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
Sony's XF90 TV
EBIKES:
WHAT
TO BUY & TECH
EXPLAINED
FITBIT
FIGHTS
BACK
PLUS!
SMART HOME
GARDEN GEAR
HOT!
TESTED
VIVE PRO
High-res VR will
blow your mind
GADGETS
TO
b)
I
;
YOUR
GOL
)
GAME
HUAWEI P20 PRO: A TRI-CAMERA WONDER
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.
From $39 (£27.64), shopmoment.com
M OM E N T F I L M M A K E R
C O L L E C T I O N
J U N E 2 0 1 8 T3 3
STARRING ROLE
Meet the team
4 T3 J U N E 2 0 1 8 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 WESTBROOK Operations Editor Since 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 HART Product & 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.com Duncan 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)
Get in touch to see what T3
can do for your brand!
T3 is currently licensed
worldwide, from Australia
to Mexico
HOW TO LICENSE T3 Interested in publishing a licensed version of T3 in your territory? Please direct enquiries to T3’s Senior Licensing
& Syndication Manager, Matt Ellis (matt.ellis@futurenet.com; COMMERCIAL DIRECTOR
ADAM GILSENAN
+44 (0)1225 687144
ADVERTISING DIRECTOR RICHARD HEMMINGS richard.hemmings@futurenet.com,
+44 (0)1225 687615
ACCOUNT DIRECTOR 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 BALLARD Production 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
VISIT T3.COM
We’ve overhauled T3.com – the best site for gadget news and reviews now has a
great new look and is fully responsive, enabling you to enjoy it on any device. CONTACT T3
General email: inbox@t3.com
Subscriptions: contact@
Welcome
J U N E 2 0 1 8 T3 5
T3
’S MISSION
OUR AWARDS
Editor’s letter
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
ć
exibility. 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
Ć
gure 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 @matthewbboltonOur 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
Contents
6 T3J U N E 2 0 1 8
Contents
012
TOP 10
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 andyou’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 bike030
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
Contents
8 T3J U N E 2 0 1 8
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 you066
LIVING SMARTER
Stay cool and cut your electricity billby linking a window sensor to a fan
092
HTC VIVE PRO
Next-gen VR has landed, but is it worth the mega price tag HTC wantsto charge us? And… is it actually wireless? We strap on the Vive Pro and venture into VR lands unknown
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
gym to Ćnd out
098
HUAWEI P20 PRO
Your phone has a dual camera system,huh? Well, Huawei’s new premium handset has three. So there. Does it
make one jot of difference, though? 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
inbthe T3 backpack
102
APPLE iPAD 9.7
We get our hands on the new-but-not-really tablet from Apple and Ćnd out whether it’s the mid-range masterHOME
Get match ready for the FIFA World Cup 2018 with Optoma’s new Ultra HD projector, perfect for bringing the stadium home
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
Horizon
1 2 T3 J U N E 2 0 1 8
SONY
XPERIA XZ2
PREMIUM
£TBC, sonymobile.comSmartphone 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 Davies
The best new tech heading your way
“Sony has always led
the way in cameras and
screens, so this looks
absolutely fantastic.”
Matt Bolton, EditorTop 10
J U N E 2 0 1 8 T3 1 3
FEEL THE FORCE The XZ2 Premium’s 4K
HDR display, Dynamic Vibration System and S-Force surround-sound speakers combine to create an immersive and engaging experience, whether you’re gaming on the go or watching a Hollywood epic
SHOT IN THE DARK
Horizon
14 T3 J U N E 2 0 1 8
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
£699, denon.co.uk
Ultra-thin TVs may look the business, but audio can be an afterthought, so a capable soundbar is a no-brainer if you want cinematic sound. Denon has embraced high-res audio playback and Alexa voice control for the new 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
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.
TECH-O-METER
y©̰Ĝ
̸ƶɔȂ
ÃĜȋ ƜƶƜĜƣȋ
ƵȊُ¨ųƛěƛƵȁ̺ǧÜƵƛ
ƶɔȂ ȂĜƑź©ÃƑĜ ÝƶƜǗ©ƣźƶƣ ľƶȂ Ĝ̶Ȃ©ƶȂĂźƣ©Ȃ̸ ƜƶƜĜƣȋǨ
Horizon
1 6 T3 J U N E 2 0 1 8
HUBLOT BIG BANG
REFEREE 2018
WORLD CUP RUSSIA
$5,200 (£3,698), hublot.com
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 Assistant-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 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
Top 10
SONY XAV-AX205DB
£500, sony.co.ukWith 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.
TECH-O-METER
ƶȋůźÃ© y Ȃ©ƣȋTĜƜƶȂ̸
Œ ƶƣśƑĜ
y©̰Ĝ
̸ƶɔȂ
ÃĜȋ ƜƶƜĜƣȋ
ƵȊُ¨ųƛěƛƵȁ̺ǧÜƵƛ
Horizon
Top 10
1 8 T3 J U N E 2 0 1 8
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
£4,495, mcintoshlabs.com
CANON EOS M50
£649.99, store.canon.co.uk
BENQ HOME ENTERTAINMENT
TK800 DLP PROJECTOR
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.
A WORLD CUP
TV SETUP
WE CAN BUILD YOU...
Horizon
2 0 T3 J U N E 2 0 1 8
We can build you…
J U N E 2 0 1 8 T3 2 1
“Settle in for the
best tournament
experience you
can get at home!”
Matt Bolton, Editor
PAUL SMITH MEN’S WHITE LEATHER IVO TRAINERS
Available 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 JEANS
Dig 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
HUMISM GEIST
SWATCH UGO
NESPOLO
TUDOR 1926
41MM STEEL CASE
SILVER DIAL
Reconceiving the watch’s purpose, Geist represents the fluidity 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
2 2 T3 J U N E 2 0 1 8
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
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
J U N E 2 0 1 8 T3 2 3
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 (£80, asos.com) in Dune or Carhatt’s WIP Master Pant (£75, carhartt-wip.com/en) in Sandy Desert.
THE BOOTS
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
HAIRCUT
Claire Davies speaks to a leading men’s
stylist to learn about the best haircuts
TRAVELLING
WITH DOGS
DREAM ON
Horizon
2 4 T3 J U N E 2 0 1 8
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.
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
J U N E 2 0 1 8 T3 2 5
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
SOLAR-POWERED
TRAVEL
GADGETS
Paranoid about losing your possessions? Bontag has the solution with its wide selection of arty trackable stickers, tags and labels that can be used 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.
SOLGAARD
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.
£29.99, amazon.co.uk
Horizon
2 6 T3 J U N E 2 0 1 8
INCREASE YOUR ODDS OF
FLYING FIRST CLASS FOR FREE
Sick of losing your tech when travelling? A new digital lost
property service is here to keep tabs on your stuff
So you want to turn left when you get on the plane rather than being stuck at the back? Yeah, us too. Lounging in first class 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
CAMPING
BEDS
KEEP FIT
Horizon
2 8 T3 J U N E 2 0 1 8
FEEL THE BURN
Want to melt fat and boost your fitness without anyone watching
you? Claire Davies checks out the latest indoor exercise machine
Okay, 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.
SEND YOUR QUESTIONS TO:
INBOX@T3.COM
OR
FACEBOOK.COM/T3MAG
IL
L
U
ST
R
A
T
IONS
: ST
E
P
H
E
N
KE
L
L
Y
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 andcursor. 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
Horizon
3 0 T3 J U N E 2 0 1 8
T3
’s artiste en résidence sketches
out a more beautiful world for you
GADGET GURU
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
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
J U N E 2 0 1 8 T3 3 1
ABOVE
You’re over-hammering the
processor by playing games
with no reward other than
quieting voices in your head
NOW PLAYING
A
Traditionally, Guru would send an underling out on the first dry day of the year to hack his lawn down with a lawnmower, dragging all the moss up with it and necessitating a bag change every six feet. This does tend to anger the grass (and the child) somewhat, though.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 1100 (£180) is a combination of a ‘verticutter’ and a lawn rake, so it’ll chop up your moss and collect it. The petrol-powered Al-Ko Comfort 38P (£350) is for big jobs.
What colour are
your lights?
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
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.
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 :-(”
S
this might depend on your school), and it’s full of sick people, weirdly. Because it was the cardio ward, they were frequently very, very fat sick people, despite the food.
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
J U N E 2 0 1 8 T3 3 3
Duncan Bell is…
not healthy
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 Bolton
3 6 T3 J U N E 2 0 1 8
J U N E 2 0 1 8 T3 3 7
3 8 T3 J U N E 2 0 1 8
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 standalone systems.
From £7,495, bang-olufsen.com
SPEND
SPEND
SPLURGE
SPLURGE
STEAL
4K TVS
4K PROJECTORS
J U N E 2 0 1 8 T3 3 9
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.comVPI 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 gloriousmid-range and impressive textures. £269.95, wharfedale.co.uk
SONOS ONE
We love the ćexibility this mid-size speaker provides. Amazon Alexa is built-in for answering your queries,
but the One is also part of Sonos’ system, so it’s packing
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
4 0 T3 J U N E 2 0 1 8
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 poweredby 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 soundmuch 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.
£49.99, sony.co.uk Light on price and full of helpful features for those getting into running. You’ve got GPS, heart-rate monitoring, water resistance and activity tracking. Smart coaching helps you hit your goals.
£129, polar.com
TOMTOM SPARK 3
CARDIO + MUSIC
Whether you run, swim or cycle, TomTom’s wearable offers GPS tracking,coaching and storage for 500 songs.
£189, tomtom.com
GARMIN FORERUNNER
645 MUSIC
Run better and smarter with one of the year’s most-loved GPS running watches, designed with a big battery life and heart-rate tracking. Combine it with the Running Dynamics Pod (£89) to get
next-level data, with analysis of stride length and more.
£399, garmin.com
