Author: Press Room

I’ve kept a local music library for years because I like knowing the files are actually mine, even when my internet connection decides to become ornamental. Plenty of great open-source, free music players for Windows make my large library easy to manage, too. Unfortunately, the one feature that kept making streaming apps look annoyingly sophisticated was synchronized lyrics. Spotify can put each lyric line on screen at almost the exact moment the singer reaches it. My folders full of MP3s and FLACs, meanwhile, were still relying on whatever metadata happened to come with them. LRCGET fixed that for me. It…

Apple has finally done it. After years of HomePod speakers and persistent rumours about a screen-toting speaker, the company has launched Apple HomeView, a 7-inch smart display designed to be the centre of your home. It arrives on 13 November for $299/£299 in both tabletop and wall-mounted versions, and it’s taking on Google’s Nest Hub Max and Amazon’s Echo Show – devices that have sat on kitchen counters for years. I spent some time with HomeView at Apple’s Home event in New York, and the short version is that if you’re already baked into the Apple ecosystem, it’s a delightful…

I admit that I’m something of a Roku newbie, at least when it comes to actually utilizing my smart TV properly. But lately, I’ve been craving applications and oddball streaming channels that offer way more than I would have expected. Normally, I use an Xbox Series X for all my streaming, and it can feel a bit limiting at times, especially in terms of the apps that are actually available. So, I have been using my Roku television a lot more lately. Like any piece of technology that I end up using, I just had to do my research. And…

Convincing 3D depth effects that don’t demand you don a pair of glasses first? Gaming laptops with those are few and far between in 2026. Neither Acer or Asus have updated their 3D-equipped models for this latest laptop generation, and had already pivoted towards graphics professionals and 3D modellers anyway. That makes the Chillblast Arc Vision Pro a bit of a unicorn. The UK-based system builder’s £3425 (there’s no official US sales channel) notebook uses eye tracking cameras to produce stereoscopic 3D visuals that don’t force you to lock your head in a sweet spot or risk ruining the illusion.…

I love my iMac. I’m a big fan of iPads. I own a HomePod. And I eventually came round to the Apple Watch and wear one every day. “Great,” said an imaginary person at Apple, “so how about a smart display that’s like we’ve mashed all those things together with a fork and made it run CarPlay apps?” At which point, frankly, I’m intrigued and baffled. But mostly baffled. Because HomeView is Apple’s latest new doohickey for the home – and it’s really weird. Rumours suggested the device would resemble an iMac G4, which, of course, is the best-looking Mac Apple ever made. That alone…

Diamonds may be a girl’s best friend, but they’re far from friendly on the wallet. Thankfully, lab-grown diamonds offer more sparkle for your buck. They are almost identical to natural diamonds and come in different colours, carat weights and shapes, making them a great choice if you want a bigger stone for a ring or watch for a lower price tag. How lab-grown diamonds are made Lab diamonds have essentially the same chemical and physical composition as their natural counterparts, unlike cubic zirconias or any other sparkly alternatives.  To the naked eye, lab diamonds are identical to nature’s bling, although…

I’m in two minds about Apple’s HomeView. It’s a really interesting piece of kit – one that I’ll be writing more about shortly. It has a reasonable sense of focus and appears to do some things really well. But then there’s one aspect that barrels straight through ‘bad’, blazes past ‘yipes’ and ends up mired in the pit of despair named ‘just the worst’. No, not the price (although that feels… ambitious.) Instead, it’s the sheer audacity of Apple’s pricing when it comes to the two versions that you can buy. The standard HomeView is a multi-user smart display for controlling your home,…

I love my Apple TV. In fact, I love my Apple TVs, because my house has more than one. Those little black boxes are small and silent, and they make it a cinch to access the latest telly and music without wrestling with an interface so appalling you want to hurl the device into a ravine. Low bar, sure, but that’s the market. Still, there are now 299 reasons not to buy a new one, because the Apple TV 4K now costs a whopping $299/£299. Yes, you read that right. Apple’s streaming box now more or less sits in territory once…

I primarily own Apple devices. As such, I have an iPhone, iPad, Mac, and many other Cupertino devices. This list also includes an Apple TV. And yet, I can see the appeal of Roku streamers. In fact, I have a Roku Streaming Stick (primarily for testing) and find it excellent hardware. Google has spent years getting Google TV onto more televisions, and in August 2026 it gave its free Freeplay service an on-demand library for the first time. Apple still sells the Apple TV 4K as the premium box for people who want the best picture and the tightest iPhone…

OPINION: Apple’s vision for the HomeView smart home display isn’t what I wanted or expected it to be. I’m not a fan of the square display that looks like a big Apple Watch on a nightstand for one reason – it ignores the potential to be a video streaming device and that’s put me off buying one. I envisioned the HomeView as an iPad attached to a HomePod – that meant an App Store and access to the key video streaming apps – but in a tvOS-style interface that also offered a shortcut to the Home app, FaceTime, Podcasts, Apple,…