Printer Reality Check

Come on, it's time to get real. We can't keep using printers they way we have been.

Something got seriously out of whack somewhere along the way and it suddenly became cheaper to buy a new printer than to replace the cartridges.

Obviously, that kind of printer is not a high quality printer but if all you're doing is printing off the occasional greeting card, a few recipes and the kids' homework assignments, something cheap and nasty might just do the trick.

Until it runs out of ink.

Then it's moral dilemma time, isn't it? You know you're not supposed to throw whole printers away... especially when they're in perfectly good working order - but sometimes it's literally cheaper to replace the whole thing.

Maybe you can get rid of the old one on TradeMe?

There's got to be a better way. Well, HP thinks so anyway...

By now, surely you have become a subscription-based consumer of some type - if not many types. From our music and TV streaming services, to food delivery and even transport, it seems there's not much you actually have to own these days; you can just subscribe to it.

HP has jumped on board with its Instant Ink service.

The subscription model here is simple; you create your Instant Ink account, add your compatible printer (or printers) to it, then you never really have to worry about running out of ink again. As soon as one of your cartridges gets low, you'll be sent a replacement automatically. You don't have to do a thing... except pay the monthly fee obviously.

This varies depending on your usage. Plans start from as little as $1.99 a month... but that's assuming you're only printing around fifteen pages over that month. If that's all you need, it's going to be a while before that next cartridge arrives at your door. At the other end of the scale, super heavy users or even small businesses might choose the 700 page-a-month plan at $49.99 - but there are several in between - HP reckons most households will probably go for the $9.99, 100-page option.

Whichever plan you choose, you can easily monitor your progress via the HP Smart app - or just log into your account via browser. Here you'll get real-time updates on how many pages you've printed, whether your cartridges are getting low and you can track both past and future cartridge deliveries.

HP has put a lot effort into making this as user-friendly as possible. You get a free-trial period when you first sign up which lets you print up to 700 pages regardless of which plan you've chosen - this gives you a chance to tweak things before you start getting billed. You'll also be sent an introductory pack of cartridges when you register. This will be a relief if you've just set up a brand new HP printer like I had as the included cartridges have only a small fraction of the capacity of the ones you'll be sent as part of your Instant Ink subscription.

In fact, HP reckons you'll save about 50% by signing up. They provide higher capacity cartridges, in less packaging and you can also return your used ones for recycling. No question that's considerably better for the environment than throwing out a whole printer every few months.

One of my favourite features is the monthly rollover - if you don't use your page allowance within the month the balance will rollover into the next month - up to three times your quota if you have a few lighter months in a row. Of course, it works the other way too; print more than what you've subscribed to and you'll be charged extra per page - so you're definitely better off over-estimating your usage - especially given you can change or cancel your subscription at any time.

The key to it all? Owning a compatible HP printer, of course. Given there are currently about fifty different models to choose from, I think you'll probably find one that suits your needs.

I've been giving the Envy Pro 6430 a bash.

This is an entry-level all-in-one that has plenty of pros (as the name suggests) but admittedly, a few cons as well.

Setup is incredibly straight-forward, via the HP Smart app but I must say, after using printers with an LCD screen for a few years now, it was a bit weird going back to one with only six LED symbols to let you know what's happening. Again, this is where the app comes in - it's a lot easier to tell what's going on with the Envy Pro 6430 on the app or by logging into your HP Smart account online than it is by looking at the printer itself.

As I say, firing it up, connecting it to my Wi-Fi network and installing the cartridges is all a total breeze. It's certainly a compact device and quite subtle in its attractive, off-white finish. It'll handle a few different paper sizes, from A4 down, including photo paper - and double sided printing works well. There's a top-mounted document feeder and I've found it scans, prints and copies surprisingly quickly.

I do get a bit nervous when handling it though - everything seems kind of flimsy - from the paper tray itself through to the output tray extender, which flips out then unfolds but seems way too thin to last. And when opening the Envy Pro 6430 up to replace cartridges or remove a paper jam, there are a lot of disturbing clicks and clunks that make you feel like you're pulling the whole thing apart.

Yes, I said paper jams. Unfortunately, I've experienced rather too many of these in the month or so I've been using the device although luckily, every time it's been easy enough to access the blockages and get back to printing - I'm not sure if these misprints count towards your monthly page allowance on the Instant Ink plan but I hope not.

Also, using the HP Smart app to adjust the settings like Paper Size, Auto Off and Energy Saving is a cumbersome business - on a mobile device the app opens a browser page to do these things, so you may as well just log in from your PC or laptop instead. What's more, certain settings require you to enter a long pin number which can only be found inside the printer - on the chassis by the toner cartridges.

Yes, I certainly miss that LCD screen. If that sounds like it would be frustrating for you too, I'd recommend you spend a few extra bucks on a slightly more advanced model.

As far as print quality goes, it's about what I'd expect from a machine in this price range - and I must say I really am impressed how quickly it prints - even full pages in colour.

But Instant Ink is the real star of the show here; there's an obvious cost saving and it makes no difference if your pages are black-and-white or colour. What's more, who doesn't love getting their cartridges sent to them without even having to ask? It's definitely a cost-effective, elegant step in the right direction when it comes to printer ink frustration.

(Note, toner plans are also available)

Click here for more information and pricing on HP Instant Ink.

Click here for more information and pricing on the HP Envy Pro 6430 All-In-One printer.

The TV to Beat. Again. Again. Again

By now you'd think this is the review that practically writes itself.

Every year Samsung comes out with its new line of tellies and every year I fall head-over-heels in love with them and every year it's kind of heart-breaking when they come and take my review set away again.

But this year I find I don't quite know where to start.

Remember; these are the guys that brought you the QLED panel, the One Connect box - they were first to bring 8K to New Zealand - how does it get any better than that? Can there really be another chapter to the story of TV excellence Samsung has been writing so successfully for so long?

Definitely. In fact, this year it seems as though it's more than just a chapter - it's more like a sequel...

The Samsung QN900A introduces a whole new evolution in display technology for Samsung, moving from QLED to Neo QLED. As I understand it, this means much smaller LED's and more of them - a whole lot more. Samsung calls these Quantum Mini LED's and because they're 1/40th the size of the previous generation, you get ten times the number packed into the same sized panel.

The benefits to this are a brighter, sharper image and if you thought 8K already looked good, wait till you see the illusion of depth this technology creates, on either a 65", 75" or 85" display.

Although we're now several generations into the 8K revolution, there's still very little native 8K content out there. I felt like I used to say that all the time about 4K but that content turned up eventually and I'm sure we're not far away from higher definition offerings from the likes of Netflix and Amazon.

Not to worry; the upscaling abilities of the QN900A's Neo Quantum Processor are second-to-none - I've found even 720p and 1080p footage still looks next level on this screen - and part of that is due to a massive improvement in how black the black bits are. For years the QLED critics out there have trumpeted the absolute blackness an OLED display can produce due to the fact each OLED pixel basically lights itself or turns itself off completely. I'm no physicist but whatever Samsung has done here with these new Quantum Mini LED's makes a noticeable difference, especially in nighttime action scenes.

The adaptive brightness is also especially impressive. I've read reviews where people have suggested the QN900A's screen is too reflective - despite a special coating designed to combat this. I have to wonder if recreational drugs are legal where those reviewers live because they're not looking at the same panel I am. My living room gets very bright on a sunny day and there's also a window directly behind my couch - the couch I usually sit on when I'm watching TV. The QN900A doesn't even break a sweat, ratcheting up its own brightness so I can still make out June crawling through the rubble of a bombed out, post apocalyptic, Handmaid's Tale Chicago with no issue whatsoever.

I've also read criticism of whites bleeding into blacks, affecting the sharpness of the contrast. My god, there are some nerds out there. Yes, it's probably true if you had a static image of black and white stripes on screen, because the image is so bright, the white bits might dominate a bit. However, if you're sitting at home staring at an image of black and white stripes, I think you've got other issues to worry about.

Woah. I really just blurted all that out, didn't I? So um... let's just say, picture quality? Tick. Best I've seen. Good job.

Now let's back up the truck and actually take this thing out of the box.

The QN900A is perhaps the most boring looking TV I've ever seen. That's not a criticism. That's what you want. The bezel is practically non-existent. And the panel itself is only 15.2mm thick. Combined with a very muted, unobtrusive central stand, when switched on the effect is like a hovering portal into another world - all picture and no TV at all really. Unlike last year's version, the QN900A stands straight up and down again, not at a slight angle for enhanced viewing - I don't really know what that was all about but the 2021 model looks just fine from anywhere in the room.

That stand is a more robust affair than most previous efforts and it's slightly more complicated to assemble, arriving in three separate pieces. I think this is partly due to another big difference with this year's model. 

If you're not familiar with modern Samsung TV's, many of them are designed to work with a separate One Connect box. This basically moves all the ports and cables away from the panel and lets you store them somewhere more convenient - or more invisible, like in a cupboard. This leaves you with just a single One Connect cable running from the box to the screen - so subtle you may not even need to conceal it even if you're wall mounting the TV. Or at least... it used to be. Now, because there are ten times more LED's to power up, the One Connect cable is a lot thicker and not nearly so subtle. This is a shame because I consider the One Connect system to be a real point of difference for Samsung - at least it's still only a single lead.

However - while the cable is thicker, the One Connect box is now much slimmer and can even be fitted snugly into a purpose-built cavity on the back of the stand where you can't see it. My initial reaction to this was one of de ja vu - aren't we effectively reattaching all those cables to the back of the TV again? 

Yes, it's all very tidy - there's a special cover included to help keep all the cords out of sight - but attaching the One Connect box back onto the TV itself just seems kind of regressive to me. At least you have the option and the new model is so slim it will easily slide down behind or possibly even under your entertainment unit.

Another change for 2021 is the remote control. While the layout seems familiar - including dedicated shortcut buttons for Netflix, Amazon Prime Video and browser, the moment you pick it up you'll detect the difference; it weighs practically nothing. Flip it over and you'll see why. 

There's a large solar panel on the back to keep it charged - no batteries. This is one of those why-hasn't-anyone-thought-of-this-before innovations and it'll mean a few million less batteries in the world. Kind of weird they put the panel on the back... there's room below the controls and remembering to leave it face down on the coffee table means undoing decades of muscle memory. Great idea though and if it ever does go flat (it certainly hasn't while I've been using it) you can manually top it up via a USB-C port at the end.

Interface-wise it's pretty much business as usual. Samsung continues with its own Tizen OS which provides an uncluttered, easily navigated selection of shortcuts at the bottom of the screen. There are more options on offer when it comes to multi-tasking; for example you can plug in a USB camera so you can check your form while following a workout video while watching a movie. Yep, why do two things at once when you can do three? There are suggested templates on offer to help set this up - maybe you'd like to watch two sports games at once or mirror your phone's Insta feed while streaming your favourite show.

Following on from last year's big advances, the sound system on the QN900A is decent - the object tracking and stereo effects are quite convincing, especially when experienced from relatively close up. Samsung has packed a lot of speakers into this skinny panel and because they're side-firing, they'll work just as well when wall mounted.

That said, the difference between the TV's built-in speakers and a good quality soundbar system like the new Q950A is still night and day. The soundbar itself is very large, again jam-packed with a whole array of speakers firing all frequencies in all directions. Teamed with a big, ole subwoofer and two beefy, rear surround bookshelf speakers, the 3D sound effects on offer are quite spectacular. Personally, I'm not a fan of the chunky, angular look of the soundbar but that's just down to personal taste. I can't deny it nestles perfectly under the QN900A panel and I also can't deny the Domestic Manager thinks it looks great - therefore my opinion is irrelevant.

I've found the best way to tune the Q950A soundbar system is to let it do it itself, via its auto setting. Oddly, I haven't been able to find a way to easily adjust the balance between the two rear speakers which are slightly offset due to where the furniture is in my living room. There's no setting for that in Samsung's SmartThings app and when I tried to do it using the soundbar's own (not solar powered) remote, I just got confused and gave up. Don't get me wrong - it still sounds incredible, I was just fiddling.

Perhaps the best thing about the 2021 Neo QLED experience is there's no fine-tuning required. Both the adaptive picture and sound settings do an excellent job of providing you with an out-of-this-world, immersive viewing experience that's almost impossible to fault.  

Click here for more information on the Samsung Neo QLED 8K QN900A.

Another Screwy Design from Dyson

By now you're probably aware of what a massive Dyson fan I am.

Innovation, blah blah.

Design, yadda yadda.

To be fair, it's not just me. In my experience, most people who've owned or even just tried a Dyson never go back.

Whether it's an air purification product - maybe heating or cooling, a hair styling tool or of course, some kind of vacuum, it's hard to deny Dyson strives for the ultimate solution and rarely misses.

Excitingly, Dyson has some new floor-cleaning gadgets about to hit New Zealand shelves and yes, of course I'll be reviewing in full soon enough but I wanted to give you a little heads-up on one particular item that'll be included in the box. I think it's so clever, it deserves a little bit of spotlight all to itself.

First; the problem - and this seems to be how the team of engineers and designers at Dyson (and indeed, Sir James himself) approaches things; what's the problem? What is it that people are finding a hassle as they go about their everyday lives? Even when they have an appliance to do the job, why isn't it working the way they want it to? Even if that appliance is a Dyson... obviously it's pretty great already but what's stopping it being perfect?

In part, that's why Dyson no longer develops corded vacuums. Once the tech involved, particularly the battery technology, had developed to a level to make vacuuming the whole house with a cordless vacuum a possibility, Dyson jumped in with both feet. Sure its bagless vacuums were pretty amazeballs but trust me, going both cordless and bagless is a life-changer.

What's really ironic is sometimes by solving a problem, you create another. Dyson's auto-sensing motorised cleaner heads are a force to be reckoned with. Not only did they effectively solve the problem of brushing up everything for Dyson's famous Cyclone-powered suction to dispense with instantly, they're versatile enough to use on both hard and soft surfaces.

But here's the issue...

In my house, believe it or not, there's a lot of hair. Oh, sure, I don't have any, but my partner has heaps. My seventeen year-old daughter has plenty and it seems like my other daughter, although not currently living at home, returns on an almost weekly basis just to shed.

...And there are two cats. So, by the end of my vacuum, this is what I get...

And that's on a good day. Yes, I can usually pull that tangled mess out and yes, even if I can't, Dyson has designed the cleaner head cleverly enough so it can be easily dismantled for just such an eventuality, thereby giving you all the access you need to untangle things.

Still, not ideal.

So here's what they did...

Meet the Anti-tangle Hair screw tool, now included in the box with selected Dyson models (and of course, the new models about to arrive).

I've heard from members of Dyson's design team talking about how they come up with it - reasoning that an Archimedes-screw concept (something the ancient scientist, mathematician and inventor developed to move water uphill) might also work just as well to move long strands of hair to the end of the brush-bar so they can be sucked away.

Many 3D models and thousands of hours of testing later and the Anti-tangle Hair screw was the result.

Pretty weird-looking but who cares as long as it does the job and I can confirm that, yes, it definitely does the job. In fact, I was so determined to put it to the test, I vacuumed my whole house with it. Now let me point out, this is not what it was designed for. Due to the physics involved, the cantilevered, offset screw design just isn't practical for a full-sized head. This is more for spot cleaning, pet beds, mattresses, cars and the like. But still... I reasoned it wasn't a fair comparison if I didn't use it the same way as my "conventional" motorised cleaner head.

Admittedly, it took me a little longer to do all four bedrooms and both storeys of my home, due to its more narrow size but it still did a great job. And not one single tangled strand of hair by the end of it. Not one.

This head also conveniently comes apart by tripping a single lever but I can't imagine having to do that as this unique design works so perfectly.

If that doesn't get you excited about some of the other vacuum innovations Dyson is about to bring to market, I don't know what will.

Now if only Dyson could come up with a full-sized anti-tangle head of some kind. Hmmm....

Click here for more information and pricing on Dyson stick vacuums using the Anti-tangle Hair screw tool.

And the Beat Goes On

If there's one thing I've come to rely on from JBL over the years it's big, bangin' bass.

Whether it's earbuds, over-ear headsets or speakers - pumping out some low-end rumble seems to have become a bit of a specialty.

This isn't everyone's cup of tea, of course. If you're trying to pick out each section of the orchestra in a movement of Haydn or you just want to chill out to an acoustic blues/roots duo like the Wood Brothers, too much bombastic bass boom can easily swamp everything else and the result can be a muddy mess without much mid or top-end accuracy.

Generally speaking, a bigger speaker, with more drivers and more separation between them has traditionally been a good way to improve things but that's not much help if you're off to the beach, park or pool party.

Again, this is an area JBL has put up its hand to cater for and its latest edition certainly has a lot going for it... with one glaring omission...

The Xtreme 3 is a fairly predictable addition to JBL's range of portable party speakers, following directly in the footsteps of the two Xtremes before it.

It's unquestionably more stylish to look at - each end now angled slightly, the bumpers chunkier and more textured. Even the JBL logo on the front is cooler - each letter individually highlighted.

There's an array of rubber strips along the bottom to keep things still and upright on slippery surfaces and the carry strap has also been upgraded - now with an integrated rubber grip and bottle-opener buckle which is just a damn good idea.

Perhaps most significantly, although the Xtreme 3 is no smaller than its predecessor it's almost half a kilo lighter making it more portable than ever.

It offers most of the features you would expect from a device like this; easily accessible onboard controls, an IP67 water/dustproof rating and a 3.5mm aux input if you prefer to give the Bluetooth 5.1 connection a miss. You can also charge devices from the Xtreme 3 - via USB-A or the USB-C port you use to charge the speaker itself. These ports are tucked away behind a watertight rubber flap - so presumably the IP67 rating doesn't apply unless that's pressed snugly back in place.

Battery life is a real standout - JBL's website promises up to fifteen hours but I think it might be even better than that. I feel like I've been listening to this thing for days and I've only charged it once. Definitely a great option if you're overnighting in the wilderness with no power.

And if you are, you're bound to disturb some wildlife - the Xtreme 3 can certainly get good and loud.

Four drivers and two bass radiators combine to provide a decent soundscape with little to no distortion, even at maximum volume. I do wish the volume controls had a slightly bigger range - there aren't that many steps between soft, medium and "party-on-dude..." which means getting just the right level for background ambience can be a bit of a challenge.

Andy Grammer's "I Found You" is a track with good dynamic contrast - swapping acoustic verses with more electronic choruses. When the bass drops in those choruses, it's fun to watch the radiators at each end of the speaker start to pulse and vibrate with the beat. Fun to hear it too.

What surprised me is the nice job the Xtreme 3 does with clean vocals. "Glad you Exist" by Dan + Shay is a typical boy-band-style slow jam that relies on strong vocal production and not much else. This actually comes across very well on this speaker - a song that's essentially a plastic pop ballad sounds warm, rich and full.

Then my ultimate test; the Wood Brothers. Look, I'm not obsessed, they're just one of my favourite bands, okay? The thing is, their music is mostly just acoustic guitar, double bass and vocals - sometimes with a few other things thrown in. It's always a challenge for a single, portable speaker to do a good job of reproducing this kind of organic, in-the-room-with-you sound. I was stoked to find the Xtreme 3 was up to the task, giving all the clarity, warmth and space required to each component.

So it looks good, is big without being too heavy, the strap is well designed and there's plenty of battery life for a genuinely portable party experience. We've got serious oomph and decent sound quality too. You also have the Party Boost function, which means you can connect wirelessly to other compatible JBL speakers or create a stereo pair. But... no voice assistant option. The Xtreme 2 could work as a speakerphone and let you access your assistant too. For some reason, JBL has left this function off the Xtreme 3.

Admittedly, I've never used the speakerphone button on any bluetooth speaker that's had one and that suggests not many other people were using it either. On the other hand, Alexa, Siri and Google Assistant have all become genuinely useful to the point in many households, some things don't actually work unless you ask your virtual assistant to make them work. I do believe speakers that don't have smart capabilities - or at least a connection to your phone's smart assistant - are on their last legs. We're quickly becoming conditioned to controlling not just our music but our whole lives with simple voice commands and there should be no reason why a $400+ speaker can't work that way too.

On the other hand, if you haven't yet reached that level of IoT interconnectivity, no virtual assistant won't be an issue and the Xtreme 3 certainly stands on its own as a go-anywhere party machine that provides a lot more than just big, booming bass.

Click here for more information on the JBL Xtreme 3 portable waterproof speaker.

The Crazy Bedside Sleep Tracker That Actually Works

Okay, by now I think most of us are pretty well aware of what a smart speaker is and what it can do. They come in different shapes and sizes and yes, some even have a screen.

But the world of tech never rests.

There's always a new feature to add into the mix and while sometimes you might think, "Why would I ever need that?" - every now and then it's a good idea to take a don't-knock-it-till-you've-tried-it approach.

So when I set up the latest smart device from Google, I tried to keep an open mind.

At first the Google Nest Hub (2nd gen) seems like a predictable refinement of what we've seen before. It was smaller than I expected; a lot of screen and not much else. The stand/speaker at the rear of the device is about as slim as it could possibly be and overall, it's a very attractive addition to my bedside table. Why there though? Well, it's not compulsory - you're welcome to use the ever-expanding powers of your Google assistant anywhere in the house. You might want to see the album art and videos supplied by your streaming service as you play music in your living room. You might regularly look up recipes online and it's good to have them on a handy screen in the kitchen. But given the Google Nest Hub includes Sleep Sensing in its long list of smart skills, I thought I'd better give it a go.

It wasn't without trepidation. The last time I'd tried to use a smart speaker with a screen in the bedroom it was a total failure. This was due to the display not staying off all night long which is essential for any kind of chance of sleep for my partner. She's been known to be kept awake by that little red LED that stays on on the corner of the TV in hotel rooms and there sure as hell better not be a blinking light on the smoke detector - no matter how small it is. So a 7-inch touch screen that comes to life in the middle of the night - even at its dimmest will still have the same effect as stadium lights slamming on for a big game. Not good. 

Luckily, when you set up the Nest Hub via the Google Home app, you have the option to create a night routine which literally keeps the screen off completely when the ambient light drops below a certain level - a level you decide by the way. This was a huge relief. Sure, you can keep it on and use it as a bedside clock if you wish but that's simply not an option in my case.

This immediately gave me access to a lot of useful smart features - with a smart bulb in my bedside lamp I can turn the light on and off just by telling Google to do it. Same deal with my aircon - no fumbling around with remote controls in the dark. What I hadn't expected was how intuitive Google Assistant has become. By simply saying, "Hey Google, watch Travelers on Netflix" the episode I was up to started playing in about three seconds flat - I didn't even realise I'd connected my account. 

And what a great device for a bit of bedtime viewing. The picture is super clear as is the sound from the full-range speaker with its 1.7-inch driver. The Nest Hub also serves as a Chromecast device too, so this means you can stream from almost any service or just mirror your phone or tablet's screen. The way the screen is angled makes it perfectly comfortable to view when lying in bed on your side.

Music is another reason the Nest Hub works so well in the bedroom. Sound is clear and full but even at ten, there's not a lot of power here. The speaker seems to be tuned more for accuracy across all frequencies rather than thumping bass or anything like that. In saying that, bass-driven tracks like "Numb" by U2 still definitely pump along without any weird vibration or distortion - Google claims there's 50% more bass than the original Nest Hub - but you won't be holding any dance parties in your room with this speaker alone. However, you can obviously group the Nest Hub with any other Google-enabled speakers on the same Wi-Fi network and have the same soundtrack playing throughout your house.

Whether it's music, video or an alarm, everything can be paused or played with your voice, via on-screen controls and now, even gestures. There's something viscerally satisfying about stopping an alarm just by holding your palm up to the screen.

Yes, the three built-in far-field mics do a fantastic job of picking up even the quietest commands from across the room and those gesture controls are made possible courtesy of the Motion Sense (Soli) system.

This is also key to the star of this particular show, Sleep Sensing. I've reviewed a lot of wearables over the years, many of them with built-in sleep tracking. Some work well, some not so much but they all need to be strapped to your wrist to work. Of the many I've tried, only a few have really been comfortable enough for me to use on a long-term basis; I don't usually wear a watch or any other jewellery to bed so the idea of a sleep tracker I don't have to put on is definitely appealing.

What's less appealing is the thought of a little camera tracking my nocturnal bedroom activities... but that's not what the Nest Hub does. In fact, it doesn't even have a camera - so there's no option for video calling but at least your privacy is guaranteed. Sleep Sensing relies on a combination of the far-field microphones and the Soli sensor instead. In order to activate it, you'll need to take a minute or so to calibrate the device - this is simply a case of ensuring it's in the right position respective to where you sleep and then lying there for a few seconds. Even I can do that.

Unbelievably, it works. I've read other reviews where people have claimed mixed results, especially if they have a sleeping partner but they must not have calibrated the device properly or were perhaps running an earlier version of the operating system. I've found the results to be extremely accurate. You can access them on the screen of the Nest Hub itself or do a deep dive on the Google Fit app. Sleep Sensing can tell what time you went to bed, what time you actually went to sleep, when you were restless and uniquely, if and when you were snoring or coughing.

What's really impressive is I have a completely different sleep schedule to the Domestic Manager. She leads a relatively normal life while I follow the somewhat vampiric routine of those of us who work in breakfast radio - going to bed soon after dinner so we can get up in the middle of the night to go and tell stupid dad-jokes on air. Despite the fact I'm leaving a whole other person in bed for several hours after I leave it, the Nest Hub ignores her completely and carries on about its business.

Oddly, it seems Google will eventually make Sleep Sensing a subscriber-only thing some time next year, only promising to keep it free for 2021. As there has yet to be any indication of how much this kind of subscription may turn out to be, it's hard to comment on whether it's worth buying the Nest Hub just for this feature or not.

In saying that, it's rather attractive, in either Chalk or Charcoal, it takes up very little space and it performs all the actions you'd expect quickly and efficiently. The screen is genuinely useful for watching your favourite bedtime shows and the improvements made to the sound quality have certainly paid off. If you already have other Google-enabled speakers in your home and you're looking to add smart-screen, at NZ$169 this one basically sells itself. And if you're after a reliable sleep tracker you don't have to wear on your wrist, this would also be the obvious choice.

Click here for more information and pricing on the Google Nest Hub (2nd gen).

New Brain, Same Outstanding Laptop

By the time Microsoft introduced laptops to its Surface range, it'd really figured things out. From the premium build quality to the high-end performance, Surface Laptops have never failed to impress. This year, there's been a slight shift though with the introduction of AMD's Ryzen processors. Better? Worse? Any noticeable difference at all?

Let's just back up the truck a bit and assess this thing from scratch and see where we get to...

The Microsoft Surface Laptop 4 is an impressive-looking device, straight out of the box. Over the last decade, the Surface brand has really gathered momentum and the sight of those four embossed squares in the centre of the lid tends to mean there's something pretty special underneath.

It's big... admittedly I've been sent the 15-inch version in Matte Black - you can also choose a 13.5-inch display and there are four colours this year - the black, Platinum, Ice Blue and Sandstone. Oddly, you're restricted to certain colours depending on what configuration you prefer. For example, if you like the softer feel of Microsoft's Alcantara for your keyboard surrounds and palm rests, you'll be restricted to the smaller screen and a choice of Ice Blue or Platinum. If you want a Sandstone Laptop, you can only have the smaller version and in the Cool Metal finish. Meanwhile, you can only get the big boy in Matte Black or Platinum. I was at a briefing where the Microsoft representative was asked about the weird colour/material limitations and he claimed it was something to do with supply and demand basically. I guess people who are into Sandstone aren't into soft surfaces and big screens. Who knew?

But let's not get bogged down with colour schemes. My Laptop 4 is black and it's beautiful. The matte finish on the aluminium surfaces does a pretty good job of repelling fingerprints and grease, the device is very slim and quite light, given its size. There are generous palm rests due to the tall aspect ratio of the display opposite - that means plenty of room for a nice big trackpad too. Microsoft's "Invisible Hinge" is indeed very subtle, although the bezels around the display are less so - roughly a whole centimetre wide at the top and sides and even bigger again at the bottom. This is somewhat surprising, given the much higher screen-to-body ratio I've seen lately from other premium laptops and how elegant everything else is on this machine.

For instance, Microsoft has made a lot of fuss about how you can now open the lid with just one finger. Essentially, that's true - the screen/lid is very thin and light, yet sturdy with little-to-no flex. That hinge also helps with this too - it's firm but not too firm.

Which brings me to the port selection - there aren't many and I can never tell if this is a design decision or a practical thing. What I mean is, is there just not enough motherboard space available to fit in more slots or does someone just think too many holes in the side of your computer look a bit ugly? I really hope it isn't that second thing because personally, I can never have too many ports if possible. On the Laptop 4 you get a USB-A, a USB-C, a Surface Connect slot and a headphone jack. That's it. Now, admittedly you can charge via either the Surface Connect or USB-C but seriously... if you don't own some kind of external dock there's not a lot of gear you're going to be plugging in here.

And that's it. Those are all my complaints. I literally can't find anything else wrong with this laptop.

Keyboard? Impressively spaced out and wonderfully clicky.

Trackpad? Large (as already mentioned) which means accurate and useful for gestures like pinch-to-zoom - also nice and clicky.

Pixelsense touch display? Bright and clear and adjusts nicely to the ambient light where you're working.

Sound? Very good actually. This is weird because you can't see the Omnisonic speakers. In fact I had to search up where they are because I couldn't find them. They're under the keyboard. Clever. The Dolby Atmos-enabled result is very immersive. It's a great laptop for watching your favourite shows on.

Camera? Good enough - it's a 720p HD f2.0 sensor that provides a nice clear image in most lighting conditions and combined with the dual far-field mic array, you should have no issues being seen and heard at your next online meeting. Most importantly, it's Windows Hello enabled for a quick and secure hands-free login.

All of this is to be expected - as I've already said, historically Surface Laptops have been not just fine examples of the Surface range but right up there with the best Windows laptops available from any manufacturer. When you set yourself a high bar like that to live up to, people tend to get bogged down with any feature that isn't quite up to snuff - instead of acknowledging all the great things Microsoft has delivered yet again.

All well and good. But going with a new chip is akin to changing the Coke recipe; pretty risky if you don't get it right first time.

Not to worry, the Laptop 4 gets it right. Not that you're locked into the AMD Ryzen chip - there are Intel Core versions available too, although from what I've seen so far, I'm not sure they're worth the extra money and again, like the colour and material selection - depending on what screen-size, memory and storage options you choose, you might not get the option to choose which chip anyway.

Lucky for me, the device I'm using is running on the AMD Ryzen 7 4980U, with 16GB of RAM and 512GB of storage. The similarly configured Intel version is $200 more expensive and I'm here to tell you to save your money. This particular Laptop 4 is as fast and as powerful as any other laptop I've used. What's more, the integrated AMD Raedon graphics card means this is definitely one of the new breed of laptops capable of fairly high-demand tasks - like sound and video editing and even running many games previously only designed for consoles and specced-up gaming PC's.

Dirt 5, Yakuza: Like a Dragon and Gears all launched quickly and ran without a hitch. And as I've pointed out, the screen looks brilliant, the speakers sound terrific so the whole experience is nothing short of a pleasure.

Perhaps the Laptop 4's most impressive claim is its up to 17.5 hour battery life. As I always point out - those sorts of numbers are meaningless as battery life is never consistent between one charge and the next. If you spend hours gaming today and you're just checking emails tomorrow, the power consumption is going to vary quite a bit. What I can tell you is I never had to put the Laptop 4 on to charge more than once any given day - and yes, I was generally using it for hours at a time. Like the impressive graphics performance, I'm starting to see a few more Windows laptops coming out with genuine. all-day battery life so it's good to know Microsoft has placed itself firmly among that leading pack.

And man does this thing run cool and quiet. 

As usual, the price might be a barrier for some people - the Laptop 4 in the configuration I'm using right now retails for NZ$3,199.00 - not cheap but also inarguably one of the best laptops available right now. The range starts at NZ$1,749.00 which is definitely more accessible and at that end of the scale you're still getting a really solid performer - albeit with a slightly smaller screen.

I've yet to be disappointed by any Surface Laptop I've used and this year is no exception - in fact, this time Microsoft has discovered even more ways to impress.

Click here for more information and pricing on the Microsoft Surface Laptop 4.

The Easiest Video You Never Made

Right, here we go again; this is me wading full-on, straight into an area I have no expertise or experience in whatsoever... filming and photographing action.

In fact, I don't really know that much about filming and photography.

To be perfectly honest, I'm not even that well acquainted with action.

But I do love tech. I love good design. And I love an app that works...

I've never owned a GoPro and I've only used one a handful of times over the years. I'm not totally sure why that is - the basic idea is great; a camera you can take anywhere and use in any conditions... hot, cold - even underwater.

I think my main issue is I don't really like being hot, cold or underwater.

Also... ever since digital cameras and smartphones came along, I've always found I feel a bit insecure using a camera on which I can't instantly monitor what I'm shooting.

I mean, what if someone blinked?

Okay, grandad, time to catch up with some recent developments.

The GoPro HERO9 Black is many, many steps along the evolutionary scale from those early GoPro's I've dabbled with in the past.

The most obvious advance being that whole extra screen on the front. This was an inevitable progression for GoPro, as most owners have been shooting themselves for years - just having to guess if they were in the shot or not, unless they'd invested in an optional "Display Mod" - the flip-up screen designed specifically for selfie pics, vids and lately, yes - even live-streaming. Now, GoPro has essentially made its own mod obsolete. The small, 1.4-inch forward facing LCD display is bright, clear and works so well I keep forgetting it's not a touch screen like the much bigger screen on the back.

You can use the HERO9 Black as a webcam too - enhanced by the fact the mic quality is also damn dependable.

Depending on when you may have dipped in or checked out of the GoPro story, some of the other attributes I'll be outlining here may or may not be news to you. Certainly, I had no clue how far things had progressed. Features like being waterproof down to 33 feet and the versatile mounting system - that stuff I kind of expected. But the sheer range of shooting modes; burst shots, cinematic, time lapse and slo-mo - for a know-nothing bozo like me it's actually a bit overwhelming. I've been particularly blown away by the HyperSmooth 3.0 stability control - whether you're running up a mountain or just walking down stairs, between that and the built-in horizon levelling, it's almost as if you and the camera are on gimbals.

In short, the HERO9 Black takes genuinely good photos - up to 20MP and outstanding video - even up to 5K if you want.

But as I've already suggested, there are many more reasons for getting into GoPro's than the cameras themselves. There's an entire ecosystem of mods and accessories to enhance your action-shooting experience. From the simple Handler - the floating handgrip pictured here that not only helps you keep hold of your HERO9 Black in all conditions but will prevent it sinking if you drop it in the drink - to the Max Lens Mod which offers even more stabilisation features and an ultra-wide, 155-degree Field of View.

Although perhaps the most compelling aspect of GoPro ownership is the Quik app - the easiest way to convert your vids and pics into something interesting for the rest of the world to watch. What's crazy is, you don't even need a GoPro to make use of the app. You can use it to turn any media you've shot into a great edit, no matter the phone you're using.

This new version of Quik is a combination of its previous incarnation and the former GoPro app - but it's far more powerful and also gives you the ability to control your paired GoPro camera. And I do mean powerful. If you've ever sat at a PC trying to transfer video and picture files from your camera, only to get bogged down reformatting the file types, editing each clip or pic and adding effects and titles, only to spend another age waiting for the whole thing to export itself to a useable finished file, you'll know it can take hours to come up with just a few decent minutes of edited content. That's if everything doesn't crash halfway through.

Quik leaves all that behind. One tap loads your recorded files into the "Mural" homescreen. This literally takes a few seconds, then those cuts are available for you to select for your project. Actually, calling it a "project" makes it sound like hard work. This definitely isn't. A tap of the movie button and Quik takes over, trimming to time then adding music and transition effects. At that point, if you like what you see, it's immediately shareable to Youtube, Instagram... wherever. Remember, this is all from your phone.

If you do want to complicate things, you're allowed. Customise titles, choose filters and cinematic styles, use music from GoPro's library or add your own. Each cut can be trimmed to a different length of your choosing, you can speed up the action or go into slomo - even highlight important points you think the app may have missed.

I've had a pretty good mess around with all the options but I've found, generally speaking, Quik knows what it's doing first time out. Either way, the whole process takes minutes not hours. It's easily the most intuitive and user-friendly phone-based video editor I've used to date.

Nothing is perfect though and that's true here too. For example, you don't get all the features the app has to offer without paying a subscription. It's not an exorbitant subscription but it's something to consider. You'll also need to pay GoPro for another sub if you want your content to auto-upload to the cloud, although this may not be a priority for you if you already have access to other cloud storage.

As for the camera, I love everything about it except its controls and its battery life. The touch screen is too fiddly and unresponsive to my fat fingers. It tends to either ignore my taps altogether or register them as a long press, which usually brings up an options menu instead of firing off the function I'm going for. This is offset by the fact there's a nice big, physical Mode button on the side to toggle between Time Lapse, Video and Photo and also once I've chosen a setting, that's usually the one I'll stick with for the whole shoot.

I was definitely surprised how quickly the battery drains though - and GoPro claims there's "30% more battery" than before but I guess with two bright, colourful screens to light up, there's only so much you can do. Luckily, spare rechargeable batteries are only NZ$34.99 and they're very easy to swap out.

Overall though, very few downsides. After just a couple of weeks, I'm converted. The combination of a full-featured, almost indestructible camera and a foolproof video editing app has convinced me I can actually do this stuff. All I need now is some action. My video of me putting away washing and cleaning windows isn't perhaps quite what GoPro had in mind... but you get the picture.

Click here for more information and pricing on the GoPro HERO9 Black.

Click here for more information on the Quik mobile video editing app.

Take Full Control... of Everything

Have I mentioned how I'm not a gamer?

Somewhere in a parallel universe I am. In that universe I have no responsibilities or commitments and hours of free time to hone my skills, collect rewards and level up.

Back here in this world I get up in the middle of the night to go to work in breakfast radio and if I get any free time during the day I use it to sleep.

So when I get to review some kind gaming accessory, I really have to apply myself. I have to be disciplined. I have to make sure I put aside a few hours to sit down and focus. On playing games.

So let's not waste time swapping controllers...

8BitDo is one of those companies I confess I'd never heard of until I was asked to review their latest gadget, the Pro 2 controller.

I don't feel too ignorant, as I've asked some of the more experienced gamers I know if they knew of 8BitDo and they all said they didn't either.

However... when they looked them up, I definitely got their attention.

It seems 8BitDo has a bigger reputation internationally as the go-to, third-party controller manufacturer and its new one, the Pro 2, certainly ticks a lot of boxes.

For starters you can use the Pro 2 with PC, macOS, Android or Nintendo Switch - and that doesn't mean pairing, unpairing and pairing again every time you swap devices. There's a selector underneath that means you can instantly jump from one platform to the next. If I was going to be super niggly, I'd complain this switch is kind of small and fiddly - especially if you don't have good fingernails - but I'm not going to complain because it's definitely better to have this feature than not at all.

Conversely, the rest of the Pro 2 is set out brilliantly. It seems built for adult hands, slightly wider and with longer handgrips than some other controllers. Nothing feels cramped and the joysticks and triggers all have plenty of travel. And man, oh man, are there plenty of buttons. Not just a robust-feeling, springy D-pad on the left and an Xbox-style X/Y/A/B array on the right, a pair of front bumpers and a pair of triggers but also a star button for assigning Turbo functionality and then two more secret buttons (P1 and P2), nestled conveniently under your middle fingers when you're holding the device.

Virtually everything is mappable.

This is done through 8BitDo's Ultimate Software app which can be downloaded to your PC, Mac or phone. Oddly, the Pro 2 needs to be connected to your computer via its included USB cable for programming which is weird because that's not required for the Android version. Oh well. Whatevs. The important thing is you can customise everything - flip all the controls if you want - even adjust how far you need to push the joysticks or triggers for 100% effect. You can also alter vibration intensity and program macros for particular button combinations - often required during hand-to-hand combat for example. This is where those extra P1 and P2 buttons come in very handy (pun intended) as you can assign your macro to one of them, giving you a distinct advantage over your opponents. 

You can also save your modified settings to one of three profiles, which you can quickly toggle through using the dedicated button between the two joysticks. (That's three profiles for each platform, by the way)

The Pro 2's versatility stretches to charging too - it comes with a replaceable twenty-hour rechargeable battery cell. Twenty hours is great - but even if that's not enough, not to worry, you can continue playing while charging. In fact, you don't have to use the Pro 2 wirelessly at all - it works connected via USB-C to either your computer or phone. What's even more convenient is you can swap out the rechargeable cell for two conventional AA batteries instead. Talk about non-stop gaming.

Look, this is way more controller than an amateur noob like me could possibly ever need. I get lost playing Yakuza: Like a Dragon. I repeatedly drown as Sonic on my phone. And I can't complete a single lap of Dirt 5 without clipping at least one wall. But I love the way the controller vibrates when I hit that wall and Sonic is infinitely more fun using a joystick rather than swiping and tapping the screen.

I definitely get how customised macros would be a massive advantage in FPS and other fighting games - not for me but for players who actually know what they're doing. 

I was a little disappointed to discover the Pro 2 won't control everything on Android... Call of Duty just one big title it doesn't work for.

It would also be amazing to use it for your Xbox games via Cloud gaming using Game Pass on Android - unfortunately New Zealand isn't yet on the list of countries where that service is available. I'm not blaming 8BitDo for that, of course, It's just a general moan.

Compared with other controllers with similar functionality, the Pro 2's $99.95 price tag seems like great value for all the features it brings to the table - and it comes in a choice of three colours.

It's comfortable to use, it's easy to set up, customise and upgrade and has excellent battery life. Even better, having specific hardware options to instantly change saved profiles, swap platforms and extra programmable buttons makes the Pro 2 an easy choice.

Click here for more information on the 8BitDo Pro 2 controller.