Gadgets
Five home gadgets you think you don’t need but are secretly great
Some tech, like a talking toothbrush, doesn’t seem like much when you first hear about it, but can become indispensable once you’ve tried it.
- Tim Biggs
Latest
- Opinion
- Child safety
How Trump’s tariffs will turbocharge child deaths in Africa
Three-quarters of the world’s cobalt, used in smartphones and laptops, comes from the Democratic Republic of Congo. This makes us vulnerable.
- Passy Mubalama
How useful are portable battery power stations for the home?
Similar to mains power you can take with you, and able to be topped up by solar, battery stations are a new option when it comes to camping power or household back-up.
- Tim Biggs
- Analysis
- Analysis
Apple was on brink of crisis before Trump granted tariff concession
Moving iPhone production from China to India or elsewhere would have been a Herculean task for the tech giant. Now it’s been handed a major reprieve.
- Mark Gurman and Shawn Donnan
- Opinion
- Family holidays
On holiday, it’s time for parents to draw a line in the sand
The Netflix series Adolescence is a warning to parents about kids spending too much time online. A holiday is the perfect circuit-breaker.
- Lee Tulloch
Apple AirPods can now be used as hearing aids in Australia
From Wednesday, users with a set of $400 AirPods Pro 2 can self-administer a hearing test and use their earbuds as an over-the-counter hearing aid.
- Tim Biggs
Why tracking your parents is about to be the next big thing
While most tracking app users are antsy parents who keep tabs on their kids, adult children tracking elderly parents could be the next big thing.
- Cindy Yin
Apple’s dictation system transcribes the word ‘racist’ as ‘Trump’
An Apple spokesperson blamed the issue on phonetic overlap between the two words, and said the company was working to fix it.
- Tripp Mickle and Eli Tan
- Review
- Home tech
Vacuum with legs puts new spin on doing the chores
It can’t exactly go upstairs, but the Dreame X50 Ultra’s improvements and manoeuvrability put it well ahead of the competition.
- Tim Biggs
- Review
- Home tech
LG’s briefcase TV is a bulky, battery-powered magic
If what you want is a battery-powered TV fitted inside a piece of luggage, then this gadget has you covered.
- Tim Biggs