Articles by Rowan Davies, Editorial Associate

The Google Nest Mini and Nest Audio smart speakers

No, Google hasn’t forgotten about your old Nest speakers, and there’s a big firmware update for the Preview Program coming — here’s how you can sign up

By Rowan Davies Published 15 October 26

A handful of older speakers are getting audio streaming upgrades, as well as fixes for smart-home controls and connectivity.

'This marks a huge advancement for automatic tracking': Google’s screenless Fitbit Air will soon be able to automatically track over 100 workouts — and premium subscribers also get Health Guardian tools

By Rowan Davies Published 13 October 26

The Fitbit Air is getting smarter workout detection tools, powered by a new LLM model for improved reliability.

Nothing’s affordable CMF arm just launched its first ever Bluetooth speakers — but it’s the charismatic 'milk carton' design that has everyone talking

By Rowan Davies Published 13 October 26

The two milk carton-esque Bluetooth speakers are built for compact listening, but are packed with audio features beneath the surface.

‘I did it all with the help of AI’: a driver used ChatGPT to help him with a three-year parking ticket dispute — and won

By Rowan Davies Published 12 October 26

ChatGPT came in handy for this man when he asked it for legal advice, and won a three-year parking fine dispute.

6 Comments

Spotifast is a new desktop app alternative to Spotify that doesn’t swallow up all your RAM — and it packs the nostalgia of Winamp skins

By Rowan Davies Published 9 October 26

Spotifast is a native and lightweight Spotify app that uses much less RAM, resulting in a speedier listening experience.

Two smartphone showing audiobooks in Spotify app

Spotify has huge audiobook upgrades on the way and bookworms will rejoice — but those of us hoping for a music-only interface will be disappointed

By Rowan Davies Published 7 October 26

Audiobooks are coming to over 180 markets, but all I want is my app to be a music-only experience.

Norway set to become first country to slap a temporary ban on smart specs — and an ‘informed debate’ will determine the future of Meta Ray-Bans and other ‘pervert glasses’

By Rowan Davies Published 6 October 26

Norway's temporary ban will prohibit the use of smart glasses at parks, beaches, museums, schools, kindergartens, among other venues.

7 Comments

Dutch eyewear giant becomes first retailer to halt Meta Ray-ban sales — Hans Anders pulls smart glasses from 400 stores due to ‘questions being raised’ about the tech

By Rowan Davies Published 5 October 26

The eyewear retailer has pulled the smart glasses from stores following growing concerns over the public use of the tech.

18 Comments

Google Home is getting a slew of fresh upgrades for Find My Phone and other smart home tools — but it’s not enough for some users

By Rowan Davies Published 1 October 26

Google Home's new round of updates also includes Automations fixes and video footage viewing upgrades.

The Eufy S4 video doorbell by Anker being attached to a wall

Anker launches world's first video doorbell with VR viewing — fortunately it has other smart features to justify its giant price tag (and is subscription-free)

By Rowan Davies Published 28 September 26

With 180-degree viewing field, AI tracking, and subject framing, there's nothing the Eufy S4 video doorbell can't do.

Spotify pins and SongDNA tools in the mobile app

I’ve been keeping up with every Spotify update this year, and these are my 5 favorite upgrades — from SongDNA to its Reserved concert ticket scheme

By Rowan Davies Published 27 September 26

From Taste Profile to Reserved, these are the biggest changes Spotify has made over the past few months.

An image of Gene Wilder as Willy Wonka next to the promo for Netflix's Wonka's Golden Ticket

Viewers call Netflix 'disgusting’: Wonka’s Golden Ticket receives huge backlash to its AI Gene Wilder voice, and I saw it coming from a mile away

By Rowan Davies Published 24 September 26

Netflix's AI generation of Gene Wilder's voice doesn't recreate the magic from the original movie.

Samsung is tipped to add security chips to Galaxy phones and begin its crackdown on fake battery replacements

By Rowan Davies Published 23 September 26

Authentication chips would ensure your Galaxy phone battery is safe and genuine, but Samsung has yet to comment.

Guy Pearce in a still from Memento (2000)

Christopher Nolan’s Memento is finally getting a 4K Blu-ray — and it’s the first disc of his movies to be approved for a Dolby Vision HDR version by the man himself

By Rowan Davies Published 22 September 26

The 4K restoration is 'coming soon', and will be restored under the eye of independent distributor Umbrella.

A smartphone showing a Spotify Prompted Playlist next to press material from Spotify Wrapped 2025

Someone used this Spotify tool to cheat and preview their Wrapped 2026 summary, and I tried it out and it works — but there’s no way I’d do it again

By Rowan Davies Published 21 September 26

With Spotify's Prompted Playlists, you can get a sneak preview of what your Wrapped could look like.

A Spotify GTA 6 billboard next to a promo photo for GTA 6

Spotify teases a GTA 6 collaboration — I hope Rockstar will finally let us use our own playlists, but people suspect it's something simpler

By Rowan Davies Published 18 September 26

Spotify's mysterious billboards point to the streamer's involvement in GTA 6, which could include account integration.

A remote pointing at a TV and a TV frame with the Disney+ homepage

I almost canceled Disney+, until it launched its new Playlists feature — now I can’t get enough of its approach to ‘lean-back’ viewing

By Rowan Davies Published 17 September 26

No matter whether you're looking for comedy movies or can't decide on which Modern Family episode to re-watch next, this new Disney+ feature can do the hard work for you.

Thought the Philips Hue Bridge Pro was expensive? It’s just been hit with a huge global price hike — but there’s a new software update that cushions the blow

By Rowan Davies Published 17 September 26

Prices for the Philips Hue Bridge Pro have gone up by $40, but new 'Bridgeless Sync' could be a game-changer.

A laptop screen with the JustWatch home page

Streaming guide JustWatch is launching its own platform with both free and paid tiers, and I think it's already matching the likes of Tubi — here's why

By Rowan Davies Published 16 September 26

JustWatch TV is arriving in October, with Paramount, New Regency, and more supporting its content launch.

Has Downloader stopped working on your Fire TV Stick? Don’t panic, Amazon isn’t killing sideloading on previous models, and a fix is on the way

By Rowan Davies Published 15 September 26

A bug that stopped sideloading on older Fire TV models is being fixed, says Amazon.

Spotify is finally giving you a button to block kids’ music from your recommendations and Wrapped — now YouTube needs to follow suit

By Rowan Davies Published 15 September 26

Spotify is giving parents more control, now you can easily exclude your kids favorite music from your taste profile.

Google appears to have killed off the Pixel Tablet after just three years, and the move has left users concerned for the fate of ‘one of the most underrated products'

By Rowan Davies Published 11 September 26

The Google Pixel tablet is no more, Google appears to have pulled it from its online store.

Apple Watch and iPhone displaying heart health

Apple Watch's new health upgrades are more than just fitness tracking tools — here are 5 features that could change how you monitor your wellbeing

By Rowan Davies Published 10 September 26

The new Apple Watch health monitoring tools are broader, smarter, and more personal.

The iPhone Duo seemed like it fixed the folding crease problem, but these images show you should temper your expectations

By Rowan Davies Published 10 September 26

Apple unveiled its first foldable, the iPhone Duo, but it hasn't quite fixed the display crease issue as expected.

13 Comments

Apple Watch Series 12 vs Series 11 on wrist

Apple Watch Series 12 vs Series 11 — new Ceramic model, Health Sensing System, Audio Intelligence and all the key upgrades

By Rowan Davies Published 9 September 26

How does Apple's new wearable compare to its predecessor? Here's our full comparison including all the key specs.

Rowan Davies

Articles by: Rowan Davies

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