Technology lover Archives - Page 3 of 6

March 29, 2026 — Comments are off for this post.

Dyson Spot+Scrub AI Review UK: Overpriced, Outsourced, Underwhelming

Last updated: 22 March 2026

By Stiv · Design, technology and personal finance

This is an opinion piece. Views expressed are the author's own and do not constitute professional advice.

This article contains affiliate or referral links. If you click through and sign up I may earn a commission or referral bonus at no extra cost to you. It does not affect my editorial view.

Cool Factor: 0/5

This Dyson Spot Scrub review is not one we ever expected to write. We've reviewed hundreds of products across CoolCuration and never once handed out a zero. Not once. But the Dyson Spot+Scrub AI, priced at a staggering £1,049.99, has earned the dishonour of being our first. It's a robot vacuum that somehow offers less suction than its predecessor, appears to be manufactured by a third-party Chinese ODM, and arrives stamped with a premium price tag that only the Dyson name can justify. For a vacuum cleaner, the Dyson Spot+Scrub AI really does suck. Just not in the way you'd want it to.

Published by Stiv in Reviews, Smart Home, Tech News, Technology lover

Tags: best robot vacuums, Dyson, Dyson review, Dyson Spot Scrub AI, robot vacuum, robot vacuum review, smart home

March 26, 2026 — Comments are off for this post.

MacBook Neo Review UK 2026: Is Apple’s Budget Laptop Worth It?

Last updated: 26 March 2026

By Stiv · Design, technology and personal finance

This is an opinion piece. Views expressed are the author's own and do not constitute professional advice.

This article contains affiliate or referral links. If you click through and sign up I may earn a commission or referral bonus at no extra cost to you. It does not affect my editorial view.

Cool Factor: 4/5 — Stone cold

This MacBook Neo review UK is the one we never thought we'd write. Apple making a genuinely affordable laptop? At £599? It felt unlikely right up until the moment we unboxed our Citrus-coloured unit and realised it was actually real. After spending several weeks travelling, working, and bingeing shows on it, we can confidently say this is one of the most interesting Apple products in years. However, it's not without its quirks, and at least one cost-cutting decision that feels properly annoying.

Published by Stiv in Commuter, Reviews, Student, Tech News, Technology lover

Tags: A18 Pro, apple, Apple Intelligence, budget laptop, laptop review, MacBook 2026, MacBook Neo, MacBook Neo UK

March 26, 2026 — Comments are off for this post.

Best SIM Only Deals UK 2026: Honest Mobile, Smarty and giffgaff

Last updated: March 2026

By Stiv · Design, technology and personal finance

This article contains affiliate or referral links. If you click through and sign up I may earn a commission or referral bonus at no extra cost to you. It does not affect my editorial view.

The best SIM only deals UK in 2026 are not coming from EE, Vodafone, O2, or Three. They come from the challengers running on the exact same infrastructure at a fraction of the monthly cost. Three stand out right now: Honest Mobile, Smarty, and giffgaff. Each one has a distinct edge, and together they cover pretty much every type of mobile user. Here is what sets them apart.

Published by Stiv in Buying Guides, Technology lover

Tags: 5G, eSIM, giffgaff, Honest Mobile, mobile, MVNO, SIM only deals, Smarty, UK mobile

March 24, 2026 — Comments are off for this post.

Apple Studio Display XDR Review: Is £2,999 Worth It?

Last updated: March 2026

By Stiv · Design, technology and personal finance

This is an opinion piece. Views expressed are the author's own and do not constitute professional, financial, or purchasing advice.

This article contains affiliate or referral links. If you click through and sign up I may earn a commission or referral bonus at no extra cost to you. It does not affect my editorial view.

The Apple Studio Display XDR review everybody has been waiting for. Seven years on from the Pro Display XDR, Apple has finally returned to the professional monitor space -- and this time, at a price that won't require a second mortgage. Sort of. At £2,999, the Studio Display XDR is still a serious investment, but for the first time in a long while, Apple's premium display actually makes sense for a wider audience of creatives and professionals. Whether it makes sense for you is a different question entirely.

Cool Factor

★★★★☆

4 out of 5 — Stone cold

Published by Stiv in Apple, Reviews, Technology lover

Tags: apple, creative tech, designers, HDR, Mac, mini-LED, monitor, review, studio display

March 23, 2026 — Comments are off for this post.

Fairphone Fairbuds XL Review | Worth £219 in the UK?

Last updated: March 2026

By Stiv · Design, technology and personal finance

This is an opinion piece. Views expressed are the author's own and do not constitute professional advice.

This article contains affiliate or referral links. If you click through and sign up I may earn a commission or referral bonus at no extra cost to you. It does not affect my editorial view.

The Fairbuds XL review you didn't expect to go like this: Fairphone's over-ear headphones are not the compromise you'd assume. The sound is genuinely fun, the build is impressively sustainable, and there is a single control feature that every major headphone maker should have nicked by now and somehow hasn't. They're not perfect — the ANC and feature set have real limitations — but as a statement of intent about what consumer electronics could look like, these headphones are hard to argue with.

Cool Factor

★★★★☆

4 out of 5 — Stone cold

Published by Stiv in Audiophiles, Reviews, Technology lover

Tags: audio, eco-friendly, fairphone, headphones, noise cancelling, review, sustainable tech, wireless headphones

March 20, 2026 — Comments are off for this post.

iPhone 17 vs 17e: Which Should You Buy? (UK Buyer’s Guide)

Last updated: 29 March 2026

By Stiv · Design, technology and personal finance

This article contains affiliate or referral links. If you click through and sign up I may earn a commission or referral bonus at no extra cost to you. It does not affect my editorial view.

The iPhone 17 vs 17e decision is one most UK buyers are wrestling with right now. Apple's 17e landed on 11 March at £599, sitting a full £200 below the standard iPhone 17 at £799. Both run the same A19 chip and pack a 48MP main camera, so on paper they look remarkably similar. However, dig a little deeper and the differences start to matter. Whether you care about refresh rates, camera flexibility or simply getting the best value, this guide breaks down every key difference so you can decide with confidence.

Published by Stiv in Buying Guides, Reviews, Tech News, Technology lover

Tags: apple, iPhone 17, iPhone 17e, iPhone comparison, smartphones, tech, UK buyer's guide

March 20, 2026 — Comments are off for this post.

Best Smart Speakers UK: HomePod vs Sonos vs Echo Compared

Last updated: 29 March 2026

By Stiv · Design, technology and personal finance

This article contains affiliate or referral links. If you click through and sign up I may earn a commission or referral bonus at no extra cost to you. It does not affect my editorial view.

Choosing the best smart speakers UK buyers can actually get their hands on in 2026 is oddly complicated. Apple wants you all-in on Siri and AirPlay. Sonos wants you to forget about voice assistants and just listen. Amazon wants you to talk to Alexa about literally everything, including your shopping list. Three very different philosophies, three very different ecosystems, and a surprisingly wide range of prices.

This guide cuts through the noise. We compare every current speaker worth considering from Apple, Sonos and Amazon. In particular, we cover sound quality, stereo pairing rules, multi-room setups, app quality, ecosystem lock-in, future-proofing and genuine value for money. Whether you want a single kitchen speaker or a whole-home audio system, we will help you pick the right one.

Published by Stiv in Audiophiles, Buying Guides, Reviews, Tech News, Technology lover

Tags: AirPlay, alexa, Amazon Echo, Dolby Atmos, Echo Dot Max, Echo Studio, HomePod, HomePod Mini, multi-room audio, Siri, smart home, smart speakers, Sonos Era 100, Sonos Era 300

March 14, 2026 — Comments are off for this post.

How to Switch from ChatGPT to Claude (and Take Your History With You)

This article contains affiliate or referral links. If you click through and sign up I may earn a commission or referral bonus at no extra cost to you. It does not affect my editorial view.

If you've been thinking about making the switch from ChatGPT to Claude, you're not alone. Following OpenAI's deal with the US Department of War — and Anthropic's very public refusal to accept similar terms — users have been leaving ChatGPT in their millions. According to data from Sensor Tower, reported by TechCrunch, US uninstalls of the ChatGPT mobile app surged 295% in a single day on 28 February. Claude, meanwhile, shot to the number one spot on the US App Store for the first time in the app's history.

But switching AI tools isn't just a matter of downloading a new app. The more you've used ChatGPT, the more it knows about you — your tone preferences, your projects, your working style. Starting from scratch can feel like losing months of work. The good news? Anthropic has made it remarkably easy to bring your context with you.

Here's exactly how to switch from ChatGPT to Claude without leaving everything behind.

Published by Stiv in AI, AI Tools & Shortcuts, ChatGPT Guides, Tech Hacks, Technology lover

Tags: AI guide, AI tools, Anthropic, ChatGPT, Claude, how to, memory import, OpenAI, switch AI

March 6, 2026 — Comments are off for this post.

Best AI Assistant UK 2026: ChatGPT vs Claude vs Gemini vs Perplexity

This article contains affiliate or referral links. If you click through and sign up I may earn a commission or referral bonus at no extra cost to you. It does not affect my editorial view.

Choosing the best AI assistant UK users can trust in 2026 isn't as simple as picking the one with the catchiest name. Between Anthropic walking away from a $200 million Pentagon contract, a growing "Quit ChatGPT" movement, and genuine questions about where your data ends up, this is a decision that actually matters now. We've dug into ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, Perplexity and others to compare everything from pricing and privacy to military contracts and water consumption — all with a UK lens.

Published by Stiv in Apps, Reviews, Services, Tech News, Technology lover

Tags: AI chatbot comparison, AI comparison 2026, AI data storage GDPR, AI environmental impact, AI military use, AI privacy UK, best AI assistant UK, ChatGPT UK, Claude AI UK, Gemini AI UK, Perplexity UK, which AI to use UK

March 5, 2026 — Comments are off for this post.

iPhone 17e UK: What You Actually Get for £599

This is an opinion piece. Views expressed are the author's own and do not constitute professional advice.

This article contains affiliate or referral links. If you click through and sign up I may earn a commission or referral bonus at no extra cost to you. It does not affect my editorial view.

The iPhone 17e UK launch lands on 11 March 2026 at £599 — the same price Apple charged for the 16e last year — but this time you're getting double the storage, MagSafe, and a faster chip. It's not a revolution. It was never meant to be. Here's our honest take on what Apple's cheapest iPhone actually delivers and where it quietly cuts corners.

Published by Stiv in Apple, Reviews, Tech News, Technology lover

Tags: A19 chip, apple, Apple UK, Back Market, budget iPhone, iPhone 16e vs 17e, iPhone 17e, iPhone 17e review, iPhone 17e UK, iPhone 2026, MagSafe, refurbished iPhone, smartphone