Archive
Fujifilm X-E5 review: delicious classic shooting with the digital touches you need
If the pricetag doesn't make you choke, the tactile and customisable experience will make you glad you brought a real camera with you.
Pixel 10 Pro review: a great device well ahead of its software
Google takes its smartphone hardware to another level. It's now just waiting for the promises of the software to catch up.
Alienware 34-inch QD-OLED monitor is an ultrawide dream
The AW3425DW is fast, vibrant and hits the right notes for PC gaming gorgeousness at an impressive price.
Top panel picks for PAX Australia 2025
So many panels it's hard to know where to start? Here's 15 to put on your schedule!
Catan 6th Edition: examining side-by-side with 5th Edition
Our direct compare with 5th Edition to help you get an easy look at what exactly has changed and whether the new set is for you.
Google Pixel 10: magnets, magic, and mentors await you!
Google Pixel 10 gets the Qi2 I said you should wait for, plus Magic Cue AI that adds contextual insights whenever you might need them.
The Google ecosystem 'on ramp' is silky smooth with the Pixel 9a
It's not really a budget phone, but it has a nice sweet spot on the overall two year budget-to-flagship curve of Google Pixel options
Watching folks wander around in cosplay is a huge part of the joy of PAX Aus. I particularly love the meet ups between squads of folks all attending as the same characters and getting big group photos out on the lawn.
But there's general cosplay fun and then there's the serious stuff: the Cosplay Central Crown Championships. If you want to compete for trophies, flights and accommodation to the global finals in London, and more, you need to apply here by September 21.
Last year's Australian winner, Henchwench, went on to become the global champion! So this year she's on the judging panel along with Anaelic and Kayla Jean. If you just want to enjoy the show the competition is live on stage on Sunday, October 12.
Wavelength is a great formula for a party guessing game with minimal fuss
The concept gives maximum replayability and a lot of debates - and laughs
PAX has always led with videogames as a focus, but the tabletop zone has steadily grown to become the heart of the action for many fans. This year PAX Australia has announced it is expanding tabletop even further, with a Warhammer 'debut' along with all the usual space for board games, card games, and RPGs.
It feels weird to think of it as a debut? But to date a lot of the minatures fun at the show has been the painting areas, not in the zones of play. So it'll be interesting to roam the space anew with armies around the halls.
There are rumblings that this means the shopping areas in that same tabletop hall area will be smaller than past years, but hopefully we'll still find sexy dice and ways to buy the board games we've just fallen in love with through the PAX game library.
Flip7 review: fast flipping fun
Gorgeous card design and simple play are a great combination
Explorer: Juicy tech reads to catch you up on 2025 so far
Tech is in a dark place. These stories might help grapple with what's happening.
I've had Sonos soundbars in my house for over a decade now. One feature I always have switched on is 'Speech Enhancement'. It never makes a show or movie worse. It always makes dialogue that little bit easier to hear. Now Sonos has announced it worked with the Royal National Institute for Deaf People in the UK to design even better Speech enhancement, offering Low, Medium, High, and Max options. They've added some machine learning to help extract the speech so they can juice just that part of the audio mix more to really help pull it out of the wider dynamics.
The new Speech Enhancement is available for the Arc Ultra now through a software update. Here's hoping owners of previous soundbars might see some of this trickle down in future? Fingers crossed.
The 2025 Lego F1 kits give us something for every fan
Lego sets can be very expensive, but the F1 series this year offers options at prices every fan can afford.
Can Sunderfolk thread the needle to make RPG strategy fun for the whole family?
It's pretty, it's friendly, and you play it with your phone – but not 'on' your phone. Sunderfolk is shooting for an interesting Goldilocks zone for couch co-op we haven't really seen before.
Which Way Up is full of fresh gravity bending mayhem
Australia's own Turtle Flip has just released its Galaxy meets Party game and it's a real treat.
Google dropped its 2024 search trends and while there's no surprises when it comes to elections, sport, and celebrities there's a few fun memes lurking high in these charts. Very demure, very mindful.
My fave surprise is seeing colcannon on the recipe list. A delicious way to make mashed potato a whole lot more delish courtesy of the Irish. When my Mammy busts it out it's always a hit.
Plus a quiet little appearance of "What flavour is the Grimace Shake?" I've tried it and I still don't know...
Also shout out to the 'How to' top ten for having some gems and some worrying signs... #2 was an Infinite Craft question, #5 and #7 were very manosphere related, and #10 was "How to turn off Meta AI" reminding us once again that most normal people don't find the AI being thrust into our apps and services particularly useful.
Petbarn's first ever app has an AI to answer your pet dilemmas
A clever use of generative AI to give you easy answers to pet questions based on a knowledge base of expert advice.
Byteside gift guide 2024: fun, weird, wonderful, nerdy gift ideas
Lets skip the obvious and explore some clever ideas, shall we?
Google Pixel 9 series: what a leap forward... but wait for the 10 if you can
Google has achieved 100% 'flagship' credentials with the Pixel 9 Pro and Pixel 9 Pro Fold. This is the place to spend your money on Android... but the missing feature that should arrive in 2025 is worth waiting for.
Oclean X Ultra S is a very clever portable electric toothbrush
App-enabled smart brushing is great, but even if you never use the app this is an excellent brush for regular travellers who want to teeth.
Sennheiser Momentum Sport review: seriously smart earbuds
With added heart rate tracking in these earbuds, Sennheiser makes them far more valuable for the money if that's a feature that hits your fitness needs.
DJI Power 500 review: sneaky power for tech nerd camping trips
A beautifully designed power station with plenty of power to keep your devices running for extended stays away from home.
Shokz OpenRun Pro: the ideal sports headphone experience
Earbuds are doing transparency modes well these days, but nothing does full awareness of the world around you better than bone conduction.
Espresso displays: hitting the sweet spot for portable displays
The Australian startup has designed top quality hardware that is perfect for those who really want two screens wherever they may work.
Sonos Ace: excellent headphones for Sonos devotees
For a debut set of headphones, Sonos has leapt to the top-tier consumer range alongside Sony. If you own a Sonos soundbar, it's a particularly attractive option.
HTC Vive XR Elite: How far have we come?
HTC's latest is another big leap forward for VR fans, but why is it still not enough for everyone else?
Projectors get smart and simple: Checking out the new Hisense laser projector range shows just how much easier owning a projector gets these days. With two short throw options, PX2-Pro and PL1H, to suit subtle differences in needs plus a long range option, the C1, the way they run and the features they offer make for a fast trip from unboxing to watching whatever you want.
Crispy colours, Dolby Atmos (both pictures and audio), Game Modes for gamers, and full smart TV features so all your streaming apps are built in and you can be having a good time without plugging any other devices into this one (but of course you can if you want to)? It's a good time to explore projection if it's never been on your radar before.
Long-awaited Sonos headphones arrive in June
The multiroom speaker specialists have finally announced the one thing missing from the line up: headphones to Sonos everywhere you go.
6TB portable drives are now a thing: Western Digital just bumped its 2.5-inch drives up to a new record 6TB storage. Just wild how much fits into such a small package now. This is popping up across their portable drive range now, fro My Passport to game drives to G-DRIVE rugged options. A WD My Passport 6TB drive is just $299. They'll also have the WD_BLACK drive for adding 6TB of storage to game consoles. It's TBC on pricing.
The copper colour option in the Sennheiser Momentum True Wireless 4 earbud range is stunning! Sennheiser does these earbuds really well at this point, with full adaptive noise cancelling using a six-microphone array that also delivers excellent voice pick up for calls. The tech is solid, the battery life is great, and I'm just loving that copper colour. Yum. ($499)
I've used Withings smart scales for many years now, and it's been great for my personal health management. The latest and greatest Body Scan scale costs $799, but it includes a new electrocardiogram bar you lift up to get far more detail on your health status than ever. If this seems too much, there's lots of cheaper options from Withings that still deliver the fundamentals of sending your data direct to online tracking services.
Google Pixel 8a review: full featured AI power for everyone
The Pixel 8a can go toe-to-toe with the Pixel Pro as well as the best from Samsung and Apple. Google's AI software might now push its hardware into the lead for most users.
Belkin Auto-Tracking Stand Pro with DockKit is next level hands free video utility
Belkin just dropped the most versatile auto tracking system for iPhones ever to hit the market. Simple, instant, and works the way you want it to.
The big 2024 iPad line up refresh is here
Apple drops the M4 processor into iPad Pro before anything else, plus an all-new Apple Pencil, new iPad Air, and a price drop on the base iPad. A big day for the tablet.
Is the 'a' for AI now? Google has revealed the Pixel 8a today and the big push is on the role of AI in our devices. Given the a series for Pixel typically offers a lot of the benefits of the fancier models at a better price, this year there's a firm focus on how big a role Google's Gemini AI will play in your photos, videos, and generally getting things done.
Nice wins include getting the same G3 chip here that you get in the Pixel 8 Pro, and a promise of seven years of feature and security updates. That's 2030! Starts from $849 and pre-orders are now open for May 14 release.
You're probably starting to see Qi2 getting a mention out there in wireless charger land. Just remember Apple has shared its MagSafe tech with the Qi standard so that everyone can start to get the integrated magnetic locking system on their devices. It's a win for car mounts and desk chargers of all stripes.
Smart lighting is getting smarter, thankfully, but the new Nanoleaf outdoor string lights show it's also getting prettier. This will launch in both 15M and 30M lengths in June, and they are 'addressable' which means you can build colour settings across all the bulbs in the string. RRP is $199/$329.
Rode offers new tools for mobile AV creators
Rode launched one new field microphone and two new mobile accessories to give plenty for on the go creators to work with.
Jabra gear converges on a hybrid work audio sweet spot
Not every business accessory maker is getting this hybrid work era right, but it's great to see Jabra is adapting its line up very nicely to the new era.
Google Pixel 7 & Pixel 7 Pro review: because you love Google's brains
The same price in an inflationary market and some solid updates in camera and features makes it a good year to upgrade if you've been waiting for a few years.
Google Pixel 6A review: delicious Google flavour with minimal compromise
The Google Pixel 6A cuts corners in places you'll hardly notice, making this a smart choice for most users who love getting every feature Google has to offer.
SteelSeries Stratus+: a decent Android and PC controller with a quirky design
A strong controller for Android and PC use with good build quality and extraordinary battery life. But there are quirks that could be a dealbreaker.
Apple AirPods are on Amazon at their best prices yet
Both AirPods and AirPods Pro are seeing significant discounts on Amazon, making it a great time to buy.
McLaren's F1 Lego car is engineering perfection
The Lego Technic McLaren Formula 1 Race Car would be the perfect gift for the Dan Ricciardo fan in your life.
More bright colour options for our gaming accessories, please
Logitech's new pink pro-level gaming mouse highlights the lack of colour in gaming accessories. Unless you like RGB.
Canon's beefy new camera is an absolute content creation beast
If you've ever wished your DSLR could shoot 8K cinema-quality video, Canon presents the EOS R5 C.
Canon printers view own ink cartridges as fake, chip shortage to blame
The global semiconductor shortage is now even affecting printers. Canon to its own ink cartridges: "i do not see it"
HTC Vive Pro 2 review: ahead of the curve (too far?)
5K resolution @ 120Hz is amazing on paper, but sweet spot clarity is limited and you need an epic GPU to reach Vive Pro 2's full potential.
Google's Pixel 6 new chip and camera raise the bar for Android phones
A cheeky reveal shows a new 'camera bar' with optical zoom and a new Google Tensor SoC that together make the Pixel 6 a big step forward.
Nokia X20 review: an 'average' phone ready to take you to 2025
The Nokia X20 feels slightly less than ideal, but nothing is a dealbreaker – it just wants to be a reliable phone for years to come.
Razer Naga Left-Handed Edition makes me wish it existed before my brain calcified
I really tried. But a lifetime of forced right-handedness made it too hard to flip. But this very nice mouse still taught me a lesson.
Gaming headset review roundup: Alienware, Razer, Turtle Beach, HyperX and more
There are a lot of gaming headsets on the market. Here's a big round-up looking at headsets from some of the biggest brands available.
Why are gaming chairs so actively hostile?
Sure, gaming chairs look cool. But why do they hate our bodies so much? And why do we keep pushing through the pain?
Ode to a Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra
Hope bought a new Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra, offering us insights from her journey with the latest and greatest to see how deep the love goes.
The Huawei P30 Pro camera is basically powered by witchcraft
There’s no other word for it. The P30’s camera tech is beyond clever or smart. It’s the work of wizardry. Here’s a collection of photos directly comparing the
Yes, the Razer Raptor PC monitor is sexy, but nothing is sexier than its cable management
Pretty pictures? Smooth refresh rates? Fancy Chroma lighting? Yes, yes. All those things and more are in Razer's first desktop monitor release. But when you
