I don’t really think I can overstate how handy the Shark FlexBreeze Pro Mist fan is, especially during these warmer months. I’ve spoken about its gentle water misting features before, but it’s just as good when used as a standard pedestal fan.
A big reason behind that is its wireless design. With the fan speed set to ‘low’, it’ll last up to 24 hours on a single battery charge. That means you can place it anywhere you like, without worrying about trip hazards or finding a nearby power outlet.
But if you forget to charge the fan, you can simply plug it in, just like any traditional appliance. Plus, if you’re outside, that nice misty water spray is pleasantly refreshing!
When you think of a quad-core processor, you don’t usually think about it at the bottom of a swimming pool. That’s exactly what powers the Aiper Scuba X1 Pro Max robot pool cleaner.
Does such a processor make a difference when used in an appliance designed to keep your pool clean? Let’s take a look at one of Aiper’s top robots to see how it goes.
The Aiper Scuba X1 Pro Max is a cordless pool-cleaning robot that maps the floor, walls, and water surface, then cleans them.
What you get in the box. Image: Angus Jones.
The Max can map and clean a swimming pool with a volume of up to 300 square metres or about 30m long, which is more than three times the size of an Australian standard pool. Using 40 sensors and a quad-core processor, Aiper’s robot will map and navigate your pool in a set pattern, ensuring every centimetre is covered as efficiently as possible. The benefit is that this is not a random cycle, so cleaning is quicker and areas are not missed. For that matter, the Max knows if it has missed a section and will go back to that spot if it was missed as part of the cleaning pattern.
Nine brushless motors power the Aiper X1 Pro Max, which moves up to 32,000 litres of water an hour. This is almost 30 per cent more than Aiper’s next model in the range. More power equals better cleaning, especially on the scum lines on the walls at the water surface. This power means the Max can get higher out of the water on the side wall to clean as well as propel itself in a vibrating sideways motion, resulting in a better clean. The wall at the surface exposed to air, water, and sunlight is where most bacteria and algae will thrive.
Image: Aiper.
A 5-litre basket inside the Aiper collects everything from leaves to twigs, pebbles, sand, and even dust and algae. The basket is lined with a replaceable micromesh filter that captures particles down to 3µm (that’s fine enough to capture algae).
The filter box can be used with or without a micromesh filter. Image: Aiper.
A downside of this robot is its weight at almost 15kg, which is fine when it is in the water, but the unit does need to be removed for recharging. A neat feature is that the Max will surface when cleaning is finished, or the battery drops to 15 per cent. You then lift the Max onto its included wireless charging station. Previous models required the unit to be retrieved from the pool floor with a hook attached to your pool pole. This model still comes with the hook accessory, just in case it’s needed.
The 262Wh battery takes four hours to charge from empty. The cleaner will run for up to 300 minutes on one charge.
Using its sensors, the X1 Pro Max can determine how strong its suction needs to be based on cleaning requirements in its auto mode. Alternatively, you can set ‘eco’ to save power, or ‘max’ for the most powerful cleaning. You can also choose to clean all surfaces, clean the floor and walls, or skim the surface.
The Aiper app allows you to set schedules, download software updates, and change between the modes mentioned above. You can also change modes via buttons on the cleaner itself. The cleaners’ brush, tank treads, and mesh in the basket will need replacing periodically, and the app also tracks their use and recommends when to replace them.
Aiper app.
Note that the app can only communicate with the robot when it is out of the water or on the surface. An optional $670 Hydrocomm Pro underwater communication station (also included in a bundle) will enable in-water relay communication. Incorporating a smart monitor enables chemical analysis of your pool, providing information to help you decide which chemicals to add to keep it pristine.
The basket needs to be emptied regularly, and you can remove the fine filter and skip using it during every clean. You should rinse the basket in clean tap water after each emptying, which helps remove the collected finer particles. A full basket sensor seems to be a valuable omission.
Image: Angus Jones.
The Aiper Scuba X1 Pro Max has been working hard in my friend Bernard’s pool for the last couple of months. His commentary is as follows:
“The Aiper pool robot is a comprehensive cleaning machine. Having an all-surfaces cleaner for pool floors, walls, and surfaces provides peace of mind that one device can do it all.”
“I was pretty impressed to see the smarts at work as the robot methodically adjusted its trajectory to climb the wall without leaving a gap.”
“The return-to-surface function is great, as the previous robot cleaner I was testing required you to fish it off the bottom of the pool to take it out.”
Image: Angus Jones.
“The app has clear alerts, you can monitor charging, and the cleaning setups are clear and easy to access.”
“The warnings on the app work well; I had forgotten to remove the sock with the stabiliser in it, and the cleaner sucked it in. Fortunately, the app sent an alert straight away, so I was able to go out and remove it.”
“It took a little while to learn all the functions available and get the settings right for my pool, but once I was sorted, it did a good job.”
“The charging dock is great, really convenient, unlike the previous robot cleaner I used, which you had to fiddle around with the cap that protected the socket and plug in at the bottom of the device. Aiper’s robot is simple: put it in the dock and away it goes, charging up for the next clean.”
Wireless charging stand. Image: Angus Jones.
“The robot is pretty heavy, so it’s not really a device you want the kids to handle.”
Bernard also recently tested the Aiper Surfer S2 pool skimmer and commented that the dedicated skimmer does a much better job at skimming the pool than the X1 Pro Max. The Pro Max will do it all, but both will do it better.
Is a pool cleaner worth the money?
If you have a 10-metre pool and clean it three times a week in summer over the three months, you will save up to 53 hours of manual labour by using a robot cleaner. According to the ABS, Australia’s median hourly wage is $42.90. If you assume pool owners earn more, say $50 per hour, that’s $2,650 worth of labour you’ve saved.
At the time of writing, the Aiper X1 Pro Max was on special for $2,700. In other words, it’d almost pay for itself, in terms of hours saved, after just one summer.
Who is the Aiper Scuba X1 Pro Max for?
If pool cleaning is your therapy, then don’t buy a robot pool cleaner. However, if it is a chore, this top-of-the-line Aiper Scuba X1 Pro Max can pay for itself in one summer, thanks to the hours of manual work it will save you. If you buy directly from Aiper, they offer a 45-day return, which allows you to test the unit out.
Paying top dollar gets you handy features that help protect your back and make recharging easier. You also get a robot cleaner that can clean the surface of your pool.
We all dreamt of smart robots helping in our homes, and it turns out they are already here, making our lives easier.
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Aiper Scuba X1 Pro Max
The Aiper Scuba X1 Pro Max makes cleaning the pool easier and more ergonomic, saving you hours of maintenance.
Features
9
Value for money
7
Perormance
9
Ease of use
9
Design
8
Positives
Return to surface function
Skims pool in addition to cleaning floor and walls
As if gaming PCs weren’t flashy enough, ROG went ahead and put three holograms in its G1000 desktop PC at CES 2026.
It’s not uncommon to see programmable RGB lights — which this PC has — but built-in holograms take things to another level. Within the tower are three holographic fans: a large one on the side, and two smaller fans on the front. You can program them to show your own text and images, so you could really turn the PC into a true Cyberpunk 2077 machine.
On the inside, the ROG G1000 will include up to an AMD Ryzen 9 9950X3D CPU, an Nvidia RTX 5090 graphics card, and 64GB of RAM. That’s a powerful gaming rig. We’re waiting on Australian release details, but we can enjoy the flashy lights for now.
Valens Quinn attended CES 2026 as a guest of Samsung, LG, Hisense, Belkin, Ecovacs, Asus, TP-Link, Reolink, Roborock, and Aiper.
Keeping children safe online is a complex topic. Australia’s contentious social media ban is seen as one piece of the puzzle, but it only scratches the surface of protecting children’s digital lives. Alarmingly, parental controls, one of the biggest tools dedicated entirely to that mission, remain vastly underused.
Countless apps and devices provide parental controls in some form, allowing families to curate age-appropriate experiences across different platforms. Managing screen time limits, blocking access to inappropriate content, and disabling unknown contacts are among the common settings housed under the parental controls banner.
However, research shows that many parents don’t use these tools. A 2025 study commissioned by Snapchat found that 57 per cent of Australian parents don’t use in-app or online parental controls.
Similarly, only 51 per cent of US parents use parental controls on tablets, dropping to 47 per cent on smartphones, according to the Family Online Safety Institute (FOSI). FOSI’s data also shows that the adoption rate of parental controls reduces further across PCs, TVs, and video game consoles.
The eSafety Commissioner’s 2022 Mind the Gap report found that 59 per cent of parents set rules about when children can go online, but only 43 per cent use parental controls to filter online content.
These statistics beg the question: why is the use of parental control features so low? A perception of difficulty is a big one, according to Dr Joanne Orlando, an author and researcher in digital wellbeing.
“A lot of parents think it’s in the way too hard basket, ‘there’s too many steps’, ‘I don’t really understand’, it’s that kind of thing,” Dr Orlando said. “And family life is so busy that, amongst that, the idea of taking what they probably think is two hours to read the manual is too hard.”
Dr Joanne Orlando presented at a recent Apple briefing. Image: Supplied.
Making parental controls easier
“Not a huge proportion” of parents use the family safety settings on offer, Dr Orlando added, agreeing with the existing research.
“There is an uptake, but I think if we can make [parental controls] really simple, two or three steps, and then they get that protection that they need.”
Some tech companies are trying to make it easier to make child-friendly experiences during the setup, reinforcing Dr Orlando’s belief that using parental controls is “not as complicated as you might think”.
Apple prompts users during the setup stage of its devices to input an age range, which automatically provides some out-of-the-box protections for children. Likewise, Google also supports child accounts on Android devices, providing a similar level of protection.
Image: Apple.
There’s also a myth encountered by researchers that parental controls are only useful for young children, that they quickly outgrow the limitations placed upon them. But that’s not what the experts say.
“What [parental controls] can do is they’re this amazing space that you can actually teach your children about safety,” Dr Orlando said.
The researcher — who previously argued for social media literacy education, as opposed to an outright ban — suggested that parents use device settings as a prompt to teach kids about digital safety. Instead of setting blocks and limits and walking away, she recommends explaining to children why the limitations are in place.
Shedding the “terrible guilt”
With how quickly technology changes, there’s also an element of parents feeling guilty about not knowing how to protect their children’s digital lives.
“A lot of parents always feel like ‘I’m not doing enough, I don’t know what to do’,” Dr Orlando said. “We have this terrible guilt that we’re not doing enough.”
Aside from the settings and instructions from tech companies, families can access resources, including those from the eSafety Commissioner, to stay informed about digital safety.
As long as parents acknowledge that “no one’s ever going to be 100 per cent up to date” with every technology and every risk, Dr Orlando believes that regularly checking in with children is a good place to start.
“If you keep your reading, keep trying to keep up to date a little bit, but having lots of conversations with your kids, just trying to see what they’re seeing that they think might be dangerous, start with those points and have a conversation.”
Chris Button attended a briefing with flights provided by Apple Australia.
I remember using a 128MB USB drive in school and thinking that was a lot of data. Now, there’s talk of 100TB hard drives arriving before the end of the decade.
That lofty target came from Western Digital’s ‘Innovation Day 2026’, where the data storage company outlined its long-term plans. It’s on the verge of releasing a 40TB UltraSMR ePMR HDD, which will be used to keep up with the increasing demands placed on data centres by AI technologies.
But WD isn’t stopping there. By 2029, it plans to produce 100TB hard drive technology by using what’s called “HAMR”. Short for heat-assisted magnetic recording, HAMR uses a precise laser to heat the precise location of a drive that’s being written to, which is part of a process to help increase storage density.
WD’s blog on the technology goes deep into the science, most of which goes over my head. All I can think of is how much would fit on a 100TB hard drive. Sure, such technology is only meant for enterprise-level use, but it’s fun to think about what one could do with 100TB on hand.
Using Netflix’s data rate guidelines, you could store more than 34,000 hours of high-definition video, or roughly 14,600 hours of 4K footage. Based on the recommended 80GB of storage required for Battlefield 6, you could have 1,280 copies of the game saved at the same time.
Again, that’s not what this storage would be used for, but it gives you an idea of how big 100TB is. At the moment, WD sells data centre hard drives reaching 32TB of storage. To more than triple that in just a few years is quite the feat.
Gaming headsets usually have one feature in common: a boom mic for clear audio. Some mics are retractable, while others are fixed, but they’re pretty much synonymous with gaming headsets. Not the Logitech G325, a new mid-range wireless headset that abandons the boom altogether.
Instead of a mic that protrudes outward, Logitech’s $199.95 headset uses a beamforming microphone that’s built into the earcup. While the idea of a boom mic is to get close to the mouth so it can isolate audio, a beamforming mic uses software trickery to achieve the same effect.
Logitech advertises the G325 as using built-in AI software to cut out background noise, placing the focus on your voice. In theory, your online teammates shouldn’t hear loud keyboards or the fan of a PC tower.
If it weren’t for the colourful flourishes, you might not be able to pick this as a gaming headset. Image: Logitech.
Without the visible mic arm, the Logitech G325 doesn’t look like a traditional gaming headset, much like how the Jabra Evolve3 doesn’t look like a call centre headset without a boom mic. As a result, the G325 looks like it could be used in public without attracting too many stares from passersby.
It’s a very light headset, weighing a svelte 212 grams, with a battery life rated to last more than 24 hours at a time. It uses Logitech’s proprietary Lightspeed wireless technology and Bluetooth, making it compatible with nearly any gaming platform. However, unlike some headsets, the G325 does not support both Lightspeed and Bluetooth simultaneously.
In terms of audio, Logitech says the G325 uses 32mm drivers, supporting 24-bit audio. It’s designed to have a relatively flat EQ out of the box, but Logitech’s G Hub software supports customised audio profiles.
Available in lilac, black, and white colours, Logitech’s newest wireless gaming headset is available to order this month.
Security innovation never stops, nor should it when it comes to protecting our homes. At CES 2026, Reolink made affordable, practical, and versatile home security a focus, showing a range of new devices that make protecting your property easier.
Convenience and powerful AI features, without sacrificing privacy, were common themes. Reolink’s upcoming gear, from the brains of the AI Box, to the sheer flexibility of the new OMVI Series, aims to streamline home security for the everyday user.
There wasn’t just a sole type of user or scenario catered to: the whole home was covered, and every budget considered. Most importantly, Reolink respected individual user choice, which is the mark of a smart home brand worth investing in.
Here’s a close look at every new thing Reolink announced at CES 2026. There’s a lot to be impressed by, especially if you’re in the market for some new home security gear.
AI Box
What if you have an older Reolink device, or a camera that doesn’t come with the latest built-in AI smarts? Acting as the brain of the Reolink ecosystem, the AI Box is central to the brand’s connected smart home vision.
Rather than relying on cloud-based processing, which is often associated with costly subscription fees and potential security breaches, the AI Box handles your security system’s data locally. Not only does that enable a more secure environment, but it also cuts back on latency and reliance on external servers.
When compatible Reolink security cameras connect to the AI Box, they all benefit from high-end ReoNeura AI features, like text-based video search, and specific prompt-based alerts.
These prompt-based alerts let you create your own rules, so you only receive notifications for specific actions. For example, assigning the system to notify you when “someone approaches the front door” results in more precise and context-specific alerts. ReoNeura AI takes these instructions and applies logic to reflect real-world situations, making your security system more useful.
The AI Box also adds smart features like text descriptions of events captured on footage, and smart summaries that help you identify trends at a glance. If the same person visits frequently, at the same time of day each time, your Reolink system will tell you.
All of this functionality comes from a small box, one that only needs a power connection to get started. From there, the AI Box can plug into various Reolink security cameras, hubs, and NVRs to upgrade them instantly with advanced AI features.
Powering the AI Box is the Qualcomm Dragonwing Q8 series processor, equipping it with more power and faster processing than a security camera by itself.
When it arrives later in 2026, the AI Box will be a huge upgrade for existing Reolink systems.
OMVI Series
If you thought single or dual-lens security cameras weren’t enough, wait until you see the triple-lens Reolink OMVI Series. Consisting of several different models, OMVI will be the go-to security camera range for crystal clear footage with widespread coverage.
Leading the charge is the award-winning OMVI X16 PoE, a versatile security camera that does it all. It records crisp footage, has a wide field of view, zooms in from a distance, and tracks subjects with pan and tilt motion.
At the heart of the OMVI X16 PoE is a three-lens 24MP system that combines multiple perspectives to identify anything that happens on your property. For an ultra-wide view, its 16MP dual-lens camera gives a zoomed-out angle that captures a wide 180-degree field of view. To see up close, the camera’s 8MP pan-tilt-zoom (PTZ) lens can punch in up to 16x via optical zoom, which is ideal for when you need to identify an individual after an incident.
Those cameras would be great in isolation, but it’s the smart tracking that really elevates the OMVI X16 PoE. Its PTZ camera can pan a full 360 degrees, while tilting 140 degrees up and down. When the OMVI system detects a subject in the wide-angle view, the PTZ unit locks on, following them until they leave.
For particularly large properties, you can program routine patrols or sweeps via the Reolink app. This will make the OMVI scan back and forth over a designated area, ensuring nothing is missed, even if it sits outside the view of the wide-angle camera.
Due to release midway through 2026, the OMVI range, including the X16 PoE, is shaping up to be the security camera that’s a jack of all trades, master of all.
Floodlight Cam series
For even better after-dark security, Reolink also introduced the new Solar Floodlight Cam at CES. As its name suggests, it shines a light on potential intruders, while keeping charged from the sun during the day.
It doesn’t need external power, nor is it merely a small light attached to a camera. Accompanying this 2K security camera is a set of 1,000-lumen floodlights that records clear footage and wards off trespassers.
Reolink’s Solar Floodlight Cam lasts up to three months on a full battery. But, thanks to its solar panel, you should be able to get continuous use from just an hour of sunlight each day.
Like much of Reolink’s range, the Solar Floodlight Cam saves footage locally, supporting up to 512GB via a microSD card. There’s no expensive ongoing subscription just to access your footage here.
With the addition of the solar model, Reolink has even more choice when it comes to floodlight security cameras. It joins the Elite Floodlight WiFi and TrackFlex Floodlight WiFi cameras as an affordable option for any home that needs illuminating.
Power-efficient series
No one wants to waste time charging batteries. Nor does anyone want to think about when they’ll next have to swap out a device’s batteries.
Reolink’s approach? Simply make a series of devices that barely requires any power to run at all. At CES, Reolink showed several highly power-efficient security gadgets, including the Argus MagiCam, E1 Swift, 2nd Gen Video Doorbell, and Video Doorbell SE.
Most of the devices last up to nine months of standard use — roughly five minutes of daily use on average — on a single battery charge. Or, in the case of the Video Doorbell SE, those nine months come courtesy of just four AA batteries — nothing fancy required.
Behind the big power efficiency gains is the Qualcomm Micro-Power Wi-Fi QCC730 processor. It’s a chip that uses a special low-powered type of Wi-Fi technology, significantly reducing the power consumption.
These power-efficient devices are set to be affordably priced, so keep an eye out for launch details.
