Technology

You’d be forgiven for thinking you just bit off more than you could chew when Kenwood’s new Cooking Chef XL. Given its multitude of attachments, the device comes in a supersized box that looks like you’ve just purchased a medium-sized bar fridge. Open it up though, and things look much more manageable. Despite the “XL”…

At 430g, the Sonos Roam is the company’s lightest speaker to date. That’s no surprise, seeing as the Sonos Roam is named so for a reason. It’s the first Sonos speaker designed to compete in the very competitive market of lightweight portable Bluetooth speakers that have been specifically designed for outdoors use. You know, the…

Cables on a pair of earphones in 2021? Surely you jest. While the trend keeps moving towards truly wireless and Bluetooth for high-end earbuds, Sennheiser clearly want to cover all bases. They’ve already got some of the best truly wireless lifestyle earbuds on the market with the CX 400BT (which I have 4.5 stars in…

The Netgear Orbi WiFi 6 just may be the most reliable of its kind right now. It’s blazingly fast, beautifully designed, and shows of just how powerful and important having a mesh system can be when building a more modern, smarter home. Although having one would depend on your needs. A home of modest size…

I don’t know what JBL did but their speakers lately have been hitting more home runs than the brand usually does. And with this current winning streak, of course the reliable, bass-obsessed brand is going to lift their game for their Xtreme series of wireless Bluetooth speakers. As such, the JBL Xtreme 3 is one…

The De’Longhi PrimaDonna Soul is a very expensive fully automatic coffee machine, but it continues the brand’s very solid reputation of putting out class-leading devices designed for hard-to-please coffee enthusiasts. Experimentation sits at the heart of the enormous $2,799 machine, which requires quite a bit of counter space and is perhaps a bit too large…

As budget phones begin to adopt more attractive value propositions, Nokia are in a nice position to maintain its reliable reputation, but are they doing enough with the Nokia 5.4? Though Apple is now playing heavily in the mid-range, and wallet-friendly Android options are solid from the likes of Samsung, Google, and Oppo, Nokia still…

With Mother’s Day coming up, the inevitable choice anxiety is starting to settle in. “Mother’s Day Gift Guide” is frantically being searched on Google in the hopes that dependable publishers will sort through the product bog and serve up some curated suggestions. We aren’t sitting this one out at the AU review. Here’s our annual…

Luxury staycations are hot enough right now, but what if you’re five-star room came fully-equipped with one of the world’s highest performing large format digital cameras. We’re talking a 102 Megapixel beast worth almost $10,000, ready and willing to help you capture everything from those direct Sydney Opera House and harbour views, to strolls along…

Bose’s flagship QuietComfort Earbuds are understandably some of the most impressive and highly sought in-ear music headphones on the market. But at $400, they are also a demanding investment. Look down lower on the price scale and you’ll find the newer Bose Sport Earbuds, which are obviously designed more towards the fitness/running crowd, but sound…

JBL have taken their reliable headphone prowess into the gaming world with the Quantum line-up, and we’ve got the slick JBL Quantum 200 Gaming Headphones to give away to one lucky winner who wants to experience this. With a flip-up mic, these headphones and 50mm drivers, these offer far more than the sub-$100 price point…

Inconsistent battery performance and some design flaws lead to Bose discontinuing their first iteration of the Bose Sleepbuds a few years ago. Which was disappointing. It’s an incredible concept – having some buds designed and in complete dedication to getting quality sleep, as opposed to music -playing in-ear phones that also threw in a bunch…

JBL’s recent focus on gaming is long-overdue and so very, very welcome. The brand has been at, or at least near, the very top when it comes to professional-quality headphones, with an obvious love to big, meatier sounds that still retain plenty of detail. That’s replicated over on the Quantum series, which tackles just about…

An indoor camera that is able to rotate and tilt for a full 360-degree view is of unquestionable value when it comes to smart home tech. Lucky, then, that the ever-reliable D-Link launched one towards the end of last year as part of a small addition to their already solid line-up of smart security tech….

Taking a break from their flow of Essential series products, Arlo has announced the latest edition to their popular high-end Pro series. The Arlo Pro 4 is now being prepped for an Australia launch, designed specifically to focus more on an easier DIY setup, with features including 2K HDR video quality and a handy 160-degree…

Look, I’m a bit of a Dyson fanboy so please excuse me if any of the below sounds overly-fluffed. And this isn’t even a review; it’s a news piece. It’s news to let our readers know that this week the renowned brand has lifted the lid on its latest generation of purification machines, headlined by…

Audio experts Sonos have announced their latest speaker, and like the Sonos Move before it, they are once again tackling the portable audio market. The Sonos Roam, coming to Australia on 20th April, is the latest from the highly reputable brand, offering both Bluetooth and Wi-Fi modes for better flexibility. Featuring that unmistakably minimal and…

Announced just last week, LG Electronics Australia are bringing the company’s acclaimed LG Gram laptop range to Australia, hoping to compete in a crowded market with some ultra-light options. Coming to local retailers and Amazon Australia this month, the 14-inch, 16-inch, and 17-inch LG Gram models are hoping to bring some freshness to the market,…

The 5G race is heating up in the world of smartphones, with both Android and Apple devices now bringing out mid-tier 5G-ready sets to prepare for faster speeds. The past few years has been defined by a somewhat transition period between the two Wi-Fi standards, but now that we’ve tipped towards the future-ready side of…

Oppo, which has just overtaken Huawei as China’s number one smartphone brand, is looking to keep their recent score of wins rolling with their new flagship Find X3 series. Much like the X2 series before it, the forthcoming release will be split into Lite 5G, Neo 5G and Pro 5G models – Pro obviously sitting…

With the EPOS GTW 270 Hybrid earbuds, EPOS is showing serious interest in trying something new. Many have tried to create gaming earbuds but none have ever had the punch of a decent set of cans. EPOS is a partner brand of audio maker Sennheiser. They are tinkerers and inventors, they like to throw ideas…

Nanoleaf is bringing its Essentials Range of RGB smart lights to Australian retailers. The Essentials Range includes the 2m long Lightstrip and the A19 light bulb. Just the essentials The 2m Lightstrip sports four white LEDs per LED set, and a total of 21 LED sets per metre. That translates to 7 sets per 33cm…

Nintendo is allegedly preparing to reveal a new model of its Nintendo Switch hardware. The new Nintendo Switch will feature a larger Samsung OLED display capable of outputting 4K ultra-high definition visuals when docked. The news comes from a new Bloomberg report which claims Nintendo is looking to reveal the new model, banking on the…

In the market for a premium mid-range smartphone? The latest flagship offering from TCL Electronics (yes, the ones that make those consistently impressive super premium televisions) is the TCL 10 Pro and we’ve got one to give away to one lucky reader. Retailing for $749, the TCL 10 Pro provides an immersive experience to users…

Modelled on its popular line of Surface Headphones, Microsoft has unveiled the Xbox Wireless Headset. Given that Microsoft wants to compete with PlayStation’s own branded cans, it’s no surprise that these cans sit in the mid-Premium tier. Indeed, at $149.95 AUD, they may be a bit cheaper than their sleek design might have indicated. Let’s…

I’m shocked. Not because Google and Lenovo have produced a capable entry-level 2-in-1 with the Lenovo Duet Chromebook, but because it’s only $599 (although you can probably get it for much less right now). That’s not cheap per se, but it’s incredible value for something that doesn’t feel like a heavily compromised budget PC. The…

We haven’t even reached the point where smart devices are truly mass market, but we will get there. Curating smart homes has been a big talking point over here at the AU, and in general. It’s a fascinating lean forward into the IoT world, and the big companies like Google and Amazon are starting to…

Whatever your feeling towards the rather aggressive and inelegant name JBL have given their new party box, it’s hard to deny the brand’s impeccable timing. At the tail-end of 2020, where people are looking for different ways to recreate some nightlife at home, the JBL Party Box On The Go is heaven-sent. The pricey, chunky…

By 2024, its predicted that more than 7 million smart video cameras will be totalled across Australian households. Does that sound accurate? It just might. Interest in smart security picked up dramatically in 2020, even though most people were staying at home. And as 2021 continues to unfold, it’s highly likely that interest will keep…

Let’s face it, Valentine’s Day is not just about romantic gestures that go heavy on the cheese and cliché (not that there’s anything wrong with that). It also happens to be the first established gift-giving occasion on the calendar year, and given 2020 was an absolute shitshow, that means a lot. Brightening up your signature…