Articles by Rowan Davies, Editorial Associate

A screenshot of a podcast playback screen in Spotify showing the new Skip Ahead button

Spotify quietly added a button to skip ads in podcasts, except for its own promotional content — and it’s sparked widespread concern for the future of podcasting

By Rowan Davies Last updated 10 August 26

Spotify quietly added a new way for you to skip through ads in podcast episodes, but some fear it's the beginning of the end for creators.

Two smartphones showing the Spotify app, one showing the playlist creation options, and the other showing a Library of saved albums

Spotify helps me keep track of my favorite songs from each year — but this one upgrade would make it so much easier for grouping my favorite albums

By Rowan Davies Published 9 August 26

Spotify still doesn't let you add albums to folders, so I've been using Musicboard to keep track of my favorite releases instead.

‘Playing around with your favourite artist’s song is an ultimate expression of fandom’: Spotify is taking another step into participatory music tools with its upcoming AI remix feature — but it signals red flags for industry professionals

By Rowan Davies Published 8 August 26

Spotify's agreement with Merlin brings it one step closer to launching its AI-powered remix tool, but where do industry professionals stand on it?

Do your AirPods slip out while you run or chew? This user found a simple and cheap trick to keep them in place — and you’ll still be able to fit them in your charging case

By Rowan Davies Published 6 August 26

This AirPods owner bought liquid silicone earbud replacement tips, and they've never looked back.

The Syitren RM1 CD player on a coffee table

This transparent CD player puts the inner workings on full display like a work of art — it's the perfect showpiece for physical media fans

By Rowan Davies Published 4 August 26

Syitren's new CD player is equal parts music player and live art display, and it looks like it came straight from an art gallery.

‘The next major music platform should give people something to do with the music’: Spotify’s former Head of Innovation on his plans to launch an interactive music service, and whether AI features will help or hinder streaming

By Rowan Davies Published 2 August 26

Mauhan M. Zonoozy was Head of Innovation at Spotify, and now he's taking on the world of music streaming with his own interactive platforms.

The Spine Music album dispplay next to an image of its founder, Ricardo Amorim

Miss your CD collection? This wall-mounted display for Spotify and Apple Music promises to bring back its ‘feeling of connection’ — but its maker insists he doesn’t want to kill off physical media

By Rowan Davies Published 31 July 26

Spine Music founder Ricardo Amorim is putting his love for albums and CD collecting into a new digital music display.

The Lola digital camera in the palm of a hand

I swapped my iPhone's camera for this Y2K-inspired digicam — and there’s only one point-and-shoot I want in my pocket for capturing memories

By Rowan Davies Published 27 July 26

The Lola camera embraces the nostalgia of '00s digital photography, and it's perfect for taking a break from your smartphone camera app.

Spotify's rumored song ID tool could upstage Apple Music and Shazam in one fell swoop, and solve my biggest song-saving headache

By Rowan Davies Published 24 July 26

Spotify is tipped to launch a built-in song identifier tool to one-up Apple and Shazam.

The Google Home Mini speaker on a coffee table and the Next Hub on a bedside table

Google is rolling out Gemini Live to its first-gen smart home devices, and it’s great news if your Home Mini speaker is still going strong — here’s how you can sign up to early access

By Rowan Davies Published 24 July 26

Older Google smart home devices are getting Gemini Live, but you'll need a Google Home Premium subscription for the full experience.

2 Comments

A smartphone showing Spotify's new Music Video Charts Global playlist

Spotify just launched its first ever music video charts, bringing MTV’s classic format into the streaming era — but I think it’ll be a long time before YouTube users make the switch

By Rowan Davies Published 22 July 26

Spotify's new Music Video Charts Global brings back the nostalgia of classic music TV channels, but it still won't beat YouTube.

Lorde performs during day three of Glastonbury festival 2025, and Spotify's About the Song feature on a smartphone

Pop singer Lorde slammed Spotify’s AI ‘About the Song’ feature, claiming it’s full of nothing but false details — and now subscribers are starting to catch on

By Rowan Davies Published 21 July 26

Lorde called out Spotify's About the Song tool, saying its details were incorrect and that it 'limits free interpretation'.

The Philips Hue Sync Screen mounted to a TV

Philips Hue’s rumored TV camera would be a huge shift for the smart lighting giant — but rival brands Govee and Nanoleaf have been doing it for years

By Rowan Davies Published 21 July 26

Philips Hue could launch a new camera gadget for TV backlight syncing at IFA 2026.

China just banned AI girlfriends and boyfriends — and millions of users were forced into sudden breakups

By Rowan Davies Last updated 21 July 26

The Chinese government has issued new regulations to ban services allowing you to create AI companions.

Netflix shows its love for AI once again — the platform has acquired Ben Affleck’s firm InterPositive for $587 million, and it’s just given me another reason to cancel my subscription

By Rowan Davies Published 20 July 26

Netflix revealed that it bought AI firm InterPositive for $587 million, and subscribers are concerned for future movies and shows.

Two smartphones showing a list of Netflix original shows and the episodes page for The Boroughs

Netflix is expanding its range of content again, and this time it’s chasing YouTube — and I’m starting to question whether it actually cares about the future of its original movies and shows

By Rowan Davies Published 10 July 26

Netflix is bringing YouTube-style content to the platform soon — has it stopped caring about its original dramas?

The Google TV Streamer interface next to the Google Home Speaker

After a six-year delay, Google’s Home Speaker finally supports wireless pairing with your Google TV streamer — and it also supports Dolby Atmos

By Rowan Davies Published 10 July 26

The Google Home Speaker finally supports wireless connectivity to the Google TV Streamer, and it also comes with Dolby Atmos support.

4 Comments

Two smartphones with the Spotify Mixed Playlist interface

Spotify didn’t tell anyone it updated its song-mixing feature, and users are obsessed with it — now I’m putting even more pride into how I curate my DJ-set playlists

By Rowan Davies Published 8 July 26

Spotify's Mixed Playlist feature just got a quiet upgrade, and its new customization tools have boosted it to a new level.

A conversation in Google Messages next to the Samsung Galaxy S26

Samsung Messages has just been killed off, forcing loyal users to make the switch to Google Messages, and not everyone is pleased — this is what you need to do

By Rowan Davies Published 7 July 26

Samsung Messages has finally shut down in favor of Google Messages, and this is what you need to do if you haven't made the switch.

This new interactive tool on the reMarkable Paper Pro turns your device into Tom Riddle’s diary from Harry Potter — and it’s one of the smartest e-reader features I’ve seen

By Rowan Davies Published 7 July 26

A developer has designed an ereader tool that mimics Tom Riddle's diary from the Harry Potter series.

The top of a Dyson HushJet Mini Cool fan next to a hand holding the Oppo Find X9 Ultra, next to two hands holding a Sony A7R VI

The best tech of 2026 so far — the 21 finest gadgets we've tested this year

By Mark Wilson Published 4 July 26

TechRadar has spent days testing 639 products across phones, TVs, laptops, cameras, smartwatches and more in 2026. These are the best ones we've reviewed so far this year.

2 Comments

The Steam Machine, a PS5, and a Garmin Forerunner 70 watch.

ICYMI: The week's 7 biggest tech news stories from PlayStation killing physical games to Anthropic finally re-releasing Fable 5

By Hamish Hector Published 4 July 26

As the USA turns 250, here's the week's biggest tech news stories from PlayStation, Valve, Garmin, WhatsApp and more.

A close up of pinned playlists in the Spotify library

Spotify confirms it’s fixing a major playlist organization problem — and this boost to ‘Your Library’ pinning is something I’ve wanted for years

By Rowan Davies Published 3 July 26

Spotify confirms it's increasing the number of items you can pin to Your Library from 4 to 20.

Samsung is pulling the plug on its Vascular Load tracking tool in the US just a year after it launched — but don’t worry, the company is offering an alternative

By Rowan Davies Published 2 July 26

Samsung is getting rid of its Vascular Load tool on Galaxy Watch in the US, but it's got another feature to replace it.

‘I’m returning mine’: The new Google Home Speaker is off to bad start as users complain of delayed responses — but Google says a solution is on the way

By Rowan Davies Published 2 July 26

The new Google Home Speaker is already facing its share of early issues, but the company says a fix is on the way.

Rowan Davies

Articles by: Rowan Davies

Useful links