The Sonos Beam soundbar is slick, the new Paperwhite Kindles are amazing, and Mercedes-Benz mechanics level up with HoloLens 2 headsets.

Sonos Beam soundbar is a compact home theatre sound solution

The second generation version of the Sonos Beam soundbar ($560) is not just more compact, it brings with it additional functionality that replaces larger sound systems that you may have used in your home entertainment system before.

The tech on this soundbar is seriously superb, with Dolby Atmos surround sound that really creates the sensation that you’ve got speakers all around you.

Of course you can add surround speakers if you want, because the Beam is part of the Sonos ecosystem. You can go all out by adding a couple of Ones and even a Sub.

But you don’t need to. And in our smaller family room space, the Beam is more than enough for us to get a premium theatre or gaming experience.

And you can cast to it from your Bluetooth-enabled mobile device, too.

Two new Kindle devices released in Canada just in time for the holidays

Amazon’s Kindles are fantastic for your digital book collection, and there are now two new models that take the experience up a notch.

One of the things that I like about the Kindles is the digital ink experience that feel more like reading a book than reading a computer screen.

The new Kindle Paperwhite is $150 and has a larger, 6.8-inch display, and adjustable light, and a battery that will give you up to 10 weeks of reading before you need to charge again.

And it turns pages more quickly, which has been my major complaint about the Kindles in the past.

The Kindle Paperwhite Signature Edition is $210 but gives you wireless charging, an adjustable light, and 32 GB of storage, good for more than 15,000 books.

Mercedes-Benz Canada equipping service techs with HoloLens 2 headsets

Mercedes-Benz Canada dealerships are using augmented reality to repair vehicles.

The company announced that mechanics will be using Microsoft HoloLens 2 headsets when they are inspecting and repairing Mercedes-Benz vehicles.

The on-site work being done by the service technicians is supported by remote specialists who may have unique knowledge and expertise.

The company expects that the investment will speed up some complex repairs and reduce the need for specialists to travel to dealerships to do their work.