Fans Finally Serviced

As if it wasn't hard enough to keep track of Samsung's seemingly ever increasing range of smartphones, 2020 saw the introduction of the very well received Fan Edition Galaxy S20. The idea was to listen hard to what users liked and give them more of that. As for the things customers weren't so attached to, maybe trim those off, trimming a few dollars off the price of a premium handset in the process.

Living up to its name, the FE drove the fans crazy. It drove me pretty crazy too. I found it to be extremely easy to use and high-end features like water resistance and wireless charging were still part of the setup - not to mention being powered by the best chip Samsung had to offer at the time.

My advice to anyone in the market for a new phone was to seriously look at the S20 FE - in fact, that's still my advice a year and half later. I literally just told a friend it was probably the best phone his money could buy.

That's because it is now quite a bit cheaper and that's because there's a new Fan Edition in town. Somewhat late to the party... but then, all the cool people turn up late, right?

Apparently the infamous chip shortage was to blame. The Galaxy S21 FE was supposed to come out last last year and kept a lot of those "fans" waiting when it simply didn't.

This poses a few issues for Samsung because it now squashes up against next week's launch of the new S22 flagships and it completely ruins the symmetry of having a phone called the same number as the year it's released.

On the bright side, the delay probably means any minor teething issues sometimes experienced with brand new devices straight out of the oven should be well and truly worked through by now and indeed, in my experience of the phone so far it's certainly one of the most "finished-feeling" I've ever set up straight out of the box. 

Not that I got a box - my review handset was handed to me as is, no charger, no cable and certainly no earbuds. Which to be fair, is pretty much how it should be by now. There'll be people out there still complaining about no buds or charging bricks in the box anymore but seriously, if you don't own several of those by now, welcome back from your years in the cave.

As expected - and as designed - there's a lot to like and not much to complain about with the S21 FE. The moment you hold it it feels familiar and comfortable, due in no small part to its polycarbonate rear casing (which actually feels more like brushed aluminium) and the flat screen (not curved at the edges like its much more expensive, top-of-the-line S21 cousin, the Ultra.)

The FE comes in four colours; Graphite, Lavender, Olive and White. Yes, white is making a comeback, just like my very first Samsung Galaxy, an S3, a million billion years ago. Olive seems to be everywhere these days too, worse luck. Not a fan. Why can't we just have proper colours? Like red? Anyway, I'll stick with Graphite for the time being - a subtle enough mix of not-black, not-blue and not-grey.

The distinctive, wrap-around-the-corner rear camera module of the original S21's is back, although emphatically more streamlined as it's moulded into the rear casing as opposed to the glaringly contrasting setup of the flagships we saw over a year ago now.

This is all a bit of a relief for me as I've never been enamoured with the giant, sticky-out camera modules we've seen over the last couple of years. The sensors themselves are similar to the vanilla S21 - a 12MP wide, a 12MP ultra wide but only an 8MP telephoto, as opposed to the S21's 64MP option. And yes, that does mean a bit less optical/hybrid zoom capacity but it's still a lot better at a distance than most other phones on the market.

In fact, just as its 2020 predecessor did, the S21 FE takes great pics. I'm a fan (there's that word again) of Samsung's tendency to oversaturate the colour and brightness a little - who doesn't want fun photos? I'm particularly happy with the ultra-wide shots I've taken at the beach or of other watery views, it's a great way to capture fun Summer memories just the way they looked. Night mode also impressed me with its clarity and simply how fast it captures the shots - no waiting for up to 3 seconds as I've had to with some phones.

And that's before you get to the forward-facing selfie cam, thankfully now missing the chrome ring around the cutout, a feature that inexplicably ruined the look of the original S20 FE. This is a 32MP lens, so actually a significant upgrade over that of the 10MP on the S21.

As usual, Samsung's camera app is probably the most comprehensive, yet easiest to navigate of pretty much any phone out there. Of special note is the all-new Dual Recording mode - an evolution of Director's View that lets you record or broadcast from both front and rear cameras simultaneously. This definitely saves a lot of post-shooting editing, especially for all you streamers out there.

There's a real "just-right" vibe with the 6.4-inch, dynamic AMOLED display - slightly bigger than the S21 but not as big as the S21+. The 120Hz refresh rate now varies automatically, to save battery life and as usual for most Samsung phones, it looks awesome.

Then, when you start listing off other specs, it gets really hard to figure out why this phone is $300 cheaper than the S21. It has a significantly bigger battery and as a result absolutely sails though the longest days on a single charge. It uses the same, high-end Exynos 2100 chip and comes running Android 12 and Samsung's latest One UI 4.0 straight out of the box.

For all intents and purposes, this is a true flagship, just cheaper; starting at NZ$1099.00 for the 128GB version.

Again, this has quickly become the phone I'm likely to recommend to friends. Well, till next week at least, anyway.

    

Click here for more information and pricing on the Samsung Galaxy S21 FE 5G.

You've Never Worn Buds Like These

If you're reading this from outside New Zealand, you may not have heard of our Number 8 wire, can-do attitude. In fact, you may not even have heard of Number 8 wire. Just to bring you up to speed, it's the sturdy wire commonly used in farm fencing that can also be bent and cut into an unlimited selection of shapes and lengths for any number of other uses.

We Kiwis claim to be able to improvise anything if we have access to a pair of pliers and a roll of No.8 - from basic handtools right up to flightworthy aircraft.

While that's a slight exaggeration, it can't be denied despite our relatively small population, our nation often punches above its weight on the world stage. Obvious examples include leading the charge in yacht-racing technology (we're the current and frequent holders of the coveted America's Cup) and Rocket Lab, a company that literally launches satellites into space on a regular basis, from right here in little old N.Z.

In a nutshell, we hate it when people tell us something can't be done. In fact, that usually is just the catalyst we need to forge on and achieve the impossible.

So what has all that got to do with earbuds?

The Earshots story is another prime example of Kiwi can-do.

When the pandemic struck in 2020, James Bell-Booth suddenly found himself out of a job and stuck at home in Palmerston North. While some people may have found that a bit of a setback, Bell-Booth seized the opportunity to solve a problem he'd been grappling with for a while; earbuds that actually stay in when you're mountain biking.

Over the following months he sat at his kitchen table, working on a series of prototypes, fiddling about with magnets and burning his ears and fingers on too-recently moulded plastic.

To bring a quality product to market takes a team though - and assembling one during a world-wide pandemic proved challenging. However, embracing all the networking technology available to him, Bell-Booth did indeed get his team together, although not physically together - it turns out that's not really so important anymore. The Earshots crew are spread not only across New Zealand but around the world.

The result was pretty crazy; a pair of buds held on by the unique SHOCKLOCK system, a combination of in and over-ear components that magnetise together to stay firmly in place.

And I'm here to tell you, that's exactly what they do.

I've walked. I've run. I've cycled. I've painted. I've dug. I've lifted. I've even gone up and down ladders. The Earshots never moved. I'm not a hang-upside-down-from-a-rock-face kind of guy but I'm confident if I was, these things would stay.

Earshots has just launched its second-generation and now the fit is more customisable - allowing you to rotate the bud between five different angles to best suit your ear shape.

There's nothing subtle about this form-factor; but if you're an adventure junkie you're probably less interested in fashion and more concerned with substance over style.

The good news is, Earshots are all about substance. Not only do they stay in always without fail, they offer the longest battery life of any earbuds I've ever reviewed. Up to ten hours playback from a single charge and - wait for it - up to 150 hours from a fully charged case. Can this be true? 150 hours? How would I know? I charged the case (via USB-C) when I first unboxed my Earshots and I've never had to since. Not once. And I wear them all the time. If battery life is your number one concern, these should be your number one choice.

With buds this size and shape and battery life like that, you might think the case is a little bigger than conventional wireless earbuds. Wrong. It's way, way, way bigger. Kind of like a small lunchbox or toolbox - that's what it reminds me of anyway, with it's chunky, tough construction and clickety-clackety clasp. There's no way this is fitting in your pocket. But it won't smash if you drop it and it keeps your Earshots charged for A HUNDRED AND FIFTY HOURS! So who cares?

These 2022 Earshots claim to have been significantly upgraded in terms of sound quality - I haven't tried the originals so I can't comment. What I do know is they've cleverly moved a lot of the inner-workings out of the buds themselves and into the rear housing that sits behind your ears. Apparently this means they have more space to do cool stuff with titanium drivers, pressurised acoustic chambers and helmholtz resonators... whatever any of those are. They sound pretty damn good, anyway.

"Black River" by Amos Lee is a very simple track, mostly bass and Lee's acoustic guitar. Yet the Earshots do a wonderful job of creating a wide soundscape for the nicely produced stereo effects. The bass is strong, if slightly boomy but all in all, there's quite a bit of audio magic happening here. 

Which is just as well, given there's no companion app of any kind to adjust the EQ or any other settings for that matter. Is this an issue? I guess that depends how much you like to tinker around with your sound. Personally, I'm more than happy with the mix; vocals come through warm and clear, there's plenty of oomph across most frequencies and as I've mentioned, there's really powerful bass response - if just a tad muddy.

Call quality is perfectly satisfactory too. My test for this is if the people I'm talking to ask me if I'm on bluetooth during our conversations. None have, so I assume they're receiving me loud and clear.

On-board controls are the one area where there's still plenty of room for improvement; there really aren't any. Okay, yes there's a small play/pause/answer button on each bud but that's it. No volume control, no virtual assistant, no pass-through or Active Noise Cancellation. You can't even skip tracks. I feel like this is something James and his team need to address for the next generation. Given these buds have been specifically designed for activities like cycling and climbing, where you need your hands free for long periods of time, having to get your phone out to fast-forward the intro of your podcast seems counter-intuitive. I do quite like the way the single control button on each side is also positioned on the rear housing. It makes it easy to find and more comfortable to push against the side of your head, rather than pushing the bud into your ear.

I can't say I've missed ANC much. This is a deliberate design decision as cyclists in particular prefer to hear a little of their surroundings to prevent being taken out by speeding cattle trucks and the like. To be honest, the fit is good enough and the Earshots can be wound up loud enough to block out most other annoying noises anyway.

Which brings us back to the beauty of these buds - not physical beauty - but truly innovative design that makes Earshots the most purpose-built wireless earphones I've ever met. If you ride a bike, climb mountains, spend a lot of time upside-down or you're just sick of your earbuds falling out, you won't be disappointed with these.

Click here for more information and pricing on Earshots.

All the Storage You Could Ever Need

How's the cloud working out for you?

There's no question when it comes to backups - from photos to projects to whole systems - having access to all your stuff from anywhere on any device is one of the greatest advances the internet has ever made possible.

However, cloud storage isn't the perfect solution for every scenario, at least not yet anyway. This is mostly due to the limitations of available bandwidth - when it comes to high-end gaming and editing large audio and video projects, the fact is you still need most of the files involved loaded onto your device locally - the exchange of information between the cloud and your computer or console still isn't fast enough to make things happen instantaneously.

Another modern malady is devices being sold with insufficient storage. I'm not just talking phones and tablets here; many laptops ship with relatively small SSD's relative to their processing abilities and even purpose-built gaming consoles surprise me with how little drive space comes as standard - especially given how resource-heavy many modern games are.

The obvious solution is to pay through the nose for a higher-specced version of the base-level device but even then, the drive sizes may not be sufficient.

Luckily, there are now more portable and expandable storage options than ever.

Late last year, tech manufacturer PNY started making a lot more noise in Australia and New Zealand, which timed nicely with a greater demand for high-performance home computing components, due largely to the new pandemic-enforced Work From Home trend the hugely successful (if supply restricted) rollout of the new PS5 from Sony.

Never had those of us down-under wanted access to more PC power and we've never gamed more than we are right now.

The result of all that has been hot demand for upgrades - especially when it comes to memory, graphics cards and storage.

Today I'm going to focus on a couple of storage solutions you may not even have realised were out there - they were certainly news to me, starting with the XLR8 CS3140 M.2 NVMe SSD.

If you've never taken the case off your PC tower or poked around inside your PlayStation, you might be wondering what the hell I'm talking about.

While most of us would recognise an old-school, bricky hard drive if we saw one, physical spinning disks like those haven't been storing your files for quite a while. In fact, it wasn't long before the new Solid State Drives shed their cases completely and revealed themselves to be just another circuit board - now smaller and slimmer than ever in the M.2 NVMe form factor.

This kind of SSD is dramatically faster and generally more reliable than the old spinning disks but when I first upgraded one, the biggest capacity I could find was 1TB. Now PNY's XLR8 CS3140 range goes right up to 4TB, which is likely to be way larger than what your computer came with and is more than four times more storage than what you'll find in a PS5 out of the box.

I've talked before about the fact people underestimate how much having free storage space on a quicker drive can improve the performance of your computer - apart from giving you somewhere to keep all your photos, videos and games of course.

My laptop has a 500GB SSD, which is ample for my everyday needs but once I started downloading a few games, it started filling up pretty fast. A game like Red Dead Redemption 2 takes up a whopping 150GB. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare is even bigger. Keep both of those on your main drive and you won't have much room for anything else.

You might cram a dozen or so average-sized games on the PS5's 825GB drive but not many more.

That's why the XLR8 CS3140 could be the answer you've been looking for.

To further increase performance if you're upgrading your PS5, PNY also offers the XLR8 PS5 SSD Cover with integrated heatsink. This is easily installed when you slot your new SSD in, with a step-by-step video easily accessible on the PNY website. It looks kind of cool but much more importantly, it helps the M.2 NVMe SSD run up to 40% cooler.

Which might not be a bad idea because the CS3140 can get pretty warm when it's working hard. How do I know this? Because I've been using it as an external storage drive inside another bit of PNY innovation; the Elite-X M.2 SSD Enclosure.

This tiny little box - about the size of a pack of gum - is specifically designed to house M2. NVMe SSD's so you can connect them to other devices via USB-C or USB-A - both transmission lines included in the box. This means not only can you expand the storage capacity of virtually any device with a USB port, for things like phones that expansion is potentially massive - remember, up to 4TB.

The Elite-X is very easy to set up; just slide out the drawer, insert your SSD and slide it back it, securing it in place with a small cover at the other end. Finished in brushed aluminium, it really is quite a nondescript, subtle accessory, other than the small status LED next to the USB port.

But going back to the temperature issue - it does get quite warm when the SSD inside is working hard, which I've been making it do by storing my downloaded Game Pass games on it. How brilliant to be able to move them off my main drive and free up all that space though, while still keeping everything portable. The Elite-X slips into my laptop satchel without me even noticing it.

Or... if you think 1TB will be enough, why not make things easier still with PNY's Pro Elite USB 3.0 Flash Drive?

Again, stylish and durable aluminium casing with a fairly standard push-out design. The Pro Elite comes in various capacities, from 128GB up to 1TB but the really important number is the transfer speed. Because it's USB 3.0 you can transfer files between devices up to 80 times faster than older thumb drives.

That makes it quite an essential tool for someone like me who's moving large chunks of video and audio around all day long. It's also a pretty handy back-up option that won't take up hardly any of the space those bulky external drives do.

So next time you're furiously deleting stuff to make way for something else, or even worse, uninstalling games so you can play some new ones, remember, there are some alternatives out there.

    

Click here for more information on the XLR8 CS3140 SSD.

Click here for more information on the XLR8 PS5 SSD Gaming Cover with integrated heatsink.

Click here for more information on the PNY Elite-X M.2 SSD Enclosure.

Click here for more information on the PNY Pro Elite USB 3.0 Flash Drive.

Time To Take a Stand

There are two ways most of us adopt new technology; either we are sold something we never even knew existed or we have a problem that needs solving and someone has built something to sort it.

That first one is fun. Playing with crazy gadgets you probably don't need sounds like a great way to waste some time.

But the second thing, discovering a product that does exactly what you need it to, thereby improving your quality of life? That's truly satisfying.

Even when the problem you need solving is as simple as needing a thing to hold your thing.

If your workspace is anything like mine, your desktop is more cluttered than you'd like. As you can imagine, because I'm constantly trying out new devices and accessories, I end up with many of them stacked up all over the place, often making it difficult just to access my keyboard, mouse and screen to write these reviews. (Especially given sometimes I'm reviewing keyboards, mice and screens)

That's why having just the right stand can be a real lifesaver.

Today I bring you stand solutions for your tablet, headphones and handset - but these aren't just accessories to hold your gadgets out of the way, they each have a little trick up their sleeve to push them up your stand shopping list.

Firstly, and perhaps most essentially, let's get a hold of your iPad, tablet or even your phone with the Twelve South HoverBar Duo.

Other than a keyboard cover, an accessory like the HoverBar Duo should be pretty much essential for any iPad owner. If you've ever balanced your tablet on a stack of books and boxes to make a video call... If you'd like to use your iPad as a secondary screen for your iMac or Macbook... even if you just want to watch a step-by-step recipe vid in the kitchen, you'll know exactly what I'm talking about.

The first thing you'll notice about the HoverBar Duo is its solid construction. This is no surprise; every Twelve South product I've ever tested has been made from only the highest quality materials and engineered to exacting standards. 

The spring-loaded iPad clip itself is a perfect example. Compared to other, cheaply manufactured holders I've tried before, everything feels firm, tight and durable. If anything, I was a little nervous the first time I inserted my iPad Air in place because I wondered if the springs were a little too firm. My concerns were unfounded of course and instead the result was a totally secure iPad, now up at a much more convenient eye-level.

The clip retracts narrowly enough to hold most phones too, while the supporting arm is hinged in two places with a ball socket at the top meaning your device can be held at literally any angle. The hinge-joints can be tightened or loosened with the included allen key, leaving it up to you if you want your stand to remain adjustable or locked in your ideal position.

And the reason it's not just called the HoverBar? You can use it two ways; sitting on your desk or benchtop or suspended from above by clamping it to a shelf. This "Duo" feat is made possible with the inclusion of both desk base and shelf clamp in the box.

The desk base is wide and heavy, with rubber feet in each corner, providing completely stable support. At the same time, it's very flat so you can store other items on top of it and there's even a groove to stop your pen or stylus rolling away.

However, if you want to keep your desk or benchtop completely clear, then the clamp is the way to go. Again, a few twists of the included allen key will let you swap out the stand for the clamp and you'll be hanging from the ceiling in no time.

Meanwhile, if it's your headphones that are cluttering up your desk, the Satechi Aluminium USB Headphone Stand might well be the way to go.

You might think if you've seen one headphone stand, you've seen them all. But just like Twelve South, when it comes to build quality, Satechi has impressed me before. Sure, the idea of hanging up your headphones to get them out of the way isn't new but there's no denying the elegant look of this all alumunium effort, with rubber non-slip feet for stability and a rubber pad at the top to protect your headphones and help keep them in place.

There's convenient cable storage at the rear of the stand to keep things even more tidy but this stand's greatest advantage is also all in the name; it's not just a stand, it's a USB hub too, providing you with three full-sized USB-A ports you didn't have before.

I've often lamented the lack of ports like these on modern laptops and even the oh-so-stylish iMac hides all its ports away behind the screen where they're hard to reach. The Satechi Aluminium USB Headphone Stand connects via a hardy-looking USB-C cable and gives you easy access to those three USB-A's front and centre. What's more, there's a headphone jack built into the base of the stand too - a major bonus if your only available jack is hidden away somewhere at the back of your PC tower or perhaps you don't have one at all.

This stand takes care of all those issues in one fell swoop. I'm not sure why there's a white status LED on the top of the base - if it's not plugged in, you'll know because it won't work. Other than that, great stand.

But the PowerPic mod Wireless Charger is even greater.

I know it's not even February yet but this little stroke of genius is already in the running for my favourite gadget of the year.

It's another piece of brilliance from Twelve South and it's definitely one of those, "Why didn't I think of that?" kind of ideas; a charger that doesn't look like a charger because it's also a photo frame. Even just as a photo frame, it would be a pretty cool design - basically a big chunk of lucite with a magnetised front panel so you can easily insert any 6 x 4 photo, or just print one off like I did. Once your picture's in place, you can insert it into the angled base in either portrait or landscape orientations.

Obviously, the really cool part is you can plug it into a wall charger and then it becomes a lot more useful than just a photograph. The rubberised ledge at the front of the base will hold your phone (or even the latest Kindle) safely in place while it charges wirelessly. Simple idea, brilliantly executed.

You may have picked up I'm somewhat obsessed about unnecessary LED lights - especially in the bedroom. Here Twelve South gets it just right; a light on each side lights briefly to let you know your device is charging correctly and only remains on and flashes if you haven't put your phone in quite the right place.

The main reason I love it so much is because the Domestic Manager loves it so much. I've been trying to get her to switch to a wireless charger for ages but I think she didn't want to give up the space on her bedside table. 

That all changed once she saw the PowerPic mod. Although that may have had something to do with the picture of our puppy I put in it. How could she resist that?

The lesson is, if you have something but you don't have a place to put it, it could be you just need the right stand.

Click here for more information on the Twelve South HoverBar Duo.

Click here for more information on the Satechi Aluminium USB Headphone Stand.

Click here for more information on the Twelve South PowerPic mod Wireless Charger.

Blindingly Bright. Breathtaking Price

These days it's all too easy to beat up on big tech.

Like big anything, you don't get big without squashing some smaller stuff along the way. But credit where credit's due; Google sells some very cool gear.

The general philosophy seems to be make it foolproof, simple to set up and super reliable.

Nowhere is that more evident than with the Chromecast - a device so easy to use that works so well, many customers are still using the first generation model almost nine years after it was launched.

Now Google has fully integrated its brand with its home security subsidiary, Nest, that same philosophy is paying off again.

The Google Nest Cam with floodlight (wired) wins absolutely no awards for name creativity. It is exactly what it is - although I suppose if you wanted to be particularly pedantic you could point out there are actually two floodlights, not just one.

And if you thought LED's weren't powerful enough to serve as outdoor floodlights, it's time to reassess. I can assure you, 2400 lumens is plenty bright - I have my Nest Cam with floodlight mounted over my back deck but when we saw how bright the lights actually were, I adjusted the angle to shed some of that plentiful illumination over my backyard as well. There was more than enough to go around.

But I'm getting ahead of myself. First, the installation.

Now technically, you're probably supposed to hire a certified sparky to remove your existing outdoor light in order to replace it with this little beauty - but as long as you know where your fusebox is and how to turn the power off, there's not a lot that can go wrong... other than burning your house down, obviously.

My install was slightly more challenging due to the fact I wasn't replacing an existing light; I wanted the Nest Cam with floodlight overlooking my back deck, which up until now had been woefully under-illuminated. Turns out, there's nothing you can't achieve with a tall enough ladder and a big enough drill-bit.

Luckily, Google supplies all the hardware you could possibly need to make installing this cam/light combo a breeze. The mounting plate, screws, wall anchors and wire connectors are all of the highest quality and I have no doubts over their durability. The mounting plate has a rubberised backing to keep any moisture out and protect the device's IP54 weather resistance rating. There's also an S-hook included to help hold the camera in place so you have both hands free to wire it in.

In a slightly odd quirk of design, the camera itself isn't connected to the rest of the unit until everything else is in place. It looks exactly like the standalone Google Nest Cam, which can operate on both battery and mains supply and magnetises onto its mounting plate. Here, the camera also is held in place by a strong magnet, with a small connecting cable plugging in underneath.

I've found the battery life on the standalone Nest Cam to be pretty bad, so it's a relief not to have worry about that at all with this wired version.

Like the Nest Cam, you'll have access to an extremely full-featured security feed after a very straight-forward setup process via the Google Home app, which 99% of us have probably used already to set up and control our Chromecasts or other Google devices, like smart speakers and routers.

To recap, Google Nest Cameras can differentiate between cars, people and animals and can notify you if they spot any of these within their excellent, wide field of view. They store a great quality recording of any of these things on the camera itself for three hours - or for up to 60 days in the cloud if you shell out for an additional Nest Aware subscription. That subscription also enables features like continuous recording and familiar face detection, so you know exactly who's coming and going.

Of course, with the floodlight attached, there's a whole new world of options and versatility.

Obviously the lights can work as sensor lights, set off by any motion detected but what I find even more useful is the ability to turn them on, off or adjust their brightness via the Google home app on my phone or even just by using Google Assistant on my nearby speaker. This takes outdoor security lighting to a whole new level.

Some parties require lots of bright light everywhere. Meanwhile, the other night when we were entertaining friends out on the deck via candlelight, I asked Google to take the brightness down to 30 percent, so as not to ruin the mood.

Perhaps if my guests knew they were also being recorded in crystal-clear, 1080p with HDR, that may have also ruined the mood but fortunately, the subtle design and "snow" coloured casing means the whole unit isn't really all that obvious - other than the glaringly powerful floodlights, of course.

The Google Nest Cam with floodlight fulfils all my needs; powerful yet adjustable outdoor lighting combined with top-notch security footage and motion sensing. Only one problem; the price. If you order it direct from the Google website it'll set you back NZ$599.00. That seems pretty steep to me when there are competitor products out there at around half the price.

I guess it all comes down to build quality and ease of use. Remember; those Chromecasts are still streaming away happily nine years down the track. From what I've seen, this device is probably no different.

    

Click here for more information and pricing on the Google Nest Cam with floodlight (wired).

Buds Served Three Ways

Last year I reviewed so many earbuds my ears fell off and my brain exploded.

The only way I could think of to avoid that happening again in 2022 is to attempt something technically challenging, logistically difficult and potentially, aurally dangerous.

The simultaneous triple earbud review.

"Are you crazy?" I hear you cry. "Surely this has never even been attempted! Apart from the risks of driving yourself insane, how can someone with only two ears listen to six buds at once?"

To prove there's nothing I won't do to prove my devotion to tech and my readers, let's give it a go anyway...

When it comes to true wireless earbuds, I'm fairly certain no other manufacturer has every option covered more thoroughly than JBL. With at least twenty models currently available, there simply has to be an option to suit everyone, whatever shape, size or price range they prefer.

Today I'm doing a little cross-section of that huge selection, with the budget-friendly Wave 100TWS, the mid-range Tune 230NC TWS and the rather premium Reflect Flow Pro.

I can't deny the vastly superior sound quality of the Reflect Flow Pro's. The bass response isn't just powerful, it's big and roomy. You can clearly make out the driving tom-toms on Tom Petty's "Refugee" - something I'd never really noticed about that track before. Even on semi-acoustic tracks like "Slow New York" by Richard Julian, there's plenty of space for each instrument and when the bass joins in with the acoustic and slide guitars, suddenly the song evolves dramatically.

There's also a comprehensive selection of settings tweaks for the Reflect Flow Pro's via the JBL Headphones app - not just the ability to customise what the capacitive gesture controls do on each bud - playback, ambient sound, volume or voice assistant - but also detailed preset or customised EQ's, auto-off and standby settings and your choice of voice assistant. You can also run a "Check My Best Fit" test and if you drop a bud and can't find it, you can use the app to play a very loud, very high-pitched tone to locate it. The app warns you not to do this while wearing the buds. I ignored the warning because I was just trying it out. Let me assure you, the tone is indeed very loud and very high.

In spite of this extraordinarily long list of features (I haven't even mentioned the 30 hours of battery life from a fully charged case - which can charge wirelessly) these are not my favourite of the three models here.

There are a couple of reasons; the first is a little odd and I can't rule out some kind of operator error. When trying to adjust the settings using the Headphones app, the Reflect Flow Pro's keep disappearing off it, which makes it a bit tricky. I paired them with both an iPhone 13 and a Samsung Galaxy S21 FE and experienced the issue on both devices although it was far worse on the S21 FE. Weirdly, the buds stayed connected to the phone with no issues, it was just the app that played up, so perhaps a future update will sort all that out.

My other reservation is the fit. These are three-hundred dollar earbuds, so you definitely don't want one popping out and rolling under a bus. (Have I mentioned how that actually happened to me once? Oh, I did? You have to admit, good story. Anyway...) What's more, the Reflect Flow Pro's are IP68-rated against water and dust and JBL suggests you might even want to wear them surfing. Bold. So to try and prevent your buds... floating away... you'll find four sizes of Powerfins in the pack. I can't deny once they're in, they definitely stay in (not that I've taken them surfing or rock-climbing) but I've found getting them in and out is quite a fiddly process for my clumsy fingers and I invariably activate the touch controls in the process.

The form-factor feels a little off-balance to me too - there's a lot of bud for one little earhole and I'm aware of them sticking out a bit as I walk around.

So how about the other end of the market; the Wave 100TWS?

To be honest, I was rather put off when I first saw these because of the case. There's no lid. That's odd, right? Nevertheless, I jumped on in and gave them a go. The main thing I was worried about was the amount of detritus I'd gather up in the case with no lid to keep it out. I usually walk around with my case in my pocket so there's any amount of dust and god knows what else floating around in there too. Surprisingly I haven't yet ended up with a case full of flotsam, even when spending the day out in the garden so it's possible you don't actually need a lid after all.

Unsurprisingly, given the Wave 100TWS's low NZ$79.95 price-tag, that lid-less case does not charge wirelessly and surfing is not recommended.

However, twenty hours of combined listening time from fully charged case and buds is nothing to sneeze at. What's more, you won't get any variable app connectivity issues here as they don't connect to the Headphones app at all. There's no real need as there's no active noise cancelling or other special features to adjust. There are physical playback controls however and I'm starting to think I prefer actual buttons like these over capacitive controls that are much easier to set off accidentally. I do miss being able to adjust volume on my earbuds though - if that's something you like to do too, the Wave 100TWS's aren't for you.

Sound-wise, they're a noticeable step down from the Reflect Flow Pro's - if not several steps - but actually still not bad at all. There's no way to adjust the EQ other than via your source device itself, but on a track like "Cortina Motors" by Fat Freddy's Drop, the funky, moogy bass line still thumps along quite satisfyingly and despite no ANC, the relatively tight seal from the three sizes of gel tips offers more than adequate passive noise cancellation.

The Wave 100TWS's are light too, so they're both comfortable and secure in the ear. The squarish shape may not be the ultimate fashion statement but they're available in blue, ivory and black and I think they look okay, even if once again, they do stick out a little.

If you're after reasonable sound quality, comfortable fit and no setup whatsoever, all for under eighty bucks, not a bad option at all. But still not my favourite.

That prize goes to the Tune 230NC TWS - receiving my Goldilocks award for being just right.

Obviously quite a different form factor in this case, the increasingly popular combination of sealed ear-tip with a stem. This style always feels more comfortable to me because the weight is more evenly distributed around different bits of your ears. 

Calling is generally more effective with this shape of bud too, with four mics working together here to ensure whoever you're talking to gets more of you and less of everything else around you.

The Tune 230NC TWS does connect to the Headphones app for setup and customisations and I've had none of the dropout issues I experienced with the Reflect Flow Pro's. There's no fit test on offer but you'll find pretty much all of the other features, including ANC and Find My Buds. There's also Voice Aware, which is similar to an ambient noise or pass-through option, that enables you to feed three different levels of outside noise - including your own voice - back into your mix so you can actually hear what you're saying.

You also have the full range of EQ adjustments available and while the Tune 230NC TWS sounds slightly thinner and flatter than the Reflect Flow Pro on its default settings, it doesn't take too much tweaking before the full force of Thirsty Merc's "I Wish Somebody Would Build Me a Bridge" pumps through loud, strong and clear.

IPX4 water and sweat resistance makes these a great exercise choice and the uber-comfy, secure fit means you can wear them for hours without even really feeling them.

In fact, you can wear them for hours and hours and hours thanks to the rather standout battery life; a whopping ten hours from the buds and another thirty from the case. A pity you can't charge the case wirelessly but that's about the only feature missing.

Priced just under NZ$200.00, the Tune 230NC TWS really hits the sweet spot for me in pretty much every area but as you can tell, JBL genuinely offers something for everyone. For now though, I'm going to put my six buds back in their three cases and give myself a breather. Cramming three reviews into one is exhausting.

    

Click here for more information and pricing on the JBL Wave 100TWS true wireless earbuds.

Click here for more information on the JBL Tune 230NC TWS true wireless earbuds.

Click here for more information and pricing on the JBL Reflect Flow Pro true wireless earbuds.

The Hub of the Matter

Geez these tech companies get carried away, don't they?

While screens get bigger, flatter and foldier, everything else gets smaller and thinner. In fact, laptops in particular are now so skinny they've had to invent new kinds of pop-up ports to accommodate peripherals like USB and ethernet cables... well, that's if those ports have been included at all.

These days it's not at all unusual for a laptop to ship with only a couple of USB-C slots and not much else. This can be a bit frustrating, especially if you need to use one of those ports for charging.

Apple is one of the worst offenders. Following its prevailing minimalist design ethic, many Apple devices ship with hardly any ports or inputs - even the iMac I'm writing this review with has just four USB-C slots, quite inaccessibly located out of sight at the back of the screen.

So how best to undo this obsession tech-makers seem to have with stopping us plugging our things into our things?

USB hubs have come a long way in a short time. When I first bought one it was a very simple little box that allowed me to plug four USB devices into a single port - just like a power multi-board. The two devices I'm highlighting here are quite a bit more clever than that.

If it's a laptop or tablet you're trying to expand, it's hard to go past the Slim Aluminium Type-C Multi-Port Adapter V2 from Satechi.

The key word in that very long-winded name is "Slim" - not only is this device just 10mm thick, it weighs a mere 51 grams. This means it takes up virtually no space in your laptop bag or sleeve and you definitely won't feel it once it's in there.

Plug the Satechi Slim in and you instantly expand a single Type-C slot to two USB-A's, a 4K HDMI, both micro and standard SD card readers and perhaps most importantly, a USB-C with Power Delivery. This last port should be your first priority as it means you can charge your device while expanding the same port.

It must be pointed out the two USB-A's are not charging ports too - although it's probably just as well given I've found the whole device heats up quite a bit when being used for pass-through charging. Luckily, thanks to its stylish, brushed aluminium casing, this heat soon dissipates once unplugged.

As usual for a Satechi device, the build quality is absolutely first rate and at just over NZ$100.00, this is a perfect way to plug in when you're on the go.

However, one port the Slim Adapter V2 doesn't offer is ethernet connectivity. Unfortunately, as I recently discovered, sometimes you still have to plug into an actual hard-line - especially when you change your password over the Christmas break and then can't access any of your network folders via VPN. Sigh.

Anyway - while Satechi does offer alternative devices for this I've been particularly impressed with the Long-Life USB-C to 14in1 Multiport Desktop Hub from Bonelk. 

Of course, the most impressive thing about it is the 14; 14 separate ports, inputs and card readers on a device about the size of your average smartphone. 

I won't list them all - it might tip my word count over the quota - but there's pretty much everything you could ask for; not one but two 4K HDMI ports, not one but two microSD readers, that all-important gigabit ethernet socket and obviously, USB-C power delivery - once again meaning you're not so much losing a charging port as gaining 14 other more useful inputs.

There are USB-A's all over this thing, including three SuperSpeed USB-A 3.0's. I've used the Bonelk 14in1 for transferring heaps of large video files and I can confirm this happens nice and quick.

It's not a heavy device by any stretch of the imagination so is completely portable, however there's a handy non-slip desktop stand included in the box to store the Bonelk 14in1 on its end so it will take up as little space as possible. 

The USB-C connection cable is a lovely, thick, braided thing, indicating the high level of build quality and leading me to believe this is in fact a "Long-Life" product just as its title claims.

So good news; for well under $200, you can bring back connectivity to your previously portless devices. It's just a matter of deciding how many slots you really need.

Click here for more information on the Satechi Slim Aluminium Type-C Multi-Port Adapter V2. 

Click here for more information on the Bonelk Long-Life USB-C to 14in1 Multiport Desktop Hub.

As Light As a Mouse

2022 is shaping up to be an exciting year for HyperX - one of my favourite producers of gaming accessories.

They've just made their big launch announcement at CES - the first big international tech convention on the calendar - and there's a lot of interesting stuff on the way.

We have several new headsets about to hit the market, including a world first; the Cloud Alpha wireless gaming headset which promises up to 300 hours' gaming on a single charge. No, that's not a typo - I didn't mean 30 - three-hundred! I can't wait to give that a bash. All I need now is a spare 300 hours.

There's also a new wireless gaming controller to go with it as well as the Alloy Origins mechanical keyboard - offering all the functionality but only taking up 65 percent of the space.

Back to the wireless offerings though - the Pulsefire Haste gaming mouse loses its cable this year and again, I'll be interested to try it out. But enough of what's to come... what about what's already here? Should you wait to go wireless, or dive right in now?

The Pulsefire Haste is one of six gaming mice currently on offer from HyperX - although obviously it's in hot demand as it seems to be out of stock in a lot of places. After a few minutes Googling it looks like you might be able to find one at JB HiFi right now for an incredibly low NZ$64.00. That seems like an amazing deal to me, not only because of all the features the Pulsefire Haste brings to the table (or desktop) but also because of a couple of sticky add-ons included in the box.

Flip the Pulsefire Haste over and you'll see it slides around almost friction-free on four large, PTFE skates. These are so smooth, I've yet to see them pick up any of the usual grime and grit from everyday use. In fact, so far I've detected no wear and tear whatsoever. And yet HyperX includes a replacement set just in case.

There are also four custom-cut sections of grip tape thrown in; one for each mouse button and one for each side panel. This ensures a non-slip surface if you're the kind of gaming fanatic who regularly works themselves into a sweaty combat frenzy. Personally, I haven't found the need to apply the tape as the upper surface of the mouse is slightly brushed anyway and I don't seem to have lost my grasp on things yet.

But the main feature of this mouse is its weight - or lack of it. The Pulsefire Haste weighs in at just 59 grams, making it barely noticeable when moving around and not noticeable at all when carrying in your laptop bag. HyperX has achieved this featherweight design primarily by punching hexagonal holes all over the casing and even in the two main buttons. Not only does this look kind of cool and science-fictiony, it helps keep things actually cool as well, with good ventilation right where it's needed most, directly beneath your palm. Yes it's a more low profile design than some of the more ergonomic options out there but it still feels totally natural in my hand, with the two primary buttons contoured to accommodate first and second fingers perfectly.

Those switches are nice and clicky, by the way. What's more, they're dust-proofed internally meaning they're rated to last for up to 60 million clicks. That's a lot more clicks than I'll ever need.

So as I mentioned earlier, this year, the Haste will go wireless. In saying that, the wire on the existing version is more of a feature than a drawback. It's also not even really a wire; HyperX calls it a HyperFlex cable and it looks and feels more like the drawstring on a bag or hoodie than a USB lead. Like everything else about this mouse, it's incredibly light so again, basically unnoticeable when in use. It's lovely and long too - 1.8 metres - that means no worries reaching to wherever your PC tower is stashed. Just because it's braided doesn't make it tangle-free though - I actually found it was knotted in two separate places when I pulled it out of my laptop bag today.

Like most other HyperX devices, there's some RGB fun to be had here too. Only the scroll-wheel though, which pulses through all kinds of colours by default when you first plug the Pulsefire Haste in. This is of course totally customisable using the NGENUITY desktop app, which lets you choose from an endless list of colours and patterns, not to mention fiddle around with button assignments and even record macros. It's a pretty user-friendly bit of software but right now there's only a PC version which is a bit limiting considering the mouse itself will also plug and play on various consoles and Macs too.

But given you're probably paying well under a hundred bucks for this premium gaming accessory, there are no complaints from me. It's light. Seriously light. It's also extremely well constructed and comes with bonus spare parts in the box. Hey, if the forthcoming wireless version nails any latency issues, I'm all in. For now though, this is my mouse.

Click here for more information on the HyperX Pulsefire Haste gaming mouse.