JBL BandBox Solo - If Only I'd Had This 40 Years Ago

At age 17, on being branded a disruptive influence, I was kicked out of "normal" school and moved into what was then known as The Transition to Work class.

The rough idea behind "Transition" (as we called it) was you'd spend 4 days of the 6-day school timetable out in the community doing work experience for free, then the other two days would be mostly learning how to cook and balance a cheque-book.

The Transition kids were generally looked down upon by the rest of the school as being no-good losers who'd never amount to anything. Ironically, the reality was most of us got a significant head-start on the rest of the students when it came to entering real life, making our own money and becoming well-rounded, productive members of society.

School's not for everyone.

Long story short, when I was asked what I'd like to do for a job, I said, "I'd like to be a musician, please."

As a result, I ended up playing in bars and cafes at night and sleeping all day. Perhaps the best outcome for all involved. 

Then, once school really ended, I busked for 4 hours a day on the main street in Hamilton, making roughly what I would have if I'd gone on the dole.

Jump forward to today; How'd my career as a rock star turn out? Maybe i just didn't have the right gear...

The JBL BandBox Solo won't necessarily earn you instant stardom, but it'll definitely help you practice to get there.

For a while now I've noticed certain JBL speakers lean in to being used by singers, guitarists and other musos as an economical alternative to more specialised amps, head-units and P.A.s.

I've seen (and heard) buskers playing through JBLs on the street and I've been involved in a few torrid karaoke sessions, thanks to JBL devices, at various parties.Some JBL speakers even have their own built-in light shows and come paired with their own wireless mics.

But the BandBox Solo is the first JBL I've tried that's been specifically designed with bedroom musicians in mind and I have to say, from this very amateur strummer's point of view, they've nailed a lot of what they set out to do.

My first impression was confusion around how small the BandBox Solo is. Did I get the wrong idea about what this was supposed to be for? Surely you wouldn't be able to shred or wail very convincingly out of a speaker as tiny as that?

Sceptically, I plugged in my trusty (and sadly neglected) guitar and was immediately surprised to hear that live, earthy hum buzzing through from the pickups that is generally a precursor to some loud and noisy fun to come.

And I wasn't disappointed. 

By the time I'd turned my guitar pick-ups all the way up, I only really needed to set the BandBox Solo's volume to about half before I was belting out some seriously crunchy rhythm guitar riffs. Oh yeah, this review was definitely going to be a good time.

There's only one 1/4 inch input on the side of the BandBox Solo, so you have to decide if you're practicing singing or guitar as your main thing. There is also a built-in mic nestled amongst the controls on top, which will provide passable practice quality if you decide to use Singer/Guitarist mode.

You'll find a 3.5mm stereo mini-jack output on the back, along with a slightly confusing USB-C port which we'll cover off shortly. 

The control panel features buttons for Power, Bluetooth, Preset/Menu and a final, more mysterious one encircled in classic JBL orange, labelled "STEM AI." There's also a control knob at the end for adjusting volume and scrolling through options.

Above these you'll find a simple LED display that uses white dots on a black background to show you everything from volume levels to which guitar effect you've selected. Although this display style seems somewhat rudimentary at first, I soon realised it was masterfully effective - especially in potentially dim situations like being backstage before the curtain goes up.

The final piece of this comprehensive practice puzzle is the JBL One app, which enables you to do a much deeper dive into the BandBox Solo's features and settings. Obviously, the app's interface is more helpfully laid out, although the majority of functions can be accessed by both your phone and the speaker's physical controls. 

The USB-C is not just for charging but can also be used for audio in and out. It's how you update the firmware too, although I found this to be a real mission as you have to connect your phone via a cable to do the update and it wouldn't download or complete installation unless I stayed on the JBL One app and kept tapping the screen to keep it open. What a drama.

Weirdly, in stark contrast, you can stream whatever song you're working on via Bluetooth 5.4, and this is where the fun truly begins. 

A press of the STEM AI button brings up a three channel display; Guitar, Vocals and Others. You can then cut out any of these or reduce them to 50%. So... If you're trying to learn a particular solo, you could take away the vocals, bass and drums and just play along with the remaining guitar until you get it right.

Once you've mastered it, you can swap everything around, muting the original guitar track and playing along with rest of the band, effectively replacing their guitarist. Or lead singer, if you've chosen to plug in a mic instead. Instant karaoke.

Sounds simple and it truly is.

What really blew me away was the choice of built-in effects to choose from - dozens of options ranging from simple, bluesy reverb to full-on stadium metal distortion. In fact, the options are infinite, as you can customise each preset effect using the on-screen display of virtual pedals, creating and saving your own as you wish.

Teenage me would have paid thousands for a range of effect pedals like this.

Instead, the BandBox Solo costs just NZ$449.95.

So it's a surprisingly powerful practice amp. It features an infinite selection of virtual effects pedals. And it gives you the ability to remove guitar, vocals or rhythm section from any track you play through it.

But wait...

None of this'll sound any good if you're out of tune. Yes, there's a digital tuner built in.

But it can be hard to stay in time when you practice by yourself. Yes, there's a metronome built in.

It'd be good to just play with drums and nothing else. Yes, there's a drum machine built in.

Looper? Yes, yes, yes. With infinite overdubs. Built in.

So not only is this an essential practice tool, it's potentially a supremely versatile pre-amp for your live performances as well. Remember, you can output to other devices via USB-C or stereo AUX cable. That means straight into a P.A. system on stage or a sound desk or P.C. for recording.

Or just into a pair of headphones so you don't bother anyone else in the house.

Like I say; little box. Big, big fun.

    

Click here for more information and pricing on the JBL BandBox Solo.

ECOVACS DEEBOT X11 OmniCyclone - Living Up to Great Expectations

There can't be too many categories in consumer tech that have evolved as quickly as the robot vacuum.

So it's easy to forget the many vacuuming pain-points that have been overcome in just a few years.

The ability to map your home automatically, swap between mopping and vacuuming seamlessly, return to a charging station where the robot can also self empty, fill itself with water, clean and dry itself - all these things are nothing short of miraculous when you really think about it.

So what's left? How much better can a robot vacuum get, before it's bringing you breakfast in bed and getting the kids dressed, fed and off to school as well?

ECOVACS is one name currently pushing the boundaries, with its DEEBOT X11 OmniCyclone leading the way.

If you've been following the DEEBOT story as closely as I have over the last few years, some of the features I'm about to describe might sound a bit like history repeating itself. It's true we've seen earlier iterations of most of what the X11 has to offer on previous DEEBOTS, but we've never seen it all brought together in one complete, elegant package, quite like this.

And I do mean elegant. One of my only reservations about setting up the X11 OmniCyclone at my place was to do with how the OMNI station would look with its bagless dustbin on full display, front and centre. I needn't have worried, however, as the bin has been tinted dark black to blend in with the very classy, metallic-look finish of the rest of the OmniCyclone station. So you're not confronted with a clear container full of all your dirty little secrets every time you walk past.

That's probably something I would have been prepared to put up with anyway, given the obvious benefit of a bagless bin, that simply unclips when it needs emptying. Because of all the convenience of owning a robot vacuum, one of the things I wasn't prepared for when I had one of my own was the ongoing cost of consumables.

Other vacuums with bag-based emptying stations might require as many as five replacement bags a year - or more, depending on usage. And that's before you get to other things that will need replacing along the way - most commonly side brushes, filters and main roller brushes, in roughly that order.

Here the latest and greatest DEEBOT goes some way to mitigating those costs too. The side brush is now only a single side brush, as the X11 is smart enough to always vacuum with its side brush against the wall - and because the brush extends out into corners and has an improved ARClean Anti-Tangle design, it's more effective that ever.

We'll talk more extendible technology shortly but first, let's take a moment to marvel at the ZeroTangle 3.0 main vacuum roller. I've seen a real turning point in recent vacuum innovation when it comes to roller brushes that manage to keep themselves free from endless spools of long hair (either canine or human) thereby avoiding jams and experiencing far less wear and tear in the process. So I now have no time for any vacuum that lets its mechanical cleaning head get clogged up that way. 

The roller on the X11 actually combats this issue three ways; 1) With a 45° bristle angle, that diverts strands of hair straight up the pipe. 2) By using a combination of soft nylon bristles and hard rubber blades, ensuring every kind of dust, hair and debris is dealt with accordingly and 3) With an integrated spiral comb that literally untangles any stray strands as the X11 goes about its business. I LOVE this feature.

A powerful fan and high-capacity battery ensure almost nothing is left behind - and that's before you get to the hard floors.

This is where the OZMO ROLLER 2.0 comes into play, continually rinsing itself and spinning at 200rpm to leave both tile and wooden floors streak-free and gleaming. This is an area where X11 truly comes into its own, using AI Stain Detection to go back and perform automatic re-mops on areas where there might be a more stubborn mess to contend with. Only the X11 OmniCyclone has two separate reservoirs for two different types of cleaning solution. That's right; just like a human being would - if the X11 decides even more of an intensive scrub is required, it'll go into Deep Re-mop mode, making two more criss-cross passes and applying ECOVACS' own heavy-duty cleaning formula to deal with stubborn stains once and for all. I believe, in the professional cleaning industry, the technical term for this is, "Elbow grease."

Oh, and the OZMO ROLLER extends too, obviously. You'll see this in action in the video below as the X11 reaches out to clean right up against base boards and under cabinets. Practically no area is left unmopped.

But perhaps the greatest innovation ECOVACS has come up with yet is PowerBoost - which literally charges the X11 as it empties and cleans itself, topping up the battery by as much as 6% in just three minutes. That means this particular DEEBOT can clean up to 1000m² in a single session. That's at least five of my whole houses so... awesome. Ultimately, you should never have to come home to discover your trusty robot still labouring away through its automated, scheduled clean. It will have finished it hours ago.

The ECOVACS app continues to evolve, streamlining its look and generally becoming more user-friendly, even though, as we've clearly outlined, there are more features to tweak and play with than ever before.

I've been especially pleased to see the X11 no longer thinks areas on the other side of floor-level windows, like decks and balconies, are rooms it needs to try and map in case you want to vacuum them at some stage. Editing maps is easier and quicker and adding extra maps for multiple storey homes is now an absolute doddle.

I could go on and on. I could talk about YIKO, the ECOVACS virtual assistant, but we've met her in previous reviews and I'm sure she'll rate further mention in the future. We could discuss the TruePass adaptive 4 wheel climbing system - but the ability to clamber over door sills and bunched up rugs isn't quite the same as marching up and down actual stairs just yet. Perhaps the next generation?

I do like the way the X11 is smart enough to navigate its way around even the flimsiest items of clothing, power cords and dog toys - even turning on its own headlight to make sure nothing goes awry in dark spaces - but shouldn't that be a minimum expectation from any robot vacuum by now?

And that's just an indication of how far we've come; our minimum expectation now essentially exceeds that of an assembly-line robot or a self-driving car. While some options out there may still fail to live up to such expectations, the X11 OmniCyclone raises the bar for the rest.

    

Click here for more information on the ECOVAC DEEBOT X11 OmniCyclone.

Google Home Speaker - Slightly Smarter

There can't be many New Zealand households without a smart speaker these days.

Yet I can't help thinking, despite their growing omnipresence, I'd be very surprised if many owners are really using their speakers to their full potential.

There's no arguing the convenience of being able to stream your favourite song, artist, playlist or radio station, just by asking for it.

And perhaps some people find it convenient to ask their smart speaker to set a timer when they have both hands submerged in the sink.

For the most advanced users, I'm sure they're turning lights on and off and have no doubt connected their video doorbell so they won't miss their visitors arriving just because the aforementioned playlist is blasting away.

But is anybody having actual conversations with their smart speakers?  Are they using them to streamline and automate their other IoT devices?

And would they be prepared to pay extra in order to do that?

In a world where there seems to be a major tech launch every other week, I find it incredible Google hasn't really put out a speaker since the Nest Mini way back in 2020. Although this packed a reasonable audio punch for its tiny size, the Nest Mini was more of a way to talk TO Google, rather than listen to it.

A lot's changed in the last 6 years, particularly the rise and rise of AI, resulting in Google Assistant slowly morphing into Gemini.

So it's probably well past time Google updated its primary human/robot interface and it has done so in the form of the Google Home Speaker.

Talk about call it what it is.

Design-wise, there are very few surprises here. Yes, it's quite a bit bigger and more spherical than 2020's Nest Mini - but not so big you'll struggle to find space for it on any shelf or side-table. My review unit is Porcelain (Off-white) but it also comes in Hazel (Dark grey). If only we lived in America - they get to choose from Jade and Berry as well. Lucky them.

Some people have commented on the power cable being permanently attached at the speaker end (connects to a 30W wall charger via USB-C at the other). I think the concern here is if the 1.5-metre cable isn't long enough, you might be restricted as to where you can set it up. I think that's why they invented extension cords.

What I did notice, the moment I lifted the Home Speaker from its box, was how loose-fitting the woven fabric covering is. I don't think this really matters, unless you're planning on manhandling the device repeatedly over time.

In fact, there are physical controls - all hidden beneath that slightly saggy mesh. Volume down on the left, volume up on the right and a tap in the middle will pause and play. Trouble is, the volume controls are so well hidden and the speaker is so uniformly spherical, it often takes me several attempts to tap in the right place.

Thank goodness for voice commands. More on that shortly.

Given the upsized form-factor, you'd expect a more powerful, fuller sound and yes, it gets louder than its demure predecessor and there's undeniably more bass response. However, I've found some of the more rocky tracks I've trialled start distorting and things get muddy if you push the volume much past 80% or so.

Like most similar speakers these days, the emphasis is on creating a room-filling, 360° soundscape, which makes it a good option for concealing in a corner somewhere to create a more ambient, dinner-party, polite conversation kind of a vibe.

You can also pair two together for a stereo array, in turn teaming them up with the Google TV Streamer - one of the most capable video streaming devices currently on the market. This is probably a good option for those on a budget; The Google TV Streamer 4K costs less than one Google Home Speaker - so the whole entertainment system would come in under NZ$620 - less than most half-decent soundbars.

I'm not convinced you'd get enough bass out of a pair of Google Home Speakers for a genuine home cinema experience - but it'd beat the built-in speakers on your telly.

So the sound is good - but not great.

Not a major, remember - being a Google device you can team it up with other compatible speakers, if you prefer.

So let's move onto the smart home hub of it all; is the Google Home Speaker any better at it than any other?

Well, I will say it seems to understand what I want it to do the vast majority of the time and it definitely delivers on the promise of listening out for users changing their instructions or correcting themselves halfway through.

Also, even at full volume, the three far-field microphones never had any problem listening out for my "Hey, Google" wake command.

The downside of that is it seems to keep listening for quite a few seconds after you've finished speaking, just in case you start speaking again. This means it can take a fair while for music to start playing or lights to change.

And about that, "Hey, Google," thing. Does anybody else find it weird we're still saying, "Hey, Google," when we're now supposedly summoning Gemini? Or are we only talking to Gemini if we pay for a Google Home Premium Subscription?

No wait... that can't be right. Shouldn't it be a GEMINI Home Premium subscription? Ow, my head's starting to hurt.

Without a subscription, you can still play music, podcasts and audiobooks from your preferred services. And you can "Tackle everyday tasks seamlessly." That seems to mean I can control my lights, my air-con and any other paired Matter-enabled device.

I can also ask for weather forecasts, sports results, create lists, add calendar entries... all the stuff we've pretty much been able to do since smart speakers were a thing.

So what does the Standard Google Home Premium sub get you? Well, Gemini Live, obviously. Supposedly this means a whole other level of expert AI assistance - even the ability to create intuitive, smart home automations.

The idea is you can say to the Google Home Speaker something like, "Make it so every day when I get home, the kitchen lights turn on and some relaxing, contemporary soul music plays."

Yes, you can already do this yourself, depending on which devices and apps you use but I guess it's easier to get Google - sorry, GEMINI to do it for you.

Is that kind of convenience worth NZ$150 a year?

Then there's an even more premium level again - for another 150 bucks Gemini can sift through your security camera footage, provide you with daily summaries of activity around your home and respond to questions like, "Do you know what time my son got home from the party last night?"

I find that kind of weird, given you can just open your security app on your phone and look up the video yourself but I guess if Gemini can do that for you, why not?

Well, except, the Google Home Speaker doesn't have a screen, of course. So you'd just be taking Gemini's word for it because it can't actually show you the footage. Are we ready for that level of trust just yet?

I'm sure there are plenty of early-adopting tech-heads out there who are eagerly awaiting this next level of more responsive, more intuitive AI, packed into a small speaker that sits neatly on the bedside table. But the rest of us just want the song we want, when we want it. Call us old-fashioned.

    

Click here for more information and pricing on the Google Home Speaker.

OPPO Watch X3 - As Tough As it Is Classy

If you're new to the smartwatch game, you may not realise that just as with more conventional watches, some are built for extreme conditions while others are designed for fashion.

Many people have been put off in the past because they'd rather not wear a small computer on their wrist that screams, "Tech nerd!"

Over recent years there's been a move to more aesthetically pleasing designs, including different shapes and a wider selection of bands but even now, if you want a smartwatch with all the best features built in, it's probably still going to be pretty bulky.

High-end performance like that also chews through battery life, so you can expect to have to charge your watch every day - not something analogue watch-wearers ever have to contend with.

Well, get ready for a breakthrough.

The OPPO Watch X3 represents a significant leap forward - especially for Android connected devices.

Just from an aesthetic standpoint, OPPO was already onto something with the general look of the first two generations of the Watch X; the large round face and metal casing offering a more classic style than many other smartwatches around at the time.

For the X3, OPPO took that template and really accentuated the positives, upgrading the casing dramatically with a high-quality titanium alloy, featuring twelve precisely engineered, eye-catching bevels surrounding the face. The Obsidian Black version still comes with a light, comfortable and durable fluororubber strap but the Misty Titanium option features an all-new, segmented hybrid design, introducing stainless steel highlights to match the buckle.

This new band is so light and so comfortable I'm happy to claim it's the comfiest watch strap I've ever worn. And thanks to that titanium casing and the introduction of fibreglass into the bottom panel, this is the lightest Watch X yet - which all adds up to a device that is a genuine pleasure to wear.

That's important because I use the Watch X3 for sleep tracking - something I've been hesitant to do with larger smartwatches like these in the past because I simply found them too bulky and uncomfortable to wear to bed.

In stark contrast, the elegance and lightness of the X3 totally mitigates the size of the watch itself and I happily drift off to sleep each night, barely aware I even have it on.

The other factor that prevents many smartwatch users from using their sleep monitoring functionality is battery life. Many watches barely make it through a whole day without having to be charged, so a lot of people forgo collecting useful sleep data and keep their watches on their chargers overnight instead.

The Watch X3 is extremely power efficient - due partly to spreading its operation over its double-chip configuration. Using it at full capacity, including tracking an hour's exercise every day via dual band GPS, I've found I can coast through at least three days on a single charge, if not four. There's also a power-saving mode that'll stretch battery life out as long as 16 days if you're really going off-grid.

However, I still choose to charge mine every day. That's because OPPO's Watch VOOC Flash Charge tops things up so fast, I can put the X3 on its cradle while I get ready for bed and it's usually back to 100% by the time I hit the sheets, just a few minutes later.

The operating system is ColorOS Watch 8.0 over the top of WearOS 6.0 - that last part is important because it means you have access to a much wider selection of apps than many other watches that are locked into their own ecosystems. For instance, I'm not really interested in wearing a watch I can't make contactless payments with using Google Wallet. WearOS makes that easy.

There are also many tiles (or widgets) you can add and scroll through, depending on what apps you have installed. One I now can't live without is Google Home Favourites, which enables me to control my smart bedside light directly from my watch.

I feel like operation of the Watch X3 is smoother and more responsive than ever. Both the digital crown and quick access button are customisable - so you can assign your own shortcuts to double and long presses. What's more, the rotating digital crown is now more prominent and offers excellent haptic feed back when you use it to scroll through various options on screen.

The ample 1.5-inch, LTPO AMOLED display is also brighter than ever - it'll ramp up to an impressive 3,000nits in strong sunlight, which is more than enough nits for you to be able to clearly keep an eye on your metrics while you're out walking, running, cycling, ski-ing, surfing, mountain-climbing... whatever. 

And the thing I love about the fitness tracking on the Watch X3 is the way you can customise those metrics for every kind of workout. If duration is the thing you care about most when you walk, you can position that timer front and centre. But if you're concentrating more on cadence during your runs, you can swap that into top place on screen instead.

It goes without saying you'll receive all your calls, notifications and messages pretty much instantly and you can answer back via voice, preset quick replies or onscreen keyboard.

So what we have here is a watch that looks and feels absolutely fabulous, works like a charm and - it turns out - is very nearly indestructible.

Name a durability rating and the Watch X3 probably has it. IP68 and IP69? Of course. 

Waterproof to 5ATM? You bet.

Tested to MIL-STD-810 military standard for altitude and extreme temperatures? What do you think?

 ...so effectively the Watch X3 has about every water, dust, heat and pressure proofing there is to have. All of which is great, but I've always found it frustrating you can have a watch that works underwater but you can't actually work it underwater because touch screens don't work underwater.

Except...

Thanks to technology OPPO calls "Splash Touch" the Watch X3 allows wet finger tracking. Now, that's not quite operating the screen while fully submerged but it does mean I can deactivate the alarm I snoozed when it goes off again in the shower. 

It also has the welcome spin-off effect that the screen controls won't be activated accidentally by contact with water. Why is that important? Well, if I can take you back into the shower with me for a moment, there have been the odd times in the past when I've started playing my podcasts from my phone at full volume, just because I had my watch under the falling water. Not ideal for the rest of the house at 3AM.

I've also had weird things happen while exercising out in the weather - media controls activated, even workouts paused or ended, just because of a bit of rain. The Watch X3 seems to be immune to all this.

You better believe this is the complete package and because you can install its O-Health app on any Android device, you're not locked into an OPPO phone just because you want to own this very cool OPPO watch. Not that there's anything wrong with owning an OPPO phone as well - as my previous reviews clearly demonstrate.

The Watch X3 combines timeless style with comfort, usability and durability that'll also last a very long time. I couldn't recommend it more highly.

    

Click here for more information and pricing on the OPPO Watch X3.

Ring Battery Video Doorbell Pro (2nd Gen) - Big Battery Boost

When it comes to installing a doorbell camera, opting for a battery-operated one makes a lot of sense for most people.

Not everyone is replacing a wired doorbell and trying to attach a wired version to your front door itself would be virtually impossible.

However, there's one obvious drawback; at some point you're going to have to charge the battery that powers that doorbell camera and that probably means you'll have no doorbell (or camera) until that charging process is complete.

If "going dark" for a few hours is a major concern, at least Ring now has an option that charges faster.

The Battery Video Doorbell Pro (2nd Gen) is a significant update for Ring, for a number of reasons but while we're at it, let's start with the battery.

For as long as I can remember, Ring's battery-operated devices have used the same form-factor of quick-replaceable, rechargeable battery, other than the odd option with a built-in cell.

This means you've usually had the option of purchasing a second battery pack so you can immediately swap out batteries when it's time to charge - so no down time.

Although these "Quick Release Battery Packs" were the same shape, they weren't always the same model, with newer versions for newer cameras and doorbells offering better battery life.

Now Ring has really bitten the bullet and changed the size and shape, introducing the "Quick Release Ultra Battery Pack." Not only is it thicker, wider and significantly longer than previous iterations, as you would expect, it has a much bigger capacity; lasting up to 67% longer than the previous "Standard" model.

But that's not the only improvement. The old battery packs had dual LEDs that would show one green and one orange when charging, then change to double green when fully charged. If quite flat, charging would take hours - literally all day or all night, whichever you felt more comfortable going without your doorbell for. What's worse, up until this recent upgrade, you still charged the battery pack using the extremely outdated microUSB cable. Assuming you hadn't already thrown them all away because hardly anything uses them anymore.

Now, the "Ultra" edition features a more useful 4-LED display to show your charging progress and thank goodness, because you can now plug in the included high-capacity USB-C cable, charging times have been slashed dramatically.

A differently shaped battery also means a taller, yet slimmer, doorbell itself. As far as I can tell it only comes in one colour; deep silver - although it's fairly neutral and to my eye, the new design is perhaps more attractive overall.

Cøertainly the mounting system has been streamlined, with a very small, low-profile bracket plate all that's required to slot the Battery Video Doorbell Pro into place. As usual for Ring, there's a generous amount of hardware included in the box including screws, terminal adapters if you prefer to wire it in and a corner kit if you need to mount the doorbell at an angle for a better field of vision.

There's also a specialised release tool for the battery cover, making it a little more challenging for any bad guys intent on tampering with the device.

The other major modification on this version of the Battery Video Doorbell Pro is the step up to Retinal 4K. There aren't that many 4K doorbell cameras on the market - certainly not in this price range - and the leap in picture quality is certainly palpable. The higher resolution means you can zoom in on faces, number plates and even package labels - up to 10x - without any significant blurring or pixelation.

Ring's Retinal AI system also tunes the image to the lighting conditions, dropping down to black and white only in pitch darkness. Even relatively low-powered security lights should be enough to let the Battery Doorbell Pro continue to shoot in colour.

Obviously, you'll also get all the other innovative features Ring has developed over the years, like two-way audio communication and 3D Motion detection, which uses radar to precisely scan the areas you want, while ignoring motion on busy streets or paths.

Unfortunately, the other thing that hasn't changed is how utterly useless this device is without a subscription. Unless you fork out for a Ring Protect Plan, the only thing the Battery Video Doorbell Pro can do is send you motion detection notifications and stream a time-limited live view.

I know I say this every time I review a Ring product, but it still annoys me there's no way to store video from your own camera unless you make a monthly payment. The reason that annoys me so much is there are other options out there that let you save videos for free - either on device, on a backup drive or in the cloud.

With Ring, you'll get 180 days of cloud storage - but only if you pay. To be fair, there are an awful lot of other features on offer too. Things like person, package and vehicle alerts are genuinely useful, as is a daily summary of detected events.

The top-of-the-line Pro plan is where some high-functioning AI really kicks in. For just under NZ$300 a year, you'll get AI-generated video descriptions, saving you the effort of watching yet a another video of "Cat walking by" or alerting you to "Masked man using tools on door."

You can also use that same technology to search through your video library. For example, with a Pro plan you can simply ask Ring, "When did the kids get home?" and it'll find the relevant vid.

There are a couple of beta features that seem pretty useful too - Unusual Event Alerts, drawing your attention to when something out of the ordinary happens - and Single Event Alerts, combining actions like me passing backwards and forwards with the lawnmower into one notification instead of 40.

There's no doubt, for NZ$429.00, the Battery Video Doorbell Pro is about the best you can get for the price. As usual, it's just a shame that price isn't the final price, because you'll be locked into an ongoing subscription to access the vast majority of its features.

    

Click here for more information and pricing on the Ring Battery Doorbell Pro.

Norton Utilities Ultimate - Keep Your Device Purring

I used to do my own oil changes.

Admittedly, it was my first car - a brown 1974 Honda Civic I bought from my mother for $1000 - and I was a poor school-leaver. It was all I could do to afford my rent each week. I certainly wasn't going to be splashing out on paying someone else to unscrew a bolt at the bottom of my engine, let the contents drain out, then fill it up with the cheapest replacement oil I could find.

Unfortunately, it turns out a car needs a bit more regular maintenance than that to continue running smoothly.

I eventually ended up with a warped head gasket and a broken-down Civic going nowhere fast.

So why would I assume I could do any better with my computer?

For under NZ$60 a year, Norton Utilities Ultimate promises to, "Keep your devices running like new."

In much the same way as a qualified mechanic has the tools and know-how to get peak performance from your vehicle year after year, the idea behind Norton Utilities Ultimate is similar; a cyber-toolkit you can use to scan for and deal with the common causes of device slowdowns.

For example, how many startup processes do you think run automatically every time you turn on your computer? I don't know about you, but I had over thirty on my Mac. Installing Norton Utilities Ultimate took minutes and scanning for startup processes took seconds. The app then makes it very easy to review the list of those processes and turn off any you don't need - which is obviously quite a lot of them.

System junk is another category of files that yes, you can hunt down and get rid of manually - but take it from me, it's a lot easier to just press the scan button on the Norton Utilities Ultimate dashboard and let it root out all those deleted items, installation files and the like for you.

Then there are all those apps that came preinstalled on your device - many of which are double-ups of the apps you actually choose to use. Who needs more than one browser, for instance? Norton Utilities Ultimate can be set to list any app you haven't used in the last month. Or year. Or whenever. Then you can nuke them.

Doesn't this already feel so freeing?

Like decluttering your wardrobe.

Actually, speaking of your browser, that's something that can really bring your day to a standstill if it's not chugging along on all cylinders. Norton Utilities Ultimate can help clean up there too.

Another file type I didn't realise was piling up in the background was duplicate and low-quality photos and videos. Depending on your settings, every time you post a pic on social media, or send someone your latest vid via Messenger or WhatsApp, there's a good chance you're saving a compressed version of that media file somewhere.

And that's before you include the multiple selfies you took before you got just the right angle that made it look like you were holding up the Leaning Tower of Pisa, or the series of burst shots you saved as your daughter crossed the finish line.

Utilities Ultimate hunts down these unwanted pics and lines them up for your review. Even if your pictures, videos and files are stored off-device, in the cloud, you can grant Utilities Ultimate access to your Google Drive, Gmail, OneDrive or Dropbox accounts and it'll trawl through your backups there as well.

All sounds pretty comprehensive, right? I've certainly been very impressed by how quickly Utilities Ultimate can scan all for all those potential slowdown issues and how easy the dashboard makes it to remedy them.

And it had an immediate, real effect. One particular example is the way I use iMovie to edit the silly videos I create for these reviews, like the one below. Because these vids are kind of one-and-done and I don't really need to archive them or come back to them, I just leave iMovie open, delete one set of media files out and add in the new ones. The problem with that is you eventually end up with a lot of undo information and this tends to stop iMovie working smoothly after a while.

Utilities Ultimate cottoned onto this immediately and cleared everything out, including finding large video files that were just sitting around taking up valuable space on my SSD.

It's certainly a comprehensive clean - even if you just leave the various settings at their defaults. The fact you can use the app on up to 10 devices is fantastic, although frustratingly, not all features are available for all devices. The Uninstaller that targets unused apps works on Mac, Windows and even Android - but not on iPhones. Meanwhile, the media cleaner that tidies up your photo and video libraries DOES work on iPhone (as well as Android and Mac) but not Windows.

There's also a Data Recovery tool - but that ONLY works for Windows. I get there must be technical reasons why these things can work for some gadgets and not others but it's still a bit messy.

In saying that, my only major peeve with an otherwise extremely effective productivity boost is it doesn't include a driver updater. At first, this seems like a crazy omission - until I realised Norton sells this separately as a standalone tool. Quite an expensive tool too; NZ$79.99 a year - and it only works on Windows PCs.

That aside, I've been stoked with how easy Utilities Ultimate is to set up and use and I've certainly seen measurable results in how much faster and more smoothly my Mac now runs. Just as I learned to leave car my maintenance to the professionals, this is an app that takes care of a lot of complicated computer clean-up without me having to get my hands dirty. 

    

Click here for more information and pricing on Norton Utilities Ultimate.

Philips Hue Flux - I Can See the Potential

I've seen it on TV.

I've seen it in fancy hotel rooms.

I even saw it once at my friend's flash house.

Ambient lighting. Light that comes from a mystery source. Above cabinets. Under benchtops. Between shelves.

You know what I'm talking about; light that's there to accentuate and illuminate at just the right brightness without any actual, obvious fixture getting in the way.

I mean, if you're going to do smart lighting, you may as well make it really smart.

That's exactly what the Philips Hue Flux system lets you do - all by yourself.

The idea here - like so many good ideas - is simple; a smart lighting strip with its own adhesive backing, that can be cut to whatever length is required.

In fact, there's even a range of Hue Flux accessories to make installation even more versatile.

There are connectors that let you join two lengths of Flux lightstrip together or conversely, there are Flux flex connectors, that help you create blackout gaps between two strips (which would be ideal for sets of shelves, for example). Corner connectors are fairly self explanatory and then there are Hue Flux brackets, which come in a 10-pack.

Now, had I known this last option existed, I may have not embarked on my own Hue Flux installation with as much confidence as I display in the video below.

"What could be so difficult?" I asked myself, as I quickly measured my strip to fit under my kitchen cabinets and easily cut it to length. "I'll just peel the adhesive backing off, stick it up, plug it in, then spend a bit of time selecting the colours, themes and automations I'll be able to use, to bring some real atmosphere into my kitchen. Can't wait."

Except - as the video clearly shows - that adhesive backing simply didn't do the job.

Now, it's definitely possible the underside of the row of cupboards I was attempting to stick the Flux onto was a little greasy, given its situation directly above my stovetop. But even after I gave it a thorough clean, I simply couldn't get the Flux strip to stay up for longer than a minute or so at a time.

Frustrating, to say the least.

Like I say, if I'd had a pack or two of the Hue Flux brackets - which give you the option of adhesive tape or even screws, I may have been tempted to go with the more permanent screw-in option. Although if I'd tried that without the prior approval of the Domestic Manager, there may have been repercussions and reprisals.

There's no doubt the actual lighting part of this product is of the same high quality as any other Hue device I've reviewed in the past. The question is, are you prepared to pay the premium price Hue products demand if this particular Hue might not stay stuck where you want it to?

Philips Hue's parent company, Signify, also owns WiZ - a more entry-level range of similar smart lighting devices. You can grab a 5-metre WiZ lighting strip that essentially does the same job for just NZ$69.99 - as opposed to the NZ$229.99 Hue Flux 3-metre option.

To be fair though, that's not really comparing apples with apples.

For starters, WiZ lights connect directly to your Wi-Fi, while Hue lights connect through a Hue Bridge or the updated Hue Bridge Pro.

That means you can have control of up to 150 lights and 50 accessories through one bridge, causing significantly less clutter on your local router than if you had as many WiZ devices all clamouring for a space on your home network at the same time.

Secondly, the Hue Flux really gets extremely bright; up to 2900 lumens. That's compared to just 840 lumens on the WiZ option. No contest really. 

Yes, you can opt for subtle, cosy, dim mood lighting - even simulated flickering candle light or fireside flames if that's your groove. But at full brightness, the Hue Flux can definitely be used to illuminate any workspace, flooding every single dark corner, nook or cranny with all the lumens it can muster.

For example, work benches in sheds and mancaves are often notoriously poorly lit. Consider the difference a few strips of carefully positioned Hue Flux would make - assuming you can get them to stick, obviously.

Another ideal use-case would be a shop or business display window. The best thing about using Hue Flux here would be the ability to change the colour or animated theme to match whatever you happened to be showing off - even if you switch the display out on a regular basis.

The customisable nature of Hue Flux really means you can now bring the full force of Philips Hue colours, scenes and other high-end features like pre-programmed routines and voice control via your preferred smart home assistant, to pretty much any space in your home.

Just be prepared to come up with a Plan B if that sticky backing turns out to not be quite as sticky as you'd hoped.

    

Click here for more information and pricing on the Philips Hue Flux ultra bright strip light.