Jabra Elite 8 Active - So Much Tougher Than Me

Of all the earbuds I've tried over the years, Jabra has been the brand to impress me the most consistently.  This is hardly surprising - I don't think I've ever used any Jabra product that has disappointed in terms of sound quality.

But Jabra earbuds always seem to fit better too.

Given how many of these damn things I stick in my ears every year, by now I'm pretty fussy. Yet time and again Jabra comes up with the goods - and this time is no different.

As the name indicates, Jabra's Active line has always been aimed at a pretty demanding segment of the market - these people might be commuters and office workers but they're also exercisers, climbers and shakers. I mean literal shakers - they do things that cause their heads to shake.

This means with the Elite 8 Active buds, Jabra has paid special attention to two important areas; a rock-solid fit and durability in extreme conditions.

As I've already gushed on, all Jabra earbuds seem to fit well - this is mostly due to their unique, almost corkscrew-like form-factor that worms its way into your ear canals both comfortably and securely.

Now Jabra has coated the Elite 8 Actives with its ShakeGrip technology. This means not just the gel tip but the whole earbud is slightly soft to the touch and stays even more firmly in place. It's really quite astounding how impossible these buds are to displace - you certainly can't shake them out.

I've said before, when it comes to premium earbuds like these, things like decent sound quality and respectable battery life should be a given. That means a really good fit can make all the difference. These are the most secure earbuds I've worn yet. So there you go.

Battery life is more than just respectable, by the way. Jabra promises up to 8 hours playback on a single charge and up to 32 when combined with the charging case. That's with ANC on. You might get a whopping 50 hours or more if you turn noise cancelling off. Pretty nuts.

While I haven't tested this in any scientific way, I've been using the Elite 8 Actives for about a week now and I've still only charged them once. I'm more than happy with that. Also happy they charge wirelessly, not just via USB-C.

It almost goes without saying these earbuds sound stellar; they are Jabras after all. But I must say even I was surprised by how much space, depth and dynamic range is created with Spatial Audio activated. Lady Gaga's "Applause" is such a fabulous example of super-clean audio production; it starts sparsely and quickly builds. When the bass kicks in I may have involuntarily muttered, "Oh yeah!" to myself. I didn't hear me, of course - the ANC is far too effective for that.

In fact, I've found the Jabra Elite 8 Actives have completely changed how I think some tracks sound. "This Love" by Maroon 5 has only ever struck me as a pleasant enough, well-produced, middle-of-the-road pop song. But on these earbuds - even with no EQ adjustment - suddenly there's a much more powerful kick to it; a whoomping bass punch that drives things along in a more visceral way, almost as it would sound standing by the speaker stacks at a live show. 

This is not to say I find the soundscape swamped by bass - quite the opposite. The 6mm drivers do a wonderful job of finding space for every instrument at every frequency. Christina Perri's "Human" is a cinematic affair, swinging between quiet vocals to sweeping strings and her trademark big-note belting. Talk about a music appreciation session.

As usual, the Jabra Sound+ app provides all the options and customisations you could hope for - from how you cycle through ANC and HearThrough modes to the way you answer phone calls. 

This all happens via the physical buttons on each bud. I really do think this is still my preferred control method for earbuds; there are never any accidental pushes with actual buttons. The same can't be said with touch-only operations.

Now back to the question of durability... The earbuds boast an IP68 rating against both water and dust while the charging case is IP54. This is still very unusual for earbuds and it means you can literally dunk them in up to 1.5 metres of water and they'll keep on ticking. Dust, dirt and mud have also meant the death of many a bud in the past but not with the Jabra Elite 8 Actives. Rinse them off, wipe them dry, pop them back in and away you go.

But that's not enough to back up Jabra's claim there's "Nothing Tougher." That's what the MIL-STD-810h military standard is for. This testing goes way past a bit of dust and water. We're talking extreme temperatures (both hot and cold), shock, jolt and vibration testing - even altitude.

While I don't often hang upside-down off cliff faces or shoot rapids in a raft or kayak, I do garden. And when I garden I like to listen to podcasts. However, in the past, once the digging's underway and the sweat starts pouring, it's not uncommon to lose a bud out of my ear as I do battle with my shrubs, seedlings and dead trees. This is a real hassle as not only am I usually wearing gloves or have dirty hands, but often the earbud will fall straight into the dirt, meaning a tricky clean-up operation if I want to get back to my podcast.

That simply isn't an issue using the Elite 8 Actives. For starters, they just don't fall out. And even if I somehow managed to knock one out with a stray branch or something (unlikely, given they hardly protrude from my ears at all) I can just run them under the tap and keep plugging away. I know that's hardly an extreme sports situation but still, you understand the benefits.

These earbuds offer all the premium features you'd expect in this price range, perhaps even superior sound and yes, I'm here to confirm they truly are military-grade. Yet again, Jabra impresses.

    

Click for more information and pricing on the Jabra Elite 8 Active.

GoPro HERO12 Black - Point. Shoot. Share

Over the last few years, I've come to believe the GoPro is perhaps the best value-for-money piece of tech you can buy.

Every time I use one I'm re-amazed by what it can do - not just in terms of picture quality and video stabilisation but every aspect of the design seems so well thought out - from the legendary durability to the controls - both physical and on-screen - to the mounting system - even the accessories.

Good technology is supposed to make life easier - not more complicated. This simple philosophy is all-to-often overlooked in favour of adding more and more features nobody asked for. Then you have to learn how to use them.

The GoPro isn't like that. Using one always feels instinctual to me - and then there are the host of tricks that happen automatically, without you having to do anything at all.

Perhaps the only slight disappointment with the GoPro HERO12 Black is that yes, once again, it looks pretty much identical to last year's model - well, other than the fact it's no longer completely black. It now features a groovy speckled pattern on the front, rear and control buttons. I really like the look because it gives the appearance you've already dropped it in the mud/snow/sand/ocean before you even take it out of it's very-disposable box.

The HERO12 still features dual LCD screens both back and front so you can see you're definitely in shot when shooting selfies.

However, 2023 does see GoPro introduce one small but significant add-on to the outside of the device; a 1/4-inch screw mount on the base. This has been cleverly dropped in between the trademark GoPro mounting fingers because sensibly, after only a decade or so, the designers have conceded most non-GoPro tripods, mounting brackets and other accessories all use 1/4-inch threads as standard. Nice one.

In fact, many of this year's upgrades follow a similar theme; keep it simple, give them what they want.

For example, the HERO12 now records for up to two times longer - and that's using the same cold-weather Enduro battery as last year. They've just worked out how to make the camera run more efficiently.

You want an even wider field-of-view? Sure thing. The new Max Lens Mod 2.0 accessory offers 177 degrees. Pretty crazy.

Thanks in part to GoPro's recent change to an 8:7 aspect ratio, it's now possible to shoot in portrait, even when the camera's mounted horizontally - meaning any pics or footage can be shared to phone-shaped socials straight away.

The new HDR video protocol means an even greater level of detail and colour accuracy. This is so crucial because a lot of action shots happen in super-bright conditions - too much sunlight reflecting off water or snow can really blow out an otherwise perfect shot. HDR helps figure a lot of that stuff out.

Something even more ingenious than the 1/4-inch mounting thread is the new ability to pair your bluetooth headphones or earbuds with the HERO12. It only takes about 3 seconds yet means you can then use the built-in mic on your earbuds instead of the one on the GoPro. This is massive - now you can mount your camera somewhere noisy - like the outside of your car - while recording a totally audible VO from inside. So good.

Existing shooting modes like Light Trails and Duration Capture have been further enhanced and as we saw last year with the incredible 5.3K footage, even stills captured from the video (either while shooting or after) look unbelievable.

In fact, you can see some shots like those in this video I took while in Rarotonga last week.

I need to point out I didn't edit this video myself. I just pressed record a few times and then the videos auto-uploaded to the cloud when I got back to my room and put the camera on to charge.

Next time I opened the Quik app on my phone, here's what was waiting for me...

I didn't choose the shots, the music, the transition effects - none of it. That's all completely A.I. generated and instantly shareable.

The Quik app just seems to go from strength to strength - it's hard to fathom how powerful an editing tool it is, right there on my phone. I can't wait fo the desktop version to be released in the coming months; if it's anything as good as the phone app, it may well become my primary video editor.

As you can tell, although the HERO12 still looks the same, all these sensible, thoughtful upgrades make for a significant leap forward in the evolution of the GoPro - yet it only costs NZ$749.99. As I said earlier, what other device offers this much functionality for such a low price?

TimeCode Sync is yet another "make-your-life-easier" idea. Using the Quik app on your phone you can bring up a unique QR code you simply "show" to each camera to make post-action editing so much more precise. Unfortunately, this only works on the HERO12 so I wasn't able to try it out with my latest Extreme Dog-Walking video. This is a real shame as I wanted to trial the Fetch dog harness on Jerry and Chesty camera harness on me to show him wearing it. That meant a three-camera shoot which is a lot of footage to try and syc up when it comes to editing time.

But perhaps the real star of the new edition of Extreme Dog-Walking is the latest HyperSmooth 6.0 video stabilisation. If you thought GoPro footage was already incredibly smooth, wait till you see these shots taken from the back of my dog...

    

Click here for more information and pricing on the GoPro HERO12 Black.

Ninebot Kickscooter E2 Plus - Swings and Roundabouts

I have a love/hate relationship with scooters.

Many years ago I fell off a push-scooter on my way to work when I misjudged the weather conditions and the impact a bit of mud on the footpath would have on my high-speed cornering ability. This resulted in a dislocated right shoulder and the end of my short-lived stint as a scooter-commuter.

Fast-forward to the present day and wouldn't you just know it? I'm currently recovering from another shoulder injury - this time a broken left shoulder. Again the result of a muddy footpath but no scooter involved this time; just an uncoordinated old geezer slipping over in the wet.

It takes a long time to recover from smashing your humerus into four bits, so it was with some ironic trepidation I took delivery of an eScooter for review just a few days after my visit to the emergency room. Obviously, I wouldn't be able to do it much justice with my arm in a sling so it sat in its carton, just taunting me, for weeks on end.

Finally, after many physio sessions and a series of consultations with my orthopaedic specialist, I decided it was time to take the plunge and open the box.

The Ninebot Kickscooter E2 Plus powered by Segway is easy to assemble; it's pretty much just a matter of inserting the handlebar column into its housing and tightening a couple of bolts with the included Allen key.

I was immediately impressed by how solid, durable and generally well-designed the Kickscooter E2 Plus is - from the compact yet reliable kickstand right up to the robust handbrake and warning bell, every component in between seems built to last.

The black and grey colour scheme isn't exactly head-turning but it's not over-the-top either. In saying that, you have the option of making more of a visual impact by adjusting the lighting effect via the Ninebot companion app - but we'll come to that shortly.

First, let's make sure the 220Wh battery is fully charged. I was surprised to discover the charging brick is very compact - no bigger than the power adapter for most other appliances. That means it's also light and easy to carry with you for a top-up charge at your destination if required. However, charging time is not particularly snappy - around 7.5 hours for a full juice-up. That should get you about 25kms though, so I imagine it'd be rare for most users to have to charge more than a couple of times a week.

Further setup - including firmware upgrades - happens via the aforementioned app and a very full-featured app it is too. Here you can name and register your scooter, lock and unlock it and access some more specific functions not adjustable on the scooter itself.

For example, the Kickscooter E2 Plus can be set to automatically enter "Cruise Control" when travelling a constant speed for five seconds or more, meaning you no longer have to hold the throttle down until you brake. There's also an Energy Saving function to retrieve kinetic energy from braking to help conserve battery life.

Speaking of braking, it's smooth and reliable thanks to the twin form-factor; an electronic front brake combined with a rear drum brake.

The wheels are fairly large and feature 8.1-inch Inner Hollow tyres - meaning they're puncture-proof but also that they're quite hard. This makes for a pretty bumpy ride, especially given there's no other form of suspension to cushion the impact of curbs and cobblestones on my poor, embattled shoulders. This is a genuine downside to the design of the Kickscooter E2 Plus and I would steer you away if you're considering using it on anything but smooth footpaths and cycleways.

The LED dashboard in the centre of the handlebars is clear and simple - like me. It shows your speed, remaining battery and what riding mode you're in; Walking, Driving or Sports. Obviously, Sports mode offers a bit more speed and power at the cost of a certain amount of battery life.

The top speed is supposed to be about 25km/h - which I rarely achieved mostly due to avoiding pedestrians and encountering hilly terrain. This is the Kickscooter's other major downfall; when I say "hilly terrain" I don't mean particularly hilly. Anything over a 12% incline and this eScooter becomes a push scooter again - especially given I'm hovering around (or perhaps just over) the recommended maximum driver weight of 90kg. On my first ride, I was quickly disappointed to discover I couldn't even get around my block under full-electric power because there were a few short hills along the way.

The only other major drawback I encountered was moving the scooter around when I wasn't actually riding it. You'll see me struggling to carry it down steps in the video below. Unfortunately, I filmed this before I realised there is in fact a way to lock the Ninebot Kickscooter E2 Plus in its folded position and it's quite clever - once you know how to do it. 

There's a small hook on the rear mudguard which fits into the spring-loaded trigger of the bell on the left handlebar. If all else fails, read the instructions I guess. At over 15kg, the scooter is still fairly heavy - especially for younger riders - but folded down it fit easily into the boot of my little hatchback.

The scooter is rated IPX4 for water resistance and the battery IPX6 - still, given my painful history with wet footpaths I'm not sure I'm ready for any rainy excursions just yet.

However, the rest of the time I've found the Ninebot Kickscooter E2 Plus to be a useful way to cover short distances a lot quicker than I would by foot. It's a very well-manufactured piece of kit and feels extremely solid, if not particularly speedy or powerful. It has good safety features like bright head and taillights as well as side reflectors. The companion app is also quite straightforward, yet full of features and even offers the ability to record and share aerial videos of your rides courtesy of Google Earth.

It's a very tidy package and at just under NZ$700.00, I think it's pretty good value for money, despite its limitations.

    

Click here for more information and pricing on the Ninebot Kickscooter E2 Plus.