| | If you didn't already know, me, Anthony/decryption, is returning to writing The Sizzle full time. Cam got himself a kick arse job at the ABC as their AI reporter so Sizzle duties are back in my hands. Massive thanks to Cam for writing The Sizzle the last 18 months, I enjoyed reading every issue! Cam regularly told me how highly he thought of the Sizzle subscribers, and how he relished being part of our little nerd community. He will still be around Slack and on the Sizzle forum, so if you've got any hot leads on AI related topics drop him a line. | When I gave Cam the keys to The Sizzle back in January 2025, I felt a huge amount of relief. I didn't realise it then but I was so burnt out. What I also didn't realise was that I needed a break, not to quit The Sizzle entirely. When Cam asked if I wanted to take The Sizzle back I was so happy. It feels like a family member went missing for months and now I'm being reunited with them! | We’ve all been subjected to a constant stream of unprecedented events in a very short period of time. I don’t want The Sizzle to be yet another such event, so not much will change around here. You'll keep receiving a daily newsletter, three pieces of news, one interesting link, the bargains and a fun image of the day with absolutely no advertising for just $60 a year. I'll be doing a lot of backend work to simplify some stuff, might do a bit of long overdue branding work, but other than that it's business as usual at Sizzle HQ.
It’s good to be back. | The News | Framework’s new Laptop 13 Pro looks sick | Framework held an event last week where they announced some cool new products, but the star of the show is the Laptop 13 Pro. The "ground up redesign" sports "Intel's Core Ultra Series 3 Processors, a 74Wh battery, and LPCAMM2 memory, a new full CNC aluminum chassis, our first purpose-built power-optimized display with touch support, an excellent feeling haptic touchpad, an option for pre-loaded Ubuntu, and much more". The best part is, if you've already got a Framework Laptop 13, you can buy the new board and chuck it in your existing chassis and/or modify your existing laptop with some new chassis parts. How cool is that? Prices start at around A$2,000 without any RAM or SSDs and will begin shipping in June. | ACCC puts electronics retailers on notice | The ACCC measures how many people contact it with beefs about products and they've noticed in the last 12 months, reports to the ACCC about consumer guarantees went up by 20% and that 70% of those were about electronics or whitegoods. This has led the ACCC to "remind" consumer electronics retailers about their obligations under consumer law and that making sure retailers comply with their obligations will be a "priority" for the ACCC in 2026/2027. They're also working with government to strengthen the ACL, making it illegal (I thought it already was??) for a business to "fail to provide a remedy for consumer guarantees failures, when they are legally required to do so under the consumer guarantees". | Intel is clawing its way back to relevancy | Reports of Intel's death have been greatly exaggerated, with its latest financial results resulting in a 28% jump in the stock price - an all time high. The market is back on the Intel train due to huge demand for data-centre CPUs, vast improvements in Intel's latest fabrication node that challenges TSMC's best, as well as improving yields so there's less dud chips. Seriously, the latest Panther Lake chips that use Intel’s 18A process are very good. There was never any doubt from me that Intel would bounce back eventually, it was just a matter of when, not if. Too much institutional knowledge not to, even if the manager class keeps trying to fuck it up in fresh, innovative ways. | | Oh, Also | Blackmagic adds photo editing to Davinci Resolve | Ever edited a video in Davinci Resolve and thought, “damn I wish I could edit my still photos the same way?”. If you’re the kinda freak that thinks those thoughts, good news - you can do that now in Resolve 21. As DPReview explains, the “editor uses what's known as a node-based approach, which lets you add adjustments as independent effects that can either chain together or not affect each other”. It’s pretty different to the usual photo editing controls, but if you’re familiar with Resolve’s industry leading colour grading techniques, you’ll be right at home here. Oh, and it’s free. There’s even a Linux version if you’re into that stuff. | | Bargains | | | The End | 😎 The Sizzle was cooked by Cam Wilson every weekday. It’s now BBQ’d by Anthony “decryption” Agius. | 🤖 We love robots at the Sizzle but this newsletter has always been and will always be written by humans for humans. Also by Aussies for Aussies — so all prices are in dollarydoos. | 💬 Want to hang out with other Sizzlers? There’s a subscriber-only Slack and forum if you want to procrastinate and chat about tech-related news. | 🌐 The Sizzle is on Bluesky, Mastodon and LinkedIn if you’re feeling social. | 💳 Are you a paid subscriber looking to manage your billing info, change email address or cancel your subscription? Visit the Beehiiv customer portal. | 🦺 The Sizzle has been tested to meet and exceed ISO 3533 standards. | Always Was, Always Will Be Aboriginal Land | The Sizzle is created on Wathaurong land and acknowledges the traditional owners of country throughout Australia, recognising their continuing connection to land, water and community. I pay my respect to them and their cultures and to elders past and present. |
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