Time is money. Whether you’re travelling the world to take wildlife photos, or working in a corporate setting, getting things done fast can make a huge difference in your performance. With deadlines to be met, having a high-capacity hard drive can help you immensely. Even if you have the fastest laptop, if you are running out of storage, your work will slow down. The OWC Envoy Pro EX is the kind of product that lives up to its name. A “pro” external hard drive, it offers up to 4TB...
Does your iPhone need more space? Of course, it does. If there’s one thing all iPhone users can agree on, it’s that space is valuable, but most of the time, none of us are willing to delete photos and apps to free up memory. The best solution? The iXpand Flash Drive Go from SanDisk. The iXpand Flash Drive Go is a convenient way to free up storage while on the go. By simply plugging it in, you can back up photos, videos, contacts, and more. Once your files have...
Wonderfully small and incredibly light, the Buds Q are extremely well built and have an astonishing amount of the latest tech built into them.
Under the tagline “reuse is the new normal”, Nimble has released a successor to the Bottle Case. Made from 100% recycled CDs and donating 1% of sales to environmental non-profits, the Nimble Disc Case offers many reasons to finally go eco-friendly. As fast-moving trends compel us into mindless consumption, we keep contributing to the ever-growing amount of global waste. Concepts such as “circular economy” and “cradle to cradle” design have indeed become more transparent and attractive for the ordinary customer but there are still not enough companies producing in...
A term in the past described most muralists and creative painters as “starving artists”. It has also been said that an artist’s work had no real value until they were dead. That is no longer true. People involved with any type of art can now have a bright, incredible future career using the Wacom Intuos: Creative Pen Tablet! This creative tablet and pen will allow users to practice and develop the skills needed to become an artist. Many creative people in the past needed a patron or a fan...
As digital media and content design have become more mainstream thanks to platforms such as Canva and Sketch, so does the need for high-resolution, high-function displays. The BenQ 4K UHD display certainly lives up to the company’s corporate vision: “Bringing Enjoyment-N-Quality to Life” to users of its products.
The new NBA 2K21 captures the feel of a real-world basketball game, immersing you in the experience of being cheered on by thousands of fans as you make your shot. Those who have played the NBA 2K20 will find themselves in familiar territory with the NBA 2K21. It’s basically the same game but with several minor upgrades. As with all games by Visual Concepts and 2K Sports, NBA 2K21 looks as sharp and as visually pleasing as its predecessors. Released just two months before the PlayStation 5, the NBA...
The soundbar market is a pretty saturated one. Tap the soundbar section of your favourite electronics retailer’s website and you will see dozens of options. All-in-one units. Wireless units. 5-Channel Surround units. Dolby Atmos this. DTS that. Sometimes all you really need is sound that’s better than you get from a smart speaker or smaller portable speakers.
Whether working in the office or from your own home, an ergonomic workspace is still one of the rules of utmost importance when it comes to staying productive. A messy workplace can easily lead to not only a visually disruptive thinking environment, but increased difficulty in finding items and getting tasks clearly completed due to confusing clutter instead of needed organization. For these reasons and many others, docking stations are becoming staples of both workplaces and homes alike, so it’s imperative to find a docking device that meets your...
There are a lot of impressive portable solid-state-drives (SSD) out there, but what people look for usually boils down to three things: affordability, convenience, and speed. The SanDisk Extreme PRO Portable SSD ($279 for 1TB) excels in these areas. It’s extremely fast and can be connected through USB Type-C and USB Type-A cables, taking away the need for annoying adapters. While its cost per gigabyte is a bit steep, it’s not as off-putting as rival portable SSDs. The SanDisk Extreme PRO will be a great investment for those who...
When it comes to amazing gimbals, DJI has been the front runner for years. Each iteration of the Osmo Mobile has made the experience of connecting your smartphone to the gimbal easier, faster and smarter. In each model, DJI has extended the possibilities with so many new features to explore. The new DJI OM 4 is outstanding! It has the same sleek design as DJI’s previous model, however, they have adopted a new function that will make you want to upgrade.
We recently tested the moto e6s smartphone from Motorola and we were very impressed with the performance and capabilities of a sub $200 device. This week we have moved up a notch in the range to the moto g8. Sitting between the moto e range and the Motorola one family, the g8 is packed with all the features you want in a sturdy and durable every-day device.
Whatever your reason for needing a Virtual Machine on your Mac, Parallels Desktop 16 will be a great investment. From easily converting a Boot Camp partition into a VM, to having quick access to Windows Only software, Parallels Desktop does it all. Parallels Desktop 16 has added over 30 new features with up to 20% faster DirectX enhanced graphics support, and improved OpenGL 3 to run apps and games better than ever before! When working in this new Parallels Desktop, users can select the type of productivity needed, and...
For years, photographers have had to deal with the booming size of RAW files. Many photographers have resorted to buying Cloud storage, moving files to cheap external drives, and even deleting precious RAW images and videos just to make space. This is why reliable storage solutions like the LaCie 2big RAID have become ‘go-to’ options for many professionals with work that constantly involves large bulks of files and other data. The LaCie 2big RAID is aimed at creatives like photographers, videographers, and music producers who produce massive amounts of...
Laptops are the modern equivalent to the ‘Hot Hatch’ cars from the 1990s. Most are pretty dismal, but there are a few that hit the sweet spot perfectly. The new Razer Blade Stealth 13 is one of the good ones – a perfect blend of size and strength for everyday use and powerful gaming on-the-go. The ‘Ultrabook’ as Razer calls it.
There’s a common thought in business that the most successful companies are those that are open and willing to partner with other companies to achieve sustainable growth – especially during tough times. In the last decade, Toyota has partnered with Subaru on the GT86 / BRZ and more recently they have partnered with BMW on the Z4 / Supra. In both cases, the outcomes were exceptional for Toyota.
It’s very rare that the world’s most recognisable brands update their visual persona or values. Rolls-Royce – has just released an update to its visual identity that is aligned to perfectly to its founder, Sir Henry Royce’s, famous words, “Take the Best that Exists and Make it Better“.
Kingston has upped their game yet again with their latest SSD, the Kingston KC2500 NVMe PCIe SSD 1TB. The KC2500 is a successor of their KC200 NVMe SSD, and it actually uses the same hardware. What’s new is that the KC2500 employs a new firmware and mature NAND. The KC2500 was built for desktops and high-performance computing (HPC) systems. Its read and write speeds of 3500 MB/s and 2900 MB/s respectively makes it one of the most powerful hard drives from Kingston’s flagship drive series. Its most unique upgrade...
How many of us make the promise to be more organized each year? If you’re like most people, you have a bunch of wires and gadgets scattered around your workspace. The purpose of a desk area is to make you more productive, but with so much clutter, it only succeeds in distracting you. Enter the Twelve South HiRise Pro, one of the best desk accessories for the iMac. Gone are the days of trying to raise your iMac with a stack of books. The HiRise Pro was made for...
The two fold marriage of products, camera and storage. After comparing stats, watching multiple YouTube videos, swaying back and forth on which camera and lens is best for you, you finally confirm your decision and make the purchase. Then comes the second crucial decision, what media is best to record to? When preparing for any kind of shoot, no matter where we are, or what type of situation, we are always looking for the best and fastest ways to capture our footage.
The Motorola moto e family shows that the size of the sticker price of a smartphone is in no way related to its hardware and software features. Ever since Google sold Motorola to Lenovo in 2014, the engineers have been working away on a range of devices that provide a robust and elegant form-factor matched to the 9th Generation of Google’s Android operating system. The moto e6s is a new entrant for Motorola in the Australian market. With an RRP of $179 this is one of the best value...
As an enthusiast of both kitchen-craft and technology, I am constantly tinkering with new ways of doing things in the kitchen, and new devices of all kinds to make the kitchen a more exciting place, especially devices that introduce an entirely new concept into my arsenal. As such, I wanted the first device review to launch our new segment focusing on home kitchen and cooking technology innovation to be something very clever and truly fascinating. The Tovala Steam Oven took up that mantle quite nicely. But does it live...
The Ring doorbell completely redefined home security and peace of mind when it was launched in 2012. Founder Jamie Siminoff’s wife described it as “Caller-ID for your front door.”. Originally branded as ‘Doorbot’, Ring grabbed hold of a market that was more than ripe for enhancement. So too did NBA legend Shaquille O’Neal who took an equity stake in 2016. Amazon subsequently bought the company for $1.2-$1.8B in February 2018.
There is no greater satisfaction as a designer than setting up a beautiful workspace and immersing yourself in work, especially now more than ever before. For years now, ever since I got my first iPad, I have considered the case as the most relevant accessory you can get for an iPad. No matter how often or not you use it, a protective case is the first thing that you interact with most, so never underestimate its importance. Having tested the Pad & Quill Contega Thin case for three weeks...
I have written of my fondness for Kia’s vehicles on more than one occasion here at SonnyDickson.com, so my expectations were pretty high when I slid behind the wheel of the 2020 Kia Stinger GT Carbon Edition. The Carbon Edition is a limited run model sitting at the top of the Stinger range next to the Night Sky Edition. Think of the Carbon Edition as more sporty and spirited and the Night Sky Edition as luxurious, soft and supple – but still very much a Stinger.
One of the upsides of COVD-19 and the lockdowns is that leisure activities like bike riding and golf are flourishing. With a renewed vigour for golf and joining one of the local courses, we’ve taken a keen interest in the vast array of golf equipment that is now available at your local pro-shop. The team at Callaway Australia were good enough recently to send us a couple of sleeves of their new Chrome Soft Golf Balls to try out. Retailing at approximately $70 per dozen, the 2020 Chrome Soft...
We’re done with waiting for Wi-Fi 6 (802.11ax) connectivity because it is finally here. It might take some time before we finally leave the Wi-Fi 5 in favor of the new crowd favorite, one that is faster and can seamlessly connect to multiple wireless devices at once. Nevertheless, those who want to live on the fast lane will have plenty of choices when it comes to Wi-Fi 6 enabled routers. One of those is the ASUS ROG Rapture GT-AX11000.
Whether you’re a professional musician who makes a career off of music or you just enjoy creating melodies as a hobby, it can be difficult for anyone when you think of a possible beat or even a full chord progression when you don’t have an instrument around. You could be literally anywhere and have inspiration hit you with the gift of the perfect notes, but then you face the task of keeping them in your head until you can reach somewhere to record. This problem has plagued enough composers...
Mechanical keyboards offer superior accuracy than dome-switch keyboards. They’re the choice of professionals and hardcore gamers because of their reliability and feel. But the perfect mechanical keyboard isn’t always easy to find. Most are too small, too stiff, and too noisy. The perfect keyboard would have to be quiet, wireless, compatible with Mac computers, and not feel like a typewriter. If you’re looking for a modern mechanical keyboard, you should check out the Keychron K2. It offers customizable lighting, wireless connectivity, switchable Mac and Windows layouts and more.
Samsung has just released their A30 Smart Lock via Bunnings with an RRP of $569. The WiFi-connected Smart Lock is the perfect addition to any existing security door providing award-winning design and security.
Our whole lives are stored in electronic devices. From smartphones to laptops, having enough storage is always a necessity, but we always seem to be running out of space. While many companies are offering cloud storage, it will never live up to the standards held by external hard drives. Enter the Seagate Barracuda Fast SSD. If you follow the latest news on the storage market, you’ll know that Seagate has come through with several products under their “Fast” brand. Now, with the Barracuda Fast, they’re giving us upgraded hardware,...
The beautifully designed Satechi Wireless Charging Pad integrates a ‘one solution wireless dock’ for charging any iPhone 8 or later, wireless AirPods or AirPods Pro, and an Apple Watch simultaneously.
Not since I spent many a Summer’s day in the back of my neighbour’s baby blue 244 DL commuting to and from the beach, have I looked forward to spending time in a Volvo estate car. My love affair with the Volvo XC60 T8 Polestar Engineered is well documented, so the opportunity to get behind the wheel of another of Sweden’s automotive gems was very easy to say yes to.
The Moshi IonGo 5K Duo Proves To Be A Capable Everyday Mobile Charger. In this fast-paced, tech-dependent modern day, a small but powerful mobile charger is one of the most important things to have. If you leave your house for more than a few hours and your phone dies, you lose access to chauffeur driving services, maps, food location/delivery, calling, texting, and basically all methods of communication unless you happen to stumble upon one of the few remaining pay phones. So in short, everybody needs a mobile external charger...
Naturally, following Apple’s WWDC announcements on June 22nd, there has been a great deal of chatter and discussion regarding the future of the Mac now that Apple is transitioning to using it’s own custom designed chips. And naturally, we may have heard a thing or two from sources who have served us well in the past (including one of the sources that gave us great information on Apple’s AirPower plans). That being said: I have an immense dislike for rumors on an existential level. The level to which rumors...
The ARCHIMEDE watch brand is a relative new-comer to the market – only launching in 2003. The Ickler family that designs and produces these timepieces has been manufacturing watchcases for almost a century. The first ARCHIMEDE watch was modelled on the classic Pilot design with extremely easy to read dials and numerals and was very popular from launch. Following the launch of the Pilot, there have been a succession of other families of watches under the ARCHIMEDE brand – Klassik, DeckWatch, SportTaucher and OutDoor. All made with the same...
Have you ever wondered how YouTube bloggers and reviewers get those incredible intro scenes at the beginning of their videos? Or while watching an amateur short film, you see some amazing 3d content that you know isn’t real but looks so beautiful? Obviously, your first thought is they paid for that intro. Or they used some very expensive professional programs that are way out of my budget. Well, this is where mO2 comes in. MO2 is a real-time 3d rendering engine that seamlessly integrates with Final Cut Pro X...
To say that Hamilton is a cultural phenomenon is almost an understatement. Since the musical first hit the big stage in 2015, it’s gained heaps of positive acclaim and a large unexpected fan following that have planted this play firmly in the cultural zeitgeist. A hip-hop musical about the founding fathers may have earned odd looks and scoffs at the beginning, but over time has garnered a following large enough to rival all other musicals, historical revolution-based or otherwise. However, despite its insurmountable fanbase, Hamilton could only be seen...
Is this illuminating, quietly fast warhorse external hard drive and docking station for me? It would seem that every person who has a computer, or more specifically, a slim laptop, should contemplate using an external drive of some sort. With so many external hard drives on the market, which type and brand is the best one for your personal needs? To start, let’s break down the needs and uses of an external HD.
I have often marvelled at car companies like Mercedes-Benz and Volkswagen who at the peak of their product offerings had ranges that spanned hundreds of thousands of dollars and addressed every market segment from micro to mega-luxury. Even today, Mercedes-Benz has a range that starts with the A180 and goes all the way up to the Mercedes-Maybach S-Class. Back in 2007 Hyundai launched a large saloon called the Genesis and marketed it as a ‘modern rear-wheel-drive sports sedan’ which it certainly was. Then in 2015 Hyundai split the Genesis...
With so many audio devices on the market nowadays, it can be hard for developers to find a niche that will make their brand stand out to consumers. In the end, most developers focus their energy and resources on maximizing qualities that are expected of a good pair of headphones or earbuds, such as bass strength, clarity, sound personalization options, and similar features. This is not necessarily a bad thing, since optimizing these qualities creates a selection of better products all around, but product diversity relies most heavily on...
Crumpler has turned itself into a household name because of its functional, long-lasting, and sturdy bags for all kinds of activities, from going to school to backpacking across the country. This Australian company has launched an array of bags, including the Crumpler Mantra. The Mantra is a flawless combination of style, functionality, reliability and comfort. While it may look like a fashionable city bag, the Mantra was built for the road. Spacious and heavy-duty, this weatherproof backpack is enough to fit everything you could possibly need.
The compact, award winning, beautifully designed Mars II Pro is anything but basic. This little device can project a razor-sharp image with a perfected auto-focus up to a 150 inch display using DLP IntelliBright technology. If you move the projector, it automatically adjusts the focus and keystone. Don’t think because it’s a 720p image, it somehow should be overlooked or pushed aside. The image quality is so gorgeous and bright that it surpasses some of the other well known brands that showcase 1080p when set at the same distance....
Most desks we inquire when searching usually have one main style and purpose, sitting or standing. The Autonomous Smart Desk DIY kit has features that create the perfect desk for anyone. It has the ability to adjust its height with a powered controller and control box installed and allows you to choose from 3 different styles. Office Desk, L-Shape & a Premium Office Desk Style. The automatic standing feature alone makes it incredible! We all know that searching for a new office desk can be time consuming and frustrating....
Some games just succeed at offering excitement and thrill without fail. You’re on the last lap, pushing the pedal and bumping the cars beside you. Everyone’s on a high to get to the finish line. You gun it and finally you zoom past the checkered flags. For a moment, you feel like you’re on top of the world. That is, before the next race, That’s the feeling we got from playing GRID Autosport. GRID Autosport was released in 2014 for PC, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. It was the...
Depending on where you grew up and whether your upbringing was urban or rural, it’s highly likely that you know what a Hilux is. Like Google or Atari or Qantas or GoPro, Hilux is a combination of letters that lacks any ambiguity. From movies such as Back to The Future to iconic TV shows such as Top Gear, the Hilux has been worshipped for its iconic looks and immense toughness. The latest and greatest version – the Rugged X – is a monument to the 52-year-old legacy that is...
I’m more used to reviewing cars but when I really think about it – it’s the engineering of a motor vehicle that really appeals to me. It’s the same with the Dyson V11 Outsize cordless vacuum that we’ve been using in the house during the COVID-19 Lockdown. It is an extremely thorough vacuum cleaner with some very clever technology baked in.
You may remember that way back in 2018, United States president Donald Trump announced a new sixth branch of the US Armed Forces: Space Force. A proposed branch of the military that would deal with space warfare was met with mostly unanimous mockery, but still it seemed to forge ahead. But it would seem that along with criticism and think pieces, the conception of the Space Force has also given us a brand new Netflix Original show from Greg Daniels and Steve Carell. Together, they form a formidable comedic...
My plan is to approach this review in the same fashion that I write my car reviews. There are plenty of people out there that can talk about RAM and CPU and Inter CORE i7 processors. I’m nerdy, but not that nerdy. What I really want you to know is what this Lenovo Thinkbook 15 is like to live with. As such I’ve written this review on the very unit that Lenovo were good enough to lend me.
With the launch of the new streaming service HBO Max coming at such a perfect time, everyone seems ecstatic to have another silver tray of entertainment options delivered (contact-free, of course) right into their homes. Right off the bat, there are plenty of different TV shows and movies both old and new to be watched on this service, but perhaps most interesting are the new Max Originals that will be coming out both immediately and over time. Things like a Gossip Girl sequel/reboot, an Adventure Time revival miniseries, and...
