Dyson OnTrac - Who Knew They'd Get This So Right?

It's no secret I'm a massive Dyson fan. (No pun intended)

As I've often discussed, Dyson's function-before-design approach has always appealed to me. Over the years I've met actual Dyson engineers and it's obvious they all have a shared passion for producing the best performance possible. Things like how the device ends up looking come later, although that philosophy itself has resulted in some of the most unique designs in home cleaning appliances, hair care devices, heating and cooling.

That "Performance First" mindset doesn't always pay off.

A lot of time and money went into developing a Dyson EV that never ended up going anywhere. Both metaphorically and quite literally.

Meanwhile, the Dyson Zone actually made it into stores. This was the combination of noise-cancelling headphones with a detachable, air-purifying face mask. I'm not making this up. The Zone sucked air through its filtered earcups and blew cleaned-up air into your face, keeping out nasties (and noise) while travelling or just out and about in the city.

I don't have any information on how well this device sold (it's still available on the New Zealand website but no longer in some other markets) and you'd have to think wearing a headset that makes you look kind of like Boba Fett wearing his beskar helmet isn't for everyone.

But what if we forgot about the weird face-fan and just focused on the headphones?

Like most Dyson products, the OnTrac headphones are priced at a premium; NZ$849.00 - this puts them squarely at the upper end of the consumer headphone market. At that price they have to deliver in every aspect; comfort, aesthetics, battery life and above all, sound quality.

That's a tall order for a brand best known for making vacuum cleaners.

Well, right off the bat, I can tell you the Dyson OnTrac definitely has all those bases covered. In fact, Dyson even goes one unique step further. But we'll get to that.

Unboxing the OnTrac is unique in itself. The headset comes bundled inside a kind of flattened cardboard egg, which I assume is more environmentally friendly than foam or plastic. Unusually, for a set of cans in this price bracket, there's no zip-up hard travel case. Instead, you get a kind of elasticised sandwich to slide the headset into. This is a more compact way to protect your headphones when stashed in your bag or briefcase and it has a little stretchy storage pocket for accessories like the braided USB-C charging cable.

Any space saved by the Slimline Case is a welcome benefit because these might be the largest headphones I've ever worn. I'm not saying that's necessarily a bad thing - oversized over-ears have been their own fashion statement for a while now.

However, the OnTrac is also heavy; 451grams. This means a comfy headband and ear cushions are essential and the device must be perfectly balanced to keep fatigue to a minimum over long listening sessions. Somehow, Dyson has got it right. The microfibre ear cushions and small, central pad on the headband are snuggly soft yet still breathe well.

Dyson's engineers have done a lot of research on the right amount of "clamp force," that's how hard the headband squeezes the OnTrac together. I have a massive head and while this headset sits firmly on it, there's nothing claustrophobic or uncomfortable going on. I've been wearing these headphones at work for five or six hours every morning and I've experienced no fatigue at all.

In order to monitor the breakfast radio show I work on, I need a headset with a wired connection. Although the OnTrac has no dedicated AUX-in port, you can use an AUX cable with a USB-C plug on one end. Dyson sells an In-Flight Adaptor Kit for NZ$49 that will work but when you hand over $849 for a set of cans, you'd think they could throw in the cable other manufacturers include for free.

The Dyson tradition of redesigning existing devices from scratch is also evident with the onboard controls. There aren't many - only three in fact - a power/bluetooth pairing button on the left ear cup, double-tapping the left cup cycles through your ANC settings and then there's a little joystick on the back of the right cup.

Why wouldn't you go with a joystick? Press to play/pause, toggle up or down for volume, and forward or back to go, well, forward or back. It's intuitive. It's genius.

Navigating the MyDyson app is also slightly unusual - and no, I don't necessarily mean bad. If you own other Dyson products, this is the same app you use to change the settings on your desklight or update the firmware on your hot and cold fan. To Dyson, the OnTrac is just another connected device, so why would you need a different app?

Here you can choose from preset EQs or create your own, adjust the Active Noise Cancellation settings - even find out how long you've been listening and whether you've exceeded recommended decibel limits.

Dyson also takes a unique approach to multi-point connectivity. Rather than seamlessly switching between two or three paired gadgets automatically, once you pair with a device it's added to a list in the app. Then you can just choose any device on that list when you want to switch. This is a bit more hands-on but it means more devices without having to re-pair every time.

Two new modes have just been added to the ANC options too; Reduced Isolation and Reduced Transparency. I'm an all-or-nothing kind of a guy, so I prefer complete silence or a feed of all external sounds. Still, it's nice that Dyson is catering to consumers who like a mix of both.

But it's the exquisite sound quality that has impressed me most. Dyson created it's own purpose-built sound testing facilities when developing the Zone headset and that work hasn't gone to waste here.

Ray LaMontagne sings a driving wee track called "How Come?" Acoustic rhythm guitar is mixed to the right while electric lead and bongos appear out to the left. LaMontagne's husky vocal track floats through the middle while every other element - drums, bass, occasional tambourine - all find their own space in my mind. That space, the space created by the OnTrac headset, is big but not hollow at all.

"GLT" by Kimbra and Erik the Architect is a sonic work of art, as most Kimbra tracks are. The pulsing, monotonous bass hit that features throughout has to be big and proud or the song doesn't work. When heard through the Dyson OnTrac, this song definitely works.

Neil Finn's writing and production genius shine through on Crowded House's "Walked Her Way Down." This is another track where different guitars are mixed to one side or another and Finn makes use of dramatic changes in dynamics to pull the aural rug from under you just when you think you know where the song is going. Sometimes it sounds upbeat and hopeful, the next minute there's a more menacing undertone forcing its way through. Again, the OnTrac finds space for each of these elements.

I have a suspicion Dyson is underselling the OnTrac's battery life. The claim is up to 55 hours on a single charge. As I said earlier, I've been using the headset - with ANC on - for 5-6 hours every morning at Newstalk ZB, then running it for at least an hour once I get home. It's been a week and the MyDyson app tells me I'm still on 62%. I've only charged it once. The fact you can set Head Detection to pause your music every time you take the headphones off probably helps but still... I guess all those years refining stick vacuum batteries has really paid off.

Finally, perhaps the OnTrac's most ingenious trick yet; a range of mix-and-match ear cushions and cup covers are available for you to customise your headset in dozens of possible combinations. Both the caps and cushions twist off and on with a single easy click. The OnTrac already comes in four different colour combinations, while there's a choice of seven different colours for the caps and cushions.

Whatever colour combination you go with, everything feels durable and extremely well manufactured - just like every other Dyson product I've ever used.

A greater frequency range, superior battery life, impressive and tweakable ANC, a comfy, beautifully balanced fit and a colour combo to match your mood, your outfit or maybe just your eyes... I'm starting to think Dyson hasn't just shaken up the headphone market, it's created a whole new category. Again.

    

Click here for more information and pricing on the Dyson OnTrac.

WiZ Smart Flex Strip - Bending Light

Of all the smart home devices available today, the various lighting options might just be my favourite.

How cool is it to have preset lighting scenes activate automatically when you walk in the room, or at a scheduled time, or at a spoken command?

Admittedly, my home is only partially lit by such technology. If I was really serious about it, I'd take the time to train the other members of my household in how all my smart lights work. That's just never going to happen. Mainly because some of those members aren't as excited about it as I am.

Anyway...

While it's certainly handy to have lights turn on by themselves when you need them to, I've found the smart lights I really like are lighting strips. The standout is the one I have on the back of my TV to project colours on the wall in sync with what I'm watching. But it's also fun to use lighting strips elsewhere - especially under shelves and behind furniture to create an ambient effect in the colour of your choice.

And now thanks to WiZ, there's nowhere I can't go...

WiZ gets no points for the way it names its light strips. Today I'm reviewing the Smart Flex Strip... although it's just called the Flex Strip 5m on the WiZ website. That's not to be confused with the LED Strip (which comes in various lengths) or the Neon Flex Strip (which looks similar but is shorter).

What the Smart Flex Strip gets maximum points for is - as its name suggests - flexibility. 

I've mucked around with a few light strips over the years and this one is easily the bendiest. That's because the designers seem to have taken a normal strip and put the lights along its edge, making the whole thing very thin and malleable.

If you haven't used them before, light strips come in several forms - some are quite literally just a line of LEDs stuck on a backing strip, often grouped into short sections, each of which may or may not be able to change colour in contrast to the section on each side.

Some strips like these treat each LED individually, creating what's known as a "gradient" effect - so dynamic, moving patterns become possible as one colour fades into another.

A further step up puts a cover over the LEDs so the whole strip then appears to be one long light, potentially still using its gradient abilities to create dynamic, moving patterns.

The WiZ Smart Flex Strip falls into this last category. The non-lit part of the strip is white and it comes with some very slim-line white mounting brackets which can either be screwed in or stuck to the wall with double-sided adhesive pads.

It's all very minimalist and subtle when not switched on and five metres is more than enough length to create some pretty cool shapes - in fact, you'll find a pamphlet full of suggested patterns in the box. 

However, rather than making a feature of the light strip itself, I decided to accessorise my desk. The generous five metres was more than enough for me to attach the Smart Flex Strip underneath the main work area, the back shelf and even behind my monitors. No screws were required; those 3M guys really know what they're doing when it comes to sticky stuff.

I have got a lot of random bits and bobs on my desk - all absolutely necessary of course. Normally, installing the amount of lighting I'm talking here would have involved me taking nearly everything off my desk to get to all the places I needed to go, assuming I had a light strip flexible enough to even be able to twist and turn that way.

Clearing my desk just wasn't necessary with the Smart Flex Strip. It's so narrow and bendy I was able to easily thread it through holes and between other devices with a minimum of desk disruption. I was stoked with the final effect, as you'll be able to tell from the video below.

The clever abilities of the Smart Flex Strip don't just stop at the ease of installation. You can control the it from the WiZ app, via your preferred voice assistant or perhaps most boringly, using the actual button on the control unit at the beginning of the strip. Although, that button only turns them on and off. In fact, when setting up using the WiZ app, you're supposed to be able to choose a colour or pattern that starts with a single click and a different one with a double click. I've tried this and it doesn't work. Some kind of firmware update will probably fix this eventually but in the meantime, WiZ also sells a remote control which might be handy if you have several WiZ devices to operate.

I prefer to use Alexa or Siri to turn my lights on and off - the Smart Flex Strip is Matter-enabled so that works well enough, although you can't access the more complicated themes and dynamic patterns without using the WiZ app.

Like other WiZ lights, you can set up automations to kick in at scheduled times and if you have more than one WiZ product in the same room, thanks to SpaceSense, they can also act as motion sensors, turning on when you walk in.

One of the weirder features is Music Sync. This lights up the Smart Flex Strip in time with your favourite playlists but there's a catch; there's no microphone built into the controller - it uses the mic in your phone instead, so that'll involve you leaving your handset next to a speaker, which seems like a bit of a faff to me.

The WiZ line of smart lighting is owned by Signify, the same outfit that produces Philips Hue devices. Don't be fooled though, there's no real compatibility between the two brands. So you can't control the WiZ Smart Flex Strip with the Philips Hue Play HDMI sync box for example. That said, WiZ has just launched its own version of the sync box - it's not as feature-packed but it is much, much cheaper.

Regardless, the Smart Flex Strip is perhaps the most versatile light strip I've used yet. Thanks to its super-slim profile and subtle mounting system, there's almost nowhere you can't install it, quickly and easily. Wherever you end up using it, it'll look great and there's no doubt it's created a vibrant, fun atmosphere around my cluttered desk.

    

Click here for more information on the WiZ Smart Flex Strip.

Ring Outdoor Cam Plus - One of the Best Security Cameras I'd Never Buy

The rise and rise of subscription services over the last decade or so is lamentable although predictable. Once we consumers demonstrated how willing we were to pay a monthly fee for access to music, TV and movies, it was only a matter of time before there was a subscription on offer for almost any aspect of modern life.

These days we ask, why cook when your meal can be delivered? - either as just the ingredients or the finished product, piping hot.

Be it petfood, contact lenses or coffee, if it's something we "need" regularly, let's set up a subscription so it'll arrive at our door before it runs out.

Fine. We were going to buy those things anyway.

But when you purchase a car with electric seat warmers, wouldn't you expect to be able to use them without having to fork out each month for the privilege?

Personally, I'd rather pay a higher up-front cost to keep my bum warm than an ongoing fee.

That'd be like paying someone else to store your security footage for you.

The Ring Outdoor Cam Plus is another in a long line of top-quality home security products. We'll get to all its features and benefits shortly but I'm going to get my usual Ring whinge out of the way first this time.

You can't record using the Outdoor Cam Plus unless you sign up to one of Ring's subscriptions. That annoys me. Especially when there are other cameras out there that allow you to store your recordings for free. Perhaps you can insert an SD card into the camera itself or the camera might save recordings to a storage drive of some kind attached to a central hub. In fact, some camera manufacturers let you link to the cloud storage service of your choice. Imagine that.

Not Ring.

And it's not just storing your videos. Most of the features I'm about to describe are only fully usable for a 30-day trial period and then you'll have to pay. Admittedly, from as little as NZ$49.95 a year, a Ring Home plan probably won't break the bank and maybe I should just get over it like I did when TV streaming services came along.

I guess that depends on just what a device like the Outdoor Cam Plus has to offer, and whether it really is the Netflix or Apple TV+ of the home security world.

Previously I've discussed how confusing Ring's naming policy is. I mean, can you tell me the difference between the Video Doorbell Elite and the Wired Video Doorbell Pro Plug-in off the top of your head? Me neither.

So whatever you do, don't get the Outdoor Cam Plus confused with the Stick Up Cam Elite or the Spotlight Cam Pro.

The Outdoor Cam Plus I've been sent to review is the battery version. There's a plug-in model too, which comes with an Indoor/Outdoor power adapter instead of a Quick Release Battery Pack, although you can purchase the power adapter separately and plug it into the battery version if you want. Alternatively, Ring also sells a Solar Panel which can power the Outdoor Cam Plus too.

See? Told you it's confusing.

So let's stick with what I've got. A camera, a battery and an extremely versatile mount - which can attach at the base to act as a stand or screw in at the rear for wall or even ceiling installations. As usual, Ring has included all the screws you'll need and attaching the Outdoor Cam Plus is very easy, it just slides on and off the mounting plate and can be locked into place with a screw.

The advantage of running a camera like this on battery is that you can install it anywhere within Wi-Fi range. No cable means you can position it on a fence or high on a wall, without having to worry if a power outlet is close by.

Although the rechargeable Quick Release Battery pack looks the same as all the others I've come across when reviewing Ring doorbells and cameras in the past, it's got a new model number so I'm hoping that means its charge will last longer than the couple of weeks I usually get. The base of the camera just unscrews to access the battery which is nice and easy although disappointingly, it still uses a microUSB to charge.

Hardly anything charges via microUSB anymore and sure, there's a cable in the box but it's quite short so isn't necessarily a particularly convenient option. What's really weird is you can remove a waterproof lug from the back of the camera to run it off the aforementioned power adapter or solar panel - both of which connect via the much more common USB-C. In fact, if you leave the battery in the camera you can just plug in a USB-C charger and juice it up that way. More confusion.

What's less confusing is the improvement in picture quality. The Outdoor Cam Plus is one of Ring's new range of 2K cameras which is a step up from HD, although not a full jump to 4K as we've seen from other manufacturers.

More impressively, the viewing angles have been widened out to 140° horizontal and 80° vertical and Ring has introduced a new feature called Low-Light Sight. This enables the Outdoor Cam Plus to shoot in crystal clear colour, even at night without having to rely on a built-in floodlight, as long as there's enough ambient light - perhaps from nearby streetlights. This works very well indeed and I have to say the nighttime footage I'm getting is quite impressive.

As with other Ring devices, you can set up multiple detection zones and adjust the sensitivity so you're only monitoring the exact areas you need to and there's the option of two-way communication via the camera's mic and speaker. You'll also get preview gif notifications on your phone which can be helpful when it comes to deciding whether you need to respond or not.

The new feature I'm most excited about is the AI-Powered Smart Video Search. If you've used a home security camera like this before, you'll know how tiresome it can be sifting through recorded footage to find out exactly what time those unexpected visitors arrived or when that package was delivered. Now the Ring App has a browser-like search bar at the top of your saved videos and this is where you can type specific phrases like "red car" or "delivery man" to filter out non-related content. Every time I've used it I've been amazed by the results. This could be one of the only truly useful things I've seen AI do to date.

But...

As I said at the beginning, all this comes at a cost. An ongoing cost. At NZ$179.00, the Outdoor Cam Plus is not outrageously expensive but after the first month, unless you subscribe, the only thing this camera will do is send you motion notifications and provide a live feed.

Because subscriptions are just what we do now.

 

    

Click here for more information and pricing on the Ring Outdoor Cam Plus.

Philips Hue Play HDMI sync box 8K - My Favourite Thing I Definitely Don't Need

The things I review for the Newstalk ZB website can be loosely categorised under one of two headings; Tools or Toys.

Occasionally, if I'm lucky, there's a small intersection in the Venn diagram where the tool is so fun to use, it feels like a toy. I think that's what all tech should aspire to.

On the other hand, sometimes there's a gadget that doesn't really serve any purpose at all, but once I get in the habit of using it, I can't imagine life without it.  That's all very well until a) I'm somewhere where I don't have it or b) it doesn't work properly for some reason. Then I have to do life without it.

Stop being so oblique, Glenn. Say what you really mean.

Okay.

I really like having backlighting that syncs with my TV. Is that too much to ask?

Of all the gizmos I've ever reviewed, the Philips Hue Play HDMI sync box might be the most overpriced - except for one important fact; nothing else works quite as well.

In 2021 it cost around NZ$550 and for what? To make your Philips Hue lights glow the same colour as whatever's on your TV.

To be clear, the lights are not included. The Philips Hue range features various options that can be paired to the sync box - not just bulbs but bars and flexible light strips too. The latter options can be positioned behind your TV, pointing at the wall, creating a kind of borderless effect to the image on screen.

So they cost extra.

Oh, and Hue lights need a Hue Bridge to connect to by the way - this keeps the traffic down on your Wi-Fi router but yes, that's extra too.

Even after all that. After hundreds and hundreds of dollars spent, what do you get? That's right. Pretty lights on the wall.

I could never argue that it's worth it. But I love it. I really love it. And I've been surprised at how many ways it's enhanced my viewing experience - not just providing extra atmosphere for when the cinematography gets artsy - but also extra fire and explosions, bigger skies and landscapes, even extending the size of sports fields way beyond the screen itself.

The most optional of optional extras and yet now, as I said before, I wouldn't do without it.

But the 4K version of 2021 had its limitations. I mean, it's 4K and my TV is 8K. The HDMI ports are HDMI 2.0 - not 2.1. It doesn't support devices that play at 120Hz refresh rate. And for some reason, when I run my Apple TV box through it, the remote won't turn my TV on like it's supposed to.

I know. Boo-hoo sucks to be me, right?

Thank god Philips now makes an 8K sync box.

First things first. There is no 8K content. Well, virtually none, anyway. However, that doesn't mean a TV like mine doesn't do a pretty decent job of upscaling what's being fed to it. This is also where the HDMI 2.1 ports come in. Just like USB cables, not all HDMI ports and plugs are created equal. The later versions have a dramatically higher data capacity and that ability to exchange more information faster is crucial when it comes to displaying higher definition video at a higher refresh rate.

As for that last issue, as far as I can make out, I'm the only person in the world this happens to. I push the home button on my Apple TV remote. My TV turns on like it's supposed to, I get a blank screen followed by the spinning buffer wheel for a bit, then I get a message that the source isn't powered on. Even though it is.

For those of you not quite following what I mean - and I don't blame you - the other spinoff benefit of using the Philips Hue Play HDMI sync box 8K is that you can plug up to four different devices into it - for example, perhaps your Sky TV box, a gaming console, a Blu-ray player and yes, maybe even an Apple TV. All this takes up only one HDMI port on your TV (which will have to be an HDMI 2.1 port for everything to work properly).

Switching between sources happens automatically - pushing the home button on your Sky remote will put that on screen, while the Xbox button on your controller will switch over to your console.

You can also use the Philips Hue app to select a source and start syncing manually - which is what I've been doing with my Apple TV. There used to be a separate Hue Sync app to set things up with but that's all been incorporated into one now.

Anyway, given most of my issues seemed likely to be solved by upgrading to the 8K version, I reasoned my last, weird, apparently un-Google-able issue might work itself out too, so I decided to give it a try.

Boom!

Well, first I had to figure out the position of the HDMI ports was different on the new box and I'd plugged some things into the wrong place but eventually...

Boom!

Improved high-def viewing. I could ramp up the refresh rate on my Xbox. And mysteriously, my Apple TV remote made everything work again. (Who really knows why?)

All this for just NZ$799.99!

Oh... did I not mention that? The new, 8K sync box costs a bit more. But come on, it's a bit bigger, has faster HDMI ports and four more K's... whatever they are.

It also now has a manual reset button if everything goes horribly wrong and you're unable to restore the device via the app. I can't imagine what that would be though because this thing works like a charm.

And in all seriousness, that's why Philips can charge a premium. There are other similar systems around but in my experience, none are as bulletproof as what Hue has to offer.

You didn't NEED this anyway. You may as well get the best.

    

Click here for more information and pricing on the Philips Hue Play HDMI sync box 8K.

Samsung Bespoke Jet AI Ultra Elite - An Appliance Evolution

Five years ago Samsung decided to take the world of whiteware and tip it on its head.

For starters, it wouldn't necessarily be white anymore.

In fact, in many cases, consumers would be able to choose styles and colours to suit their decor, rather than put up with a featureless metal box just sitting there taking up space.

Not only did this make for some of the hippest kitchens and laundries in town, the new range also backed up their good looks with high-end performance, even introducing unique, market-leading features.

As cool as these devices are, (especially the fridges and air-con... dad joke) to call them "art" rather than appliances is perhaps going a bit far.

Mind you, after trying out the new Samsung vacuum, I did get a little emotional...

The Bespoke Jet AI Ultra Elite stick vacuum is, ironically, white. Well... Samsung calls it "Satin Greige" so I guess maybe its... off-white?

Regardless, it may just be the craziest vacuum I've used yet. And I mean that in a good way.

When I initially unboxed it, which takes some time - there are a lot of bits and pieces - I was actually slightly disappointed. At first glance it's very similar to the Samsung's original Bespoke Jet; a bagless stick vacuum that sits in a minimalist Clean Station that both empties and charges.

Don't get me wrong, my disappointment was not with the design. I loved the first one. I still use the first one nearly every day. Because it's so compact, the Clean Station and vacuum fit easily into the hall cupboard, conveniently at hand to chase the latest cloud of dog hair away.

I was disappointed because I thought Samsung may have changed things up again. Maybe this time the Clean Station would also double as a reading lamp? Or a coat stand? Or... Perhaps next time.

It wasn't long before I started noticing the upgrades though. Starting with the handle, which is more ergonomically shaped, has a grippier surface and is more accommodating to those of us with larger hands. This is also where the LCD display is but we'll come to that shortly.

The next big improvement literally is bigger. The Telescopic Pipe now extends to three different levels - again catering to taller users who now no longer have to stoop while vacuuming. Sadly, as with the original design, one still has to retract one's Telescopic Pipe when placing one's vacuum back on one's Clean Station. What an inconvenience for one.

Because this is the Elite model, there's pretty much every accessory you can imagine; Active Dual Brush, Slim LED Brush+ specifically for hard surfaces, Pet Tool+ for furniture, Combination and Long Reach Crevice Tools - both of which can be used in conjunction with the Flex Tool so you can literally vacuum around corners - and the legendary Spray Spinning sweeper. Well, if it's not legendary yet it should be. This uses the supplied disposable wet pads or reusable antibacterial pads to give your hard surfaces a professional buffing - one of the most effective and mess-free mopping solutions I've come across.

But back up the truck... Did I say Slim "LED" Brush+? Yes indeedy. Both the Active Dual Brush and the slimmer, fluffier one now have bright white LED lights to expose the full extent of your filth, whatever dark corner it may be lurking in. This was both a satisfying and disturbing new feature for my Bespoke experience.

Before we get to that, we have to turn the darn thing on - or at least pop it on the Clean Station and let it start to charge. It's at this point the AI part of the equation ramps up and you can pair the Bespoke Jet AI Ultra to your phone, using the Samsung SmartThings app.

This allows you to monitor a raft of data like how long and when you vacuum, how many times it's been emptied, whether the dust bag in the Clean Station needs emptying and even how much it's costing you to run! (So far, for me, about one cent apparently). You'll also be informed of any maintenance issues and obviously, the level of charge in the battery.

There's a couple of other nice little features on the app - you can turn off the LED display and the charging light on the Clean Station if you prefer the room to stay dark while it's charging and you can also set the Bespoke Jet AI Ultra to notify you of any incoming calls or messages while you're vacuuming. Which is handy, because it's easy to miss calls and messages while you're vacuuming. Because you're vacuuming.

The AI doesn't stop there. Although there are several different power modes you can select manually, if you set the vacuum to AI, it will sense the type of surface and adjust the suction accordingly. At 400W this is a very powerful beast and yet it instantly recognises if you're vacuuming a rug or mat and dials things down immediately to avoid any clogs and stoppages. This is such a brilliant feature and is one of the first times I've ever thought AI was doing something genuinely helpful.

As you'd expect, the LCD display tells you exactly how many minutes of vacuuming you have left before you need to charge. Samsung tries to claim you can clean for up to 100 minutes. The obligatory asterisk then leads you to a footnote explaining that's only on the lowest setting using a non-motorised tool. So no, you won't vacuum for 100 minutes non-stop but guess what? Nobody WANTS to vacuum for 100 minutes non-stop. However long it lasts, it's easily enough for me to do my large, two-storey, four-bedroom home. (That's not a humble brag, by the way. More of a complaint)

And what a great job it does. Let's get real. You can have all the good looks and swanky AI features you like but unless that 400W sucker-upper is doing the business, it's all a waste of time. The Bespoke Jet AI Ultra is the opposite of a waste of time. It really gets the greeblies out from deep down in the pile and on my first vacuum I had to empty the half-litre bin twice, it was so chock-a-block with a combination of woman hair, dog hair and whatever detritus falls off me.

As I said before, the Clean Station lives up to its name, sucking every last scrap out of the bin without you getting your hands dirty. Then, unlike the original Bespoke Jet, it runs a self-diagnosis to make sure everything is running properly. This closes the door on the bin automatically - something I've often forgotten to do on the more manual original, not realising till I've started vacuuming, dropping dust straight back on the floor again. So it's now idiot-proof. This idiot has proved it. 

The problem of long hair wrapping around the mechanical roller head still hasn't been solved, although at least Samsung's design let's you easily take the roller apart to clean it.

Best of all, there are very few consumables here; the bin and its multi-stage filtration system is all washable and reusable. The only thing that needs replacing is the large dust bag in the Clean Station. This is also a very easy and fuss free operation and there are a couple more bags included in the box.

Sounds great, right? Does it sound NZ$2,099.00 great? Because that's what the Bespoke Jet Ultra AI Elite costs right now. But remember, it's also a mop. And a pet-hair remover. And it can see in the dark. And it empties itself. And it can tell you when someone's on the phone. Oh... And it's a work of art. Totally worth it.

    

Click here for more information and pricing on the Samsung Bespoke Jet AI Ultra Elite.

Apple MacBook Air (M4) - Air by Name. Pro by Nature

Apple seems to be going hard-out in 2025. If the rumours are to be believed, by December Apple will have announced at least 20 devices.

From what we've seen so far this can mean anything - from the predictable (yet still pleasing) iPad Air update from M2 to M3 I reviewed last week - to creating a whole new category of iPhone, with the introduction of the more budget-friendly member of the 16-series, the iPhone 16e.

This year's shotgun launch approach seems to be partly due to the fact Apple now puts its own chips in things. What's more, those chips seem pretty amazing.

So although Apple just launched a fistful of new computers, you may not even have heard about it. For some reason, these devices don't always get the same in-person, Tim Cook-led hype the flagship handsets do.

But don't worry. Although I haven't been lucky enough to try the computer to end all computers; the new Mac Studio powered by the brain-bendingly powerful M4 Max, or even the one that runs on the M3 Ultra - which confusingly might be even MORE powerful - I have been sent something else to play with...

The Apple MacBook Air (M4) looks exactly like its predecessor from last year. Except it's now available in a new colour, Sky Blue, replacing boring old Space Grey. This is in addition to Silver, Starlight and Midnight.

Sky Blue is nice but let me be perfectly clear; it's not as blue as the sky. In fact, when I ask most people what colour the device is, they tell me it's silver. So... silvery-blue then, I guess.

Other than that, physically the M4 MacBook Air looks the same as the last two.

But it isn't.

There are three important tweaks that make this one of the most desirable MacBooks now available and as such, one of the best portable computing devices on the market today.

The first and most significant upgrade is of course, the M4 chip. I've used several devices running Apple's in-house M4 now and I can confidently attest to its speed and reliability. On paper, there are technical improvements in things like the number of cores, graphics performance and the various AI abilities of the 16-core Neural Engine.

A list of specs is one thing. Real world performance is another. The M4 MacBook Air runs so faultlessly it's hard to imagine how much better it could get before it starts carving chunks from the market share of its more full-featured sibling, the MacBook Pro.

Another physical change is, although there are still only two external ports - not counting the MagSafe charging socket of course - these are now both Thunderbolt 4 USB-C slots. This means much higher data transfer speeds and coupled with the M4 chip you can now connect to two external monitors while still using the built-in Liquid Retina display. Like everything else I tried with the MacBook Air, it ran three screens effortlessly.

The last improvement Apple has made is adding Desk View to the built-in, 12MP Centre Stage camera. This is a new feature some Mac users have been trying in conjunction with Continuity Camera - the option to use your iPhone's camera as a wireless webcam. Now the MacBook Air can also show viewers a live feed of your physical desktop via your Zoom, Facetime, Webex or other video call. This means you can demonstrate using something in your hands without running a second camera feed. The quality is not as good as the usual Centre Stage video (which is truly excellent) but it's useful to have it as an option.

If you're in any doubt how good that camera is, check out my video below. I think this is the best built-in camera/mic/speaker setup I've seen on any laptop I've ever reviewed.

Never have I been more relieved to be reviewing a MacBook than last Friday morning. Due to an unfortunate series of unforeseeable events, I didn't have my security card with me when I arrived at work on Friday. That in itself is not an unsurmountable obstacle, even at 3:40AM. (I work in breakfast radio. Sounds fun, right?)

Even in the middle of the night, there's a security guard on duty who can be persuaded to let an idiot like me in. (I've got form. He recognises me now)

Unfortunately, the key to my personal locker is also attached to my security card. Really unfortunately, I'd locked my work laptop away the day before. Not something I'd normally do. But, like I say; an unfortunate series of unforeseeable events.

Luckily, I had figured all this out the night before and even more luckily, I was reviewing this M4 MacBook Air.

In just a few minutes I was able to load my work Wi-Fi profile and set up Adobe Audition (my preferred audio editor) so I could hit the ground running the moment I got into the studio the next morning.

Thanks to macOS 15 (just upgraded to macOS 15.4 this week, in fact) connecting to the studio printer and even connecting to the network drives at work was simple and fast. Just like everything else about this device.

I was able to run my radio show exactly as usual, without a hitch. In fact, the MacBook Air did such a good job I'm thinking of leaving my work laptop permanently locked away. It seems so clunky by comparison.

I've covered off most of the latest Apple Intelligence features in other, recent Apple reviews but it's worth pointing out the latest update to macOS 15.4 introduces the option to let AI sort and summarise your emails for you. I've been using this on my iPhone for a while now and it's great to be able to see if there's anything that needs urgent action with a single glance at your inbox.

I could spend all afternoon waxing lyrical about the myriad ways this year's MacBook Air has blown my socks off - but that would make for a very long read. I will just make a quick mention of its gaming abilities. Slowly but surely more and more AAA game releases are being ported across to macOS, if not being released on Mac day one. Even if they're not, the powerful M4 chip seems to have no trouble running emulators to play titles from other platforms and the Wi-Fi 6e connectivity has impressed me when streaming games as well.

With a screen that looks this good and spatial audio that sounds this convincing, the MacBook Air is a superb multimedia entertainment device, in either the 13.6 or 15.3-inch display options.

Intellectually, technically, I know the MacBook Pro is the superior device. And yet, while I type this, edit this and upload this using the MacBook Air, I can't quite remember why.

        

Click here for more information and pricing on the Apple MacBook Air (M4).

Apple iPad Air (M3) - The Only Change Is Everything

2025 seems to be a landmark year for Apple already.

We’ve seen the launch of a phone, several computers and now a new iPad. And it’s still only March.

Some of these have been breakthrough devices; the iPhone 16e effectively creating a whole new product category for Apple.

Other 2025 updates seem less significant. After all, if the only difference is a new chip, is it really that different?

Let’s find out.

Because the 2024 iPad Pro became the first Apple device to ship with Apple's M4 processor, this year’s iPad Air is the first iPad run by the M3. If you think that’s confusing enough, don’t even get me started about the various iterations of the M3 and M4 chips. Rest assured, even if it’s not an Ultra, Pro or Max version of Apple’s in-house CPU, you’ll still be treated to a superbly smooth, efficient and powerful computing experience.

The same can definitely be said for the new iPad Air, which, admittedly, looks pretty much identical to the previous model. And I do mean exactly; both 11-inch and 13-inch models are precisely the same size and shape as their predecessors and are a mere gram or two lighter.

But Apple (quite reasonably) is under no illusion about how often people upgrade their devices. Which is why the default comparison devices on the website tend to be nothing later than the M1 iPad Air from 2022.

A lot has happened since then, not least of which, Apple Intelligence. The M1-powered iPad Air was future-proofed enough to be able to juggle the neural processing required to use Apple Intelligence features like Image Playground, Writing Tools and Clean Up for your photos. However, it goes without saying, the new iPad Air chews through this kind of work even more smoothly.

The camera setup on this year’s iPad Air seems to be the same on paper; a 12MP Wide sensor on the back, paired with a 12MP CentreStage selfie-cam. And yet, the photos and videos are just better. They’re certainly better than what you get from just about any other built-in laptop or tablet camera out there - check out the video at the bottom of this review if you need further convincing.

But it’s the little things I’ve noticed and appreciated even more.

For example, I’m writing this review using the new Magic Keyboard for iPad Air (backwards compatible with several previous generations). This is the Air version of the Magic Keyboard that has been available for iPad Pro for a while now. I consider the Magic Keyboard to be one of the the best-designed accessories ever produced and I’ve said as much in previous reviews. Not only do you get a surprising amount of travel from what is essentially a flat keyboard but also a wonderfully responsive touchpad and a full row of dedicated function keys, including brightness and media controls.

But perhaps the best thing about the Magic Keyboard is it literally adds another USB-C port to your iPad, with a pass-through charging option built into its spine. This means you can keep the iPad Air charging while you work (or play) simultaneously using the USB-C for something else; perhaps transferring files at up to 10Gbps or even connecting to an external display.

The Magic Keyboard is damn expensive though; starting from NZ$549.00 - but I’ve used it quite a bit and it really is that good. Especially when paired with the power of M3 in this latest iPad Air. As I type, I’m literally using the new 11-inch iPad Air as a mini laptop and it’s a sublime pleasure.

This is always a temptation for those of us who aren’t regular tablet users and are more likely to tap out their work on a laptop or desktop machine. Every time I swear I’m not going to get sucked into the “laptop comparison” and yet, when the Magic Keyboard is so full-featured and the power of M3 means a task like filling in the appropriate fields on the back-end of a website works exactly as it should, I start to wonder if I even need a laptop. Especially since no MacBook yet features a touch display. Meanwhile, iPads were born to be touched.

Certainly there aren’t too many laptops out there that can compete with the iPad Air’s legendary ten hours of battery life. This hasn’t changed since the last model but remember, the M3 iPad Air is now doing a lot more. If anything, I’ve found Apple’s ten-hour claim somewhat undersells what this device actually delivers - and that NEVER happens in tech.

But seriously… why would you choose the iPad Air over a laptop or even the iPad Pro? For a start, it’s smaller and lighter than a laptop. Even with the addition of the 355gram Magic Keyboard, the 460gram 11-inch iPad Air still weighs substantially less than a MacBook Air at 1.24kg.

Of course, price is a major consideration too. iPad Pro starts at NZ$1,999 while the new iPad Air kicks off at NZ$1,199. I’ve used (and reviewed) the M4 iPad Pro and yes, it’s a genuine powerhouse of a machine but given I’m not trying to render 3D movie projects on a regular basis, for a user like me, there’s not a lot the M3 iPad Air can’t do.

Take the app Morpholio Board, for example. This is a tool that lets you visualise interior design options by combining real images of your space taken with the iPad Air cameras with images of products, furniture, appliances and art you’ve yet to purchase. You can literally create a 3D walk-through to give you a solid idea of what will work and what won’t.

Gaming is another area where I think a lot of users would be surprised by how well the new iPad Air performs. You can pair pretty much any controller and jump into a game like Horizon Chase 2 to waste a few hours racing, upgrading and crashing your car. The laminated Liquid Retina display is nice and bright and also sports an anti-reflective coating, meaning you’ll get all the details, even outside.

Meanwhile, the sound provided by the stereo speakers built into the short edges of the device is surprisingly full and powerful. That doesn’t just add to an immersive gaming experience but also makes the iPad Air a fairly passable mobile music machine. Somehow these speakers, although small and hidden, create a genuine illusion of space - the music seems to surround the iPad Air rather than emanate from it.

Is it weird they didn’t go straight to a variant of the M4 chip with this device? Presumably that’ll happen next year or soon thereafter. I mean, the M4 exists. I have an M4-powered Mac Mini. And as good as the M3 iPad Air is, I can tell you when it comes to high-demand actions like rendering video, the M4 absolutely creams the M3. (I’m talking about the standard variants of the chips here of course - not Pros, Ultras or Maxes).

If the answer is to keep the price down, that’s a pretty good answer.

Although I tried not to, because I was sent the Magic Keyboard with my review device, I found it impossible not to compare this iPad with the laptops I’ve used lately. When I’ve done this with other tablets in the past, they generally do an okay job but start to fall down when it comes to browser-based interfaces and editing apps.

Not this time.

There’s something about the maturity of iPadOS and the streamlined performance of the M3 chip that has ironed out most (if not all) of those compatibility bugs. You’ll have to take my word for it but I really did create this entire review on the iPad Air, not using my Mac Mini as I normally would. That includes all the formatting, adding photos from my cloud storage, then transferring and reformatting it all for the Newstalk ZB website. The M3 iPad Air never even blinked. What a pleasure.

Click here for more information and pricing on the Apple iPad Air (M3).