If you think it’s clunky having to swap between work headphones and your everyday headphones, Logitech might have the answer. Logitech has just announced an interesting new headset named the Zone Vibe Pro, and it looks to address the modern hybrid workplace. It comes in two versions: the Zone Vibe Pro and the Zone Vibe Pro for Business.
The way I look at this new headset is that it’s your daily driver. You wear it throughout the day for your enjoyment as well as any lifestyle activities. Custom-built 40mm drivers and Adaptive Noise Cancellation block out surrounding noise, while AI-powered noise-reduction microphones isolate your voice on calls, all in a sleek, boomless design.
But the real benefit is the seamless integration when transitioning to your work life. The headset eliminates the need to change to a dedicated work device, as it is built with IT in mind. The Zone Vibe Pro for Business is certified for Microsoft Teams, Zoom and Google Meet, meaning reliability during those important work calls. As an added bonus, IT administrators can use Logitech Sync software to monitor and update the Business version and deploy firmware settings across the organisation. That is a huge benefit for large organisations.
Image: Logitech.
So, what makes this work-centric headset also an everyday set of headphones? Comfort and styling are the main factors. The Zone Vibe Pro has a sleek monochrome aesthetic that makes it feel like it was created for designers. There are three colour options: Graphite, Off-White and Lilac, which all look great as they have a somewhat muted look to them.
Logitech says the redesigned soft headstrap distributes pressure more evenly for all-day comfort, so you can take advantage of the long battery life of up to 30 hours of listening or 18 hours of call time with ANC on. Logitech claims its headset gets up to an hour of call time from a five-minute USB-C charge.
Colour options: Graphite, Off-White and Lilac. Images: Logitech.What’s included with the Logitech Zone Vibe Pro for Business. Images: Logitech.
Retailing for $489.95, the Zone Vibe Pro is available on the Logitech website starting today. The Zone Vibe Pro for Business is priced at $489.95 with a Zone USB-C Receiver, or $469.95 for the Native Bluetooth Edition.
Amazon has helped solve one problem in my backyard with its eero Outdoor 7 Wi-Fi mesh router. This means any device that needs internet access can now work in my back garden. Ring, Amazon’s security camera arm, may have solved another with the Ring Outdoor Camera Plus Solar.
Now that I have Wi-Fi, I can mount a security camera anywhere I want, but it also has to be powered, and I don’t want to have to remove batteries to recharge them. So, this Ring camera seems like the most logical solution.
Ring Outdoor Camera Plus Solar features
The Ring Outdoor Camera Plus Solar is a weather-proof, integrated, Wi-Fi, wire-free security camera system with 2K resolution that is set-and-forget. By “set and forget”, I mean that it goes on protecting and alerting you of incidents without having to worry about a battery running out.
The one caveat is that the solar panel must get two to three hours of direct sunlight a day. For those of us in Australia, depending on where you mount the panel (like a southern wall), you might not reach that sunlight requirement.
Box contents. Image: Angus Jones.
In the box, you will find everything you need to get it operational, including screws and pole-mounting hardware. A little Lego assembly is required. You can mount the camera on a wall, pole, or ceiling, and mount the solar panel up to 2m away separately if needed. For pole mounting, the camera comes with two different-size stainless steel bands, which you can even join to create a larger circumference. Other brands either don’t natively support pole mounting or only provide a synthetic strap.
The camera used in this setup is actually one I have reviewed before. It uses a Ring Outdoor Camera Plus combined with a solar panel and a bracket, all in one package.
The camera supports both 2.4GHz and 5GHz Wi-Fi bands, but as always, wireless cameras need good Wi-Fi reception to work.
This camera does not have a light, but it supports colour night vision. Its 2K resolution camera has a 140-degree field of view, so it can see slightly off to the sides.
The camera has a built-in microphone and speaker, allowing two-way communication and the ability to sound a siren.
Live view. Image: Angus Jones.
The included solar panel supplies 4W and is larger than some other brand panels, giving the camera the best chance to charge in the sun. If the solar panel cannot keep up with the power, the camera has a removable battery you can charge via USB or, if you buy a second battery, swap out. The bracket lets you adjust the angle to maximise solar connection, and I mounted mine upside down to maximise the sun where I placed it.
Ring Outdoor Camera Plus Solar specifications and price
Resolution
2K
Field of view
160 degrees (diagonal)
Networking
Wi-Fi 6 (2.4GHz & 5GHz)
Dimensions
Camera: 6.7 cm x 6.7 cm x 12.8 cm including stand Solar Panel: 20.5 cm x 16.9 cm x 1.2 cm
To get the most out of your Ring camera, you will need a Ring Protect subscription, which starts at $4.95 for a single camera, $14.95 for multiple cameras, and $29.95 a month for more advanced AI features (like text-based search for footage).
Ring sends captured video directly to the cloud, where it is encrypted. If a thief thinks stealing your camera will steal the recorded images, they are wrong. With a Ring Protect subscription, recordings are stored for 180 days, but you can download them anytime and store them separately.
I test and change my security cameras at home often, and setting up a Ring camera is always a pleasure. I have said it before, but setting up Amazon products is simple, and the setup always works as it should, which is more than I can say for other brands. Ring’s app is also a pleasure to use, which is my favourite app from any brand, even though some of the features require a subscription.
I must admit I like a light on a security camera, and this camera doesn’t have one, which I feel is a letdown, as a solar panel should support a small light. However, the night vision view is excellent, although at night you will only get a monochrome view. Ring advertises “colour in low-light”, but the camera reverts to black-and-white footage in complete darkness, which is still enough to see what’s happening.
Night vision. Image: Angus Jones.
When reviewing footage on the app, you will find that a triggered recording plays back at normal speed. Since the Ring cameras are always recording, you get a high-speed time-lapse until a trigger or the image goes live. This is a great feature that’s inherent to Ring, while others make a fuss about it and require you to set it up separately.
Custom alerts and motion triggers
The more cameras you have, the more triggers and events you will likely receive. Ring has a neat feature called ‘Unusual Event Alerts’. Essentially, the camera’s smarts learn over time what is normal around your home and what is not.
For example, my son arrives home from work around 5 pm every day and parks in the driveway. The system learns this and does not send me an alert. However, if a courier drove into the driveway at that same time, I would get an alert.
Because the cameras capture footage and store it in the cloud for 180 days, finding a particular alert can be difficult. If you have the top Ring Protect plan, you can search for specific footage using phrases. For example, searching ‘parcel delivery’ shows you any footage containing deliveries.
Motion settings. Image: Angus Jones.
On the subject of motion triggers, you can also set the Ring camera to record a trigger without sending you an alert. You can enable this during the well-explained setup process, which is a nice touch to ensure the camera works as you want from the start rather than having to go into settings later.
You can also reduce alerts by selecting the area to monitor (during setup or after). In my case, I use this camera to watch my caravan. However, it has a cover that the wind blows and sets off the camera. This is easily fixed by excluding that part of the image from a trigger. You can also set sensitivity and schedules for how often the device checks for motion to reduce false alerts.
A feature I like from Ring is the ability to link cameras so they work together. A trigger from one camera can also start another camera recording, so you get the full picture.
If you have cameras you would rather did not record footage when you are home, you can also choose which cameras operate when you are home and when you are away. Think of this like the old burglar alarm you would activate when you leave the house. If only insurance companies in Australia would recognise security cameras like they recognise burglar alarms.
Ring app. Image: Angus Jones.
Beyond having app connection to your cameras, if you use Amazon Echo products, especially the Show screens, you have full access to the vision and the recordings, which is pretty neat.
Who is the Ring Outdoor Camera Plus Solar for?
If you want a trouble-free security camera system that is super easy to set up and monitor, then Ring is the brand you should consider. Do note that to get full functionality, you will need a subscription.
Taking this even further, the Ring Outdoor Camera Plus Solar is a solution that, in the right conditions, will be self-sufficient, drawing power from the sun, so you won’t need to recharge batteries periodically. With a few screws and a few taps in an app, it’s all ready to go.
Amazon is a big brand with quality products that integrate well together, something few other brands do as well today.
GadgetGuy occasionally uses affiliate links and may receive a small commission from purchased products.
Ring Outdoor Camera Plus Solar
Self-sufficient, and easy to set up and use, the Ring Outdoor Camera Plus Solar further streamlines outdoor security.
If Top Gun were a melodramatic, high-budget soap opera, Ace Combat 8: Wings of Theve is what you’d get. Spectacular and overwhelming all at once, this over-the-top flight combat simulator is quite the thrill, head-scratching as it may be at times.
As bombastic as Ace Combat 8 may be in tone and delivery, it’s easy to get caught up in its earnest sincerity. Within its expansive single-player campaign is a fascinating meta-narrative. Like how you embody the role of somebody else when playing a video game, so does the silent protagonist. Ordered to assume the role of a fallen pilot, they unwittingly become a pawn in a larger military plot.
Without winking and nodding at you through the TV, it’s the most overt commentary on modern propaganda and the military-industrial complex I’ve encountered in a game.
Screenshot captured on a PS5 Pro.
What your pilot does isn’t what the rest of the world — hell, even the rest of the military — sees. Chopped up into short-form vertical videos for the masses to see, Ace Combat 8 shows a TikTok-era of warfare under the pretence of giving a nation a symbol of hope, however manufactured it may be.
And, if you can believe it, there’s plenty of dogfighting action in between.
Highway to the danger zone
Seeing the phrase ‘simulator’ might give the impression that Ace Combat 8 isn’t a game that anyone can jump in and play. Fortunately, this isn’t the case. Despite the ‘8’ in its name, Wings of Theve doesn’t require any existing knowledge, gameplay or lore. Even for a first-time Ace Combat pilot, the barrier to entry is low.
One part of this is a generous set of control schemes. One set of options handles most of the basics of flight, leaving you to focus solely on hunting targets across land, air, and sea. The other control scheme takes off the training wheels (wings?), giving you full control of your jet’s range of motion to pitch and yaw to your heart’s content.
Screenshot captured on a PS5 Pro.
Even on the basic set of controls, Ace Combat 8 thrills with each encounter. Depicted in eye-popping detail, every flight is a visual feast. Water droplets wash over your view when plunging into clouds, and the sheer scale of the earth beneath you is breathtaking.
It doesn’t take long for the action to ramp up, as opposing forces strike from all angles. Ace Combat 8 produces an astounding sense of speed and weight, making every missile fired and every bombing run feel like a playable movie. As more jet customisation options — based on real-world aircraft — unlock throughout the campaign, it’s quickly apparent how differently each craft handles.
Screenshot captured on a PS5 Pro.
Aside from the controls and action, Ace Combat 8’s other beginner-friendly trait is its self-contained story. Not wanting to inadvertently be the powder keg that sets off World War III, the narrative revolves around entirely fictional nations. I kid you not, the series’ in-game universe is called “Strangereal”.
Combining the aerial action of Top Gun with the ridiculousness of Mission: Impossible, Ace Combat 8 would make Tom Cruise proud.
Keen for a chat
Even outside of Ace Combat 8 melodramatic cutscenes, there’s rarely a moment when someone isn’t talking. My theory is that your wingmen think they’re in the movie Speed. Except instead of blowing up for driving under 50mph, they’re worried they’ll die if they go two seconds without speaking.
Modern video games often cop criticism for being too chatty. Haven’t pressed an input for five seconds? Get ready for a not-so-subtle quip about what you should be doing next! To some, it’s the Netflix-ification of games, where everything needs to be spelled out as if you weren’t paying attention. There’s also the school of thought that because of how visually dense modern games are, they need to go to greater lengths to stop you from getting lost.
Regardless of where you land on the above scale, Ace Combat 8 is extremely verbose. Dialogue-heavy cutscenes between missions explain what’s at stake, something you’re reminded of at every moment. In the air, radio chatter constantly pollutes the airwaves, often consisting of inane banter with little relation to the mission. To be fair, the voice actors did a bang-up job of selling the exposition-heavy script they received.
Screenshot captured on a PS5 Pro.
Roughly halfway through the campaign, your squad’s resident stunt pilot extraordinaire remarks that the overwhelming alerts and cross-chatter during missions cause her to tune out. It took me a moment to process this — like most of Ace Combat 8’s firehose of non-stop exposition. After a beat, I laughed. She literally put into words what I thought from the game’s opening moments!
If there were ever an example of a game being self-aware, this line of dialogue deserves a mention. In the heat of a mission, the constant talking proved grating and distracting, making it tricky to follow what I should be paying attention to.
Removed from the moment, though, Ace Combat 8’s verbosity felt apt. It tells a story about manipulation through deliberately placed information. Perhaps by flooding your comms with non-stop voices, it gives your voiceless pilot — and you — no room to think, no room to question authority, because only the mission matters.
And there’s little to question about the joy of piloting a high-speed jet like you’re in a Hollywood blockbuster.
Ace Combat 8: Wings of Theve was reviewed on PS5 Pro with a code provided by the publisher.
Ace Combat 8: Wings of Theve
Spectacular and at times overwhelming, Ace Combat 8: Wings of Theve isn't your run-of-the-mill military game.
Positives
Spectacularly detailed visuals are breathtaking
Approachable controls for first-time players
Thrilling aerial combat
Negatives
Lots of exposition to wade through
Non-stop crosstalk quickly overwhelms, making it difficult to parse mission critical information
Have you ever wanted to print your own T-shirts? In a quirk of good timing, I recently talked with the GadgetGuy team about having some branded gear to wear to events. Then, a company called HTVRONT reached out with a home heat press product that can print designs on T-shirts. I knew nothing about heat presses and designing T-shirts, and it turns out there’s a fair bit to it.
Image: Epson
The process is simple but requires specialised equipment across three specific steps.
To begin with, you need to create a design of what you want to print onto a shirt. In my case, the GadgetGuy logo already existed. You can, of course, make your own design with software like Canva.
Then, you need to have the image, or in my case, logo, printed. You can do this in several ways. I paid an online company to print my requested designs on their dye sublimation printer (it cost $22 for a 35 x 45cm sheet with lots of designs on it) and post us a sheet of images we then cut up to use. Designs can include logos or graphics as detailed as a photo.
Alternatively, you could buy your own dye sublimation printer. Epson sells the SureColor F160 for $799. If you are super crafty, you can create your own designs with a Cricut electronic cutting machine and place the individual cut coloured vinyl pieces on sublimation paper.
Finally, you use a heat press to transfer the design onto your shirt or other object you wish to print on.
Image: Angus Jones.
The heat press, which runs at between 100 and 210 degrees Celsius, turns the dye on the sublimation paper into a gas that penetrates the material you are printing on. You can print onto fabric or polyester-coated hard goods. For hard goods, you’re better off going to a specialised supplier to ensure you are printing on a polyester-coated product, such as a mug. Also consider the colour of the product you are printing on, with lighter colours working best.
Testing the HTVRONT heat press
I trialled the HTVRONT Auto Heat Press 2, a $599 flat press, which is good for T-shirts and phone cases. There are also other models suited to curved objects, like hats. Using a towel, though, I did manage to print a hat on the flat press.
The press comes with a pre-installed heat press mat and a Teflon sheet. The standout feature of this press is that it takes the complication out of how long and how hard you press your garment.
When you are ready to press, you set the temperature, pressure, and time you want to press for. You add your garment to the pull-out drawer, then slide the drawer back into the machine and press a start button. The machine then takes care of the rest. If you want to further automate the process, closing the drawer can also trigger the press.
Temperature, pressure and time presets. Image: HTVRONT.
In my case, my wife is much more precise than I am at positioning the shirt, which you then press to ensure a flat, ironed surface. Then you position the design and press the image. Slide the drawer back out and wait for the transfer to cool before removing the paper. To seal your transferred image, repress it with the provided Teflon sheet between the design and the hot plate. This ensures your hot plate remains clean.
If you plan to do lots of pressing, you can set four custom modes with your desired temp, pressure, and time. This unit can handle a pressure range of 20-80 kg, which results in better colour transfer than cheaper machines. This also means the colour locks in better during washing. The 4.5cm printing height also meant I could print that hat. For safety, the machine turns off after 15 min of inactivity.
Image: Angus Jones.
The HTVRONT heat press works with various materials, including heat transfer vinyl, heat transfer paper, sublimation paper, and DTF transfer film. The unit ships with imperial measurements but can be converted to metric by long-pressing the corresponding button.
If you want to try it for yourself, you can save $70 by using the code ‘Angus10’ on the HTVRONT website. GadgetGuy merchandise isn’t available for sale, but with a heat press now on hand, you never know.
As I write this, I’m travelling in Europe with my wife. Tough life, I know, but as you can see, I’m still working.
Have you ever sat on a plane and wondered whether your bag made it on board? And if it didn’t, which happens more often than you’d like, where is it now? I once flew from the US to Sydney, only to be told my bag had been sent to London by mistake. The Roam smart tracker may be just the thing to give you peace of mind.
The Roam smart tracker is about the size of a 50 cent coin, just over 1 cm thick, and weighs 4 grams. You attach it to something you want to find if it goes missing, such as your car keys or your luggage. It’s IP67 rated, so dust, rain and even a short dip in a puddle won’t stop it working.
Image: Angus Jones
Unlike many smart trackers, the Roam isn’t tied to a single ecosystem. It works with either Apple Find My or Android Find Hub, so you don’t need to worry about giving one as a present, only to find out you bought the wrong one.
It runs on a standard CR2032 coin-cell battery, which is easy to find, and lasts about a year before it needs replacing. Your phone will tell you when the battery is running low, with no special app needed, and there are no ongoing subscriptions.
Roam setupFinding a lost item. Image: Angus Jones
How the Roam smart tracker works
When you first activate the tracker, you choose whether to set it up with Apple or Android. Once it’s activated, it can’t work with both.
The Roam sends out a Bluetooth signal that nearby iPhones or Android phones, depending on which you chose, detect and use to report its location. Location reports are encrypted, so only you can see where your tracker is. In effect, you’re using the billions of smartphones around the world to find your lost item.
It comes with a key ring loop and an elastic strap, so you can attach it to all sorts of things. To find your item, open the Apple Find My or Android Find Hub app and select your Roam tracker. Your item’s last reported location will appear on a map. Travellers can also share that location with more than 50 airlines to help them find a lost bag.
If you lose your keys somewhere in the house, you can use your phone to make the tracker play a sound. And when you’re out and about, there’s one more layer of protection. The Roam has a QR code printed on it, so if someone finds your tracker and scans the code, they’ll see how to contact you, such as by email or phone.
The Roam can track lots of things, including your pet. What would you track?
Elastic strap and QR code. Image: Angus JonesTrack pet location with Roam
Putting the Roam luggage tracker to the test
So far, so good. I haven’t lost my bags. I have one tracker hidden in a backpack with my laptop and camera, and another visible on the outside of a large clothes bag. I’ve been able to track our checked bag during our flight, and even see it approaching the baggage carousel. Hopefully I won’t need it to recover stolen goods, but if bad luck strikes, I’ll share the story.
The Roam smart tracker costs $43, with discounts when you buy more than one. My wife can even track me and my backpack, because I’ve shared access with her. Now I can roam as far as I like and still get found.
Before now, the only Aussie flavour included was the ability to track the Socceroos’ World Cup campaign and international sports that Australians compete in, like F1 or tennis. In a quiet update, Apple Sports now includes several more soccer leagues, including the A-League. Sadly, there’s no listing in the app for the A-League Women competition yet, so it’s only the men’s league at this stage.
Screenshot: Chris Button.
At the time of writing, I could follow both the A-League Men and individual teams. But it looks like the full data hasn’t yet populated; no fixtures appeared in the app, leaving little time before the first match on 16 October. So, I can’t yet look ahead to speculate on how Adelaide United will disappoint me again this year.
Once the season is up and running, you’ll be able to view various sports results and standings in one place. Plus, Apple Sports supports Live Activities, letting you get quick and up-to-date info on an iPhone or Apple Watch. There still isn’t a way to track individual athletes in non-team-based competitions, which is high on my wishlist.
Screenshot: Chris Button.
As the AFL and NRL grand finals approach, more local sports would be nice, but there’s no sign of them appearing in Apple’s sports-tracking app anytime soon. At the moment, it looks like Apple’s approach is to focus on the sporting leagues with the most international appeal. Based on that logic, it’ll be a while until I can track the Adelaide Crows through the app.
Qualcomm is everywhere in modern technology. The company’s Snapdragon range of processors is found in most Android phones, as well as other gadgets such as cars, PCs, smart glasses, headphones, and more. In my mind, having the latest processor is nice, but does it really matter?
Indeed, I am writing this on a two-year-old Chromebook. The demands on a processor were very different, even just a few years ago. A lot has changed in the last 12 months alone, primarily on the AI front.
While my attitude coming into this event was that the latest tech was only for heavy users, my mindset has changed. Like the shift from ‘dumb’ phones to smartphones, and petrol cars to electric vehicles, a similar technology shift is happening in the world of mobile processors.
The role of processors in the AI era
Chip manufacturers tailor processor designs to the latest needs of consumers. Now, the aim is to bring AI that people trust to more devices.
Many may resist change and resist AI; it is coming at us at a speed never before seen, and being left behind will happen faster than ever. Who knows where this will take us and how quickly we will need to adapt, but you will need the right gadgets to support this journey. In the minds of the folks at Qualcomm, this involves using the right processor. However, they are also promoting their future as open source, allowing others to join them on this journey.
Image: Angus Jones.
What does this mean for users? To start, companies such as Motorola and Xiaomi recently announced new smartphones that take advantage of the new Snapdragon 8 Elite Extreme Gen 6 and Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 6 processors.
These phones benefit from reduced power usage and faster processing with record benchmarks driven by a 5GHz processor. They also have better camera support (200MP), the ability to create video in higher resolution up to 8K at 60 frames per second, and then edit that video all on the phone using professional tools including Adobe. Needing a PC to do all this is history.
Any intensive load, like gaming, traditionally creates heat and tends to slow compute power. Qualcomm has addressed this with better heat management, which also helps with battery life. As you would expect, the latest tech is built in to support satellite, Mobile phone, Wi-Fi 8, and Bluetooth, all of which come with industry improvements.
On-device AI improvements
The biggest change, however, is the architecture designed to support AI. A smartphone with Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 6 technology has more support for on-device AI. Yes, it can happen in the cloud, but privacy and keeping your data local is much more trustworthy. The cloud also comes at a cost, while anything you do on your phone doesn’t require you to buy compute time.
Qualcomm claims its new mobile chips power even more local AI technology. Image: Qualcomm.
AI agents essentially provide you with an assistant that gets to know you extremely well. The vision is that these agents can learn what your interests are, what you do and don’t like, and how you approach certain situations by watching your every move. This gives your phone context to help you without asking questions or suggestions it already knows the answer to.
With the new Snapdragon chips, a sensing hub is always on and, without needing to power the main processor, can identify individual voices and store context for AI, all within the privacy of the phone. Voice recognition continues to improve, ensuring others can hear you clearly whether that is on a phone call or recording a video clip without separate microphones.
Some of Qualcomm’s performance claims. Image: Qualcomm.
Again, this data and its processing can be housed on your phone, not in shared cloud solutions. This gives you data sovereignty for you only and other connected devices, such as your car, smart glasses, or perhaps a PC.
Snapdragon’s PC evolution
Qualcomm’s processor innovation doesn’t stop with the smartphone, with the latest Snapdragon X Elite chips powering more Windows and Google PCs. According to Qualcomm, the latest Microsoft Surface running a Snapdragon X2 Elite gets 40% more battery life, providing up to 22 hours of battery life, a 95% increase in AI speed, and 60% improved graphics performance. What was once only possible on a high-spec workstation can now be done in the seat of an aircraft from Sydney to London without recharging.
Image: Qualcomm.
Google also recently launched its new Googlebooks, the company’s attempt at reinventing PCs and bridging the gap between smartphones. Instead of using a 20-year-old PC architecture designed long before smartphones and AI, Google created a PC based on Android that provides a seamless experience between an Android phone and a Googlebook.
You can start a task on one device and complete it on another Qualcomm-powered device. All Android apps will work on Googlebook, and many have already adapted to the desktop experience. Googlebook already shows faster processing, with real-world battery life of 19 hours in lightweight packages.
Modern chips in everyday smart gadgets
Our connected world is growing, and the smart glasses world is also on our doorstep. Meta’s new glasses also use Qualcomm processors. But these glasses are not an extension of our phones; they are a completely independent system because of their built-in processors. Smart glasses can process audiovisual information, providing real-time AI assistance while you wear them.
This same thought process is also added to headphones, earbuds and, in some cases, also with cameras. This technology is already ready to enable the AI world to assist in your day. And it all starts with a tiny chip that completely upends the traditional computing experience.
Angus Jones attended Snapdragon Summit 2026 in Hawaii as a guest of Qualcomm.
