BTTR Roundup #47: Should kids be banned from YouTube?

The Government's social media ban for under 16s has been centre stage this week, with the eSafety commissioner loudly claiming that YouTube shouldn't be exempt from the ban.

Naturally, Google's all in a tizz about the whole thing, saying it's not a social network and therefore shouldn't be included.

I discuss this in more detail in the paid section below, but suffice it to say that this week's shenanigans only reinforce to me that the whole ban is a misguided attempt to limit damage from one symptom of a much larger problem.

I also spend a bit of time this week discussing Apple's bad push notification marketing decision, and the battle of stupid AI hardware products that sound like a chant for Disney's seven dwarves.

If you're interested in giving the paid newsletter a try, there's a special EOFY sale offer until 30 June, where current members can get 50% off the monthly plan for the first 12 months. Paid subs help me keep BTTR afloat, and every subscription helps.

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Chris Stead is a multi-award-winning technology and gaming journalist who has worked on some of the biggest brands in the world for 30 years. After launching magazines, websites, apps and TV shows, Stead began to experiment with video content via his own independent YouTube channel. Here he uses his early access and behind-the-scenes opportunities to produce layman-friendly reviews, guides, news and information on the technology, consumer tech and video games industries. For those of you into travel, in particular family travel, he has also recently launched the @motivated_travel channel, too.

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This week's new tech news

• Meta has partnered with Oakley to launch its next pair of AI-powered sunglasses. Designed for athletes, the Oakley Meta HSTN comes with a buily-in camera, open-ear speakers and an IPX4 rating, as well as Meta's AI assistant. The glasses will reportedly last up to eight hours of typical use, and 19 hours on standby, with up to a 50% charge in just 20 minutes. The case includes two days of charge. Pricing is set at US $499 for the limited edition version, US $399 for the other models (no Aussie pricing yet though), and should arrive in the coming months. [Meta]
• Shokz has launched its next two pairs of open-ear earbuds for Australia (check out my unboxing of the new models). [Shokz]
  • First up is the OpenFit 2+, the successor to last year's excellent OpenFit. It adds support for Dolby Atmos, using two new drivers to deliver better sound quality with less audio leaking, and an extended battery life of 11 hours in ear, and 48 hours with the case. RRP is $339 and they will launch 3 July.
  • The other new pair is the OpenDots One, which are clip-style earbuds that look like larger earrings. The earbuds are interchangeable for each ear, comfortable to wear for extended periods and have two 11.8mm drivers delivering sound to your earholes. 10 hours of playback on a single charge, 40 hours including the case, and will also launch July 3 for $339.
• Epson has launched four new EcoTank printers in Australia. I know printers are far from the most interesting category of tech, but the new models from Epson come with enough ink in the box for up to two years worth of use, but more importantly, offers the ability to refill the ink tanks in a more affordable manner. The features vary across the new models, but you get a colour LCD for control, Wi-Fi printing, support for AirPrint and fax capabilities. Pricing starts at $499. [Epson]
• Samsung's 2025 foldable phones are set to be officially announced at Galaxy Unpacked on 10 July. Happening at midnight AEST, or midnight in New York, you can expect a big focus on AI, plus bigger screens, thinner bodies and a larger external display on the Flip 7. [Samsung]
• If you've ever looked at a robot vacuum and wondered "why doesn't this have a detachable portable deep cleaner?", eufy has got you sorted. Launching a duo of new robot vacuums, the E28 lets you pull out the water tank to deep clean carpets or furniture. If you're not too fussed on that particular feature, the E25 is otherwise similar to the E28, with 20,000 Pa of suction, HydroJet self-cleaning mops and an anti-tangle design. The E25 lands in August for $1,799, while the E28 should arrive mid-July for $1,999. [Eufy]
• I loved the Winbot W2 Pro Omni when I reviewed it last year, but it was well outside my budget for a single-purpose product. Ecovacs has launched the Winbot W1S in Australia, a cheaper version which effective does the same job, at a $599 RRP. Attaching to your windows with a 5,300 Pa of suction, dual-direction spray and sensors to adjust to all types of windows, this is a much more accessible model. [Ecovacs]
• The next version of the HDMI standard, HMDI 2.2, has been released. Yay?! One of the key features, as pointed out at GadgetGuy, is support for 16K resolution at 60Hz, or 12K at 120Hz. Given there are still TVs launching where not every port supports the current HDMI 2.1 standard, maybe this is a bit overkill. [HDMI forum]
• The PC Xbox app will soon aggregate your PC gaming library in a single place, so when you install a game on a service like Steam, it will appear in your Xbox game library. This isn't necessarily a new thing – other aggregators exist – but it definitely helps expand Microsoft's plan to make Xbox the centre of your gaming world. [Microsoft]

(Photo by Claudio Schwarz on Unsplash)

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