T3 UK ultimate tech wishlist hot picks from 50 to over 7k 4k footie the world cup done right with sonys XF90 TV june 2018

WIRELESS PORTABLE SPEAKERS ULTIMATE TECH WISHLIST Hot picks from £50 to over £7k – your next life-changing gadget is right here!. Here at T3, we like to celebrate the best of the best w

WIRELESS PORTABLE SPEAKERS

ULTIMATE

TECH WISHLIST

Hot picks from £50 to over £7k – your next life-changing gadget is right here!

WIN!

A 4K HDR projector worth

£1,199

The World Cup

done right with

HUAWEI P20 PRO: A TRI-CAMERA WONDER

4K

FOOTIE

The tech that’s so cutting edge,

\ou’Ue UisNing \ouU ĆngeUs just turning this page

GAMECHANGER

Next-gen movie-making has arrived exclusively for your smartphone Have you seen Unsane? Director Steven Soderbergh

shot the Ćlm on an iPhone  Plus teaming it Zith a sZeet piece of mobile Ćlm-making gear from Moment the company

thatès introduced a game-changing mobile cinematography system called the Moment )ilmmaker &ollection With that

kind of HollyZood endorsement no Zonder Momentès recent Kickstarter campaign Zas funded in Must  minutes Touted

as êthe future of mobile Ćlmmakingë Momentès innovative mobile cinematography kit comprises four products for iPhone

Samsung Galaxy and Google Pixel an anamorphic lens e.  a Zireless charging battery phone case

e.  lens Ćlter adapter e. and gimbal counterZeight . e. The anamorphic lens is the real

star here adding sZeet ćares and the signature Zide-angle cinematic look to phones for the Ćrst time ever Keeping your

shot buttery smooth is the adMustable gimbal counterZeight for use Zith the D-I Osmo =hiyun Smooth4 and Evo Shift

of Moment’s Everything Kit ($999/£711.36), and is designed to work with the Samsung S8 and S9, the Apple iPhone 6, 7, 8 and X, and the Google Pixel 1 and 2

Meet the team

MATT BOLTON

Editor

After writing our Ultimate

Tech Wishlist feature (p36),

Matt tried applying the same

three-tier system elsewhere,

but it turns out to be more

confusing than helpful when

applied to bananas

JO GULLIVER Senior Art Editor

Jo oversaw our Man vs Tech golĆng photoshoot (p48), in which she discovered that even the most camera shy guys become real posers as soon as they’ve got a sand wedge in-hand

CLAIRE DAVIES Associate Editor

We had four days of nice weather this issue, so Claire was cracking the whip on thebrobo mower from her gardening feature (p83) This damaged the whip more than

it did the mower, obviously

ANDREW WESTBROOKOperations EditorSince he can’t go to the World Cup in person, Andy is recreating a stadium at home, starting with our projector test (p68) That settles the view, now he just needs 78,000 pals to come round

SPENCER HARTProduct & Style Editor, T3.com

We worried that the 92(!) megapixels of camera power

in the Huawei P20 Pro (p92) might be too much to handle, but Spencer bravely said, “It’s

a phone, stop being so weird.”

ROB JONES

Tech & Gaming Editor,

T3.com

Rob spent most of the last

month in Japan but refused

our many, many requests to

bring back the advanced

home service droids we’re

certain they have there

PAUL DOUGLAS

Global Editor-in-Chief,

T3.com

For the summer, Paul’s been

looking into our guide to

ebikes (p76) for his commute

Though he did also say, “Why

wouldn’t I just get a Ducati?”

So, swings and roundabouts

SUBSCRIBE NOW AND GET A FREE BLUETOOTH SPEAKER!

Our current subscription offer gets you a free Juice Bar portable speaker worth

£39.99! Turn to p46 to see

our print and digital subscription options!

DUNCAN BELL Lifestyle Editor, T3.comDuncan went on a very exciting journey this issue

And by exciting, we mean terrifying And by journey, we mean hospital stay He did get to test out some health tech, though… (p33)

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MICHELLE MCLAREN

Art Editor

Michelle ran the London

Marathon at the end of this

issue, so she spent a lot of

time checking out the

running sensors (p96) and

Fitbit Ionic (p97) And

questioning her life decisions

KIMBERLEY BALLARDProduction Editor With the new high-res Vive Pro (p92) indistinguishable from real life(ish), Kimberley

is Ćnally able to escape to the ethereal gothic fantasy worlds of her dreams We may have lost her for good

Meet the team

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Here at T3, we like to celebrate the best of the best

when it comes to tech, and that tends to mean products with all the fanciest features and elaborate extras But the top-tier products can be a big investment, and in some cases you don’t always need to go high-end You want an amazing TV for the living room, sure, but maybe your bedroom telly doesn’t need to be quite as fancy.

The idea of our Ultimate Tech Wishlist is to give you that buying ćexibility We choose a range of great gadget upgrades, then reveal the very best buys, no matter whether you want to keep the budget low, are happy to spend on the sweet spot middle ground, or want only the best money can buy The less expensive products are still excellent tech, they just won’t have quite as many options, and maybe that’s just what you need in the end.

Now that spring is here, we’ve got lots of outdoorsy stuff this issue I’m especially into the ebike revolution as, for a lot

of commuting, especially in cities, they’re the fastest way to travel Our guide on p76 will help you Ćgure out if one is right for you, but I hope they will be as popular here as they are in Europe Some people see ebikes as ‘cheating’ or missing the point of a bicycle, but I’m guessing they wouldn’t give up an electric drill for a hand cranked one…

Matt Bolton, Editor

matthew.bolton@futurenet.com Tweet me @matthewbbolton

Our mission is to bring you the clearest recommendations we

can – and that means a great deal of hard work happens

before a product even reaches our pages!

Because we only feature products the T3 team would

happily use ourselves, we end up discarding a signiĆcant

number of options in each category before settling on a Ćnal

shortlist to review In this respect, T3 Select does exactly what

it says on the tin, picking only the best of the best to test; the

gear we know you’ll want to seriously consider purchasing

And that should mean an end to you having to undertake hours of painstaking research and product comparisons

You won’t see any duff products, but you will come away with clarity on which one is the best in its category or for a speciĆc task our awards badges (see below) ensure that

everything T3 recommends is clearly highlighted on the page.

It goes without saying that every product in T3 Select has

been thoroughly tested by our team of experts, enabling you

to buy with total conĆdence

For kit that demonstrates exceptional industrial design and reĆnement, in addition to being great

This accolade and others like

it show you which gear is best for speciĆc features or

tasks

This is given to winners of our group tests, so you can see exactly which is the best

at a glance

Only the best products –

those that score Ćve stars

– receive our coveted

Platinum Award

THE DESIGN AWARD

BEST ON TEST

BEST FOR BATTERY LIFE PLATINUM

AWARD

Improve your life with the best new

techbmoney can buy Will it be the latest

smartphone, an Alexa-enabled home

cinema system, or a gaming headset with

sound so realistic you’ll swear you’re

actually in the game?

020

WE CAN BUILD YOU…

A World Cup 2018 setup Get this lot

installed in your living room or den and

you’ll have the best seat in the house

022

STYLE

Gorgeous watches, summer-ready

striped shirts and shorts, and how to Ćnd

the best haircut for your face shape

024

AUTO

Channel your inner Lewis Hamilton with

the most exciting supercar and race day

experiences in the UK

025

LIVING

It’s barbecue season! Well, nearly Make

sure you’re ready to si]]le some sausages

with the hottest grilling gadgets in town

026

TRAVEL

Want to ćy Ćrst class without paying the

premium price tag? Our travel writer

shares some insider tips to help you blag

abluxury upgrade for free

028

FITNESS & OUTDOORS

Burn calories, blast fat and boost your

cardio health, all in the privacy of your

own home, with a new smart exercise bike

030

GADGET GURU

Want to Ćlter what your kids see online?

Ready to better your digital artistry skills?

Wondering why your phone’s battery

drains so fast? Guru has the answers

033

TALKING TECH

Duncan Bell spent some of the month in

hospital His biggest complaint? Crap

Wi-Fi and a lack of tech, of course

He’sbonly human

ULTIMATE TECH WISHLIST

Live smarter, easier and happier with these unmissable tech upgrades for all budgets, from total steal to mega luxury splurge

048

MAN VS TECH

If you’re anything like our man with the clubs, your golf game needs a boost Turn the page to Ćnd out if the latest golĆng tech can get you back on track (or should that

be the green?)

068

STATE OF THE ART

Bring that FIFA gold home and enjoy the beautiful game on the big-screen with a projector primed for sports viewing

HORIZON

036

8 T3 J U N E 2 018

056

THE SETUP

Give your lawn and garden plants the

hydration they need with a smart,

time-saving watering system

059

UPGRADE

Meet the smart home display that

knows more about the world (and

your diary) than you do

060

DESIRE

Plants aren’t just for the garden, as

this month you can plaster them all

over your cushions, coasters and

linens Prints of plants, that is

062

HOME TEST

Feeling guilty about leaving your pet

at home while you’re at work? Keep

’em company, and feed ’em treats, with

the latest smart pet cams and feeders

064

SMART HOME SURGERY

Connected home starter kits and

machines that do the laundry for you

066

LIVING SMARTER

Stay cool and cut your electricity bill

by linking a window sensor to a fan

096

SMACKDOWN

Learn to run better and faster with two of the world’s Ćnest smart running sensors, which we pit head to head in a dastardly death match

097

FITBIT IONIC

Another smartwatch from the Ćt tech royalty, but is the Ionic really iconic or just another puffed-up sleep-and-steps tracker? We beast one at the

Our review reveals the truth

100

PORTABLE BLUETOOTH SPEAKERS

Head to the beach, the park, the camp site or even into your own backyard, soundtracking your adventures with six of the smallest, most powerful Bluetooth speakers we could stuff

new-but-HOME

TESTED

WIN!

AN OPTOMA UHD300X 4K PROJECTOR

103

105

YOUR IN-DEPTH BUYER’S GUIDE

Want to know what the best top-end telly is? Or the best Ćrst-time DSLR?

Or the best wireless headhones? Our giant buyer’s guide helps you Ćnd the world’s best tech, and only the best!

BEST OF THE BEST

WORTH

£1,399

Smartphone photography is reaching new

heights, and Sony has just taken the entire

movement stratospheric by jamming tech from

its compact system cameras into the Xperia

XZ2 Premium You no longer have to live in fear

of cruddy images and video when shooting in

low-level lighting – Sony reckons the sensor

setup here is so damn good you’ll be capturing

things the naked eye can’t see

The XZ2 Premium’s dual-camera Motion Eye

drafts in 19MP colour and 12MP monochrome

sensors If you take snaps in darker situations,

ISO 51,200 sensitivity for stills and ISO 12,800

for HDR 4K video will produce eye-popping

results There’s also a Bokeh portrait mode

In addition to a silky 5.8-inch 4K display,

tech borrowed from Sony’s Bravia TVs gives

your content the full HDR business A Dynamic

Vibration System translates the action on

screen into bespoke tremors, helping you feel

what you’re watching or playing, while punchy

front-facing S-Force surround-sound speakers

are primed to dish out high-res audio

Sony says it hasn’t yet decided whether to

sell it in the UK, so you may need to import it…

and probably stump up a fair bit of cash for

all this tech But with such an impressive spec,

we think it’ll be worth the effort

Internal specs include 6GB of performance-boosting RAM and a 3,540mAh battery featuring Smart Stamina tech that monitors usage and ensures you always have juice

Edited by Claire DaviesThe best new tech heading your way

“Sony has always led the way in cameras and screens, so this looks absolutely fantastic.”

Matt Bolton, Editor

TECH-O-METER

SHOT IN THE DARK

Recording a night-time video

in 4K HDR or capturing HD Super slow motion footage at 960fps? The XZ2 Premium’s Motion Eye camera system should have the brawn to cover all of your photo needs

ALTERNATE DIMENSION

Sony’s 3D Creator tool is exclusive to the Xperia XZ1 and XZ2 handsets Scan yourself using front or rear cameras, then 3D print your pic or upload a 3D avatar to your Facebook page

Horizon

CAMBRIDGE AUDIO

EDGE NQ

£3,500, cambridgeaudio.com

Cambridge Audio’s sound boffins wanted to

mark the company’s 50-year milestone in style,

with a new product line-up that matched the

needs of the most demanding audiophiles

Enter the slick Edge series Whether you prefer

to plug in, stream or cast, the Edge NQ preamp

totes an embarrassment of physical and

wire-free connections for control over your

tunes On the rear you’ll find digital coaxial,

USB and HDMI inputs, or you can stream via

Bluetooth, Spotify Connect, AirPlay, Internet

Radio or built-in Chromecast If audio clarity

is your bag, the NQ’s circuitry is designed to

clean up the signal, revealing greater detail in

your favourite albums Got an extra £2.5k to

splash? Buddy the NQ with the new Edge W

power amp for added wallop

T3 SAYS: A small price to pay to hear your

music exactly as the artist intended.

DENON HEOS HOMECINEMA HS2

soundbar/sub package, while an HDMI input

and output deliver the big-screen potential of

your Ultra HD 4K TV When you’re done

watching Peaky Blinders, AirPlay and Bluetooth

connectivity make it easy to stream and listen

to your favourite tunes The soundbar houses a pair of chunky drivers to manage the mid-range while a pair of 20mm dome tweeters tackle the high notes A mighty subwoofer adds extra meat Can Denon topple Sonos for connected home cinema supremacy?

T3 SAYS: Denon’s HomeCinema system should put you on a fast track to premium TV audio.TECH-O-METER

TECH-O-METER

Top 10

AUDEZE MOBIUS

$399 (£284), audeze.com

Say hello to the world’s first wireless planar

magnetic headphones, built for gamers craving

next-level sound Created to supercharge your

gaming and movie audio needs (not to mention

boosting your music-listening experience), the

head-tracking Audeze Mobius aims to deliver

immersive 3D cinematic audio, making it more

of a sonic event than something you simply

cover your ears with Planar magnetic drivers

work to reproduce clear and accurate sound,

while head tracking and room emulation

technologies constantly monitor your position

to create a 3D universe of audio The Mobius’s

memory foam earpad and headband combo,

and detachable boom mic, mean hours of

supreme comfort in the gaming chair when

Red Dead Redemption 2 drops.

T3 SAYS: The Audeze Mobius is massively

exciting for music fans and gamers alike

This June, World Cup referees will be wearing

Hublot’s Big Bang Referee Android smartwatch

The Swiss-made wearable communicates with

goal-line tech, utilising bespoke software to

deliver detailed game stats, notifications about

player changes, red and yellow cards, and

goals Why are we banging on about a watch

exclusive to World Cup refs? Because Hublot

has made 2,018 of them available to the public

Yes, you too can wrap your wrist in titanium

and kevlar, gain detailed insight into each game

and pretend you’re reffing It’s set up with

different watch faces that suit every team

playing, so whoever you’re backing, the watch

is kitted out in their colours

T3 SAYS: This World Cup timekeeper takes

fans one step closer to the on-pitch action

JBL LINK 500

$399.95 (£284), uk.jbl.com

Is this the most powerful Google enabled speaker? JBL reckons so While we’re yet to play DJ with its latest voice-activated boombox, we’ve experienced the generous bass of the smaller Link 300, so we have high hopes for this one And it comes with extra smarts, enabling you to utilise Google Assistant

Assistant-to control your smart home, plan your diary or read you the local weather report Although the Link 500 isn’t portable, you should have zero problems getting the party going in whatever room you place it in, thanks to a pair

of JBL transducers plus integrated Chromecast This means you can enjoy music, podcasts and radio direct from the cloud If you already own Chromecast-equipped speakers, you could tag

in JBL’s newbie to create a multiroom setup

T3 SAYS: JBL’s speaker will keep the party, and your smart home control, rocking for longer.TECH-O-METER

TECH-O-METER

Top 10

SONY XAV-AX205DB

£500, sony.co.uk

With more cars than ever filling up the roads,

you can expect to spend even more time sat in

trafc Joyful Thankfully, in-car entertainment

has come a long way since the invention of

‘I Spy’ Case in point, Sony has crammed plenty

of boredom-beating features into its new car

audio receiver, including a whopping 4x55W

output power and Sony’s own Extra Bass tech

Apple CarPlay and Android Auto connectivity

gathers smartphone notifications, messages

and apps together on the spacious screen,

while voice control should help keep wandering

eyes on the road We’re fans of the boosted

audio quality and glut of radio stations ofered

by DAB+, and there’s even a DVD player

should you need entertaining when pulling

an overnighter at the motorway services

T3 SAYS: With hours of entertainment available,

you might start to enjoy your commute

Top 10

We’re fully behind the flourishing

vinyl movement, but too many music

fans are splashing cash on limited

edition wax yet scrimping on the

hardware Five grand might seem a

lot, but considering how long you’ll

own your turntable, and how you

could easily spend twice that on

McIntosh gear, the new belt-driven

MT2 is thoroughly reasonable So,

what does that sort of money get

you? A whole lot of audio goodness

The MT2’s moving coil cartridge

features an alloy cantilever and an

elliptical diamond stylus for first-rate

tracking of your records, while inner

As smartphone manufacturers

continue to up their camera game, a

standalone camera is becoming an

increasingly unnecessary purchase

However, there are still plenty of folks

who know that if you really want to

develop your video and photography

skills, nothing beats arming yourself

with a dedicated shooter The

mirrorless EOS M50 is Canon’s first

M-Series camera to shoot 4K video,

with five-axis image stabilisation to

produce super-smooth footage The

24.1MP CMOS sensor and bundled

EF-N 15-45mm IS STM lens also work

in tandem with DIGIC 8

image-Sometimes even a 65-inch TV won’t

do justice to your favourite shows, films or sporting events, especially when you’re all crowded around it

The solution? A projector to beam the drama onto your nearest wall

Whether you’re hosting a viewing party in your lounge or garden, BenQ’s TK800 DLP projector delivers

a 100-inch+, 8.3 million pixel, 4K 3840x2160 UHD picture, while projector-optimised HDR and 3,000 lumen brightness buddy up for premium colour and clarity Image-boosting Football and Sport modes

and outer platters are damped and isolated to remove unwanted vibration, optimising playback

With zero setup required, your hardest job will be deciding which record to drop the needle on first

T3 SAYS: McIntosh’s belt-driven MT2 could be the perfect companion to your growing vinyl collection

processing tech to boost low-light performance and add extra sheen to pictures Got some award-winning shots in the can? Nice! Transfer them from the camera straight to your phone for instant sharing

T3 SAYS: Canon’s EOS M50 is ideal for those who crave enhanced functionality and image quality

will appeal to World Cup fans, too Couple that with a CinemaMaster Audio+ 2 sound system, plus high brightness, and your home cinema

is in for a significant boost

T3 SAYS: Enjoy a supersize movie night with BenQ’s entertainment and sports-optimised projector

MCINTOSH MT2 PRECISION TURNTABLE

COOLNESSINNOVATION FEATURESTECH-O-METER

COOLNESSINNOVATION FEATURESTECH-O-METER

Prepare for the FIFA footie fest with our guide to the

best TV and living-room gear for the beautiful game

1 ICON ORIA BEAN BAG ARMCHAIR

Are you sitting comfortably?

You will be when perched on the Icon

Oria Bean Bag armchair There’s no

floundering about here, because this

bag has a high back and armrests It’s

made from waterproof fabric, which

is handy if you over-excitedly spill a

drink, or fancy taking it out into the

garden via the built-in carry handle

£85, beanbagbazaar.co.uk

2 Q ACOUSTICS M2 SOUNDBASE

Revel in stadium audio with

this powerful soundbase Just 98mm

tall, the M2 sits neatly under most

tellies, while a pair of 58x58mm BMR

(Balanced Mode Radiator) drivers

create a wide, detailed soundstage A

downfiring subwoofer adds a throaty

roar The M2’s power output is rated

at 80W, so play loud and enjoy the

beautiful game as if you were there

£299, qacoustics.co.uk

3 AUDIO-TECHNICA ATH-AR5BT

Keep it personal with

Audio-Technica’s Bluetooth ATH-AR5BT

wireless cans Combining a sleek,

lightweight over-ear design with

45mm drivers, they sound as good

as they look Battery life is rated at an

impressive 30 hours, and if you run out

of juice you can always tether with the

1.2m cable provided Partner them over

Bluetooth with the Sony XF90 TV, or

use NFC to stream matches from your

prefered smartphone app

£149, eu.audio-technica.com

4 SKY Q NEXT-GEN TV BOX

Make the most of all the football you watch with the UK’s most sophisticated TV box Slicker than an otter’s pocket, the Sky Q box can record six channels while you watch a seventh; offers accurate voice search and series linking, and has a generous 2TB hard drive All of which means it will literally be impossible to miss out

on any action from Russia

Sky Sports & Entertainment package from £18 per month, sky.co.uk

5 SONY 65-INCH KD- 65XF9005 4K HDR TV

With its full-array backlight and newly developed X-Motion Clarity image processing, this big 4K Bravia is perfectly equipped to deliver smooth fast motion and colour-rich action The XF90 also has a vibrant sports mode

to make those pitches and football jerseys pop, and its upscaling of HD content to 2160p resolution scores Its HDR performance is impressive too Connections include four 4K-ready HDMIs, plus Bluetooth for headphones

£2,299, sony.co.uk

6 LIFX BEAM SMART LIGHTING

A smart lighting system with

a difference, these strips can be stuck

to any flat surface and are controlled via Amazon Alexa, Google Home or Apple HomeKit Each kit comprises six beams and a corner, and can be set

to the colours of the team you’re supporting that match in the LIFX app

£200, uk.lifx.com

James Wright

Football fan James is gearing up to

watch the World Cup and is looking

for top tech to deliver the best

viewing experience at home He

wouldn’t might a comfy seat, either

Steve May

What T3’s AV expert Steve May

knows about football could be written on a pin, but when it comes

to display tech and immersive sound systems, he wears golden boots

We can build you…

JUNE 2018 T3 21

“Settle in for the

best tournament

experience you

can get at home!”

Matt Bolton, Editor

SAYS…

PAUL SMITH MEN’S WHITE LEATHER IVO TRAINERSAvailable in black and white with contrasting side panels, these premium Nappa leather trainers have soft and breathable linings

to get you through summer

£265, paulsmith.com/uk

LOVELESS PINSTRIPE BLAZER

A versatile all-rounder, Loveless’ lightweight cotton-blend blazer will love your entire wardrobe, playing nicely with jeans, chinos, shorts, crisp shirts and tees

£373, farfetch.com/uk

FINAMORE 1925 GAETA STRIPED LINEN SHIRT

A classic shirt design that falls loosely over the body, keeping you cool yet stylish, and seeing you from office to bar terrace

£210, matchesfashion.com

YMC TEARAWAY JEANSDig out your favourite white tee and tuck it into YMC’s cropped herringbone twill cotton jeans, pairing them with baseball boots

or espadrilles

£170, youmustcreate.com

RAG & BONE BEACH SHORT II Made from a naturally breathable blend of cotton and linen, Rag & Bone’s loosely tailored shorts will tick all of your smart-casual needs

£190, mrporter.com

THE HOTTEST TIMEPIECES RIGHT NOW

of time It’s influenced

by kinetic art, powered

by a Japanese Seiko movement and encased

in a smooth, brushed surgical steel case

¤214 (£187.14), humism.com

A limited edition run of 3,535 pieces, the Ugo Nespolo celebrates the Swatch’s 35th birthday and encapsulates the verve of one of the world’s most playful watch makers

£51, shop.swatch.com/

en_gb

A timeless addition to

Tudor’s new 1926 line,

this gorgeous piece

mixes satin-brushed

and polished steel links

with an embossed dial,

appliquéd numerals and

sword-shaped hands

£1,330, tudorwatch.com

Horizon

THE RIGHT STRIPES

Add a key summer trend to your wardrobe with vertical stripes

Tink minimal, because one vertical striped piece at a time is plenty

WHICH WATCH

For the sartorially adventurous, a Panama hat is a great

accessory to instantly enhance your personal style, especially

during warmer weather Valentino’s Rockstud luxury torquila

straw version is much cooler than traditional panamas, with a

navy leather band embellished with gunmetal studs The

moulded crown won’t stand up too high on your head, while

the grosgrain browband is slender and subtle

£625, matchesfashion.com

Style

DRESS LIKE

BRAD PITT

How to borrow our favourite demi-god and

bare-knuckle fighter’s off-duty style

MONEY

NO OBJECT

Valentino Rockstud Panama Hat

THE JACKET

Brad’s jacket adds contrast

to his fresh tonal trousers

and shoes combo For a

similar lightweight look, try

a twill or shell jacket such as

J Lindberg’s Thom Black

Shell Bomber (£205,

harveynichols.com)

THE TROUSERS

If you’re new to light

trousers, begin with G-Star’s

Bronson Tapered Chinos

Brad is known for his love

affair with Timberland

Chukkas To channel the

same footwear style, step

into Timberland’s Adventure

2.0 Cupsole Chukka boots

(£120, timberland.co.uk) in

Light Beige

Your clothes aren’t a one-size-fits-all affair, and neither

is your hair According to Denis Robinson, creative

director for Ruffians (ruffians.co.uk), an award-winning

barbershop and men’s lifestyle destination, knowing your face shape is key to discovering your ideal hairstyle

“Look at the dimensions of your face to figure out the shape, using your spread hand to give rough

measurements,” says Denis

“If your spread hand measures the same length and width, you have either a square or round face shape If the length is longer than the width, you’re oval A narrow forehead with wide cheekbones and a narrow chin is a diamond shape, while a wide forehead and narrow chin

is a heart-shaped face.”

For square face shapes, Denis recommends soft tailoring “Ask your barber for a rounder style, swept away from the face Avoid fringes and square cuts that make your face look angular Diamond face shapes work best with styles that have a good balance throughout

So if you want the sides short, keep the top short too Round faces, meanwhile, look best with angular styles.”Receding hairlines are an issue for many, but growing your hair may make this look worse “It means there’s more hair to separate in the wind and the scalp shines through,” explains Denis “Shorter hair is easier to blend, providing more volume for thinning hair.”

As for greys, the only way to truly blend them in is by using a colour that’s slightly lighter than your natural hair colour “You could also loosen up your hairstyle with a cut that has more texture, helping greys disappear into the hair for a while longer.”

FIND YOUR IDEAL

TRAVELLING

WITH DOGS

DREAM ON

Horizon

PEDAL TO THE METAL

Piloting the car of your dreams is now a thrilling reality, thanks

to hot-rod driving experiences Paul Dimery buckles up…

Few things in life match the adrenaline rush of climbing into a top-end motor and flooring the accelerator pedal Sadly most

of us can’t afford to buy a supercar, but you can still channel your inner Lewis Hamilton/

Colt Seavers via one of many amazing driving experiences now available in the UK

The holy grail for any auto fan is a race circuit, and you’ll be humming Fleetwood Mac as you pull down your visor at one of Palmer Sport’s horsepower-heavy driving events at Bedford Autodrome (£POA, palmersport.com) Book a full day and you

can redline a generous six exciting steeds,

from a Formula 3000 sprinter to a Renault Clio Cup race car

Think electric cars are for wimps? Wait ’til you try Virgin’s Tesla driving experiences (from £215, virginexperiencedays.co.uk/tesla) Gliding silently from 0-60 in under four seconds, you’ll feel like you’re driving

an atomic hoover And there’s oodles of tech

to play with, too

“Where we’re going, we don’t need

roads,” said Doc Brown in Back to the

Future, a statement that’s equally true of the Red Letter Days Off-Road Land or Range Rover Thrill (£99, redletterdays.co.uk) Saddle up inside a powerhouse motor and negotiate an hour-long course of slippery inclines, daring drops and other perilous obstacles It’s muddy awesome!

HOWLER & SCRATCH

BIG PAWS 1 CAR

BOOT PROTECTOR

Pooches love to get muddy,

which doesn’t bode well for

your car… unless you have

one of these stain-resistant

mats that boast hygiene tech

for warding off bacteria

£44.99,

howlerscratch.co.uk

KÄRCHER OC 3

PORTABLE CLEANER

Alternatively, you could swill

your pet’s dirty little paws

before they start jumping

around the car Tis portable

jet washer packs a four-litre

water tank and runs for 20

minutes off a single charge

£129.99, kaercher.com/uk

KURGO CAR

BOOSTER SEAT

Keep Fido snug and secure

during car journeys with this

clever cradle Suitable for

dogs up to 14kg, its hanging

basket means the passenger

airbag won’t go off in the

event of an accident And it’s

collapsible for easy storage

£49.99, amazon.co.uk

Nothing says ‘summer’s here’ quite like

the sounds and smells of sausages and

burgers sizzling away outdoors But

with lots of BBQs and grills for you to

choose from, you need to do your

research before buying Luckily, T3 has

made a head-start on that for you

For a cheap, travel friendly option,

try the Weber Go-Anywhere Charcoal

(£79.99, weber.com), ideal for cooking

in the garden as well as for taking on

camping trips Weber also has a

high-end kettle barbecue called the MasterTouch (£269, weber.com), renowned for its effective cooking whatever the weather is doing

If your garden tech needs to be stylish as well as hard-working, you’ll love the Fuego Element (£201.20, amazon.co.uk), a high-performance gas grill that has won awards for its looks, which makes sense considering

it was dreamed up by former Apple designer Robert Brunner

To fool your guests into thinking you’re in the Med, opt for the Verycook Plancha Simplicity 2 (£349, verycook.co.uk), a Spanish-style flat-top griddle that can cook anything and everything, including veggies and flatbreads.Meat-lover? Beef up your BBQ game with a burger press (£8, Sainsbury’s.co.uk) to make homemade patties, or pretend you’re Wolverine with a pair of Meat Shredder Claws (£4.99, Lakeland.co.uk) to make perfect pulled pork

Living

HONEYWELL HPA710WE PREMIUM

AIR PURIFIER

Rid your home of 99.97

per cent of allergens with

Honeywell’s true HEPA

allergen remover and air

purifier, built to banish

mould, dust, pet fur, smoke and other

harmful particles that can aggrevate

£375.99, honeywelluk.com

AMICOR PURE DUVET

Blended with an anti-fungal fibre, this lightweight duvet stop dust mites in their tracks It’s also antibacterial, which prevents any harmful nasties from building up and irritating your skin, giving you a fresh and healthy night’s sleep

£80, allergybestbuys.co.uk

Relieve your suffering with these allergy-busting must-haves

ANTI-ALLERGY TECH

DYSON CINETIC BIG BALL ANIMAL BAGLESS UPRIGHT

Designed for homes with furry friends, Dyson’s powerful cleaner will keep pet allergies to a minimum

by sucking up pet hair The bagless design also takes the fuss out of cleaning

£269, dyson.co.uk

HOW TO GET BBQ

READY FOR SUMMER

Home tech expert

Becca Caddy shows

you how to wow your

friends and family this

summer with the

ultimate BBQ setup

on smartphones, suitcases, laptops, wallets and sports equipment Each Bontag security sticker, label or tag has a unique ID code, along with the message “If found, go to bontag.com Reward given” Bontag will then call you (or your chosen contact) to arrange safe return of your lost gear, which you can then track Bontag also provides the reward for the good samaritan who finds your stuff

The cost of the self-adhesive labels (from £4.60, bontag.com) includes Lifetime Alerts for each individual item you stick a label or tag to

backpack with

three-in-one power bank, Bluetooth

speakers and a solar charger

It’s comfortable to wear,

sturdy, water resistant, and

designed with secret pockets

It even has a decent travel

lock to fend off pickpockets

$269 (£192), solgaard.co

ECEEN SOLAR

POWERED

FLASHLIGHT

Did you forget to pack

batteries for your torch?

Camping fail! Tat wouldn’t

happen to you if you’re

sleeping out with Eceen’s

solar flashlight, which can be

charged via the built-in solar

panel or USB cable It also has

a range of 20 metres, so no

more tripping over tent pegs

in the dark for you

is the perfect way to kick off a holiday, or

to make a work trip more pleasurable, but the price of premium travel is often enough

to make your eyes water A one-way upper class seat on a Virgin Atlantic flight from London to New York, for example, costs around £6,000, something only footballers and oligarchs can afford

However, there are ways of improving your chances of upgrading an economy class ticket For a start, frequent fliers who use the same airline and pay the full price for their ticket will inevitably be favoured if

an upgrade becomes available Travelling

on your own certainly helps, as there’s less people to upgrade to First Class, while choosing a less popular route is also a good tactic Avoiding business routes at peak times (Monday mornings and Thursday/Friday afternoons) will also increase your chances of a free upgrade You could try selecting a flight to a seaside resort during the school holidays, too, as there’ll be fewer single passengers so more chances for you

to bag that premium upgrade for nought.Alternatively, having a good reason, such

as a birthday or anniversary, can work at the check-in desk Above all, look smart and be extra polite Free upgrades don’t happen often, but when they do the complimentary champagne tastes all the better

Getting an upgrade is the holy grail of plane travel Veteran travel writer Simon Horsford has some pro tips for bagging a premium seat

VIP FOR FREE

Stay charged up whether

you’re scaling a mountain or

are deep in the bush Power’s

Traveller’s Sport 25 Solar Kit

combines a sturdy battery

pack, replete with built-in

torch, and a lightweight

Falcon 7 foldable solar panel

to soak up juice from the sun

£105, powertraveller.com/en

LOST AND FOUND

CAMPING

BEDS

KEEP FIT

Horizon

FEEL THE BURN

Want to melt fat and boost your fitness without anyone watching you? Claire Davies checks out the latest indoor exercise machineOkay, we know that spin class is brilliant for

enhancing cardiovascular health, blasting fat and burning calories But it can also be expensive, overcrowded and, well, incredibly public; some of us don’t like the thought of being eyeballed as we work ourselves into a puddle of sweat The new Bkool Smart Bike, with automatic resistance control and access to instructor-led classes, sounds ideal for those who prefer cycling away the pounds in the privacy of their own home

The Smart Bike (£1,249, store.bkool.com) works with the Bkool simulator, through which you can sign up to a range of indoor cycling classes or ride thousands of ‘real life’

routes (via the simulator’s 3D views and videos), participating in group challenges

and velodrome events Download the Bkool simulator and wirelessly pair the Smart Bike, then drop in on live classes or schedule a specific class to better suit your day

Bkool has designed the Smart Bike to automatically adjust its 1,500 different levels

of pedal resistance to best suit the effort level of your session For example, making

it realistically tough during elevation You can also control pedal resistance via the Bkool Remote Control app A quick fitness test on the Smart Bike results in personalised resistance settings, which are automatically adapted as your fitness increases You can even track stats on-screen, seeing real-time displays of power, heart rate, cadence, calories and more

COLEMAN DURAREST

DOUBLE AIRBED

Room for two? You got it with

Coleman’s nifty inflatable

airbed, designed with 32 air

springs to provide a stable yet

firm surface to sleep upon,

even if one of you tosses and

turns throughout the night

Tis comfy raised bed should

make even the most

anti-camper feel more at home

£75.99, gooutdoors.co.uk

THERM-A-REST

ULTRALITE COT

Perfect for those who don’t

like sleeping on the ground

when camping Tis folding

cot has a TermaCapture

foam lining to keep you warm

when the temperature drops,

with multiple feet providing

a sturdy base Comes in a

handy carry pack

£200, cotswoldoutdoor.com

VANGO SHANGRI-LA

15 GRANDE

Give your back a break by

settling down on Vango’s

premium, self-inflating

mat-come-airbed Te

vertical walls provide a flat,

level top designed to provide

impressive posture support

that could make all the

difference between waking

up refreshed or feeling bent

out of shape

£39.99, gooutdoors.co.uk

SEND YOUR QUESTIONS TO: INBOX@T3.COM OR FACEBOOK.COM/T3MAG

A That would depend on your preferred medium, and

what tech you’re trying to

use – chipping away at a block of

marble with the corner of an iPad

won’t get you very far If you’re a

digital artist, it’s important to get as

much control as you possibly can

A pen tablet, such as the Wacom

Intuos Pro Medium (£399) hooked

up to your computer’s USB port

offers a much more granular level

of control and adding pressure

sensitivity Better still, an iPad Pro

(£619) with an Apple Pencil (£89),

because you can draw on the

screen without the jarring

disconnect between pen and

cursor Better better still – Wacom’s Cintiq line (the £1,750 Cintiq 27QHD

is the best) is the business, and Microsoft’s painfully priced £2,999 Surface Studio, particularly if you’ve picked up the £90 Surface Dial peripheral, is probably the best draw-on-screen experience going

For more traditional media, GaGu has a few suggestions

Moleskine’s Pen+ Ellipse (£175) can translate pen sketches into digital versions which you can work on later If you want to go the other way, why not consider pointing a projector at your canvas and using

it as a guide? Something cheap like the Optoma HD143X (£500), is all you need – then it’s up to you to go town with the pencils and oils Speaking of which, there’s been

a lot of technological investment in paint hues Look at Stuart Semple’s extra-bold pigments – the really-very-black Black 2.0, made as a snipe against the exclusivity of Vantablack, and PINK, which is, er,

pink But so pink

Can tech help me make better art?

TOM GARGANO, CHESTER

A pen tablet hooked up to your computer’s USB port offers a much more granular level of control and pressure sensitivity

A GaGu’s honest advice is to try one first And not just for five minutes Strap yourself in for half an hour, weave and wobble your head around in that virtual world, and see just how quickly your brain tells your stomach that lunch is entirely optional Higher-end headsets with better refresh rates and tighter screen doors tend to make the problem less prominent, but it’s there nonetheless.

The other question is just what sort of an investment it’s going to

be, and what you’ll get out of it You’ll need a hefty computer to run good PC VR setups – is yours up to scratch? Headsets aren’t cheap, especially if you go for the full bells and whistles option of the Vive Pro (p92) The PS VR is much more affordable, but we’re still talking over £500 all-in And when you’ve got one, what’s the justification? There are some very cool and cute

‘experiences’ and games out there, but there’s not a lot we’d call essential At least not yet…

GADGET GURU’S MAGIC BOX

A GaGu’s policy of ‘don’t ask, don’t tell your Mum’ doesn’t

work for everyone – well, it

works for the progressively more

twisted mind of young GaGu Jr, but

it might not suit you Luckily there

are plenty of things that can be

done, at least to a certain extent

You could go all heavy-handed and

force their computer into lockdown

mode, giving them a restricted

user account This is reasonably

straightforward on both macOS

and Windows, but it’s also an

almighty pain in the rear end if

you’re the one who has to

administer the thing

While you’re putting your

offspring in cyber-jail, why not go

one further and install draconic

web filtering software on each

machine? These add a little system

overhead, slightly knocking

performance, so you could instead

add a filter machine between your

router and the rest of the network:

this is either prohibitively expensive,

absurdly complex, or both, so Guru probably wouldn’t bother

Luckily, the march of funspoiling technology has reached the ever more powerful domain of routers and mesh networks Installing something like Asus’ cute hole-drilled-through-it Blue Cave router (£180) gives you access to an app

in which you can administer the router’s own web filter, and adds the ability to put time limits and even speed restrictions on your kids Little Jimmy downloading a few too many of them memes?

Show him what it was like to use dial-up back in the day

Fundamentally, though, kids are clever There’s no real way to stop them – they’ll find loopholes, they’ll shoulder-surf your password, they’ll

go to Feral Cousin Hubert’s house

They’ll get in Don’t let that stop you from implementing security measures, but make sure that talking to your kids about the internet cesspool is a solution

How do I control what my

kids see online?

PETER WATSON, SWINDON

Is it worth buying a VR headset?

ANDREA ROTH, TROWBRIDGE

GaGu just had to take time out of his day

and use up precious self-promotion space

from the Magic Box to tell you about the

GoBone It’s the world’s first SmartBone

Isn’t that just fantastic? $180 worth of

rubbery electronics that you control with

your smartphone to befuddle your hound

You don’t even have to be there – you can

set it to annoy your dog on a schedule But

that doesn’t matter, because the fun will

only last until your dog destroys it Judging

by the Amazon comments, this will happen

within minutes of the Kickstarted

nonsense-machine entering its enthusiastic jaws

You may have noticed that Ol’ Lovable

Uncle Guru is a tad angry this issue It’s not

you, reader (well, it probably is a bit) but a combination of tech-related hangups The Man took back GaGu’s long-on-loan and absolutely tremendous Linksys Velop (£500) mesh networking setup, forcing your favourite curmudgeon to either cough

up and buy one for himself or put up with internet black spots He has chosen the latter option, mainly because his trusty Android handset has fallen victim to an obviously completely unrelated accident whereby it is now in two distinct pieces

But what to get? Guru’s cash allowance

is relatively small given the circumstances,

so he’s leaning towards China for his next Android – the Honor 9 Lite (£199)

is unbelievably cheap and, it seems, reasonable in terms of specs With the camera muscle of the Huawei P20 Pro (p98) out of financial reach, do we look

at the Honor 10 (price unknown as press time)? Perhaps the big-chinned Honor 9, to take advantage of about as much power as GaGu’s likely to get for £280? Who knows

You’ll know, when Guru makes his mind up

Gadget guru

ABOVE

Remember when

it was just TV ads warping kids’

minds? Ah, the good ol’ days…

You’re over-hammering the processor by playing games with no reward other than quieting voices in your head

Better: use a scarifier, basically a big spinning rake which drags the moss up and leaves the grass (mostly) unmolested There are lots

of good options: there’s the Flymo model on p84, while Bosch’s AVR

How do I fix my mossy lawn?

A White They are white Bluey-white when Guru is concentrating on answering odd questions like this one,

yellowy-white when GaGu is eating one of his three daily lunches, and orangey-white when the Guru clan are settling down for the latest

episode of Needlessly Grumpy

Detective Solves the Crimes

Sure, GaGu fiddled about with colours when he first got his Hue kit The lounge looked like the inside of a ’50s jukebox But beyond one bulb in Guru’s cinema room which goes red for a bit of pre-showing atmosphere, RGB hasn’t stuck around Maybe Hue’s new atmospheric tie-ins will bring the colour back into his life

A Come on, you can’t keep taking Guru up this road

Really You’re not stupid

You know each one of the answers

The battery is old The screen’s too bright The Wi-Fi’s constantly seeking a network it can’t find

You’re over-hammering the processor by playing pointless games with no reward other than quieting the voices in your head, which is possibly a valuable reward

on its own, Guru must admit Also, maybe there’s something using data in the background, that sort of thing Phone batteries are getting bigger, but no giant change is coming soon, so grab a battery case or pack and just keep juicing

’til you can’t no more

STEVEN WILLIAMSON, SWANSEA

ABOVE

Well, it’ll drain too quickly for sure this way…

DAVE SANDERSON, LONDON

Don’t miss another instalment of the legendary Gadget Guru!

SUBSCRIBE TODAY!

See p46

LES MANDEVILLE, HOVE

K I S S ME F IR ST

Te creator of cult Channel 4

show Skins returns with Kiss

Me First, a probably prescient

sci-fi drama about a teen who

dives into a virtual world called

Azana to escape real-life woes

HE L L B L A DE:

S EN UA’S SAC R IF IC E

Te BAFTA-winning and darkly

decadent Hellblade has just

been released on Xbox Join a

quest to the underworld and

soak up the gruesome sights

C H UC HE L

Tis PC adventure puts you in

charge of a fuzzy furball on his

journey to find a cherry Playful

and unapologetically surreal, it

feels like it’s been plucked from

the head of Terry Gilliam

NEW MEDIA

Horizon

Guru finds the finest

media you need on

your various screens

o I’m lying on the floor

in my pants, and a

paramedic is shoving a

needle in my arm while

saying to his colleague, “Ooh, that is

low Yeah, that’s not good Crikey!”

Words to that effect, anyway

Actually, the only reason I was

even wearing my pants was due to

my boyfriend thoughtfully putting

them on me before the ambulance

arrived Because while dropping

dead of a cardiac arrest might be

bad, doing so while everyone can

see your junk is just unforgiveable.

The nice man and lady in green

overalls were shooting me up with

atropine, which is an anticholinergic

and potent belladonna alkaloid

used to improve hemodynamic

stability That’s ’cos my heart had

just nearly stopped

As I was struggling onto their

wheeled ill-person-chair-thing

(I think that’s what they call it),

I did what anyone would do in that

situation: used the Slack app on my

iPhone to message the office, “Hey

guys, having heart attack, start

meeting without me :-(”

It’s fun to stay at the NHS

My phone was the only part of my

tech arsenal that I was able to bring

with me, but I did get a few new

accessories There was the needle

thing in my arm for attaching bags

of salt water and drugs to (a canula,

if you’re medically minded) and

about 500 sticky electrodes

running to an ECG

You know how people always

complain that taking your heart

rate from your wrist with wearables

isn’t very reliable? Having tried the

‘proper’ medical version of that,

it’s hardly a surprise It seemed to

involve taking electrical readings

from 37 key points, across my entire

torso How

is shining a small green light at your wrist ever going to match that for accuracy?

The funny thing was that

at the hospital they had to put an entire new set of sticky electrode things on, because the bleepy heart machines in A&E are different to the ones in an ambulance It’s like going from iPhone to Android

Later on, the ones on the cardiology ward were different

again like, I dunno, Windows Phone

Thankfully not too much like Windows Phone, as you can tell from the fact that I’m not dead

Now, I don’t think I’m breaking any news to anyone when I say that being in an NHS hospital is pretty bleak They bring you food that is literally like school dinners (though

I hadn’t had time to grab a charger

Let me tell you, nothing is more terrifying in a hospital than the fear that you may run out of battery Well, okay, maybe a few things are more terrifying, but it’s right up there At this point in any hospital anecdote it’s customary to thank the amazing staff, and I’m no exception I owe my life, or at least

my sanity, to the nurse who let me borrow her charger overnight

My other tech takeaway from my medical emergency was something that occurred to me as I was lying

on the bathroom floor thinking,

“Hang on, I can’t die here, I’m not even wearing pants!”

As part of my ‘tech lifestyle’,

I wear gadgets that check my

heart-rate every single day You

might think that the kinds of pricey, next-gen health and fitness wearables we’re talking about here would have given me some inkling

of heart stoppage in the near future Even if not at the time, at least with hindsight when looking back at the data Right? Nope, not

a dicky bird

You know, I was half expecting

an alert saying, ‘Your resting heart rate is down to 7 – that’s a sign of great fitness, keep it up!’ next to an image of a beaming cartoon clown Maybe next time…

I did what anyone would do and messaged the office, “Hey guys, having heart attack :-(”

Worse than the grub, the Wi-Fi is rubbish, and for some reason I had

to pay to watch TV, but only after midday Maybe the patients riot if

they don’t get to see Good Morning

Britain and Jeremy Kyle? Of course,

with a phone you’re never really alone, so I was fine for a while, but…

Opinion

Duncan Bell is…

not healthy

Official: the worst thing about nearly dying

and then being in hospital is the lack of tech

ULTIMATE

TECH WISHLIST

We all want the easier, better life that tech can bring, but we

each have different budgets Tat’s why T3 has picked out your

next upgrades with options for each that are a total steal, worth the spending extra on, or are a seriously luxe splurge

Words: Matt BoltonUltimate tech wishlist

Ultimate tech wishlist

Ultimate tech wishlist

OPTOMA UHZ65 Laser projector tech brings swathes of

gorgeous colours and stunningly rich black levels to projected movies, but it used to be the playground of the super-rich only Not anymore! This box is amazing, showing Ćnesse

in detail, lush HDR colour, and subtly in dark scenes The ultimate home cinema experience

£4,999, optoma.co.uk

ACER V7850

Not only will this projector bring impressive detail to your Ultra HD movies and TV, it’ll make your life easier with its real-world friendliness – it’s compact, quiet and easy to work into a setup 4K HDR viewing is lovely and, if you want to go seriously cinematic, the V7850 projects up to a whopping 300 inches

£1,999, acer.com

BENQ TK800

The most affordable truly 4K projector on

the market brings impressive brightness at

3,000 lumens, with vibrant colours to make

the most of HDR viewing It’s even got a

half-decent sound system built in, though we still

recommend adding your own speakers If you

have the space it can project up to 100 inches

£1,199, benq.co.uk

PHILIPS 43PUS6262/05

This 43-inch set is a real crowd-pleaser, packing

in not only an Ultra HD screen and HDR, but also

Ambilight for creating ambience during movie

night Image quality is excellent for the price, it’s

pretty well-featured, and it even looks the part

Total bargain

£399, philips.co.uk

SONY A1E

Sony’s ćagship 55- or 5-inch OLED TV is a class

leader The image quality is absolutely stunning,

and the picture frame-style folding stand makes

it look unlike anything else out there Even better,

innovative audio tech turns the entire screen into

a powerful speaker

From £2,479, sony.co.uk

B&O BEOVISION ECLIPSE

Part TV, part sound system, part grand design piece, the BeoVision Eclipse will elevate your entire viewing experience

The 55- or 5-inch OLED screen offers jaw-dropping images, while the 450W soundbar is more powerful than most

Ultimate tech wishlist

MARANTZ TT5005

A perfect entry into vinyl, whether you’re new or digging back in The compact Marantz TT5005 comes with a cartridge and doesn’t need a separate phono pre-amp Clumsy types will love how the tone-arm moves itself onto and off the record automatically The audio quality is nothing

to be sniffed at, either £99, marantz.co.uk

AUDIO-TECHNICA AT-LP5 Getting serious about your vinyl? This stylish

turntable is built like a battleship, comes with a

high-performance cartridge, and has a J-shaped

tone-arm to reduce any tracking errors The

AT-LP5 is well-connected, too, with line or phono

outputs, plus a USB port for digitising your

favourite wax £329, eu.audio-technica.com

VPI PRIME SCOUT

Give your records the VIP treatment they deserve Perching a massive, revolving slab of aluminium on top of a hefty slab of steel-plated MDF, the Prime Scout offers epic stability and acoustic damping, along with a Tećon bearing to keep the sound totally accurate The results are

truly incredible £2,650, renaissanceaudio.co.uk

APPLE HOMEPOD This is the best speaker

we’ve ever heard for its size, thanks to some seriously advanced tech inside But it also comes equipped with Siri for smart home control and other queries, as well as AirPlay connectivity, so you can play anything to it from

an Apple device (You will need Apple gear to use it.)

£319, apple.com/uk

WHARFEDALE DIAMOND 11.1 Want a classic hi-Ć experience without

breaking the bank? Look no further than the Diamond 11.1 Wharfedale has infused these bookshelf speakers – best positioned close to a rear wall – with advanced features whilst keeping the price down The result is a robust performance, bringing a glorious mid-range and impressive textures

a great set of speakers itself and can be part of a multi-room system, with music played through Alexa or the excellent Sonos app

£199, sonos.com

BOWERS & WILKINS 707 S2

B&W engineering prowess is obvious

in these small speakers that pack a big, expansive sound The Ćnely Ćnished boxes pack a carbon and aluminium tweeter that’s brilliantly detailed, while the bass sounds like it’s from a much bigger speaker It’s all balanced and composed to perfection, and that quality still holds when things get loud

£799, bowers-wilkins.co.uk

GOOGLE HOME MINI

A complete smart speaker

in a teeny package Google’s

decor-friendly fabric styling

comes in several colours,

and though it’s not much

of a music masterpiece it’s

perfect for asking Google

Assistant for recipe advice

in the kitchen, or for local

trafĆc updates when you’re

getting ready for work

£49, store.google.com

KEF LS50 WIRELESS

The non-wireless LS50s are already among the best speakers on the planet, but this version is smart KEF’s Uni-4 drivers provide incredible sound and precision (thanks to a design where the tweeter and woofer are mounted at the same point), but, cleverly, built-in ampliĆers and Wi-Fi mean the speakers become a hi-Ć system all on their own

£1,999, uk.kef.com

SPEND SPEND

SPLURGE

SPLURGE

STEAL STEAL

SMART SPEAKERS

TURNTABLES

BOOKSHELF SPEAKERS

STEAL

SPLURGE SPEND

Ultimate tech wishlist

NOKIA STEEL

Nokia’s movement-tracking watch gets

the most important thing right by being

a serious looker The simple tones and

minimalist design are super-stylish,

and when you throw in steps tracking

(reported on the dial) and sleep

tracking, plus an eight-month battery

life, you get an affordable and reliable

addition to your wrist

£119, health.nokia.com

MONDAINE HELVETICA

NO1 REGULAR

Mondaine makes beautiful modernist

watches, but this smart model adds

activity and sleep tracking, as well as

notiĆcations, to your fashion timepiece

Letters are mixed among the numbers

– when you get a phone call, the hands

spin to ‘T’ before returning to normal

Two-year battery life is a boon

£650, mondaine.com

FREDERIQUE CONSTANT

HYBRID MANUFACTURE

This Ćnely crafted watch is powered

by a custom hybrid calibre that

incorporates smartwatch functions –

activity tracking, sleep tracking,

time-zone tracking and a coach – into one

unit, then adds analytics for the calibre

on top so that you can use the app to

track its mechanical precision

£1,968, frederiqueconstant.com

B&W PX WIRELESS

About as technologically advanced as headphones get That amazing Bowers

& Wilkins sound is mixed with class-leading adaptive noise cancellation, along with other additions such as sensors that pause the music when you lift a cup, and a giant 22-hour battery life

£329, bowers-wilkins.co.uk

AKG N60NC Mid-range excellence is

yours with these brilliant cans The audio is really strong, Ćnely balanced and full of detail, and the noise cancellation is excellent

They stave off the outside just as well as headphones twice the price Bonus:

they’re compact for travel

£137.99, sony.co.uk

MARLEY POSITIVE VIBRATION 2 WIRELESS These headphones sound

much more natural and expressive than you would expect for the price – they don’t use heavy bass to hide poor quality, because they’re pretty damn great Battery life and comfort are ace, too

Whether you run, swim or cycle, TomTom’s wearable offers GPS tracking,coaching and storage for 500 songs

length and more

£399, garmin.com

STEAL

SPEND

of juice you can always tether with the

1.2m cable provided Partner them over

Bluetooth with the Sony XF90 TV, or

use NFC to stream matches from your

prefered smartphone... at T3, we like to celebrate the best of the best

when it comes to tech, and that tends to mean products with all the fanciest features and elaborate extras But the top-tier... Something cheap like the Optoma HD143X (? ?500 ), is all you need – then it’s up to you to go town with the pencils and oils Speaking of which, there’s been

a lot of technological investment