Apple HomePod 2nd generation review: back from the dead

8.6

Less than two years after the original was discontinued, the Apple HomePod 2nd generation is here and looking almost exactly the same. At $479, it’s one of the more expensive smart speakers out there, but is it worth the money? And, most importantly, does it sound any good? Well, that depends…

Details: Apple HomePod 2nd Generation

Australian website	Apple.com.au
Price (RRP)	$479
Warranty	One year (in addition to your Australian Consumer Law rights, which should make that warranty stretch much longer)
Other	Read more sound reviews on GadgetGuy

First Impressions: Apple HomePod 2nd Generation

My first impression is that this HomePod looks exactly like the old HomePod, but the Midnight colour is a little blacker than the old Space Gray. The cord is detachable now, which is handy. But otherwise, it’s the same speaker I used to know and love on the outside, and that’s wonderful. It really didn’t need to have any changes to its appearance.

Of course, though, it’s not the same. Internally, it has a fancier processor (S7 vs A8), fewer tweeters (five instead of seven), four microphones (down from six), 802.11n Wi-Fi (which isn’t as good as the first generation’s 802.11ac), a new humidity and temperature sensor, Thread with Matter support, and it’s ever so slightly smaller and lighter.

Source: Alice Clarke

If you asked Apple why they took some of the fancier guts out, they’d probably say the processor made up for it. I would probably side-eye that response, because I’m getting Wi-Fi dropouts in the far corner of my living room, which I don’t get on the 1st gen HomePod or my Amazon Echo Dot, and I can notice the lack of tweeters.

But, it hasn’t taken me long to fall back in love with the big HomePod. The convenience of having Siri and Apple Music so readily available is hard to go past. Plus, who doesn’t want a loud cylinder on their desk?

Does the new HomePod sound good?

Yes, mostly. Am I going to cast my current Sonos speaker system into the sea? No, but the HomePod still sounds good for its size. It can go pretty loud, certainly louder than my neighbours would like, before I start to notice significant distortion on the bass. And, for such a small speaker, there is a lot of bass in this HomePod, way more bass than I would expect on a speaker this small. This is at the cost of the higher registers, which can sound more grounded than I would like.

To take it through its paces, I tried all my usual test songs, plus a few new ones.

“Full Heart Fancy” by Lucky Chops is an instrumental track that soars but can be let down by speakers and headphones with too much emphasis on bass. That’s what happened with this HomePod, the bass just overwhelms all the instruments on the upper register and grounds it too much. Even on the bridge, it was hard to make out the little hi-hat flourishes, and the bass was taking over all the instruments that were supposed to be in the foreground.

“Chasing Twisters” by Delta Rae has fewer instruments, and thus a bit more space for different features to “breathe”. The floor toms still overwhelmed the piano in places, but her voice sounds unencumbered in the verses. However, the reproduction of the song is missing so many details that I would normally expect to hear. The song sounds pretty good until you try to pick out individual pieces, like the growl in the pre-chorus, the resonance of the cymbals, and so on.

“Animal” by Pvris is a much more bass-heavy and chaotic song. There are still details that just aren’t there on HomePod, but this seems to be the kind of music the HomePod was made for. Same with “Paralyzed” by Conquer Divide. It’s technically a very detail-heavy song, and again I’m missing those intricacies, but boy howdy does it get the emotion and general vibe across, and that’s enough for casual background listening.

All up, the Apple HomePod 2nd generation isn’t a speaker you would sit down to listen to an album on, but it is something that would have you dancing around the living room while you tidied up.

Pairing in stereo with a second HomePod improves the experience significantly, and they can also connect to Apple TV to sound better than your built-in TV speakers.

Old big HomePod vs new big HomePod: Fight

On paper, the old HomePod sounds way better than the new HomePod. Better Wi-Fi specs, more tweeters, etc. But, in reality, most people probably aren’t going to notice, because they won’t have them side by side. However, I do have them side by side, and I can tell the difference, but the one that’s better is going to depend on what style of music you listen to.

Going back to “Full Heart Fancy” on the original HomePod, I can really hear those two extra tweeters in the crispness of the cymbals, the soar of the brass instruments and how bright it all sounds. It’s not hugely noticeable unless you’re looking for it, but it does sound a lot more like the song I know and love. Same with “Chasing Twisters”, those piano notes in the intro ring out more cleanly. On the 2nd generation, the floor tom is the hero of the intro, while on the 1st generation, it’s the piano. Here, the difference is more pronounced, and I vastly prefer the 1st generation. I got more details, like some of the growl in the pre-chorus. However, I do slightly miss that bass, because, on the 1st gen, there isn’t quite enough bass. It’s a difficult line to walk.

Source: Alice Clarke

On “Paralyzed”, the vocals sound more beautiful on the 1st generation, but the chorus is missing the impact of the bass, sounding distorted and fuzzy.

Bringing a third speaker into the mix, the Sonos Move, it’s lacking bass even more than the first generation and the “Paralyzed” chorus sounds much more like fuzz, but her vocals stand out a bit more in the verses.

I guess the takeaway from this is that if you listen to rap, metal or dance, then you’ll be much happier with the 2nd generation, while lovers of country, classical and brass instruments will wish they had the 1st generation.

Plus, audio quality aside, the new temperature and humidity sensor is super helpful if you’re wanting to set up automations with a smart air conditioner or dehumidifier, and having Matter support means it’ll work with new smart home devices. It is now far more of a smart home hub than the first generation, and that’s the main thing HomePod is supposed to be.

Why would I buy this instead of a HomePod Mini?

It depends on your living room setup. There aren’t many smart speakers around this same price that sound better, and certainly none that would have Siri. If you’re wanting music and smarts, then the big HomePod is the best option. The HomePod Mini sounds good for its size and is objectively adorable, but it’s a smart speaker first, and a music speaker second. The big 2nd generation HomePod is able to do both with great skill. Sound needs room to move, and the HomePod Mini just doesn’t have that.

Would I buy it?

Yes, I think I would. I probably wouldn’t get it to be my main sound system, because I am a snob. However, I used to use the HomePod in my office for music, maths and thesaurus questions every day, and I’m enjoying getting back to that. I like that Siri is a smart assistant designed to assist, rather than sell my data to advertisers, the easy integration with iPhone and Mac is superb, and it’s just the easiest thing to use.

If I still had a TV in the bedroom with an Apple TV, I would absolutely have a HomePod on each bedside table to act as the speakers, that would be an ideal setup. I just wish it had a separate subwoofer it could connect to (like the Sonos Sub Mini with Sonos One speakers), so it didn’t have to have such an overwhelming subwoofer built in, because then it would be perfect.

Apple HomePod 2nd generation

The Apple HomePod 2nd generation is still the best Siri-integrated smart speaker, but not a good fit for audiophiles.

Features

9

Value for money

8

Performance

7.5

Ease of use

9.5

Design

9

Positives

Sounds pretty good as long as you’re not looking for details in the music

Siri is a reliable smart assistant that isn’t trying to use your data against you

Looks good

Strong bass

Negatives

Slight downgrade from the discontinued HomePod

I wish it came in fun colours like the HomePod Mini

Music reproduction lacks clarity and details

8.6

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Getting a PS5 console is now much easier thanks to more supply

Since the PlayStation 5’s launch back in November 2020, getting a PS5 console has been notoriously difficult. Not just in Australia, either, with worldwide chip supply issues a significant reason behind game console shortages.

For those who have yet to buy into the current generation of consoles, fret no more. While last year’s pre-Christmas supply of PS5 consoles was bountiful, a recent update from Sony confirmed wider availability of its flagship gaming device. Isabelle Tomatis, Sony Interactive Entertainment’s Vice President of Brand, Hardware and Peripherals broke the news to those who have so far missed out.

“To all our fans: thank you for your patience as we navigated unprecedented demand for the PS5 console amid global challenges,” Tomatis said. “If you’re looking to purchase a PS5 console, you should now have a much easier time finding one at retailers globally.”

PS5 console availability comes just in time

The timing of the update makes sense from a brand strategy perspective, with Sony ramping up its release schedule. Just last week, the premium customisable DualSense Edge controller launched, and the PlayStation VR2 headset is out this February along with plenty of games. There’s also the accessible Project Leonardo controller as announced at CES 2023, although it might be further away than a 2023 release.

A quick search across the likes of Amazon, JB Hi-Fi, and EB Games indicates plenty of PlayStation 5 stock around the country. Another benefit of the increased console availability is the capacity for different bundles, including a relatively new two-controller pack, letting you play local multiplayer straight out of the box.

Sony also hyped up its upcoming schedule of games launching throughout the year, alongside its existing library via its “Live from PS5” ads. Some of the major titles out soon include Assassin’s Creed Mirage, Final Fantasy XVI, and Marvel’s Spider-Man 2, among many others.

As for whether you should get a PlayStation 5 now that they’re readily available? While expensive, there are plenty of fantastic games best played on the current-gen console. Several of them made our best games of 2022 list, including God of War Ragnarok, a game commended at The Game Awards 2022 across multiple categories. In short: yes, now’s a great time to grab Sony’s current console, and it’s only going to get better with more games.

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Customisable DualSense Edge PS5 controller is out now

DualSense Edge, the first modular controller made by PlayStation, is set for a 26 January 2023 launch, where it will allow you to fully customise your PlayStation 5 gaming experience.

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Update 31 January 2023: The new controller is now available exclusively through Direct.PlayStation.com, with additional retailers to follow from 23 February onwards. We’ll have a review out soon and let you know what we think of the premium peripheral.

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A premium successor to the base DualSense controller, the DualSense Edge includes many hardware and software options, including button remapping, stick and trigger sensitivity options, and the ability to set and swap between multiple control profiles. Bundled with the new controller is a range of accessories like a carrying case, three sets of stick caps, and two sets of back buttons to suit your preferences. The full list of what’s included is as follows:

• DualSense Edge wireless controller
• USB braided cable
• 2 Standard caps
• 2 High dome caps
• 2 Low dome caps
• 2 Half dome back buttons
• 2 Lever back buttons
• Connector housing 
• Carrying case

Like the original PlayStation 5 controller, the DualSense Edge is wireless, provides haptic feedback and adaptive triggers, and charges via a USB connection. Besides the customisation features, the main difference between the base controller and the Edge is the price. Depending on the colour, the classic DualSense generally retails for $109, although it’s regularly on sale for cheaper. Comparatively, the DualSense Edge has a confirmed price of $339.

The DualSense Edge controller with the bundled accessories.

This makes it noticeably more expensive than its Xbox counterpart, the Xbox Elite controller. Here in Australia, the Xbox Elite controller with all the bells and whistles costs $249 and recently became available on Xbox Design Lab, where you can order controllers with custom colours. Earlier in the year, Xbox launched the Core version of the Elite controller, which includes similar customisation options minus the added accessories, for $189. It’s not yet known if PlayStation will launch a similar pared-back package for the DualSense Edge.

It’s great that PlayStation 5 owners finally have an official first-party customisable controller. How it compares to the Xbox equivalent remains to be seen, although the comparatively high price will raise a few eyebrows.

Read more gaming news on GadgetGuy.

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Bluetti AC200Max expandable power station review: electric versatility

8

Buy from Amazon

Buy from Catch

We rely heavily on our modern-day electronic devices and appliances that make our lives just that little bit easier. However, to run this equipment, we need access to power, whether that be 240-volt mains power or 12 volts from your car. Further, a week does not go by when we read in the news of either a blackout now or predicted power shortages in the future. At the same time, we want to travel more and use these devices away from home or business. One product that can provide backup power, whether in the house, on the job site or camping, is the portable Bluetti AC200Max expandable power station.

Bluetti AC200Max expandable power station

Price (RRP)	$2,799
Website	Bluetti Australia
Warranty	Four years
Manual or Support pages	User guide

What is a portable power station, and how would you use it?

Portable power stations like the AC200Max and the Bluetti EB3A can provide backup power for critical devices, such as a CPAP machine or refrigerator. Regardless of whether you’re home or out camping, portable power stations, sometimes referred to as solar generators, guarantee power supply in the event of a blackout or if mains power is simply unavailable where you are.

Essentially, a portable power station is a self-contained box with a battery, 240v inverter and various AC and DC outlets. An LCD screen enables management of the device, including current usage and remaining battery capacity.

The big benefit of this technology is portability, which is just as useful at home as on a camping trip. If you are a tradie who needs to power a 240-volt saw on a job site or recharge your batteries for your cordless drill with no mains power, you are good to go. In a remote camping spot, you can run a 12-volt fridge, recharge your phone or drone or perhaps power a TV, so you don’t miss that important game.

Other uses for the portable power station include powering a hair dryer, DJ or music setups, lighting, pumps, kettle, microwave, air fryer, coffee machine, blender, grinder, circular saw, PC, tablet or camera.

What are the alternatives to an AC200Max?

The traditional alternative to a portable power station is a petrol generator. A noisy petrol generator cannot be used indoors since it emits carbon monoxide. It requires you to carry flammable fuel and be regularly serviced. Unlike some gasoline generators, a portable power station produces a sine wave output, ensuring your electronic devices, such as computers, are kept safe. Depending on the brand for the equivalent wattage output, a petrol generator will set you back $700 to $2,500.

In the space of battery-powered solutions, you can purchase an all-in-one solution like the Bluetti or build your own from components. The Bluetti, from a value-for-money perspective, stands up well against the equivalent battery-sized Ecoflow Delta at $2,999 and the less-featured Redarc product at $3,199.

The build-your-own solution would normally be built into the rear of a 4WD or caravan. Depending on battery size and components, the equivalent can cost $2,000 to $6,000+ and involve multiple boxes, wires and fuses. If you want someone else to install this solution, you will likely pay around $1,000 extra.

I bought the Bluetti AC200MAX because I could use it in my house or my 4WD to run a portable fridge. I now have power security wherever I want to take the unit in a mobile, all-in-one solution.

What are the Bluetti AC200MAX features?

The Bluetti is powered by a Lithium LiFePO4 battery developed over the last decade to be a safe and reliable solution. This technology has benefits, including being lightweight, providing more power and recharging more than 3,500 times. The Bluetti has an internal brain called a BMS for further peace of mind. A BMS monitors environmental data and will ensure the battery stays safe in all circumstances or switch itself off.

The power output of the generator is measured in watts for capacity and output. The AC200Max has a battery capacity of 2,048Wh, equivalent to a 160 Amp 12.8-volt battery. The output wattage is 2,200 AC pure sine wave watts and up to 4,800 watts for a few seconds. For perspective, a home power point can supply up to 2,400 watts. Appliances are labelled with their maximum watts.

The lid of the AC200Max has two 15W wireless charging pads for your smartphone or earbuds. There are four 240-volt outlets, USB-C 100w, four USB-A, 12v RV 30A outlet, a 12v 10A car outlet (cig lighter) and two 12v 10A 5.5mm outlets.

You can charge the device using the included 500W 240-volt mains power supply, up to 900w of solar panels, or a 12/24v cigarette lighter (120/240w) port in a vehicle. Charging times will vary by the type and combination of chargers you use. This ranges anywhere from 2 to 20 hours.

The AC200MAX is portable but weighs 28.1kg, so best moved by two people and measures 39cm x 42 cm x 28cm. It also comes with a solar input cable and a car charging cable.

By expandable, the 200 Max supports two additional expansion batteries to be plugged into. Two expandable battery modules are available the B230 at 2,048Wh at $1,999 or the B300 at 3,073Wh at $2,899. Adding two B300 would take your total available battery capacity to a massive 8,192Wh.

A snapshot of the Bluetti app

An LCD screen on the front of the AC200Max provides information about power coming in or out of the unit split by mains input, solar input, AC output and DC output. There is also a battery percentage meter. We would have liked to have seen a predictive indicator as previously reviewed on Bluetti’s entry-level EB3A model. This predicts the time to charge and the time left, given the current draw on the batteries. This could possibly be updated as a software update which the 200Max also supports. The input and output information is duplicated on the Bluetti App. We found it useful to see that the Bluetti was working and powering my portable fridge in the rear of my dual cab ute.

Bluetti has a slightly cheaper model, the AC200P $2,499. Whilst similar, it is not expandable, has a smaller 400W mains charger, is not software upgradeable, nor does it support Bluetooth connection to the Bluetti App.

Using the Bluetti AC200Max

I have learnt that to charge the 200MAX, you must have the unit turned on. A key consideration is if used in your car, how will you charge it? Those who install a DIY battery solution in their vehicle use a DC-to-DC charger connected to the car’s alternator. The DC-to-DC allows a lithium battery to be charged at rates between 300 to 600 watts an hour. A higher wattage will charge faster. Otherwise, the Bluetti can only be charged using a cigarette lighter plug, limited to charging at a rate of around 100 watts. From flat, it will take up to 20 hours of driving. Personally, I am overcoming this with a solar panel mounted to the roof, providing up to 365 watts an hour. Mine is an old house panel bought second-hand and can be found for as little as $20.

Bluetti sells portable foldable panels, but they cannot be permanently mounted. A 200-watt panel that can only be used whilst you are parked will cost $749. A portable panel can be angled at the sun, providing much higher wattage output than a flat-mounted panel on your roof.

Some of the things I’ve used the AC200Max for range from running my wife’s hair dryer, to our home deep freeze, to my portable car fridge. I have used it to wirelessly charge my phone and power my laptop via the USB-C port. Run times depend on what you have plugged in and if you can charge simultaneously.

I can run my portable 50-litre fridge for three days without charging. With the solar panel fixed to the roof of my car and charging from the 12-volt cig socket (which requires an added accessory to do both DO50S), I never run out of power, assuming my car is on the road and in the sun.

My home deep freeze uses 2000Wh a day to run. Even though the AC200Max has a 2048Wh capacity, you lose capacity from running the 200Max with its 240-volt inverter, so I can get around 2/3 of a day. My kitchen fridge uses half that, so in theory, with a second house solar panel, it could run indefinitely if every day was sunny.

A last feature that sold me on the Bluetti is what they refer to as aviation plugs. These cables physically screw onto the unit for solar and car power input and 12v 30Amp output. Cables can easily bounce out if you intend to take a vehicle over corrugation on dirt tracks. With these screw-in connectors, you can have a piece of mind the Bluetti is charging, and the beers are cold in the fridge as the cables are still connected.

What are people doing to make it even better?

The following hacks come from forums to improve their AC200MAX:

• The optional RV outlet screw-in cable can be hard-wired into a caravan or RV 12-volt electrical system to provide an all-in-one power source.
• Two cig lighter sockets can be connected to the Max to double your charging input (200w) from the car connected directly to the main battery or alternator. This can be further enhanced by using a 12- to 24-volt step-up converter to increase charging to around 400 watts.
• Some users have connected a 240-volt inverter directly to their alternator, allowing the supplied 240-volt 500Watt charger to be used in a vehicle to charge the unit.

GadgetGuy’s Take

A portable power station is a safe and environmentally-efficient way of supplying electricity from batteries, whether at home, camping or on a worksite. It may be for health, emergency or just ensuring you have the comforts of life. You can now power or charge your electronic devices or appliances anywhere.

The Bluetti AC200MAX can be charged from the sun, your car, and a power point and will power your devices needing AC 240 volts, DC 12 volts or USB.

The AC200MAX is a movable all-in-one boxed solution that can power almost any standard home appliance and can be expanded by adding additional batteries.

The reviewer bought this unit at full price. Bluetti is a sponsor of GadgetGuy.

Bluetti AC200Max expandable power station

Portable and versatile, the Bluetti AC200Max expandable power station is a reliable and eco-friendly power source at home or on the road.

Features

7

Value for money

8

Performance

8

Ease of use

9

Design

8

Positives

All-in-one power supply

Expandable battery capacity

Good value for money when compared to the competition

Negatives

Heavy

Basic data from LCD and App

8

Buy from Amazon

Buy from Catch

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2024 Polestar 2 EV goes further and charges faster

More powerful and more sustainable: the 2024 Polestar 2 EV boasts “substantial performance increases” over its predecessor, its Swedish manufacturer claimed when revealing the latest model of the electric car.

The latest version of the premium compact EV features a new front-end design, more powerful batteries, and overall enhancements across the board, including wireless phone charging as a standard feature. Plus, the 2024 Polestar 2 introduces rear-wheel drive, a first for the company.

Considering how much we enjoyed previous iteration of the Polestar 2, it’s easy to get excited.

A major update

In Polestar’s recent media announcement, CEO Thomas Ingenlath emphasised that this was no mere minor cosmetic upgrade.

“Typically in the car industry, a facelift introduces superficial visual changes that often destroy the original intention of the car’s design theme,” Ingenlath said. “With the new model year Polestar 2, we rather went below the surface and upgraded substantial tech and mechanical components of the electric drivetrain.”

Looking at the numbers suggests that the upgrades aren’t being oversold, either. All versions of the 2024 Polestar 2 house new motors and inverters, which reportedly improve the EV’s efficiency and performance. Arguably the biggest gains are found among the single-motor versions of the car, seeing its motor power output increase to 220 kW, up from 170kW.

The aforementioned rear-wheel drive applies to both the single-motor versions, which come in standard and long range respectively. Meanwhile, the dual-motor models retain the all-wheel drive configuration.

Another welcome improvement comes in the form of battery improvements. All but the standard range version have upgraded lithium-ion 82 kWh batteries that now charge up to 205 kW DC, while all versions see range improvements thanks to optimised delivery from the enhanced motors. Long range dual-motor versions will see a 105km improvement up to 592km, while the long range single-motor EV’s range now goes up to 635km, up 84km.

As an added bonus, the 2024 Polestar 2 EVs with the 82 kWh batteries produce 1.1 tonnes fewer carbon emissions than previous versions. More specifically, producing these cars emits 5.9 tonnes of emissions per vehicle, down from 7 tonnes previously.

2024 Polestar 2 release date and pricing

The new EV model from Polestar is available to order in European markets now for delivery during the third quarter of 2023. Meanwhile, our chance comes later in the year, as Asia Pacific sales are scheduled to open throughout the second and third quarters of 2023.

While we don’t have local pricing details, the overseas price starts at €50,190 (roughly $77,000 AUD) for the standard range single-motor version. At the top end, the long range dual-motor with the included performance pack costs €64,690 (roughly $99,000 AUD), so it’s not cheap by any means.

This being said, it’s likely the Federal Electric Vehicle Discount applies, as long as you don’t go for the top-of-the-range model and exceed the luxury tax threshold. Plus, more EV charging infrastructure throughout locations like regional NSW and Western Australia will make EV ownership more viable.

For now, you can check out the official announcement for more details and follow when the 2024 Polestar 2 might make its way to Australia. Perhaps we’ll soon see Uber roll out additional Polestar EVs on our roads.

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Lekker Jordaan+ ebike review: An excellent commuter bike

8

I have to admit to having once been one of those cyclists. For the longest time, I just assumed electric bikes were for people who sat there, never pedalling, perhaps because I’d only really noticed them being used by the myriad delivery bike riders in the city who use them more as motorbikes that you can get away with riding on the footpath. But the Lekker Jordaan+ is nothing like that. It’s a commuter bike with lots of storage racks so you can carry your shopping and go to and from work without breaking a sweat while still getting a little exercise.

Australian website	Lekker ebikes
Price (RRP)	$2,698
Warranty	3-year warranty on frames
Other	Read more cool tech reviews on GadgetGuy

First Impressions: Lekker Jordaan+

I took the Jordaan+ on a couple of rides, the longest being 21km, and it was utterly delightful for the most part. It’s designed so you sit nice and upright, so you don’t get a sore back from leaning forwards, the seat is nice and soft (so I didn’t really feel the journey until I was almost home), and the handlebars feel luxurious and soft. I mostly ride hybrid and mountain bikes, so I’m used to contorting my spine into more aerodynamic positions and liquifying my organs on bumpy trails with budget suspension.

This was like going from an old Toyota Camry to a vintage Ferrari California, with leather accents and a vehicle designed to be comfortable and effortlessly cool. It’s the kind of bike I would want to show people who want to ditch their car for their commute, but don’t want to get to work sweaty, or are concerned about their fitness level.

Pedal (Assist) Power

There are 7 different levels you can set on the motor:

Walk assist: for when you’re walking the bike

0: for when you want to pedal with no assistance

1: a gentle assistance that gives a slight 5kmph boost while you pedal. It doesn’t just push you forward while you don’t do anything, but will give you a slight extra oomph to get up a ramp in a car park, or up a little hill, more to make up for the weight of the bike than anything else.

2: Like 1, but a bit more.

3: You still need to pedal, but it’s more like you’re spinning your legs and still going at a decent pace. Also good for more intense hills.

4: Like 3, but faster.

5: Pedalling is optional, will go around 18-20kmph on the flat.

While there haven’t really been many times I wanted pedal assist on my Trek FX3, aside from when I’ve overly filled my panniers going to Costco and then ridden back up the massive hill on my way home, I needed it more on the Jordaan+. The motor and the battery are heavy, meaning you need to use them to be able to get the bike to move quickly, particularly when starting up again at traffic lights. Once you adjust to how you change the level of the motor, it becomes just as natural as changing gears. The first time I rode the bike it felt unnaturally fast, even on level 1, and like I wasn’t in control, but that feeling went away quickly as I adjusted.

The battery lasts around 70-80kms, which should be more than enough to get most people to and from work, and it’s easy to take inside and charge if you do need to give it some juice while you’re at your desk/at home.

Nothing Is Perfect

Like all things, the Lekker Jordaan+ is not perfect. The aspect of the bike that irritated me the most is also perhaps the least important: the truly terrible bell that comes with the bike. I hated this bell. Not only did it sound pathetic, but the top part of the bell (the bell part) fell off almost every time I used it. It was so shoddily and cheaply constructed that I’m shocked anyone thought it appropriate to attach to a bike this expensive. I don’t expect a bike to come with a premium bell, but I do expect one better than this.

The pedals are another thing that many cyclists replace when they get a new bike, but I still wanted better than the Jordaan+ pedals. They’re fine and seem well constructed, but they’re so slippery that I would hate to use them in even the lightest drizzle or in a slippery business shoe. I would immediately want to replace them with a more textured pedal.

It’s also just an extremely heavy bike, which is normal for an electric bike, but it’s important to keep in mind that the heft can make it difficult to store. Most people probably wouldn’t feel comfortable frequently carrying it up and down stairs, and it’s too heavy to be lifted onto the rack bike storage systems they have in apartment buildings. It’s also a complete arse to manoeuvre down hallways if you have to store it in an apartment or office.

Who is the Lekker Jordaan+ for?

It’s the perfect bike if you want a commuting and shopping workhorse that still gives you a bit of exercise, but won’t get you too sweaty on your way to work. Riding it to and from work, the supermarket and anywhere else you need to go is so easy. It’s the ideal solution for people who want to reduce how much time they spend in a car, sitting in traffic, but don’t necessarily consider riding 30kms+ up and down hills to be a fun weekend activity.

Because there are solid and sturdy racks built into the front and back of the bike, it really opens up the options of what you can carry, which makes it more of an everyday bike.

Would I buy it?

I think if my budget had been able to stretch that far, this would have been the bike I would have chosen back when I was riding to and from an office. I’m perhaps a touch too competitive and into riding for fitness now to give up my hybrid bike. But if I had a kid I needed to ride to and from kindy and take to the shops, then this would be the bike I’d get with a baby seat. It’s so comfortable and easy to use.

Lekker Jordaan+ ebike

A great electric bike with an adorable aesthetic and plenty of practical features to make it ready for almost all your commuting and shopping needs.

Features

9

Value for money

7

Performance

8

Ease of use

8

Design

8

Positives

Easy to use

Attractive design

Lots of racks to carry stuff

Negatives

The worst bell I have ever had the misfortune to encounter

Pedals are too slippery

Very heavy

8

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Streaming freeloaders beware: Netflix password sharing to end soon

Coming in the next few months, the crackdown on Netflix password sharing means you’ll soon need to pay extra to share your account with someone who doesn’t live in your home.

When Netflix first arrived on the scene, it promised salvation for Australians who were sick of paying more than $100 every month to watch all their favourite shows on traditional pay TV services like Foxtel. The new streaming upstart delivered a wealth of entertainment for only a few dollars a month, allowing “cord cutters” to cut off their expensive cable TV.

The problem was that content giants like Disney and Paramount decided to cut out the middleman and go direct with their own streaming services. At the same time, tech giants like Apple and Amazon also demanded a slice of the streaming pie, along with homegrown offerings like Stan from Nine Entertainment.

The fragmentation of content across so many streaming services has left us back where we started, needing to fork out more than $100 per month to enjoy all that streaming video has to offer.

Netflix password sharing no more: a brief history

As more and more streaming services emerged, the idea of trading passwords with family and friends became more attractive. Even more so amid the backdrop of rising interest rates and soaring inflation.

Netflix has long looked the other way when it comes to subscribers sharing their account with family and friends who don’t live in the same household. That’s set to change, as Netflix faces growing competition and its first-ever global membership decline after more than a decade. To rub salt into the wound, the company’s otherwise great library of games has gone largely untouched.

To start with, the Netflix password sharing crackdown began with testing account-sharing charges in Latin America. The idea is to add fees for “extra member” subaccounts when people outside one household use the account.  

At the same time, Netflix has also launched a cheaper subscription tier which includes advertising, in an effort to win over people on a tight budget.

There’s no place like home

Netflix’s help centre pages say that it detects an account’s primary household by studying the IP addresses, device IDs and account activity from devices logged in to that account.

If your account is regularly accessed from a different location outside your household, or if someone signs into your account from a device not associated with your household, Netflix says it may ask the primary account owner to verify. It will send a link to a four-digit verification code to the email address or phone number associated with the main account. This code must be entered into the offending device within 15 minutes, or you’ll need to request another code. 

Time to pay up

Netflix is yet to put an exact price on password sharing in Australia. But based on tests in Chile, Costa Rica and Peru, the fee will likely be roughly equivalent to one-quarter the price of a Standard plan – which makes it around $4.25 in Australia.

Account-sharing fees are set to expand to other countries by the end of March, but it will be staggered and the full global rollout will likely take until the end of the year. The option to pay more for extra member subaccounts will be available on Standard and Premium Netflix accounts, but probably not basic single-stream accounts.

In Latin America, Netflix saw a short-term backlash to the crackdown but says “engagement [is] growing over time” as people come to terms with the change and sign up for their own accounts.

Netflix’s password sharing crackdown will encourage some households to create their own accounts, and the streaming giant has made life easier for them with its new profile-transfer feature. This ensures they won’t need to start from scratch and lose their watch history and recommendations.

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Save $80 on the fantastic Motorola G62 5G phone

If you want one of the cheapest and best 5G phones available, you can save 20% on the Motorola G62 5G handset for a limited time.

As school starts up again, Motorola has discounts across its reliable and affordable phones, including the Motorola G62 5G and Motorola G22. What caught our eye is the decent sale on the 5G phone, which is less than $320 until 2 February, a great price for the high-speed mobile technology.

Motorola G62 deal: 20% off

Even at $399, this phone is good value, thanks to its generous 6.5-inch FHD+ display, 120Hz refresh rate, Dolby Atmos sound, and 5G capacity. At under $320 across a range of retailers, it’s even better value.

In our review of the device, we loved its screen, long battery life, and enabling 5G connection for less than $400. In fact, in addition to labelling the Motorola G62 5G as one of the best Motorola phones of 2022, we referred to it as “a tall boy which still fits in your hand and won’t break the bank”. Its affordability and strong overall performance make it an ideal pick for anyone looking for a good multimedia phone without needing to spend more for excess power.

Preview	Product	Price
	Motorola G62 Smartphone, 4/128 GB Midnight Gray	$ 317.00	Buy on Amazon

Here’s where you can get the cheapest Motorola G62 deal:

• $317 at Amazon
• $317 at Officeworks

Save big on the versatile Motorola G22

You can also save on the budget-friendly Motorola G22, on sale for under $200 compared to its $279 retail price. Also sporting a 6.5-inch display, it has a 90Hz refresh rate and a big 5,000mAh battery to last you all day.

Here’s where you can get the cheapest Motorola G22 deal:

• $196 (Cosmic Black) at Mobileciti
• $196 (Pearl White) at Mobileciti
• $196 (Cosmic Black) at Amazon
• $196 (Pearl White) at Amazon

Both phones are good value for students heading back to school, or anyone wanting a 2023 phone refresh without putting too much of a dent in the wallet.

Preview	Product	Price
	Motorola G22 Smartphone, 4/128 GB, Cosmic Black	$ 196.00	Buy on Amazon

Make sure to get in quickly because these deals are scheduled to end on 2 February.

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