Latest posts
I watched Sentimental Value at home and it’s not the way to see it
I watch a fair few films, though recently I haven’t been going to the cinema as much. That’s more to do with the quality of films available (if there’s anything that will kill cinema, it will be the dearth of quality). That doesn’t mean I watch more films at home per se, as if I’ve…
Where are all the smart smoke and heat alarm systems?
As a smart home reviewer, you can well imagine that my home is properly kitted out with connected devices. What’s become clear over the years is the dearth of smart fire detection products that are actually suitable for UK homes. It’s a perplexing black hole. It’s not just about smoke There’s no shortage of smart…
Passport-shaped foldables are making a comeback, and I couldn’t be happier
Every time I pick up a modern book-style foldable, I have the same thought: this is brilliant, but not perfect. For years, the foldable market has settled on tall, skinny designs that technically tick the ‘big inner screen’ box but never quite nail the experience of having a genuine tablet in your pocket – recent…
Forget Amazon, Apple and Google, Homey is my smart home system of choice for power
I used to be a big SmartThings user back in the day. Powered by its hub, it was the powerhouse of smart home automation, but since Samsung has moved away from the Classic app and the hub is now made by Aeotec, it has lost some of its more powerful features, such as WebCore for…
Samsung’s making a big mistake if it skips this feature in the Galaxy S26 range
I’m not asking Samsung to reinvent the smartphone every year. If we’re being honest, it feels like the era of genuinely “new” phones is behind us – aside from occasional outliers like the Clicks Communicator and Samsung Galaxy Z TriFold – and that’s fine. What I do want, however, is for Samsung to stop treating…
The £799 Segway Navimow i2 AWD brings two premium upgrades to budget mowing
Forget fancier object detection or the ability to mow patterns into lawns. When it comes to robot lawn mowers, there are two requirements: the ability to move through your garden, and the simplest setup possible. They’re the two features that Segway has managed to nail in its new line-up, impressively even with its entry-level Navimow…
Might this little streamer change UK viewing habits forever?
As Sam Cooke sang many decades ago, “a change is gonna come”, and as far as applying that thought to the world of TVs, the landscape is constantly changing. And the last ten years have provided plenty of upheaval for the TV industry. There’s more competition than before and prices are being driven down. Great…
Smartphone AI is slowly turning into bloatware we can’t remove
There used to be a very easy way to deal with smartphone bloatware: you’d set up the device, find the folder of pre-installed games or apps you never asked for, and spend about 10 minutes deleting them. It was a bit of a tax on your time, but it was achievable. However, in the age…
The Belkin WeMo shutdown shows the dangers of smart hardware and why there needs to be better exit planning
Up in my loft, I have an Atari 2600 games console, which launched all the way back in 1977. Occasionally, I’ll bring it down and put on a few games. It’s always fun to make the kids play ET (launched in December 1982), struggling to comprehend how this could be considered a game (to be…
This hyper-niche public transport app is my new obsession
Living in London, apps like Citymapper, Google Maps and, of course, TFL Go are essential for getting around the vast, winding public transport network to get from A to B. The problem? They’re not always the most reliable. Since I relocated to a new area of London a few months ago, I’ve been getting myself…