Review – Terence Eden’s Blog

Concert Review: London Voices - Video Games Go Choral ★★★★☆

Terence Eden — Fri, 09 Oct 2026 11:34:09 +0000

London's musical entertainment scene has something for everyone - from long-running blockbuster shows to no-name bands in dingy basements. Somewhere in the middle is monophonic plainchant versions of the Halo theme sung in a church.

The acoustics at St Martin in the Field are echoey. That makes it rather hard to hear the amplified announcement to turn off our phones, but makes an a cappella chorus absolutely soar. The choir of London Voices have sung on just about every movie you've watched and game you've played - so they're no stranger to more modern compositions.

The programme strictly alternated between songs from popular games are some more traditional verses. As a tone-deaf musical ignoramus, I found some of the pieces hard to distinguish from each other and, perhaps, just a little repetitive. Delightfully, the choir is generous with its solos. Far too often these events have one main star while everyone else glares daggers at them. Here it seemed quite the opposite, with a range of voices brought to the forefront.

Parts of the programme are a little odd. While Pilentze Pee is an incredible song and sung extremely well, I don't think there's much to tie it to The Wind Waker. Of course, the highlight was a cheeky rendition of "Still Alive" from Portal. An excellent arrangement sung with joy and gusto.

An eclectic and interesting event, marred only by the uncomfortable pews of the church. Truly we must suffer for other people's art!

Gadget Review: Una Watch ★★★★☆

Terence Eden — Fri, 02 Oct 2026 11:34:48 +0000

I've never been a huge fan of smart watches. My £16 smartwatch is basically fine, but the OS is closed source and there's no way to add new functionality. Previously I had the eInk Watchy which was a pain to use and really poorly designed. Even back in 2014 I was bemoaning the design compromises in the MyKronoz ZeWatch Smart Watch.

So why did I pick up the Una Watch?

Firstly, the Una Watch is designed in Scotland ~~from girders~~, and it's always nice to support local businesses.

Secondly, as a USB-C Maximalist I want gadgets which can plug in to the same cables as all my other toys. No magnetic pucks here!

Thirdly, it is (almost) completely open source.

Finally, it is repairable. You can easily unscrew it to replace the components. As my cheap smartwatch's dial has died after 12 months of use, that's a pretty compelling proposition!

Let's put it through its paces!

First Impressions

I bought mine second hand (yay for sustainability) and it arrived with a flat battery. The first charge from 0-100% took a little over an hour. My USB-C power monitor showed it taking in about 5V and 0.17 amps.

It happily charged from a PD plug, but didn't get any faster than about 0.84W. Basically, I can fully charge it on most public transport in London.

The time seemed accurate, there were options to play about with, the vibrations for notifications were easy to feel. There is an option to make it beep with every button press - I turned that off sharpish!

Disclaimer

I am not a smartwatch power user. I'm not using this to minutely track all my exercise or calculate if my heart is going to explode. I don't need cm level precision of my GPS. I didn't sync this with Strava or anything else.

Apps

The official Android app (which, sadly, isn't Open Source) worked fine on GrapheneOS. It found the watch, updated its GPS almanac, and let me browse the app store & install apps. Obviously early days, but there are a variety of community developed apps to play with.

Annoyingly the watch needs to be restarted after every app is installed - but that only take a handful of seconds.

There are some strange error messages.

That isn't the sort of message which should be shown to users.

But, on the plus side, you can install Doom!

The Screen

Oddly for a modern smartwatch, the screen stays on all the time! But this isn't some power-hungry OLED, nor is it static eInk. Instead it is a memory in pixel display - black background with orange, blue, and white pixels. The backlight remains off most of the time and is easy enough to see in daylight. It is slightly reflective - but not too bad.

Note the ?? on the notifications - more on that later.

Annoyingly, there's no "raise wrist to light" option. You have to interact with the watch to get the screen on. The accelerometer should allow this functionality - so perhaps it just needs to be activated in the firmware? It is bright enough to see in the dark, but not so bright it will dazzle you or people nearby.

There's no touchscreen - instead there are four buttons around the face. Up, down, select, back. I did find myself repeatedly jabbing at the screen to no avail.

So, to light it, press the back button or hold one of the other buttons.

The colour scheme is pleasant enough. I miss having a full colour display so I can see a photo of my wife whenever I glance at the screen. But the low power usage can't be argued with.

Notifications

I couldn't get notifications working at first. The app just refused to let me toggle them on. Eventually I found an app in the app-store which claimed to enable them. That didn't work either.

Unpairing, repairing, and reinstalling the app made them spring to life.

There's no notification history. Once you've clicked to read it, that's it. Gone forever. Considering this has 4GB storage, that's an odd decision.

Some of the notifications were slightly corrupt - showing question marks in place of (I assume) esoteric Unicode.

There's no way to customise the vibrate pattern - so everything "feels" the same on your wrist.

At the moment, the Una Watch sends every notification to your phone. You can't tell it to ignore certain WhatsApp groups, or only allow text messages from your spouse. The only way to get fine-grained notifications is with a third-party app like…

Gadgetbridge

You're not tied to the official app. Gadgetbridge support is excellent. There are a few things missing (you can't install apps or set alarms) - but if you want to measure your heart rate, send notifications, etc you'll be fine.

Linux Compatibility

The Una Watch plugs in to USB-C and shows up as 3.5GB of exFAT formatted storage.

You can manually edit the JSON files if you like. I think you can copy off your workout data. Or you can just use it as portable storage.

Under lsusb it describes itself as 0483:52a4 STMicroelectronics UNA Watch

Battery Life

After a full day of use the battery was at around 95% - that was with a bit of GPS, several notifications, heart rate monitoring, step counting, and a bunch of fiddling. With more GPS use, that's going to be heavier on the battery.

But the joy of USB-C is that I can thwack in the same cable as I use for all my other gadgets. I can even plug it into my phone and leach a bit of power from there.

Development

The watch comes will a full Open Source SDK including lots of assets. There are several tutorials and a friendly community board.

Of course, everything has to be done in C++ - an accurs'd language which I learned in the last century and wish I'd forgotten.

Annoyingly, the TouchGFX GUI designer only works in Windows.

I'm going to try to build my own watch faces and a few niche apps.

Downsides

There are a few things this watch doesn't do - some of these may be deal-breakers for you, but weren't for me.

No payments. There's no tap-to-pay, NFC, or anything like that.
No microphone. You cannot speak into your Una Watch or take calls on it.
No speaker. There's a little buzzer which can make squeaks and squawks - but you won't be playing your music through it.
While the apps and SDK are fully open, the firmware isn't (yet).
Can't reply to notifications.
No maps or directions (yet).
Step counter only shows the full day - no hour-by-hour view.

Some of these things can and will be fixed in software. Others are limitations of the hardware.

Final Thoughts

The Una Watch has dropped in price to £180. I grabbed mine 2nd hand from eBay for £120. At either price, it's decent value if you're happy to play with alpha / beta quality technology.

If you're a serious athlete, you'll probably want a more expensive and polished experience. If you are tied into the Apple or Google ecosystems, you'll probably want one of their watches.

If you like tinkering, want to experiment with new technology, or simply want to support a British company trying to build something open - then this is the watch for you. Yes, there are some rough edges, but I fundamentally believe that technology should be Open Source, repairable, and give control to its users.

Gig Review: Public Service Broadcasting's Race For Space at Alexandra Palace ★★★★⯪

Terence Eden — Sun, 27 Sep 2026 11:34:08 +0000

Ahhh! PSB's RFS! A delightfully indulgent soundscape of melodic wonder, performed here on its 10th (ish) anniversary. Is it really nostalgia if an album is only a decade old? It feels like it has been in the air forever.

For something which is seemingly made up of samples, it would have been easy for them to half-arse it and basically just play the CD. Instead we got a full band, guest singers, and 360° video projection,

Oh, also a disco Sputnik flying over the crowd!

Simply magical! As were the indoor fireworks.

I might quibble a little with their song choices (no Gagarin!) but hearing the crowd repeatedly scream "GO!" was magnificent.

Ally Pally isn't a raked venue, so the video projection of the band was most welcome. An excellent gig in a splendid location.

Pre-show and Post-show

As I've written about before, the art of the Pre-Show and Post-Show is vital for getting people to pay for events outside of their homes. Right now I can stream all the music in the world for a year for about the same price as a couple of gig tickets. Why should I freeze my arse off outside, paying stupid money for mass-produced lager, when I could be at home?

PSB kept up a constant stream of emails talking about the gig. Not an overwhelming amount, just letting people peek behind the curtain of organising it, giving helpful information about logistics, and letting us know about merchandise which was available.

Crucially, they also gave us stage timings for them and their support act! How many times have you turned up on time to a gig only to spend an hour listening to some crap DJ before the crew even started setting up the stage? PSB treat their fans with respect.

Ally Pally isn't a venue I've been to before. It was well laid out with decent toilet provision - including a big block of portaloos at the back of the hall. The beer prices weren't ruinous, but I kind of resented paying £15 for a veggie hotdog and a handful of chips.

Some venues seem to think that screaming at punters to open their bags will make for an enjoyable visit. Here the security staff were polite and not overly officious. Water bottles were allowed in with a cheery wave.

Post show - although the train stations are downhill, there were several buses waiting to take punters directly back. That's a perfect way of treating guests at your venue - ensuring that they get home safe and sound.

Gadget Review: Thermal Master P3 Macro Lens ★★★★⯪

Terence Eden — Wed, 26 Aug 2026 11:34:52 +0000

The good folks at Thermal Master have sent me their latest camera to review - and it is a bit different to all the others I've tried.

Whereas previous cameras are good for bird watching, or wildlife spotting, or finding leaks at home - the P3 has a manual macro lens and is specifically designed for getting close-up and personal with your electronics.

Yup! See just how hot your CPU is getting 🥵

Let's take it for a spin!

Unboxing

As well as the camera (which looks gorgeous with its gold trim) you get a carry-case, USB-C extension cable, and a Lightning converter for older iPhones.

The metal casing of the camera feels delightful and gives it a bit of heft. The focus wheel is reasonably stiff which makes it easier to position just right.

Sample Photos

These are the raw images taken directly from the app. I haven't resized or altered them in any way. What you see is what you get. Here's a hot-spot on a circuit board:

The natural size of the images is 1344x1008. That's obviously upscaled from the sensor, but there's a surprisingly amount of detail in there.

Here's a small circuit board which has just booted up:

Where the P3 shines is when you twist the manual lens all the way down to macro. You can get about 2cm away from a surface and stay in focus.

Obviously don't get that close to something red hot!

Annoyingly, the images are uncompressed JPEG and weigh in around 6MB each. I've losslessly compressed these to WebP, which is about 10% of the size.

Colours

There are a variety of different colour palettes to play with. Some are more useful than others. Here's a mug of hot and delicious matcha rendered in the various colours:

Scrolling through the colours is a little difficult in the app (more on that later) but once you've found one you like, it stays that way for the photography session.

EXIF

Geolocation is taken from the phone - there's no GPS chip in the camera. You can refuse location permission to the app and it will work just fine.

That's just about all you get other than the time and the model name of USB_IR_RS300_P2L - the infrared details aren't recorded separately.

Video

The video doesn't upsample the image, it has a resolution of 504x672 playing at 25fps. Audio is recorded from the phone's microphone and is 64kbps mono. A minute of video is around 22MB. I've recompressed this one for the web.

https://shkspr.mobi/blog/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/p3focusvid.mp4

The App

It is, sadly, an inevitability that good hardware is always accompanied by a substandard app. The Thermal Master Android App is the only way to access the camera. It has a relatively easy to use interface with plenty of options.

As you can see from the word "brightness" the UI is a little janky in places.

There's a decent amount of settings to fiddle with.

You can also change which elements get displayed on the final image.

Unfortunately, it is also a bit crash-happy. Most times I used it, the app would randomly close. It takes a little while to re-open thanks to a mandatory animation. So it gets a bit annoying. Flicking through some of the options can be slow and tedious. It also doesn't respect the phone's orientation, so images may be 90⁰ off what you expect.

The app updated the firmware on the camera, but didn't say what had changed.

It takes photos and videos, allows you to share them, and has a bunch of options to play with - but it does have a habit of crashing just when you're about to take the perfect shot. There is also zoom available, but it is digital only - so you're just making the pixels bigger rather than getting optically closer to the object you're scanning.

Linux Info

I tried plugging it in to a Linux laptop. It shows up as 3474:45a2 Thermal Master Technology Co., Ltd. P3 - but that's about it. There's no way I can find to access the thermal images.

To be fair, this is explicitly sold as an Android and iOS device. I'm hopeful someone will be able to reverse engineer it.

Cost and Final Thoughts

Thermal cameras are expensive. This will run you about £280 on Amazon or about £260 direct. Readers of this blog can get 10% off using code THERMALBF10

If you run a hackspace, this is a no-brainer. The ability to see hot-spots on your circuits is immediately useful. The detail is impressive, allowing you to see exactly what's causing problems.

If you're a hobbyist, this is definitely in the "ask Santa if you've been good" category. You'll find it handy on any small projects you have, or to diagnose faults with electrical equipment.

For non-macro uses, it's also pretty good. You might be better off with a dedicated device if you want to go hunting wildlife or doing home surveys.

The only fly in the ointment is the app. While somewhat customisable, it does repeatedly crash and it isn't the easiest to use or set up. I found that pretty frustrating and have fed back the problem to the developers. I appreciate it saving high quality images - but a PNG or lossless WebP would be easier to work with than massive JPGs.

Ultimately, this is an excellent thermal camera. It looks lush, it is customisable, the images are high quality, and the macro-lens is surprisingly useful.

Edinburgh Fringe: Stand-up Philosophy ★★★⯪☆

Terence Eden — Fri, 14 Aug 2026 15:16:26 +0000

For a pay-what-you-want show this was decent. Three comedians doing sets on the theme of philosophy - followed by a Q&A where the audience poses philosophical conundrums to them.

It more-or-less works as a gimmick. Although an early afternoon crowd may have been more likely to ask questions anonymously.

I've never seen a Sikh doing an unnervingly accurate impression of Trump before. Daman Bamrah did a perfect routine which blended his philosophy with the perils of the bum-gun. An unexpected but hilarious combination.

Sid Singh's set trod a fairly standard path through reactions to racism, but his discussion at the end about the inherent problems involved in writing controversial material was excellent.

Tying it all together was Alex Farrow who perfectly brought together the various philosophical strands and proved why Albert Camus was a fan of Stewart Lee.

A great set of acts at a decent price.

Edinburgh Fringe: Doris, Dolly and the Dressing Room Divas ★★★★⯪

Terence Eden — Thu, 13 Aug 2026 22:23:25 +0000

Quite simply marvellous! Three Scottish divas giving us their interpretations of the greats while backed by an excellent pianist.

So many shows at the Fringe skimp on sets and props - not this! A luscious array of costumes, hats, wigs, and ruby slippers bring the characters to life.

The framing is thin but serviceable - the backstage helpers are reminiscing about their favourite stars and bring them back to stage. It is a fun and campy evening, without ever straying into parody or obsequiousness.

Sadly a few technical gremlins crept in, but the cast are absolute troopers and dispensed with them.

Oh, and there's an incredible Sweary Poppins who steals the show.

In amongst the Fringe's high concept art, fiendish new writing, and blokey-standup, it was a real treat to see a good old fashioned revue.

Highly recommend.

Edinburgh Fringe: The Musical Mystery Caller ★★★★★

Terence Eden — Thu, 13 Aug 2026 20:21:53 +0000

Walking down the street, I noticed a ringing phone box so, naturally, I answered it.

What happened next was a few minutes of pure fringe magic!

I had a little chat with the caller, he welcomed me to the smallest venue in the fringe, and then he improvised a banger of a song based on my peculiar proclivities.

What a treat to have a front row experience at a one man (and one audience member) show. The song was heartfelt and beautiful, played and sung with panache - albeit down a twisted copper pair of limited bandwidth.

He didn't reverse the charges, so it didn't cost me a penny! Which, given the high prices of most shows, was an absolute bargain 😃

If you hear a phone ringing, you should always answer it and say hello.

Edinburgh Fringe: Miscast Sondheim ★★☆☆☆

Terence Eden — Thu, 13 Aug 2026 18:45:15 +0000

I'm not sure what they're teaching at LAMDA, but it certainly isn't vocal projection. We were forewarned about the technical difficulties - but if a trained stage singer can't reach the 6th row of a tiny theatre, that can't be blamed on the backstage team.

The show advertises itself as:

What happens when you take Sondheim’s most beloved music and turn it on its head? Ingénues become villains, villains deliver delicate ballads, and comic sidekicks step into tragedy.

But, bluntly, that's not what was delivered. The gender swapping and colour-blind casting was fine, but there was no sense that this was a twist on the songs. They were all delivered in a straightforward fashion.

In fairness, there were a couple of truly excellent singers - Adam Boggs McDonald was spectacular and Paulina Hill was an absolute showstopper. The twist on Agony by Angelia Castillo and Adelia Castillo worked well.

Sadly the rest was over promised and under delivered.

Another show seen purely in the basis that we had an hour free and the venue was close. That's generally a pretty sound strategy for seeing shows - but you have to accept the risk that you might not like what you get.

Edinburgh Fringe: Hot Flush – A Bold, We’re Old(ish) Burlesque Show ★★★☆☆

Terence Eden — Thu, 13 Aug 2026 16:45:02 +0000

Are menopausal women hot? It is often said that pornographic actresses move straight from "barely legal" to "MILF" without so much as moment in between. Unlike the fringe's other burlesque shows - which seem to exclusively feature nymphettes and twinks with nary a grey hair between them - Hot Flush focuses on the over 40s.

Look, you probably don't want to read a review of how tempting I found each temptress, nor a multivariant testing of their erotic powers - so let's just say this…

The lecture in the middle about the menopause and how to cope with it was very educational.

The performers were all talented and the costumes (before removal) were sufficiently sufficient for their purpose.

The main problem is that it is staged at the least sexy venue on the fringe. A basement meeting room which looks more suitable for a regional sales conference than a burlesque. Perhaps if they were going for a Belinda Blinked cabaret it might have worked better.

The performers coped well with the technical difficulties (no doubt caused by a moralising theatre ghost) and recovered their momentum well.

Edinburgh Fringe - Eleanor Morton: The Mermaid ★★★⯪☆

Terence Eden — Thu, 13 Aug 2026 14:55:59 +0000

The undisputed queen of short-form viral video comedy snacks takes to the stage. Well, swims to the stage.

The Mermaid is a delightful and gentle amble through the confusing world of a girl who just wants to become a mermaid. Less standup and more storytelling, nevertheless it packs in the laughs with some rather clever jokes, a bit of bawdy humour, and - a rarity on The Fringe - a decently designed set!

It stands out by being well-rehearsed (surprisingly not a given here) and with no technical glitches during the performance (and, again, I cannot stress enough how unique that is). Eleanor Morton is an absolute professional who knows how to put on a quality show.

Edinburgh Fringe - Heated Rivalry: The Unauthorized Musical Parody ★★★★☆

Terence Eden — Wed, 12 Aug 2026 21:22:09 +0000

There are at least four different Heated Rivalry shows at the Fringe this year. Earlier this week we saw Edinburgh Fringe - Heated Rivalry: The Musical Parody!. This is different because it is the unauthorized musical parody.

Oh, and it is in the much larger Udderbelly venue.

Some people spend the fringe watching every possible interpretation of Timon of Athens - we decided to go for doubles of gay hockey sticks.

So, how does it compare to its twin?

It is good, but deeply conservative. The whole thing is framed through the eyes of a middle-age suburban mom which, sure, is probably a large part of the target audience but felt a bit retrograde. While the other show had a plentiful amount of acrobatic simulated sex with near-nude performers, this only has a couple of shirtless scenes and the actors are reduced to having a couple of trysts with literal mannequins. Weirdly, the one sex scene they perform together takes place behind a sheet. The leads kiss only twice which, for a parody of a show famed for its explicitness makes it all feel a bit Hays Code.

The songs, however, are sumptuous. A full score accompanies the incredibly talented cast. This is very off-Broadway - with soaring melodies, powerful solos, and solid reprises. At times it feels more like a parody of Broadway shows than of the TV show.

That isn't to say this is bad. It is very good. The script is full of delightful references and silly jokes. The lyrics at times are downright filthy! It is an excellent show and well worth seeing - but my heart remains with the other parody.

Edinburgh Fringe - James Rowland: Team Viking ★★⯪☆☆

Terence Eden — Wed, 12 Aug 2026 19:20:01 +0000

This is a technically precise and emotionally complex show with energetic delivery from a talented performer.

Sadly, it did nothing for me.

I found it a little one note in terms of storytelling. The rhythm of the story followed all the predictable beats which I thought was a little repetitive.

There's no doubt he's a gifted storyteller. The comedy is suitably dark with some good moments of joy and catharsis. It is probably the perfect show for some people but I wasn't the right audience for it.

Edinburgh Fringe - Garrett Millerick: We Tried it Your Way ★☆☆☆☆

Terence Eden — Wed, 12 Aug 2026 17:55:57 +0000

Easily the worst show we've seen at the fringe. Garrett Millerick has trained an AI on his stand up. Can it replace him?

Yes, but only in the sense that the AI is obnoxiously dull and Millerick is simply obnoxious.

He insulted a kid who he'd called on to stage to help him. Not even in a jokey way, just being rude. His splenetic rants against religion and politics were beyond tired. The dating segment was like something from an incel forum. Bitter and uncomfortable.

There's a minor point that's made about whether AI comedy is cheating (yes) and if comedians need to be worried (no). But even when he goes back to performing his organic routine, it is dire. There are a few chuckles to be had, but most of the audience were just looking stricken with second hand embarrassment.

The delivery is a one note rant, the jokes are the shouting of an angry disillusioned man, and the AI is a clanker of the worst order.

Dire.

Edinburgh Fringe - Justina Seselskaite: Settled ★★★★☆

Terence Eden — Tue, 11 Aug 2026 22:23:14 +0000

Sometimes at the Edinburgh Fringe, you take a punt on a random show because it's close by and you can't be bothered walking any further. Justina Seselskaite's set was round the corner and started in 7 ½ minutes - so we scurried into one of the less glamorous rooms of The Hilton, sat at the front (as is our wont), and wondered what on earth Lithuanian stand-up was like.

It was sublime!

There's a rich history of foreign comedians coming to these shores and ~~stealing our jobs~~ making us laugh by pointing out the UK's foibles as only an outsider can. Seselskaite has a witty outlook on the perils of being mistaken for Polish while working in Waitrose, how high-class a Wetherspoons is, and what's up with Manchester’s weird obsession with bees.

The show isn't the most innovative thing on the Fringe; it's mostly straight stand-up. But the game of "guess which English song was plagiarised by Lithuanian singers" was surprisingly entertaining. OK, I won a badge by guessing correctly, so I'm biased.

Settled is a solid piece of work which has obviously been road-tested and honed into a tight set. Excellent observational stand-up from a unique perspective (come on, how many other Lithuanian comedians have you been to see?).

Edinburgh Fringe: Handel Nine German Arias ★★★⯪☆

Terence Eden — Tue, 11 Aug 2026 20:21:05 +0000

Part of going to The Fringe is to expose yourself to new ideas, different art forms, and a range of artworks. Not everything needs to be a "zany" comedy about AI or a loving pastiche of that 1990s disaster movie you love.

So I found myself sat in a Unitarian Church listening to a harpsichord and choral organ intertwined with a violin and cello while a soprano soared through Handel's greatest hits.

I'm too much of a philistine to assess its merits - but there's always pleasure watching technically accomplished professionals at the top of their game. I assumed they played the right notes (and in the right order) as the music was delightful.

It was restful and restorative after a long day pounding Edinburgh's pavements.

Edinburgh Fringe: Afronauts ★★★★☆

Terence Eden — Tue, 11 Aug 2026 16:17:12 +0000

Afrofuturism is a hot topic in the world of sci-fi. This is the circus version of "For All Mankind" where the Zambia Space Academy (a 100% real thing) attempt to land on the moon and win the space race.

Told in an acrobatic style, naturally.

It is delightful to see classic acrobatics find a whole new audience - the children in the audience (and the adults) screamed with delight at the human pyramids, handstands, cartwheels, and aerial work.

An absolutely joyful cast of kinesthetic clowns bring to life the bizarre and (again) absolutely true story.

Lots of fun, a heartfelt message, and a zippy soundtrack. No way to describe it other than fun for all ages.

Edinburgh Fringe: Noted ★★★⯪☆

Terence Eden — Tue, 11 Aug 2026 12:45:28 +0000

It is a brave children's show which starts with the song "I'm a smooth muthafukker"…

This is sort of a live-action XKCD cartoon. A frenetic troupe of performers are decked with hand-drawn portraits and then… well, it is somewhere between a Sesame Street animation and the stick-figure kung-fu Flash animations of yesterday.

The whole design is technically impressive. An endless stream of paper litters the floor as the cast rip them from their bodies to reveal more underneath.

I found it enjoyable enough for an early morning show - but the children around me went bananas for it!

Gadget Review: Soundpeats UU2 POP Clip2 Earphones ★★★★⯪

Terence Eden — Tue, 11 Aug 2026 11:34:37 +0000

Last year, I reviewed a new type of Clip-On earphone - the Soundpeats Clip1 Cuff. I was a bit sceptical, but was won around by their comfort. The good folks at Soundpeats have sent me their new version to review. I had a few niggles with the Clip1 - so let's see how the UU2 Clip2 compare.

Design

The "cuff" design is fairly new to the UK - but is already popular in other parts of the world. Rather than sticking the buds in your earholes, they clip around the flappy bits of your ears. The aren't like a bulldog clip - more like a gentle caress. The speaker sits just outside your ear canal, so you can still hear ambient sounds from around you. Look, you do not want a close-up of my waxy lugs, so here's a model:

You don't have to wear them in that position. Mine tend to hang around my earlobes - your ears might be a different shape.

They are ridiculously comfortable. I've had them on for a several hour train journey and forgot they were there. They don't leave a mark, they don't ache, they don't pinch, and most importantly they don't fall off. Even if I shook my head vigorously or did any exercise, they stayed put.

I am happy to declare them the most comfortable headphones I own - even more so than my Bone Conducting headset.

But, of course, there are some downsides. The previous version had touch-only controls which were a bit shit. It was far too easy to accidentally brush your finger against your ears and skip a track. The Clip2 improves this somewhat by adding a small physical button to each headphone. You can set them to play/pause, skip tracks, adjust volume (if you can remember the precise sequence of taps you need).

Bluetooth range was good - I was able to wander all over my house without losing connection. Sound quality - even on the default setting - was excellent. You can push up the bass or fiddle with the equaliser if that'll make you happy. Battery life is going to depend on how hard you drive them and if you choose a more energy efficient codec or not. They lasted several hours in my test and recharged quickly in their included case. Naturally, the case has a USB-C connection so it'll use the same cable as all your other gadgets.

Android

They just work. They paired instantly, accepted AAC as a high quality audio codec, the sound quality was excellent as was the microphone quality. Once I used the app to switch to LDAC, the Clip2 restarted and Android started playing in the higher fidelity mode.

App

*sigh* Why is that hardware manufacturers make the crappiest software? You don't need the app - everything will work without it. But if you want to customise the buttons, change the EQ, or enable LDAC you'll need it.

Annoyingly, you can't do anything unless you're logged in and have an Internet connection. Want to change the EQ while you're on a train with no signal? Tough.

The app also handles firmware updates - there was one waiting for me - but doesn't offer any information beyond the usual platitudes of bug fixes and stability improvements.

Note, you need the PeatsAudio app not the "Soundpeats" app.

Honestly, find an EQ you like, update the firmware, toggle the settings, then uninstall it.

There are some nice touches - like the personalised EQ test - but it is slim pickings. Here are some screenshots.

Linux

Yup! Connected perfectly the first time and gave access to all the supported codecs.

A Few Niggles

Despite looking superficially similar to the Clip1 - these new ones don't fit into the charging case of the originals. That's unfortunate. I guess they don't want users mixing up pairs and getting confused?

Rather annoyingly, they don't pause the sound when you take them off. The old Clip1 would detect if it was in-ear and pause if you popped one out to chat to someone.

They supply a short USB-A to C lead. That's just e-Waste and shouldn't be included.

Because of the design they won't block out all external noise and there's no noise cancelling function. But that's offset by the fact that they do let you retain some awareness of your surroundings.

Price and Final Thoughts

The Clip2 cuff headphones are usually around £60, but are on offer now for about £48. I think that's excellent value for money.

Readers of this blog can use code SPUU2810 for 30% off until August 31, 2026.

I am an absolute convert to cuff-style. They don't tightly grip your head like bone-conducting ones, they're less noisy than rear-firing open-ear cans, and they're a good deal more comfortable than sticking something deep in your ear-wax chambers.

The app is a bit shit - but you'll probably only use it once. The buttons are slightly fiddly, but I can't see a way to make them any more tactile without sacrificing their small size.

Sounds quality - on Linux and Android - was excellent. They're perfect if you spend a long time with headphones on.

Edinburgh Fringe - Kat Ronson: Millennial Girl ★★★★☆

Terence Eden — Mon, 10 Aug 2026 17:45:36 +0000

OMG! If you remember A/S/Ling your way through MSN to fill in your MySpace top 8, then you'll love this show. You're also over 30 and, therefore, old. Ew.

The stage is littered with a Nokia 3310, Bliss Magazine, and Charlie Red. Katie (15/F/UK) talks us through the complexities of her nascent love life, what shag band colours mean, and which quotes sum up millennial angst. All the while serenading us with her musical takes on the tragic Aniston/Pitt split.

Consistently funny and just the right amount of embarrassing.

As befits a work in progress, it is a little one note. That said, Katie is an expertly observed caricature of the size-zero obsessed, Vauxhall Corsa chasing girl that those of us of a certain vintage remember with fondness / body quaking cringe.

Edinburgh Fringe - Michael Brunström: William Tell vs the Algorithm ★★★☆☆

Terence Eden — Mon, 10 Aug 2026 15:57:27 +0000

The terror of AI has come to comedy. There are a dozen shows this year about the threat that technology poses to the way we live, laugh, and love.

In this case, AI stands for Austrian Imperialism and the fight is for Switzerland's independence.

Well, sort of. It gets a bit lost in an endless stream of rambly diversions. There's a fine line between surrealist comedy and utter nonsense. If you like seeing a man getting the audience to sing to a magical (albeit potentially traitorous) hat, attempting to pull up his trousers without his hands, and doing cuckoo impressions - this'll satisfy those cravings.

It does produce a steady stream of chuckles but suffers by being presented in an airless yurt.

The highlight for me was the confession that the comedian has "a rare form of synaesthesia which allows me to literally see colours!"