Amazon Echo Auto (2nd gen) - The Perfect Solution to a Specific Problem

My car doesn't have Apple CarPlay or Android Auto. In fact, the whole area of in-car smart gadgetry is a bit of a glaring blank spot in my CV of tech know-how.

I think this is down to two main factors; because my car was made in 2014, it was probably right on the cusp of when automakers really started doubling down on introducing smart features into the mix. The explosion in EV manufacturing to follow shortly after only accelerated the demand for more and more IoT interaction and of course nowadays many vehicles feature what is effectively a full-sized tablet built into the middle of their dashboards.

The second reason my car has remained relatively 20th-century in terms of tech toys is that I drive like a nana. Call me old-fashioned but I tend to think if we all just followed the speed limits, showed each other a bit of courtesy and above all else, kept driver distraction to a minimum, perhaps there'd be a lot less carnage, mayhem and general frustration on the roads.

That said, bluetooth connectivity was actually one of my primary concerns when I bought my car. I really couldn't have cared less how long it took to get from 0-100 - as long as I could listen to podcasts on my phone while I drove to work.

This doesn't mean I'm averse to the idea of using a virtual assistant while driving - quite the contrary. If we had one that was reliable and actually did what it was asked, it would probably make driving even more distraction-free. No more fiddling with the stereo or sneaky taps and swipes on your phone, hoping a passing cop won't catch you and fine you.

For example, if you've been enjoying using Alexa on your smart speakers around the house, wouldn't it be great to take that same hands-free experience onto the road?

The truth is, Amazon gave us this functionality three or four years ago, with the original Echo Auto. If you haven't heard of it, or haven't got round to trying it, the good news is there's a new Exho Auto. It's smaller and works even better.

The Echo Auto (2nd gen) follows the same theory as the original; it's basically just the microphone part of an Echo smart speaker paired with your car's sound system, giving you instant access to all of Alexa's skills and routines while you're out and about.

To be strictly accurate - there is still a speaker component but this is primarily used for setup purposes and on the new Echo Auto has been physically separated from the mic and is now located at the other end of the power cable. This plugs into the included fast car charger or directly into the USB port on your car's console (if it has one like mine does).

The inclusion of the fast car charger brings you the added bonus of a second USB-C port so you can charge another device (ie: your phone) simultaneously.

The box also includes a long AUX cable and a small magnetic mount for the mic. This mount has an adhesive backing so it can be located pretty much anywhere around your dashboard - preferably somewhere you can easily see it and perhaps operate its two physical buttons if required - more on that shortly.

Once you have the Echo Auto mounted and plugged in, setup is a fairly straightforward process which begins with Alexa voice prompts from the device itself the moment you power on your car. You'll need to have downloaded and logged into the Alexa app on your phone and you can decide to connect to your car's sound system via bluetooth or using the included AUX cable if your stereo has a 3.5mm aux-in port.

To me, this second option has always been the real beauty of the Echo Auto idea - even if your car doesn't have bluetooth, if it has an AUX-in, you can now do all the things those other fancy-pancy bluetooth people can do. And thanks to Alexa, probably more. Funnily enough, although my car does have bluetooth, it's not very good. It seems to take ages to start up when I turn on my car and every now and again will forget it's supposed to auto-connect with my phone and I'll have to go through the pairing process all over again.

Thanks to Echo Auto, I no longer have to suffer this frustration. It connects to my phone without fail about five seconds after I turn my car on and because I have it hard-wried into the AUX input I can start playing audio immediately.

Admittedly, most of what the Echo Auto brings to the table is similar to what you would achieve if you were using a different voice assistant on your phone connected via bluetooth - although I've often been frustrated with inconsistent results using my phone this way - especially trying to get around my phone's lock screen. Although I swear I've set things up for my virtual assistant to control my phone, even when the screen is locked, it's amazing how often this just doesn't work when I need it to the most.

The Echo Auto simply doesn't seem to run into these issues. Whether making or taking phone calls, asking for directions, querying the weather conditions at my destination or just controlling Spotify, all these things seem to work - although admittedly there can be a delay of a few seconds while Alexa processes my request.

The new, much smaller mic module seems to be just as sensitive if not more so than any other Echo smart speaker I've used. Alexa doesn't seem to have any issue hearing my commands over road noise and automatically fades down whatever's playing on my stereo as soon as I use the "Alexa" wake word.

As I mentioned, there are in fact two small buttons on the mic module, a mute button and an action button (instead of saying, "Alexa) but I don't know why you'd use either of these as it kind of defeats the whole point of a hands-free virtual assistant in the first place.

What the Echo Auto offers that other in-car audio systems don't is access to your wider Alexa ecosystem. This means your smart home devices, skills and routines are now linked to your car as well. A prime example is my preferred podcast app, Pocket Casts. Until now I've never been able to control this app using a voice assistant - sure I can play and pause but if I'm listening to Spotify then want to swap to Pocket Casts neither Siri or Google Assistant seem to have any idea what I'm talking about.

Alexa, on the other hand, knows exactly what I mean when I say, "Play Pocket Casts" because I've linked the Pocket Casts skill in the Alexa app. In fact, she'll then ask me if I want to continue the Episode I was previously listening to or I can choose something different instead.

The fact is, either you're an Alexa person or you aren't. If you are, the Echo Auto (2nd gen) is an easy, affordable, reliable way to take her into your car with you. I get there are plenty of you out there with other, flasher, more integrated smart car audio systems and this device is probably not for you.

However, for those of us driving a nice, reliable, economical Hyundai i20 from 2014, this is a pretty efficient way to make our cars quite a bit smarter.

    

Click here for more information and pricing on the Amazon Echo Auto (2nd gen).

Sonos Era 300 - The Best I've Tried

You can get really carried away when you're setting up a sound system for your home.

There are audiophiles out there who will happily spend thousands and thousands of dollars bringing together the finest, high-end audio components to create the perfect aural environment - I'm not just talking pricey speakers but also other amps and processors designed to reproduce any audio exactly the way it was intended to be heard when first recorded.

Those sorts of people will happily spend hours fine-tuning their setup, getting speaker placement just right, making absolutely certain the sub-woofer is in phase - perhaps even manually setting the EQ for each listening session, depending on the nature of the content.

Nerds.

The rest of us connect our phones to a bluetooth speaker on a shelf and stream the "Today's Hits" playlist while we're getting ready for work.

Just keeping it real.

Me? I guess I'm somewhere in the middle. While I'm sure a $20k sound system is probably technically amazing, I'm also sure I can't afford one, don't need one and nobody in my house would know how to use it properly and that would drive me nuts.

Hell, I probably wouldn't know how to use it properly and that would drive me even crazier.

That's why Sonos is the sweet spot for me. It sounds high-end enough with a minimum amount of setup and of course, these are the guys who mastered wireless, multi-room sound systems before just about anyone and made them easily available to the masses.

And boy oh boy has Sonos brought something new to the party...

What's the problem with your average bluetooth speaker? The sound is usually pretty average. The main reason for this is it's only one speaker. As I've often lamented, somewhere along the way we seemed to stop caring about decent surround sound (or even just stereo) speaker setups and settled for the convenience of a single speaker we could play our phones through.

The Sonos Era 300 aims to reverse this trend in one fell swoop, promising to "Put you inside your music." It strives to achieve this magical feat by including six class-D digital amplifiers, four tweeters and two woofers, all precisely positioned and angled in a completely new form-factor for Sonos (or indeed, any speaker) - a kind of off-balance hourglass lying on its side.

This odd shape suggests audio performance won out over aesthetics when it came to the final design. I'm not saying it's an unattractive device by any means - just unconventional. Although it is quite bulky when compared to most other smart speakers, soundbars excluded. 

At almost 4.5kgs and 26cm across, the Era 300 requires a pretty heavy-duty box for delivery although this packaging now conforms to a new regime of eco-friendly recyclability. No plastic tape or polystyrene in sight - just moulded cardboard and an ingenious locking system to keep the box lid in place - all 100% recyclable. Even the speaker itself is constructed from 40% post consumer-recycled(PCR) plastics. As it should be.

Once out of the packaging, it's clear the Era 300 is truly intended to fire its sound all around, with audio grilles facing most directions. These aren't just for show, either. Under the hood there's a forward-firing mid tweeter, mid tweeters on each side to create convincing stereo effects and an upward firing tweeter built into a directional horn to achieve the impression of realistic height required by Dolby Atmos. Even the woofers (not one but two) are more directional than is commonplace with other single speaker designs - again this further aids with stereo separation.

So where's the best place to set up the Era 300? As I would quickly discover, this doesn't really matter that much. Although I tried it in a few places, for most of the review period I actually had it stashed in about the worst place possible for a speaker; on a bottom shelf in the corner of a large room partially obscured by two couches. Oh yeah... and right next to a door leading into another room.

How do you like that challenge, Era 300?

Incredibly, the Era 300 didn't take that awful positioning as a challenge at all. Like other Sonos speakers, during setup using the Sonos app, you have the option of automatically tuning the speaker's performance to its environment with TruePlay - this uses a combination of your phone's microphone and the Era 300's own far-field mic array to bounce a bunch of weird noises off the various surfaces in the room in order to eliminate any dead spots. In the case of the Era 300 it's also adjusting the balance of all those built-in drivers so hopefully you'll get the benefit of any high-definition, surround or spatial audio from wherever you're listening in the room.

Here's the amazing thing; it seems to work. Although I couldn't have smothered the Era 300 more if I'd locked it in a box in a cupboard, I still found it filled the entire room (an open plan living room with hard floors) with a rich, full sound. The detail and power was all there and depending on the mix of individual tracks, sometimes I had to check I hadn't accidentally switched my audio to other speakers already in the room - that's how convincing the spatial audio effects can be.

Even when listening from the room through the door (remember the doorway next to where I put the speaker?) the Era 300 still managed to sound like a speaker in that room too.

The Sonos app has evolved quickly and now lets you link to almost any music streaming service you may be subscribed to - not to mention giving you full access to Sonos radio itself; a collection of genre-specific stations I find to be just as well-curated as many of my favourite playlists from other services.

But the big breakthrough for me is the advances Sonos has made with voice control. The Era 300 lets you use Amazon Alexa, Sonos' own voice assistant or a combination of the two and this actually works really well. In fact, I own several Amazon Echo speakers but none of them respond as quickly and as accurately as the Era 300 does. Given the Sonos voice assistant is a relatively new feature, I wasn't expecting much but the results were so good I found I never really had to use the redesigned physical touch controls on the top of the speaker at all. However, if the thought of an always-active mic listening for your commands isn't for you, there is a physical switch around the back to deactivate the mic completely.

There's also a USB-C line-in - but don't get too excited. This will only work with the optional Sonos Line-In Adapter, an accessory specifically designed for anyone wishing to connect a turntable or similar external device. Otherwise, unless streaming directly over Wi-Fi or as part of your wider Sonos, multi-room system, you do have the option of using the Era 300 as a bluetooth connected speaker. Unfortunately, this is only via Bluetooth 5.0 which does mean a bit of lag when compared to the more recent 5.2 and 5.3 devices.

As there's no HDMI or optical input, I assumed this meant I wouldn't be able to pair the Era 300 with my TV to use as a kind of proxy-soundbar - and that's certainly not something Sonos has suggested in any of its marketing. However, for the sake of proper research I gave it a go anyway and guess what? It was fabulous. Indeed, due to the bluetooth lag I had to tweak my TV's audio-sync settings quite a bit but once I got that right the Era 300 did a fine job.

Frustratingly, given this scenario, it's a shame you can't pair it with a set of surround speakers such as the recently launched Era 100s. However, you can add either the Sonos Sub or Sub Mini - which I immediately did. While this added a bit of extra bass punch I'd have to say the Era 300 does such a good job handling the lower frequencies on its own, I wonder if the extra woofer really offers much to enhance an already solid bass response.

Ironically, Sonos does suggest the using Era 300 itself as a surround sound solution. You can link two of them as a stereo pair or team them up with a Sonos soundbar like the Beam (2nd gen) or the ever-impressive Arc for a full-throttle surround-sound home-theatre experience the likes of which I can only imagine.

(I can only imagine it because Sonos only sent me one Era 300 to review. I bet a pair of them sounds pretty incredible though.)

The thing I always judge a speaker like this by is not how good it sounds at full volume, but how good it sounds when being used quietly, in the background. When you're trying to create a bit of dinner party atmosphere, can you still pick out the vocals, the various instruments, the solos - all without drowning out your conversation yet still filling the room with a warm, rich mix?

That's a trick the Era 300 absolutely masters - making it a genuine home hi-fi solution in a single, weirdly-shaped speaker. NZ$849.00 might seem a lot for one speaker but when this one speaker provides real, multidirectional, spatial audio more effectively than other multi-speaker systems I've tried, it quickly adds up to being a great choice.

    

Click here for more information and pricing on the Sonos Era 300.

Belkin PCR - No Reason Not to Go Green

Just for the record, I'm in favour of saving the planet.

But only if I still get to have my toys. 

I know that sounds bad and I know it's a crisis and I know all these gadgets are full of plastic and rare-earth metals and they leave a massive carbon footprint - not just in the course of the manufacturing process but also once you start using them - assuming they use electricity which pretty much everything does.

But I didn't evolve over millions of years only to wind up living in a cave with no streaming services and no wireless earbuds.

Thankfully, many tech manufacturers have noticed how quickly we seem to be accelerating towards oblivion and are actively spending time, money and other resources on trying to do something about it.

If they say they're doing it but all the've really done is "set a goal they're working towards by a certain date" - that's greenwashing.

If they're actually changing the way they make things that's progress. And right now, that's Belkin.

When it comes to phone and computer accessories opt for cheap and nasty, over-the-top expensive and show-offy or choose something in the middle - which is why we so often end up going with a Belkin charger, cable or adapter.

Nobody ever felt ripped off buying a Belkin - although not usually the cheapest they're the kind of rock-solid products that prove the idiom, "You get what you pay for." In fact, in my experience, my usual vibe is, "They probably could have charged a bit more for that."

So you might be excused for thinking now Belkin has committed to a range of products made from at least 72% post-consumer recycled(PCR) plastics, they'd take the opportunity to hike prices a bit - if for no other reason than to simply cover the more expensive production costs of choosing the more environmentally-friendly path. But no; the RRP has stayed the same.

The USB-C to 4-Port USB-C Hub is a classic case in point - is NZ$85.00 too much to pay to instantly expand the meagre port selection of your Mac? Of course not - especially when the Belkin hub includes an up-to 100W PD port so you can keep your laptop charging while plugging in extra peripherals. As usual for Belkin, this hub just plugs in and works. My only criticism is its shiny surface - far too easily smudged and scratched which is crazy considering this is the kind of device you're likely to be chucking in and out of bags, satchels and briefcases. I've only been using it a week or so and it already looks battered and bruised - it isn't, it just looks like it is.

Why on earth doesn't it have a nice, scratch-resistant matte finish like the BoostCharge Power Bank 10K does? Other than its new, better for the planet composition, there's nothing overly remarkable about this Power Bank - other than it works very well indeed. It charges quickly, with a simple and subtle LED array to show you how much battery remains. You can connect up to three devices at once - via two USB-A or a USB-C port and impressively, although it doesn't really have the juice to power a bigger device like a laptop, when my MacBook threatened to go flat on me the other day I used the BoostCharge Power Bank to keep me going for another couple of hours. Pretty happy with that.

And I've been even more satisfied with the BoostCharge 30W Car Charger - perhaps the most simple and yet most elegant of these new Belkin PCR products. To begin with, it's about as low-profile as you can get for a car charger - not much bigger than the socket you put it into. It comes with a very durable USB-C to lightning cable which is interesting because I always thought iPhones weren't capable of charging at 30W. However, now I've actually tried it, it turns out yes, this little beastie will indeed juice up your Apple handset at a rate of knots - not to mention anything else you care to plug into it. I've tried other chargers that wouldn't run my wireless in-car charging cradle at all but that's no problem for this Belkin beauty. I love it.

It's not just the products themselves that have been given an enviro-makeover - they also now come in plastic-free packaging - recyclable cardboard boxes without the clear plastic windows and adhesive tape we might have seen in the past.

It would be easy to be skeptical about just how much better for the planet these products are, thanks to these relatively minor changes in manufacturing and a packaging but let's not forget, Belkin is a big company selling a lot of stuff in many markets around the world, so every slight improvement is likely to have a pretty major effect on its carbon footprint.

It certainly beats doing nothing, right? And all you have to do is choose their excellent products at the same, totally reasonable prices. Who said, "It's not easy being green?"

    

Click here for more information and pricing on the Belkin Connect USB-C to 4-Port USB-C Hub.

Click here for more information and pricing on the Belkin BoostCharge Power Bank 10K.

Click here for more information and pricing on the Belkin BoostCharge 30W USB-C Car Charger.

Nanoleaf Essentials Matter Over Thread - A Matter of Frustration

Ever since I first heard about Matter and Thread, I've been trying get my head around what Matter and Thread actually are.

I've always considered the main point of these reviews to demystify the nerdy, techspeak around all the latest and greatest gadgets out there. I try to use these products in as many real-life situations as I can so in the end, rather than listing off screeds of specs and other info you can find out for yourself just by visiting the manufacturers' websites, hopefully I can tell you about how they actually work - or don't.

Is this a thing that's going to make your life better? Or is it just new a new tech toy to waste your money on for no practical benefit? Is it fun? Or is there something else that does the same job better and cheaper?

That's why I'm determined to get to the bottom of this Matter business.

In theory, Matter is a (relatively) new protocol all the big smart home players have signed up to in an effort to get their devices to speak the same language. The idea is when you buy a smart light or security camera you should be able to control it just as easily with Alexa, Siri or Google Assistant as you can with the native app the device ships with.

This is a dramatic change from previous "lock-you-into-an-ecosystem" philosophies of the past, which were all well and good if you loved one particular brand. However, sooner or later there's going to be a device somebody else makes you want to include in your smart home setup. Enter Matter - a thawing of diplomatic relations between these ecosystems.

Thread?

Well, you know Bluetooth and Wi-Fi? Thread's another thing a bit like those. The primary focus here though is connecting IoT devices to each other as well as to the Net. In fact, the beauty of Thread is for the devices themselves to act as "border routers" - making your home network stronger, more powerful and more responsive as you add more gadgets, rather than putting more stress on an already overburdened Wi-Fi network.

At least...

I think I've got that right.

So, let's start by upgrading our lights.

I've been using smart lights from Nanoleaf for years now so I was excited to try the new Matter-Over-Thread enabled range of Nanoleaf Essentials products. Essentially (pun intended) these new bulbs and lightstrips look identical to their pre-Matter counterparts and indeed some other smart devices have been Matter-enabled with a simple firmware update.

Not so with the new Essentials range though - and as I have discovered over the last week or so, the pre and post-Matter products from Nanoleaf definitely work in different ways.

Throughout the years various Nanoleaf lighting systems have flirted with both Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant compatibility to varying degrees. For instance, I have a set of Nanoleaf Shapes in my garage that light up when one of us drives in at night. This is thanks to an Alexa routine that tells the Shapes to activate when a motion sensor detects any movement in my garage.

But what has always worked really well is Apple HomeKit integration. Yes, there's a native Nanoleaf app you can use to set up the devices but it's actually more straightforward (and faster) to do it with the Apple Home app. Recent Apple HomePods and Apple TV boxes are also Matter enabled and as a result I still find Siri to be the best way to set up and control my Nanoleaf lights.

For the purposes of this review I was sent a 2-metre Matter Lightstrip Smarter Kit and four Matter A60/E27 Smart Bulbs in order to simulate the kind of smart light enhanced room you might be going for at your place.

Setup was easier than ever, initially using the Apple Home app to scan the unique QR codes printed on the manual for each light (there's also a code printed on each bulb itself). This process lets you assign each light to a room, renaming them if you wish and using the Home app you can group lights together to control them all at once.

This all went as smoothly as I could possibly wish for and in no time I was asking Siri to turn the lights on and off, dimming them and changing their colour with no issue whatsoever. The Home app also lets you create "scenes" so you can immediately return to your favourite settings with a simple voice command, if certain conditions are met by other smart home devices or even if just you walk in the door.

At NZD$99.99 for a 3-pack, the E27 bulbs are pretty good value, especially compared to other full-featured smart lights on the market. If a hundred bucks still sounds like a lot, consider how much it would cost just to retrofit a dimmer switch in the same room. I've looked into this in the past and not only are the switches themselves expensive, you'd need to hire a sparky to install one. With the Nanoleaf bulbs, the only physical installation is screwing them in (insert your own "screw in a lightbulb" joke here). What's more, you can fine-tune how bright each individual bulb glows and there's also the added bonus of more than 16-million colours to choose from.

Which brings us to the Nanoleaf app.

I've had a love/hate relationship with this app over the years. Once you get past setting up the lights themselves it's very confusingly set out - firmware updates in one place, specific settings in another, rooms somewhere else and for some reason it keeps adding new homes I didn't ask for. There have been many times when I've had to reset lights completely to get them to appear all in the same house.

But the app is useful for one very important feature; the ability to download and create your own complex "Dynamic Colour Scenes" - these can be colours of your choice cycled through in a particular pattern.

An instant party ready to kick off at your voice command.

This is all brilliant except... the more devices I added to the mix and the more different methods I used to control them, the less brilliantly everything worked.

I have a couple of pre-Matter Nanoleaf bulbs I've used consistently for some time - one as my bedside lamp, controlled using an Apple HomePod mini. This has never let me down - I even have a shortcut to control it using my Apple Watch. How space-aged is that?

But when I moved my pre-Matter bulbs into the living room to fill the remaining two spots, grouping them with my four new Matter-enabled lights, things started getting very confusing indeed. For starters, the older bulbs are brighter - not when set to 100% brightness but at lower levels. This because the new bulbs actually have a bigger range. Nanoleaf bulbs are some of the brightest smart bulbs on the market and the new ones can actually go dimmer than ever - but that means when gouped with older versions you need to set two different levels for them to look the same.

Not only that but I assumed because my Apple HomePods, Apple TV, and Amazon Eero Wi-Fi router are all supposed to work as Thread border routers, I'd have no problem communicating with the lights using commands from Alexa, Google or Siri. This couldn't be further from the truth. Asking my Amazon Echo smart speakers to control the lights didn't do anything, even though they show up in my Alexa app. And the only way I could get Google to work them was to set them up from scratch using the Google Home app - that's fine if you're running a Google-based system I suppose but at the end of the day I still found Apple and Siri to be the most reliable controllers.

My suspicion here is because Matter over Thread is still quite a new thing, it's also still quite a buggy thing - especially when trying to integrate with older, non-Matter devices. I've seen enough good stuff happening here to confidently recommend these devices as a more future-proofed option if you are setting up a new smart lighting system for your home. While not yet completely cross-platform, when I stick to one method of control (Siri) and one app to set up and tweak scenes and settings (Apple Home) everything works like a charm - automation, voice commands and yes, party lighting - there are few other smart lights I've tried that respond as instantly as these Nanoleaf ones do.

As a notorious early adopter, I'm used to sacrificing absolutely bulletproof reliability for access to cool new features. There's no denying the new Matter-enabled Nanoleaf lights are a promising sign of a golden age of cross-platform integration to come. It's just not quite here yet.

    

Click here for more information and pricing on the Nanoleaf Essentials Matter Lightstrip Smarter Kit.

Click here for more information and pricing on the Nanoleaf Essentials Matter A60 / E27 Smart Bulb.

Samsung S95C and S801B - Samsung's Bold New Steps In Vision and Sound

I have tried to understand it. Believe me I've tried. I've Googled it extensively. I've read dozens of articles. I've talked to experts. I swear I've done my darnedest to get my head around it.

And yet...

I'm still not a hundred percent sure I really know the diffference between an OLED TV and a QLED one.

I know it's got something to do with whether the pixels light themseleves up or they're illuminated from a separate panel behind. And now that I write that down I'm pretty sure even that isn't really correct.

My point is; who cares?

Like any bit of tech, it doesn't really matter how it works, as long as it works, right?

All I really know for certain, even after all this time, is QLED TVs (and more latterly, Neo QLEDs) are reputed to be brighter, while OLED tellies are supposed to be blacker.

Generally speaking. In layman's terms.

Which begs the question; what would happen if you could kind of combine the two?...

In 2017 Samsung hitched its wagon to the QLED horse and ran with it. In my humble opinion, they've pretty much owned the "Best TV in the World" title every year since. Every year I wonder how they'll be able to improve on such colour, depth and detail and yet every year, when I get to see their flagship TV for myself, I'm amazed all over again.

Recently, Samsung's Qantum Mini LED technology heralded the evolution to Neo QLED and yes, that meant an even more remarkable picture still. It also meant Samsung gained serious ground in the "not completely black" debate - even converting some OLED stalwarts in the process.

This year, the new Neo QLED options don't disappoint - especially the top-the-line 8K QN900C which produces the closest thing I've ever seen to a 3D image on a standalone TV screen.

But Samsung is now diving into the OLED pool too and for the last couple of weeks I've been taking a good look at the 4K S95C.

This bave new journey for Samsung begins before you even take it out of the box - like most Samsung products the commitment to protecting the environment is evident with hardly any ink being used on the packaging and no adhesive tape. Unfortunately, there's still about half a tonne of polystyrene keeping the TV safe and secure inside the box but hopefully Samsung will phase that out soon, just as they have dispatched single-use batteries from the remote controls.

Yes, the solar-charged remote is just one of many innovations Samsung has tranferred across from its Neo QLED line - in fact, they've made the technology open-source so any manufacturer can now offer a remote that charges itself.

Another feature I've come to love about Samsung TVs is the One Connect box. If you're not familiar, this is all the guts of the TV - the processing hardware, the I/O ports, the power input etc. - in a separate box which is then connected to the screen by a single cable. 

This means you have unlimited versatility when it comes to positioning the TV - it can hang flush against the wall if you don't want to use the included stand (which is very easy to assemble, looks subtle and provides reliable, stable support). And when I say flush to the wall, in the case of the S95C, the panel is just 11mm thick. That's even slimmer than the Samsung Neo QLEDs. It's a stunning thing - to see a huge TV like this basically just stand as a piece of glass and nothing else.

If you choose to, you can elect to attach the One Connect box to the stand itself. This means you don't need a cabinet or cupboard to hide anything away - there's even an optional cover to conceal the cables leading to any other external devices.

The S95C - like any Samsung TV - runs the Tizen OS, Samsung's own smart TV interface which has been streamlined over the years and offers all the apps I'm looking for, from popular streaming services to more customiseable tools like Plex, which allows me to view content from my own server over my home Wi-Fi network.

Speaking of apps, excitingly there is now a Tizen version of Philips Hue. This means you can now sync your onscreen content with any Hue Play lights you own without having to use the HDMI Sync Box. The Hue app is expensive; over NZ$200.00 but the Sync Box is really expensive - NZ$549.95 - so if you like the idea of using Hue lighting with your Samsung TV, it's actually a big saving.

As is the Xbox app. I first used this last year and it's working better than ever on the S95C. All you need is an Xbox Game Pass Ultimate subscrption and you can choose from the hundreds of games available on the Xbox Cloud Gaming platform - no console required. The S95C's excellent refresh rate, detailed picture and dazzling brightness all add up to a fantastic gaming experience.

But before we discuss picture quality, just one more OS feature - Samsung TV Plus; dozens of subscription-free live channels for your entertainment. Sport, movies, comedy, kids, reality TV - there's actually a surprising amount of stuff just waiting to be watched.

Setting all this up is easy - easier still using the Smart Things app on your phone. Even easier still if you're upgrading from a previous Samsung TV as many of your settings can backed up and transferred.

Alright, finally - let's discuss the viewing experience. As mentioned earlier, I had some reservations about how well an OLED screen would perform in my very exposed, window-filled living room - especially given I watch a lot of TV in the middle of the day due to my weird work hours.

I didn't have to worry. 

Samsung describes the technology as Quantum HDR OLED+. Apparently, the result is so good it's been Pantone Validated. Yes, they're the paint people and they know their colours. This true-to-life reproduction is especially notable when it comes to skin-tone. In the past I've spent hours tweaking various settings trying to get people to look like actual people - but not with the S95C. I simply ran the automatic calibration test when prompted during setup and never had to change a thing.

This telly is a great watch. The only thing I'd change if I could is the width of the bezels around the edge. They're not large by most standards but they are black and compared to the QLED panel I'm used to watching I did feel a little boxed-in from time to time.

Yet another feature borrowed from Samsung's recent QLED flagships is the excellent object-tracking sound array - this is where the Neural Quantum Processor devotes some of its impressive brainpower to following the sound of the action across the screen - or even above it using top channel speakers for the full Dolby Atmos experience. As built-in TV speakers go they're good. Very good.

But you know what's better? A nice soundbar paired with a wireless subwoofer.

Enter the HW-S801B. 

What do you mean you can't see it? It's right there. That skinny little black thing. (Also available in white)

Obviously I was skeptical about how good something so tiny would sound - would there be any advantage over just sticking with the Q95C's built-in array? As it turns out, yes indeedy do.

The S801B is like a magic trick, matching many larger, full-sized options I've tried, blow for blow. It's so small it has to connect by a special micro-HDMI cable - not to worry, that's included in the box. Somehow there are still ten speakers packed in there and you you still get Dolby Atmos effects. And yes, just like recent QLED TVs, the Q95C will pair with the S801B to provide Samsung's ingenious Q-Symphony effect - combining the TV's built-in speakers, the soundbar and its subwoofer altogether for maximum effect. As with the visual calibration tool, this hybrid soundsystem will also automatically adapt to your room to provide the best aural experience possible.

I still missed my rear speakers for a true surround effect (Samsung offers separate wireless rear speaker kits) but I was surprised and then satisfied by how well this sound setup worked. And the Domestic Manager loved the way it looked - ie; she couldn't see it at all because I'd tucked the tiny soundbar underneath the TV.

I could go on all day and into the night about what a complete entertainment package the Q95C (and soundbar) truly is. Just know that any reservations I had about brightness (or the soundbar not being beefy enough) were totally unfounded and I was relieved to discover all the flagship Samsung features I've come to depend on over the years were built into its OLED version too.

For my personal preference, the picture on the new 8K Neo QLED panel is still superior but if you're a dyed in the wool OLED fan, boy oh boy has Samsung come up with the goods for you.

    

Click here for more information on the Samsung OLED 4K S95C.

Click here for more information on the Samsung HW-S801B soundbar.

Technics EAH-AZ80 - Perhaps the Perfect Earbuds

Recently I reviewed the Technics AZ60M2 true wireless earbuds and I was pretty effusive in my praise.

Impeccable build quality, excellent fit, good battery life, wireless charging and simply superb sound quality.

While Technics isn't historically the first name that springs to mind when it comes to earbuds, I really couldn't fault the AZ60M2's and I heartily recommend them if you're looking for a truly premium product.

Only one problem...

This year Technics has an even better option.

The EAH-AZ80 earbuds represent the next evolution for Technics.

Admittedly, they share many of the features I've already explored with the AZ60's... wireless charging, respectable battery life, IPX4 water resistance and again, an unrivalled seven sizes of ear-tip for absolutely any size requirement.

But with the AZ80's, Technics has made several crucial upgrades that result in a genuinely transcendent audio product - starting with the fit.

Compared with the AZ60M2's - and indeed many other designs - the AZ80's seem somewhat oversized and unwieldy when you first take them out of the case. Ironically, this is all by design, of course - Technics calls the new shape a "Natural Concha Fit." They've certainly done their research - a simple twist sets each bud firmly, yet comfortably in its respective ear canal. There are simply more points of contact so you don't have the unbalanced feel you get with some other buds and because what little weight there is is more evenly dispersed, after a while you can barely feel them at all.

This also virtually guarantees no accidental bobble-outs during exercise (or vigorous headbanging) and they've gone straight to the top of my list of best-fitting earbuds of all time.

Like the AZ60M2's, there's a classy look to the outer body of the AZ80 buds, with that record-like aluminium trim and engraved Technics logo - also to be found on the lid of the case. You may recall I've been somewhat critical of the "plastickness" of the Technics cases up until now. Here the charging case is somehow more solid-feeling. Perhaps this is all in my head but it seems to have a more matte finish and just seems more hefty when I pull it out of my pocket.

Active Noise Cancelling really is first-rate - and amazingly tweakable using the Audio Connect app. Here you can not only adjust how much noise you cut out but customise the level of ambient sound you let in and how much noise is eliminated when you're on a call to someone else.

This is an app that offers a lot more than a few preset EQ's and firmware updates. Technics lets you prioritise multi-point connectivity over high-resolution LDAC listening if you choose - do you prefer better sound quality or less lag for gaming or watching video? 

These buds are a great way to watch telly, by the way. I immersed myself in the ultra-violent world of John Wick 4 last night and every gunshot, stab and unidentifiable squelch was both alarming and in perfect sync with the action on screen. Fun times.

But it's Technics' legendary true-to-life sound reproduction we're really here for, right? And that's where the biggest improvements come to the fore.

Each AZ80 bud contains the all-new, 10mm aluminium alloy diaphragm and a surprisingly large acoustic control chamber which together claim to deliver genuine Technics hi-fi sound. I support that claim.

On "Lullabye" by Amos Lee, what could be mistaken for a simple song and a basic mix is rendered as the tender, detailed work of art it truly is. Every half-catch in Lee's voice counterpoints languidly against the well-rounded bass and every now and then a surprise element is introduced - like the bowed double-bass which is something you don't hear every day. All these ingredients have their own space and are faithfully reproduced with full effect, whatever frequency range is required.

This is going to make me sound like some kind of easy-listening grandad, but I have to also mention Jamie Cullum's "7 Days to Change Your Life." This is a classic, jazz trio, lounge bar kind of a track but the trick here is Cullum's unnerving ability to "not play" his piano in all the right places. If there's another pair of earbuds that can present the whole piano keyboard from bass to top like the AZ80's do, I certainly haven't heard it. He's literally playing an entire grand piano in my head right now.

Let's try and make me seem slightly cooler by listening to "Heartbreak" by successful Kiwi duo, BROODS. Again I'm immediately struck by how powerfully the bass is reproduced here. I'm assuming it's some kind of synth pad and not an actual bass guitar because it's so "phat-sounding." It wasn't so long ago you couldn't get any kind of decent bass response from a pair of in-ear headphones but the tech has improved dramatically in recent years. However, what Technics has achieved here is a step up again; it's not just a visceral bass punch we're talking about, it's the whole shebang - a well-rounded, complete aural image you usually only hear in a live setting.

There is no distortion here. No muddy, overlapping of different elements. Just the pure mix as expert studio engineers could only hope to be reproduced on an audio device as good as this. Congratulations, Technics; the AZ80 takes the crown for my new favourite buds.

Click here for more information on the Technics EAH-AZ80.

ECOVACS DEEBOT N10 PLUS - Plenty of Punch for the Price

The rise of the machines has truly begun and I, for one, am a massive fan. The robots definitely have my blessing to take over - especially the vacuuming.

The technology has got very good lately - not just vacuuming but mopping and self-emptying too. However, the more features your robot boasts, the steeper the pricetag.

Now, ECOVACS offers a very full-featured option for less than many UN-robotic options out there.

The DEEBOT N10 PLUS certainly looks like its more expensive T9+ predecessor and to be honest, after spending a bit of time with both devices the only major difference I've encountered is the N10 PLUS doesn't have an air-freshener option like the T9 model did.

In most other aspects, the N10 PLUS functions very much the same way; to begin with, setup is quick and easy via the ECOVACS app and you'll be connected to Wi-Fi and ready to go as soon as the device is fully charged.

The first clean is also when the N10 PLUS maps your home and unfortunately, this is still a weak spot for ECOVACS. While the DEEBOT does a good job of recognising separate rooms - even in an open-plan living situation like mine - it struggles with full-length windows and glass doors. Oddly, although the robot itself does not try to pass through obstacles like these, the OZMO mapping system will often try to map what it sees through the glass and add it as an other room it just can't get to.

As you can see from this map area "G" is clearly not inside my house at all (it's actually a garden). Annoyingly, you can't easily delete this area either. Furthermore, the light-blue area in the top right-hand corner of the map is my bedroom and ensuite. For some reason, although the N10 PLUS has mapped this area it's decided it isn't a room and won't clean it. Again, there's nothing I can do to manually edit this; I can choose which order in which I want the "lettered" rooms to be cleaned and I can even merge to rooms together. I can create virtual boundaries if there's somewhere I don't want the DEEBOT to go. But I can't call my bedroom a bedroom without mapping my home all over again.

On the bright side, there is now a multi-floor function so I can use the N10 PLUS on both storeys of my house without it getting confused.

And the N10 PLUS now has plenty of battery power to do my whole house too - running for up to 330 minutes on a single charge. This is very useful as often I want to mop later in the day after I've already run a full vacuum. This because I have a dog. And when it rains, dogs get wet. And when dogs get wet, they mess up the floors.

This is the true beauty of owning a device that mops for you - if you want to mop every day, just do it. Schedule it to happen automatically while you're out of the house if you like. Then come home to pawprint-free floors. What a golden age we're living in.

Cleverly, while DEEBOTS vacuum and mop simultaneously, their sensors prevent them venturing from hard floors onto carpet whenever the mopping plate is in place.

This means changing from mopping mode to vacuum-only is a manual process - unlike some other robot vacuums, the N10 PLUS can't raise its mopping plate above carpet level then lower it back down when it gets back to wood or tiles. The upside of this is there's no chance of any kind of drip or spill on your carpets or rugs. The downside is having to fill the tank and attach the mopping plate yourself.

Still, you're only paying around NZD$1199.00 for this device - so there has to be a limit somewhere.

At least it does an amazing job of the mopping - even with water only, no added detergent required.

The N10 PLUS also boasts greater suction power than most previous DEEBOTS and I can certainly attest to the fact that crumbs of hastily chomped dog treats left behind on the carpet are no match for 4300Pa of pure suck.

Despite its reasonable price, the N10 PLUS comes with its own self-emptying station and this works well, up to a point. By default, the robot is set to empty itself automatically when it returns to charge after cleaning. However, there is now an option within the ECOVACS app to increase the regularity of emptying - if you have a large home full of dogs and hairy people (like I do), setting the DEEBOT to empty itself every 20 or 25 minutes seems like a good idea. Except it doesn't work. The N10 PLUS come back to base, announces it's charging and emptying, begins the emptying process but immediately sets off to resume cleaning without emptying itself at all.

I assume this is some kind of programming bug and will be sorted out in a future firmware update.

Other than that, the N10 PLUS works extremely well. Sheduling is reliable, there are easily accessible customisation settings for things like suction power and water volume, while the filter and dust bags have been improved to keep dust, allergens and odours to an absolute minimum.

Yes, the floating main brush still gets clogged up with long hair (just like most vacuum cleaners) although there is now an optional rubber bush available to combat this. Unfortunately I haven't had the opportunity to test one at this point.

Is the N10 PLUS the perfect cleaning machine? No. Although it often delivers the perfect clean anyway. Given the wealth of features on hand at an affordable price, it's a welcome addition to the ECOVACS DEEBOT stable.

Click here for more information on the ECOVACS DEEBOT N10 PLUS.