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I ditched my smartphone for Panasonic’s new travel zoom compact – here’s what I learned
11:00 am | April 8, 2025
Author: admin | Category: Cameras Compact Cameras Computers Gadgets | Comments: Off

Panasonic Lumix ZS99: One Minute Review

The Lumix ZS99 (called the Lumix TZ99 in some markets) is a relatively rarity in modern times – a brand new compact camera.

Only stop right there, most of it isn’t new at all. It uses the same sensor and lens combination as its predecessor, the ZS80D / TZ95D, only really adding the mandatory USB-C charging functionality that affects all new devices sold in the EU.

An image of the Panasonic Lumix ZS99 / TZ99

(Image credit: Future)

Worse still, Panasonic has seen fit to remove the small (but useful) viewfinder found in the previous incarnation. The screen remains the same as before, only now you’ll be completely reliant on it for every shot – shame.

This is not a bad camera by any stretch, but its highly versatile zoom is pretty much its only winning technical ability over your smartphone in 2025. You can get some good shots if you need to zoom, but pictures taken at the wide angle end are pretty much the same as any half-decent smartphone is capable of these days.

If you really want a separate device, and want to be able to zoom in close on distant subjects, then it’s a good choice – but don’t be surprised if you go back to using your phone in conditions such as low light.

Is the Lumix ZS99 one of the best compact cameras? Technically no, but it's one of the only travel zooms available, for a competitive price.

Panasonic Lumix ZS99 / TZ99: release date and price

  • $499 / £469 / AU$999.95
  • Available to buy now
  • All black or black and silver colourways available

These days, paying $499 / £469 for something that your smartphone can (sort of) already do might seem like a lot of cash to part with.

However, cameras such as this have had a resurgence in recent times, largely thanks to the influence of, er, influencers. Last year, such was the popularity of the ZS80D / TZ95D that you could expect to pay double the list price of the ZS99 / TZ99, with even second-hand prices being off the charts.

So the ZS99 / TZ99 is far from cheap, but there’s really not much to compete with it in today’s market – if it’s something you want, it’s reasonably well priced. That said, if you’re happy to live with a smaller zoom (10x), you can get hold of the Panasonic TZ200 for about the same price as a TZ99. You’ll lose the zoom reach, but you’ll get a one-inch sensor which produces better quality images, so that’s worth thinking about.

  • Price score: 4/5

An image of the Panasonic Lumix ZS99 / TZ99

(Image credit: Future)

Panasonic Lumix ZS99 / TZ99: specs

Panasonic Lumix ZS99 / TZ99: design and handling

  • Small, smartphone-sized sensor with 30x zoom
  • Front-facing touchscreen
  • No viewfinder
  • Lots of physical buttons

At the heart of the Lumix ZS99 sits a 20MP 1/2.3-inch sensor. It’s about the same size as those you’ll find in modern smartphones – in fact some smartphones are packing even larger sensors these days.

Disappointed? Well, don’t be too much – it’s what gives the ability to zoom to 30x, something which your smartphone definitely can’t do, optically at least. The biggest downside of a small sensor tends to be a loss of detail in low light conditions – which for travel might not be too much of a bugbear.

That 30x lens gives you 24-720mm in full-frame terms (the common reference for lens focal length), and just as with the sensor, it’s the same as found on the ZS80 / TZ95D, so there isn’t any improvement in image quality (see the next section).

If you want a camera that fits neatly into your pocket and that isn’t your smartphone, then this should fit the bill. It’s fatter than the average camera phone, but it’s not quite as lengthy. There’s grips on the front and rear of the camera which makes it feel a bit more secure than a slippery phone, too.

Settings changes can all be made via actual, physical controls. A tactile rarity in today’s modern screen obsessed world.

There’s a mode dial giving you access to full manual control, for example, while the zoom is controlled via a rocker switch around the shutter release. Several of the buttons can be customized to suit the functions you use most, which is helpful – and there are some additional touchscreen settings you can use too.

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An image of the Panasonic Lumix ZS99 / TZ99

(Image credit: Future)
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An image of the Panasonic Lumix ZS99 / TZ99

(Image credit: Future)
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An image of the Panasonic Lumix ZS99 / TZ99

(Image credit: Future)
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An image of the Panasonic Lumix ZS99 / TZ99

(Image credit: Future)
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An image of the Panasonic Lumix ZS99 / TZ99

(Image credit: Future)
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An image of the Panasonic Lumix ZS99 / TZ99

(Image credit: Future)
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An image of the Panasonic Lumix ZS99 / TZ99

(Image credit: Future)
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An image of the Panasonic Lumix ZS99 / TZ99

(Image credit: Future)
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An image of the Panasonic Lumix ZS99 / TZ99

(Image credit: Future)
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An image of the Panasonic Lumix ZS99 / TZ99

(Image credit: Future)

One function which is particularly useful is the Zoom Compose Assist button. Handy for when you lose track of your subject while shooting at a long focal length – such as a bird in flight – it'll quickly zoom out so you can relocate the subject, and then the lens zooms right back in to your last setting when you let go of the button. Nifty.

The screen is also the same as found on the predecessor. It flips forward for selfies and video and has 1.84m dots. It’s detailed and bright enough for most uses, and it’s touch-sensitive too. In the bright sun it’s harder to see, which is why it’s disappointing that Panasonic has removed the viewfinder, found in the previous model. That said, it’s probably true to say that anybody coming from a smartphone won’t be used to a viewfinder and is unlikely to miss the option.

  • Design score: 4/5

Panasonic Lumix ZS99 / TZ99: performance

  • Good for zoom shots
  • At wide-angle, image quality similar to a smartphone
  • Low light quality is less impressive

We already knew what to expect from the camera, considering it uses the same sensor and lens as its predecessor.

In short – it’s good, but not great. At least, not by modern standards anyway. There’s only so much that a small sensor can realistically deliver, and while there are some things that this camera can do that your phone can’t, sometimes even a budget smartphone will outperform it.

If you find yourself shooting in good overall light, which isn’t too harsh, and you’re shooting a still or fairly placid subject then you’ll get some nice images. There’s a good amount of detail, colors are realistic (if a little dull), and exposures are well balanced. At the wide-angle end of the lens, your smartphone probably achieves the same results.

An image of the Panasonic Lumix ZS99 / TZ99

(Image credit: Future)

However, it’s when you engage that zoom that the magic happens. So long as you can keep the camera fairly steady, even shooting at that far 30x zoom can leave you with nice close-ups of distant subjects.

There’s in-built 5-axis Hybrid optical image stabilization (OIS), which works fairly well, but once you’re shooting at 20-30x, any additional steadiness you can provide will go a long way too.

As for tracking of subjects – there’s no way you’re going to follow a leopard or a motorcar, but for more predictable and slower wildlife you stand a fighting chance of capturing the subject, sharply focused.

Now for some bad news – low light. Smartphones do pretty well at this subject by taking lots of pictures and merging them together. Here, you don’t get that, so even when it’s only as low light as indoors, you will notice a fair amount of smudginess. Avoid using this camera inside buildings or after dark, and you’ll be golden.

  • Performance score: 3/5
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A sample image taken with the Panasonic Lumix ZS99

(Image credit: Future)
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A sample image taken with the Panasonic Lumix ZS99

(Image credit: Future)
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A sample image taken with the Panasonic Lumix ZS99

(Image credit: Future)
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A sample image taken with the Panasonic Lumix ZS99

(Image credit: Future)
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A sample image taken with the Panasonic Lumix ZS99

(Image credit: Future)
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A sample image taken with the Panasonic Lumix ZS99

(Image credit: Future)
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A sample image taken with the Panasonic Lumix ZS99

(Image credit: Future)
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A sample image taken with the Panasonic Lumix ZS99

(Image credit: Future)
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A sample image taken with the Panasonic Lumix ZS99

(Image credit: Future)
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A sample image taken with the Panasonic Lumix ZS99

(Image credit: Future)
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A sample image taken with the Panasonic Lumix ZS99

(Image credit: Future)
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A sample image taken with the Panasonic Lumix ZS99

(Image credit: Future)
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A sample image taken with the Panasonic Lumix ZS99

(Image credit: Future)
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A sample image taken with the Panasonic Lumix ZS99

(Image credit: Future)

Panasonic Lumix ZS99 / TZ99: testing scorecard

Should I buy the Panasonic Lumix ZS99 / TZ99?

Buy it if...

You want a long zoom in a camera that fits into your pocket
In terms of zooming capability, there's not much else that can zoom this far, this well and will still fit in your pocket. 30x zoom with your phone will leave you with a blurry mess, whereas you'll get some reasonable detail here. It's a good idea for travel and everyday snaps for that reason, even if overall image quality isn't amazing.

You like the idea of USB-C charging for all your devices
Pretty much the only improvement from the ZS99's predecessor is the addition of USB-C charging. When you're traveling, only having one cable to charge everything is definitely a bonus.

You want a camera with a front-facing screen for selfies and vlogging
The screen can face all the way forwards, putting yourself in the frame in front of those travel highlights. Amateur vloggers may also like it for the same reason.

Don't buy it if...

You already have a ZS80 / TZ95D
It makes virtually no sense to buy this if you already have a ZS80 / TZ95D. That is unless you really, really want USB-C charging and never use the viewfinder anyway. The sensor, lens and screen are all exactly the same as before - don't assume a new camera means new tech.

You want a viewfinder
OK we've mentioned this a few times now, but the viewfinder has been removed! Why? Perhaps you don't need one. But if you do, don't get this camera.

You shoot in low light with any frequency
Low light performance is a weak area of this camera, so if it's something you do often, don't expect to take good shots with this camera. If you only shoot the odd thing after dark, it's less of a deal breaker.

How I tested the Panasonic Lumix ZS99 / TZ99

  • I used it in a variety of different shooting conditions
  • I took pictures at different focal lengths
  • I tried the different shooting modes

I tested the Panasonic Lumix ZS99 / TZ99 over two weeks, in a range of different locations and across different shooting conditions.

I used it to photograph landscapes and typical travel subjects, taking pictures at a variety of different focal lengths. I also took photos of animals to test the focus tracking.

I took the ZS99 indoors to evaluate what happens when light is low, as well as shooting in very bright sunlight and more overcast conditions.

First reviewed April 2025

I tried out NetSupport Manager 14 – read what I thought of this support solution for business
9:41 am |
Author: admin | Category: Computers Gadgets Pro | Comments: Off

This review first appeared in issue 349 of PC Pro.

SMBs that want the best on-premises remote support solution need look no further than NetSupport Manager (NSM). Now well into its third decade, NSM has been continuously updated, with version 14 on review providing a redesigned Control interface, support for Windows 11 and Server 2022 clients plus two-factor authentication (2FA) and SSL/TLS certificates to tighten up access security to remote systems.

Licensing couldn’t be any easier: pricing is based only on the number of supported systems. You don’t need to worry about subscriptions, either, with perpetual licensing for up to 500 systems costing a straight £10 each.

Installation is a breeze. We loaded the Control component on a Windows 10 host and used the separate Deploy tool to scan the local network and push the client to all our Windows desktops and servers. The client executable is now protected from malware actions; if its name is changed, it won’t be allowed to run.

The new Control interface focuses on ease of use and has a status bar at its base showing the number of clients plus those currently connected and an icon to disconnect them all with one click. Search facilities have been improved, the tree view can now be minimized, and if you double-click on a client in the main panel you can assign different actions such as starting remote control or remotely launching an application.

Desktop screenshot of the NetSupport Manager control console

The NSM console delivers an impressive range of support tools (Image credit: Future)

The tree view uses dynamic grouping to neatly organize clients into categories such as Windows, macOS, Chrome OS and Android versions, hardware enclosure types and geographical locations. You can create custom groups using your preferred criteria and the tree also has options to browse for a client and see those that have sent help requests.

The free PIN Connect server accelerates support connections across large networks. The technician and user simply enter the same unique PIN and an instant connection is created for them.

Selecting a group in the tree shows all members in the main pane and a monitor mode displays scalable screen thumbnails so you can watch user activity in real-time. Users needn’t worry about privacy issues as when the Control app connects, their system tray app alerts them and they can disconnect at any time.

Desktop screenshot of iOS Manager

The iOS Manager mobile app offers easy access to all clients (Image credit: Future)

A remote control session opens a new window with a wealth of support tools presented in its upper menu. Along with choosing to control, share or passively view the screen, you can launch local apps, have text and audio chats, take screen captures, share clipboards and reboot the client.

NSM scores over cloud-hosted solutions as its distribution tool sends local files to multiple users, technicians can run training sessions by showing their screen to user groups and they can record Control host activities and replay them. And being an on-premises solution, performance between a host and client on the same LAN will be much faster.

Remote offices and home workers come under NSM’s support umbrella, too. The NSM Gateway and Connectivity Server are included in the price and allow technicians to reach out over the internet to systems with the client installed.

Security is tight: along with 256-bit AES session encryption, the Connectivity Server, Gateway and clients must all possess the same key. Remote clients can only connect to one gateway, the Connectivity Server connection log can be downloaded for further security analysis and larger sites can improve performance by using multiple Gateways in load-balanced configurations.

SMBs that prefer their support services in-house won’t find a better alternative to NetSupport Manager. It delivers a wealth of support tools, including secure access to home workers, while its perpetual licensing plans are highly affordable.

We also ranked the best work from home apps.

I tested the MSI Pro MP161 – see what I thought of this solid portable monitor
9:37 am |
Author: admin | Category: Computers Gadgets Pro | Comments: Off

This review first appeared in issue 349 of PC Pro.

You can buy exotically named 15.6in portable monitors from Amazon for £100, but there are good reasons to pay extra for well-known brands. Brands such as MSI, with its history of producing high-quality desktop displays.

However, when paying £129, you must set your expectations low. This is a 6-bit panel that’s only capable of producing 16.7 million colors through a technology called frame rate control (FRC). The result is subdued, covering 57% of the sRGB gamut at best. That equates to 41% of DCI-P3, so this isn’t the screen I’d reach for to watch Netflix.

Despite this, MSI provides a Movie mode to accompany the Anti-Blue, Eco, Black-White and Office modes. Office is the best choice for brightness, peaking at 296cd/m2, but greys are blown out to near-white so I kept it at the native profile. This only hit 215cd/m2 at peak, which I kept it at to make whites look relatively white.

Rear view of the MSI Pro MP161

Ports include two USB-C sockets and a mini-HDMI input (Image credit: Future)

MSI makes no sacrifices when it comes to the speedy OSD. There are settings to control sharpness, low blue light, the response time (normal, fast or 4ms fastest) and even the company’s “Eye-Q” features. These are designed to keep people working in optimized fashion. For instance, you can use it to remind you to adjust your posture, or check for eye-strain using a grid. One more ergonomic plus: a highly effective anti-glare coating.

There are two usable albeit low-fidelity 1.5W speakers, but I’m more impressed by the two USB-C ports and a mini-HDMI input, so you can connect the monitor to three devices (including tablets and phones) simultaneously. I appreciate the flexibility, which is echoed by a rotating stand that means you can use the Pro MP161 in portrait mode as well as landscape.

At 750g, and measuring 12mm thick if you ignore the stand, this is a highly portable monitor. MSI also offers protection via a lightweight travel pouch that guards it from scratches (if not direct bashes). Add a two-year warranty and there are many reasons to choose the MSI Pro MP161 over its rivals, despite their price advantage.

We also rated the best ergonomic office chairs.

The Logitech Pro X Superlight 2 Dex offers plenty of precision, but I couldn’t get to grips with it
10:20 pm | April 7, 2025
Author: admin | Category: Computers Computing Gadgets Mice Peripherals & Accessories | Comments: Off

Logitech Pro X Superlight 2 Dex: Two-minute review

The Logitech Pro X Superlight 2 Dex is a striped-back gaming mouse focused on performance above all else. Its looks are understated, and one could easily mistake it for a productivity mouse rather than one designed for gaming, especially given its lack of RGB lighting. However, the white and pink colorways do add an element of vibrancy.

It has a long profile, and the side walls curve inwards sharply. The mouse buttons also feel quite short, and have a steeper downwards rake than some rivals I’ve experienced, which emphasizes more contact with the finger tips. Coupled with the aforementioned concave figure, the Pro X Superlight 2 Dex encourages a claw-style grip.

True to many of Logitech’s gaming hardware, the Pro X Superlight 2 Dex feels well built, with premium materials that are put together in a sturdy fashion that rivals many of the best gaming mice. This extends to the buttons, which have next to no wobble, making for tight, satisfying presses.

Oddly, though, the scroll wheel can be moved sideways when pressed on its right side, almost as if it has tilt functionality, which it doesn’t. But despite this lapse in build quality, it gave me no issue when using it.

There are large PTFE skates underneath, and there’s even a spare cover for the dongle compartment that features another PTFE layer to increase coverage, further improving the smoothness of glides. However, the skates are quite thin, so the Pro X Superlight 2 Dex is definitely at its best on padded surfaces.

You can customize the Pro X Superlight 2 Dex using Logitech’s G HUB software. This allows you to set the DPI between 100 and 44,000, with five slots you can cycle between. Although there’s no dedicated DPI selector button on the Pro X Superlight 2 Dex – a strange omission since even spartan gaming mice usually include one – you can remap the inputs to make one.

There’s also the option to split the DPI adjustments for the X and Y axis, which not every peripheral tool offers. You can set the lift-off distance for each of the five slots as well, with low, medium, and high options. They lack measurements in millimeters, though, which some might find disappointing.

Close-up of front of Logitech Pro X Superlight 2 Dex, on table with pink background

(Image credit: Future)

There are also various remapping options: not only can key inputs be assigned, but so too can numerous system functions and shortcuts. These include launching applications of your choosing and cycling audio inputs and outputs, among others. You can also set a button to be the G-Shift modifier, which gives you access to another layer of assignments when held. A macro creator is available too.

For gaming, the Pro X Superlight 2 Dex delivers a mixed performance. The 8K polling rate is welcome, and there’s no denying that aiming feels smooth and precise. However, I didn’t find the Pro X Superlight 2 Dex particularly conducive to my playing style.

The weight feels concentrated towards the rear, which means that when lifting off, it tends to tilt backwards, which isn’t ideal. Also, the acute side indentations made it hard for me to hold the Pro X Superlight 2 Dex securely, forcing me to grip tighter than usual, which in turn made swiping harder to achieve.

The mouse button clicks are also not as snappy as I would’ve liked. I also struggled to hit the side buttons easily, again due to the pinched sides. They are well damped, though, which makes them satisfying to hit, as is the middle click, although I would’ve liked a tad more feedback from it. The scroll wheel is lightly notched yet offers enough control and security, preventing accidental scrolls when clicking in.

The battery life of the Pro X Superlight 2 Dex seems fairly reasonable. I wasn’t able to test it to exhaustion, but after a day’s worth of varied use, it dipped by 6%, which seems in-line with Logitech’s claim of 95 hours. Charging takes about two hours and forty minutes, which is less impressive.

At $149, the Pro X Superlight 2 Dex is an expensive gaming mouse. While it does offer wireless connectivity and an 8K polling rate, it’s the same price as rivals such as the Razer DeathAdder V3 Pro and the Logitech G502 X Plus. Both these mice are at the top of their class, with the former having excellent performance and the latter being great for features.

Close-up of side buttons on Logitech Pro X Superlight 2 Dex

(Image credit: Future)

Logitech Pro X Superlight 2 Dex: Price & availability

Close-up of scroll wheel on Logitech Pro X Superlight 2 Dex

(Image credit: Future)
  • $159 / £149 / AU$299
  • Available now
  • Same price as more feature-filled rivals

The Pro X Superlight 2 Dex costs $159 / £149 / AU$299 and is available now in black, white, and pink colorways. It comes with a braided USB-C-to-A cable and a 2.4GHz USB dongle with an extension adapter.

For an 8K wireless gaming mouse, the Pro X Superlight 2 Dex is quite expensive, considering its lack of features. The best gaming mouse in our view, the Razer DeathAdder V3 Pro, is the same price. This too has an 8K polling rate, but we found it had better ergonomics.

The Pro X Superlight 2 Dex is also the same price as the Logitech G502 X Plus, which we thought was already quite expensive. However, it’s our pick as the best wireless gaming mouse for features, thanks to the extra buttons providing more scope for configuring inputs to your exact needs. Its maximum polling rate is only 1K, though, and at 106g, it’s considerably heavier as well.

Logitech Pro X Superlight 2 Dex: Specs

Should I buy the Logitech Pro X Superlight 2 Dex?

Buy it if...

You want good gaming specs
The 8K polling rate of the Pro X Superlight 2 Dex will be sure to please the hardcore, as it offers next to no lag for supreme smoothness and precise aiming.

You want good customizations
Logitech’s G HUB software offers plenty of remapping options, including some useful system-level shortcuts. DPI adjustments can also be made for each axis, and there’s three lift-off distances to choose from.

Don't buy it if...

You want lots of buttons
The Pro X Superlight 2 Dex is very sparse, and doesn’t even have a dedicated DPI selector switch, which many gaming mice include.

You want the best ergonomics
The side walls are cinched in tight, and the rear bias of the weight makes it awkward to grab and lift in my experience. Dyed-in-the-wool claw grippers might have a better time with it, though.

Logitech Pro X Superlight 2 Dex: Also consider

Razer DeathAdder V3 Pro
Our pick as the best wireless mouse overall, the DeathAdder V3 Pro has wireless connectivity and an 8K polling rate, just like the Pro X Superlight 2 Dex. It’s the same price too, but we were more impressed with its superb performance and ergonomics. What’s more, it integrates with Razer Synapse, which offers plenty of customization options and tweaks. Read our Razer DeathAdder V3 Pro review.

Logitech G502 X Plus
If it’s features you’re after, then the G502 X Plus has you covered. It has 13 programmable controls, as well as a side-tilting scroll wheel. However, it’s much heavier than the Pro X Superlight 2 Dex, and it lacks the top-draw 8K polling rate too, which might deter pro-level players. It’s also just as expensive, but for those who like plenty of buttons, this is one of the best gaming mice around. Read our Logitech G502 X Plus review.

How I tested the Logitech Pro X Superlight 2 Dex

  • Tested for a few days
  • Used for gaming, working, browsing
  • Plentiful PC gaming experience

I tested the Pro X Superlight 2 Dex for a few days, during which time I used it for gaming, productivity, and general browsing.

I played Counter-Strike 2, a good test for peripherals given it demands quick and accurate movements and button presses.

I have been PC gaming for over a decade and have used a myriad of pointers from a variety of brands, including Logitech. I have reviewed a large amount of gaming mice too.

With all of time and space to explore, Doctor Who season 2 episode 1 ‘The Robot Revolution’ is a curious re-tread of the hit sci-fi show’s best ideas
10:00 pm |
Author: admin | Category: Computers Disney Plus Gadgets Streaming | Tags: , | Comments: Off

Mild spoilers follow for Doctor Who season 2 episode 1.

Doctor Who is, in many ways, the ultimate comfort food for sci-fi fanatics. There are times when the iconic British TV show will surprise you with its storytelling, character evolution, and/or thematic exploration. By and large, though, you know what you're going to get with Gallifrey's greatest export: a mostly fun-filled romp across time and space.

For better or worse, that's a well-established formula that Doctor Who season 2 (or, for those of us who've watched it since its 2005 revival, Doctor Who season 15) doesn't tamper with. This season's opening chapter, titled 'The Robot Revolution', isn't as narratively revolutionary as its name suggests. Still, while season 2's premiere is predictable in its make-up, I largely had fun with what its 46-minute opener had to offer.

Paranoid android

Belinda standing next to a human and two robots in Doctor Who season 2 episode 1

'The Robot Revolution' introduces us to The Doctor's new companion Belinda (Image credit: Disney+/BBC One)

Season 2 opens with the titular Time Lord (Ncuti Gatwa) racing to find Belinda 'Bel' Chandra (Varada Sethu), a London-based nurse, for unknown reasons.

Unfortunately, no sooner does The Doctor track her down at her home, he can only watch as Bel is whisked away by a group of menacing robots – who, for reasons that'll become clear, claim she's their planet's Queen – to their home world.

Long story short: Bel is taken to a planet where everything is bizarrely named after her. That includes the world's moniker (Miss Belinda Chandra-1), its race of humans (Belinda Chandra-kind), and its main city (Belinda Chandra-Ville).

Bel's ties to a world that she has no recollection of are the least of her worries. Indeed, she's been kidnapped to marry this world's de-factor ruler and be fully assimilated as a human-robot hybrid not like classic Whovian villains The Cybermen (more on this comparison later). So much for a peaceful evening.

Hope is at hand, though. The Doctor has not only infiltrated Miss Belinda Chandra-1, but also teamed up with a group of human freedom fighters looking to overthrow their android oppressors. Cue a typically audacious rescue mission to save Bel and work out what's actually going on.

The Doctor looking at Belinda in Doctor Who season 2 episode 1

The Doctor tries to get to the bottom of what's happening on Belinda Chandra-1 (Image credit: Disney+/BBC One)

For those who recognize Sethu's Bel but can't quite place her, allow me to help: Sethu also played Mundy Flynn in 'Boom', which was arguably season 1/season 14's best episode. She also appeared in season 1 of Andor, FYI, and will do so again in Andor season 2, which arrives on Disney+ later this month.

But I digress. Unlike Peter Capaldi and Karen Gillan's supporting roles in season 4 episode 'The Fires of Pompeii' before they secured central roles in later seasons, Sethu's casting as Bel is deliberate.

Season 2 doesn't hide the fact that Bel and Mundy are related. Indeed, The Doctor confirms as much during an expository sequence where discussing a so-called Time Fracture that's a temporal border issue between Miss Belindra Chandra-1 and planet Earth. Continuity in a 70-year-old-plus TV series can be difficult to maintain, so cast additions like this – where an actor can play two versions of the same character – in any project is most welcome.

I'm pleased that loose plot threads from the show's first season on Disney+ haven't been fully discarded

As Doctor Who season 2's first trailer teased, its big mystery isn't just centered on Bel. It's also directly linked to the overarching narrative involving Gatwa's 15th Doctor that, as long as Gatwa is in for the long haul, should run for multiple seasons and, hopefully at some point, explain who or what the returning Mrs Flood is.

This isn't a novel creative and storytelling approach for Doctor Who. Other multi-season stories, such as those involving Matt Smith and Jodie Foster's iterations, have been structured similarly with their breadcrumb trail narratives that eventually lead to a grand reveal towards the end of each Doctor's existence.

Nevertheless, I'm pleased that loose plot threads from the show's first season on Disney+ haven't been fully discarded with the introduction of The Doctor's latest companion. Instead, it appears season 2 will build on the foundations laid by its predecessor and provide a semblance of storytelling pay-off amid this season's primary directive; one that'll see The Doctor attempt to take Bel home.

Companion pieces

Belinda seeing to a IV bag as she looks at The Doctor off-screen in Doctor Who season 2 episode 1

This season's opener suggests Bel will give as good as she gets from The Doctor (Image credit: Disney+/BBC One)

To do so, he'll have to take the long way home. No spoilers for the premiere's ending and one of Doctor Who season 2's big mysteries, but everyone's favorite charismatic yet emotionally-damaged Time Lord will need more than a date and simple TARDIS handle-pull to get Bel safely back on terra firma.

The long journey home will provide ample opportunity to show Bel is a fantastic foil to the 15th Doctor, too.

The duo's dynamic already has the air of a spicy yet respect-laden relationship. Bel has a charismatic, compassionate, and capricious personality to match that of her contemporary, and she's not afraid to speak her mind (and put The Doctor in his place) if she disagrees with him.

The duo's dynamic already has the air of a spicy yet respect-laden relationship

One episode in, the pair's collaboration is more of a marriage of convenience than a bona fide friendship, but I expect that to change as this season progresses, and I can't wait to see how this dynamic evolves as it does so.

Predictably, I have grievances about episode 1 of one of the best Disney+ shows' sophomore season. Aside from its villain-in-chief, who's actually one of the more terrifying Doctor Who antagonists we've seen in a while, The Doctor and Bel's robotic foes are largely unoriginal. In fact, I'd say, unique design notwithstanding, they're an uninspired amalgam of two of the most notorious enemies in Doctor Who's rogue gallery – those being, the Daleks and Cybermen.

'The Robot Revolution' also moves at a break-neck pace. Episodes of Doctor Who are renowned for being breezy, but it feels like this one is particularly guilty of barrelling through its story without stopping to take a breath. That doesn't allow its most pertinent story beats to have the emotional impact they require.

I was hesitant about including this for fear of being labeled 'woke', but I will applaud the season 2 premiere for tackling the difficult and uneasy topic of toxic masculinity in a somewhat child-friendly manner. This is a family-first show, after all. Nonetheless, it's another brave and perfectly valid examination of present-day themes that aid the story and don't, as some may claim, ruin Doctor Who as a visual and/or narrative experience.

My verdict

'The Robot Revolution' doesn't break new ground for Doctor Who as a franchise, but there's plenty that'll entertain families and die-hard Whovians alike.

Visually, I'm eager to see season 2 maintain – and perhaps even build on – the trippy aesthetic that permeates its premiere. Story-wise, I hope it pushes the boundaries of the show and doesn't befall the same fate as past seasons.

Indeed, its forthcoming animated episode suggests the former will occasionally happen but, even at this early stage, I'm praying that the pay-off from season 2's big mystery is better than last season.

Otherwise, it'll do the classic Whovian thing of promising much and delivering little. This is a series that explores all of time and space, after all, so let's see some of that wibbly wobbly, timey-wimey magic return to the fore with increasing regularity, rather than being the exception to the norm.

Doctor Who season 2 premieres on Disney+ (internationally) and BBC One/BBC iPlayer (UK) on Saturday, April 12.

Snapfish’s photo book gave me satisfying results for a low price, but I’d recommend a better-value option with superior print quality
9:00 pm |
Author: admin | Category: Cameras Computers Gadgets Photography | Comments: Off

Snapfish photo book review

Snapfish offers a vast range of customizable keepsakes and gifting items in over 30 countries including the US, the UK, and Australia. Customizing Snapfish photo books can be pretty simple thanks to a selection of ready-made templates, but my focus was on how easy it would be to add a TechRadar twist to see whether the design interface and resulting print quality are suitable for something a little more creative.

When reviewing different services, we always order a 12 x 12-inch matte hardcover standard-bound photo book. This configuration from Snapfish included twenty 200gsm satin finish pages as standard for a list price of $74.99 / £38.99 / AU$89.95, with the option to add two-page spreads for $2.49 / £1.99 / AU$2.90 each. Our finished book required four additional spreads, bringing the overall total to $84.95 / £46.95 / AU$101.55. Snapfish appears to offer regular deals and it’s always worth keeping an eye out for any banners or pop-ups, as in my experience they don’t apply the offers automatically at checkout if missed.

One thing Snapfish had in abundance was tutorial videos, which I’m sure would prove helpful for some. However, as someone who has used many of the best photo book services, as well as professional design software, I’d rather it had just been an intuitive process, rather than something I’d need to revise for.

A spread of two woodland photos.

(Image credit: Future)

The Snapfish photo book builder is fairly basic, but it's not straightforward to use. Tools and settings are limited: there is a top toolbar for saving, zooming, and adding or viewing pages, and a toolbar on the right of the design area, with photo, background, and embellish tabs. There was no tab or dedicated sidebar to offer a quick view of the spreads; instead, I had to click on the All Pages icon or click the zoom out button three times.

Speaking of zoom, the Snapfish builder had frustratingly poor zoom and navigation control. There were simple zoom-in and out buttons with a range of just three clicks, meaning the page was either smaller than I wanted or so large I had to use the browser's scroll bars to move around. I found the “large view” icon at the bottom of the page more convenient, as it increased the page size so that the page height filled the available space, but a manual zoom bar would have been more convenient.

Adding photos was a fairly simple process, but after uploading my first batch of photos I spotted a little “upload preferences” button on the bottom right of the screen. Hidden within this menu, I found the option to upload my photos in standard or full resolution, for no extra cost. Snapfish had this set to standard by default, which is pretty cheeky.

The football boot is nearly lost to the page join.

(Image credit: Future)

When dragging photos or elements onto the page, it wasn’t possible to know the exact dimensions, so any sizing had to be done by eye. Moving the photos within their frames was simple enough, but increasing or decreasing the size was controlled by a zoom bar, which proved fiddly at times.

I was really pleased to find that guidelines would pop up on the pages as I worked. However, I practically had to move the image pixel by pixel until I hit the right spot, as images and elements wouldn’t snap onto any of the guidelines. On a more positive note, some features I found really useful were the object alignment and size matching options, which popped up whenever I selected more than one element.

It proved particularly tricky to replicate our TechRadar photo book template in the Snapfish builder. While there are around 135 background colors to choose between, other low-cost printing services such as Mixbook offer custom color options from color sliders and hex codes, making it a better choice if you want your photo book to match your branding.

The lack of color options was even more apparent when it came to replicating the colored blocks that accompanied some of our photos. There was no option to apply a chosen color to simple shapes, so I needed to find the best match by searching through the elements. This still didn't prove the quick fix I’d hoped for though, as the shapes were all fixed ratio, forcing me to hide the excess behind the neighboring images or a white shape.

From left to right, the Blurb front cover is noticeably more vibrant and detailed, whereas the detail has been lost on the much darker result of the Snapfish front cover.

From left to right: the covers of the Blurb and Snapfish photo books. (Image credit: Future)

I found text boxes to be another source of frustration throughout this process. There wasn’t a huge range of fonts to choose from, but this did become somewhat of a blessing when I found I couldn’t find a font by typing it in, having to scroll through the list instead. Fortunately, however, recently used fonts were saved at the top of the list, making it easy to switch between a select few.

Initially, I thought the font size was limited to 30, however, I discovered that larger sizes aren’t shown if the text box is too small. This way of restricting the text to the bounding box also proved frustrating when trying to resize text boxes to help with alignment, as the font size subtly reduced on occasion if I made the box a little too small.

You may notice I stated 30, rather than 30pt: this is because the font sizes aren’t standardized, meaning a size 30 in one font could be half the size of another. This may not be the end of the world if you’re creating a photo book to reminisce over fond memories, but if you’re trying to make something cohesive, this makes life much harder.

Two dark background portraits in the Shutterfly photo book.

(Image credit: Future)

Once I’d arranged each spread as close to the TechRadar photobook template as possible, I clicked the Review and Buy button. I was warned of a low-resolution photo, something I’d already been made aware of thanks to a warning that appeared on the image itself after I’d placed it on the page. However, it neglected to warn me about images going over the edges of the page, or if an image wasn’t within the bleed margin, which would have saved some errors on the printed article.

After confirming I was comfortable to proceed, I had the opportunity to preview my finished photo book. I was really quite impressed with the way Snapfish presented it; unlike other photo book services I’ve used that show a flat spread, Snapfish shows the pages as if they are in a standard bound photo book, so I could see the effect the spine would have on the photos that spanned over two pages.

Delivery times will vary depending on location, time of year, and demand, but in my case, I ordered my Snapfish photo book on a Wednesday, opting to pay £6.99 for priority, and received it the following Monday. If I’d paid for second-class postage the latest advised delivery date would have only been another two days wait. The photo book arrived in a plastic wrapper inside a simple cardboard outer; despite the plastic protection, there was still a fair bit of debris on the front and back cover, although this was likely worse than usual due to the soft matte finish and dark coloring.

The photo on this page is lower than it should be, leaving a white gap at the top.

Photo books from left to right: Shutterfly, Snapfish, and Mixbook. (Image credit: Future)

Speaking of the finish on the Snapfish photo book’s cover, it was lovely and soft to the touch, but I would recommend against it if you want a dark cover or if the book will be handled regularly. My Snapfish photo book ended up with lots of marks and fingerprints from just a few hours of viewing and photography, despite being handled carefully, and they proved difficult to remove without leaving evidence of the cleanup attempt.

As the outer lines of the pages on the Snapfish builder were thick blue, and there were no warnings when images went into or over the bleed area, I found one of my images fell short of the edge of the page. This was tricky for me to see on the Snapfish builder, even when looking for it specifically, so this highlights the need for a better zoom function, clear outer bleed margins, and a better warning system that flags when an image is not placed optimally.

The misaligned print can be clearly seen on the edge of this page.

(Image credit: Future)

It was noticeable that the larger prints were slightly wonky on some pages, as the space between the images and the edge of the page wasn’t consistent in width. I couldn’t help but question the print tolerance too, as it became apparent that the inner border must have been the “outer” bleed line, despite being shown within the page on the Snapfish builder and there being no warnings when my images crossed these boundaries. The image was well within the edge of the page, but the finished result looked like an error.

The cover image of my Snapfish photo book was noticeably darker than the original photo, and to all four of the photo books I was comparing it against. The print lacked the intense vibrancy and detail present on the other photo book covers, which I assume is due to the image being printed onto the black background without any underprinting to preserve the colors.

The color of the printed images inside the book looked fine in isolation, and the print quality seemed acceptable for the price, but they were undoubtedly lower in quality when I compared them to the same photos in the similarly priced Blurb photo book we reviewed. This was especially noticeable when it came to color blending, as the colors of the sky in the Snapfish example showed posterization, leading to obvious steps between colors rather than the colors smoothly blending together, as they did in the same print in the Blurb photo book.

The print in the Blurb book is noticeably warmer and smoother, whereas posterization can be seen in the sky of the Snapfish print, as the colors have noticeable steps rather than smoothly blending.

The print quality in the Snapfish book (right) was outshone by the smooth and richly colored Blurb equivalent. (Image credit: Future)

Overall, it’s hard to recommend the Snapfish photo book over one from a competitor like Blurb. The only exception to this would be if it’s on sale, as I could have bought my book for less than £30 if I’d taken advantage of the 40% offer, or if a quick turnaround is key. In my case, a few weeks before Mother’s Day in England, the Snapfish photo book was manufactured in the UK and was in my hands in less than a week. If you’d like to explore offerings from other photo book services, I’d recommend taking a look at our pick of the best photo books.

Should I buy the Snapfish photo book?

Buy it if…

You don’t want your photos altered
Snapfish didn’t appear to make any alterations to our images, unlike some of the other photo book services we’ve reviewed, which had been over-edited pre-production. While the colors on the printed article weren’t as vibrant as I’d have liked, this may be preferable in some cases.

You want a cheap photo book
When the Snapfish photo book is on offer, it’s a low enough price to purchase a couple as gifts without your bank account taking too much of a hit.

You want a quick turnaround
Granted, quick production and delivery can’t be guaranteed, but I was impressed to receive my photo book in just a few days with only a few weeks to go before Mother’s Day here in the UK.

Don't buy it if…

You want full creative control
While some will be perfectly satisfied using the pre-prepared layouts, for those of us who want the alignment to be spot-on without having to move a pixel at a time or want images and text to be a specific size, this is not the photo book service for you.

You want to use your own color palette
Sadly I found myself limited to Snapfish’s choice of background colors, and a hard-to-navigate and limited range of colored shapes, which is a stark contrast to the likes of Mixbook that allow free rein when it comes to color choice.

You want clear boundaries
Unfortunately, the print margins were not clear or well-placed, and I wasn’t given any warnings when my images weren’t in the right place, so this is another reason to stick to the Snapfish templates.

Snapfish photo book review: also consider

Blurb
I was highly impressed with the color accuracy and print quality of our photo book from Blurb. The colors of the cover image were beautifully vibrant without any OTT pre-production editing. Aside from a little damage during shipping, the entire book was nicely presented and looked worth the cost, which was perfectly reasonable to begin with.

Cewe
With dedicated software featuring a full suite of editing features and plenty of template options, Cewe is a good choice for people who want a little more creative freedom when designing their photo book. There’s a wide variety of paper and cover materials, and they even offer foil detail on the cover too.

How I tested the Snapfish photo book

  • I created a photo book from scratch to recreate our TechRadar photo book
  • I explored the Snapfish Builder, testing the different features and tools
  • I ordered a photo book and assessed the quality of the finished product

I spent time testing out the different features in the Snapfish builder, seeing how easy their pre-made elements were to use, and the different elements they included for free. I also investigated other services providing photo books to compare prices and features.

I started with a blank canvas and used the tools available to recreate our TechRadar photo book. Recreating an existing design is important so that we can assess how capable the different services are when faced with different requirements.

I ordered my completed photo book and evaluated the finished product, paying close attention to quality, print finish, and alignment, and kept a close eye for any imperfections.

Scanguard
7:08 pm |
Author: admin | Category: Computers Gadgets Pro Security | Comments: Off

As we did some digging on Scanguard, we came across the fact that it seems to be owned by Total Security LTD. Hopefully, this means that it’s benefiting from the same minds that are behind the Total AV products. We’re optimistic that this could translate into numerous updates over time, potentially crystallizing Scanguard into a more premium offering in the antivirus & security space. Nevertheless, Scanguard is its own thing at the moment, and it has a lot to offer regardless. It’s essentially a total security and optimization suite that covers everything from viruses to PC improvement through junk file removal, a password vault, and even a VPN.

The offering starts off with security features, which include: advanced real-time protection against various threats, including malware, ransomware, spyware, and adware, through specialized guards like Malware Guard, Ransomware Guard, Spyware Guard, and Aware Guard. You can give most of the functions a free try, as the company offers a free version of the application for Windows. The time it took to update and apply the definitions in the free tool was a bit worrying, we’re not sure whether it was a connection issue or the free version just being slow. The initial scan, however, was quite quick on a 512 GB SSD filled roughly to 30% of its capacity. The entire scan took under five minutes, going through a malware scan, junk removal, browser cleanup, and startup app check. A note of caution here, as the app scans your PC for any tracking cookies it finds, it will notify you, with an attempt to upsell you to the Pro version, so the cookie, or malware, can be removed. To be fair, the company does offer a 90% discount if you’re trying out their software and musing whether to purchase a license, which means you can get Scanguard Essential Antivirus for as low as $9 for the first year. Beware of the price for the renewal license, though!

Scanguard

(Image credit: Future)

Features

The initial scan that we ran with Scanguard, called “smart scan” as we mentioned, was quite quick, covering malware, security and privacy issues, PC performance issues, system junk, and duplicate files with just one click. However, if you want to do a full system scan, which runs a more comprehensive check, be ready to wait up to 20 minutes. Of course, there is the Custom Scan option if you want to specifically target some folders in the scan, potentially speeding up your scan times. In the settings menu, you can additionally tweak your scan options with a toggle for scanning: removable drives, inside archives, specific file types, or scheduling a scan.

Scanguard

(Image credit: Future)

Moreover, the above-mentioned four features make up the core security offering, with the Malware Guard protecting your PC from trojans and worms. The Ransomware Guard guards from hackers taking over your PC and files, Spyware Guard deletes and blocks tracking software, and finally, Aware Guard blocks pesky adverts. We would also add the WebShield to this core, which protects you from malicious sites in real-time. Additionally, this feature offers a web cache cleaner, which can be useful if you do opt to visit the “Low Trust” websites the WebShield designates for you. It works quite well, preventing access to most well-known sites featured on PhishTank, though we did manage to access some more obscure sites, which were blocked by other security solutions, so stay vigilant regardless of which security solution you use.

You can enhance your security by installing the free ScanGuard web extension for browsers like Chrome, Edge, Firefox, or Safari. It’s quite handy in blocking unwanted browser notifications and clearing up your cookies with just one click. Note, the Ad Block Pro is only available if you have the Pro version (paid plan) of the solution. Speaking of web extensions, another useful one offered by Scanguard is the Password Vault browser extension, but for it to function properly, you need to set up the Password Vault on the Desktop app first. If you do so, you will have access to auto-fill and auto-save features, as well as the password generator that will help you create secure passwords. We would have liked to see some features like 2FA for the vault itself, and options to share passwords, save notes, and files securely, but none of that was available. Standalone password managers, like 1Password, offer much more, but Scanguard does cover the basics, so if you need a more advanced password manager, you will have to buy an additional one.

If you opt to pay for the VPN, which is an extra feature, you will get the industry standard features such as data encryption, a kill switch, and encryption protocols like IKEv2 and OpenVPN. There are roughly 100 servers, most of which are located in North America and Europe, thus providing solid options for circumventing geo restrictions. The speeds are acceptable when streaming or torrenting (available only for non-US servers). We feel that other premium providers like Nord offer a much better VPN, with stable and higher speeds, as well as additional features.

If you’re worried about identity theft protection, apparently Scanguard offers some solid features in this regard. Note, we did not test out the offer, nor purchase it. It’s an additional service (paid separately), which covers dark web and social media monitoring, identity restoration, lost wallet assistance, and up to $1 million in identity theft insurance. You also get the Data Breach Check, which scans whether your passwords have been compromised as part of an online data breach. All you need to do is provide your email, and Scanguard does all the heavy lifting.

Rounding off the offer is Scanguard's system optimizer or tune-up utility, which covers junk file cleaning (including duplicate files), an application uninstaller, start-up manager, and a browser cleanup. The junk cleaner seems impressive as it ran under a minute, removing some odd 300 MB of junk files from my PC in the first run. The duplicate scanner, on the other hand, is not perfect; it flagged two different videos as duplicates hidden in a wide tree of folders, both had different names, lengths, sizes, and content, so make sure you double-check before letting the app remove the files by itself. The browser cleanup offers to clear your browsing and download history, cookies, and junk files from your browser, speed up the loading of websites, and put idle tabs to sleep. During our test, it worked quite well, we did not notice any issues with it. Despite having some useful features, we would have liked to see some disk optimization features as well as some gaming boosters, as seen in some other premium offerings. Sure, there is a “game mode,” but it simply makes sure no notifications or scans come up as you game, but there are no PC performance tweaks for gamers with Scanguard.

If you’re an Android user, there is a dedicated app for you; however, if you use an iPhone, then tough luck, there is no Scanguard app for you. On Android, you can not get the app from the Google store, you have to find the link to it in the Scanguard website’s help center. Google will warn you that the app is not safe. Most of the Desktop features are available on the mobile app as well. They work without any issues, but you don’t get advanced security features like SMS filtering, scam call filtering, etc. So all in all, the mobile experience is a bit underwhelming, to say the least.

Pricing

Scanguard

(Image credit: Scanguard)

Luckily, Scanguard gets it right with its pricing plan approach, offering just two pricing plans. The first one is the free one, giving you some basic protection and a taste of what the suite encompasses and offers. The paid plan costs $29 for the first year if you purchase through the site, and here is where things get complicated. The site advertises $29 for the first year instead of $99, which is your annual renewal price. Yet, if you install the free version of the app and from the options menu click on upgrade, you get a price of $9 for the first year, and a renewal price of $99. But wait, there’s more! If you decide to make the purchase, be ready to pay for it using only PayPal, as there is no other payment option. Furthermore, once you do go through the purchase, an upsell moment arrives, offering the VPN as a service at an extra cost, as well as the Ad Blocker Pro.

The initial pricing strategy and plan started off quite promising, but the various offers through the site and the app just left a bad taste in our mouth, loathing the entire process. Sure, we understand that some marketing magic needs to be used to get the best sales results, but communicating everything in one place and transparently makes much more sense in our book.

The offer on the website for the paid plan includes the following: real-time virus and phishing protection, cloud-based threat detection, and tools to defend against adware and spyware. It also includes a secure password vault, system tune-up tools, disk and browser cleaners, and even a web shield extension to block harmful sites. With added Android protection, 24/7 customer support, and a 30-day money-back guarantee.

Protection

VB100 ScanGuard

(Image credit: VB100)

Checking reliable testing sites, you will only come across a VB100 test result for Scanguard from October 2023. It successfully passed the test at the time, but the website states that Scanguard is not VB100 certified, as the test results have not been refreshed or done recently. However, the test from October 2023 states that it achieved a detection rate of 96.94%, successfully identifying 1,871 out of 1,930 malware samples. Just as importantly, it scored a perfect 0.000% false alarm rate, meaning it didn’t flag any clean files as malicious across 100,000 legitimate test samples. This balance of strong malware detection and zero false positives demonstrated at the time that Scanguard provides reliable protection.

Ease of use

Scanguard has a beautiful design philosophy, with a modern UI, a black, green, and blue color scheme, and large icons that are intuitive and informative once you hover over them. Initial installation may take some time since all of the databases need updating, but it's not concerning. Under the settings tab, everything is laid out logically, with most settings offering a toggle switch for easy customization. Despite having numerous customization options, it never felt overwhelming.

Final verdict

In the end, Scanguard represents a peculiar offer in the security suite space. Some things, like the malware protection and web protection in general, it does well; we would argue on par with some more renowned companies. On the other hand, there are major issues with the mobile app, which is difficult to install. To this, we would also add the pricing fiasco from the app to the website, and the fact that no independent lab has tested Scanguard in 2025 to offer an insight into how well it compares to the others.

All in all, if you’re not too picky or demanding, Scanguard can keep you safe online, but knowing that there are much better offerings in the field, priced similarly to Scanguard, it’s simply difficult to recommend it as a go-to solution.

The Ninja Blast Max is so powerful it can obliterate frozen strawberries and even make kale smoothies delicious
4:00 pm |
Author: admin | Category: Computers Gadgets Home Juicers & Blenders Small Appliances | Tags: , | Comments: Off

Ninja Blast Max: one-minute review

The Ninja Blast Max is an updated version of the company’s portable smoothie blender, with a more powerful motor and upgraded blades – and it works brilliantly. The Max is more expensive then the original Ninja Blast, but the price difference is easily justified by the improvement in performance.

Unlike every other personal blender I’ve tested to date, the Ninja Blast Max transforms difficult, fibrous ingredients such as kale into a silky smoothie with just a single blending cycle, leaving behind no unpleasant fragments. In my time using the blender, I didn't experience any problems with ingredients becoming stuck to the sides of the cup and missing the blades either, which is unusual for a blender this size.

Ninja Blast Max blender containing smoothie, with cup removed from base

Tough ingredients are no match for the Ninja Blast Max (Image credit: Future)

The Max fared equally well when it came to blending large frozen berries, which usually prove too much of a challenge for portable smoothie makers. The blender’s "crush" setting is made for tackling ice cubes, but works equally well for rock-hard frozen fruit, pulverizing it to slushie consistency within a minute.

The blender cup is easy to detach from the charging base, enabling you to sip your smoothie on the move, or take your protein shake to the gym. It fits into a typical cupholder or the side pocket of a backpack, and has a robust silicone carry handle. The only downside is that it isn't insulated to keep your creations cold. If Ninja could add a second, insulated cup to the package alongside the first, it would be pretty much perfect.

Ninja Blast Max: price and availability

  • Available in US and Europe
  • List price $89.99/£89.99 (about AU$140)
  • About the same price as Nutribullet Flip

The Ninja Blast Max launched in September 2024. It’s available direct from Ninja, and from third-party retailers such as Amazon for $89.99/£89.99. That’s about AU$140, but at the time of writing it isn’t for sale in Australia.

That’s a significant price increase from the original Ninja Blast, which had a list price of $59.99 / £49.99 / AU$79.99; but it’s understandable considering the upgraded motor, blades, and battery.

The Blast Max is roughly the same as the Nutribullet Flip, which is a more direct competitor, and is priced at $99.99 (about £80 / AU$150). The Ninja Blast Max definitely delivers more blending power than the Flip, delivering more bang for your buck.

  • Value score: 5/5

Ninja Blast Max: design

  • Cup is easy to remove from the charging base and carry
  • Simple to keep clean
  • No leaks when blending, or carrying the cup

The Ninja Blast Max has two components: the base, which contains the battery and motor, and a removable cup with the blade unit at the bottom and a flip-top lid on top. The sip lid also has a silicone handle for easy and comfortable carrying. The cup easily tucked into the side pocket of my backpack, and will fit in most standard cupholders, too.

The base unit has a charging port at the back, with a rubber cover to protect against dust and splashes (although you should never immerse the base in water, and always remove the cup before cleaning).

Ninja Blast Max blender control buttons on base

The Ninja Blast Max has three settings for different ingredients (Image credit: Future)

The base has an attractive ombre finish, and is available in seven color options: Sea Glass, Ivory Cream, Dusty Pink, Gray, Silver, Lavender, and Navy (although not all retailers will stock all seven).

It has a central power button, with a green light that blinks during charging, and controls for three settings: Crush (for ice), Blend, and Smoothie.

The cup has a slightly tapered shape, becoming narrower at the bottom to encourage ingredients to fall onto the blades, but not so narrow that anything becomes stuck. The instructions explain that you can gently shake the blender to dislodge any pieces of fruit or veg that escape the blades, but during my tests I didn’t find this necessary.

The cup has a maximum fill line positioned at the 15.8oz / 450ml mark. That’s the same as the Nutribullet Flip, but the Ninja Blast Max’s removable base means it’s much lighter to carry. The lid creates an extra tight seal when you’re on the move, and I never noticed any leaking when I was blending or carrying it.

Opening flip-top lid on Ninja Blast Max blender

The lid can only be opened by depressing a button, preventing accidental leaks (Image credit: Future)

The Ninja Blast Max is very easy to keep clean. Like most portable blenders, all you have to do is add some water to the cup with a squirt of dish soap, run a brief blending cycle, then rinse the cup and lid thoroughly and allow them to dry. You can also wash the cup and lid by hand when they need cleaning more thoroughly.

The only downside is that, unlike the Nutribullet Flip, the Ninja Blast Max doesn’t have an insulated cup to keep your creations chilled on the move.

  • Design score: 4.5/5

Ninja Blast Max: performance

  • Excellent at blending tough vegetables such as kale
  • "Crush" mode is great for ice and frozen ingredients
  • Ingredients don't become stuck in cup and miss the blades

The Ninja Blast Max is the most powerful personal blender I’ve tested, capable of turning even tricky ingredients into a creamy smoothie.

After charging the blender for a few hours until the light on the front remained a steady green, I started off by making TechRadar’s test recipe – Nutribullet’s Banana Kale Blueberry Freeze.

Ninja Blast Max blender containing plant milk, banana, kale, and blueberries

The ingredients for TechRadar's test smoothie are simple, but often pose a challenge (Image credit: Future)

Its ingredients are simple enough, but the kale usually presents a big challenge for small blenders, which tend to leave shreds of leaf intact. I loaded up the banana, kale, blueberries and almond milk, then hit the button for the blender’s Smoothie mode. This runs a series of pulses, which pulverizes the ingredients then allows them to settle before hitting them with the blades again.

The results were extremely impressive. Usually I have to run a portable blender for at least two cycles to create something smooth enough to drink, and even then I usually find scraps of kale sticking to my teeth. That wasn’t the case with the Ninja Blast Max, which blended everything together into a tasty and silky smooth drink (even if the color wasn't terribly appealing).

Banana, blueberry, and kale smoothie in Ninja Blast Max blender

Even part way through blending, the Ninja Blast Max had chopped the kale and blueberry skins more finely than most rival smoothie makers (Image credit: Future)

Frozen berries are another tough challenge for a portable blender, and defeated the Nutribullet Flip when I tested it last year. It took two full blending cycles to turn frozen forest fruits into something drinkable, so I was curious to see how the souped-up Ninja Blast Max would fare.

I decided to make a shake using a scoop of vanilla protein powder, oat milk, and a handful of large frozen strawberries, which are the fruits that seem to defeat most blenders. I used the Ninja Blast Max’s Crush setting, which is designed for tackling ice.

Blending the frozen fruit was quite loud, briefly reaching 85dB during pulses (about the same as a standard jug blender, or heavy traffic), but the noise was only brief and became quieter as each pulse of the Blast Max pulverized the strawberries. The blender has a tendency to move about slightly when blending tough ingredients, but it wasn't in any danger of falling over.

Once the cycle was over, I had a delicious pink concoction, with no pieces of unblended berry, and a much nicer texture than a typical protein shake. Again, the drink was silky smooth, with no graininess.

I also tested the blender’s ice-crushing abilities, using it to prepare a blended coffee drink. As with all personal blenders, you need to add a minimum amount of liquid before you can crush ice. For this test, I used barista-standard caramel plant milk, with a double shot of espresso.

Blended iced coffee made using Ninja Blast Max blender

The Ninja Blast Max is also excellent for making blended iced coffees and cocktails (Image credit: Future)

Again, I used the Crush setting, and I could hear the ice being shattered even faster than the fruit with each pulse. The resulting blended iced coffee looked as good as anything you might get from a coffee shop, with a nice layer of foam on top and no chunks of unblended ice crystals.

You could also make an excellent espresso martini in the same way if you don’t have access to a cocktail shaker.

  • Performance score: 5/5

Should you buy the Ninja Blast Max?

Buy it if

You want to blend greens into smoothies

Most portable blenders aren’t up to the challenge of handling fibrous vegetables, but the Ninja Blast Max is the exception.

You want something versatile

The Ninja Blast Max makes light work of pretty much any ingredient you can throw at it, whether you’re making breakfast smoothies or iced cocktails in the evening.

Don't buy it if

You want to make simple protein shakes

If you only want to blend milk with protein powder, you can get away with paying less for a blender with a less powerful motor.

You want to make hot drinks or soup

Portable blenders such as this model aren’t suitable for hot ingredients. If you want to make a portion of soup, take a look at our roundup of the best blenders for some better options.

Ninja Blast Max: also consider

If you’re not sure whether the Ninja Blast Max is the right blender for you, here are two other options to think about.

Ninja Blast

Thanks to its sip lid, the original Ninja Blast made our reviewer Josephine Watson change her mind about the usefulness of personal blenders. It isn't as powerful as the Ninja Blast Max, but it’s cheaper and can often be found for a discount to save you even more money.

Read our full Ninja Blast review

Nutribullet Flip

Unlike Ninja’s portable blenders, the Nutribullet Flip has its blades and motor in the lid, meaning you can easily carry the whole appliance wherever you go. Its design makes it hard for ingredients to become stuck, and it generally works well; but it didn’t handle tough kale and frozen strawberries as well as the Ninja Blast Max.

Read our full Nutribullet Flip review

How I tested the Ninja Blast Max

I used the Ninja Blast Max for a week, making recipes including TechRadar’s standard banana, blueberry, and kale smoothie, which we make with all the personal blenders we test.

I used the blender to tackle ingredients I knew to be particularly tough, including large frozen berries and ice, making sure to select the most appropriate blend setting each time.

I measured the volume of the blender during use with a decibel meter app on my phone.

For more details, see how we test, review, and rate products at TechRadar.

First reviewed April 2025.

I tried the Asus ZenWiFi XD5 – see what I thought of this Wi-Fi 6 mesh
9:52 am |
Author: admin | Category: Computers Gadgets Pro | Tags: | Comments: Off

This review first appeared in issue 349 of PC Pro.

Where TP-Link’s Deco XE200 opposite takes a maximalist approach, the Asus ZenWiFi XD5 goes in the other direction. Rather than the fastest possible performance, it offers a decent Wi-Fi 6 network at an attractive price, via two or three boxy little stations that are small enough to hide away around your home.

That’s not to say the XD5 units are unpleasant to look at. The rounded cuboid design is clean and modern, with a subtle spiral pattern on top. The base of each station houses a multicolored status LED, although this can’t be seen from all angles as it’s unhelpfully tucked away below the main body.

Internally, the XD5 is a simple dual-band mesh, with a single 5GHz radio connection for both client and backhaul communications. It’s rated at a reasonable 2.4Gbits/sec, however, with 2x2 MIMO and support for 160MHz channels, so there’s a decent amount of bandwidth on hand. The 2.4GHz radio is rated at 574Mbits/sec, which should be fine for the types of device that still use the slower band.

I set up one station in the study of my home and the other in the adjoining bedroom. Asus suggests that two XD5 units will cover an area of up to 325m2, while adding a third extends claimed coverage to 465m2 – although performance will naturally depend on the layout and build of your home.

Full view of the Asus ZenWiFi XD5

The stylish design gives the XD5 units a clean, modern look (Image credit: Future)

With my units in place, I took a laptop to various locations around the house, copied a selection of files to and from a NAS appliance connected to the primary XD5 unit via Ethernet, and measured the effective speeds. Despite the XD5’s small size and modest hardware, two stations proved ample to provide strong, consistent performance all around my home, with download rates between 34 and 40MB/sec. That’s nowhere near the speeds you’ll see from the most expensive meshes, but more than enough to handle Zoom calls, Disney Plus, web browsing and whatever else you’re likely to want to do, whether you’re relaxing on the sofa or running a business from home.

On the software side of things there’s no compromise at all: the ZenWiFi XD5 system uses the same full-fat firmware as found on Asus’ most expensive meshes and routers, with management via either the Asus Router mobile app or the traditional web portal. The two interfaces are completely different, which can be a little disorienting if you hop back and forth between them, but they’re both clear and accessible, considering the range of settings and features on offer. Those include not only extensive control over the basic configuration of your network, but a whole slew of advanced features, such as extensive traffic-management and QoS options, plus a configurable built-in firewall.

As if that weren’t enough, the XD5 also offers per-device parental controls, with customizable web filtering for kids’ devices, plus network security scanning powered by Trend Micro. These tools are all free to use forever – a great bonus, as most competing meshes demand an annual fee to fully unlock such capabilities.

The Asus ZenWiFi XD5 compared to standard benchmarks

(Image credit: Future)

Finally, it’s always good to see Asus’ trademark VPN module. As well as permitting secure inbound connections over the internet, this lets you configure up to 16 third-party outbound VPN servers and bind each one to any number of MAC addresses – enabling you to route your traffic all over the world, if you so desire.

The only thing that’s notably missing is USB support. Older, chunkier ZenWiFi models offered the ability to share USB storage devices and printers over the network, and even to plug in a 4G or 5G mobile internet adapter should your main broadband line go down. The smaller XD5 units don’t have USB ports, so all that’s off the table.

Rear view of the Asus ZenWiFi XD5

There are only two Ethernet sockets, and no USB ports (Image credit: Future)

It’s also worth mentioning that each ZenWiFi unit has only two Ethernet sockets, both limited to gigabit speeds. It’s a serviceable minimum, but if your network uses a mixture of wireless and wired connections you might prefer a mesh with a few more ports, and perhaps a multi-gigabit option. While the ZenWiFi XD5 is reasonably priced, there are certainly cheaper mesh options. The Huawei Mesh 3 can currently be had for £180 inc VAT, while the Mercusys Halo H80X costs only £135 for three units, or £95 for two. That’s an excellent deal, as the Mercusys mesh provides overall similar performance to the ZenWiFi XD5, with an extra boost for same-room connections. However, it’s a far more basic system, with none of the XD5’s sophisticated software features.

If you want more hands-on control, then, the Asus ZenWiFi XD5 is one of the most appealing meshes around. It doesn’t max out the performance of Wi-Fi 6, but it’s speedy enough that very few people will need to pay more – and its sheer versatility and configurability put cheaper systems to shame.

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I tested the Asus Vivobook Pro 16X – read what I thought about this amazing laptop.
9:47 am |
Author: admin | Category: Computers Gadgets Pro | Tags: , | Comments: Off

This review first appeared in issue 349 of PC Pro.

When you think of Asus’ Vivobook range, cheap laptops probably spring to mind. So you may wonder what’s going on here: a Vivobook costing £2,500? Surely that’s more Asus ROG gaming laptop territory? Dig into the specs and it sounds like a gaming machine, too, with a turbo-fueled Core i9 matched with 32GB of DDR5 RAM and Nvidia RTX 4070 graphics.

Here, though, Asus has creators in its sights rather than gamers. It comes loaded with Nvidia’s Studio drivers, a Pantone-validated OLED screen and even a clever dial built into the touchpad. But let’s start with the fundamentals: power.

Top guns, part one

It’s easy to get blasé about such things, but I still find it remarkable to say that there are 24 cores inside this laptop. That’s because Asus has opted for a Core i9-13980HX processor, which is as boy racer as it sounds. The 13980 indicates that it’s right at the top end of Intel’s family, a fact reinforced by the H suffix (which stands for high performance). The X is the overclocking cherry on top.

All this would be for naught if Asus had skimped on cooling, but a double fan and meaty heatsinks mean that the CPU should keep running at its peak speeds – 5.6GHz for the eight performance P-cores – even under duress. No wonder it can gobble up to 105W.

It’s also why this laptop returned such stonking speeds in our CPU-torture tests. A result of 16,581 in Geekbench 6.1 multicore is as fast as we’ve seen from a laptop, making me nervous that our new graphs should have a higher peak than 20,000. This supreme speed was repeated in Cinebench R23’s multicore section, where it scorched its way to 25,660.

Full view of the Asus Vivobook Pro 16X

Asus has packed plenty of powerful parts inside the Vivobook Pro 16X (Image credit: Future)

Top guns, part two

The RTX 4070 doesn’t sit at the top of Nvidia’s mobile range, but it’s still a potent chip. Its main weapons are the 4,608 CUDA cores, which sounds like a huge number when compared to the RTX 4060 (3,072) but surprisingly few next to the 7,424 of the RTX 4080 and 9,728 of the RTX 4090 (to be clear, these numbers refer to the laptop versions of Nvidia’s chips).

How many CUDA cores you have matters in professional applications such as 3ds Max, Catia and Maya – while there isn’t a linear relationship, it’s a great indicator of how long tasks will take – so there are reasons to opt for an RTX 4080 or 4090. Especially as those products come with far superior memory setups: the RTX 4070 includes 8GB of GDDR6 RAM with a 128-bit interface width, but switch to the 4080 and you get 12GB/192-bit, while a 4090 offers 16GB/256-bit. That’s a huge jump.

However, the RTX 4070 has power efficiency in its favor, getting by on up to 115W (35W minimum) compared to 150W for its siblings. It’s also the reason why this laptop costs £2,500 rather than £3,000 or £3,500.

The good news is that with a Core i9 and 32GB of RAM as the backing cast, the RTX 4070 here is given every chance to excel. I first saw this in our suite of gaming tests. Taking the 1080p High results first, the Vivobook returned 225fps in F1 2022, 93fps in Metro Exodus Enhanced, 183fps in Shadow of the Tomb Raider and 86fps in Dirt 5.

Switching to the panel’s native resolution of 3,200 x 2,000, those results dropped to 116fps (F1 2022), 49fps (Metro), 95fps (Tomb Raider) and 49fps (Dirt 5). In our toughest test, Metro Exodus Enhanced at Extreme settings, the Vivobook returned 48fps at 1080p and 25fps at native resolution. In other words, its only unplayable frame rates came in that final, brutal test.

The Asus Vivobook Pro 16X compared to benchmarks

(Image credit: Future)

Creative spin

All those results were with Nvidia’s Studio drivers, as supplied; if you know you’ll be using this machine only for gaming then switch to the Game Ready drivers for the latest optimizations. Asus clearly expects people to use this laptop for creativity, however, so I also put it through its paces in Specviewperf R20.

Here, it performed in line with expectations for an RTX 4070 laptop. Highlights included 91 in the 3ds Max viewset, 335 in Maya and 238 in SolidWorks; to put those scores in perspective, the Lenovo P620 Tower scored 147, 439 and 278 respectively. Those results are significantly higher, but so they should be for a desktop workstation with a Threadripper Pro 5945WX and Nvidia’s RTX A4000 graphics.

Asus loves to add little extras to its touchpads, and here that’s a DialPad. This is a dotted circle, with an inch diameter, that sits at the top left of the touchpad, but you need to activate it: press and hold the tiny symbol at the top right of the pad, then swipe in. It’s a clunky mechanism, but this stops you accidentally switching the dial on and off.

Once active, a white circle within the dotted lines lights up. Press it, and the Asus dial overlay appears on-screen, with different options depending on context. In Photoshop, for instance, it offers the chance to cycle through brush sizes, switch between documents, zoom in and out of layers and quickly undo changes. It’s no substitute for a physical dial, but creatives with dexterous fingers may grow fond of it.

Angled view of the Asus Vivobook Pro 16X

The chunky chassis and poor battery life mean it’s not very portable (Image credit: Future)

Getting physical

I ended up leaving the dial on most of the time, as the touchpad is large enough (130 x 83mm) that it didn’t interfere with navigation. With a glass coating it ticks the usual smooth and responsive boxes, although I occasionally found myself reaching for the F6 key to deactivate the whole thing as palm rejection didn’t always work.

Nor will those people who type for a living love this keyboard, which offers surprisingly little travel for a laptop that measures 21mm thick. The keys themselves offer little “feel”, with a lifeless action, but once you move past this and the single-height Enter key (oddly jammed next to the hash key and finished in the same dark grey) the keyboard fades into the inoffensive background.

And there are a couple of positives. All the keys are a generous size and have a sensible gap between them, helping to minimize typos, the spacebar is huge and, while the cursor keys are shortened, they’re also separated from the main buttons. Plus, a dedicated number pad makes sense in a laptop this width.

Top-down view of the Asus Vivobook Pro 16X

The keys are a decent size, and the large touchpad is smooth and responsive (Image credit: Future)

Super size

This machine is no ultraportable.

Whichever dimension you measure, it’s chunky. A 356 x 249mm footprint means you’ll need a good-sized rucksack to carry it with you, and while Asus officially states the weight as 1.9kg that’s for the more basic spec: I weighed it at 2.1kg. The 21mm thickness refers to the front of the chassis; once you factor in the orange “foot” – a U-shape strip that lifts the Vivobook from a surface to aid airflow – it’s closer to 2.5mm.

I like the brash orange color (echoed in the Esc key) as it lifts what is otherwise quite a boring-looking design. Asus also makes this Vivobook in black, but the silver version I tested is unlikely to gain any lustful glances from passersby. Its only other flash of styling is a raised area on the lid – almost like a melded-on business card – that reveals the laptop’s name.

Rather than style, then, this laptop is designed for practicality. Head to the left and you’ll find a gigabit Ethernet port, full-size SD card reader, USB-A 3.2 Gen 1 (5Gbits/sec) port and the power connector. Over on the right, a 3.5mm jack and HDMI 2.1 output are kept company by two Thunderbolt 4 (USB-C) ports and a second USB-A port. That’s a strong connectivity offering, backed up by Wi-Fi 6E and Bluetooth 5.3.

Full view of the Asus Vivobook Pro 16X

A top-quality OLED panel makes films look great (Image credit: Future)

Power down

To get the most out of this laptop, though, you’ll need to keep it plugged in. I found that battery life varied considerably during my tests, but set your expectations at around four hours – hardly a full working day. And in PCMark’s Gaming test, which pushes the graphics chip in the same way creative graphics tasks will, it lasted only 1hr 41mins.

You can trickle-charge it using the Thunderbolt ports, but I can’t imagine travelling without the 540g power supply. Considering its 240W output, it’s surprisingly compact, and it takes the laptop from empty to 80% in an hour, reaching full capacity in less than two hours.

You’ll probably keep it plugged in much of the time, in which case I recommend you fully investigate the MyAsus app. From here you can switch on the battery care mode, adjust the fan profile (we tested with Performance mode, and the fans get noisy when you’re pushing this machine), and play around with “TaskFirst”, which allows you to set network connectivity priorities – to game streaming, say, or communication apps.

There’s also a bunch of options for the microphone, and unlike many “AI optimizations” I’ve tried, this is worth using. There’s nothing wrong with the plain mode, but the “single presenter conference call” option will bring your voice to the fore. Thanks to the excellent 1080p webcam, which supports Windows Hello and includes a fiddly but effective privacy shutter, you’ll look great on calls, too.

Rear view of the Asus Vivobook Pro 16X

It’s easy to remove the base of the chassis and upgrade the memory and SSD (Image credit: Future)

Entertain me

I have mixed feelings about the speakers, but that’s mainly due to the high expectations set elsewhere. If you listen to music in isolation on the Vivobook then you’ll be impressed by its volume and how clearly instruments and voices emerge – the intricate instrumentation of Björk is normally too much for laptops, but the Vivobook handles the mix of strings and vocals well. Where it falls down is bass, pushing the trebles and mids too much to the fore, but I’m being picky.

Certainly you’ll love watching films on this laptop thanks to its sheer volume (with no sign of distortion), and it helps that Asus includes a top-quality OLED panel. It barely needs saying, but a 3,200 x 2,000 resolution ensures sharp edges on text, and black absolutely punches through to make dark scenes in films look fantastic.

It has DisplayHDR 600 Black certification, confirming that it will hit 600cd/m2 in HDR content, while its peak of 389cd/m2 in SDR mode means it’s easy to read in every condition. Except, as it turns out, bright sunshine, where the screen’s reflectivity became obvious.

Inside, though, it’s superb. You can choose from a variety of settings in the MyAsus app, but for testing I stuck to the standard mode and then switched between the preset gamuts: Native, sRGB, DCI-P3 and Display P3. Native makes most sense if you want to enjoy the widest color range (it stretches 19% beyond even the DCI-P3 gamut), but sRGB and DCI-P3 locked the screen down to those gamuts almost perfectly.

Color accuracy is strong – its average Delta-E never went above 0.72, with anything under one considered excellent – and anyone who values true whites will be pleased by a natural color temperature of 6479K, only 21K off the target 6500K.

Close-up of the Asus Vivobook Pro 16X

The Vivobook Pro 16X is a fine choice for gamers and creatives alike (Image credit: Future)

Final thoughts

If you’re a demanding user, then, this is almost a perfect laptop. It even has the opportunity to upgrade over time: the 32GB of memory comes supplies as two 16GB SODIMMs, rather than being embedded, and if you’re a nimble hand with a Phillips screwdriver you can whip the bottom off this chassis within a minute.

This will reveal the fact that the 1TB M.2 2280 SSD is also replaceable, and note this isn’t the speediest Gen 4 drive around: 4,061MB/sec reads and 2,971MB/sec writes are strong but not exceptional. I would be tempted to replace it with a faster 2TB drive at some future date; sadly there isn’t a second M.2 slot, despite the amount of space available on the board.

Then again, we need to remember that this isn’t a £3,000+ mobile workstation. While hardly cheap at £2,500, it rewards you with all the power and quality that most creative professionals need. In terms of price, that’s certainly competitive when placed next to an equivalent 16in MacBook Pro. And yes, that laptop offers far superior battery life, minimal fan noise and better performance away from the mains, but it lacks the graphical grunt of Nvidia’s RTX chip along with easy upgrades.

Whether the Vivobook Pro is right for you, then, depends entirely on what you intend to use it for. All I can tell you is that Asus extracts the most from its components, while the supporting cast – particularly the screen – come from the top drawer in terms of quality.

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