New on the AU

Technology

Tech Feature: An evening with Nikon’s New Z7 and Z6 mirrorless cameras and lenses

Nikon are currently mid-tour, travelling around the country for their Z Series roadshow showcasing the new Z7 and Z6 mirrorless cameras and lenses. I tagged along to the Gold Coast leg of the roadshow to meet the team, see these cameras in action and test them out for myself. You’d be hard-pressed to find a…

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Tech Review: The Razer Mamba Wireless Gaming Mouse + Goliathus Extended Chroma will complete your burgeoning Twitch setup

Over the last month or so I’ve been roadtesting two of Razer’s top tier PC gaming accessories. The Razer Mamba Wireless gaming mouse and the Goliathus Extended Chroma soft mouse mat.  Together, they provide the kind of aesthetic that most Twitch streamers fall over themselves for — the cool, industrial black suffused with customisable LED…

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Tech Review: The Huawei Mate 20 Pro boasts three cameras and the clearest screen to date. But is it worth all the hype?

As is typical of this time of year, the last few months have seen a stack of new smartphone releases. Huawei‘s newest release is not only a competitor to other top brands, but it excels far beyond most recent handsets. From its in-screen fingerprint scanner to having three rear cameras (that consist of a 40-MP…

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Tech Review: Ultimate Ears finesse and flex with the Megaboom 3

In the realm of portable speakers Ultimate Ears remains one of the biggest names for food reason. Their cylindrical Booms and Megabooms have been amongst the most popular Bluetooth speakers for the past few years, and that’s not changing anytime soon now that lucky number 3 has rolled around (at least in name). UE recently…

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Tech Review: DJI’s Mavic 2 Zoom will have you soaring into quiet, compact & professional film capturing

DJI announces a new series of drones quite regularly, but their new Mavic 2 series are their most satisfying technical jump yet when it comes to consumer drones. Don’t be mistaken, using the word “consumer” for these ranges doesn’t mean you’re missing out on any of the tech and quality when it comes to capturing…

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Win a super powerful Dell G7 gaming laptop just in time for PAX Australia

A quarter of Australian and New Zealand gamers rated their skills as being “pretty damn good” in Dell’s State of Gaming Survey. Were you one of them? Even if you weren’t, we reckon this competition might be for you. Dell has turned up the heat with its G Series laptops and we’ve got one to…

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Microsoft reveals Project xCloud, changing the way you game forever

On Monday Microsoft unveiled its plans and development for new game streaming service Project xCloud, which will allow users to play from any device, anywhere. Designed to work across consoles, PCs, tablets and smartphones, the core aim of Project xCloud is to allow users to experience a high quality, immersive gaming experience without the necessity…

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Win a Motorola Z3 Play and Moto 360 Camera

Ready to upgrade your smartphone? Our good buds at Motorola Australia have given us one of their latest and greatest Android handsets, the Moto Z3 Play, and a Moto 360 Camera attachment to give away to one lucky punter. The Moto Z3 Play is feature packed — it boasts an edge-to-edge 6″ Full HD screen…

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Tech Review: Oppo take a big step forward with the Find X, but is it enough?

We’re now over a month on from the release of Oppo’s new Find X, and from rave reviews and reactions, it’s very clear that the Chinese brand’s consistent evolution has lifted them high enough to face competitors Apple and Samsung head-on. Remarkably, they’ve done so by still sticking to their affordable (well, relatively) aesthetic, putting…

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Tech Review: I Had A Steamy, Weeklong Love Affair With the Microsoft Surface Go

For a long time, tablets have existed in a nebulous space – not quite as practical as a phone, and not nearly as capable as a laptop. The Microsoft Surface Go exists somewhere in the space between, filling a much needed niche in portable computing. For just over a week, I had the chance to…

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JBL’s new Endurance and Reflect headphones favour practicality, price and every workout

Whilst they still sound perfectly fine, these headphones aren’t designed to fulfill your audiophile desires and that’s okay because thanks to their cheap price point and practicality, JBL’s new range of workout headphones successfully become your workout partner – no matter the activity. From running to jumping and aerobics to swimming, the Endurance and Reflect…

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Tech Review: Xbox Adaptive Controller is remarkable tech made for remarkable people

Gaming and physical disabilities have a long history of not working well together. Back in the early days of arcade joysticks and two-button controllers, the hurdles disabled players had to overcome in order to enjoy a video game were fewer. Even if you didn’t have great dexterity in your fingers, you could rest your palm…

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Tech Review: Hisense are a Smart TV pack leader with their 65P9’s stunning picture and sound

Hisense has boldly made a convincing case as to why they should be considered one of the TV companies that deserve your consideration when buying top-of-the-line, premium smart TV’s with the release of their 65″ Series 9 range. Also available in a 75″ option, the Hisense 65P9 was so large it blocked artwork we had…

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Tech Review: Canon EOS 5D Mark IV is a Great All-Rounder But…

Canon’s EOS 5D Mark IV is now two years old, but it’s still holding its own in the professional photography world as a high performance stills camera for the discerning stills shooter. With a 30.4 megapixel sensor, ISO range 100-32000, 4K video, 61-point autofocus, wifi and NFC to work with the Canon Camera Connect App, and…

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Tech Review: Razer Core X is a gaming device for a very specific audience

On paper, the idea behind the Razer Core X might sound like the pinnacle of PC Gaming Master Race wank. At first blush, it seems like Razer took the PCMR drive to squeeze every last ounce of power out of one’s gaming rig, no matter the cost, and made it a physical device. I sound…

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Tech Review: The Sony A8F 55″ 4K HDR OLED TV is the kind of TV you want to tell your friends about

I have a hard time justifying the cost of a new pair of shoes, much less $4,000 AUD on a television. It seems insane. $4,000 is a lot of money to spend on anything, but a tele? What might be crazier is that, having used the Sony A8F 4K HDR OLED TV for just over…

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Tech Review: Razer Blade Stealth 13.3″ Gaming Laptop is a beautiful nexus of form and function

Razer have made a real name for themselves in the gaming hardware industry. Their aggressive look combined with a brand that courts the hardcore gamer has seen them rocket to stratospheric success within the industry. It didn’t come as much of a surprise when the company moved from peripherals to actual gaming hardware, specifically ultra…

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Tech Review: Razer Nommo Pro Gaming Speakers are all about that bass

The Razer Nommo Pro is a hefty beast of a sound system, featuring dual satellite speakers and a subwoofer to emulate cinematic 5.1 surround sound. The system is compatible with a variety of sources including home consoles and PCs, and though it is optimised for PC gaming, it’s also packaged with an aux cord for…

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Tech Review: Jaybird Freedom 2 Wireless Headphones feature good sound and the same problems

My experience with the Jaybird Freedom 2 was decidedly up and down, often in the same ways my experience with the original Freedom model was. I would use them for a while, and be happy to do so even though I knew I had another pairs lying around that were quantifiably better. Its not even…

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Tech Review: BenQ ZOWIE XL2546 Esports Monitor is a strong contender in a crowded market

The BenQ Zowie range of esports monitors has become something of a quiet achiever in the world of PC gaming. They represent a viable alternative to bigger, sometimes much more well-known brands and place a higher premium on user consideration than any of them. The Zowie XL2546’s full name, the “BenQ Zowie XL2546 240Hz DyAc…

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Tech Review: Panasonic’s Lumix GX9 is Our New Favourite Small Mirrorless Camera

To everyone who’s ever asked me what camera to buy “to take nicer photos than my phone” — get a Lumix GX9. You’re welcome. In all seriousness, I did not expect to become so enamoured with this camera. Smaller mirrorless cameras usually leave me underwhelmed, with their noisy after-dark shots, clunky menus and plastic feel,…

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Tech Review: B&O strike a fine balance between form and function with Beoplay P6

The initial question with a Bang & Olufsen product is almost always “is it worth the price?”. The Danish consumer electronics brand has a habit of playing in the “Ludicrously Expensive” price range, but has always managed to justify that high price point with an equal focus on luxurious design and world-class performance. No matter…

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Tech Review: Sennheiser GSP 600 gaming headset represents a rare misstep by a confident audio maker

I’ve never hesitated to recommend Sennheiser headphones to friends in the past. Their headphones have been a go-to of mine for a very long time. My years-long love affair with their HD 598 model is well documented. So when the opportunity to try out a pair of headphones from their gaming range arrived, I leapt…

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Tech Review: Google Home Max has brains, brawn and big sound

The Google Home Max is, in this reviewer’s opinion, the best sounding standalone smart speaker on the market. That’s an arguable point of course, but after weeks spent trying this imposing device with various styles of music (and a few podcasts) it is becoming increasingly difficult to avoid going full cheerleader mode over its performance….

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Tech Review: The Huawei Nova 3e Delivers High Tech at a Low Price

With the list of new and available smartphones increasing daily, the Huawei Nova 3e, known elsewhere as the Nova P20 lite, is admittedly a surprising entry promising high tech, for the low RRP of $399 AUD. While it seems like a lot to live up to, don’t let the price tag fool you. This is…

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Tech Review: The Venom Power Pack & Stand will let you game on (and on, and on)

The Venom Power Pack & Stand is an essential accessory for hardcore Nintendo Switch gaming, providing a significant boost to the console’s battery life and a solid kickstand base for travel stability. With its sleek design and ease of use, the device is easy to recommend for any Switch gamer.

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Tech Review: Sony SRS-XB31 turns up the bass for an excellent portable party speaker

If you want the concise verdict on Sony’s recently released SRS-XB31 Bluetooth speaker then all you need to know is that they’ve taken last year’s well-reviewed SRS-XB30 and given it some noticeable improvements with better design, punchier bass, and a more comprehensive range of light patterns. It’s mostly as simple as that, sitting in the…

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Tech Review: The Oppo R15 Pro is the Android device for people who secretly want an iPhone

If there’s a creed in the mobile phone industry, it’s likely “Make it look like an iPhone, but then do everything you can to make it cheaper.” This is the strategy Chinese maker Oppo have clung to for a while now and with the R15 Pro, they are steering into the curve harder than ever.

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Tech Review: The Plantronics RIG 500 Pro Esport Gaming Headphones are practically perfect in every way

The Plantronics RIG 500 Pro Esport Gaming Headphones, the latest refresh of Plantronics’ longrunning RIG 500 line, are about as close to the perfect gaming headset as any I’ve ever used. I would like to preface this review with a sole caveat: while the headset I was given by Plantronics with which to conduct this…

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Tech Review: Logitech G903 Wireless Gaming Mouse: Strike true

What do you need in a good gaming mouse? Like, really need? You need it to be comfortable. You need its action to be smooth and precise. You need it to have the requisite buttons for basic play, and maybe one or two extra for customisation and macros. When it comes to designing gaming mice,…

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