She approved of its subtle, elegant style - including the marble-like front panel. Definitely preferable to being able to see a couple of water tanks - one dirty - or a half-full bin of hair and dust. It may seem superficial but in my house, the most logical place to position the PowerDock is right in the middle of our open-plan living area, so it needs to look at least a bit nice. Below that stylish upper facade, is an oddly removable access panel. I say, odd because it comes off completely - it's not hinged and it doesn't slide out like a drawer. Behind it, you'll find the dust bag the Aqua10 Ultra Track S empties itself into and a compartment containing tanks for cleaning solution and pet odour solution. This is my least favourite thing about robot vacuums and it's no exception this time; there are a lot of consumables involved. While it's true traditional vacuums might still require replacement dust bags and perhaps a filter clean every now and then, not many of us would be happy if we had to regularly change out brushes and rollers. You also don't usually add cleaning solution or deodorisers to your vacuum - but that's not quite the same thing, because when you hand-mop a floor, you generally do add some kind of household cleaner to the bucket. I'm uncertain how long it will take to fill the 3.2-litre dust bag - I've only been using the Aqua10 Ultra Track S for a few weeks - and at least there's a second bag included in the box. Perhaps the next generation will feature a bagless dustbin? As for the brushes, I think I've got a lot less to worry about in terms of replacement. This is the first Dreame device I've tried so I'm not sure if some of the technology on offer here is completely new, or just new to me. In saying that, the detangling DuoBrush beats any other system I've ever seen, certainly on a robot vacuum, because guess what? It actually does what it claims; it stays tangle-free. I know that sounds silly but I've seen a lot of hype about being able to suck up hair etc. and before now, few if any lived up to that hype. Dreame includes a fantastic multi-tool/cleaning brush in the box with a bladed hook on one end. I assumed this was going to come in handy as I struggled to free the brushes from the usual wads of long hair every other vacuum gets clogged up with at my house, thanks to its other long-haired inhabitants. But no. After several full runs, not one single hair has managed to wrap itself around either of the two counter-spinning brush rollers. That's incredible. While we're taking a look underneath the Aqua10 Ultra Track S, let's check out the mop. The TrackSync system is also revolutionary to me. I'm used to either two rotating discs or a roller, much like a paint roller. Both options usually do a pretty good job, unless there's something particularly sticky or greasy on the floor. The TrackSync mopping system works more like a belt-sander, with the mop pad running over two smaller rollers, meaning much more surface area in constant contact with your hard floors. This also seems to result in more even water distribution, with hardly any drips or wet patches left behind, so floors are dry enough to walk on almost immediately. In fact, Dreame has put an awful lot of thought into how much water is used and how hot it should be. The mop pad is constantly being sprayed through 24 nozzles by water heated to 45° - this, combined with the automatically measured cleaning solution, breaks down those greasy marks in no time and the Aqua10 Ultra Track S is smart enough to detect the more stubborn messes and will go back for a re-mop if necessary. The water temperature goes all the way up to 100° back at the PowerDock, when it's time to clean the mopping pad itself. After which, 50° heated air dries everything out, ensuring no lingering, post-clean smells. As you'll see in the video below, this is very effective. Stains aren't the only things this robot can detect, of course. Dreame's OmniSight system uses not one, but two HD AI cameras to first create an extremely accurate map of your home before setting about cleaning it, without getting tangled up in loose cords, curtains or just about anything else. That binocular vision seems to give the Aqua10 Ultra Track S a better sense of depth perception - apparently it won't even run over a piece of paper lying on the floor. And yes, you can (if you want to) order the Aqua10 Ultra Track S around with voice commands, although I prefer to schedule it to clean when I'm not home. But you know what I always ask before considering a robot vacuum? Will it take pictures of my pets while it cleans? Yes, this one can. The innovations just keep coming - for example, the LDS sensor on top of the vacuum? That can retract down into the chassis if you're wanting to get under something 10cm or more off the ground. Of course, the headline feature of this device is probably its legs. There, I said it. This is the first robot vacuum with legs as well as wheels. The wheels themselves already raise and lower and can clear things like the edges of mats and carpets with ease. If the going gets really tough, that's when the legs extend out and the Aqua10 Ultra Track S will literally climb over obstructions up to 6cm in height. While that's not enough to go up and down stairs, it'll easily conquer folded-over rugs and the backs of U-shaped chairs. Speaking of stairs, the first few times I used it, I was surprised when the robot stranded itself at the top of mine, precariously hanging over the edge, and complaining I needed to clean the cliff (drop) sensors. I'd do this, only for it happen again straight away. This was quite a letdown. The very least I want from my robot vacuum is for it to successfully avoid stairs. Oh well - thankfully the Dreamehome app is very user-friendly and it took a matter of seconds to create a no-go area on the map along the edge of my stairs and I haven't had any issues since. Other than that, my only criticisms are battery life and noise levels. I have a fairly large home and the Aqua10 Ultra Track S struggles to get through a full clean on a single charge - not a major considering you can set it to continue cleaning as soon as it's charged itself back up. Similarly, the noise of the vacuum doesn't bother me because I'm not usually around. However, I find it interesting the Dreame website wants you to, "Unlock Powerful Yet Low-Noise Vacuuming." I've definitely heard quieter. Have I experienced more powerful? At 30,000Pa, I don't think so. Between the incredible HyperStream detangling DuoBrush and the innovative TrackSync mopping system, I probably couldn't get my floors this clean if I did it manually. Both the mopping pad and side brush extend out when cleaning next to walls, so I can't even claim human superiority there. Meanwhile, the cleaning and drying process back at the base station is flawless and more importantly, odourless. I'm not going to try and convince you the Aqua10 Ultra Track S is perfect - I'm over over-hyping robot vacuums that way. But I'm finally prepared to offer the same level of honest criticism in this product category as with any other because this robot is so very good. The below-par stair-detection, mediocre battery life and requirement for replacement dust bags keep this device from scoring a perfect ten. Just. Fix those three complaints and I'll even let it drive me to work. Click here for more information and pricing on the Dreame Aqua10 Ultra Track S. Mon, 03 Nov 2025 00:18:19 Z /lifestyle/technology/apple-watch-ultra-3-does-it-get-better-than-this/ /lifestyle/technology/apple-watch-ultra-3-does-it-get-better-than-this/ I may have misled you slightly last time I was talking Apple Watches. I think I claimed something like the Series 11 Apple Watch was pretty much the best smartwatch money could buy. As far as I was concerned, at that specific time, that was essentially true. Improved display, new chip, great battery life, upgraded durability - what more could you ask? Sure, I knew I still had one Apple Watch to come to complete my trio of 2025 offerings - but because I never reviewed the Watch Ultra 2, it had been a while since I'd worn the big daddy of the range. In short, I needed reminding how incredible the Ultra truly is. In my defence, from everything I read and watched last year, the Ultra 2 really wasn't all that different to the original - it featured a brighter display and a new chip that made it possible to interact with Siri, on-device and that was about it. No excuse though, because the original Ultra was one of the most complete "first-generation" devices I've ever encountered. Enhanced GPS connectivity, extended battery life, the most durable case and display Apple had ever produced... Not to mention entirely new features like the Depth app - also measuring water temperature - and navigation tools like Backtrack. So after a year off, I put the Apple Watch Ultra 3 on and was immediately shocked by how good it is. Although the Ultra 3 uses the same chip as Watch Series 11 and the entry-level Watch SE 3, somehow, it just seems to work even faster and more fluidly. This may be in part due to the significantly upgraded display technology. The very large (for a watch) display is now comprised of wide-angle OLEDs, which means you can read it clearly from almost any angle - perfect for sneaky checking of incoming notifications. It also uses the latest LTPO3 technology which allows variable refresh rates, right down to 1Hz (or once a second). This means big savings on battery life - even when the Watch Ultra is in Always On Display mode. That, in turn, means the possibility of some fun new watch faces, like Exactograph, which has a second hand on AOD mode then expands the seconds display down to fifths-of-seconds when you raise your wrist. Did you hear me mention battery life? Indeed you did. Another significant bump to the already outstanding battery life of the Ultra 2, which was rated for up to 36 hours of general use. Not only does the Watch Ultra 3 give you up to 42 hours "normal" use on a full charge, I can confirm it charges faster than ever too. I like to wear mine to bed for its sleep-tracking features so I pop it on the charger while I'm getting ready. By the time I've brushed my teeth and read a couple of chapters of the latest Dan Brown, the Watch Ultra 3 always seems to be back to at least 95%. Fantastic. Speaking of sleep-tracking, obviously Watch Ultra 3 has all the new (and comprehensive) features we've seen in the other 2025 Apple Watches, courtesy of the very "glassy" WatchOS 26. Ultra has always been a fabulous choice for fitness and health tracking and that's even more true now, thanks to Custom Workouts, Workout Buddy, updated sleep stats, the new hypertension alerts and the introduction of Vitals - kind of an aggregate of everything, so you can keep an eye on your overall wellbeing at a glance. Although the Watch Ultra has always led the way when it comes to satellite connectivity, the 3rd gen version now offers emergency communication via satellite, even when you're out of cellular contact. This could be potentially lifesaving in a country like New Zealand, where for some reason, people like to go off grid. For fun. Not only does the new satellite tech mean you can send an SOS if something goes wrong, Find My now also works via satellite so your location can be shared, no matter how remote it is. This is all dependent on you activating the standalone cellular abilities of the Watch Ultra 3 via an addon plan. Unfortunately, only OneNZ and Spark offer these plans for Apple Watch right now, although it's my understanding 2degrees isn't far off. Starting at NZ$1,599.00, the Watch Ultra 3 is quite an investment - but an investment is exactly what it is. There is simply no other smartwatch out there that delivers quite like this one does - and if you're already an Apple user then the choice is even more obvious. The fact that the original Ultra still measures up and I'm not sure I'd encourage those early adopters to upgrade just yet, doesn't mean there haven't been meaningful enhancements over the last two years. The improvements in battery life, display quality and satellite connectivity are all significant. It's just that testing the new model over the last few weeks has reminded me how amazing the original Ultra was in the first place. Two generations on, still the Watch to beat.      Click here for more information and pricing on the Apple Watch Ultra 3. Wed, 29 Oct 2025 23:34:25 Z /lifestyle/technology/logitech-mx-creative-console-more-shortcuts-to-productivity/ /lifestyle/technology/logitech-mx-creative-console-more-shortcuts-to-productivity/ Here's my attitude to work; I'm against it. So everything I do in life is designed to get my work done so I can spend as much time as possible not working. That doesn't mean I'm not a hard worker. In fact, sometimes it means quite the opposite. If I've got a lot of work to do, I'll work as hard as possible to get rid of it so I can go back to doing nothing. Is that what people mean by "Being Productive?" My point is, if there's anything that can help get me to not-working sooner - even something small - I'll use it. Seconds add up to minutes and even hours... eventually. So how could I resist something that helps me automate tasks I perform over and over again every single day? The Logitech MX Creative Console is not really a single console at all. Rather, it's two separate devices - the MX Creative Dialpad and the MX Creative Keypad. These are connected to your source device via the supplied USB-C cable, plugged into the back of the Keypad. The Keypad and Dialpad connect to each other wirelessly - the Keypad powered by its USB-C connection, the Dialpad by two AAA batteries. I'm not sure how long these batteries are likely to last - there's an on/off switch on the top edge of the Dialpad but I assume (based on no evidence, just a hunch) that like most mice, it probably sleeps automatically when not in use. The MX Creative Keypad also comes with a simple stand, which displays it at a more eyeline-friendly angle than when it is just resting flat on its two rubber runners. Meanwhile, I suppose there's nothing stopping you using the stand for the Dialpad instead - except that would make for extremely bad ergonomics, forcing you to arch your whole hand back to turn the dial. The overall physical setup is very customisable - a hint of what's to come. With each device able to be placed anywhere on your desktop, there's no restriction. Use them side by side, perhaps one on either side of your keyboard - and unlike most mice, it shouldn't make any difference whether you're left or right-handed. The MX Creative Dialpad works very much like a mouse, in fact. Logitech describes its controls as Back and Forward buttons in the top left corner, the Fluid Roller top right. The Contextual Dial is the star of the show, of course, with Left and Right buttons at the bottom corners. But bear in mind, thanks to the Logi Options+ app, each of these controls can be tailor-made to suit your needs.  And the MX Creative Console is designed to suit those needs, even when they change from one app to another. For example, for my default use-case, I have the Dial set to adjust my computer's volume up and down, while the Fluid Roller essentially becomes a vertical scroll wheel, just like on a mouse. But when I'm using Adobe Audition to edit podcasts and other audio for ¾ÅÒ»ÐÇ¿ÕÎÞÏÞtalk ZB, the roller then zooms me in and out, while the dial skips forward or back to the headers of the audio files in my multitrack session. In many ways, the MX Creative Keypad is even more malleable. It has 9 keys, each capable of displaying its own unique, backlit icon and description. As we've seen with other MX Creative devices from Logitech, again, using Logi Options+, you can use any of these keys to do just about anything; launch certain apps, play sounds, control media and yes, my favourite, start a screen recording. If there's a series of things you do routinely all the time, Logi Options+ let's you create a macro - complete with pauses if required - which you can then drag onto one of those keys. Oh, and if 9 keys isn't quite enough, how does 135 sound? Actually, that's just for starters. You can add up to 15 pages of keys for any profile you create - there are two page-turn buttons at the base of the Keypad. Any of the buttons I've mentioned can also fire off the Actions Ring of course - an on-screen display of eight more virtual buttons; maybe a selection of brush sizes or a choice of alternate signatures for your emails. If you're a bit daunted by all the options, not to worry. There are default setups for many apps, especially Adobe editing tools like Photoshop, Premiere Pro and Lightroom - but also other big ones like DaVinci resolve and Final Cut Pro. I love being able to do things like automate the Save Project As function in Adobe Audition - because there's no hotkey already set up for it. If you want to add some extra production elements to your live feed or even just your meetings, that's totally doable too. MX Creative Console has plugins for Twitch, Zoom, Discord and Teams so you can have video clips, pics, graphics and sound effects all cued up and ready to play live. And with plugins for Philips Hue and streaming services like Apple Music and Spotify, you can control your lighting and music - essentially creating your own smart home hub. So if, in the course of your day, you've ever thought to yourself, "I wish I didn't have to do this every single time..." Now you probably don't. Just take whatever that thing is and assign it to a button, roller or dial. It really is that easy to buy yourself a few extra seconds and streamline your workflow.       Click here for more information and pricing on the Logitech MX Creative Console. Tue, 28 Oct 2025 00:12:51 Z /lifestyle/technology/motorola-edge-60-fusion-just-feels-so-elegant/ /lifestyle/technology/motorola-edge-60-fusion-just-feels-so-elegant/ Every now and again I come across a device that really tickles my fancy. It's not necessarily anything logical... It might just be because it's my favourite colour (red, obviously). Or perhaps the controls are in just the right place. Or maybe it just feels particulary nice to use. There was a time - about ten years ago - when curvy phones were all the rage. There were a number of handsets around with displays that flowed around the edges and I loved them. I've always had an irrational aversion to sharp corners and I much prefer something more streamlined. Then, almost as suddenly as they arrived, trends changed and handsets became more boxy again. In fact, as phone cameras became more and more powerful, the boxes started to come with other, smaller boxes attached to them, just for the extra lenses. Yuck. Luckily, sometimes the odd phone still favours curves instead of corners - even in 2025. The motorola edge 60 fusion is one of those handsets. Moreover, its 6.7-inch AMOLED display doesn't just wrap over the sides, it's a quad-curve screen which means the top and bottom taper away too. The display is also a longer-skinnier aspect ratio - 20:9 - which means you can really wrap your hand around the edge 60 fusion to feel the full effect of those curves. While we're discussing the screen, I can tell you it is dazzlingly bright, clear and colourful - but not TOO colourful. Motorola is very big into being Pantone certified for true-to-life colour reproduction - which requires special attention when engineering both camera sensors and tuning the display. I'll have a lot more to say about the cameras shortly but everything looks fabulous on this screen, which is able to produce 4500 nits of HDR peak brightness. Don't worry if you don't know what a nit is, nobody does. What I do know is 4500 is a lot of them, and it means you'll have no issues using the edge 60 fusion out in bright sunshine. The screen also makes up part of the impressive durability equation here, protected by Corning Gorilla Glass 7i - very tough and scratch resistant for a handset in this price range. Add to that IP68 and IP69 ratings against water and dust, the multi-factor MIL-STD-810 rating that means you can essentially take this phone up a mountain or into the desert, and the fact the soft-touch rear panel isn't breakable, like glass, or scratchable, like metal. That rear panel, available in Zephyr (pink) or Slipstream (bluey-grey) also means the edge 60 fusion is far less slippery to hold than many other phones this curvy and instead of a bulky protrusion of camera lenses, the moulded panel sweeps up, ever so slightly, to surround a quadruplet of equal-sized sensors. Unusually, only two of those four sensors are camera lenses; the main shooter is a 50MP wide Sony LYT700C accentuated by a 13MP ultra wide, which also serves as an auto-focussing macro lens for super clear and detailed close-ups. The third porthole houses the flash while the other Motorola describes as a "3-in-1 light sensor." I assume it's this light sensor that facilitates such good camera performance in almost all conditions, bright, dull and even dark. Here's a quick pic I clicked off the other day while walking the dog. I was particularly taken with how blue the sky and the ocean seemed that evening and I hoped the edge 60 fusion would do the view justice... Yup, no complaints there. No issues with the front-facing camera either. 32MP means excellent, high-resolution shooting from a selfie cam, in both photos and videos, as you'll see me demonstrate below. There's also a clever AI Audio setting when filming video that amplifies any audio from the focused section of the video, meaning the dual-mics follow the action. Useful. In fact, moto ai is useful for all sorts of things. Once enabled, it will monitor your usage and keep an eye on incoming notifications when you're not actually using the phone. Then, by simply asking it to, "Catch me up," you'll receive a summary of what you've missed. "Pay attention," prompts moto ai to record and transcribe what's going on right now, pretty useful for meetings or perhaps lectures and training sessions. And you know how you can never remember how to take a screenshot when you really need to? moto ai knows how. Just tell it to, "Remember this." Although this phone isn't capable of the blistering processing speeds on offer from today's highest priced handsets, the edge 60 fusion's MediaTek Dimensity 7300 chip hasn't let me down yet. Often operations like launching and using the camera app can be slow and stuttery on mid-range phones but I just didn't have those issues with this one - probably due to the generous 12GB of RAM - enhanced even further with another 4GB RAM Boost (using available internal storage for an extra performance bump). As you can tell by now, this is a phone I've had no issue using for my everyday device - well, except for one wee niggle; no wireless charging. This is often the first feature to go when trying to get a handset under the $800 mark and sadly, that's been the case here too. Phone-makers will often try to compensate with a big battery and sure enough, the edge 60 fusion's 5200mAh cell seems to last forever between charges. What's less common in this price-range is fast charging. Well, this time you get that too - up to 68W with the right charger. Sadly, that charger isn't in the box but you do get a slimline cover that matches the back panel of the phone and for whatever reason, yes, just like the motorola razr 60 I reviewed recently, the box itself smells wonderful because... why not? Despite its affordable price, the edge 60 fusion over-delivers in many ways, especially in terms of durability and performance. And as for style, you gotta love those curves.      Click here for more information and on the motorola edge 60 fusion. Tue, 21 Oct 2025 23:53:44 Z /lifestyle/technology/apple-iphone-17-pro-max-its-definitely-max/ /lifestyle/technology/apple-iphone-17-pro-max-its-definitely-max/ If you were going to build the perfect phone, where would you start? It's a hard one, isn't it? Everyone has different priorities. For some people, it's all about the camera. If you can't snap a crystal-clear pic of your kid catching their first wave while you're still dry and warm on the beach, the phone is not the one. Actually, speaking of waves and sand and sun, many of you want a phone that can take a beating, preferably without heating. A water-tight device with no cracks or scratches? Yes, please. Other people prioritise more technical things, like processing power and performance. Can your phone edit high definition video AND play the latest AAA-rated mobile games? No? Then go and find me one that can. Then there are the users who just want decent battery life. So I forgot to put it on to charge last night. Why should that be such a big deal? Tick all those boxes off and you're really starting to get somewhere. The Apple iPhone 17 Pro Max might already be there. By all reports, consumers are loving this year's selection of new iPhones and Apple is already setting sales records all over again. I put part of this early success down to the fact there's no doubt the 2025 iPhone range is different to its predecessors and what's more, this year, each model is quite distinct from each other too. (Apart from the 17 Pro and 17 Pro Max, of course - they're essentially the same phone just in two different sizes) I was blown away by the performance and sheer slimness of the new iPhone Air. Even my battery life worries were somewhat unfounded - although, as expected, the camera proved to be slightly limited. Not so much with the base-model iPhone 17 - here the camera array was a big upgrade on previous "vanilla" iPhones. The new A19 chip never raised a sweat and battery life swooped effortlessly into day 2. So that leaves me with the iPhone 17 Pro Max, wondering how much more could it really have to offer, to justify the significant jump in asking price. Well, let's just say, it offers a lot. We'll circle back to the way the new Pro Max feels and looks shortly because the very first thing that really made this handset stand out to me was how fluid and silky smooth it is to use. The A19 Pro chip is, as you'd expect, Apple's fastest and most powerful iPhone chip yet. The Pro version offers more graphics grunt than the A19 in the base model and there's even an extra core in the GPU when compared to the iPhone Air. There's honestly a tangible difference in the way the 17 Pro Max responds to the lightest of touches. Scrolling is lightening-quick. On-screen edits are just that much more accurate. Even AI responses seem to work more promptly. Speaking of "Apple Intelligence" - it's worth remembering the 16-core Neural Engine does much of its work on-device - meaning both faster response times and better data security. Not only does all this happen more efficiently than ever, the 17 Pro Max is more likely to keep working at its maximum potential thanks to an entirely new heat management philosophy. This year, Apple has opted for a forged aluminium unibody, forgoing the previous titanium casing. The aerospace-grade 7000-series aluminium is better at dissipating heat and combines with an all-new vapour chamber to achieve the best thermal stability yet. In short, I don't think I've felt this phone get warm, let alone hot. I'm also about to write something I never thought I would; this iPhone's battery life has got to be one of the best of any phone available - certainly for a handset with this many high-performance, high-drain features. I know I keep going on about how long my day is; during the week I get up at 2:50am for my breakfast radio show and don't go back to bed until around 8:30 each night. The only reason I make that humble brag is to compare how much battery is left on my phone when I pop it on my bedside MagSafe charger. With the iPhone 17 Pro Max, it invariably shows more than 70%, occasionally even into the 80s. For many years, iPhones were the laughing stock when it came to battery life. Clearly, that reputation no longer applies. This is also a difficult device to break. The 6.9-inch Super Retina XDR display looks wonderful - that's no surprise. It's now protected by Ceramic Shield 2, which Apple claims is tougher than any other smartphone glass. Not only is it more scratch resistant, it also reduces reflections and unwanted glare. The 3000nits of peak brightness adds to the equation, resulting in one of the best displays for outdoor use I've ever encountered. The camera system has also been totally reimagined, with not one, not two, but THREE 48MP Fusion Cameras on the back and the same, revolutionary selfie-cam we've seen introduced on the iPhone 17 and iPhone Air. The performance of that triple-sensor primary array is shockingly good. I've been using this phone a while now and I've barely scratched the surface of what those cameras can do. No matter the lighting conditions, or how far away the subject is, there are just so many options to enable you to shoot pro-level pictures and video. With an intimidating range of focal lengths to choose from, Apple likes to describe it as having "8 pro lenses in your pocket" and after trying them out, I'm not even sure this is over-hyping it. Your photos are captured at 24MP by default - pretty high-res. But there's nothing stopping you editing massive 48MP RAW files. In fact, this camera is so groundbreaking, Apple has come up with a whole new video codec; ProRes RAW. Luckily for me, the Camera app in iOS 26 tucks all these expert settings away - unless you desperately want to tweak them yourself - and quite intuitively juggles things around for you. (This is the kind of AI I appreciate the most - the stuff that happens without you asking it to) As I've already discussed in my iPhone Air and iPhone 17 reviews, the industry-shaking square, 18MP Centre Stage front camera can also be set to auto - intelligently zooming in and out and even changing aspect ratios to optimise your selfie game to a whole new level. I could go on forever. Features like Dual Capture and the upgraded digital stabilisation are further evidence the 17 Pro Max's camera performance probably deserves a review all of its own. And this is the problem generally, with the top-of-the-line iPhone in any given year; it's so good, and so feature packed, you'd need a weekly serial of reviews to thoroughly cover it all off. Sounds perfect, right? Well, not quite. It's big. Well, huge actually. I mean, if you're buying the Max it's because you want a big screen anyway. I get that. But it really is quite big and bulky and heavy and then there's the "plateau." So the plateau is a new design element the base-model iPhone 17 doesn't share, although the iPhone Air does. Sort of. On the Air, this new body-wide camera bump doesn't seem anywhere near as pronounced as it is on the 17 Pro or Pro Max. Ironically, the Air's plateau actually protrudes further from the back panel but it's not as tall and the phone itself is obviously much thinner. Much, much, much thinner. The over-thick design of the 17 Pro Max is all about functionality, of course. I get if you want the longest optical zoom of any iPhone camera, an effective vapour cooling system and an unheard-of extension of battery life, you've got to physically put all that somewhere. But I'll just say you definitely know when this thing is in your pocket. And if you add the horrendously thick and unglamorous MagSafe case Apple sent with my review unit to the ensemble, you might not even fit it in your pocket. Luckily, there are other cases out there and as we've already pointed out, as phones go, this one can take a few knocks even without a case. Not sure if you'd want to risk it though. The 17 Pro Max starts at NZ$2,549.00 and if you're planning to edit some of those huge ProRes RAW video files, you'll need to consider the 1TB model at least - or even 2TB at NZ$4,149.00. For that kind of money, you'd think you'd have more colour options than just Silver, Deep Blue or Cosmic Orange. However, as usual for iPhone Pro, it's what's on the inside that really counts. And when it comes to what's inside this year's version, there's never been a phone quite like it.      Click here for more information and pricing on the Apple iPhone 17 Pro Max. Tue, 21 Oct 2025 00:02:31 Z /lifestyle/technology/logitech-g-powerplay-2-and-pro-x-superlight-2c-this-mouse-never-stops/ /lifestyle/technology/logitech-g-powerplay-2-and-pro-x-superlight-2c-this-mouse-never-stops/ In case you were wondering, no, I'm not a professional gamer. You weren't? What was it that gave me away? The fact that I'm a really uncool, 51 year-old dad? Or the way I constantly complain about not even having time to get enough sleep, let alone play computer games? Regardless, I don't have to be a pro to figure out how annoying it would be to have your mouse die on you, mid battle, mid-race or mid-match. It's one of the reasons many serious gamers prefer a wired mouse; they never go flat. Although, that's not a perfect solution either, because that very wire can also be a bit inhibiting when it comes to unrestricted movement of your mouse. What to do? What to do? Trust Logitech G to come up with a solution. The POWERPLAY 2 is one of my favourite types of gadget; a simple idea elegantly executed. What if you could charge your mouse wirelessly, while you're using it? Sounds easy, right? After all, wireless charging pads have been around for years. Why not a mouse pad that charges too? Well, it must be harder than it sounds, because while there are various desk pads out there with a specific area to charge devices like phones and earbuds, Logitech G seems to be the only brand that teams its wireless mice with a charging surface. Before you even get to the charging part, the POWERPLAY 2 is a very nice mouse pad in its own right. At 344 x 284mm, it's large without being inconveniently unwieldy. It's less than 4mm thick and the rubberised underside will never slip once in place. A large mouse pad is essential if you have a multi-display or wide-screen monitor set-up - it means you can instantly manoeuvre around the screen without having to lift and re-centre your mouse all the time. As far as the charging side of things goes, it's an incredibly simple, two-step process. The POWERPLAY 2 comes with its own wireless charging coin in the box. Assuming you're using a compatible Logitech G mouse, you simply flip its base coin off and replace it with the POWERPLAY 2 version, which is magnetically held in place. Then it's just a matter of plugging in, via the 1.8m USB cable. This doesn't have to connect to your laptop or PC - there's nothing "smart" about it, it's literally just a power supply. The good news is, that cable should be plenty long enough to reach just about anywhere you need it to. The less-good news is that the plug is USB-A - not USB-C. I thought everything was supposed to be USB-C these days - especially in the world of charging. Oh well, hopefully you can find somewhere to slot it into. You'll know its working because there's a tiny LED on the front edge of the control module that lights up white to tell you. And that's it. All you need now is a mouse. That's where the PRO X SUPERLIGHT 2c comes in, just one of at least ten different Logitech G options that all feature that swappable coin in the base. This is probably the only one that weighs in at just 51 grams though. That's practically nothing. When I first unboxed it, I thought I'd been sent some kind of dummy or mock-up. The PRO X SUPERLIGHT 2c honestly feels like they forgot to put anything inside it. Ironically, that couldn't be further from the truth. Not only is there a hybrid system of optical and physical switching in there, you can even store the LIGHTSPEED USB wireless dongle under the charging coin for safekeeping. That dongle is the also larger USB-A size - which again, seems weird to me when many laptops these days only have USB-C ports, but at least Logitech G puts an adapter in the box so you can use the included charging cable as a USB-C extension. Apart from charge anxiety, other issues gamers have with wireless mice are lag and interference. These simply don't seem to be a problem with Logitech G's LIGHTSPEED connection - the 8kHz polling rate may as well be instantaneous and they've gone to great lengths to test their wireless protocols in tournament settings to ensure there's no risk of interference. Take it from me, I have a lot of wireless gadgets on and around my desk but the PRO X SUPERLIGHT 2c hasn't missed a beat yet. You'll also find a set of customised grip tape pads to stick on for extra performance in hot and sweaty situations, although I've found the matte surface of the PRO X SUPERLIGHT 2c to be pretty grippy anyway. As opposed to the silky smooth PTFE feet or "skates" that take up a large percentage of the base of the mouse. Combined with the almost frictionless surface of the POWERPLAY 2 mouse pad, you'll be flying around faster than ever. Especially since the HERO 2 sensor can be wound up so high, you'd need the reflexes of a young cobra to control it. Speaking of which, if you've come to like the sensitivity settings of the mouse you're currently using - perhaps you're only upgrading for the wireless charging or the overall physical design of the PRO X SUPERLIGHT 2c - the Logitech G HUB app let's you port those settings across to your new mouse, as I've demonstrated in the video below. And of course, like all Logitech G-series mice, there's no end of shortcuts, actions and macros you can assign to each button through G-Hub - from launching your screen recorder, to a more complicated sequence of commands that might be unique to certain games. These settings can be saved as separate profiles within the app, or to one of five available slots on the mouse itself - which could be handy if you're planning on using it with different devices. I'll finish up by saying how surprised I was by this mouse. To look at, it doesn't appear to be that different to most other mice. But once I started using it, it wasn't long before I discovered the benefits of Logitech's hundreds of hours working with some of the world's top esports athletes, to hone the design and come up with one of the most comfortable, compact - and certainly the lightest - mice I've ever used. This is one of those devices you eventually become unaware of as you use it, almost as though it's an extension of your own hand. An extension you never have to charge either.      Click here for more information and pricing on the Logitech G POWERPLAY 2 wireless charging system. Click here for more information and pricing on the Logitech G PRO X SUPERLIGHT 2c wireless gaming mouse. Sun, 19 Oct 2025 23:39:36 Z /lifestyle/technology/apple-airpods-pro-3-ticking-every-box/ /lifestyle/technology/apple-airpods-pro-3-ticking-every-box/ The problem with reviewing as many earbuds as I do is that you get very fussy about what you're prepared to stick in your ears. In this department, Apple got off to a pretty slow start with me. In its original, one-size-fits-all approach, the first AirPods were pretty much the opposite  of what I was looking for; yes, the open fit was comfortable and the sound quality was good, but there wasn't really anything going on it terms of noise cancellation and that's just one feature I'm not prepared to compromise on. Those first couple of generations were also anything but a snug fit and while many Apple fans convinced themselves they preferred that to having their ear canals hermetically sealed off with silicone ear-tips, I preferred not to have one of my buds bobble out when I least expected it, only to be run over by the very bus I was waiting for. That actually happened, by the way. It wasn't an Apple AirPod that got flattened, but a similarly loose-fitting example. Then the first AirPods Pro came along and things started getting interesting. Having realised it's very tricky to cancel noise electronically if some is leaking in around the AirPod itself, Apple pivoted and stuck on a couple of in-ear silicone buds to block out as much as they could. Okay, Apple. You've got my attention. Now, two generations later, I'm experiencing the best ANC I've never heard. The Apple AirPods Pro 3 don't look wildly different to their predecessors but a close inspection reveals a slightly more elongated design that twists the ear-tip a little further into your ear canal. That may sound a little intrusive to you in-ear skeptics out there but trust me, these may actually be the most comfortable AirPods yet. That's not just because of the new shape. There's also an extra size of ear-tip included in the box, so now there are five sizes to choose from; XXS, XS, S, M and L. In even better news, instead of including a set of foam tips, as some other manufacturers do, Apple has opted to incorporate foam into the silicone tips themselves. The advantage of foam is it can squash right into your ear then expand into every tiny nook and cranny, creating a secure fit and blocking outside noise like you wouldn't believe. The disadvantage is foam tips don't last long and are very hard to keep clean. By infusing silicone tips with foam, Apple has ingeniously found a way to give you the best of both worlds; a tight yet comfortable, soundproof fit that's still durable and easy-clean. Surprisingly, there's been no chip upgrade for the AirPods Pro 3 - in fact several models now use the H2 chip. However, there's obviously been plenty of tweaking going on - not just with the physical design but also an update to new "ultra-low-noise" microphones resulting in twice the noise cancellation of the AirPods Pro 2. I have no idea how you objectively measure how much noise is being cancelled but in all honesty, I think Apple are underselling how good the ANC now is. In the video below, I talk about how little wind noise I was hearing on one of Auckland's gustiest days of the year. You kind of get the idea by how difficult it was to hear what I was saying. I certainly couldn't hear what I was saying, I had the ANC turned on. You can opt for a more transparent, adaptive audio soundscape if you want to let in a certain amount of the outside world and AirPods Pro 3 also has Conversation Awareness mode that lowers the volume of what you're listening to, and everything in the background, when it detects you're trying to talk to someone close to you. As for how these things sound... "Never Had the Balls" by Rex Orange County is an appropriately bouncy wee track, packed with quirky electronic beats and multi-tracked falsetto backing vocals. This is the kind of song that can sound muddy, toppy and low-fi (in a bad way) on the wrong set of ear speakers. But the Airpods Pro 3's new design allows enough actual, physical space for big bass tones to pound away while the more delicate, upper frequencies ping around your head, just as the producer intended. This effect is even more apparent on P!nk's "Hurts 2B Human" featuring Khalid. There are several big bass drops that make surprise appearances on such a tender duet. That ability to create space for every instrument and vocal track, combined with Apple's latest adaptive EQ efforts mean that deep, deep bass is huge - but it in no way overwhelms the rest of the elements. You want Lossless Dolby Atmos? Have a listen to "Hammer" off Lorde's latest album. The rotating, sweeping, 3D effects are difficult to describe but easy to appreciate with the AirPods Pro 3. I've been using AirPods when watching content on my Apple TV for a while now, and the listening experience with these latest ones is a whole level up again. On a program like the Morning Show, the sound mixing is key - there's a lot going on, especially in the scenes when they're broadcasting live and the action switches from on-camera to control room to behind the scenes and to other locations where the show is being watched. The AirPods Pro 3 do a sensational job of placing the dialogue, sound effects and music tracks in all the right places so you don't miss a word. In fact, as we've discussed before, the latest few editions of AirPods can now literally test your hearing and then be used as hearing aids, so you don't miss any words in the real world either. Another interesting addition in the AirPods Pro 3 is the heart-rate sensor - which is great news for Apple exercisers who don't currently wear a Watch. I've read some very positive reports about the accuracy of having a sensor in each ear - enhanced even further if you do have an Apple Watch. AirPods Pro 3 are now rated IP57 for sweat and water resistance, making them the most durable AirPods to date. Add that secure, snug fit to the equation and they're pretty much the perfect workout option. By now you've probably heard about the live translation thing. This feature is still in beta and right now, there are only a few languages supported but yes, technically you can fire up the Live Translation app and hear Siri interpret for you. I've tested this a little and at the moment it's a bit frustrating. The app only seems to record for short periods if the speaker pauses for any time at all, which doesn't work very well if you're listening to a long speech, or perhaps a detailed description of the famous landmark or work of art you've travelled to see. Also, there's quite a delay. For some reason, you get the text translation on-screen before Siri starts reading it to you. So we're not quite at natural conversation level yet. But that's the only feature I've found that doesn't (yet) deliver on its promise. Take battery life, for example. Although the charging case actually provides less total listening time than AirPods Pro 2, the AirPods Pro 3 themselves last longer on a full charge - up to 8 hours with ANC enabled, that's two hours more than before. The sound quality was already great. Now it's nearing perfection. The heart sensors are useful and the new physical design and foam-infused ear-tips provide one of the most secure, comfortable fits I've ever encountered. As for the ANC? I hope I've made it clear how good I think it is. How times have changed.      Click here for more information and pricing on the Apple AirPods Pro 3. Wed, 15 Oct 2025 23:33:23 Z /lifestyle/technology/dyson-airwrap-co-anda-2x-licensed-to-style/ /lifestyle/technology/dyson-airwrap-co-anda-2x-licensed-to-style/ Remember when Dyson launched the original Airwrap in 2018? Hot off the success of the Dyson Supersonic hair dryer, suddenly this was the must-have hairstyling accessory everyone was talking about. Well... everyone with hair, anyway. Even blokes who had no interest in - or indeed any use for - a tool that could produce salon-style curves and waves in just a few minutes, soon learned they'd be very popular with the long-haired ladies in their life if an Airwrap found its way under the Christmas tree that year. It turns out, moving streams of either fluid or air have a tendency to attach to curved surfaces, pulling other things into their slipstream with them. By harnessing the power of the Coandӑ effect, Dyson literally invented a whole new way to style hair and boy, was it popular.  But Dyson has never been a company to rest on its laurels. Over the proceeding years some minor updates have been made but now there's a whole new game in town. And it comes in a beautiful presentation box.  The latest Dyson Airwrap is called the Airwrap Co-anda 2x - and that box is just full of surprises. It's a large box, with a luxurious, soft-touch feel to it. Not only will it keep the new Airwrap and its associated accessories safe inside, the upturned lid becomes a velvet-covered beauty console, complete with a little stand for your smartphone. That's not so you can keep up-to-date with your social feeds. The idea is to pair with your new Airwrap Co-anda 2x via the MyDyson app. Not only will the app then serve you a selection of instructional videos on how to get the most out of your new styling toy, it will literally guide you, step by step, if that's what you need. I've unleashed a few willing volunteers on the Airwrap Co-anda 2x and they all assure me, without exception, you'll definitely need a few tips and pointers. After all, if you want your hair to look like it's been styled by a pro, you're going to have to learn one or two actual techniques. At least the Airwrap Co-anda 2x is light, well-balanced and its oval profile is extremely comfortable to hold, so you won't get a tired arm while you figure out how to use it. Especially since there are more attachments included than ever before - and these have been dramatically reimagined too. To begin with, there's not one but two curling barrels, a 30mm and a 40mm option. Improving on the original Airwrap, these barrels (like the more recently updated ones) are bi-directional; a simple twist at the top changes the direction of the air-flow so your curls don't end up going the same way on both sides. (This is a major fashion faux pas. Everyone knows that). The curling barrels are now straight cylinders, not cone-shaped as before. This means you can curl more hair at once, more evenly. And obviously, using the larger 40mm barrel means looser, more wave-like curls. There are two styling brushes; First, the round volumising brush 2x, to help you plump up your style without the frizz you'd encounter with old-fashioned teasing. Dyson has tapered the bristles so you can focus the brush's attention on one section of your hair at a time. Secondly, the anti-snag loop brush 2x let's you pull your style into shape without pulling uncomfortably on your scalp. It's all thanks to Dyson's clever little loop bristles. Because great hair shouldn't give you a headache. Before I started reviewing Dyson hair care products, I didn't know what a flyaway was. In fact, I'd never even heard of them. What an amateur! Now I'm experienced enough to know these are those rogue hairs that just won't fall in line with the rest, ruining your otherwise pristine do. Unless you use the Airsmooth2x attachment, of course. This is kind of like a set of mini-straighteners - except without the searing hot heat-plates - so no risk of scorching your lovely locks. Instead, a precisely controlled dual-flow of high-speed air forces those rogue flyaways back into line, resulting in a healthy, shiny and above all, smooth finish. But it's the new fast dryer 2x that's caused the most comment, because it's just so damn good. The Dyson Hyperdymium 2 motor provides twice the air pressure - thus the 2x on the end of everything. That means you can now dry your hair faster than ever, still at tightly regulated temperatures to prevent any damage. Each attachment is RFID chipped so the Airwrap can remember exactly which setting you used last time around. Still, it's curls you came for and it's curls you shall have. But as I mentioned earlier, it will take a bit of practice and perseverance.  As clever as the Airwrap Co-anda 2x is, it can't do everything for you. More attachments means more techniques to learn but don't worry, the MyDyson app has you covered. From what I've seen in my observation of my test subjects in action, it's a good idea to master as much of what the new Airwrap has to offer before you let your 20-something daughters have a go. Their youthful ability to pick up new technology and make it work perfectly on their first attempt is impressive - but also infuriating and annoying. From what I've seen, anyway. You may not be aware, but Dyson now also has a range of oils, creams, sprays and serums to help you achieve an even greater range of styles - the right combination of which will undoubtedly assist in solving the one general complaint my test subjects have had to offer; the curls don't stay in. I've tried giving advice. "Did you leave your hair slightly damp before styling?" I have asked, helpfully, "Are you sure you used a blast of cold air to set the curls in place?" "That happens automatically," I was told. In no uncertain terms. It seems I might be somewhat out of my depth here. All I know is, everyone now looks very beautiful and I think the Airwrap Co-anda 2x definitely had something to do with it.      Click here for more information and pricing on the Dyson Airwrap Co-anda 2x. Wed, 15 Oct 2025 00:02:46 Z /lifestyle/technology/apple-watch-series-11-no-major-shake-up-still-the-best/ /lifestyle/technology/apple-watch-series-11-no-major-shake-up-still-the-best/ There are many reasons why I consider Apple Watch to be the best smartwatch available. The interchangeable bands are genius. The rotating crown is useful. Even the simple fact it has a square display means information is shown in a more familiar and easier-to-consume way than on smartwatches that use a round face. Lastly, what many people consider to be Apple Watch's greatest downside, is actually the best thing about it... It still only works within the Apple ecosystem. You can't pair an Apple Watch with any phone that isn't an iPhone. So yes, of course, if you're not an iPhone user, that's a bummer. But if you are, then you know that like every other Apple product, the Watch will just work. Flawlessly. Notifications will appear reliably and in a timely fashion. You can reply to emails, texts and messages. Media controls won't just mysteriously stop working for no reason. And when it comes to interacting with other Apple gadgets, what a delight. Turn your lights on and off with your Watch. Start an Apple Fitness workout on your Apple TV with your Watch. Unlock your Mac with your Watch. Sync all your health, fitness and sleep data to your iPhone with your Watch. Apple's (essentially) closed system means a controlled system - if they can't make a feature work first time, every time, it stays in Beta. So when the Watch Series 11 launched last month and some critics claimed it hadn't changed much from last year's model, I said, "Good." Apple Watch Series 11 is available in four aluminium finishes and three polished titanium options, although you could definitely argue the seven colour choices are somewhat muted this year, most of them varying shades of silver or gold - with the exception of the Jet Black option. Although I don't mind a reasonably chunky bit of wrist-wear, a large, heavy timepiece isn't everyone's cup of tea, so it's great to see Apple has kept the design as slim and light as the Series 10 - so it's still the thinnest Apple Watch we've seen. This is made more impressive by the fact the Ion-X glass covering the display on the aluminium models is bonded with a new ceramic coating, making it twice as scratch resistant than the Series 10 faces were. With the introduction of "Liquid Glass" in iOS 26, making the icons on your iPhone's home screen look transparent and 3D, Apple has replicated those effects in WatchOS 26, and there are some rather beguiling new watch-faces that really take advantage of that eye-catching effect. If you had any doubts about how much more dazzling the display is on the Series 11 when compared to its much less expensive stablemate, the SE 3, let me lay those to rest. The useable part of the screen stretches right to where the edges curve away, so there are almost no visible bezels at all. In fact, the general curviness of the device makes it so comfortable to wear to bed for sleep tracking, I'm hardly aware I'm wearing it at all. Another important element of using your watch for sleep tracking is the battery. I used to just put whatever smartwatch I was using on to charge overnight. Now, with Apple claiming up to 24 hours "normal use" on a single charge, I typically just top it off just before bed and thanks to fast-charging, the Series 11 is usually close to 100% by the time I'm ready to put it on again and go to sleep. While you're sleeping is when a lot of the Series 11 health tracking kicks in too - not just detecting how long you spend in each sleep stage but also monitoring for sleep apnoea and unusual fluctuations in wrist temperature. You can check all these stats out on the Apple Health app in the morning. But this year's big Apple Watch breakthrough is Hypertension Notifications. Don't ask me how this works exactly, because you can't actually take a specific blood-pressure reading using the Series 11. However, after you've entered 14 days of BP information, compatible Apple Watches can then monitor for abnormally high blood pressure and notify you that you might be experiencing hypertension. That's great peace-of-mind for someone like me, with a family history. Apart from the Liquid Glass business, WatchOS 26 isn't a wild departure from the previous version, although I certainly appreciate the little tweaks Apple has made to the workout screens and you now have the option of rating how challenging you found your workout - more useful data that I assume contributes to the new "Vitals" section in Apple Health - an overall summary of your health and fitness trends that grows more accurate over time and can alert you if things start going off the rails. A lot of these new tricks and features are thanks in no small part to the latest S10 chip, which powers all three of the Apple Watch models launched in September. With its 64-bit dual-core processor, 4-core Neural Engine and 64GB of built-in storage, you could be forgiven for assuming I'd just listed the specs of a phone, not a watch. Of course, the cellular variants of Apple Watch Series 11 basically work like they're an independent phone anyway, especially with the improved, dual antenna design. More and more New Zealand carriers are introducing inexpensive addon-plans for cellular-enabled smartwatches, and from my experience, it's very freeing to be able to leave your phone behind when you're off exercising or walking the dog. As you can tell, I'm a fan. Even so, I'm not going to try and convince to upgrade if you only just bought a Series 10 Apple Watch from last year. The 2025 model is an upgrade - but I wouldn't have thought the tougher screen, new chip and improved battery life would compel many people to trade up. On the other hand, if you're still rocking something from 2023 or before, it might just be time to treat yourself to some new wrist candy.      Click here for more information and pricing on the Apple Watch Series 11. Sun, 12 Oct 2025 23:38:23 Z /lifestyle/technology/motorola-razr-60-come-for-the-bend-stay-for-the-ai/ /lifestyle/technology/motorola-razr-60-come-for-the-bend-stay-for-the-ai/ I know we should probably be taking them for granted by now, but I still find bendy phones a bit of a novelty. And that's coming from a guy who's reviewed a fair few of them. In many ways, I feel like 2025 is the year they really started to come of age, moving from the category of pricey gimmick, with limited real-world specs, into a more mainstream, well set up, productive tool. If you're considering a new phone, now's the time to consider a foldable - not just because it bends in the middle, but because it's just a good phone. A fine example is the motorola razr 60 - a handset I was determined to judge objectively as a phone first, then a clamshell foldable second. I need to start with the box. Have you ever heard the expression, "There's nothing like the smell of a brand new phone?" No, of course you haven't. Why would anyone say that? Well, it turns out, Motorola literally adds a "Signature Packaging Fragrance" to enhance the unboxing experience, so the razr 60 definitely makes an impression before you even start flipping and calling. It's available in Parfait Pink and Gibraltar Sea (dark blue) and you'll find a matching cover/bumper in the box. Initially I used this extra layer of protection but eventually I felt like it made the phone look and feel cheap and plasticky, so I took it off again. Although this means I run the risk of having to explain a damaged review unit when I send it back to Motorola, at least I feel cool when I slip it out my pocket to use it. Besides, the razr 60 is more durably constructed than ever before; a stronger, titanium-based hinge plate, Corning Gorilla Glass Victus protecting the external display and an easy-grip, soft-touch faux-leather back panel, embossed with reflective Motorola and razr logos. I'm a fan of the Motorola UI, because it's about as close to the stock Android 15 OS as you can get. Very little bloat and the settings are comprehensive without being overwhelming. However, unlike some other brands, I always find setting up a new Motorola is a bit more of a mission. You can transfer some settings, files and apps from your previous device but I was frustrated to discover not all my apps installed automatically and very few were pre-logged in for me when I opened them. But if you're looking for AI options, you've definitely come to the right place. Motorola parks its own moto ai prompt on screen as a floating button (assuming you decide to use it). This means interactive AI is always just a tap away, no matter which app or browser window you have open.  As far as I'm concerned, right now there's two types of AI available to you on most premium smartphones; one is this kind - where you consciously have to summon it, like a genie from a bottle. On the razr 60, this option gets confusing quickly because depending on what's on your screen, you're met with several inquiry prompts including the option to use Co-pilot Vision or perhaps to "Ask Perplexity." To muddy things even more, as an Android device, you also have the option to use Google's AI, Gemini, as your virtual assistant and general font of all knowledge. So is moto ai it's own entity? Or just a portal to other AI services? Maybe both. You see, the second type of AI is much less in-your-face. It's the AI that works away in the background, assisting you with your photos and videos without you even realising it. Taking note of your interactions and notifications so when you ask it to, "Catch Me Up" it knows what you mean and is able to sift through the spam, advertising and other fluff to provide you with information you actually need. I'm sure, in time, I can keep fiddling with moto ai's settings to make it a little less intrusive and a lot more productive. Let's just say I can assure you the razr 60 has all the AI options you could currently ask for - an then some. None of that works without the right chip, of course. Although the MediaTek Dimensity 7400X chip is not the latest or greatest currently on the market, the "X" in its name means it's been specifically tweaked to run folding handsets like this one as efficiently and smoothly as possible - and that's certainly been my experience. Features like face unlock and the fingerprint reader work so fast, most times the phone has opened to the home screen before I've thought about unlocking it. That applies to both displays by the way, and here, I will have to wax lyrical for a bit about my favourite feature on the razr 60; the external display. While the pOLED outer screen is only 3.6-inches and some of it is obscured by the twin lenses of the primary camera array, you can still use it just like any other phone screen. For some reason, other clamshell folding phone producers insist on limiting the functionality of their external displays to showing the odd notification and giving you a limited choice of device-specific widgets to interact with.  I've never understood that. If I want to open my browser and scroll down a web page on my 3.6-inch screen, I should be allowed to. After all, it's my screen. If it's not a very satisfying experience, guess what? I probably won't do it again and I'll open the razr 60 up and use the 6.9-inch internal display instead. But I should at least have the choice. That's exactly what the razr 60 offers; the choice to use the small, outer screen however you want. Rotate it. Put widgets on it. Reply to emails with it. Whatever. Of course, the true advantage of this form factor is the ability to use that main camera to shoot selfie. The razr 60 has now added a fun "Photo Booth" option that fires off a series of four shots, one every three seconds, then compiles them in a snapshot-style collage. Motorola is also pretty proud of its gesture-based video controls; wave to start shooting, close your fist and hold to pause, or just show your fist to stop recording. You see? This is that behind-the-scenes AI at work. The razr 60 is a phone full of little tricks like that; give the phone a little double twist and the camera app opens. Double-tap the back of the phone to launch your choice of customisable shortcut. But back to the cameras. Those two outside lenses are a 50MP main shooter and a 13MP Ultra-Wide, giving you a selection of 24mm, 35mm or 50mm options for portraits, sharp macro shooting and decent optical zoom. Here are a couple of shots using different zooms and lenses... Interestingly, the razr 60 is very well equipped when it comes to the internal selfie-cam too. The 32MP sensor provides incredibly clear footage in all lighting conditions. Selfie videos can be taken at 30fps and 60fps in FHD, or 30fps in 4K.  There are also a few other interesting camera options like Dual Capture and Tilt Shift - the latter creating interesting effects with light and mixed focus. Or you can shoot video in handy-cam mode - with the phone open at right-angles. This is fun to do but despite the more robust redesign of the hinge, I would have preferred one that's a bit stiffer. I found it didn't really stay at the angle I wanted it to, especially if I was on the move. Battery life from the 4,500mAh battery is terrific. I guess that might be because a lot of time you're using the device, you're doing it on the smaller, external display. I also love that you can charge wirelessly at 15W. See? There's a lot more to this handset than just the fact it folds - although it does that very well too. If you thought foldables were just a fad, it's time to think again.      Click here for more information on the motorola razr 60. Fri, 10 Oct 2025 00:15:18 Z /lifestyle/technology/apple-iphone-17-as-close-to-pro-as-you-can-go/ /lifestyle/technology/apple-iphone-17-as-close-to-pro-as-you-can-go/ In the wake of September's massive launch of Apple devices, I sense a trend. The base model devices and even the "entry-level" Apple Watch SE 3 are almost too good. Not too good for the consumer. Too good for Apple's more premium, Pro and Ultra offerings. What I mean by that is we now seem to be getting more high-end features than ever for a lot less cash. The iPhone 17 is a classic case in point. In fact, for a start, the base model even offers more colours. The iPhone Air comes in four colours, while the 17 Pro and 17 Pro Max only come in three. With the iPhone 17, you get to choose between Lavender, Sage, Mist Blue, White and Black - that's five options, although as I pointed out in my iPhone Air review, the Black one is more of a reflective gun-metal than plain black. My review unit is Sage, and I've been reliably informed by my resident Gen-Z consultant that it looks very pretty. Certainly, the new green, purple and blue options lean towards the subtle, pastel end of the scale. The 6.3-inch Super Retina XDR display is protected by Apple's latest Ceramic Shield 2, which bonds to the glass at an atomic level. That certainly sounds very impressive and allegedly makes the screen harder to scratch than ever before. It's brighter - so no problems using outside in the sunshine - especially when there's a new level of anti-reflection built into the screen as well. For the first time, the base model iPhone sports a 120Hz, ProMotion display, so you'll get the same, silky smooth response only Pro-users have enjoyed up until now. Not only does this make navigating the new iOS 26 user interface as fluid as its "Liquid Glass" moniker suggests, but mobile gamers will really notice the upgrade. That also means this is the first base-model iPhone to offer Always On Display - so you can keep an eye on incoming notifications while it's sitting on your desk. Another follow-on effect of the display upgrade is that the iPhone 17 will now display a bedside clock in StandBy mode if you're charging it in landscape. Surely all this extra screen-on time must seriously eat into your battery life? Remember when non-iPhone owners used to make fun of "Apple people" for their handsets' appalling battery life? These days, that issue has been well and truly put to bed. Not only will the iPhone 17 coast through a heavy day, with AOD activated - if you use the right charger it'll juice up super fast too. But perhaps the number one reason this year's base-model iPhone feels so Pro is the camera setup. You get not one but two 48MP Fusion cameras on the back, which means the option of incredible high-res images, not to mention crystal clear 2x telephoto zoom and fantastically well-balanced Ultra Wide shots. It's the selfie cam that could be the real star here though. This year, all the iPhones feature an 18MP Centre Stage front-facing camera which now houses a square sensor. The squareness gives you the ability to change the aspect-ratio of the shot in real time. This makes shooting a 16:9 landscape selfie video much easier because you no longer have to hold the handset sideways. Apple has now brought Dual Capture to iPhone too, utilising both front and rear cameras so you can record your reaction to your subject simultaneously. And as part of Apple Intelligence in iOS 26, the selfie camera will now automatically detect how many people are in shot and adjust the zoom accordingly, to fit you all in. I tested this out at the theatre the other night and it was so refreshing to be able to just line up the shot, point and shoot and end up with a perfectly framed, low-light pic. That seems to be the way Apple is going with its AI features. Rather than bash you over the head with them, they're just there, quietly working away in the background without you having to physically summon them with a particular button or dedicated app. That's what iOS 26 is all about; harnessing the sheer power and efficiency of the new A19 chip to run this phone in the way that suits you best. That starts with cosmetic things like the much-vaunted Liquid Glass makeover of the app icons and widgets - I have mine tinted red obviously - then leads to a host of AI tweaks that make your day more productive in countless ways. For example, take the way Apple Intelligence prioritises things for me. It started by separating my emails into different categories so I could focus on the important ones and leave the fluff till later. Now my messages and notifications are all prioritised, sorted and summarised too. Nothing makes you feel more productive than ignoring a bunch of advertising and subscription updates. If the base model is this good, I can only imagine what's in store for me with the iPhone 17 Pro Max. But that's another review for another day. In the meantime, I couldn't be happier with the plain old iPhone 17... because there really isn't anything plain about it. Click here for more information and pricing on the Apple iPhone 17. Wed, 08 Oct 2025 00:15:31 Z /lifestyle/technology/dyson-pencilvac-fluffycones-silly-name-serious-clean/ /lifestyle/technology/dyson-pencilvac-fluffycones-silly-name-serious-clean/ It's a problem as old as vacuum cleaners themselves. In fact, I assume it dates back to the manual floor-sweeping machines that came before them. Tangles. If you, or someone close to you has hair of any length, sooner or later some of it's going to end up on the floor. If you have some hairy breed of pet, they're also contributing to your vacuum cleaner's next tangly ambush. But it's just the physics of floor cleaning, right? If you have a rotating brush of any kind, tangles are just an inevitable part of it. Well, not according to Dyson. The PencilVac Fluffycones is a hard-floor cleaner like you've never seen before. How many times has Dyson caused us to say, "Like you've never seen before," over the years? As usual, the fabled Dyson engineering team has taken the tangle problem, and instead of adapting current technology to it, they've essentially built a solution starting from scratch. Well, not quite. We have seen a couple of recent Dyson products with tangle-free heads and they seem to work one of two different ways. Some heads are fitted with a special comb that pulls hair from the brush before it can get all wrapped up but then there's the second, even more elegant solution. Telling the hair to get screwed. Much like an Archimedes screw, the device he invented to get water to flow uphill, Dyson looked to a rotating cone to force long hair to one end of the brush head where it gets sucked away. But why have just one cone when you can have four? Now you begin to understand what makes the PencilVac Fluffycones so good at its job. The four cones have been mounted in pairs and the mechanical head rotates them towards each other, so there's no escape for any dust, dirt and yes, hair. Long hairs are simply "coned" out to the edges of the brush head where they can be sucked up by the startling power of Dyson's fastest motor yet. But why just solve one problem at a time? What about cleaning the edges of your floor? In my experience, the only way to vacuum along skirting boards is to use some kind of specific brush attachment and that's probably after you've already scratched the paintwork with years of vacuum heads running pointlessly along it. The Fluffycones are indeed fluffy - and they stick out slightly past the brush head housing so you CAN actually butt them up against the skirting, leaving no corner unvacuumed. Problem three? How about how heavy and bulky conventional stick vacuums are? Sure, they may come with attachments for brushing away cobwebs from walls, ceilings and light fittings, but have you ever tried waving one around over your head for any length of time? Which is why Dyson made this the world's thinnest vacuum. The handle, battery and dustbin is just 38mm in diameter - about the same as Dyson's Supersonic and Airwrap haircare devices. One reason hairdressers and consumers love using those tools so much is how light and comfortable they are to hold - even for long periods of time. So yet again, Dyson has completely reinvented the form-factor of a stick vacuum so it's essentially the size and shape of a broom handle. Unfortunately, that means the dustbin only has a 0.08 litre capacity, which would be an issue except thanks to that groundbreakingly fast hyperdymium motor, the bin fills from the top down, with the contents compacted by a continuous blast of compressed air. This not only means you can fit more icky stuff into less space, it also results in much less dust when you empty it out. Oh... about that; yet another problem solved. Bagless vacuums of the past always seem like a good idea right up until you open them over your bin, attempt to shake the contents out and end up having to dig half of the mess out with your fingers, while a helpful breeze blows all the dust back in your face. The PencilVac Fluffycones eliminates those hazards with its unique "syringe" emptying system. It literally squeezes the contents of the dustbin down into the tube when you slide it open - then it falls gracefully into the bin without ever touching my delicate digits. So it's tangle-free. It's slim. It's light. And there's absolutely no mess when it comes to emptying. What more can you ask for? Well... it's probably the most flexible head of any vacuum I've ever used. It rotates 360° and because the Fluffycones spin towards each other, it can be used in any direction.  The head is also equipped with green LED lights front and back (if there IS a front or a back) so you can detect every speck of dust, every crumb and every strand of hair. When it comes to hard floors, the Dyson PencilVac Fluffycones certainly cleans up. The funny thing is, because Dyson is essentially my personal benchmark for great design, there are a couple of things that have made me ask, "Why haven't they done this as well?" The first thing I'd like to see is even more ability to get under things. Dyson claims the Fluffycones head will reach under anything more than 95mm off the ground - which is crazy - but in fact, the head itself is even slimmer. If the handle joint - which, as we've established, is probably the most flexible I've ever seen - if it could somehow lie down flush with the head itself, there wouldn't be many pieces of furniture you couldn't vacuum under. The next thing I'd change if I could would be an extra set of controls on the other side of the handle. This is because the PencilVac is so manoeuvrable, you end up holding the handle "backwards" about half the time. That means I often reach for the power button, only to find it isn't there and I have to twist everything around again to get at it. By the same token, the magnetic charging stand also only works one way - and it never seems to be the way I first attempt to dock the PencilVac - so again, another twist is required. I'm sounding high-maintenance now, aren't I? So one more then; I would also like to be able to leave it standing upright in the middle of the floor, without having to lean it against anything. When you're moving mats and small pieces of furniture out of the way to clean under them, it's kind of annoying to have to lie the PencilVac down on the floor or lean it against a wall - especially because being so twisty and turny, it's actually quite difficult to lean it against the wall without the totally round handle sliding down and clattering to the floor anyway. Please, Dyson engineers - if you're reading this, don't take these comments as complaints, take them as suggestions for the next model. If your past performance is anything to go by, you've probably thought of all this stuff anyway and you're already working on the next prototype.           Click here for more information and pricing on the Dyson PencilVac Fluffycones cleaner. Tue, 07 Oct 2025 03:39:49 Z /lifestyle/technology/apple-watch-se-3-worthy-of-your-consideration/ /lifestyle/technology/apple-watch-se-3-worthy-of-your-consideration/ If you're reading this it's likely you... a) Have never owned a smartwatch before and you're wondering where to start. b) Are considering upgrading from an older Apple Watch and you're checking out all the options. Or... c) You're just an uber-fan of mine, you really dig my writing style and you'll read pretty much anything I publish. Okay, option c) isn't all that likely, so let's stick with the first two. As is often the case with Special Editions, or Fan Editions or whatever other name has been given to the more budget-friendly option, for the uninitiated it can be hard to see exactly where the cost savings have been made. So the question is, if it's that hard to tell the difference, does it even matter? The first compromise you'll have to make if you choose the Apple Watch SE 3 over the new Series 11 model is colour. You still get a choice; Midnight - which is kind of a bluey-black, or Starlight - which isn't really silver but isn't really gold either. Both versatile colours sure, but you get to choose from a range of seven with Watch Series 11. Then there's the screen size - it's a complicated calculation because the Series 11 is altogether slightly larger and has a new, wide-angle display - it has a much higher peak-brightness rating too. In saying that, I've had no issues reading my SE 3 inside or out, and the Retina display is now protected by a new grade of Ion-X glass which Apple claims is 4 times more crack-resistant than the face of the Watch SE 2.  That's good news, because I actually own an SE 2, and as much as I love it, it is pretty scratched up. It'll be interesting to see how the new generation fares over time but I certainly haven't managed to knick it yet - and I've been wearing it everywhere; working out, sleeping, gardening - you name it. For the first time you also have the option of AOD - keeping the screen on even when your wrist is down. This gives you the opportunity to keep an eye on the time and your notifications without having to make a big song and dance about it. In terms of sensors and health tracking, the SE 3 is a giant step up from its predecessor, and although it can't run ECG scans and isn't capable of monitoring hypertension or blood oxygen like its Series 11 stablemates can, it does now have a temperature sensor which means it'll notify you of unusual skin-temp fluctuations and can provide retrospective ovulation estimates too. The SE 3's sleep tracking is also more advanced than ever. You'll be notified if any nocturnal breathing irregularities look like sleep apnea so you can go and get checked out right away. Another significant compromise between the Series 11 and the SE 3 is battery life, although this is probably only going to be an issue if you're a particularly demanding user. I have had no worries getting through my long, breakfast radio day on a single charge. The best thing is, that single charge happens faster than ever - with the right charger a 15-minute top-up should be good for about another eight hours use. Because I wear my watch for sleep tracking, I tend to stick it on to charge for half-an hour or so before I go to bed. That seems to be all I need to get it back to 100% or close to most nights. As well as taking phone calls, the SE 3 is now capable of playing audio from any installed apps through its speaker. I don't quite know why you'd choose this method over a good set of wireless earbuds (don't miss my AirPods Pro 3 review in the next couple of weeks) but I guess if you've left them behind somewhere, it's good to have a backup. What's impressed me most about the Watch SE 3 is how I've just never found myself frustrated by the lack of something it doesn't have. All my widgets, apps and shortcuts work, just the same way as any other Apple Watch I've ever used and when tracking my exercise, the display is bright, easy-to-read and shows all the metrics I want it to. If my workout is one of the many excellent classes available through Apple Fitness, the SE 3 pairs with the iPad or Apple TV I'm watching my instructor on and shows all my data on-screen, along with other useful info, like how much time is left in each exercise or set. As part of watchOS 26, my watch now asks me to rate how hard or easy my workout was, and this added into my other collated metrics in the health app, to give me a more accurate summary of exactly where I am on my health and fitness journey. watchOS 26 also means new faces and that "Liquid Glass" effect that has had Apple fans raving. Just like other late-model Apple Watches, you can also use Double-Tap and Wrist-Flick gestures to make using the SE 3 a one-handed operation. Double-Tap (a quick repeated pinch of thumb and forefinger) let's you do a variety of things, depending on what app you're using at the time. Maybe it plays or pauses your podcast, for example. Meanwhile, the Wrist-Flick helps you to toss away incoming notifications so you can deal with them later. Incredibly, the SE 3 has exactly the same S10 chip as the Series 11 and Ultra 3 models - that includes a 4-core neural engine that allows you to do things like chat with Siri "on device" - no data connection required. See? Talk about blurring the lines between the watch that starts from NZ$469.00 and the one that starts at NZ$749.00. With the latest chip, faster charging and a stronger build, the SE 3 isn't just a huge improvement on the SE 2, it out-performs many other, older Apple Watches too. That's why I recommend to give it a serious look if you've decided to upgrade, or you're starting out with a smartwatch for the very first time.      Click here for more information and pricing on the Apple Watch SE 3. Mon, 06 Oct 2025 01:15:19 Z /lifestyle/technology/logitech-mx-master-4-the-mouse-you-love-just-got-more-loveable/ /lifestyle/technology/logitech-mx-master-4-the-mouse-you-love-just-got-more-loveable/ I'm sure I'm not alone when I say the Logitech MX Master 3 is my favourite mouse. Here's a quick recap why... Long-lasting, rechargeable battery. Durable, super-ergonomic build. Fully programmable controls. Horizontal scroll wheel as well as a vertical one. Forward/back buttons. Extra thumb rest button. I use it every day, constantly, from about 3:45AM to 9:30 or 10:00. It's never let me down. I fire off music with it. I edit audio with it. It's essentially an extension of my hand. And now it's even better. The Logitech MX Master 4 looks similar - but not exactly the same - as its predecessor. On close inspection, the surface is slightly grippier. The whole thumb rest is now a button, instead of having a tiny one set into it, and there is now a new button entirely, just in front of the forward and back ones. Other than that, ergonomically it feels very much the same. That is to say, it feels sublimely natural in my relaxed hand. The "skates" - the smooth patches on the base that ensure the mouse slides around as frictionlessly as possible - are much larger on the new model. They also seem to be more protected around the edges which is helpful because that's one of the few places where my previous MX Master is showing signs of wear and tear. Like the MX Master 3, the new edition features an Easy Switch button that toggles the connection between up to three devices. This is really handy for me because I'm often reviewing several gadgets at once and it's so much more convenient to use the same mouse for all of them.  This time around there's a new Logi Bolt USB-C dongle for an even faster, lag-free wireless connection - not that I've ever experienced any noticeable lag with my old MX Master. It pays to plug this dongle into something though, because it's tiny, and if you're anything like me, if you don't use it, you'll literally lose it. There's another, even more seamless way to swap between devices, called Flow. All you have to do is install Logi Options+ on each device and assuming you're logged in with the same account and connected to the same Wi-Fi network, the MX Master 4 will now work across each screen, even allowing you to drag and drop items from one device to another. Oh, and there's another way to switch, but we'll get to that shortly. Battery life is pretty crazy - Logitech claims you'll get up to 70 days on a full charge. Obviously I haven't been able to prove or disprove that yet. Come back to me in two months. Logitech also claims left and right button clicks are now 90% quieter. Who knew loud clicking was an issue? Well... I guess now it isn't. What really unlocks the MX Master 4's productivity boosts is the Logi Options+ app. This is available for both Mac and PC and not only will this show the mouse's current charge level and give you access to any firmware updates Logitech pushes out, more importantly, it's how you customise any of the 8 different buttons. The list of operations you can assign to each control seems to have grown exponentially over the years. From things like play/pausing media, opening favourite apps or taking screenshots, to setting off a dialogue with your preferred AI, here's not much that can't be put on a button and yes, that includes changing devices. In fact, if you have a compatible Logi keyboard like I do, you can transfer it over to the other device, along with the mouse, in one single click. There's also a growing number of 3rd-party programs that are compatible with MX Master, meaning you can have a different set of controls depending what app you have open at the time - think zooming in and out in Adobe Photoshop, for example. And if the choice of eight buttons isn't enough, now Logitech has introduced Action Ring - an on-screen circle of eight more programmable options, another eight virtual buttons if you like. This is set to provide a haptic vibration when you hover over or select any option. That vibration is felt mostly through the new, much larger thumb-rest button and you can alter the intensity of the haptic feedback and even when it happens. One option is to get a little vibration when you move the cursor from one screen to another in a multi-display setup. Mystifyingly, Logitech claims all these enhancements, additions and updates can save up to 33% of your time. How that could possibly be measured, I have absolutely no idea. What I can tell you is I do a lot of copying and pasting from one folder to another. Now, not only can I open my most commonly used folders with the touch of a button, I can also copy or paste with single click. I don't know about making my workflow a third faster, but it's definitely more efficient. And that's before you get to the fact this is just a great mouse to use; it feels super comfy, it's beautifully crafted, has excellent precision and can work on practically any surface - including glass. And have you heard how quiet the clicks are? No? Exactly.      Click here for more information and pricing on the Logitech MX Master 4. Fri, 03 Oct 2025 00:02:23 Z /lifestyle/technology/apple-iphone-air-so-this-is-new/ /lifestyle/technology/apple-iphone-air-so-this-is-new/ What I've learned from watching the world of tech pretty closely for a number of years now; Things generally evolve steadily, bit by bit. Devices gradually improve - honing some features, adding new ones - and while the difference between one generation and the next may be slight, overall, when you compare most gadgets to their predecessors from four or five years ago, the improvements are thrown into stark relief. But every now and again, a device launches that's more out-of-the-blue - even revolutionary. Most of the time, that means a lot of excitement and hype - but also a lot of bugs and teething issues for early adopters to deal with. What's rare is for something genuinely new to come along and for it to just work, straight out of the box. The iPhone Air might just be the most significant iPhone since Steve Jobs showed off the first one back in 2007. The way Apple has pretty much started from scratch to come up with the world's thinnest phone is so much more groundbreaking than it seems to be getting credit for. Okay, at 5.6mm the iPhone Air is not actually thinner than a couple of folding phones out there (when they're unfolded) but for a conventional handset, this is definitely Apple's least conventional yet. It really is quite breathtaking when you see it and hold it for the first time - in fact, I've yet to meet anybody who wasn't impressed when I showed it to them. It's not just that it's noticeably thinner than other phones, at just 165 grams, it weighs almost nothing. It exudes sci-fi movie vibes - you know; when they pull out a wafer thin piece of glass and use it as a phone. There are four colours, Sky Blue, Light Gold, Cloud White and importantly, Space Black - making it the only black iPhone you can buy this year. (The "black" base model iPhone 17 isn't really black - looks more gunmetal to me) The grade 5 titanium frame helps keep things light - and flexible. And this is one of the first big surprises about this remarkable handset; its durability. I've seen footage of drop, water ingress and flex tests that just about made my eyes pop out. The front of the phone is protected by the new Ceramic Shield 2, which offers multiple times more scratch resistance than ever before. There's also a Ceramic Shield coating on the back panel to prevent cracks. This is good news because the iPhone Air is one phone I can't bring myself to hide away in a case. Which is not to say there aren't cases available, of course. Apple also offers a bumper which protects the Air's edges without obscuring any of its unique design. This can be paired with the new Crossbody strap so you can wear the phone like a tiny handbag. I usually just stuff it in my pocket - then have to keep checking if it's still there because it really is that slim. Except for the "camera plateau" of course. This is a new design feature Apple has carried across to the iPhone 17 Pro and Pro Max as well - a raised camera bump that stretches all the way across the upper section of the rear panel. Intriguingly, I understand this new plateau houses more than just the camera; the vast majority of the iPhone Air's components are squeezed in there, with the rest of what's left of the phone mostly filled with battery. Unfortunately, the camera is indeed one area where obvious compromises have been made to achieve the Air's final form. Although Apple claims the 48MP Fusion camera "puts the equivalent of four lenses in your pocket" in the end, there's only one physical sensor there and like the iPhone 16e camera before it, there are limitations. There's no Ultra-Wide functionality and no real macro shooting for extreme close-ups either. However, that's not to say it's a bad camera. With the option to shoot at full 48MP, you get exceptional low-light performance and you also get respectable 2X optical zoom. Action mode offers the stable video iPhone has become famous for and as part of the new iOS 26 upgrade, Apple now joins the Dual Capture club - so you can shoot from the selfie and primary cameras simultaneously. Speaking of the forward facing camera, there's absolutely no compromise there. Just like the 17 Pros, the iPhone Air boasts an 18MP Centre Stage camera that has a square sensor - a bit like what you find on some dedicated action cameras. This enables you to change aspect ratio from portrait to landscape without having to awkwardly hold your phone sideways - very handy for group selfies. In fact, the new Centre Stage camera automatically senses how many people are in the shot and zooms in and out automatically to compensate. This is a great demonstration of Apple's brand of AI (Apple Intelligence). Apple has been criticised for being slow off the mark when it comes to AI but I don't think that's the case at all. Instead, many AI features (like the auto-adjusting selfies) are so integrated, so baked-in that you won't specifically identify them as AI in itself. When you first set up the iPhone Air (or any new iPhone) you're asked if you want to opt in to certain AI options - like prioritised notifications, for example. From that point on, that's exactly what happens; the important stuff is brought to your attention first. It works so well, you might not even realise how many pointless taps and swipes it's saving you.  As the fourth member of the 2025 iPhone family, the iPhone Air has replaced the absent iPhone 17 Plus by default. It's not a like-for-like comparison of course; the Plus versions were only ever the base models with bigger screens and batteries. Other than the camera, in terms of functionality, the Air works much more like a Pro - it's fast and silky smooth to use. But yes, in yet another surprise, the 6.5-inch display is larger than the 6.3-inch screen on the iPhone 17. Better chip too - the all-new A19 Pro as opposed to the base A19 version. For me, the biggest surprise of all is battery life. As part of its new host of accessories, Apple included a MagSafe Battery customised specifically to fit the iPhone Air. Inevitably, most of us assumed this meant the Air's battery life would be terrible and we'd need to supplement it with this magnetised external power supply. Except, I haven't had to use it. Not once. Typically, I get up at 2:50Am and don't go to bed until around 8:30PM - that's a long day by smartphone standards but the lowest I've seen the Air's battery go is 48%. Apart from one morning when I left Apple Maps running in the background. Then it drained like bathwater down a plughole. For superusers, I guess that MagSafe Battery provides great piece of mind - especially given once its attached, the iPhone Air actually has the BEST battery life of ANY iPhone. Oh - cool hack BTW; if you plug the Air into a USB-C charger while the MagSafe Battery's attached, you'll charge extra fast, from both sources simultaneously. So battery just hasn't been an issue for me. Despite how slim the Air is, it still has all the cool buttons - including the Action button for programmable shortcuts and Camera Control for quick access to photo settings. The only thing that's missing completely is a physical SIM tray - eSIM-only here and as far as I'm concerned, that's a bonus, not a drawback. The sooner we all move to eSIM the better - it's more secure and easier to transfer from handset to handset. I love this phone. I didn't think I would. I loved the idea of it but when does a great, truly innovative idea like this ever work so well first time out of the gate? Kudos, Apple. You got me.      Click here for more information and pricing on the Apple iPhone Air. Wed, 01 Oct 2025 00:00:35 Z /lifestyle/technology/chargecore-safecharge-max-10k-and-laser-dual-port-45w-usb-wall-charger-time-to-rethink-your-charging-habits/ /lifestyle/technology/chargecore-safecharge-max-10k-and-laser-dual-port-45w-usb-wall-charger-time-to-rethink-your-charging-habits/ We all have them. Most of us have far too many of them. In fact, some us have so many, we're not even sure what they're all for. So we stash them in a drawer or a cupboard thinking they'll probably come in handy one day. And maybe one or two did. But let's be honest; most of them are still in that drawer. Chargers and cables. Some of my drawers are so full I can't open them properly. Even when we throw away the thing the charger charges, we often still keep the charger and the cable. In fact, because we did that, for many products, the tech brands stopped including chargers in the box. So that equation will probably correct itself, right? Eventually we'll end up with the right amount of chargers per device and we're bound to have the exact cable required. Hmmm. I think you can see where I'm going with this. Looks like Laser has brought its range of high-quality - yet reasonably priced - charging accessories to New Zealand at just the right time. We'll get to one of the best power banks I've ever used shortly but first, it's time to have a serious talk about chargers and cables. For a long time there it was true; those little bricks you plugged into the wall, with a USB slot for your cable, were pretty much the same. They cranked out 5V at somewhere between 1A and 2A and it was pretty unusual to find anything different. Then, not only did the charging demands of the devices we were buying change, so did the cable standards. Goodbye, microUSB. Goodbye USB-A. And yes, after far too long, goodbye to Lightning cables too. If you don't know the difference between any of those, don't worry, you're not alone. Luckily, thanks to the EU's somewhat heavy-handed regulations, pretty much everything now charges via USB-C. So that means the same cable for everyone, doesn't it? Not by a long shot. If anything, things have become even more confusing because different cables now look essentially the same. What's worse is phones, laptops, tablets, watches, speakers and earbuds all charge at different speeds - many faster and faster every generation. But only if you have the right charger and the right cable. That's right, not all USB-C cables do the same things - some can carry large amounts of data at sizzling speeds while others are for power only - and possibly not even as much power as you would like. As for those old wall chargers, give them a good hard look - maybe under a magnifying glass. There'll be some tiny print on there - often not even in a contrasting colour - to tell you how many Volts and how many Amps you'll be getting. If you're charging a toothbrush, it probably won't matter much. If you want to charge your phone, your watch and your earbuds all at the same time... forget it. For about NZ$45.00, you can save yourself at least two headaches by snapping up the Laser Dual Port 45W USB Wall Charger. If you just use the USB-C port on its own, it'll charge at 45W - that's even enough for some laptops and means "fast charging" for any capable phone. USB-A ports are more limited but at least the one on this charger puts out a 20W charge with enough voltage to run the majority of those three-device wireless chargers many people have on their bedside table for buds, watch and handset. Even when both ports are in use, you'll get up to 25W from the USB-C and 18W from the USB-C - making this a very compact and convenient travel buddy, providing plenty of juice for at least two devices simultaneously. But what about when there's no wall to plug into? Nothing worse than being out and about watching your phone go flat. That's where Laser's ChargeCore SafeCharge Max comes in. Again, like wall-chargers, you might be thinking, "Why are you telling me about this? I already have a power bank."  Well, if it's anything like the majority of power banks I've tried over the years, your old one is next to useless - and possibly even dangerous. The ChargeCore SafeCharge Max is different in a number of ways - starting with how many devices it can charge at once. There are two USB-A slots, a USB-C and a three-way cable included in the box. That cable is USB-A at one end, then splits into two USB-C and a Lightning plug at the other. This makes it another handy travel tool. Not only does it come in a variety of colours and capacities, it also features a digital LED display so you can see exactly how much charge is left as a percentage. This is so much more useful than a set of three lights that could mean low, medium or high charge. Or even worse, a single LED that might change colour when charge is getting running out. But probably the most important thing to know about Laser's ChargeCore SafeCharge range is what they're made of; Lithium Iron Phosphate - known as LiFePO4. Not only will a LiFePO4 power bank charge up faster and charge other devices more efficiently, it'll last much longer - up to five times the lifespan of conventional lithium-ion products. LiFePO4 is safer too - the ChargeCore SafeCharge Max stays cool and won't swell. And the best feature of all? Once charged, it stays charged. How often have you reached for your power bank only to discover it's gone flat since you last charged it? Not helpful. For the last few days I haven't used my ChargeCore SafeCharge Max 10K but I've checked the battery level (by pushing the button on the side) regularly. It's still on 100%, ready to go. The point to all this is not all charging devices are created equal. Some are useless and others might be downright hazardous. My advice is to use the chargers and cables that came with your device wherever you can. But if you can't, always read that tiny fine print on the plug or better still, maybe just empty out that jammed drawer and treat yourself to some nice, new chargers and cables from Laser.         Click here for more information and pricing on the Laser ChargeCore SafeCharge Max. Click here for more information and pricing on the Laser Dual Port 45W USB Wall Charger. Mon, 29 Sept 2025 22:51:50 Z /lifestyle/technology/samsung-galaxy-a17-and-samsung-galaxy-buds3-fe-for-fans-on-a-budget/ /lifestyle/technology/samsung-galaxy-a17-and-samsung-galaxy-buds3-fe-for-fans-on-a-budget/ If you regularly read my reviews, you could be mistaken for thinking we all live in a high-end, premium, flagship world where we only have access to the latest developments in tech and only the most powerful, fastest and long lasting will do. That's not real for most people, of course. As a reviewer, I get to play with the coolest of the cool toys but if I was shelling out my own hard-earned coin, I'd certainly be prepared to compromise on all sorts of features and addons that aren't what you'd call, "Strictly necessary." So today, I'll try and go some way to answering the classic question; do you really get what you pay for? To do that, I paired the almost entry-level Samsung Galaxy A17 handset with the new Samsung Galaxy Buds3 FE. At around NZ$229.00, the Buds3 FE are less entry-level than the NZ$399.00 A17 - but both devices are significantly cheaper than their sister flagships. Of course, in the case of the A17, you can pay THOUSANDS more for the highest of high-end Samsung devices and obviously this particular phone doesn't fold, or come with a stylus inserted into its chassis. However, it doesn't really look particularly cheap, with its modern, square edges and light-catching back panel. It feels light in the hand and the 6.7-inch Super AMOLED display is certainly a decent size. It'd be pretty unusual to find a Samsung device with a bad screen and this one certainly isn't. It's bright, it's colourful and it's protected by Corning Gorilla Glass Victus - not the toughest Gorilla available but still pretty tough. The A17 also carries an IP54 rating which means you'll get away with splashing it although perhaps not dunking it. The camera setup is a bit hotchpotch - a respectable 13MP selfie-cam paired with a triple-sensor primary shooter on the back; 50MP Wide, 5MP Ultra Wide and 2MP Macro. I guess a 5MP Ultra Wide is better than no Ultra Wide and to be honest, I've been pleasantly surprised by the quality of the pics and vids I've been shooting. Here's a demo... The camera also performs fairly well in low light... up to a point. And here's the main rub with this phone; it's weak. It's run by the same Exynos1330 chip found in last year's A16 and with just 4GB of RAM, the actual operation of taking a pic in low light is hit and miss because of the lag between button press and the shutter actually firing. In fact, I found this was the case when taking most kinds of photos. This is a frustration that followed through to anything that was even remotely resource-heavy. Apps seem to take an age to load, even native apps like Samsung Health. So this isn't the phone for me - especially given there's no wireless charging and there's not even a built-in screen recorder. However, for some users, they're not going to care about that stuff. They just want a durable, reliable phone with good battery life that will keep working after the 3G shutdown. The A17 probably isn't the worst option. My experience with the Fan Edition Galaxy Buds3 was infinitely more pleasurable. They're a very similar size and shape to the Buds3 Pro, but without the light-up LED strip along the stem. Samsung often changes up the form-factor for its earbuds but I'd suggest there was a lot of positive feedback to this hybrid sealed-fit/external stem design so they've kept it going here. As I suggested when I reviewed the Pros, the stem means an extra point of contact which not only leads to a more stable, snug fit but a more balanced, comfortable wear as well. Alas, unlike the Pro version, the Buds3 FE case only charges via USB-C - not wirelessly. That would usually be a dealbreaker for me except these guys sound rather good. While I'm not convinced these Buds have quite the dynamic range of the Pros, and I'm certain the ANC isn't quite as effective, there's a lot to love about what I'm hearing. I tested the Buds3 FE using the new lossless audio option on Spotify and it rocked. "Wish You Were Gay" by Billie Eilish is already a fantastic track but the production values shine through dramatically when listening on the Buds3 FE. The mix is so stripped back, yet has a lot of elements - from acoustic guitar to crowd sound effects. Each piece of this sonic puzzle has been meticulously placed in the recording and now those pieces are precisely re-placed in my ears. The gentle L.A.B. ballad, "Monica" also starts with a simple acoustic guitar, accompanied with a lonely cabasa to keep the beat. (Okay, it might be one of those egg-shaped shaker things, but in my mind it's a proper cabasa) Again, the baredboned-ness of this mix is transmitted so accurately by the Buds3 FE. Then, as the song builds and soaring lead guitar and crashing drums come to the party, I can still make out the original components with crystal clarity. You even get 360 Audio for fully immersive surround sound if you're listening to the right content on the right app. The pinch and swipe controls mimc those on the Buds3 Pro and the battery life is pretty good too. I love these and if I had to choose between the $229 FEs and the $399 Pros, I'd probably save my money. So I guess you could say there was a winner and a loser here - the cost-saving compromises were too many on the phone but with the Buds3 FE, the features that have been missed haven't been missed nearly so much.      Click here for more information and pricing on the Samsung Galaxy A17. Click here for more information on the Samsung Galaxy Buds3 FE. Wed, 24 Sept 2025 17:27:07 Z /lifestyle/technology/laser-smart-gaming-projector-recapturing-old-school-fun/ /lifestyle/technology/laser-smart-gaming-projector-recapturing-old-school-fun/ Right, this is going to age me. Dramatically. I still remember the first video gaming console my family ever owned. I can't tell you the year. I can't tell you how old I was. I can't even tell you what make it was - if indeed it had a brand. And yet I can still clearly remember the weird, boxy controllers with the chrome joysticks and the hours I spent playing the games that were hardwired in - all slightly different variations on the original "Pong". You could move a line around the screen to hit a "ball" over the net (a long line) to another line, who would try and hit it back. That was tennis, apparently. Or you could hit it against a wall. Squash, obviously. Anyway, you get the idea. I didn't just spend hours doing this. I spent days. Perhaps even months. You know; gaming. So what if you could recreate that experience for your kids?... I think that's kind of what the Laser Smart Gaming Projector is all about. To start with, I was very impressed with how much stuff was in the box. Not just the projector itself but a remote control, two wireless controllers and a large fabric screen, complete with stick-up hooks and a couple of lengths of rope to allow you to hang it up pretty much anywhere. All that for under NZ$400 - not bad. The second thing to impress me was how simple the plug-and-play setup was. All I had to do was insert batteries into the remote and controllers, plug the projector in and switch it on. I was surprised to see the projector find the screen and automatically adjust keystone perfectly with no input from me, other than to finetune the focus using the physical ring around the lens. Although the device does take a minute or two to boot up, once it does, you're presented with a simple - yet functional - home screen, similar to what you might find on any basic Android TV streaming device. Tiles for Netflix and YouTube take front and centre, although you can install any other streaming app from the Google Play Store, once you've connected to Wi-Fi via the settings menu. I really wasn't expecting this to be a fully functional streaming device and while the resolution is only 720p, it's definitely sufficient for a family movie night - the fabric screen is a lot larger than your average telly. Just like a movie theatre, you will need to turn the lights off though - this is not a high-end multimedia projector, capable of the extreme brightness and contrast required for acceptable daytime viewing.  There's a reasonably powerful built-in speaker, which won't set the world on fire in terms of audio quality - but there are both HDMI and AUX outputs, or the option of bluetooth, so you can easily attach an external sound system if you want. That might be a good idea because there's no escaping the fact that the fan on this thing is super loud, so whatever you're watching or playing will need to be super-er louder to drown it out. There are 80 "Classic Retro" games pre-installed on this device, taking up next to no space on the included 64GB microSD card. These are accessed via the GAME BOX app on the home screen and then the built-in emulator takes care of the rest. Laser claims you can download your own ROM games to add to this library, being careful to save them in the right format and folder as per the instruction guide included in the box. I haven't tried this as I've been entertained enough by the library of 80 pre-installs so far. It's honestly like being back in an amusement arcade in the 80s. Some games are two-player, some are not. Most of them look pretty pixelated - especially if you've zoomed the projection out past 100-inches. The pixelation and midi-based soundtracks are all part of the retro charm, of course - but if you want to, there is a way to smooth things out a little. The first time I fired the Gaming Projector up and started playing Street Racer, I was having a great time getting used to how touchy the controls were but wanted to try out a few other games before dinner. Trouble was, I couldn't figure out how to exit the game. I spent ages pushing buttons on both the controllers to no avail and ended up pressing the home button on the remote - only to discover when I selected GAME BOX again, Street Racer was still running! Eventually, I resorted to turning the whole projector off. When all else fails, read the instructions. The next day I found the crucial line, "To exit a game or the games app altogether, press the SELECT and START buttons at the same time." Sure enough, that paused the game and not only gave me the option to save it or exit it but to adjust the resolution too. On some games you can add 3x the pixels and there are others where you can improve it 4x. This makes a huge difference and changes things like cars from abstract blobs to blobs with wheels that might actually be cars. Just like the arcades of old, some games get repetitive as you go on, while others are a bit better thought out. The pre-installed selection covers a lot of bases though - from racing, to fighting, to sport and platform games. Needless to say, I've already wasted a lot of time carrying out the appropriate research to write this review. It's been a blast. If you've got a favourite Mega Drive, SEGA Genesis, N64, Game Boy or Atari game from decades ago, now's your chance to boot it up on a virtual screen as big as your wall. And retro gaming is definitely what this device is best at. Although you can watch Netflix or Disney+, it's worth remembering the whole operation is running on Android 13, which is getting on a bit now and I've noticed some compatibility issues with some of the more modern apps. Netflix plays fine - but good luck navigating the app when there's no way to scroll down the home screen. (NB: I got around this by simply searching for the show I wanted to continue watching) But quite honestly, if you're looking for hours and hours of simple fun in a box, this is a package that's hard to go past. There's virtually no setup required and everything you need is in the box, including two pre-paired, wireless controllers. I think this is fantastic value, especially given the inclusion of the large, cloth screen and I reckon it'd make the perfect family gift come Christmas time.      Click here for more information and pricing on the Laser Smart Gaming Projector. Tue, 23 Sept 2025 22:33:42 Z /lifestyle/technology/samsung-galaxy-tab-s11-ultra-the-overachiever/ /lifestyle/technology/samsung-galaxy-tab-s11-ultra-the-overachiever/ When it comes to tablets, I'm biased. Against them. Personally - and this really is just me - I struggle to come up with a genuine use case for a tablet that isn't something I could do just as well, if not better, on a laptop. Or even a phone. Often tablets end up the poor stepchildren in any given range of tech... under-powered, aesthetically anonymous and usually running an operating system that's been half-heartedly ported across from something that was initially designed for a handset. Well, it's safe to say, Samsung obviously doesn't feel the same way. The Galaxy Tab S11 Ultra is definitely not just a giant phone with worse specs.  For starters, it'd be a particularly giant phone, with a display that measures in at an unbelievable 14.6-inches. That's huge. When I got married (a million billion years ago) someone gave us a 14-inch TV for the bedroom. The Tab S11 Ultra is wider than that - especially given its cinematic 16:10 aspect ratio. The display itself is a magnificent, 120Hz Dynamic AMOLED 2X with an anti-reflective surface - just like you might find on the latest flagship Samsung TVs. The toned-down reflection paired with a searing peak brightness of 1600 nits makes for fantastic viewing, whatever the lighting conditions. There's a booming, yet accurate, quad speaker setup to match, which really does make this a genuine contender for a second TV in your house, be it in the kitchen, bedroom or study. The study might be the most useful option because Samsung has now tweaked DEX mode, which essentially transforms the user experience of the Tab S11 Ultra into a PC-like desktop, complete with multiple windows and a taskbar along the bottom. The latest version now allows you to share your DEX mode setup to other external compatible displays to create a genuine multi-screen environment. This means you now have the ultimate portability of this high-powered tablet complete with the option to display your big presentation in the office boardroom - no bulky laptop or messy cables required. And I do meant "ultimate" when it comes to portability. The Tab S11 Ultra is a mere 5.1mm thick (or thin). Think about that for a minute. That's a 14.6-inch display on a tablet slimmer than any non-folding phone on the market. Talk about jaw-dropping design. What's more, it feels perfectly rigid and robust in your hands - probably due to its enhanced Armor Aluminium chassis. It's even rated IP68 against water and dust. Only weighs in at 692grams, by the way. I've called it powerful, so let's talk a few geeky details. The chip is MediaTek's Dimensity 9400+ - a true flagship by anyone's standard, based on TSMC's 3nm process which is pretty much as nano as it gets. This also means high-end graphics for premium gaming performance and speedy rendering of video and 3D animations. Not to mention Samsung's latest neural processing power to bring you all the cutting-edge tools and tricks from Galaxy AI and Gemini. The Tab S11 Ultra ships with an S Pen stylus in the box but unfortunately, because I was reviewing a pre-release device, I wasn't sent an S Pen and couldn't fully test some of the cleverest AI features, like Drawing Assist, which literally cleans up your rough sketches and turns them into shareable works of art. The S Pen makes for a more accurate Circle to Search too - simply circle anything on screen and let Google Gemini find out all about it for you. In a short time, we've come to expect this kind of enhanced productivity from Samsung's flagship handsets, so it's only natural to find it all enlarged for our convenience on this device. Even the camera setup out-performs almost any other tablet. The rear shooter is a dual-lens affair comprising a 13MP main lens backed up with a 10MP ultra-wide. Need to capture some UHD 4K footage for your next project? No problem. I don't fully understand why the 12MP selfie-cam is also ultra-wide, although it does tend to mitigate the trap many users often fall into when joining online meetings via a portable device; exposing the other attendees to an extreme closeup of your nostrils. The ultra-wide selfie shot immediately drops you back into context. So, despite my protests in the introduction, it's starting to sound like the Tab S11 Ultra has won me over, right?  And here's what unexpectedly, really brought it home. Fitness. Or my lack of. I've recently been forced to acknowledge I'm overweight, out of shape and have lost almost all my flexibility. So I've been using the Samsung Health app as a catalyst to make some changes. Apart from all the other things it excels at, the Samsung Galaxy Watch Ultra is the most comprehensive health tracker I've used to date and I've already made improvements to my sleep routine and found a way to deal with my snoring (much to Domestic Manager's relief). So what's that got to do with the Tab S11 Ultra? Well, the Samsung Health app can link you to a comprehensive selection of guided workouts, specifically tailored to your unique fitness goals. I've never really paid much attention to this feature before because I've usually come across them on my watch or phone and couldn't quite see the point. But with the Tab S11 Ultra mounted in a stand, suddenly I was back at the gym, working out with a professional instructor. The 14.6-inch screen is plenty big enough for me to see exactly how to perform each exercise correctly and the quad-speaker sound system pumps out the beats plenty loud enough to push me through those last few sets. At the risk of sounding like an infomercial, I've already lost 2kg in two weeks. Still a way to go though. Wish me luck. So there you have it; the device that converted me from tablet agnostic to relying on one for my general health and wellbeing. It's flagship fast and the screen is huge while the rest of it is super slim. Even the battery life is great. There's simply no way to mark this tablet down.      Click here for more information on the Samsung Galaxy Tab S11 Ultra. Thu, 18 Sept 2025 00:17:46 Z