According to Google there are currently 45 speaker brands being made in Australia. I've never heard of most of them.

• Start-ups

Australian start-up industry figure Sebastien Eckersley-Maslin is embroiled in fierce criticism from several start-up founders associated with his BlueChilli start-up incubator, amid accusations he failed to deliver services promised in exchange for equity.

• Gadgets

The iconic vacuum brand launches its debut beauty product. But is it worth the $700 price tag?

• Patent

People filming live events with their phones could become much less common if Apple makes good on a newly-granted patent.

The principles of production line cars can be applied to robotics, a Toyota researcher says.

Just don't call it a stylus. "If you see a stylus, they blew it," said Steve Jobs in 2010. But the Apple Pencil looks like a pencil and has the familiar feel of a pencil, but updated. It's sleek, round and white, with a smart silver band at the top.

• AI

Google can see a future where robots help us unload the dishwasher and sweep the floor. The challenge is making sure they don't inadvertently knock over a vase — or worse — while doing so.

From multi-function neck switches to printed prostheses, new technology is revolutionising life for people with disabilities.

These gadget chargers supply extra power to keep your passengers entertained on a long drive.

• Imaging

Not long ago it was easy to distinguish cameras aimed at professionals from models made for happy-snappers. Not any more, alas.

• AI

The Facebook boss thinks sharing your status, photos and videos with the world is too stingy.

• Apple

Plus using Siri to hail an Uber, and more announcements from Apple's World Wide Developers Conference.

• Innovation

Lenovo is adding experimental technologies to its smartphones in a bid to grow its business, trying to overcome declining PC shipments and a competitive phone market.

In the battle for dominance in the digital assistant market, Apple's Siri simply isn't knowledgeable, or creepy, enough.

• Virtual Reality

Move over, selfies - the era of the virtual postcard is upon us.

PORTABLE GADGET CHARGERS If your gadgets are feeling run down at the end of a long day then consider throwing a portable charger in your carry bag. Keeping a portable battery in your bag makes it easy to top up your smartphone or tablet when there isn't a power socket within reach. Even if your devices hold enough charge to make it through the average day, a portable charger can be a lifesaver when you're travelling and relying on your smartphone for navigation and other power-draining features. Depending on its capacity, your portable battery might recharge your handheld device several times before it needs a recharge. Capacity is measured in milliamps and around 2000 mAh is enough capacity to completely recharge your average smartphone. Unfortunately once your portable battery runs flat it can be very slow to recharge, which means you need to plan ahead to ensure it's ready to go. This is where a rapid-charging portable battery can come to your rescue, recharging from the wall socket in minutes rather than hours – a godsend when you're waiting to rush out the door. VERDICT The ASAP Dash isn't cheap but might be money well spent for regular travellers who need a quick charge 'n' go before they dash out the front door. The slender design is easy to slip into your pocket. If you don't need rapid charging then it's hard to go past the Comsol in terms of value for money, especially if you'd benefit from the dual USB ports. COMSOL 6600 MAH DUAL PORT POWER BANK CHARGER $39 It's not as slender as some chargers, but in terms of bang for your buck it's hard to go past this 6600 mAh Comsol charger. It features two USB ports, one supplying 2 Amps to offer faster-charging for power-hungry gadgets. The battery features four LED lights to indicate the remaining capacity, but once it's dead-flat it takes about six hours to fully recharge from a power socket. ASAP DASH $125 With a 5000 mAh battery it doesn't hold as much charge as the Comsol, but the trade-off is that you can completely recharge a flat ASAP Dash in 15 minutes. Even a five-minute top up should be enough juice to recharge your phones once. The battery outputs up to 3.1 Amps to satisfy power-hungry devices. The Australian-backed ASAP Dash comes from a successful Indiegogo crowdfunding campaign, with orders shipping in August. CHECK THIS OUT Portable chargers aren't just for handheld gadgets, you'll also find larger portable batteries designed to recharge your laptop so you can keep working while you're off the grid. If you're bound for the wilderness you might invest in a solar charger for your tech, but keep in mind that things are much slower to recharge when relying on the sun rather than a power socket.

Computers will be so sophisticated and godlike that humans will need to implant "neural laces" in their brains to keep up, Tesla boss Elon Musk says.

The Sony MP-CL1 projector is a curious little thing. It can create a surprisingly good image from a unit not much larger than a smartphone, yet the lack of simple wireless connectivity hamstrings the device.

• Innovation

It doesn't look like a lamp. It doesn't behave like a lamp. But the heir apparent to this household name thinks he's onto something.

• Innovation

A little-known start-up in China is gunning to be the first to sell bendable smartphones this year, seeking to upstage Samsung, which has started to dabble in flexible-screen technology.

Jeremy Howard is poised to revolutionise healthcare using machines that can learn.

I refrained from vacuuming all week in order to test-drive these two leading stick vacuums.

Warrnambool truck driver Darren Ledner spends hours on the road for work delivering milk. So when the weekend comes around, the last thing he feels like is a four-hour round-trip journey to Geelong for medical appointments.

• Innovation

Tech giant invents weird solution to reduce impact of self-driving cars colliding with pedestrians.

• Car tech

Apple has injected $1 billion into Chinese ride-sharing company Didi Chuxing, further fuelling tech industry moves to amalgamate self-driving car systems, electric vehicles and ride sharing so that companies can sell rides in self-driving vehicles, generating revenue day and night.