Sick and tired of getting scam calls and messages? Apple’s latest iOS update (27.2) adds a bunch of new features to help suss out the sus.

For one, phones will screen unknown senders by default, which automatically forces unknown callers to answer questions about the call even before the phone rings. Now, while this works, it does filter out some callers that don’t bother to engage with the call screening, such as a call from your apartment’s gate when someone’s requesting access.

You can filter the numbers to avoid these scenarios. But before I realised this, I kept missing the calls and left visitors waiting outside. Oops.

On the Messages app, links from unknown senders are automatically disabled, and you’ll also get warning messages for unknown and international numbers. FaceTime will also disable name sharing and photos from unknown callers, which means someone can’t use a fake Singapore Police profile picture and name to try to scam you.

But the thing is, these features are basically limited to Apple’s own apps. So if you live in the US and use Messages all the time for that blue bubble, great. In Singapore, where the primary mode of messaging is WhatsApp? Well, these features don’t work for that app.

Apple doesn’t mandate that messaging apps on its platform offer similar protection, and leaves it up to developers to implement. Which is a shame, really, because Apple’s walled garden ecosystem is the perfect environment to implement such measures system-wide.

After all, it already mandates that apps cannot use AI to generate nudes of people, offer solicitation or sex work, child trafficking and the like. So it’s not like it can’t add a few more rules for messaging platforms to require that they disable links from unknown senders, or even requiring that they block random video callers from showing photos and names.

But maybe Apple is setting the example here, and hoping that developers will take notes and follow. Or perhaps it’s just good advertising to show that its users are more secure (if they only use their apps).

While WhatsApp does have its own scam protections, such as disabling link previews, I guess I’ll just have to continue to be vigilant when replying messages and answering calls from unknown users as well as clicking on links on WhatsApp or opening files. Heck, you should always do this anyway, regardless of platform.

This week, it’s all about audio as we tried Anker’s clip-on earbuds, tested JBL’s flagship Cove wireless speaker, and listened to Apple’s new HomePod mini 2.

Clip-style open earbuds are trending — Samsung announced its own version recently — and it’s not hard to see why. They are comfortable, and let you stay aware of your surroundings. Like other such earbuds in the market, Anker’s Soundcore Aeroclip 2 earbuds clip to the bottom of your ear. They are also pretty striking in a matte Burgundy Red finish. The audio is actually impressive, though there’s no noise cancellation.

Anker Soundcore Aeroclip 2

The most expensive of the three Cove wireless speakers released by JBL recently, the JBL Cove X1 offers a room-filling sound. You can also use it as part of a home theatre setup with a compatible JBL soundbar or as a stereo pair. More importantly, it’s really easy to switch between these use cases, as well as add it as part of a whole-room audio setup using the responsive and user-friendly JBL One app.

JBL Cove X1

The new Apple HomePod mini 2 may look identical to the previous version, but when it comes to the sound, it’s a bit richer and fuller, with a more pronounced bass. There’s also Sound Glow, a new light effect that syncs to the music, while Siri AI will arrive in a future update. And it can be used in a four-speaker surround sound setup with the latest 4th-gen Apple TV 4K.

Apple HomePod mini 2

I have dabbled with retro gaming now and then — the Trimui Brick was my last brush with playing vintage games from the past. But I didn’t have the nostalgia that some retro gamers feel for these games. All I knew was that it usually took years for enthusiasts to create emulators that could properly mimic vintage game consoles.

But in recent months, things have gotten weird. In my YouTube feeds, I’m getting served videos of classic (and some not-so-old) games being made playable on PC, sometimes even the browser. Many are in 4K quality at 60fps, and there are more and more of them.

It turns out AI is really good at taking the binary or the machine code of a program and reverse-engineering (or decompiling) it to produce equivalent human readable code that works similarly to the original. This saves a lot of time, allowing humans to focus on the trickier part, which is recompiling and adapting this code, especially if it’s for a different hardware platform, for another device, like a Windows PC.

What would have taken a team of humans months or weeks to do is now a matter of hours or days with AI tools. In fact, OpenAI says its GPT-6 Astra can “reverse engineer software binaries to understand its core logic without access to raw source code. Astra solved 88.0% of tasks in a single attempt and 99.2% within four attempts.” That’s huge, and has led to folks trying it out on software like Adobe Photoshop, producing clones that can replicate practically all the functions of the software, albeit not free of bugs.

Since creating emulators and making retro games playable on modern devices is such a labour-intensive task, it’s no surprise that some have started using AI for this purpose. And it’s not just really old games. More recent titles have also been converted using this approach. A quick search on Quiver Launcher, an online repository of these community-built PC ports, returned 21 projects for the PS4, including multiple projects for PS4 exclusive Bloodborne, which gamers have been begging for a remake or sequel for years.

Of course, everything is above board for these projects since the actual game files aren’t provided. Users need to have their own game files for these projects to run on their PCs. This rules out the majority of gamers, though those who are motivated enough will probably be able to find them online somewhere.

The advent of AI tools for retro games will probably benefit game archivists who are trying to preserve games, especially with physical media becoming increasingly rare (thanks Sony). However, it has also apparently created a rift in the community. For example, some contributors seem to care more about releasing games using AI as quickly as possible, and not so much about the quality of the port. A major community hub Decomp.dev shut down recently, and highlighted these issues.

At this point, the genie is out of the bottle. It may just be a matter of time before every game gets the same treatment. AAA games will obviously take far longer to create a PC port. But AI tools have also accelerated the development of projects like AnyPS5, which aims to convert PS5 binaries into Windows apps. There are plenty of motivated folks who can’t wait for the official PC version of the PS5-exclusive GTA VI, and I wouldn’t bet against them coming up with an unofficial version with the help of AI.

This week, we tried Apple’s first foldable, tested Boya’s wearable AI note-taker, and got a glimpse of what Wi-Fi 8 brings to the table.

Apple may be late to foldables, but its first attempt, the iPhone Duo looks promising. The tech giant delivers a premium experience filled with its own ideas on foldables, from using a matte layer to minimise the crease to a split keyboard when unfolded. But not all third-party apps are optimised for the iPhone Duo yet, while a small number of iPhone Duos have suffered cracked inner screens with normal usage.

Apple iPhone Duo

The Boya Notra Nano takes the brand’s entry-level AI note-taker and changes up the form factor. The thicker but smaller cube-like Nano can be used in three ways: Around the neck with a lanyard, attached to clothing using a magnet, and worn like a watch with an included wristband. But you’ll get the same AI transcription tools from the likes of ChatGPT and Grok as Boya’s other note-takers, with a paid subscription required for heavy users.

Boya Notra Nano

Wi-Fi 8 is here and TP-Link is leading the charge with the Archer 8 Ultra. This tri-band router demonstrated a wider coverage than TP-Link’s older Wi-Fi 7 models in our testing, despite not having all of Wi-Fi 8 features yet — there’s no Wi-Fi 8 clients either. However, it won’t be cheap (S$1,299) when it launches on November 16 in Singapore at a VivoCity roadshow.

TP-Link Archer 8 Ultra

If you’re like us and have to change smartphones all the time for testing, the idea of changing one every six months feels like a chore. But most of you aren’t tech reviewers, so a phone swap every six months where you can upgrade to the latest device that catches your eye may seem like a pretty good deal.

That’s where mobile virtual network operator Swap Mobile comes in. Powered by StarHub’s network, Swap Mobile offers customers the ability to well, basically, rent smartphones and change them every half a year. A device subscription, in other words. If you don’t change the phone at all, at the end of the 24-month period, you can pay a fee to keep the phone or return it.

Interestingly, if you choose to not own or change the phone, you can still continue to rent it, with any payments made going towards reducing the fee. Which means you’ll eventually pay off the phone and own it fully.

After six months of the 24-month period, you can choose to change the phone for a newer model, even to a lower-end device to save on your subscription, but this will restart the 24-month cycle.

Note that all the devices are brand new, with Swap Mobile’s CEO Andy Tan telling me that that the returned phones are checked, stored, and may be resold in the second-hand market. Tan also mentioned that there were plans for possibly letting users choose second-hand devices in the future.

So how much would a device subscription from Swap Mobile cost you? Take for example, the 256GB iPhone 18 Pro Max, which is available with a S$84.90 monthly subscription. That works out to S$2,037.60, or about S$138.60 more than the S$1,899 cost of the iPhone from Apple. That’s honestly not a bad deal, especially since you can probably swap to a new iPhone in about a year.

It’s basically like buying a phone on contract from established telcos, except that there’s no upfront fee, and you can change the device more often.

Bear in mind though that you do not actually own the phone, and looking at the fine print on Swap Mobile’s website, they can lock you out of the phone if you fall behind on bill payment.

Lastly, Swap Mobile does offer device protection on top of the subscription, and depending on the device, may include it for free for higher-end devices. This includes accidental damage repair and exchange, theft claims, and tech support. If it doesn’t come free, then you’ll probably have to add it on when you get a plan.

This week, we tested Asus’ latest premium Zenbook laptop, blasted a ton of music with the JBL PartyBox 13 speaker, and tried the noise cancellation of Sony’s high-end headphones on a flight.

The Asus Zenbook 14 is the latest premium laptop from the PC maker, and features its patented Ceraluminum, a ceramic-like aluminium that’s more resistant to scratches and smudges than plain aluminium. I tested the Qualcomm-powered version (S$2,199) that’s cheaper than the AMD and Intel variants (over S$3,000), but that’s also because the chip is an older model. But the design and the port selection are more or less the same across all three version of the Zenbook 14.

Asus Zenbook 14

If you’re looking for a loud and flashy speaker to set the mood at a party or even act as a portable PA system, consider the JBL PartyBox 130. Besides the lightshow and the powerful sound, this 11kg speaker has a host of connectors that lets you plug in a guitar, microphone, and even connect to a TV. Using the JBL One app, you can even insert sound effects like a drum roll or applause, so it’s just perfect for gatherings and parties.

JBL PartyBox 130

With a name like The Collexion, there’s little doubt that these Sony wireless headphones are designed for the premium category. And at S$839, they are definitely more expensive than average. For that money, you will get great sound with lots of detail and impressive noise cancellation. They are also very comfortable to wear, thanks to the plush headband and soft faux leather earcups.

Sony 1000X The Collexion

So Apple just refreshed its devices for the home (i.e Apple TV 4K and the HomePod speakers), and launched HomeView, its take on the smart home hub. There will also be an Apple Home Collection, a lineup of smart home accessories (cameras, temperature sensors and thermostats) designed with partners LG Electronics and Schneider Electric.

But the device I was most looking forward to was the new Apple TV 4K. Now, I’ll admit that I’m a new convert to Apple’s media streamer. Earlier this year, I finally caved in and bought the older 2022 Apple TV 4K — after the webOS interface on my LG TV became increasingly sluggish and bloated. The Apple TV 4K was definitely a big improvement, even if it lacked audio passthrough, a feature that was on my ancient pre-COVID Nvidia Shield TV Pro streamer. Audio passthrough is probably the one thing most TV enthusiasts wanted to see in the new Apple TV 4K.

Unfortunately, that didn’t happen. Instead, the new Apple TV 4K goes big on Siri AI. You get new far-field mics that lets you talk to Siri from your couch hands-free, without using the remote. The new remote, by the way, gets a Find My feature that can play a sound to help you locate it. But it still doesn’t have backlighting for when you’re watching a movie in the dark. I suppose Apple wants you to control the TV using your voice instead. There’s also Wi-Fi 7 support, which is admittedly a nice upgrade that will probably be overlooked by most folks.

And everything’s made possible by the powerful A19 chip (used in the iPhone 17) that can do all the AI stuff, and more importantly for the TV enthusiasts, has a dedicated AV1 decoder to make video streaming from YouTube and Netflix even more efficient.

On paper, the new Apple TV 4K is capable of doing all the things TV enthusiasts wanted. So it’s even more infuriating that Apple isn’t enabling any of them. There’s still no audio passthrough, while the refresh rate is 60Hz at 4K (no chance of getting 120Hz for your Apple Arcade games).

Siri AI is also coming to older Apple TV 4K (2nd gen or later), and requires the user to have an “Apple Intelligence-enabled iPhone or iPad running the latest software version”. Oh, and it’s currently available only in a few countries, including the US and Singapore, but with the EU notably missing from the list.

So you don’t even need the new Apple TV 4K for Siri AI, which, thanks to the memory shortage, is also significantly more expensive at S$399 for 128GB storage (there’s no 64GB model anymore). In comparison, a last-gen Apple TV 4K, which recently had a price hike, starts from S$229 for a refurbished 64GB version from Apple.

In other words, those that are looking to use the Apple TV 4K as a replacement for their slow or bloated TV interfaces or apps will be fine with the older version. Unless you really want Siri AI or keep losing the remote control. We can hope that Apple may update the software in the future to support features like audio passthrough, but I’m not holding my breath.

This week, we tried Apple’s new Studio Display, played the latest installment in the Fire Emblem series of turn-based tactical RPG, and sang our hearts out with JBL’s EasySing Mics.

The new Apple Studio Display is still the same 5K LED-backlit panel with 600 nits of brightness, but you do get two Thunderbolt 5 ports, with one downstream port that lets you daisy chain to another monitor. The 12MP camera is improved, and works better in low light. There’s also better bass from the built-in speakers.

Apple Studio Display (2026)

If you love turn-based tactical RPGs, Fire Emblem: Fortune’s Weave is a must-play. This Nintendo Switch 2 exclusive feels epic, with four hero paths to choose from, and challenging combat. There’s plenty of content, though the dungeon exploration is a miss. Overall, it’s fun, and looks great, though some parts of the game may feel repetitive.

Fire Emblem: Fortune's Weave

Karaoke doesn’t get much easier than with the JBL EasySing Mics, which uses AI to remove vocals from any song, and hence making them suitable for karaoke. You can also retain the original vocals, but at a lower volume, if you need some help. However, these mics work only with compatible JBL party speakers, which is probably why they are so easy to set up.

JBL EasySing Mics

From robo taxis to impressive tech toys, Shenzhen is known as the Silicon Valley of China, thanks to companies such as Huawei, Honor, DJI, Insta360, Ugreen, and more. But it’s not just the tech companies, the city is also home to a giant electronics market, called HuaQiangBei where you can conceivably find any gadget that’s been made (in China).

But if you want to look at newer products, then you’ll have to visit either Inno100 or Z-Pilot, two places that were recommend by my good friend . The former is co-launched by Kickstarter, and is the first authorised offline retail store.

Inside, you’ll find massive 3D printers, exoskeletons, cups with built-in digital screens that appear to be under the ceramic, holographic displays, and my favourite gadget of them all, a Go playing robot.

It looks like a really weird snail, but this Go robot uses the two cameras in its “antennas” to detect your play, then a robot arm uses suction to pick up a stone and place it. It seems like the perfect gift for a niece who just picked up the game, but it’s not a cheap one — the robot retails for 3,499 RMB (~S$660 or US$520).

The best part, though, is that it can pick up the pieces and put them in their respective containers after the game, making clean-up a breeze. I also spotted the Eight Sleep Mattress, an exoskeleton competitor to Hypershell, which just launched in Singapore, and drones such as the HoverAir Aqua which can take off on water.

I also popped by Z-Pilot, located at the touristy Nantou Ancient City, which offers similar products. I spotted 3D-printed shoes, robotic Labubu-like plushies, a portable fan that uses a Peltier cooler to cool and blow mist at you, and a bear that well, nibbles your finger when you put it into its mouth. I have no idea why anyone would want one, but don’t let me stop you from your kinks, yeah?

Anyway, the highlight of my trip to the store was actually watching pick up a LiberLive Stringless Smart Guitar and belt out Careless Whisper while strumming the odd-looking guitar. I also tried it, and it honestly felt like I was playing Guitar Hero, since it features multiple buttons you have to hit and strum while following the on-screen prompts. Here’s me trying to play Chinese ballad “后来” (Hou Lai, or Later).

This week, we listened to Sonos’ new Beam Ultra soundbar, tested a premium budget laptop from Acer, and charged plenty of gadgets with the latest Ugreen wall charger.

If you have space for just a single, relatively compact soundbar for your home (and have a 65-inch TV or smaller), the Sonos Beam Ultra should be on your shortlist. Not only does the latest Beam add proper up-firing drivers for a true Dolby Atmos experience, the bass and the dialogue clarity from this unassuming soundbar will surprise you — in a good way. Only downside: It’s not cheap (S$1,299).

Sonos Beam Ultra

The Acer Swift Air 14 offers a premium design that belies its relatively affordable price tag (from S$1,199). It’s slim and light (1.2kg), with a nice-looking design that can be opened with one hand. The Intel processor is not as capable as more expensive models, but it’s more than adequate for basic computing needs like web-browsing and media streaming. Battery life is also very decent at around 12 hours, and there’s fast charging, too.

Acer Swift Air 14

Ugreen’s latest Nexode Pro 160W charger offers a total output of 160W via four ports, including the built-in retractable USB-C cable. There’s even Wi-Fi support to connect it to the Ugreen app, though we aren’t too convinced by its overall usefulness. It also has a customisable display that keeps you updated on the charger’s current charge, wattage, and temperature.

Ugreen Nexode Pro 160W Charger

While watching Apple’s September launch event, the thing that stood out for me was not the iPhone Duo. Yes, Apple’s first foldable certainly generated lots of online chatter. But except for that slick unfolding animation, I wasn’t wowed.

Instead, I was stunned by the new Siri Recap and Live Rewind features in the new Apple Watch Series 12. The former can produce AI-generated summaries of your conversations while the latter shows a text snippet of what was just said from the last 15 seconds.

What this means is that the Apple Watch is constantly listening, and processing what it hears. From a privacy point of view, this sounds even worse than smart speakers and the AI assistants in smartphones, which are listening for a specific wake word. And it’s coming from Apple, a company that has always talked big about privacy and security.

Apple is keenly aware of the privacy implications. It goes out of the way to explain how users remain in control. Siri Recap and Live Rewind are part of the new Audio Intelligence suite of features, which are opt-in. Users can disable them at any time. Or in the case of Siri Recap, set a schedule for when it’s active and where it’s active. There’s no speaker attribution, no audio recording, and everything goes through a secure part of the Apple Watch’s chip that cannot be accessed by anyone. The Siri Recaps are auto-deleted after seven days, unless you export them. And when you do save them, they are encrypted when being synced across your devices.

There’s more. In fact, over half of Apple’s support page about Audio Intelligence covers these privacy guard rails. And while they sound good, the thing is, when these features roll out in beta later this year, the general public is being recorded whether they consent or not — as long as they are in range of Apple Watch users.

And you know not every Apple Watch user will be considerate of the privacy of others. It’s telling that Apple actually has to remind users “to be mindful of those around you”. Well, I’ll certainly be wary of talking about sensitive topics around an Apple Watch user from now on.

Apple adding these features to its smartwatches further normalises these ambient intelligence devices that are always on, always sensing, and always listening. Other firms may have fewer qualms about privacy. There are already plenty of them, usually powered by AI, out in the wild, many of which are even more intrusive. Like this AI camera that delivers an AI-generated summary of your day in comic form.

For now, Meta’s smart glasses are taking all the heat. The backlash is sufficiently serious that they are being banned from certain places, and the company is now introducing an audio-only version. Perhaps there will be a similar outcry about the Apple Watch when these features roll out. But the genie is out of the bottle. We’ll be seeing more of these devices, even if we didn’t ask for them.

This week, we tried out Sonos’ second attempt at premium wireless headphones, tested the Apple Watch Series 12 (no Siri Recap or Live Rewind yet), and was impressed by the battery life on the Honor X9e Pro smartphone.

The Sonos Ace Ultra fixes most of the issues with the audio brand’s original Ace headphones. Just about everything, from ANC to battery life to sound quality, has been improved in the new version. Meanwhile, Sonos users can enjoy a new feature to switch audio between their Sonos speakers and the headphones.

Sonos Ace Ultra

With a new, more accurate heart rate sensor onboard, the Apple Watch Series 12 is probably the biggest upgrade to Apple’s smartwatch in a while. The design, though, is mostly the same, but the glass is now rated at 60% tougher than before. The new sensor also enables new health metrics like heart rate variability, which can be used to judge your body’s physical and mental state.

Apple Watch Series 12

If you’re looking for an Android smartphone that will easily last you two days, check out the Honor X9e Pro, which has a massive 11,000mAh battery. It’s also much better equipped to take knocks and bumps than most smartphones, including extreme scenarios like being submerged in hot soup or getting washed in the washing machine.

Honor X9e Pro 5G

So the reviews of the Sonos Ace Ultra headphones, the sequel to the Sonos Ace, which became the lighting rod for the botched Sonos app revamp that accompanied the headphones, are out. But seeing as I only received them yesterday, here are my first impressions.

The Sonos Ace Ultra expands on the TV Audio Swap feature introduced with the Sonos Ace, which lets users switch the audio between a compatible Sonos soundbar and the headphones. Now, instead of being limited to soundbars, users can swap the audio from a nearby Sonos speaker to the Ace Ultra and vice versa.

Caveats: The Ace Ultra and the Sonos speaker must be on the same Wi-Fi network. If the Ace Ultra is playing music via Bluetooth — from your smartphone, for example — this audio transfer doesn’t work. The playback must be initiated in the Sonos app, which now treats the Sonos Ace Ultra as part of the Sonos ecosystem, like it’s a Sonos speaker, and not a second-class citizen like it was for the Sonos Ace.

Also, while the Sonos Ace Ultra uses Wi-Fi during this switching process, the audio playback doesn’t actually use Wi-Fi. This is unlike say the Xiaomi Buds 5 Pro, which actually delivers higher quality audio via Wi-Fi.

So aside from this headline feature that’s likely appreciated only by Sonos users, the Sonos Ace Ultra does offer solid improvements in battery life (35 hours on a single charge, which is 5 hours longer), sound quality, and more importantly, active noise cancellation (ANC).

In fact, Sonos says the ANC on the Ace Ultra is twice as effective as that from the Sonos Ace. From my roughly two-hour session in a coffeeshop, the Ace Ultra certainly delivers the goods. When I’m playing music on these headphones, I can barely hear anything in my surroundings. The only sounds that consistently evaded the ANC were the high-pitched voices of children.

Meanwhile, the Sonos Ace Ultra sounds pleasant, for lack of a better word. The bass is solid, there’s good stereo separation, and everything seems nicely balanced. It feels like it’s tuned for the mainstream audience, which may make it seem boring to some. But there’s an 8-band equaliser in the app if you prefer something different. There are also other improvements such as the replaceable battery that may be worth the purchase.

But the key here is the S$699 pricing, which makes the Sonos Ace Ultra more expensive than its closest rivals (Sony and Bose). Yes, it’s the same price as the Sonos Ace at launch, but the Ace got heavily discounted soon after. I don’t think the Ace Ultra, which feels more polished, and actually works better with Sonos’ other products, will get the same treatment. In other words, I’m not sure if the Sonos Ace Ultra is sufficiently competitive to acquire new users from outside the Sonos ecosystem.

This week, we tested Vivo’s new camera phone, which can be augmented with a telephoto kit. We also tried out Apple’s Mac mini with the very capable M6 chip, and had a lot fun playing as a vampire in action RPG The Blood of Dawnwalker.

The Vivo X500 Pro Max is the Chinese smartphone maker’s next camera-centric smartphone. It’s the sequel to the Vivo X300 series, and can actually use the same Telephoto Extender Gen 2 Ultra kit from the Vivo X300 Ultra. Obviously, the camera performance seems impressive from our quick hands-on, but it also has a capable MediaTek chip, and a large 7,800mAh battery.

Vivo X500 Pro Max

Despite sporting the basic M6 chip, the Apple Mac mini with M6 is surprisingly capable. The compact form factor is unchanged, but it boasts 4x faster AI performance, meaning up to 4.8 times faster for LLM prompt processing in LM Studio compared with the M4 Mac mini. Besides AI, it’s also great for everyday computing, from photo and video editing to gaming. Prices, though, are more expensive than before, and starts at S$1,299.

Apple Mac mini with M6

If you’re a fan of RPG games, especially The Witcher series or the Kingdom Come: Deliverance games, The Blood of Dawnwalker is not to be missed. With a twist on time-management, a day/night cycle that affects quests and combat, and meaningful moral choices in its story-driven quests, it’s fun with plenty of replayability.

The Blood of Dawnwalker

I had a sudden realisation while researching the Asus V600, which is a versatile all-in-one PC that can do a bit of everything at a decently-competent level. Whatever happened to the family PC? You know, that one computer that’s shared by everyone living under the same roof, from grandparents to grandkids.

Or perhaps you don’t. Because the family PC has gradually fallen out of fashion over the past 20 years or so. Simply put, computers, especially portable ones, became much more affordable. First, with the Netbooks and then the Chromebooks. Not forgetting the iPad making tablets a thing, and of course, the now-indispensable smartphone. We, or at least those in well-off countries, now have an abundance of computing devices that come in a variety of form factors.

But back in the day, before the internet, when computers were scarce and expensive, there was just one PC for the entire family. Located in a common area, like the living room or the study, it was the “computer room” for me. That’s where you go when you need to print an assignment. It’s the computer you did your homework on. And if you’re a kid, it’s also the family gaming machine (unless you’re lucky enough to have a Game Boy). Looking back now, this video of a BBC campaign about buying a computer is pretty funny.

I still remember playing Lode Runner and Karateka on my uncle’s Apple II computer when I was a kid, while my cousins looked on. Or bashing out rudimentary code using the BASIC programming language (Hello, world!), and doing word processing on a Creative Cubic PC that my dad bought.

Those ancient blocky and beige computers would have been the WALL-E to the EVE that’s the Asus V600’s sleek white chassis.

Nowadays, most of us probably have our own PCs or even multiple ones. It’s finally a personal computer, not one shared with the family. But some may already have moved on from PCs to a tablet and a smartphone. A few of us could even have switched to carrying a single foldable phone.

But thanks to the global memory shortage, we’re now seeing unprecedented spikes in prices for computers. Other computing devices like smartphones aren’t immune to this trend, though the price hike isn’t that huge — for now. What happens when even older models or budget ones become less accessible? Will the family PC eventually make a return? It wouldn’t be the worst thing — not everyone needs a full-featured computer. Besides, having a shared PC would make it easier for parents to monitor their kids’ usage, and hopefully lower their exposure to brain rot content. That’s a silver lining, I guess.

This week, we tested Samsung’s latest lifestyle speaker, and tried out two games that have just exited Early Access with their official version 1.0 updates.

With a stylish, minimalist design that’s guaranteed to draw the eyes, the Samsung Music Studio 5 deserves a place in your home. This speaker offers lots of connectivity options, and plenty of smart features. It also sounds better than you’d expect, especially in the bass department, despite its lack of a subwoofer.

Samsung Music Studio 5

Fantasy 4X strategy game Endless Legend 2 exits Early Access with an update that adds two new rogue factions as well as a new Sandshapers faction that aims to bring the terraformed back to its original desert form. Unlike most 4X games, it has an interesting mechanic where the world evolves as the water level falls, revealing new areas. In short, it’s really fun with lots of depth.

Endless Legend 2

Another game that just reached its Version 1.0 milestone is TCG Card Shop Simulator, which lets you build your own trading card shop. It has sold over 3 million copies so far, with more to come, especially with the new update that lets you play with the trading cards that you have collected in the game, Tetramon Duel Masters. Apparently, it has been requested by many players, though I would say the core gameplay is addictive enough on its own.

TCG Card Shop Simulator

If you found Apple Arcade and Apple TV just one subscription too many in today’s economy, the good news is that Apple is adding both services to its iCloud+ storage plans at no cost in Singapore. That means you’ll get both at even the lowest iCloud+ tier — just S$1.48 a month.

This also means that the S$23.95 a month Apple One plan, which came with 50GB iCloud+ storage, Apple TV, Apple Music, and Apple Arcade, or the S$29.95 200GB family plan, will no longer be available. Current Apple One users can continue to stay on the plan, but really, you should just switch.

After all, even if you just stick with the lowest 50GB Apple One plan, combined with an individual Apple Music plan, you’ll still only be paying S$13.46 a month. But if you plan to share with the rest of your family, then you’ll pay S$24.96 a month, which isn’t as much savings.

You also don’t lose all access to Apple Music — iCloud+ will feature Apple Music Select, which offers regionally relevant ad-free stations such as Top Songs, Mandopop, and more.

If you don’t need the full Apple Music experience, the savings are pretty good. You’ll just pay S$1.48 a month for iCloud+, Apple TV, and Apple Arcade. Again, that’s insanely good value, even better than Amazon Prime (S$4.90 a month) which gives you access to Amazon Prime Video (even if you don’t actually shop at Amazon).

Besides providing storage, iCloud+ gives you access to privacy-related features, such as iCloud Private Relay (to keep your browsing private), hide my email, and Apple Invites that allow you to create events you can share. I’ll be honest, I’ve not used the latter much, but the privacy features are honestly worth the monthly sub (on top of the extra storage, of course).

You can share the storage with up to five members, and they also get access to the new services.

By now, you’re probably wondering, what’s the catch? And to be honest, I’m not sure there’s one. Apple TV and Apple Arcade are both considered loss leaders for the company, designed to keep customers hooked on Apple products. The company likely thinks that whatever it’s currently charging (while affordable) isn’t getting enough numbers on board.

Bundling these into its most widely-used service basically adds a ton of subscriber numbers, and looks good in shareholder reports. As for the catch, well, I suppose if history is anything to go by, expect prices for iCloud+ plans to increase in the future. Netflix did it, Amazon did it, HBO did it, and the frog-boiling analogy has never been more apt.

But Apple has mostly been good at holding prices steady for its services — iCloud+ prices have mostly been stable — the last increase in Sep 2023 where the 50GB plan went up to S$1.48 (from S$1.28), while the 2TB plan increased by S$1 to its current S$13.98. Hopefully, any price increase will be long down the line. Meanwhile, enjoy the amazing new season of Ted Lasso, be sure to watch Foundation, For All Mankind, and Shrinking. These are my top picks of what you should watch, anyway.

I’m also looking forward to see what new Apple Arcade games I missed since my subscription lapsed a few months back, especially on the Apple Vision Pro.

Lastly, I’m still waiting to hear back on what happens to annual subscribers for both Apple TV and Apple Arcade. Will they get a refund? I’ve reached out to Apple for an answer. Existing monthly subscribers will have access switched to iCloud+ and their current subscriptions cancelled, but annual subscriptions are already paid for. Check back at news.canbuyornot.com for any updates.

Ever since Xiaomi dropped the variable aperture from the Xiaomi 15 Ultra onwards, I’ve been waiting to see who would pick up the slack. Thankfully, Apple finally did it with the iPhone 18 Pro range.

Using a mechanical iris, the new iPhone 18 Pro is able to give you apertures ranging from F1.48 to F4.0, allowing you to control the amount of light going into the camera. This allows you to create amazing starburst shots seen at Apple’s keynote early this morning, which was recorded using the iPhone 18 Pro at F4.0.

Being able to open the iris wide open at F1.48 also allows for even better lowlight shots, and helps to reduce noise by keeping the ISO lower. Basically, the lower the ISO, the less noise you get (usually). As a photography person, this is exactly what the iPhone Pro system needed, and I really can’t wait to test it out.

Combined with Apple’s software aperture bokeh, I’m now wondering just how much better it will be. After all, software bokeh can sometimes struggle with the fine details, though it’s really hard to tell these days. But a pairing with a physical iris could be something that will take it to the next level (of naturalness).

These days, while I still use my Sony A7iii for product shots, there have been times where the iPhone 17 Pro Max is good enough (or at least when the light is good enough) that you won’t even notice the difference. But I think the iPhone 18 Pro is going to be even better.

Xiaomi is also probably kicking themselves in the foot. If they had continued with the variable aperture technology on their phones, they could happily claim that Apple copied them (though technically, they still can). But dropping the feature and then picking it back up after Apple used it in their phone? Hah.

But as with all things Apple, I expect more brands will start featuring a similar technology in next year’s devices. While R&D and manufacturing cycles takes time, I’m pretty sure most brands already have something in the works. Or hey, maybe Apple did catch its competitors by surprise and we’ll have to wait quite a bit longer to see this feature come to Android devices.

Anyways, also announced were the new AirPods 5, Apple Watch Series 12, Watch Ultra 4, and a foldable called the iPhone Duo. More on this later in another newsletter.

Before Apple’s biggest launch to date, I figured it would be a good time to take a quick retrospective look at everything that have been announced since the iPhone 17 series last year. Given that this launch is expected to be Apple’s largest lineup to usher in new CEO John Ternus’ tenure, here’s a quick rundown of the final Apple products under outgoing Tim Cook’s watch.

If there’s one standout product from Apple’s September 2025 launch, it’s actually the Apple AirPods Pro 3, which features top-of-the-line noise cancellation and good audio. Sure, you’ll need an iPhone to get the best out of them, but I have yet to find another pair of wireless earbuds that can compete on noise cancellation.

Then we have the Apple Watch Series 11, which comes with really minor updates to Apple’s wearables. But to be fair, the design is pretty refined by now after more than 10 generations, so any improvements will have to be really big to stand out. That said, the hypertension tracking is cool — it even warned me to seek medical attention, which I greatly appreciate.

There’s also the Apple Watch Ultra 3, which comes with a bit more battery life and a slightly bigger display. I did not review this, since it feels more suited for a sports-focused person (and really, that’s not me). But maybe someday if I become an exercise nut, this may be something I want to try out.

Moving on, we have the entire Apple iPhone 17 range, and while the 17 Pro and Pro Max are obviously great flagships, the base model is the best basic iPhone yet (till Thursday rolls around, perhaps). The iPhone Air is still one of my favourites, especially its thin design, but it needs better cameras if Apple wants more people to hop on board.

October 2025 saw the launch of the iPad Pro M5, Apple’s most powerful tablet yet. However, I can’t help but feel like the power is not being fully utilised yet. I do like that you can edit photos, then watch a movie or read a comic book right after. Also announced in that same month was the basic MacBook Pro with M5, which delivered pretty impressive performance for a “base” MacBook Pro.

But my favourite October product is actually the updated Apple Vision Pro (M5), which came with the very comfortable Dual Knit Band. I do wish there’s more apps to use with the AVP, though, but it’s actually a great tool for productivity if you’re just using a MacBook with no external displays. Mac Virtual Display basically makes a giant floating screen for your MacBook, and is one of my preferred uses for this spatial computing device (besides using a virtual avatar for meetings, that is).

January 2026 saw the introduction of the second-generation AirTag, which featured a louder speaker to make finding easier. But it’s really March 2026 that saw Apple’s most talked-about product — the MacBook Neo. Despite being considered the most affordable MacBook yet, it offered impressive performance despite using an iPhone chip (Apple A18 Pro).

The MacBook Neo caught its competitors by surprise with its aggressive price point and performance, though we’re finally seeing Windows laptops starting to compete. Besides the Neo, the no-frills iPhone 17e also made an appearance alongside the M4-powered iPad Airs.

March also saw the M5 Pro and M5 Max chips appearing in the updated MacBook Pros, along with the MacBook Air (M5) and the updated Studio Display and Studio Display XDR. Unfortunately, if you didn’t get these at launch, they received a huge price bump in June, due to the global shortage for memory and storage that has caused prices to spike. Still, these are one of the best laptops to get, though you’ll probably have to take a hit on storage space now to keep within budget.

Lastly, there were the improved AirPods Max 2, which features better sound. Unfortunately, the battery life is still pretty short (20 hours), and repairability is still a concern if the mesh headband breaks. But the colours are really nice, and the noise cancellation remains one of the best I’ve tested.

This week, we gave our verdict on the more “affordable” of the two RGB Mini-LED TVs from Sony, tested Boya’s new entry-level AI note-taker, and busted out the Sony Reon Pocket Pro Plus to keep us cool.

The Sony Bravia 7 II offers a new type of TV backlight technology that uses mini RGB LEDs instead of the usual white ones. Dubbed “True RGB” by the Japanese brand, the Bravia 7 II has its flaws, from middling reflection handling to colour cross-talk. But Sony still excels when it comes to picture processing, and the Bravia 7 II has few rivals for movie-watching.

Sony Bravia 7 II

The Boya Notra Neo downsizes the hardware of Boya’s original AI note-taker to achieve a lower price point. So it has a shorter battery life and less storage. The design, though, remains similar, even if the plastic material of the Neo feels a lot cheaper than the original’s aluminium body. But you’re saving around S$90, which could be worth the trade-off for some.

Boya Notra Neo

The Sony Reon Pocket Pro Plus is a neck cooler that sits under your shirt. It can cool to around 20 degrees Celsius, and operates quietly. It includes a separate tag that measures ambient temperature, and adjusts the cooling power of the Reon Pocket Pro Plus accordingly. And if you’re in a colder climate, the Sony can switch to warming the user instead of cooling them. Battery life, though, is a lot shorter when used for warming.

Sony Reon Pocket Pro Plus

I guess it was only a matter of time before Dyson decided that it wasn’t satisfied with releasing a flagship robot vacuum every other year. We’ve seen the Dyson 360 Vis Nav back in 2023, as well as the much better Dyson Spot+Scrub AI earlier this year, and this time around, the new Nurovi range offers consumers more focused options catered to their budget, though as with any Dyson product, it will still cost a premium.

I got to see these new robot vacuums earlier today at a Dyson briefing, but if you’re wondering why I’m using Dyson’s pictures for this newsletter piece, it’s because the briefing set up wasn’t quite suitable for pictures and didn’t quite do justice to how good the products look.

Anyways, the Nurovi R1 is vacuum only, while the R2 is wet and dry, while the R3 is similar to the Spot+Scrub AI with wet and dry capabilities and a UV light to detect invisible stains. The R3 is basically the upgrade to the Spot+Scrub AI, which is surprising given that it’s less than a year since the former was announced and sold.

All three robot vacuums feature a new origami-inspired brush head that is designed to apply pressure downwards without breaking and direct dust and dirt into the Nurovi series’ new bin, which features separate compartments for larger debris and finer dust.

The R2 also features a new triangular mop pads, designed to reach corners that regular circular pads can’t. It’s apparently inspired and named after Franz Reuleaux, a 19th-century German engineer.

There’s still a very small area that isn’t reachable, but the new mop pads definitely covers more area compared to the traditional standard design. I wouldn’t be surprised. if China’s robot vacuums quickly adapt this design to their upcoming models.

The Nurovi R1, R2, and R3 feature a very nice looking Playstation 2 matte grey aesthetic, and I think it honestly works better than the current black of the Spot+Scrub AI. That said, I do prefer the blue of the 360 Vis Nav, though you get a slightly different blue on the inner panel once you open up the R1 and R2’s outer cover.

Besides the Nurovi range, Dyson also announced a new W1 PencilWash that shares the same cleaner head as the Dyson Clean+Wash, but with the slim design of the PencilVac. Also revealed were two new air purifiers in the HushJet range with its iconic jet-engine-inspired design, and the hair straighteners.

We’ve asked for review units, so be sure to check Can Buy or Not for our full review.

Dell’s gamble on the XPS 13, a Windows riposte to the Apple MacBook Neo, must have paid off hugely. Because the PC maker appears to be doubling down on this “premium” budget category with the new Dell 14S.

Designed to be “complementary to XPS 13 and accessible for students and young adults globally”, the Dell 14S has an aluminium chassis that’s thin (13.5mm) and light (1.15kg), a pretty decent display (up to a 2.8K, 120Hz 14-inch screen), and promises all-day battery life of up to 21 hours of Netflix streaming. Oh, and it comes in four expressive colours, like the MacBook Neo, of course.

The Dell 14S is powered by Intel’s Core 5 and Core 7 Series 3 processors, with either 8GB or 16GB of memory, and with a solid state drive of up to 1TB. But the latter two components will likely increase the price significantly if you go for the highest-end options.

We don’t know the Singapore pricing for the Dell 14S yet, which is expected to roll out first in the United States. The older Dell XPS 13 currently starts at S$1,369 in Singapore, which is already more than the S$1,229 price reported in July. So it’s quite likely that the Dell 14S’s price will be in this ballpark.

Just a year or two ago, I wouldn’t consider paying over S$1,000 for a so-called budget laptop. But we’re living in strange times, with a memory shortage that’s pushing prices up for almost all consumer tech products. And true budget Windows laptops are looking scarce. Looking at the online prices of laptops from the big PC makers, Acer has just six laptops below S$1,000, Asus has five, but HP only has a single model, and Lenovo has none. Even the MacBook Neo starts from S$999. Your best bet for a decent, sub-S$1,000 laptop is probably an older model that’s on sale from retailers.

Along with the Dell 14S, Dell also launched a couple of new Alienware OLED gaming monitors as part of its IFA 2026 announcement. This mega consumer tech show, which starts from Sep 4 in Berlin, will offer plenty of new gadgets, especially in the home appliances and home entertainment fields.

So far, there has been some interesting stuff, like TP-Link’s reveal of Wi-Fi 8 routers, Sonos launching souped-up versions of its Beam soundbar and Ace headphones (hopefully, we’ll get hands-on soon), and LG going all-in on AI with ThinQ Claw, an text-chat-based AI agent that’s supposed to understand users and connect them to the appropriate services and devices.

This week, we tried out the Poco F9 Ultra, a flagship killer that aims to rival top phones, tested Xiaomi’s most expensive security camera, which comes with a telephoto camera, and dropped the Redmi Note 17 Pro Max 5G more than a few times.

The Poco F9 Ultra improves on the main camera and display of its predecessor, while also increasing the battery capacity. However, the price, too, has gone up, and the phone is also a bit heavier. Since it uses the same processor as the previous F8 Ultra, the latter, which is cheaper now, may make more sense if you’re looking to max out the price and performance ratio.

Poco F9 Ultra

The Xiaomi C701 stands out among home security cameras with an additional 5MP telephoto camera that can capture far-off objects with more detail. It also has a whole bunch of AI-powered features to detect pets, or unusual sounds like crashes. Despite being the most expensive security camera from Xiaomi (S$139), it delivers the desired image quality.

Xiaomi C701 Pro Smart Camera

With a truly massive 10,000mAh battery, the Redmi Note 17 Pro Max 5G has battery for days. It lasted the longest (over 16 hours) in our battery test, and has quick 100W wired charging to replenish that huge battery. The phone itself also seems durable, with a display that’s rated for a 3m drop resistance, as well as being able to survive 72 hours in two metres of water.

Redmi Note 17 Pro Max 5G

If you have played any of FromSoftware’s distinguished games over the past decade, you’ll know that the Japanese developer often comes up with some weird wacky stuff, like the giant fingers in Elden Ring or the alien-looking celestial creatures in Bloodborne.

Well, its upcoming multiplayer game The Duskbloods, which will launch later this year (still no confirmed release date yet), is probably its weirdest yet. This Nintendo Switch 2 exclusive recently had a closed network test that finally gave us a glimpse of the gameplay, and I’ll be honest, it’s kinda overwhelming.

For one, I can’t remember the last time a FromSoftware game had such a thorough tutorial as the one that I tried in The Duskbloods network test. In fact, there’s even a gameplay guide that only just scratches the surface of the game.

But given the amount of information that players have to process, it’s practically a must to go through all the tutorials — there were four in the closed network test — as well as the guide to get a handle on it.

Because The Duskbloods is not a straightforward multiplayer game that conforms to the usual conventions. It’s basically a PvPvE game, and I would say it resembles an extraction shooter in that players are dropped in a map, and have to battle enemies and get loot to rise in the rankings. But it’s not quite the same when played out.

In The Duskbloods, you play as a Bloodsworn, who have superhuman abilities and powers. Like sucking the blood of in-game enemies and turning them into minions. Vampires, in short.

There were six Bloodsworn characters to choose in the closed network test, but the full game will have ten. Each character has his or her own unique abilities, and some of them are wild. For instance, there’s this old patrician dude (Senator Samir Patres) that can turn into a mini dinosaur. Zork is a chunky boi in a diving suit and a jetpack that crashes head-on into enemies to stun and damage them. And then there’s the character everyone hates (for now), Sniper Layla, who has a rifle that shoots from far (with zoomed in scope), and can manifest a Gatling gun from her body.

From what I could tell, these three Bloodsworn characters appear to be the most popular ones among the testers. But the crazy abilities are just the start. You see, there are also supporting NPCs known as kin that each player can form a compact with — at specific locations indicated by towering yellow markers that reach up to the sky. The kin will follow the player and help attack, buff or heal the player. Some seem to more useful than others, but they are basically a must-have. Even the weakest kin can help in fights. They also contribute to the chaos, especially when several players converge to fight against each other or to take down powerful boss-like enemies (Great Foes) on the map.

Each game proceeds in the same fashion. There are four phases with fixed durations. Players are eliminated (or as the game calls it, culled) after the second and third phases if they lack sufficient Virtue, which are ranking points that you get by performing various tasks. These tasks can range from simple ones like lighting flames within the skulls of corpses (Flame Virtue) to beating boss-like enemies (Repulsion Virtue) to killing other players (Sword Virtue). You can also get Virtue by being the top (and second-highest) players at killing in-game enemies (Bloodfang Commendation) or gathering rare items (Collector Commendation).

In short, there are multiple ways to avoid getting eliminated. FromSoftware boss Hidetaka Miyazaki has said in an interview that the team was inspired by board games, specifically Settlers of Catan, and it’s easy to see that with the multiple paths to victory. Of course, everything ends in phase four, where the top three players with the most Virtue are thrown into a small arena to duke it out PvP-style.

Since I’m not very good at the PvP aspect, I’m pleased that there’s still plenty to do in the earlier phases when it’s mostly PvE. In fact, before the final phase, the PvP (gaining Sword Virtue) only happens at Ritual Sites which are special zones that appear (and which you can avoid). Players do not gain anything from indiscriminate PvP, though there will probably be griefers in online games.

Miyazaki has also said that the full game will have a PvE option for the final phase. So instead of a three-way PvP battle, players work together to bring down a boss. The closed network test did have an option to queue and play as a duo for a match. You can also form an alliance with a player during the game, though this alliance will end if both players advance to the final PvP phase.

Having these options will make the game feel less intimidating to new players. And maybe a little bit less chaotic, though if not for the whole gothic vibe and aesthetics, The Duskbloods feels almost like a Super Smash Bros game, especially when the NPC kin characters are involved. I’m also looking forward to learning more about the lore and story in the full game.

As for how the game played on the Switch 2, I played with the console docked, and there were no major bugs or performance issues. I did feel some input lag at first, but that could be due to my inexpensive 8BitDo controller, and subsequent test sessions seemed fine. The graphics isn’t anything to shout about, and isn’t especially crisp or detailed but that’s typical of FromSoftware games. The gothic look and feel of The Duskbloods is very similar to Bloodborne, but I wonder if other maps in the full game will offer a different vibe.

While many fans probably have some reservations about the game being exclusive to the Switch 2, FromSoftware producer Yasuhiro Kitao revealed that there were more applicants for the recent network test than its other multi-platform multiplayer game, Elden Ring Nightreign.

That’s a good sign, though I feel quite a few probably signed up to find out more about the gameplay, which hadn’t been revealed previously. I wonder how many players will now decide not to buy the game after trying the closed network test because multiplayer (and the anxiety of making the cut) is not their cup of tea.

This week, we tested the more price accessible Google Pixel 11, which still has most of the cool features of the Pro model, tried out a new water dispenser (and ice maker), and used Logitech’s new foldable and portable mouse.

Thinking of switching to the Android side of things? Well, the Google Pixel 11 is a good starter device since it delivers a polished user experience from Google that’s heavy on useful AI and software features. This year’s Pixel also gets a pretty decent processor that can keep up with the competition a bit better than previous editions. The starting price, though, has gone up slightly, too.

Google Pixel 11

Being able to get cold water at all times is a boon in Singapore’s climate. The Bbyeol Comet can dispense water as cool as 5 degrees Celsius, up to almost boiling temperature (95 degrees). And it can also produce ice on demand at an advertised rate of around 7 cubes in 8 minutes (it’s about 9.5 minutes in practice).

Bbyeol Comet

As its name suggests, you can fold the Logitech Mobi Fold in half so to better fit it in your bag. When unfolded, its arc shape is fairly comfortable at first, but it can get tiring after a while. There isn’t much of a grip and you’re mostly just holding the narrow sides. But the soft-touch finish feels nice, and the hinge seems durable. In short, a compact travel-friendly mouse.

Logitech Mobi Fold

I’m two years late, but I finally got to see what’s the fuss about the TCG Card Shop Simulator, which went viral after releasing in Early Access on Steam, and has since garnered over 3.5 million players.

This trading card shop simulation recently became available on Xbox Game Pass, and is gearing up for an official 1.0 version launch on September 15 for PC (Steam) and console (Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 5, and Nintendo Switch/Switch 2).

First impression: The controls are janky, especially when using a controller. I lasted maybe 10 minutes before switching to playing on PC using keyboard and mouse. It was much better, though I wouldn’t recommending playing it on a touchpad. It’s doable, but a pain.

The graphics is nothing to shout about. It’s more serviceable than pretty. Everything looks really sparse at the beginning, without any background music. And even in my short two hours with the game, I encountered a bug with an NPC getting stuck. Also, why there isn’t a store room right at the start for the player to keep inventory? Instead, there’s a door which does nothing, until you pay to unlock it. Even for gameplay purposes, it doesn’t make sense for a store not to have a backroom. It kinda breaks the immersion that you expect in a simulator game.

In any case, it was quickly apparent why TCG Card Shop Simulator has gathered such a following. The gameplay is the star here. It’s so addictive. There’s something satisfying about building up a business from scratch, even a virtual one. You get to decide how the store looks, the price of the cards, and even organise tournaments.

I also found it hilarious that one of the early items that you can buy is deodorant. You’ll need that to spray on stinky customers (they have a green cloud around them) that visit the shop. It’s an obvious jab at the poor hygiene of real-life trading card fans. Presumably, their stink will affect other customers, so you’ll have to deodorise them.

The game also lets you open card packs to get rare cards (that you can either keep for your collection or sell individually). It’s like playing a gacha mini-game. There’s even a grading system for cards, and the art for the cards is pretty good.

In fact, with version 1.0, the Pokemon-inspired card game, Tetramon, in TCG Card Shop Simulator actually becomes playable. I can’t wait to see how that plays out. Meanwhile, you can check out the Tetramon duel master guide written by the game’s solo creator himself: Malaysian developer Ding Shen Sia.

If you’re a fan of trading card games, version 1.0 looks like the perfect time to get into TCG Card Shop Simulator.

If you can’t decide what handheld vacuum to get, check out our Shark vs Dyson guide. We also tested HP’s latest flagship laptop, and listened to our favourite tunes on Creative’s new desktop speakers.

There’s no outright winner in our Shark vs Dyson guide — it all depends on what you need to clean your home. Find out how the latest cordless vacuum cleaners from these two brands fare when it comes to performance and features.

Shark vs Dyson

The HP OmniBook Ultra is surprisingly tough despite its sleek profile, with an aluminium chassis that exhibits almost zero flex. It also comes with the latest features, along with an ample amount of memory and storage. Unfortunately, in today’s economy, it means this premium laptop doesn’t come cheap.

HP OmniBook Ultra

Creative’s latest 2.0 XF1 desktop speakers have a more conventional bookshelf-style design that doesn’t take up too much desk space. They offer plenty of connectivity options, including USB-C audio, and sound pretty good. A subwoofer, though, is needed to take it to the next level.

Creative XF1

Google’s apparent quest to emulate Apple’s ecosystem goes on with the introduction of the Google Pixel Tag, an oval-shaped smart tracker that can be attached to important stuff like keys and wallet so you’ll always know where they are. In short, it’s Google’s take on the Apple AirTag.

Coming a year after Google introduced Pixelsnap, its MagSafe-like magnetic wireless charging tech, I’ll say there’s a trend here. In any case, the Google Pixel Tag is priced at S$45 — same price as the AirTag — and available in Singapore from Nov 11.

Of course, the Pixel Tag is merely the appetiser. Google is also rolling out new Pixel devices this month. In fact, pre-orders are open now at the usual places: Singtel, Starhub, Shopee, Lazada, Harvey Norman, Best Denki, Courts, Metapod.

First up, we have the Pixel 11 Pro phones, which like last year’s lineup, consists of a larger 6.8-inch Pro XL and a 6.3-inch Pro. Both versions are essentially the same phone, except for the screen size (and price).

The most obvious change in the Pixel 11 phones is the redesigned camera bar. This camera visor now features edge-to-edge glass, which means discerning Pixel users can instantly spot the Pixel 11 over older models with just a glance, even with a protective case. Very Apple-like, if you ask me.

There’s also a new HiLight feature, an LED indicator on the camera bar that can convey information discreetly, when the Pixel 11 phone is face-down. For example, this LED will glow a specific colour when getting a call from a favourite contact. The LED will also light up if you ask Gemini a question. That’s seemingly all it can do for now. If you ask me, it looks like a more basic version of the Glyph interface on Nothing phones. Hopefully, Google will add more functionality in the future because it feels mid at the moment.

The actual hardware upgrades — besides the new Tensor G6 processor — are far and few between, at least from the specs. The Pixel 11 Pro phones now come with slightly brighter screens that are also said to be more scratch resistant. The cameras have been reworked, with a new 120x Pro Zoom feature on the Pro models.

But the hardware is just part of the story when it comes to the Pixel phones, which have always been about the software, especially the AI-powered features. This year is no different, with several features that we saw at Google I/O rolling out on the Pixel 11 phones, such as Rambler, which removes the “um” and “ah” sounds and run-on sentences when you’re dictating a message. Circle to Search now works directly from the camera app — no more having to take a photo, then circling an object to search — while Live Translate can now work on media like videos and podcasts.

However, you’ll have to pay more for the Pixel 11 Pro phones. The Pixel 11 Pro starts at S$1,599, up from S$1,459, albeit with an increase in base storage to 256GB. The Pixel 11 Pro XL starts from S$1,819, up from S$1,739.

Meanwhile, the more mainstream Pixel 11 starts at S$1,299 for the base 256GB version — there’s no more 128GB model — which raises the price of entry compared with the Pixel 10 (from S$1,199 for the 128GB). But in this memory-starved climate, it’s not something to sneer at. Especially since the memory is also the faster UFS 4.0 variant like the Pro models, and not the UFS 3.1 used by the Pixel 10.

This memory upgrade, along with a better main camera, and of course the same Google Tensor G6 chip as the other Pixel 11 phones, are the main improvements over last year’s model. But like the Pixel 10, the Pixel 11 still supports Wi-Fi 6E, which I would remind everyone again, is a downgrade from the Wi-Fi 7 on the Pixel 9.

For those who are into foldables, the new Pixel 11 Pro Fold is thinner and lighter (by about 20g), and comes with brighter screens and slightly better cameras. But unlike Samsung and its new Galaxy Z Fold 8, Google has retained the same form factor and design. Prices start at S$2,499, which is S$100 more than the Pixel 10 Pro Fold.

Lastly, the new Pixel Watch 5 offers a host of upgrades, from a faster processor to new health and fitness tracking features. Even the look of the watch is different with a revamped complication system, as well as the ability to use AI to create your own watch faces. Gestures also now work with more apps, and there’s even more Gemini integration than before. Prices start from S$569 (41mm) and S$599 (45mm).

We’ll have more to report once we get our hands on the actual review units. Stay tuned for the reviews next week!

This week, we checked out Nothing’s latest affordable mid-range phone, an interesting AI camera, and the new iteration of Samsung’s flip phone.

If you have a tight budget for a new mid-range smartphone, consider the Nothing Phone 4b, which starts at S$499. While it has a nice minimalist design, the camera and display are nothing to shout about. Storage is also rather paltry at 128GB, though the battery is slightly larger than the Nothing Phone 4a. Its clean and relatively uncluttered user interface is another plus.

Nothing Phone 4b

The Looki L1 AI camera is an interesting use of AI. Clip it to your shirt or bag and start the Story AI mode to get it to automatically see and hear what you’re doing, before producing a cool recap of your day, which includes comic-style pictures. But the AI does hallucinate at times, and there are question marks over privacy, especially since it will likely capture other folks, who obviously didn’t consent to being recorded.

Looki L1 AI Camera

With Samsung focusing on the new shorter Galaxy Z Fold 8, it’s perhaps understandable that this year’s Galaxy Z Flip 8 only received minor upgrades. It’s slimmer and lighter than the previous version, but the rest of the hardware (camera and battery) remains the same. You’ll also get all the Galaxy AI features that are on Samsung’s premium smartphones.

Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 8

Each year when it gets close to Singapore’s National Day (August 9), I would pick five Singapore gadgets from local brands to highlight in our weekly roundup. I won’t be doing one this year. Because the choices feel less than inspiring.

Most Singapore consumer tech brands source their products directly from China, made to order according to their requirements. Secretlab is probably a rare exception with its own R&D and patents. Meanwhile, the more notable Singapore tech brands, such as Grab and Sea, aren’t in consumer tech, while Razer, despite its Singaporean roots, is not often seen as a homegrown Singapore company.

The last consumer tech firm I would consider truly homegrown is Creative Technology, which became a giant in the PC industry, thanks to the success of its Sound Blaster audio card. Worth billions in its heyday during the 1990s, Creative is now a shell of its former self. It still makes decent audio products — I’m currently testing its latest XF1 desktop speakers — but faces stiff competition in this field. As for its sound cards, I’m not sure if there’s still a market for it, despite the company recently launching a new version.

While there’s plenty of innovation coming out from Singapore, they are likely to come from one of the many R&D centres set up here by multinational companies. Like Dell, which develops its monitors and PC peripherals at its Singapore Design Centre. So if you’re a Singaporean with a new idea for a consumer tech product, regardless whether you have the resources to fund it or perhaps you’re doing it via crowdfunding, chances are you’re still heading to China because that’s where the manufacturing is.

In short, there won’t be another Creative Technology, which started out as a PC shop here, and produced its first sound cards in Singapore. That environment doesn’t exist anymore. The Singapore now is more like a incubator for startups — from all over the world — that are into fintech, AI, and foodtech like lab-grown meat. Happy 61st National Day, Singapore.

This week, we tested Shark’s new vacuum cleaner, Samsung’s shorter and wider foldable, and an OLED monitor from Asus.

The Shark PowerClean 360 is a slim but powerful vacuum cleaner that should be on your shortlist. Simply because it’s super-light at just 1.2kg — and it also has an auto-empty dock — while still offering strong suction power. It’s also very good at cleaning under furniture, thanks to its bendable wand.

Shark PowerClean 360

Samsung has added a shorter, wider foldable that’s designed more for media consumption. With an outer screen that’s sized perfectly for short-form content, and an inner display that’s still large enough for multi-tasking (and with an aspect ratio that minimises black bars in videos), the new Galaxy Z Fold 8 is definitely a more mainstream-friendly foldable.

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8

The Asus ROG Strix OLED XG27AQDMGR offers colour-accurate images that are great for content creators as well as the resolution and refresh rate desired by gamers. Its proximity sensor also helps to prevent OLED burn-in, and saves energy. Like most OLED monitors, text clarity isn’t as good as an LCD monitor, which could be a deal-breaker if you’re mostly using it for documents and browsing.

Asus ROG Strix OLED XG27

While testing the LG C6 last month, I was torn between the OLED TV’s excellent picture quality and the bloated webOS software that came with it. In fact, I have never heard so much grumbling from my family members over an LG TV before. In the end, I still gave it a “Can Buy” rating — it didn’t feel fair to penalise the TV hardware over the software and user experience — but I also advised potential buyers to use the TV with an Apple TV 4K.

In fact, I also bought an Apple TV 4K for my old LG C1, which had felt increasingly sluggish in recent months. I couldn’t tell if it’s the age of the TV (going on 5 years now) or the updated webOS that’s the culprit. But it was worth it for the clean and responsive user interface, especially since I got it before the recent price hike.

In any case, several YouTube reviewers that I follow for audio-visual products have also raised the issue of ads and the poor user experience on LG TVs recently. Here’s one of them showing users how to disable those dastardly ads. And the ads are even more sneaky than I thought.

But it gets worse.

Last week, Gamer Nexus dropped a bombshell about LG monitors silently installing adware like McAfee pop-ups on Windows PCs via its monitor utility, which installs itself when you update the monitor’s drivers. This didn’t just affect new models, but older ones, including some bought several years ago, were also doing it. Apparently, it has been happening for some time now. Well, the resulting backlash was so serious that Microsoft had to step in to tell LG to disable the offending monitor app.

But the damage has been done. Given how competitive the PC monitor market is, I would think any consumer who has done their homework would easily find out about this. Not to mention that LG displays are often used by other brands like Dell and Asus. Now I can’t think of that many reasons to get an LG monitor over a Dell, for example, if both have a similar panel.

After this adware incident, I’d say that most tech-savvy users who follow the industry will have heard of LG’s bad behaviour. These are the folks who will probably be giving product recommendations for friends and family. Personally, I will be combing through every LG product with a fine needle from now on.

This week, we tested Xiaomi’s latest affordable fitness tracker, a lightweight and nimble gaming mouse from Logitech, and an Asus Wi-Fi 7 router that’s value for money.

The Xiaomi Smart Band 10 Pro now comes in a nice ceramic version, but the standard aluminium one is pretty good, too. You get a GPS fitness tracker that can last up to 14 days. Even with heavy use, it’s good for about a week. The screen is slightly brighter on the latest model, along with improved heart rate monitoring and sleep tracking.

Xiaomi Smart Band 10 Pro

The Logitech G304 X Superlight reuses the shape of the older G304 gaming mouse, but shaves 40g from the weight. Its Hero 44K sensor offers up to 8,000Hz polling rate, and the addition of Lightsync RGB lighting. Battery life, though, takes a substantial dip to 130 hours, down from 250 hours.

Logitech G304 X Superlight

Most home users don’t have devices capable of using the bandwidth from a 10Gbps broadband fibre plan. Which means that the Asus TUF Gaming BE9400, which caps out with four 2.5Gbps Ethernet ports, is good enough. More importantly, it’s relatively affordable at S$349 for a Wi-Fi 7 router that has most of the features you’d want, including security software and parental controls that don’t require a subscription.

Asus TUF Gaming BE9400

I had the privilege to get my hands on the latest Samsung Galaxy foldables at an exclusive preview event before last night’s official reveal. To no one’s surprise, Samsung showed off a new, more pocketable foldable. Dubbed the Galaxy Z Fold 8, it sports a shorter 5.5-inch cover screen, which unfolds to a 7.6-inch main screen.

Samsung says this new passport-like form factor lets users move easily from quick interactions on the cover screen to the main display, and is “designed around the way people naturally consume content”. In other words, it’s the Z Fold that Samsung thinks the average user, who’s more into consuming content, and not too fussed about being able to use Excel on their phones, should buy.

Compared with the Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra, which is what Samsung has renamed the Galaxy foldable that we have seen over the years, the newcomer is also slightly cheaper (by S$300), though its S$2,498 starting price remains far from affordable. It also only has two rear cameras compared with three for the Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra, which retains the same screens (8-inch main and 6.5-inch cover) as its predecessor.

My first impression: Samsung didn’t miss a beat when it comes to the hardware. The new foldables are about as thin as it gets, and still accommodate a USB-C port. The crease is practically invisible when looking at the screen straight-on. They are also easier to unfold than last year’s models. Samsung even managed to increase the battery capacity this time, though competing foldables from Chinese brands still offer larger batteries.

But when it came to the software and user experience, I think Samsung, Google and other foldable manufacturers have hit a wall. There wasn’t anything particularly new that stood out. Sure, all the foldables made use of their form factors to make multi-tasking a breeze, to let users take the best selfies using the better rear cameras and the cover screen to help align and frame subjects. Yes, there are even more agentic AI-powered experiences integrated into these phones.

At the end of the day, despite a new foldable that offers an aspect ratio for modern content consumption — the cover screen looks the right size for short-form content — while the main display feels like existing ebook readers, I can’t say there’s anything really compelling about the new models. Instead, I’m looking forward to see what Apple will bring to the foldable scene.

It’s no secret that Apple is preparing to launch its first-ever foldable in September. In fact, it’s rumoured to have a similar 5.5-inch screen as the Galaxy Z Fold 8 when closed, but Apple’s version supposedly unfolds to a 7.8-inch display. I’m sure Apple will nail the hardware with a thin but durable design, a near-invisible crease and more. But will Apple have new ideas or introduce new user experiences that the other manufacturers have yet to explore?

I sure hope so, because I think the hardware part is mostly solved. You can maybe eke out incremental improvements, but short of breakthroughs in materials science, there isn’t much left to improve. I can’t be the only one who feels that way, that we’re all just waiting for Apple to make that perfect tweak that will be copied by everyone and be in every foldable next year.

This week, we tried a new ultra-portable from Lenovo that impressed with its performance and portability, watched a lot of TV on TCL’s glorious SQD Mini-LED TV, and charged everything we could think of using Belkin’s new handy GaN chargers.

If you’re looking for a capable and lightweight laptop, the Lenovo Yoga Slim 7i Ultra Aura Edition fits the bill. It weighs less than a kilogram, and is so thin that it cannot accommodate a USB-A port. It’s powerful, too, and sports Intel’s latest Core Ultra 3 processors, along with a battery that will easily last you the entire day.

Lenovo Yoga Slim 7i Ultra Aura Edition

Despite all the hype around RGB Mini-LED TVs, TCL was confident enough about its Super Quantum Dot tech to put it in its flagship TV this year. The C8L is the step-down model that offers many of the same flagship features, but at a lower price. It’s still a premium Mini-LED TV, even though it’s cheaper than a mid-range OLED TV.

TCL C8L

The Belkin BoostCharge Pro 3-Port GaN charger comes in two versions: 70W and 100W. Both versions use a flat 2-pin plug by default, but offers an interchangeable UK 3-pin plug tip. They have the same three ports (2x USB-C and one USB-A), though the 70W model is small, and fits in the pocket. Besides the difference in output, the 70W version is also cheaper (S$79), and is probably good enough for most folks.

Belkin BoostCharge Pro

I popped by the inaugural StereoNET Asia Hi-Fi & AV Expo 2026 last weekend, where JBL was showing off its latest high-end speakers, the Summit Everest. It’s the biggest version in the Summit series, and also part of JBL’s legendary high-end Project series speakers, of which there were only four previously: Hartsfield, Paragon, Everest, and K2.

The Summit range are named after mountains. Aside from the huge Summit Everest, there’s Summit K2, Summit Makalu, Summit Pumori, and Summit Ama. Each speakers share a bunch of technology, including patented compression and dynamic drivers, HDI Sonoglass Horns, Hybrid Carbon Cellulose Composite Cone (HC4), and more.

But all these things sound like technobabble to me, since I don’t follow the audio tech as much as audiophiles. That said, I got a chance to listen to the Summit Everest speakers at JBL’s booth at the expo, and the sound was certainly impressive.

From the bassy rumbles of Geoff' Castelucci’s Sound of Silence, to the vocals of Holly Cole’s Take Me Home, the Summit Everest delivered. But I’ll admit, I wasn’t sure if I liked what I was hearing — especially for Take Me Home. The overall audio was a little flat for me, I was expecting a more encompassing sound.

But then again, audio is very subjective — one man’s meat could be another’s earworm (to paraphrase the proverb). That said, the speakers really shone for me when techno-track The Future is Unknown by Adriatique & Delhia de France came on. The deep and powerful bass, clear vocals, and overall volume really showcased the power of the Summit Everest.

So I guess the question is, are these speakers really worth the S$199,000 price tag? I don’t think I have the right ears to make the call. But for high-network individuals for which this pair of speakers are chump change, and want something they can treat their ears for, this is probably it.

This week, we tried two new Nintendo Switch games that revive long-dormant franchises, and heard a bunch of music on the Marshall Stockwell III, which is the first new iteration in seven years.

A new game in the series in a decade, Rhythm Heaven Groove tells quirky stories through its rhythmic gameplay and its deliberately basic and seemingly hand-drawn 2D graphics. There are over 80 minigames in the Solo game mode, while its four-player multiplayer co-op mode has over 30 minigames. Overall, it’s a solid game that’s fun and charming.

Rhythm Heaven Groove

Made for the Nintendo Switch 2, the new Starfox is fun but short. This on-rails flying simulator has just seven missions in its campaign, though there’s plenty of replayability if you’re aiming all the medals. The visuals look great with unique environments. And it also supports the Switch 2’s mouse mode if you want a bit more control.

Starfox (2026)

The Marshall Stockwell III is the first refresh of this portable Bluetooth speaker in seven years. Unsurprisingly, there are lots of changes, notably battery life has doubled to over 40 hours, while water and dust resistance has been upgraded from IPX4 to IP55. The multi-directional 360-degree sound works great. The design, though, is mostly the same, but the new model has a few more buttons, including a customisable button that feels under-used at this point.

Marshall Stockwell III