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October 24, 2026 — No Comments

Siri AI on HomePod: Why Your Old Speakers Miss Out

Smart homeSiri AI
Last updated: 16 October 2026
By Stiv ยท Design, technology and personal finance
The new Siri is coming to HomePod mini 2. Not to the HomePods I already own.

Siri AI on HomePod stops at the new HomePod mini 2. Apple confirmed on 14 October 2026 that the original HomePod mini will not get it, and the first HomePod is not on the list either. I own two first-generation HomePods and three original minis, so every speaker in my home is on the wrong side of that line.

I have pre-ordered an Apple HomeView to see how much the new Siri changes things. It will replace one of my three minis, the one in the kitchen. That was always the plan, to be honest. It has just been a long wait.

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Published by Stiv in Apple, Consumer Tech, Technology lover
Tags: apple, apple home, Apple HomeView, Apple Intelligence, Apple TV 4K, Apple UK, HomePod, HomePod Mini, ios 27, Siri, Siri AI, smart home, smart home UK
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October 22, 2026 — No Comments

Best Smart Lighting UK: What I Use at Home, and What I’d Skip

The best smart lighting UK picks from my own home: Hue bulbs, a lightstrip, switches and sensors, with prices and running costs.

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Published by Stiv in Buying Guides, Consumer Tech, Smart Home, Technology lover
Tags: aqara, buying guide, energy saving, Eve, home automation, hue bridge, matter, philips hue, smart bulbs, smart home, smart lighting, smart plugs, Tapo, thread
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October 17, 2026 — No Comments

grug App Review UK: Daily Wisdom in Caveman Speak

October's App of the Month: grug, the free iPhone app where a caveman writes you one small piece of wisdom every morning, in lettering its makers drew by hand. Winner of Apple's 2026 Design Award for Delight and Fun. Cool Factor 4/5. @grug_app #grug #AppOfTheMonth #AppleDesignAwards #iPhoneApps #AppDesign

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Published by Stiv in Apps, Consumer Tech, Reviews
Tags: affirmation apps, app design, app of the month, app reviews, Apple Design Awards, grug, iPhone apps, Ocho
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October 16, 2026 — No Comments

Qobuz vs Spotify vs Apple Music: Which Should You Pay For?

Last updated: 13 October 2026

By Stiv ยท Design, technology and personal finance

Music streamingUK prices

Which music streaming service should you pay for?

Qobuz vs Spotify is the comparison most people land on once they start caring how their music sounds, and Apple Music sits right between the two. All three stream lossless audio in the UK now. However, they cost different amounts, top out at different quality and suit very different setups.

I pay for Apple Music as part of an Apple One plan I share with my mum and my partner, so Apple TV and iCloud storage sit on the same bill. I used to pay for Spotify and don't any more. I have never subscribed to Qobuz, so everything about it here comes from its own pages and apps.

Apple Music is the one I use. At ยฃ11.99 a month it is also the cheapest monthly plan here with hi-res audio and Dolby Atmos included, and it suits anyone with an iPhone, AirPods or HomePods.

Spotify suits people who care most about finding new music, with podcasts and audiobooks in the same app. Its lossless stops at 24-bit/44.1 kHz.

Qobuz suits listeners with wired headphones or a hi-fi, and anyone who wants to buy hi-res downloads as well as stream.

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Published by Stiv in Apps, Audiophiles, Comparisons, Consumer Tech
Tags: Apple Music, Apple One, hi-res audio, HomePod, lossless, music streaming, Qobuz, Spotify
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October 13, 2026 — No Comments

Apple Welcome Home Event: What It Means for Your UK Smart Home

Apple Welcome Home event, UK view: HomeView, Apple TV 4K and HomePod mini 2 prices, release dates and the new LG cameras.

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Published by Stiv in Apple, Consumer Tech, Smart Home, Tech News, Technology lover
Tags: apple, Apple event, apple home, Apple Home Collection, Apple HomeView, Apple TV 4K, Apple UK, Apple Welcome Home event, HomePod, HomePod Mini, matter, Siri AI, smart home, smart home UK
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October 13, 2026 — No Comments

iPhone Duo Pre-Order UK: Price, Timing and Whether to Bother

The iPhone Duo pre-order opens at 1pm UK time on 16 October. Every UK price, the case and folio, trade-in values, the eSIM catch and who should skip it.

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Published by Stiv in Apple, Buying Guides, Consumer Tech, Tech News, Technology lover
Tags: apple, Apple Trade In, Apple UK, Back Market, eSIM, foldable iPhone, foldable phone, iPhone, iPhone 18 Pro, iPhone Duo, iPhone Duo pre-order, iPhone Duo price, refurbished iPhone
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October 13, 2026 — No Comments

Best Desk Accessories UK 2026: 10 Picks From My Desk

Last updated: 5 October 2026. I checked every price in this best desk accessories UK guide at the shop each button points to that day.

By Stiv ยท Design, technology and personal finance
Affiliate disclosure: This article contains affiliate and referral links, which are paid links. If you click one and buy or sign up, I earn a commission or referral bonus at no extra cost to you. Brands don't choose what I feature or what I say about them.
Desk setup2026 Edit
Ten desk accessories that earn their space, and three I would not buy

These are the best desk accessories UK shops sell for someone who works at the same desk every day through the winter. Eight of the ten are also on my own desk, from the lamp and the screen riser to the smart plugs that switch the whole lot on at 7:30 on a weekday morning. The other two, a fountain pen and a small patterned tray, are picks I have researched rather than used.

Altogether, the picks run from ยฃ13.99 for a smart plug to ยฃ1,499 for a screen.

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Published by Stiv in Buying Guides, Consumer Tech, Home office, Office
Tags: Anglepoise, Apple Studio Display, belkin, Bethan Laura Wood, desk accessories, desk setup, Eve, home office, Kaweco, Kensington, Logitech, Mark+Fold, Oakywood, Razer, smart plugs, Tapo, work from home, Work Louder
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October 11, 2026 — Comments are off for this post.

Best Portable Projectors UK 2026: What ยฃ400 to ยฃ1,600 Buys

Optoma prints 1,200 lumens and 550 on the same spec sheet, for the same projector. Eight portable projectors I would actually buy this winter, sorted by the room they suit, with every UK price checked at the till. #projectors #homecinema #uktech #gadgets #winterevenings

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Published by Stiv in Buying Guides, Consumer Tech, Entertainment
Tags: BenQ, consumer tech, Hisense, home cinema, Netflix UK, Optoma, portable projectors, projectors, Samsung, XGIMI
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October 10, 2026 — Comments are off for this post.

Siri AI Review: Living With Apple’s New Siri

My Siri AI review after three weeks of daily use on an iPhone 18 Pro and a Mac: what works, the daily connection errors and why it scores 3/5 Cool.

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Published by Stiv in AI, Apple, Consumer Tech, Reviews, Technology lover
Tags: AI assistant, apple, Apple Intelligence, Apple UK, ChatGPT, Claude, Google Gemini, ios 27, iPhone, iPhone 18 Pro, review, Siri, Siri AI, Siri AI review
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October 8, 2026 — Comments are off for this post.

Figma Creator Micro Review: Beautiful, But Do You Need It?

My Figma Creator Micro review: beautiful design and admirable build, but a price I found hard to justify. Cool Factor 3/5.

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Published by Stiv in Consumer Tech, Designers, Reviews
Tags: consumer tech, Creator Micro 2, design tools, desk setup, Figma, Figma Creator Micro, macropad, mechanical keyboard, Stream Deck, Work Louder
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