When it comes to security cameras, the more area you can cover the better and the Uniden App Cam Pano can give you a 170-degree field of view – it’s actually two cameras in one.

Uniden’s App Cam Pano has two lenses so it can cover a larger area but stitches the feeds together and presents you with one widescreen video or image.

For our review we installed the Pano on our back deck overlooking our yard along with the included solar panel.

When we’re not home we like to observe our two dalmatians – Ziggy and Logan – if they are outside in the yard.

After setting up, thanks to the 170-degree viewing angle, we were able to see our backyard in 3K video resolution from the fence on the left side to the fence on the right so basically there was nothing we were going to miss.

If anything is within 30m of the camera it will be captured on video.

Typically an outdoor security camera has around 130-degree field of view so to achieve what we did with the Uniden Pano and cover the same area, we’d have to position two cameras and look at two different feeds.

Naturally, it’s possible to view live video and notifications with the Uniden Solo app on your smartphone as well as record video and capture images to share.

The onboard camera activates immediately thanks to the built-in AI which also gives it the ability to distinguish between people, animals and vehicles.

And the Uniden Thermo Sense also prevents you getting flooded with notifications because it detects both heat and movement so it will flag a person in front of the camera rather than a tree swaying in the breeze or a car passing by in the street.

It also has a bright motion-activated spotlight also provides colour night vision which is enabled through a CMOS sensor.

The onboard passive infrared sensor spotlight with 440 lumens brightness. This enables colour night vision to be captured up to 30m away.

And everything can be saved locally on a microSD card or on Uniden Cloud for later playback.

Set up was very straightforward – once it was installed.

Where I decided to install the camera and solar panel involved ladders and power drills and it was more where I placed them that made the job slightly more difficult than the actual job itself.

And this proves that if a pen pusher like us can install this – anyone can.

And with the solar panel which was attached next to the camera and connected to the unit via a USB-C cable, we won’t ever need to worry about recharging the onboard battery.

Once in place the Uniden Solo app did the rest. It was just a matter of scanning the QR code on the side of the camera, aiming a second QR code for the camera to recognise and connecting it to our wi-fi network.

The whole onboarding process took a matter of minutes.

The Uniden App Cam Pano is a larger unit thanks to its twin lens design so it’s not as discreet as other cameras – but that’s a good thing.

A visible camera is a great deterrent to anyone coming on to your property with ill intentions.

Key features

– 100 per cent wire free over Wi-Fi

– Dual Lens – Double the Coverage

– Solar power compatible (Solar Panel Included)

– rechargeable battery with 120 days standby time

– low-battery notifications

– rapid wake-up

– colour night vision

– 170-degree viewing angle with dual lens and dual view

– Thermo Sense technology

– 3K (6MP) resolution to view, record and playback video

– SD Card and seven days free cloud backup and storage

– weatherproof design

– AI intelligent alerts

– customised voice-recordable alerts

– siren alert trigger

– motion detection record

– privacy masking to black out areas within the camera’s view

– black out areas within the camera’s view that you don’t want to be recorded.

The Uniden App Cam Pano is priced at $429.

VERDICT

The Uniden App Cam Pano is an excellent product that offers even wider coverage – something that usually requires two regular cameras so you can keep an eye on things when you’re not around. And with the inclusion of the solar panel – it becomes a set and forget solution that will always provide peace of mind.

The post Uniden App Cam Pano review – the twin lens security camera that won’t miss a thing appeared first on Tech Guide.

The new Arlo Video Doorbell not only provides convenience but also peace of mind as an added security device in your home right there at your front door.

The latest version of the Arlo Video Doorbell 2^nd Generation is an impressive upgrade with 2K video quality and 180-degree field of view.

Users can answer their door from anywhere whether they’re home or on the other side of the world and the person on your doorstep will be none the wiser.

When a visitor presses the button on the doorbell this initiates a video call to your smartphone.

When you answer the call, you can see a 1:1 video of the person at your door so you can see them from head to toe.

If it’s a delivery person, you’ll be able to see the package even if they placed it on the floor at their feet.

What impressed us was how quickly we were able to connect when the Arlo doorbell rang – we were talking to the person at our door in just a few seconds.

Other brands can take so long to answer and connect that the person has assumed no one is home and is already walking back up the path or the driveway by the time your video can be seen.

Even if you can’t talk to whoever is at your door, there are pre-recorded messages you can play instead.

Naturally the Arlo Video Doorbell it can handle the weather – rain, sun, cold and heat – so it’s always working for you.

The 2K quality, which is better than full high definition so you can make a lot more detail in the video than you could for the previous model.

It also has colour night vision so it can see as clearly after dark as it can during the day.

The Arlo Video Doorbell is also a security camera and can detect and record motion near your front door.

And you can track everything through the Arlo app including your other Arlo cameras as well as arm and disarm the system at the press of a button.

Customers receive a free three-month Arlo Secure trial when they but the Arlo Video Doorbell – and it’s worth hanging on to and paying from $12.99 a month to keep it.

One benefit of membership is smart notifications which can distinguish between people, packages, vehicles and animals.

Users can also access videos and event history for 30 days.

And with Smart Secure you’re also possible to customise the Smart Activity Zones so the camera is keeping an eye out for motion on those designated areas.

For us we set the activity zone closer to the door rather than including the street which could be seen from the doorbell that would send us a notification every time a car drove by or person walked past the house.

Setting up the Arlo Video Doorbell has been streamlined so you’ll be up and running in minutes.

The Arlo app gives you step by step instructions to detect and connect the doorbell to your home wi-fi.

It also comes with mounting plates so you can position the device precisely how you want it at your front door.

We replaced the previous Arlo doorbell with this new 2^nd Generation model and the mounting plate didn’t line up with the holes we had already drilled. We used one hole and had to drill another one to secure the new mount.

The onboard battery is also not removeable like the old one, so you need to pop off the entire doorbell to charge it whereas with the previous one we had a spare battery on charge to immediately swap the battery when needed.

We suggest you charge the Arlo Video Doorbell overnight when no one will be coming to your door.

Battery life runs at between six weeks to a couple of months depending on how busy your front door is and how much motion is being detected.

But if you have power available at the front door you can power the doorbell, so you never need to worry about charging the battery.

The new Arlo Video Doorbell 2^nd Generation is available now and is priced at $229.

VERDICT

The Arlo Video Doorbell 2^nd Generation offers higher quality and convenience than ever before and is an essential device to not only easily answer the door from anywhere but to act as an additional security camera as well.

The post Arlo Video Doorbell 2nd Generation review – an essential item for convenience and security appeared first on Tech Guide.

For many, mowing their lawn is a chore that’s right up there with vacuuming their carpets and mopping their floors. And it’s no coincidence then that ECOVACS ROBOTICS has extended its expertise from inside the house to the yard with the new GOAT G1 robot lawn mower.

The robot can do for your lawn what the other ECOVACS products can do for your carpets and hard floors inside your house.

Tech Guide has taken a hands-on look at the GOAT G1 from ECOVACS which was surprisingly easy to set up.

The idea of the GOAT G1 is to go out and keep your lawn trimmed and looking good rather than cutting long grass every couple of weeks like you would with a regular lawn mower.

In fact, ECOVACS says if your grass is 6cm or higher you will need to do a regular mow before putting the GOAT G1.

And that’s exactly what we had to do for our review.

Cutting the grass to the level you want is what you need to do so the GOAT G1 will keep it at this length without you having to lift a finger.

And for the record, ECOVACS named it the GOAT G1 – not to mean Greatest of All Time – but after the animal which happens like eating grass.

It was a straightforward setup which began with placing the charging station in an area of your yard which had plenty of space around it but near a power source.

The ECOVACS app steered us easily through the process which included linking to our wi-fi and even performing a firmware upgrade.

Next, we had to connect the two beacons which serve as boundary guides for the GOAT G1 in the yard.

Unlike other robot mowers, there was no need to run a boundary wire around the circumference of the lawn.

This often requires you to dig shallow trenches and hammer in the wiring with stakes.

The app presents various yard shapes and sizes and, if you can match your yard to one of these, it does make setup even faster.

Part of the process was to drive the GOAT G1 using the app like a remote control car around the edge of your lawn to map the mowing area.

You can see within the app as the map of your yard is being built – in much the same way that any Ecovacs Deebot would map your floor plan.

It also does this for the same reason, to establish the most efficient mowing path.

ECOVACS has taken a lot of the technology from its robot vacuums and brought it to the GOAT G1.

One of those technologies is obstacle avoidance with its AIVI 3D technology and a 150-degree fisheye camera which can not only detect objects in its path but navigate around them.

It can see objects as small as three centimetres which could include hoses pets, rocks and toys.

If you have dogs, we can’t tell you whether the GOAT G1 will be able to detect their poo as an obstacle so it might be an idea to clean up after them before you deploy the GOAT G1.

We tested the obstacle avoidance for our review by putting a rolled up hose in the G1’s path. It stopped short and went around it.

But a word of warning if the hose isn’t coiled high enough, there’s a chance the GOAT G1 will run right over it and damage it.

During setup, the app took note of the size of our yard after it was mapped and came up with a suggested schedule for the GOAT G1 which we gladly accepted.

It goes out three times a week and maintains the lawn as if we’ve employed a professional gardener.

And there are no trimmings to dispose of. The GOAT mulches the clippings as it cuts and puts it back into the grass.

And if it gets low on power halfway through your mow, it will simply return to the charging station to top up the battery and return at precisely the spot where it left off.

The app gives you plenty of control as well as giving you the ability to provide a view of the location of the lawnmower through the built in cameras.

The mower can also capture and mark the location of a person on the map and send it to you as a notification. So not only is it mowing your lawn it’s also a security camera on wheels.

Speaking of wheels, the goat G1 can easily get around your lawn and even go over paths and short dividers that separate some yard into different levels.

The GOAT G1 isn’t cheap – it’s priced at $2999.

But if your time is valuable, it will soon pay itself off.

And if you normally hire a gardener to keep your lawn looking good it might work out as a good investment.

VERDICT

The ECOVACS ROBOTICS GOAT G1 can keep your lawn manicured without you lifting a finger – it is easy to set up and run and will save you time and the cost of hiring a gardener to do the work for you.

The post ECOVACS GOAT G1 robot mower review – keep your lawn manicured without lifting a finger appeared first on Tech Guide.

The ECOVACS ROBOTICS DEEBOT NEO robot vacuum will be available for $399 this week from Aldi as part of its Special Buys – that’s half price. And before you make the purchase you can read our complete review.

The DEEBOT NEO, usually priced at $799, will be available from September 9 in Aldi’s Special Buys while stocks last.

While the DEEBOT NEO might be new to you, we know the robot vacuum very well after using is for several weeks so we could write our review.

So if you’re wondering about what you’re going to get with the DEEBOT NEO – we’ve already done a thorough test drive and we’re republishing our complete review ahead of September 9 so you can appreciate the value you’re getting.

Here is our original review of the ECOVACS ROBOTICS DEEBOT NEO which will be tremendous value at $399 at Aldi on Saturday, September 9.

TECH GUIDE REVIEW OF THE ECOVACS ROBOTICS DEEBOT NEO

The DEEBOT NEO is both a vacuum and a mop and can take over the cleaning duties without you lifting a finger.

It has TrueMapping laser-based navigation technology so it can map your home and create an efficient path when vacuuming and mopping.

The unit is really easy to unpack and set up.

You need to find a clear space near a power point for the charging station and download the ECOVACS Home app to take you through the steps for set up.

From the app, once you’ve created an account, you can simply scan the QR code inside the lid to link the robot and give it a name.

The maiden voyage of the DEEBOT NEO is mainly a mapping mission (yes, it is still vacuuming and/or mopping) so it gets to know your home’s layout.

You’ll see the map forming on the app as it makes its way around your home.

And it can also create maps for different levels of your home.

The first thing we noticed with the DEEBOT NEO was that it was louder.

And that’s a good thing because the motor is providing more suction – twice as much as a matter of fact.

It was easy to see where it had been with the marks on our carpet.

We’re always amazed by how smart the DEEBOT NEO is and how it can gently find its way around your home without damaging your furniture or rolling over the top of a cable or a sock and getting tangled up.

Part of the TrueMapping technology is object detection so the unit knows to go around something it sees in its path.

In terms of the quality of the clean, we were pleasantly surprised.

We have two dalmatians at our place and chocolate coloured carpet, so the little white hairs Ziggy and Logan shed are easy to see.

The DEEBOT NEO did so well in one room we had to empty the dust bin before it could move to the next.

What will happen over the course of time is the robot vacuum maintaining the clean with a daily journey around the house.

The device is also pretty slim so it can fit under furniture and under tables and around chairs so there’s no need to stack chairs and move items for the DEEBOT NEO to do its thing.

And on the mopping side, the DEEBOT NEO also excelled.

It a small water reservoir and can be fitted with mopping pads. It comes with a washable mop pad and 10 disposable pads.

We have large tiles in our living area and kitchen that are a light colour and can easily show up the dirt.

On its first run, the unit did offer a respectable clean but there were some stubborn spots that needed a manual wipe.

But if it does this everyday – it can easily maintain the level of cleanliness.

The water distribution was impressive thanks to its electronically controlled water pump.

It left a little snail trail where it had been, but this quickly dried.

The unit never once left any excess water or puddles.

The DEEBOT NEO is smart enough to detect the floor type so when in mopping mode and it encounters carpet it will stop instantly.

If it’s in vacuum mode it will increase suction power when it moves from hard floors to carpet.

For those new to robot vacuums, and we imagine a lot of people who buy the DEEBOT NEO will be, the unit will automatically return to the charging station and recharge the battery when needed before heading out and completing the cleaning run.

The app does put all the control in your hand with the ability to set schedules and send the robot vacuum out manually.

Even when you’re not home you can log into the app and take control.

You might find out someone is popping around later, and your place needs a spruce up – you can activate it manually from the app even before you get home.

It’s also possible to link theDEEBOT NEO to Alexa or Google Assistant for voice control.

The DEEBOT NEO is also compatible with the ECOVACS Auto Empty Station so it can automatically transfer the dust and hair collected by the robot vacuum into the larger dustbin which can be emptied every 30 days.

The ECOVACS ROBOTICS DEEBOT NEO goes on sale on September 9 through Aldi for $399.

Following that special offer, the unit will be available at its regular price of $799.

VERDICT

The DEEBOT NEO will surprise you with its cleaning quality and efficiency – it has packed in a lot of flagship features into an affordable and attractive unit that would make an excellent choice as your first robot vacuum.

The post DEEBOT NEO goes on sale for half price at $399 at Aldi this week – read our complete review appeared first on Tech Guide.

When it comes to shavers the more blades you have the better they are and Panasonic has just released its first electric shaver with six blades to provide an even closer shave.

Panasonic’s new ES-LS9A has six Japanese surgical-grade blades created using Samurai sword traditions so it can handle all beard types and maintain their sharpness even after years of use while causing minimal skin irritation.

There are two new thick stubble blades that are coated with Titanium along with two finish blades and two lift blades which can cut more hair in a single pass.

The height of the beard capture area is increased thanks to the tapered blade tips which makes sure those long, flat and difficult hairs are easily captured.

The inner blades of the ES-LS9A are nano-sharpened at a 30-degree angle so hairs are cut as close to the root as possible whether you’re shaving wet or dry.

The shaver also has a flexible shaver head so it can adjust to the contours of your face and still maintain contact between the blades and your skin.

The six blades can move in 22 independent directions vertically and horizontally so it covers a greater area with each stroke.

The Panasonic ES-LS9A delivers more than 84,000 cross-cutting actions per minute to manage to get through facial hair of all thicknesses.

I decided to give the shaver a try for myself.

I’ve got a decent beard if I don’t shave for a few days. When I tried the ES-LS9A I hadn’t shaved for three days so there was a bit hair to trim.

I charged the shaver to 100 per cent before I got started and found it provided a surprisingly close shave.

Usually I use a blade with shaving oil and I can get a nice close shave in just a few minutes.

Using the ES-LS9A took a little longer as I tried to manoeuvre the shaver around the contours of my face and chin.

I don’t have much electric shaver experience, but I learned pretty quickly I needed to attack my beard from certain directions to give the six blades their best chance.

This was probably the closest shave I’d ever had with the many electric shavers I’ve tried over the years.

But it took me almost three times as long as I would shave with a razor. And that’s probably more a fault of mine than the shaver.

Once I got the direction of attack right it powered through and left smooth skin in its place.

I also used the handy pop up trimmer on the rear panel to tidy up my sideburns as well.

The good news is the Panasonic ES-LS9A also comes with a cleaning and charging dock which automatically removes beard trimmings from the blades while recharging it at the same time.

Also includes is a small zip up travel pouch and the plug which can be taken from the dock and plugged directly to the shaver to charge.

The Panasonic ES-LS9A electric shaver is priced at $899 and available at the Shaver Shop.

The post Panasonic’s six-blade electric shaver uses the same Japanese blades as a Samurai sword appeared first on Tech Guide.

Wellness brand Therabody got our attention with the Theragun massage device and now it has released its baby brother – the Theragun Mini 2.0 – which you can take anywhere with you.

The Theragun Mini 2.0 is a travel-sized product that offers the same percussive therapy but in a compact form factor.

And this 2.0 version is 20 per cent smaller and 30 per cent lighter than the first generation Mini.

Therabody has customised its proprietary brushless motor has been shrunken down to its smallest size ever to still deliver the power you expect but from a device that fits in the palm of your hand.

That smaller size makes it easier to slip into a bag or even a jacket so you can take it with you to iron out the knots and get some massage relief on the move.

There are three speeds – 1750rpm, 2100rpm and 2400rpm – and three attachments – the Dampener, the Standard Ball and the Thumb.

These attachments are different sizes and shapes to offer different treatments and massages to suit various parts of your body.

It’s designed to easily grip in your hand with easy access to the main button with your thumb so you can control the speed and turn it on and off.

The device is powered by a rechargeable battery that will run for up to two hours on a single charge.

The Theragun Mini 2.0 can be recharged via the onboard USB-C port.

It even has Bluetooth so it can be paired to the Therabody app and offer treatments and warmups for various parts of your body.

It has warm-up routines for runs and post-run recovery and warm-ups and recoveries for upper body, lower body and other specific areas.

One area we used was the 5-minute treatment for tech neck because we’re working on our laptop every day.

This involved using the Theragun Mini 2.0 on our biceps and traps. It also told how long we needed to hit each body part and what attachment we needed to use.

It’s like having your own personal masseur for each part of your body.

When setting up the app we were asked if we played any sports and took part in any other activities.

We were also asked if we had any problem areas and what we wanted to achieve including reducing stress and soreness and reducing lines on our face and puffiness around our eyes.

The Theragun Mini 2.0 is available now for the reduced price of $199 – it was $349.

www.therabody.com

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The Google Pixel Tablet is a bit of an allrounder – it’s great for entertainment and running your favourite apps and, when attached to the included dock, can turn into a smart speaker, smart home hub and a mini smart TV.

The Android tablet has a 10.95-inch LCD display with a 2560 x 1600 resolution, 60Hz refresh rate and has a soft touch rear panel and edges.

It is also powered by the Google Tensor G2 chip which offers excellent performance and speed to make using the tablet a breeze. Onboard is 8GB RAM and either 128 or 256GB internal storage. There is no microSD card slot.

Included with the device is a charging dock which serves a few purposes.

First off it keeps the tablet charged when not in use. How many times have you grabbed a tablet that’s been laying around in your home and found there is no charge left?

It can also position the tablet comfortably so you can view apps and content, make and receive video calls and keep an eye on your smart home devices.

Inside the hub are four speakers that can enhance the viewing and listening experience whether you’re listening to music, watching YouTube or watching a movie.

The tablet has the same design language and look and feel of a Pixel smartphone and that applies to the Android 13 OS that’s onboard as well.

There’s a volume rocker key on the top edge alongside a lock button that also doubles as a responsive fingerprint reader.

Also onboard is a USB-C port so you’re able to charge with a cable as well as through the charging dock.

Included with the Pixel tablet is Google TV so it offers the same options in your hand as you’d see on a smart TV running Google so you can access your favourite streaming services.

It would have been nice to have a screen capable of more than 60Hz refresh rate.

The tablet has great resolution for a crisp and bright picture, but a higher refresh rate would have made things a lot smoother when watching videos and playing games.

The Pixel 7 Pro smartphone supports 120Hz refresh rate and has a much smaller screen than the Pixel Tablet.

That aside, watching video content was still enjoyable – it just could be better.

On the audio side the tablet’s speakers are impressive on its own but when you place the device back on the magnetic charge hub and watch your content you get the benefit of better speakers which instantly kick in when connected so you can enjoy even better sound including respectable bass response as well.

It was loud enough to easily fill a room.

Music also sounds great so it can also supply your background audio or the soundtrack to your next party,

And it’s a handsfree experience as well so when you don’t have access to the family TV or just want to watch things in another room or on your own, the Pixel Tablet offers a great alternative.

For video calls the front 8-megapixel camera offers full HD 1080p quality. The rear camera is also 8-megapixel, but we can’t imagine you’d be using this to take photos when you have a much better camera in your pocket with your smartphone.

The charging hub itself is small enough to carry into another room and plug it in.

We found we wanted to use the tablet attached to the dock more often than just on its own.

But like a regular tablet you can take the Pixel anywhere, but it will only connect wi-fi when you’re out and about – it’s doesn’t have a 4G/5G option.

We think the Pixel Tablet is a homebody though because of its ability to act as a smart speaker and smart home hub.

You can use Google Assistant and ask Pixel Tablet for information and to find content.

And when it’s docked, the Pixel Tablet looks just like the Nest Hub smart display and speaker.

When the tablet is docked it can also be used a digital photo frame so you can view your favourite images all the time. Or you can choose to display the time.

But add to that the Pixel Tablet can also be your smart home hub as well to control lights, view camera feeds, set up automations and view notifications.

Automations are centred around times of the day like bedtime, when you arrive home, when you leave home and when you wake up.

The onboard battery will allow up to 12 hours of video viewing if you decide to take this with you on a flight or a road trip.

But when it’s a home – battery life isn’t an issue thanks to the dock which can recharge it or keep it powered while it’s resting there.

It’s also smart enough while on the dock to keep the charge level between 80-90 per cent to maintain the health of the battery.

The Google Pixel Tablet is priced at $899 and certainly offers plenty of versatility so you can use it on the move, in the dock, as a smart speaker and a smart hub.

VERDICT

The Google Pixel Tablet is a multi-talented product that offers the convenience of a smart speaker, the portability of a tablet, the content possibilities of a mini smart TV and a dashboard for your smart devices. And it provides an excellent experience no matter what mode you’re using.

The post Google Pixel Tablet review – a versatile device that can be used in so many ways appeared first on Tech Guide.

Uniden has unveiled a new dual mode smart baby monitor so parents can keep an eye and an ear on their little ones from anywhere.

The Uniden BW6101R Smart Baby Monitor offers 2K super HD resolution for high quality live streaming so you can catch even more detail.

The device has dual mode functionality which means you can view the live stream on the included 5-inch colour HD (720p) monitor or from your iPhone, iPad or Android smartphone or tablet remotely or at home.

You can even get in closer with the camera with up to 4x local digital zoom via the monitor and 6x remote zoom.

The camera has a multipurpose clamp which can either rest on a surface or secure itself to the rails of a cot or a shelf.

The camera also includes a portable back-up battery so it will continue to operate if there’s a power outage or if the camera is unplugged accidentally.

It is also equipped with night vision so you can clearly see your baby at any time of the night.

Also onboard is a room temperature and humidity display which provides alerts if the it gets outside your chosen temperature ranges.

There is also a built-in night light which can be changed to multiple colours to create calm sleeping conditions.

Users can also set a danger zone to mark out an area which a no-go for the baby and receive an alert if there is any movement in that spot.

The walkie talkie function gives parents the ability to soothe their baby without entering the room.

The Uniden BW6101R Smart Baby Monitor also work with Google Assistant and Amazon Alexa so it can be integrated into your smart home set-up.
The Uniden BW6101R Smart Baby Monitor is priced at $399.95.

Key features

– 2K (3MP) super high-definition camera

– 5-inch colour screen (720P) monitor

– 4 times local digital zoom and up to 6 times remote digital zoom

– Customisable night light – multiple colours in animation and static mode

– Dual mode: 5-inch viewing monitor included or remote smartphone viewing handy clamp camera and novelty silicon cover

– Portable battery backup

– Room temperature and humidity display

– Danger zone detection mode

– Smartphone remote access

– Two-way talk “walkie talkie” function

– Storage of footage via micro-SD card (supports up to 128GB, not included)

– Sound and motion detection

– Night vision

– Selection of 14 lullabies, including white noise

– Works with Google Assistant and Amazon Alexa

– Two-year Australian warranty

The post Uniden has unveiled its new dual mode smart baby monitor appeared first on Tech Guide.

The Peloton Tread is quite an investment in your health and fitness. The price tag alone would be enough to get customers to make sure they use Peloton’s latest product every day to get their money’s worth.

Priced at $4,445, the Peloton Tread isn’t going to be an impulse buy. Far from it.

No, what would make a customer shell out this sort of money is the promise of quality equipment that’s made even better by the growing Peloton community of instructors and fellow subscribers around the globe.

We’ve been using Peloton Tread for the past month now and have found it offers a high-quality experience that motivates you to come back day after day.

And you don’t have to be Olympic athlete to get the most out of Peloton Tread.

It can cater for everyone from a person starting or rediscovering their fitness journey to an elite runner who wants to sharpen up their fitness even further.

When you purchase the Peloton Tread, the price includes not only delivery but also installation in your home.

When our unit was delivered there were two gentlemen who put it all together for us in our home and set everything up so it was ready to use.

They even took away all the boxes that it was shipped in.

The key is finding an area in your home that is open enough to not only fit the Peloton Tread but also has space around it so you can take advantage of other Peloton classes that don’t require you to be running on the treadmill itself.

The Peloton Tread itself is a high-quality unit with solid construction made with premium materials.

Setup was quite easy and included connecting the treadmill to our wireless network and logging into your Peloton account.

It’s also possible to create other user profiles so your family and other members of your household can jump in and do their own classes.

We’d been using it for a few days before we ran into one slight complication when the Peloton Tread refused to connect to our wireless network.

We tried hotspotting our phone and that also didn’t work so we assumed it was an issue with the Tread.

Now remember this was a pre-release unit so we acknowledge the fact that there were software patches and updates that needed to be made before it officially went on sale.

In fact, there was a large software update when we went back to it that solved the Wi-Fi issues and it has worked perfectly ever since.

In the meantime, one small panel has also fallen off the left edge of the treadmill and we’ve tried to clip it back on without success.

It hasn’t affected our use of Peloton Tread, but it has affected the look.

The Peloton Tread includes a 23.8-inch HD display which allows you to access your account and the many classes you can do either live and on-demand.

On either side are two control knobs – the one on the left controls incline and the right controls your speed.

These offer a fast and easy way to make adjustments rather than trying to find and change the controls on the touch screen.

These tactile controls work really well and you quickly learn that rolling them forward increases incline or speed and rolling them back towards you decreases those values.

There’s even a shortcut button inside the knob that takes things up to the next whole number above your current setting.

Also included is a safety key that you clip to your shirt so if you fall it will immediately detach from the Tread and stop it.

You also have a large stop button in front of you along with a shelf for your phone and water bottle holders.

But the real secret sauce is the Peloton community and the many talented and colourful instructors that guide you through each class.

Each of the many instructors we’ve encountered on the platform have all been upbeat, fun and positive.

They really know how to encourage you to push yourself to the end of the class.

The other amazing feature is the wide range of choices you have when it comes to choosing a session.

We tried of variety of classes from beginner runs, advanced beginner runs, walking classes along with stretching and cool down classes.

We found ourselves at the end of a 20-minute class, deciding to try another 20-minute class before ending with a 5-minute stretch or cooldown.

The classes have you doing everything from a recovery walk pace to a proper sprint within various incline and speed ranges.

You can also choose from a range of scenic runs which make you feel like you’re running through the middle of London, Hawaii, Puerto Rico or the Scottish Highlands.

Once we were on the Peloton Tread it didn’t feel like a chore, it felt like fun and we were looking forward to using it every day.

You can mix it up a little bit as well and do a class that doesn’t even require you to step on the treadmill.

You might choose a class that is all about stretching or yoga or involves using hand weights.

It’s easy to choose a class based on the instructor, muscle group, exercise type and length.

Peloton offer hand weights as an added extra or you can just use your own.

We had some space behind the treadmill to allow us to still view the screen comfortably while still following the class and hearing everything the instructor had to say.

You can purchase a Peloton heart rate monitor that’s worn like arm band and connects to the Peloton Tread so you can check your heart rate.

But the unit is compatible with Apple Watch and Samsung Watch so all you need to do is firstly pair your smartphone to the treadmill and then open the Peloton app on your watch before starting a class.

Your heart rate metrics would then appear on screen as they are taken from the smartwatch and transferred via Bluetooth.

All your workouts and health can all be viewed on the Tread so you can monitor your progress and look to make improvements.

The Peloton All-Access Subscription can be accessed on your smart phone or tablet for those times when you’re not on the treadmill and out on a walk on a run or on holiday.

The Peloton Tread is a high impact way of exercising which involves running and walking and using your entire body.

Peloton’s existing products including Bike, Bike+ and Guide offer the same experience but with far less impact. Something to consider if you knee or ankle issues.

The Peloton Tread is an excellent piece of exercise equipment that’s made even better by the team of instructors who can keep you aimed towards your fitness goals.

Peloton has been in Australia for only 18 months and already have more than 2.1 million subscribers.

We saw a stat that showed that 92 per cent of subscribers stay on after the first year.

That’s a pretty high retention rate that we put down to the fact that the equipment is first class and the team of instructors also among the best you can find.

The Peloton Tread is not cheap at $4,445 but you are getting a top-line piece of equipment and investing in your health, fitness and wellbeing.

The Peloton All-Access Subscription is priced at $59 per month which may also seem expensive but, when compared to what people are paying to attend instructor led fitness classes at gyms and fitness centres, it’s actually pretty good value.

VERDICT

The Peloton Tread is a quality piece of fitness equipment that can help you achieve your fitness goals with the help of a vibrant and growing Peloton community and some of the best fitness instructors in the world.

The post Peloton Tread review – an investment in your health and fitness appeared first on Tech Guide.

Kindle Scribe is not only the biggest Kindle ever produced but you can also write on the screen with the included pen with a feel like you’re writing on paper.

For customers who still enjoy the tactile experience of writing and prefer to read their eBooks, the Kindle Scribe is ideal.

The 10.2-inch Paperwhite glare-free 300ppi (pixel per inch) screen is sharp and clear and has an adjustable built-in light to suit your writing/reading environment.

Kindle Scribe is much larger than the previous Kindles.

One of the advantages of a Kindle is its small and light form-factor which makes it easier to hold and lighter than a printed book.

With the Kindle Scribe that’s a different story.

But while it’s larger, it’s also heavier at 433g – that’s about the same weight as a tablet.

If you’re not interested in writing and you’re only interested in reading, the Kindle Scribe might not be for you.

But that large 10.2-inch screen can fit a lot more text so you’re turning the page less often than you would on a smaller Kindle.

The Kindle Scribe comes with a Basic or Premium Pen.

The difference is the Premium has a programmable shortcut button and a dedicated eraser.

The writing experience with the Kindle Scribe is excellent and feels just like writing on paper.

There is a slight roughness you can feel on the screen that gives it nearly the same texture and feel of writing with a pencil on paper.

It is instantly responsive – as much as writing on a physical page with a pen or pencil.

You can change the thickness of pen and even switch to a thicker highlighter pen mode.

And when you’ve finished using the pen, it can be attached magnetically on the side of the Kindle Scribe with the narrower bezel.

Kinde Scribe also comes with several spare pen nibs to place them when they wear out, but it will take a lot of writing before you need to switch it out.

There are few ways you can write on the Kindle Scribe.

You can use the device to create and store all your notes.

Users can name and create a folder and then fill it with notebooks.

So imagine a binder with all the loose pages inside – that’s what you get with the Kindle Scribe folder and notebooks.

You can also choose a notebook template which can be either a blank page, a ruled page with various options on the line spacing and margins along with checklists, music sheets, to-do lists and calendars.

Writing text is a breeze and, if you have the Premium pen, you can simply flip it over like you would a regular pencil and eraser and rub out what you just wrote.

Being able to create and name different folders means organising your notes and accessing them is really easy.

And when you go back to the Home screen, all your folders and individual notebooks are there right beside the books in your library for easy access when you need to open the files again.

The other way of writing is making notes inside a Kindle book you’re reading.

Many people like to read with a pen in their hand to highlight passages and make notes.

Kindle Scribe sort of does that.

Unfortunately you can’t underline passages and circle words and sentences.

What you can do is create a handwritten or typed sticky note that you can come back to it and open it later.

That sticky note appears as a small icon just above the text which can opened again by tapping it with your pen or your finger.

Kindle says they, and the authors we imagine, don’t want your scribble cluttering up the page.

All the sticky notes are organised by book, and you can also easily navigate and export all your notes.

But this only works on books downloaded from the Kindle Store.

If you’ve uploaded epub format books to the device, you can still read them, but you can put the pen away because there is no way to make notes on those books.

When you touch your pencil to the screen with those books it simply turns the page.

You can send your own documents the device via the kindle app using the share button from your iOS or Android device or via the Amazon Send-To-Kindle site.

But you can only add sticky notes.

If you want to go to town and write all over a document – you need to send it as a PDF to the Kindle Scribe.

Once it’s in the library you can write on the PDF and underline and circle words and add your own that will stay visible rather than being hidden away like a sticky note.

From next year, users will also be able to send documents to kindle scribe directly from Microsoft Word.

As a reading device, the Kindle Scribe is excellent because of its adaptive light and larger screen which let you read a lot more text between page turns.

It is heavier than a regular Kindle so might get tired holding it in your hand.

There are covers available for the Kindle Scribe that can also act as a stand so you can rest the device on a surface and angle it comfortably for easy reading.

And, of course, you also have the Kindle Store at your fingertips so you can find and buys books in seconds on the device.

Battery life is amazing and a full charge can last for weeks. We’ve been using the Kindle Scribe every day for a week and the battery only went down to 80 per cent.

Kindle Scribe is available in three memory variants – 16GB, 32GB and 64GB – and your choice of a Basic pen or the Premium pen.

It starts at $549 for the 16GB with the Basic pen and $599 with the Premium pen.

The 32GB and 64GB variants include the Premium pen are priced at $629 and $679 respectively.

VERDICT

The Kindle Scribe is an excellent all-round device with responsive and fluid writing and handy organisation of your notes while offering one of the best reading experiences you’ll find.

The post Kindle Scribe review – an impressive reading and writing experience appeared first on Tech Guide.

We already know Oppo for its smartphones but the company has now released its first tablet in Australia – the Pad Air – which is a handy companion for work, play and travel.

Yes, the name of the product sounds almost exactly like a popular Apple tablet, but that’s where the similarity ends.

Priced at $379, the Oppo Pad Air is certainly affordable. And the cover is an extra $79.

On the design side, the device certainly punches above its weight and includes a two-tone metal splicing design with 3D texture on the rear panel which helps prevent those ugly fingerprints.

And the Pad Air is just 6.94mm thick and weighs just 440g.

The 10.36-inch display has a resolution of 2000 x 1200 with a screen to body ratio of 83.5 per cent.

It also has a 60Hz refresh rate and can display more than a billion colours.

The Pad Air screen has a wider aspect ratio that’s perfect for viewing movies and other video content like YouTube.

But it’s not the best shape for viewing websites or reading documents but turn it on its side to portrait mode and you have an oversized smartphone-shaped screen.

This makes viewing websites and social media apps like Instagram and TikTok even easier as well.

Our content on the Pad Air looked impressive.

It also sounded good as well through the built-in quad Dolby Atmos speakers.

Now we’ve heard better quality audio on a tablet but, given the affordable price, the Pad Air delivered a surprisingly good result.

The Pad Air is powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 680 (CPU) and the Adreno 610@1115MHz (GPU) so performance well above an entry level tablet.

It is running Android with Oppo’s ColorOS 12.1 which gives it a clean and minimal look while still offer easy navigation of the system and the tablet’s features.

Realistically, the Pad Air won’t challenge the iPad Pro in terms speed and power, but it will give you enough grunt for basic tasks like creating and editing documents, playing games, reading eBooks and watching movies.

On the battery side, the Pad Air has 7,100mAh capacity which provides days of power with light usage of a full day of video viewing.

That’s another plus for the tablet at this price point.

It also supports fast charging as well when it’s time to power up again – but you’re not getting the legendary Oppo faster VOOC charging.

Onboard is 64GB of storage but the good news is you can expand the memory with a microSD card.

It has a front 5-megapixel camera and rear 8-megapixel camera which will do the job for basic images and full high-definition video calls.

There are a few limitations with the Pad Air including its lack of a stylus and any clear ability to write on the screen.

It doesn’t have a headphone jack, but it has Bluetooth 5.1 to easily pair earphones and headphones to listen to your music and enjoy your video content.

The Oppo Pad Air is ideal for the customer looking for an affordable tablet with a view of consuming more content than they create.

The Oppo Pad Air is available now and is priced at $379. The cover for Pad Air is available separately for $79.

VERDICT

The Oppo Pad Air is an affordable entry level tablet that delivers quality, features and performance you’d usually find on more expensive devices.

The post Oppo Pad Air review – the affordable tablet that punches above its weight appeared first on Tech Guide.

Honey, I shrunk the Apple TV 4K – but don’t worry it’s now even better and still provides a stunning entertainment and gaming experience.

The new Apple TV 4K ticks all the boxes when it comes to quality and features to offer improved picture quality and provide crisp and immersive sound.

The unit is noticeably smaller than last year’s model thanks to the removal of the internal fan.

It now has a passive thermal design and is 20 per cent smaller than its predecessor. Not that size was ever an issue.

There are two models available, one without an Ethernet port (Wi-Fi only) and the Wi-Fi + Ethernet unit for those who want to wire their connection for better quality.

The Wi-Fi only model has 64GB of memory while the Wi-Fi + Ethernet model has 128GB storage.

The device is powered by Apple’s A15 bionic chip – that’s the same chip that powers the iPhone 13 – which is a lot of processing power for a product of this kind.

The result is an incredibly responsive and snappy performance so you can zoom around the menus and jump in and out of your apps with ease.

Apple TV 4K works nicely with all your other Apple devices and services including Apple TV+, Apple Arcade and Apple Fitness+.

You can use your iPhone as a remote control or as a keyboard via Control Centre and make purchases or sign-in to supported apps with Face ID or Touch ID.

You can also use the light sensor on your iPhone to tweak your TV’s colour balance settings and connect up to two sets of AirPods to your Apple TV 4K.

And being connected to HomeKit, users can also get a live view in the top corner of their screen from their cameras or their doorbell and all without missing their programme.

And AirPlay allows users to share anything from their iPhone, iPad or Mac directly to the TV so it’s ideal for showing your photos, streaming music and playing other content you want to enjoy on a larger screen.

But it’s all about utilising the best screen in your house to enjoy a higher level of entertainment.

This time out, Apple TV 4K supports both Dolby Vision and HDR10+ which happened to be the two most popular and dynamic HDR (high dynamic range) formats used in the industry.

This now allows users to enjoy even more content from various services on more TVs and at their highest quality.

Whether you’re watching Netflix, Disney+, Paramount Plus, Stan or Apple TV+, the Apple TV 4K bring out the best of the content on your smart TV thanks to the wider compatibility with HDR and audio formats.

Set-up is a breeze – it took us just minutes.

It fast because Apple TV 4K can grab your settings from iCloud so all your apps and settings from your previous Apple TV 4K or second Apple TV 4K are right there.

For our review we set up the new Apple TV 4K in our lounge room and connected it to a Samsung 85-inch 8K Neo QLED TV.

Just as important as the unit itself is the Siri remote which has a one-piece aluminium design that fits nicely in your hand.

Apple has designed the remote with contrasting controls – some buttons are concave, some are flat and some are a different shape – so you can easily navigate the remote in the dark or without taking your eyes off the TV.

The click pad and touch surface also come in handy for navigating your content.

The circular click pad can be used as a jog control to get to the precise point of the programme you’re watching while the touch surface responds to presses and gestures.

And, of course, you can access Siri by pressing the microphone button on the right edge of the remote.

You can use your voice to ask for content, move forward and back through what you’re watching and find other programs and information.

Later this year, Siri will be able to recognise your voice to distinguish you from your other members of the household and switch to your profile and make suggestions for content you’d like to see.

The remote now now has a USB C port so you’ll need a USB-C cable – the one that comes with the latest iPhones – to charge it.

Now some may be asking why do I need the Apple TV 4K when I have the Apple TV app on my smart TV?

That’s a fair question, but the Apple TV app allows you to stream your content and is governed by the TV’s processor and quality which may affect the experience.

But with the Apple TV 4K you are getting excellent performance as well as the ability to integrate other apps and services for you to enjoy on your smart TV.

Apple TV 4K has an App Store built in so you can download games either individually or as part of the Apple Arcade subscription, you can also use Siri Voice Assistant, integrate HomeKit, choose the personal photo screensaver option through iCloud Photos or Home Sharing, use SharePlay to watch content together from different locations through FaceTime and you’ll be able to watch the beautiful aerial screen savers which look stunning on a 4K or 8K TV.
Apple TV 4K Wi-Fi only is priced at $219 and comes with 64GB storage. For an extra $30 you will get the Apple TV Wi-Fi + Ethernet with 128GB storage.

To us we think it’s well worth the extra $30 to have more storage and the option of connecting Apple TV 4K physically with the cable.

VERDICT

The Apple TV 4K might be smaller but it has lots more features to power stunning cinematic experiences in your home.

The post Apple TV 4K review – tiny but mighty unit delivers stunning cinematic quality appeared first on Tech Guide.

TCL already knows a thing or two about display technology and it has just released the NXTPAPER 10s colour tablet with a screen that’s designed to look like paper that’s a lot friendlier to your eyes.

The TCL NXTPAPER 10s has a 10-inch full high-definition paper-like display which has 73 per cent blue light reduction which reduces the impact of screen time on eye health for both children and adults.

The device, which is running Android 11, also has an anti-glare finish so you’re not getting any reflections.

Yet the TCL NXTPAPER 10s display still manages to deliver impressive bright and natural colours just like a tablet with a regular screen.

The difference here Is the screen is a lot easier on your eyes and is also remarkably fingerprint free.

When we were viewing websites, including our own, and using applications we could still appreciate the colours – they just didn’t have the gloss of a regular display.

Think of it like this – the TCL NXTPAPER 10s is like looking at a colourful book with regular matte pages.

A tablet with a normal screen is like looking that same book but printed on glossy paper.

You’re still getting all the same information, the same look and feel and range of colours but the TCL NXTPAPER 10s just lacks the shine and glow that comes with a regular backlit screen.

The TCL NXTPAPER 10s is TUV-certified with a 73 per cent reduction in blue light passing through.

This is a huge advantage if you spend a lot of time looking at a screen.

Looking at a backlit screen on a computer or tablet will lead to sore or tired eyes.

In fact, Optometry Australia’s 2022 Vision Index Report said 88 per cent of surveyed Australians experienced eye fatigue while 86 per cent believed their child’s eyesight was also being impacted by constant screen time.

Health fund HCF Australia says there has been a 28.8 per cent increase in school aged children who require glasses or contact lenses between 2015 and 2020.

Even the World Health Organisation has recognised the fact that short sightedness is on the increase and predicted that half the population maybe myopic by 2050.

The surface of the TCL NXTPAPER 10s display has a slightly different texture then a regular tablet which comes in handy when typing, scrolling and writing on the screen.

So it not only looks like paper it also makes it feel slightly more paper-like as well.

The other remarkable feature is the clear viewing angle.

Even if you’re looking at the tablet sideways it has the same brightness and clarity as if you were looking at it front on.

That’s something that can’t be said for regular tablets because of the nature of the backlit screen and the reflections.

Design-wise the TCL NXTPAPER 10s is thin (8.3mm) and light (490g) and the screen has a narrow aspect ratio.

The bezels around the display are quite large when compared to the current crop of regular tablets.

On the performance side, the TCL NXTPAPER 10s is powered by an octa-core chipset with 4GB RAM and 64GB internal storage which can be expanded through the onboard microSD card slot.

The device could be a little more responsive, but it certainly didn’t detract from our enjoyment and use of the product.

Included with the TCL NXTPAPER 10s is it full keyboard cover If you prefer typing on a keyboard.

When you insert the tablet into the keyboard cover it asks if you want to enter PC mode – a new desktop that allows you to focus in on your files and notes while still being able to access productivity apps and a file manager.

There are also dedicated reading and writing apps so you can take full advantage of this paper like screen.

It has an 8-megapixel rear camera and a 5-megapixel front camera and has two speakers and two microphones if you need to take part in a video call or enjoy some content.

The TCL NXTPAPER 10s has an 8000mAh battery which will last a day or two because it doesn’t have to power a regular backlit screen.

So whether you’re using it for learning, entertainment, creativity or productivity – the TCL NXTPAPER 10s gives you plenty of time between charges.

The TCL NXTPAPER 10s is available now for $499 from Big W, Target, Mobileciti and other online retailers

VERDICT

The TCL NXTPAPER 10S Is a refreshing new device that takes your eye health into account while still providing an impressive and colourful experience whether you’re using it to work, learn or play. It is an ideal choice if you’re buying a tablet for a child and want to protect their eyes.

The post TCL NXTPAPER 10s review – a tablet with a paper-like screen that’s easy on the eyes appeared first on Tech Guide.

Video meetings are here to stay and the good news is you can achieve a high-quality connection with the AnkerWork B600 Video Conferencing Bar that combines a 2K camera, a four-mic array, dual speakers and a smart LED light bar.

It has everything you need to achieve a high-quality video meeting for those users working from home or in a hybrid arrangement.

The product is an all-in-one solution which can provide impressive video quality, good audio and even eliminate background sounds so you can focus on your meeting.

Also onboard is the smart LED light bar with brightness and colour temperature adjustment so you can be clearly seen.

The camera has autofocus as well as a field of view adjustment which gives users the choice between 65 degrees, 78 degrees, 95 degrees or the Solo Frame which can centre the user in the image even if they move around.

The AnkerWork companion software puts all these settings at your fingertips including image settings like brightness, sharpness, saturation and contrast ratio.

The MagicSight intelligent lighting technology aboard the B600 can also optimise the lighting conditions in your home office.

The unit can analyse facial lighting through the camera and calculate what’s needed to achieve a perfect image.

The lighting panel can also be used on its own to illuminate your workspace and be used as a reading light.

And the integrated light panel offers extra privacy because when it’s closed, the panel acts as a privacy shield by covering the camera.

On the audio side, the device features VoiceRadar which is an intelligent technology using four microphones to detect and isolate the user’s voice from different directions.

It also incorporates directional beamforming technology which means you can be heard quite clearly even when in a noisy environment.

It also has 2 x 2W audio output so you can hear your meeting quite clearly.

The device itself rests securely on top of your monitor with a stand that can easily be adjusted to provide the right angle.

The unit connects via USB-C to your computer – PC or Mac – and, of course, can be used with other video conferencing apps including Zoom, Microsoft Teams, Skype, Webex and many more.

The AnkerWork B600 Video Conferencing Bar is an excellent all-in-one solution for users who want to be able to conduct high quality video conferences from anywhere.

The device is available now and is priced at $499.95.

The post Enjoy high-quality meetings with AnkerWork’s all-in-one B600 Video Conferencing Bar appeared first on Tech Guide.

Apple Watch Series 8 puts so many capabilities on your wrist and continues to be an essential accessory for so many customers for their health and wellness and to keep them connected and safe.

This year, Apple has made Apple Watch Series 8 even more capable with new health sensors and apps to keep you connected to what matters to you.

Series 8 how does the same design as the previous model which includes a 41mm or 45mm edge-to-edge Always On display.

One of the main new features is temperature sensing which uses two sensors – one on the back crystal and another just under the display.

This configuration improves the accuracy and reduces the bias from the outside environment.

The temperature sensors can be used to help monitor your nightly slumber with Sleep Focus and Sleep Tracking.

The watch needs five straight nights to establish its baseline.

Your body temperature varies from night to night and can be affected by things like exercise, jetlag, sleep, alcohol consumption and illness so being able to track nightly changes can give you a strong insight into your overall health.

But it’s the new Cycle Tracking feature that’s standout for the Apple Watch Series 8 and can provide the most accurate readings of the menstrual cycle.

Tracking temperature changes for those who ovulate offers even deeper insights into the menstrual cycle.

Being able to monitor changes in temperature can help reveal the biphasic shift – this is the increase in temperature that happens in response to changing hormones after ovulation

Before the most common way of tracking temperature changes was with a thermometer and a journal.

But now Apple Watch series 8 makes this all so much easier.

Having these hyper accurate readings can be useful for those planning to start a family.

Users who wear their Apple Watch Series 8 with Sleep Focus turned on will receive retrospective ovulation estimates after going through two menstrual cycles.

Even if you’re not trying for a baby monitoring cycle deviations can also reveal other health conditions including fibroids, polycystic ovarian syndrome and thyroid disorders.

It’s also possible to export your cycle history as a PDF to share with your doctor or gynaecologist.

And, of course, all this data is encrypted on your device and only accessible with your passcode, Touch ID or Face ID.

The other new feature for Apple Watch Series 8 is Crash Detection which is possible thanks to a new motion sensor and a sensor-fusion algorithm.

If you’ve been in a severe car crash the Apple Watch will automatically connect you to emergency services as well as notify emergency contacts.

During development, Crash Detection was tested in professional crash labs in all kinds of passenger cars and in four crash scenarios – head-on, rear-end, side impact and rollover.

Crash Detection is also available in iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Pro.

Apple Watch Series 8 has an all-new redesigned Compass app which lets you set waypoints while BackTrack can utilise your GPS location to find your way to your starting point.

On the health side, Apple Watch Series 8 includes ECG, heart health notifications and blood oxygen.

Fitness-wise, there are advanced workouts which can now capture running form metrics like vertical oscillation, stride length and ground contact time.

And you can also see all this data in a different way with Workout Views that offers information like elevation, running power and splits.

And if you want to really get serious about your fitness, Apple Watch Series 8 can also let you set heart rate zones, race route and pacer.

And triathletes will love the new Multisport mode can switch between swim, bike and run automatically.

On the battery side, the new Low Power Mode can stretch battery life to up to 38 hours.

In this mode, it turns off Always On display, background heart rate and blood oxygen measurements.

But it still has Fall Detection and activity tracking even in this low power mode.

If you already own an Apple Watch Series 7, there’s probably not much reason for you to upgrade but if you are new to Apple Watch or coming from an older Apple Watch then you’ll enjoy a world of difference.

The Apple Watch Series 8 is available now and starts at $629.

VERDICT

The Apple Watch Series 8 continues to be a must-have accessory that can help keep you fit, healthy, safe and connected. It is the best smartwatch you can buy.

The post Apple Watch Series 8 review – stay fit, healthy, safe and connected appeared first on Tech Guide.

The Huawei Watch GT 3 Pro is a smartwatch that pairs with both iPhone and Android smartphones and its functionality is also backed by a stylish design to give customers an impressive all-round experience.

And it’s on special for Father’s Day – it is usually priced at $899 but is now $599 until September 2.

The Huawei Watch GT 3 Pro has a titanium body and offers a traditional circular watch face which many customers prefer because it looks like a real watch.

It has a look that will feel right at home in the gym or on run or in the boardroom.

The rear cover is made from nanocrystalline ceramic which makes it comfortable on your skin.

The watch is also complemented with an interchangeable leather watch band. A matching titanium strap is also available.

The case size is 46.6mm with a 1.43-inch AMOLED display that’s bright and sharp.

It is covered with tough sapphire glass.

And there’s no worry to take it in the water.
The Huawei Watch GT 3 Pro has an IP68 rating so it’s dust and water resistant and has 5 ATM rating so it can go as deep at 30m.

The Huawei Watch GT 3 Pro uses the Huawei Health app to pair with iPhone and Android smartphones and provides a detailed dashboard for your health and wellness stats and the details of your workout.

On the health side, the Huawei Watch GT 3 Pro can track your heartrate 24/7 and SpO2 (blood oxygen) through the onboard TruSeen 5.0+ technology that uses eight photoelectric sensors arranged in a circle.

It can even notify you if your heart rate is outside its normal range.

But the health features don’t stop there.

There’s also Huawei’s TruSleep 2.0 which can not only track your sleep and identify your sleep states but also create sleep scores and offer personalised advice on how to sleep even better.

For us, the solution was simple. The Huawei Watch GT 3 Pro told us we needed to go to bed earlier to get more sleep.

The Huawei Watch GT 3 Pro can also sense when you’re feeling stress and guide you through breathing exercises

You can also be reminded to drink more water throughout the day.

One health feature the watch doesn’t have is an ECG.

To stay fit users can also choose from more than 100 workout modes including outdoor running, indoor running, walking, cycling indoors and outdoors, pool swimming, open water swimming, rowing, skipping, triathlon and much more.

Golfers will also love the Driving Range mode which can analyse your swing and provide readings on your swing speed and swing tempo along with backswing and downswing time.

This is valuable information if you want to improve your game and ensure you can develop a smooth and consistent swing.

And golfers know that’s the key to improving and cutting strokes off your game. It certainly helped us.

Our worst habit was a fast downswing and the Huawei Watch GT 3 Pro helped us sort that out and come up with the right feel.

The Huawei Watch GT 3 Pro operating system is simple and easy to navigate.

It presents all your apps in a simple grid that makes them easy to find.

There are number of apps available to download to the watch through the Huawei Health app through the Watch AppGallery.

Of course, being a smartwatch, the Huawei Watch GT 3 Pro offers notifications on your wrist so you don’t need to take your phone out of your bag or your pocket.

You can also answer calls on your wrist as well because the watch has both a speaker and a microphone.

For messaging, there are several quick replies at your fingertips as well.

If you love your music the Huawei Watch GT 3 Pro can also be your personal jukebox with the ability to sync playlists from your phone and stream to your paired Bluetooth earphones and headphones.

Without a doubt one of the most impressive features of the Huawei Watch GT 3 Pro is the incredible battery life which Huawei puts at up to 14 days or eight days of heavy use which includes Bluetooth calls, use of GPS for workouts, regular use of sleep tracking and notifications.

And even eight days’ worth of battery doing all those things is remarkable.

This watch has increased its charging speed by 30 per cent.

You can get to 25 per cent charge in 10 minutes and 100 per cent in just 85 minutes.

The Huawei Watch GT 3 Pro is available now and is usually priced at $899 but has been discounted to $599 until September 2 for Father’s Day.

VERDICT

The Huawei Watch GT 3 Pro is one of the most versatile smartwatches on the market with an incredible battery life and the ability to pair with any smartphone.

The post Huawei Watch GT 3 Pro review – sleek, versatile smartwatch that pairs with all phones appeared first on Tech Guide.

We love BBQ, we love eating ribs and brisket but never thought we would be able to make it for ourselves, but the Traeger Ironwood 885 grill has changed all that.

We’ve always been a big fan of the show BBQ Pitmasters and marvelled at their skills as they prepared award-winning BBQ pork, beef and chicken.
And now we’ve been able to try our hand at becoming a BBQ Pitmaster ourselves.

What makes things a whole lot easier is the technology built into the grill.

Traeger’s WiFIRE technology means you can connect the grill to your home wireless network and control it from anywhere.

This feature alone greatly appealed to us as we took our first step into this new world of BBQ and smoking.

The Traeger Ironwood 885 is just one model in the company’s line-up of smokers and grills.

This freestanding grill is 1.15m tall, 1.35m wide and 66cm deep.

The unit is on wheels so it can be moved wherever you need it in your yard and once you have you have found your spot, the wheels can be locked so it stays put.

It has a solid build quality and is fairly easy to put together out of the box. The box even converts to a little cubby house for the kids.

The Ironwood 885 uses wood pellets and is powered by electricity so there’s no need for a gas bottle or any other connection.

The Traeger D2 Direct Drive is what powers the grill on DC (direct current) to maintain a consistent temperature in any weather conditions.

Once it’s ignited it uses the wood pellets for both fuel and to provide the smoke flavour to your meat.

The pellet hopper is on the right side of the grill and feeds down into the ignition chamber.

One thing we didn’t know was there were numerous flavours of wood pellets including hickory, apple, cherry, pecan, mesquite and many more.

And you’re not stuck with one flavour of wood pellets either. If you decide to make a change even with a full hopper, there is a trap door so you can empty it out to a storage container and then refill with another flavour of wood pellets.

So not only can you have a different smoke flavour but, as we’ve learned, there’s also plenty of options to flavour the cook with different rubs and sauces.

This was a whole new world.

But what we liked about the Traeger Ironwood 885 and its companion app was that everything was explained and spelt out, so we had expert guidance every step of the way.

The app not only lets you control the grill but also includes hundreds of recipes and videos for you to follow.

The Traeger Ironwood 885 is not your regular BBQ with a hot plate. It uses direct heat and smoke through specially designed channels in the main chamber.

It has a downdraft exhaust system that creates channels to circulate heat and smoke that can cook your food up to 20 per cent faster.

The downdraft exhaust system let you control smoke output while at the same time increasing the penetration of smoke into your food to really come up with that wood fire flavour.

inside the grill there are two Shelves with a large grilling area they can hold up to 10 chickens, 7 racks of ribs, nine pork butts and up to three briskets.

It also has double wall stainless steel interior and an airtight lid, so it keeps the heat in no matter how cold it happens to be outside.

there is a control panel and digital display that allows you to ignite the system, set the temperature, set timers and monitor your cook.

but thanks to the Wi-Fi controller you can now do all this from the Traeger app on your smartphone including setting and monitoring temperatures, keeping an eye on timers and receiving alerts.

There’s also a meat probe which can show you the meat’s internal temperature – a figure that’s used to determine if the meat has been cooked long enough. This information can also be displayed through the app as well.

And remember how we told you about the included recipes within the app? There are more than 1,500 recipes and videos.

You can follow your favourite pitmasters and chefs and never miss a new recipe.

There’s also a lot of information about grill care and cleaning as well as a shortcut to help and support whenever you need it either through chat, a call or online.

OK, but what about our cooks?

We’ve cooked ribs three times and each one has been a huge success.

First of all, the grill is really easy to operate so it gives novices like us an easy way to cook some great food.

It also heats up pretty fast to the desired temperature so you can get cracking on whatever you’re cooking.

We learned the process can take several hours, in the case of our ribs it was a five-hour cook with the recipes giving us clear instructions on temperature, cooking time and other preparations.

And the Traeger Ironwood 885 did the rest.

During those long cook times we were able to get on with your life and check in through the app and make any adjustments if they were needed.

Our first cook was beef ribs over five hours which we prepared with Traeger’s own rub before the cook and then coated with Traeger’s barbecue sauce before serving.

Our second rib cook was pork ribs purchased from a butcher which had already been coated with a rub before we cooked them for five hours and coated them with barbecue sauce.

More recently we cooked four racks of pork ribs which we coated with Traeger’s rub before placing him on the grill for three hours.

We then removed the ribs and wrap them in foil with brown sugar, butter and apple juice and cooked for another 90 minutes before applying the barbecue sauce and serving.

And we were able to monitor all of this through the app including how long was left in that part of the cook.

We were even able to monitor the wood pellet level as well through the app.

The Traeger Ironwood 885 has really ignited (get it?) or passion for BBQ and what was once considered too hard is now easily achievable thanks to this impressive grill.

It is available now and is priced at $2,899.

VERDICT

Whether you’re thinking of trying your hand at BBQ for the first time or if you’re a seasoned professional, the Traeger Ironwood 885 with wi-fi onboard and the companion app delivers across the board to help you cook like a true BBQ Pitmaster.

The post Traeger Ironwood 885 with wi-fi review – go from novice to pitmaster appeared first on Tech Guide.

Apple Watch Series 7 has just become an even more attractive daily companion that now allows you to do even more things right from your wrist thanks to a larger display, faster charging and other key improvements.

It might not seem like a big change from Apple Watch Series 6, but when you place them side by side the differences become more apparent.

Firstly, the display offers 20 per cent more screen area than Series 6 and more than 50 per cent more screen area than Series 3.

The borders on the display are just 1.7mm wide which is 40 per cent thinner than Series 6 which allows the screen to grow noticeably while the device itself has barely grown by a millimetre.

In fact, the new Apple Watch sizes are 41mm and 45mm but if you upgrade from a Series 5 or Series 6 your 40mm and 44mm watch bands will still fit.

It’s only when you place full screen images side-by-side that you notice this extra screen real estate.

Apple has taken advantage of this with new watch faces, more text to read on screen, larger passcode keys, an easier to use calculator and even a full QWERTY keyboard.

We never imagined the day we’d see a full keyboard on an Apple Watch but here it is.

And the good news is, it works really well whether crow picking the letters or taking advantage of QuickPath swipe typing.

The new Contour watch face takes the numbers on the dials literally to the bleeding edge of the screen with the numbers magnifying as the hour hand approaches or if you wind the digital crown.

The Modular Duo face can now accommodate larger data rich complications like heart rate, activity, world time or the phases of the moon.

The world time face now has a lot more room to breathe and lets you track the time into 24 time zones all at once.

On the design side, Apple Watch Series 7 does have a slightly redesigned case with softer and more rounded corners.

Another improvement is with durability with a new crack resistant front crystal and a new IP6X dust resistance rating along with the current WR50 water resistance.

The display is noticeably brighter indoors even while your wrist is down so it’s even easier to check the time or glance at a complication without raising your wrist.

One major improvement of the Apple Watch Series 7 is in its charging architecture which can get you fully charged 33 per cent faster than Series 6 when using the new included magnetic fast charge USB-C cable.

It now takes just 45 minutes to charge from zero to 80 per cent with eight minutes of charging enough to give you eight hours of sleep tracking.

On the battery side, the Apple Watch Series 7 gave us the same all day use without the need to charge it before we went to bed.

The faster charging is a huge charge though especially for those users who want to wear the Apple Watch Series 7 to track their sleep instead of charging it overnight.

Now you can have it fully charged by the time you start your day if you put it on the charger as soon as you wake up.

As a health and wellness product, the Apple Watch Series 7 is still highly credentialed with features like ECG, the blood oxygen app, high and low heart rate notifications and fall detection.

What it doesn’t have is blood pressure tracking which has been included with the Samsung Galaxy Watch Series 4 which, after a calibration with a cuff reading, can track fluctuation for 28 days.

On the fitness side, Apple Watch Series 7 can show your metrics in three areas – move, exercise and stand.

These make up the activity rings that track your progress and your goal is to close these rings each day.

Apple Watch Series 7 can now track cycling, yoga, strength training, swimming, hiking, dance and now with, watchOS 8, it also includes Tai chi and Pilates.

Subscribers to Apple Fitness+ will discover the service is built around Apple Watch and can display the metrics like heart rate on the device you’re using to follow the workouts whether it’s your iPhone, iPad or Apple TV.

Apple Watch Series 7 is available in aluminium in a range of new colours – midnight, starlight, green, blue and PRODUCT(RED).

The new midnight and starlight colours replace the space grey and silver aluminium colours.

Stainless steel colours are graphite, silver and gold and Apple Watch Edition are available in space black titanium and titanium (which is silver).

There are also midnight and starlight Nike versions of Apple Watch Series 7 as well as Hermes models in silver and space black stainless steel with dedicated leather watch bands.

Apple Watch Series 7 is available now and is priced from $599.

VERDICT

Apple Watch Series 7 sets itself apart again as the smartwatch that ticks all the boxes in terms of design, features and versatility. Once you start using an Apple Watch you’ll wonder why you didn’t do it sooner.

The post Apple Watch Series 7 review – a millimetre bigger but miles better appeared first on Tech Guide.

The iPad and the Apple Pencil are popular tools of the trade for artists and creators but not everyone likes sketching and writing on glass so Paperlike came up with a screen protector that gives the display a more tactile paper-like feel.

As its name suggests, Paperlike is applied to the iPad’s screen like a screen protector, but it has a course texture to replicate the feeling and friction of pen on paper.

Paperlike is available for the 12.9-inch iPad Pro, 11-inch iPad Pro and 10.9-inch iPad Air and the 10.2-inch iPad (Gen 7, 8 and 9).

Each pack contains two Paperlike screen protectors and is priced at $59.95.

Paperlike gives your iPad a matte finish which not only helps with the paper feel but also reduces reflections and glare.

Now when you are writing and drawing on the screen you can still enjoy the same versatility and responsiveness the iPad provides, but the feel is a little coarser – just like paper.

There are two Paperlike screen protectors in each packet and there are clear instructions to help you place it on the display accurately.

It comes with stickers and wipes to make the process as easy as possible.

First thing you need to do is position it on your iPad with either the home button or the Face ID camera closest to you.

Once positioned correctly you take the three included narrow stickers and stick the side of the protector to the surface where the iPad is resting.

Another sticker is placed on the opposite side to allow you lift the protector like opening a book and push the narrow stickers so they now stick to the side of the iPad.

In this position you can use the included alcohol wipes and cloth to clean and dry the screen and another sticker to remove any specks of dust before removing the back of the screen protector and laying it on the iPad screen.

Next you need a credit card to push out the air bubble to the edge and remove them before finally taking off the top layer to reveal the Paperlike’s surface.

The first thing you’ll notice is the matte finish which takes a minute to adjust to because we’re used to seeing the iPad’s glossy display.

Paperlike says this second version of the screen protector with its textured surface does let more light through than the original so there is less light refracted and less colour diffused.

The result is the colours on the screen do look a little less vibrant.

You can still see everything quite clearly and in high resolution, but the depth of colour has been reduced slightly.

That’s the small price to pay for having the textured surface so running your Apple Pencil on the screen does make it feel more like drawing on paper.

Even writing and taking notes is easier with Paperlike.

This is really important to artists who rely on the right feel to create their best work.

Paperlike will show some signs of wear and tear over time like little scratches and smudges but it’s always going still offer the same feel.

Lifespan of the Paperlike screen cover will, of course, depend on how often you are drawing and writing on your iPad.

But there are two Paperlike lovers that come in the package, so you’re covered for quite some time.

The other thing to take into consideration is the wear of the Apple Pencil nib.

Having a courser surface creates more friction which means Paperlike will have a greater impact on that nib.

Depending on how often you use it will determine when you might need to consider a new nib for Apple Pencil.

But for those who feel like Paperlike brings out the best in their work, this will be a small price to pay.

Paperlike is available now for the 12.9-inch iPad Pro, 11-inch iPad Pro and 10.9-inch iPad Air and the 10.2-inch iPad (Gen 7, 8 and 9) and priced at $59.99 for a two-pack.

Paperlike will also soon be available for the new 8.3-inch iPad Mini.

They can be purchased from JB Hi-Fi, Amazon, The Good Guys and Officeworks.

The post Paperlike screen protector for iPad makes it feel like you’re writing or drawing on paper appeared first on Tech Guide.

The 9^th generation iPad is the one product in the entire line-up that is suitable to more customers to perform a variety of tasks while remaining at an affordable price.

Yes, there are other options like the iPad Pro, the iPad Air and the new iPad Mini which have all-screen designs and more power, but the iPad (9^th Gen) is no slouch either.

The onboard A13 Bionic, which is 20 per cent faster than last year’s model, is more than capable whether you’re using the iPad for learning, working, playing or keeping yourself entertained.

It also makes the iPad, according to Apple, up to 3x faster than the bestselling Chromebook and up to 6x faster than the bestselling Android tablet.

On the design side, nothing has changed – and that’s a good thing.

It still has a brilliant 10.2-inch Retina display and, for the first time, it has True Tone which can adjust the screen based on the colour temperature of the room.

The display has a resolution of 2160 x 1620, 264ppi (pixels per inch) and 500nits of brightness.

In other words, its sharp and bright and provides excellent quality to view your apps, websites and content.

The home button with Touch ID is also still there and it makes it easier to navigate and unlock the device instantly.

Another feature that thankfully stayed the same is the Lightning port.

Every other iPad – the iPad Mini, the iPad Air and the iPad Pro – all now have USB-C ports.

The iPad (9^th Gen) is popular in schools which would have charging stations to make sure students can use them all day so keeping Lightning ensures that compatibility. Although the EU has other ideas – find out more here.

Even for entry level customers who prefer the iPad to their laptop – retaining the Lightning port will also be welcomed for those upgrading to this latest device.

The other big improvement is the 12-megapixel camera front camera which now includes Centre Stage, so you are always in the middle of the screen during your FaceTime calls and video meetings.

It is an ultrawide camera and can keep you in the frame by zooming and adjusting the frame as you move.

It’s really quite impressive – and all the work is done in the camera – the iPad doesn’t actually move.

When you’re creating content for social media, TikTok or any other video – you’ll always be front and centre.

The rear camera remains at 8-megapixel and can capture 1080p full HD video at 25 or 30 frames per second.

There’s more storage as well. The iPad (9^th Gen) comes with 64GB of storage (double iPad 8^th Gen) or a maximum of 256GB.

It is also available in Wi-Fi and 4G LTE Cellular models. For 5G connectivity you will need to go for iPad Mini or the iPad Pro – and the next version of the iPad Air.

The device also has the same trademark long battery life and is also running the latest iPadOS 15 which includes a host of new features.

Apple Pencil ($145) also works with the iPad and there are also a number of other accessories available including a Smart Keyboard ($235).

The iPad (9^th Gen) is available now and is priced at $499 (64GB Wi-Fi only), $699 (64GB, Wi-Fi + Cellular), $729 (256GB, Wi-Fi) and $929 (256GB, Wi-Fi + Cellular).

VERDICT

The iPad, even 11 years after it was introduced, is still one of the most popular and versatile devices you can buy, and this latest version gives it even higher credentials. The original, for many, is still the best.

The post iPad (9th Gen) review – the original is still the best for most customers appeared first on Tech Guide.