Logitech G POWERPLAY 2 and PRO X SUPERLIGHT 2c - This Mouse Never Stops

In case you were wondering, no, I'm not a professional gamer.

You weren't?

What was it that gave me away? The fact that I'm a really uncool, 51 year-old dad? Or the way I constantly complain about not even having time to get enough sleep, let alone play computer games?

Regardless, I don't have to be a pro to figure out how annoying it would be to have your mouse die on you, mid battle, mid-race or mid-match.

It's one of the reasons many serious gamers prefer a wired mouse; they never go flat.

Although, that's not a perfect solution either, because that very wire can also be a bit inhibiting when it comes to unrestricted movement of your mouse.

What to do? What to do?

Trust Logitech G to come up with a solution.

The POWERPLAY 2 is one of my favourite types of gadget; a simple idea elegantly executed. What if you could charge your mouse wirelessly, while you're using it? Sounds easy, right? After all, wireless charging pads have been around for years. Why not a mouse pad that charges too?

Well, it must be harder than it sounds, because while there are various desk pads out there with a specific area to charge devices like phones and earbuds, Logitech G seems to be the only brand that teams its wireless mice with a charging surface.

Before you even get to the charging part, the POWERPLAY 2 is a very nice mouse pad in its own right. At 344 x 284mm, it's large without being inconveniently unwieldy. It's less than 4mm thick and the rubberised underside will never slip once in place.

A large mouse pad is essential if you have a multi-display or wide-screen monitor set-up - it means you can instantly manoeuvre around the screen without having to lift and re-centre your mouse all the time.

As far as the charging side of things goes, it's an incredibly simple, two-step process. The POWERPLAY 2 comes with its own wireless charging coin in the box. Assuming you're using a compatible Logitech G mouse, you simply flip its base coin off and replace it with the POWERPLAY 2 version, which is magnetically held in place.

Then it's just a matter of plugging in, via the 1.8m USB cable. This doesn't have to connect to your laptop or PC - there's nothing "smart" about it, it's literally just a power supply. The good news is, that cable should be plenty long enough to reach just about anywhere you need it to. The less-good news is that the plug is USB-A - not USB-C. I thought everything was supposed to be USB-C these days - especially in the world of charging. Oh well, hopefully you can find somewhere to slot it into.

You'll know its working because there's a tiny LED on the front edge of the control module that lights up white to tell you. And that's it.

All you need now is a mouse.

That's where the PRO X SUPERLIGHT 2c comes in, just one of at least ten different Logitech G options that all feature that swappable coin in the base.

This is probably the only one that weighs in at just 51 grams though. That's practically nothing. When I first unboxed it, I thought I'd been sent some kind of dummy or mock-up. The PRO X SUPERLIGHT 2c honestly feels like they forgot to put anything inside it. Ironically, that couldn't be further from the truth.

Not only is there a hybrid system of optical and physical switching in there, you can even store the LIGHTSPEED USB wireless dongle under the charging coin for safekeeping. That dongle is the also larger USB-A size - which again, seems weird to me when many laptops these days only have USB-C ports, but at least Logitech G puts an adapter in the box so you can use the included charging cable as a USB-C extension.

Apart from charge anxiety, other issues gamers have with wireless mice are lag and interference. These simply don't seem to be a problem with Logitech G's LIGHTSPEED connection - the 8kHz polling rate may as well be instantaneous and they've gone to great lengths to test their wireless protocols in tournament settings to ensure there's no risk of interference.

Take it from me, I have a lot of wireless gadgets on and around my desk but the PRO X SUPERLIGHT 2c hasn't missed a beat yet.

You'll also find a set of customised grip tape pads to stick on for extra performance in hot and sweaty situations, although I've found the matte surface of the PRO X SUPERLIGHT 2c to be pretty grippy anyway.

As opposed to the silky smooth PTFE feet or "skates" that take up a large percentage of the base of the mouse. Combined with the almost frictionless surface of the POWERPLAY 2 mouse pad, you'll be flying around faster than ever.

Especially since the HERO 2 sensor can be wound up so high, you'd need the reflexes of a young cobra to control it.

Speaking of which, if you've come to like the sensitivity settings of the mouse you're currently using - perhaps you're only upgrading for the wireless charging or the overall physical design of the PRO X SUPERLIGHT 2c - the Logitech G HUB app let's you port those settings across to your new mouse, as I've demonstrated in the video below.

And of course, like all Logitech G-series mice, there's no end of shortcuts, actions and macros you can assign to each button through G-Hub - from launching your screen recorder, to a more complicated sequence of commands that might be unique to certain games.

These settings can be saved as separate profiles within the app, or to one of five available slots on the mouse itself - which could be handy if you're planning on using it with different devices.

I'll finish up by saying how surprised I was by this mouse. To look at, it doesn't appear to be that different to most other mice. But once I started using it, it wasn't long before I discovered the benefits of Logitech's hundreds of hours working with some of the world's top esports athletes, to hone the design and come up with one of the most comfortable, compact - and certainly the lightest - mice I've ever used.

This is one of those devices you eventually become unaware of as you use it, almost as though it's an extension of your own hand. An extension you never have to charge either.

    

Click here for more information and pricing on the Logitech G POWERPLAY 2 wireless charging system.

Click here for more information and pricing on the Logitech G PRO X SUPERLIGHT 2c wireless gaming mouse.

Apple AirPods Pro 3 - Ticking Every Box

The problem with reviewing as many earbuds as I do is that you get very fussy about what you're prepared to stick in your ears.

In this department, Apple got off to a pretty slow start with me.

In its original, one-size-fits-all approach, the first AirPods were pretty much the opposite  of what I was looking for; yes, the open fit was comfortable and the sound quality was good, but there wasn't really anything going on it terms of noise cancellation and that's just one feature I'm not prepared to compromise on.

Those first couple of generations were also anything but a snug fit and while many Apple fans convinced themselves they preferred that to having their ear canals hermetically sealed off with silicone ear-tips, I preferred not to have one of my buds bobble out when I least expected it, only to be run over by the very bus I was waiting for.

That actually happened, by the way. It wasn't an Apple AirPod that got flattened, but a similarly loose-fitting example.

Then the first AirPods Pro came along and things started getting interesting. Having realised it's very tricky to cancel noise electronically if some is leaking in around the AirPod itself, Apple pivoted and stuck on a couple of in-ear silicone buds to block out as much as they could.

Okay, Apple. You've got my attention.

Now, two generations later, I'm experiencing the best ANC I've never heard.

The Apple AirPods Pro 3 don't look wildly different to their predecessors but a close inspection reveals a slightly more elongated design that twists the ear-tip a little further into your ear canal. That may sound a little intrusive to you in-ear skeptics out there but trust me, these may actually be the most comfortable AirPods yet.

That's not just because of the new shape. There's also an extra size of ear-tip included in the box, so now there are five sizes to choose from; XXS, XS, S, M and L. In even better news, instead of including a set of foam tips, as some other manufacturers do, Apple has opted to incorporate foam into the silicone tips themselves.

The advantage of foam is it can squash right into your ear then expand into every tiny nook and cranny, creating a secure fit and blocking outside noise like you wouldn't believe. The disadvantage is foam tips don't last long and are very hard to keep clean. By infusing silicone tips with foam, Apple has ingeniously found a way to give you the best of both worlds; a tight yet comfortable, soundproof fit that's still durable and easy-clean.

Surprisingly, there's been no chip upgrade for the AirPods Pro 3 - in fact several models now use the H2 chip. However, there's obviously been plenty of tweaking going on - not just with the physical design but also an update to new "ultra-low-noise" microphones resulting in twice the noise cancellation of the AirPods Pro 2. I have no idea how you objectively measure how much noise is being cancelled but in all honesty, I think Apple are underselling how good the ANC now is.

In the video below, I talk about how little wind noise I was hearing on one of Auckland's gustiest days of the year. You kind of get the idea by how difficult it was to hear what I was saying. I certainly couldn't hear what I was saying, I had the ANC turned on.

You can opt for a more transparent, adaptive audio soundscape if you want to let in a certain amount of the outside world and AirPods Pro 3 also has Conversation Awareness mode that lowers the volume of what you're listening to, and everything in the background, when it detects you're trying to talk to someone close to you.

As for how these things sound...

"Never Had the Balls" by Rex Orange County is an appropriately bouncy wee track, packed with quirky electronic beats and multi-tracked falsetto backing vocals. This is the kind of song that can sound muddy, toppy and low-fi (in a bad way) on the wrong set of ear speakers. But the Airpods Pro 3's new design allows enough actual, physical space for big bass tones to pound away while the more delicate, upper frequencies ping around your head, just as the producer intended.

This effect is even more apparent on P!nk's "Hurts 2B Human" featuring Khalid. There are several big bass drops that make surprise appearances on such a tender duet. That ability to create space for every instrument and vocal track, combined with Apple's latest adaptive EQ efforts mean that deep, deep bass is huge - but it in no way overwhelms the rest of the elements.

You want Lossless Dolby Atmos? Have a listen to "Hammer" off Lorde's latest album. The rotating, sweeping, 3D effects are difficult to describe but easy to appreciate with the AirPods Pro 3.

I've been using AirPods when watching content on my Apple TV for a while now, and the listening experience with these latest ones is a whole level up again. On a program like the Morning Show, the sound mixing is key - there's a lot going on, especially in the scenes when they're broadcasting live and the action switches from on-camera to control room to behind the scenes and to other locations where the show is being watched. The AirPods Pro 3 do a sensational job of placing the dialogue, sound effects and music tracks in all the right places so you don't miss a word.

In fact, as we've discussed before, the latest few editions of AirPods can now literally test your hearing and then be used as hearing aids, so you don't miss any words in the real world either.

Another interesting addition in the AirPods Pro 3 is the heart-rate sensor - which is great news for Apple exercisers who don't currently wear a Watch. I've read some very positive reports about the accuracy of having a sensor in each ear - enhanced even further if you do have an Apple Watch. AirPods Pro 3 are now rated IP57 for sweat and water resistance, making them the most durable AirPods to date. Add that secure, snug fit to the equation and they're pretty much the perfect workout option.

By now you've probably heard about the live translation thing. This feature is still in beta and right now, there are only a few languages supported but yes, technically you can fire up the Live Translation app and hear Siri interpret for you. I've tested this a little and at the moment it's a bit frustrating. The app only seems to record for short periods if the speaker pauses for any time at all, which doesn't work very well if you're listening to a long speech, or perhaps a detailed description of the famous landmark or work of art you've travelled to see. Also, there's quite a delay. For some reason, you get the text translation on-screen before Siri starts reading it to you. So we're not quite at natural conversation level yet.

But that's the only feature I've found that doesn't (yet) deliver on its promise.

Take battery life, for example. Although the charging case actually provides less total listening time than AirPods Pro 2, the AirPods Pro 3 themselves last longer on a full charge - up to 8 hours with ANC enabled, that's two hours more than before.

The sound quality was already great. Now it's nearing perfection. The heart sensors are useful and the new physical design and foam-infused ear-tips provide one of the most secure, comfortable fits I've ever encountered.

As for the ANC? I hope I've made it clear how good I think it is. How times have changed.

    

Click here for more information and pricing on the Apple AirPods Pro 3.

Dyson Airwrap Co-anda 2x - Licensed to Style

Remember when Dyson launched the original Airwrap in 2018?

Hot off the success of the Dyson Supersonic hair dryer, suddenly this was the must-have hairstyling accessory everyone was talking about.

Well... everyone with hair, anyway.

Even blokes who had no interest in - or indeed any use for - a tool that could produce salon-style curves and waves in just a few minutes, soon learned they'd be very popular with the long-haired ladies in their life if an Airwrap found its way under the Christmas tree that year.

It turns out, moving streams of either fluid or air have a tendency to attach to curved surfaces, pulling other things into their slipstream with them. By harnessing the power of the Coandӑ effect, Dyson literally invented a whole new way to style hair and boy, was it popular. 

But Dyson has never been a company to rest on its laurels. Over the proceeding years some minor updates have been made but now there's a whole new game in town.

And it comes in a beautiful presentation box. 

The latest Dyson Airwrap is called the Airwrap Co-anda 2x - and that box is just full of surprises. It's a large box, with a luxurious, soft-touch feel to it. Not only will it keep the new Airwrap and its associated accessories safe inside, the upturned lid becomes a velvet-covered beauty console, complete with a little stand for your smartphone.

That's not so you can keep up-to-date with your social feeds. The idea is to pair with your new Airwrap Co-anda 2x via the MyDyson app. Not only will the app then serve you a selection of instructional videos on how to get the most out of your new styling toy, it will literally guide you, step by step, if that's what you need.

I've unleashed a few willing volunteers on the Airwrap Co-anda 2x and they all assure me, without exception, you'll definitely need a few tips and pointers. After all, if you want your hair to look like it's been styled by a pro, you're going to have to learn one or two actual techniques.

At least the Airwrap Co-anda 2x is light, well-balanced and its oval profile is extremely comfortable to hold, so you won't get a tired arm while you figure out how to use it.

Especially since there are more attachments included than ever before - and these have been dramatically reimagined too.

To begin with, there's not one but two curling barrels, a 30mm and a 40mm option. Improving on the original Airwrap, these barrels (like the more recently updated ones) are bi-directional; a simple twist at the top changes the direction of the air-flow so your curls don't end up going the same way on both sides. (This is a major fashion faux pas. Everyone knows that).

The curling barrels are now straight cylinders, not cone-shaped as before. This means you can curl more hair at once, more evenly. And obviously, using the larger 40mm barrel means looser, more wave-like curls.

There are two styling brushes; First, the round volumising brush 2x, to help you plump up your style without the frizz you'd encounter with old-fashioned teasing. Dyson has tapered the bristles so you can focus the brush's attention on one section of your hair at a time.

Secondly, the anti-snag loop brush 2x let's you pull your style into shape without pulling uncomfortably on your scalp. It's all thanks to Dyson's clever little loop bristles. Because great hair shouldn't give you a headache.

Before I started reviewing Dyson hair care products, I didn't know what a flyaway was. In fact, I'd never even heard of them. What an amateur! Now I'm experienced enough to know these are those rogue hairs that just won't fall in line with the rest, ruining your otherwise pristine do. Unless you use the Airsmooth2x attachment, of course.

This is kind of like a set of mini-straighteners - except without the searing hot heat-plates - so no risk of scorching your lovely locks. Instead, a precisely controlled dual-flow of high-speed air forces those rogue flyaways back into line, resulting in a healthy, shiny and above all, smooth finish.

But it's the new fast dryer 2x that's caused the most comment, because it's just so damn good.

The Dyson Hyperdymium 2 motor provides twice the air pressure - thus the 2x on the end of everything. That means you can now dry your hair faster than ever, still at tightly regulated temperatures to prevent any damage.

Each attachment is RFID chipped so the Airwrap can remember exactly which setting you used last time around.

Still, it's curls you came for and it's curls you shall have. But as I mentioned earlier, it will take a bit of practice and perseverance. 

As clever as the Airwrap Co-anda 2x is, it can't do everything for you. More attachments means more techniques to learn but don't worry, the MyDyson app has you covered.

From what I've seen in my observation of my test subjects in action, it's a good idea to master as much of what the new Airwrap has to offer before you let your 20-something daughters have a go. Their youthful ability to pick up new technology and make it work perfectly on their first attempt is impressive - but also infuriating and annoying.

From what I've seen, anyway.

You may not be aware, but Dyson now also has a range of oils, creams, sprays and serums to help you achieve an even greater range of styles - the right combination of which will undoubtedly assist in solving the one general complaint my test subjects have had to offer; the curls don't stay in.

I've tried giving advice. "Did you leave your hair slightly damp before styling?" I have asked, helpfully, "Are you sure you used a blast of cold air to set the curls in place?"

"That happens automatically," I was told.

In no uncertain terms.

It seems I might be somewhat out of my depth here. All I know is, everyone now looks very beautiful and I think the Airwrap Co-anda 2x definitely had something to do with it.

    

Click here for more information and pricing on the Dyson Airwrap Co-anda 2x.

Apple Watch Series 11 - No Major Shake-Up. Still the Best

There are many reasons why I consider Apple Watch to be the best smartwatch available.

The interchangeable bands are genius. The rotating crown is useful.

Even the simple fact it has a square display means information is shown in a more familiar and easier-to-consume way than on smartwatches that use a round face.

Lastly, what many people consider to be Apple Watch's greatest downside, is actually the best thing about it... It still only works within the Apple ecosystem. You can't pair an Apple Watch with any phone that isn't an iPhone.

So yes, of course, if you're not an iPhone user, that's a bummer. But if you are, then you know that like every other Apple product, the Watch will just work. Flawlessly.

Notifications will appear reliably and in a timely fashion. You can reply to emails, texts and messages. Media controls won't just mysteriously stop working for no reason. And when it comes to interacting with other Apple gadgets, what a delight. Turn your lights on and off with your Watch. Start an Apple Fitness workout on your Apple TV with your Watch. Unlock your Mac with your Watch. Sync all your health, fitness and sleep data to your iPhone with your Watch.

Apple's (essentially) closed system means a controlled system - if they can't make a feature work first time, every time, it stays in Beta.

So when the Watch Series 11 launched last month and some critics claimed it hadn't changed much from last year's model, I said, "Good."

Apple Watch Series 11 is available in four aluminium finishes and three polished titanium options, although you could definitely argue the seven colour choices are somewhat muted this year, most of them varying shades of silver or gold - with the exception of the Jet Black option.

Although I don't mind a reasonably chunky bit of wrist-wear, a large, heavy timepiece isn't everyone's cup of tea, so it's great to see Apple has kept the design as slim and light as the Series 10 - so it's still the thinnest Apple Watch we've seen. This is made more impressive by the fact the Ion-X glass covering the display on the aluminium models is bonded with a new ceramic coating, making it twice as scratch resistant than the Series 10 faces were.

With the introduction of "Liquid Glass" in iOS 26, making the icons on your iPhone's home screen look transparent and 3D, Apple has replicated those effects in WatchOS 26, and there are some rather beguiling new watch-faces that really take advantage of that eye-catching effect.

If you had any doubts about how much more dazzling the display is on the Series 11 when compared to its much less expensive stablemate, the SE 3, let me lay those to rest. The useable part of the screen stretches right to where the edges curve away, so there are almost no visible bezels at all. In fact, the general curviness of the device makes it so comfortable to wear to bed for sleep tracking, I'm hardly aware I'm wearing it at all.

Another important element of using your watch for sleep tracking is the battery. I used to just put whatever smartwatch I was using on to charge overnight. Now, with Apple claiming up to 24 hours "normal use" on a single charge, I typically just top it off just before bed and thanks to fast-charging, the Series 11 is usually close to 100% by the time I'm ready to put it on again and go to sleep.

While you're sleeping is when a lot of the Series 11 health tracking kicks in too - not just detecting how long you spend in each sleep stage but also monitoring for sleep apnoea and unusual fluctuations in wrist temperature. You can check all these stats out on the Apple Health app in the morning.

But this year's big Apple Watch breakthrough is Hypertension Notifications. Don't ask me how this works exactly, because you can't actually take a specific blood-pressure reading using the Series 11. However, after you've entered 14 days of BP information, compatible Apple Watches can then monitor for abnormally high blood pressure and notify you that you might be experiencing hypertension. That's great peace-of-mind for someone like me, with a family history.

Apart from the Liquid Glass business, WatchOS 26 isn't a wild departure from the previous version, although I certainly appreciate the little tweaks Apple has made to the workout screens and you now have the option of rating how challenging you found your workout - more useful data that I assume contributes to the new "Vitals" section in Apple Health - an overall summary of your health and fitness trends that grows more accurate over time and can alert you if things start going off the rails.

A lot of these new tricks and features are thanks in no small part to the latest S10 chip, which powers all three of the Apple Watch models launched in September. With its 64-bit dual-core processor, 4-core Neural Engine and 64GB of built-in storage, you could be forgiven for assuming I'd just listed the specs of a phone, not a watch.

Of course, the cellular variants of Apple Watch Series 11 basically work like they're an independent phone anyway, especially with the improved, dual antenna design. More and more New Zealand carriers are introducing inexpensive addon-plans for cellular-enabled smartwatches, and from my experience, it's very freeing to be able to leave your phone behind when you're off exercising or walking the dog.

As you can tell, I'm a fan. Even so, I'm not going to try and convince to upgrade if you only just bought a Series 10 Apple Watch from last year. The 2025 model is an upgrade - but I wouldn't have thought the tougher screen, new chip and improved battery life would compel many people to trade up.

On the other hand, if you're still rocking something from 2023 or before, it might just be time to treat yourself to some new wrist candy.

    

Click here for more information and pricing on the Apple Watch Series 11.

Dyson PencilVac Fluffycones - Silly Name. Serious Clean

It's a problem as old as vacuum cleaners themselves. In fact, I assume it dates back to the manual floor-sweeping machines that came before them.

Tangles.

If you, or someone close to you has hair of any length, sooner or later some of it's going to end up on the floor.

If you have some hairy breed of pet, they're also contributing to your vacuum cleaner's next tangly ambush.

But it's just the physics of floor cleaning, right? If you have a rotating brush of any kind, tangles are just an inevitable part of it.

Well, not according to Dyson.

The PencilVac Fluffycones is a hard-floor cleaner like you've never seen before.

How many times has Dyson caused us to say, "Like you've never seen before," over the years?

As usual, the fabled Dyson engineering team has taken the tangle problem, and instead of adapting current technology to it, they've essentially built a solution starting from scratch.

Well, not quite. We have seen a couple of recent Dyson products with tangle-free heads and they seem to work one of two different ways. Some heads are fitted with a special comb that pulls hair from the brush before it can get all wrapped up but then there's the second, even more elegant solution. Telling the hair to get screwed.

Much like an Archimedes screw, the device he invented to get water to flow uphill, Dyson looked to a rotating cone to force long hair to one end of the brush head where it gets sucked away.

But why have just one cone when you can have four? Now you begin to understand what makes the PencilVac Fluffycones so good at its job.

The four cones have been mounted in pairs and the mechanical head rotates them towards each other, so there's no escape for any dust, dirt and yes, hair. Long hairs are simply "coned" out to the edges of the brush head where they can be sucked up by the startling power of Dyson's fastest motor yet.

But why just solve one problem at a time?

What about cleaning the edges of your floor? In my experience, the only way to vacuum along skirting boards is to use some kind of specific brush attachment and that's probably after you've already scratched the paintwork with years of vacuum heads running pointlessly along it.

The Fluffycones are indeed fluffy - and they stick out slightly past the brush head housing so you CAN actually butt them up against the skirting, leaving no corner unvacuumed.

Problem three?

How about how heavy and bulky conventional stick vacuums are? Sure, they may come with attachments for brushing away cobwebs from walls, ceilings and light fittings, but have you ever tried waving one around over your head for any length of time?

Which is why Dyson made this the world's thinnest vacuum. The handle, battery and dustbin is just 38mm in diameter - about the same as Dyson's Supersonic and Airwrap haircare devices. One reason hairdressers and consumers love using those tools so much is how light and comfortable they are to hold - even for long periods of time. So yet again, Dyson has completely reinvented the form-factor of a stick vacuum so it's essentially the size and shape of a broom handle.

Unfortunately, that means the dustbin only has a 0.08 litre capacity, which would be an issue except thanks to that groundbreakingly fast hyperdymium motor, the bin fills from the top down, with the contents compacted by a continuous blast of compressed air. This not only means you can fit more icky stuff into less space, it also results in much less dust when you empty it out.

Oh... about that; yet another problem solved. Bagless vacuums of the past always seem like a good idea right up until you open them over your bin, attempt to shake the contents out and end up having to dig half of the mess out with your fingers, while a helpful breeze blows all the dust back in your face.

The PencilVac Fluffycones eliminates those hazards with its unique "syringe" emptying system. It literally squeezes the contents of the dustbin down into the tube when you slide it open - then it falls gracefully into the bin without ever touching my delicate digits.

So it's tangle-free. It's slim. It's light. And there's absolutely no mess when it comes to emptying.

What more can you ask for? Well... it's probably the most flexible head of any vacuum I've ever used. It rotates 360° and because the Fluffycones spin towards each other, it can be used in any direction. 

The head is also equipped with green LED lights front and back (if there IS a front or a back) so you can detect every speck of dust, every crumb and every strand of hair.

When it comes to hard floors, the Dyson PencilVac Fluffycones certainly cleans up.

The funny thing is, because Dyson is essentially my personal benchmark for great design, there are a couple of things that have made me ask, "Why haven't they done this as well?"

The first thing I'd like to see is even more ability to get under things. Dyson claims the Fluffycones head will reach under anything more than 95mm off the ground - which is crazy - but in fact, the head itself is even slimmer. If the handle joint - which, as we've established, is probably the most flexible I've ever seen - if it could somehow lie down flush with the head itself, there wouldn't be many pieces of furniture you couldn't vacuum under.

The next thing I'd change if I could would be an extra set of controls on the other side of the handle. This is because the PencilVac is so manoeuvrable, you end up holding the handle "backwards" about half the time. That means I often reach for the power button, only to find it isn't there and I have to twist everything around again to get at it.

By the same token, the magnetic charging stand also only works one way - and it never seems to be the way I first attempt to dock the PencilVac - so again, another twist is required.

I'm sounding high-maintenance now, aren't I?

So one more then; I would also like to be able to leave it standing upright in the middle of the floor, without having to lean it against anything. When you're moving mats and small pieces of furniture out of the way to clean under them, it's kind of annoying to have to lie the PencilVac down on the floor or lean it against a wall - especially because being so twisty and turny, it's actually quite difficult to lean it against the wall without the totally round handle sliding down and clattering to the floor anyway.

Please, Dyson engineers - if you're reading this, don't take these comments as complaints, take them as suggestions for the next model. If your past performance is anything to go by, you've probably thought of all this stuff anyway and you're already working on the next prototype.

    

    

Click here for more information and pricing on the Dyson PencilVac Fluffycones cleaner.

Apple Watch SE 3 - Worthy of Your Consideration

If you're reading this it's likely you...

a) Have never owned a smartwatch before and you're wondering where to start.

b) Are considering upgrading from an older Apple Watch and you're checking out all the options.

Or...

c) You're just an uber-fan of mine, you really dig my writing style and you'll read pretty much anything I publish.

Okay, option c) isn't all that likely, so let's stick with the first two.

As is often the case with Special Editions, or Fan Editions or whatever other name has been given to the more budget-friendly option, for the uninitiated it can be hard to see exactly where the cost savings have been made.

So the question is, if it's that hard to tell the difference, does it even matter?

The first compromise you'll have to make if you choose the Apple Watch SE 3 over the new Series 11 model is colour. You still get a choice; Midnight - which is kind of a bluey-black, or Starlight - which isn't really silver but isn't really gold either. Both versatile colours sure, but you get to choose from a range of seven with Watch Series 11.

Then there's the screen size - it's a complicated calculation because the Series 11 is altogether slightly larger and has a new, wide-angle display - it has a much higher peak-brightness rating too. In saying that, I've had no issues reading my SE 3 inside or out, and the Retina display is now protected by a new grade of Ion-X glass which Apple claims is 4 times more crack-resistant than the face of the Watch SE 2. 

That's good news, because I actually own an SE 2, and as much as I love it, it is pretty scratched up. It'll be interesting to see how the new generation fares over time but I certainly haven't managed to knick it yet - and I've been wearing it everywhere; working out, sleeping, gardening - you name it.

For the first time you also have the option of AOD - keeping the screen on even when your wrist is down. This gives you the opportunity to keep an eye on the time and your notifications without having to make a big song and dance about it.

In terms of sensors and health tracking, the SE 3 is a giant step up from its predecessor, and although it can't run ECG scans and isn't capable of monitoring hypertension or blood oxygen like its Series 11 stablemates can, it does now have a temperature sensor which means it'll notify you of unusual skin-temp fluctuations and can provide retrospective ovulation estimates too.

The SE 3's sleep tracking is also more advanced than ever. You'll be notified if any nocturnal breathing irregularities look like sleep apnea so you can go and get checked out right away.

Another significant compromise between the Series 11 and the SE 3 is battery life, although this is probably only going to be an issue if you're a particularly demanding user. I have had no worries getting through my long, breakfast radio day on a single charge. The best thing is, that single charge happens faster than ever - with the right charger a 15-minute top-up should be good for about another eight hours use.

Because I wear my watch for sleep tracking, I tend to stick it on to charge for half-an hour or so before I go to bed. That seems to be all I need to get it back to 100% or close to most nights.

As well as taking phone calls, the SE 3 is now capable of playing audio from any installed apps through its speaker. I don't quite know why you'd choose this method over a good set of wireless earbuds (don't miss my AirPods Pro 3 review in the next couple of weeks) but I guess if you've left them behind somewhere, it's good to have a backup.

What's impressed me most about the Watch SE 3 is how I've just never found myself frustrated by the lack of something it doesn't have. All my widgets, apps and shortcuts work, just the same way as any other Apple Watch I've ever used and when tracking my exercise, the display is bright, easy-to-read and shows all the metrics I want it to.

If my workout is one of the many excellent classes available through Apple Fitness, the SE 3 pairs with the iPad or Apple TV I'm watching my instructor on and shows all my data on-screen, along with other useful info, like how much time is left in each exercise or set.

As part of watchOS 26, my watch now asks me to rate how hard or easy my workout was, and this added into my other collated metrics in the health app, to give me a more accurate summary of exactly where I am on my health and fitness journey. watchOS 26 also means new faces and that "Liquid Glass" effect that has had Apple fans raving.

Just like other late-model Apple Watches, you can also use Double-Tap and Wrist-Flick gestures to make using the SE 3 a one-handed operation. Double-Tap (a quick repeated pinch of thumb and forefinger) let's you do a variety of things, depending on what app you're using at the time. Maybe it plays or pauses your podcast, for example.

Meanwhile, the Wrist-Flick helps you to toss away incoming notifications so you can deal with them later.

Incredibly, the SE 3 has exactly the same S10 chip as the Series 11 and Ultra 3 models - that includes a 4-core neural engine that allows you to do things like chat with Siri "on device" - no data connection required.

See? Talk about blurring the lines between the watch that starts from NZ$469.00 and the one that starts at NZ$749.00. With the latest chip, faster charging and a stronger build, the SE 3 isn't just a huge improvement on the SE 2, it out-performs many other, older Apple Watches too. That's why I recommend to give it a serious look if you've decided to upgrade, or you're starting out with a smartwatch for the very first time.

    

Click here for more information and pricing on the Apple Watch SE 3.