Innholdsfortegnelse for April 2016 i T3

FOOD ON THE GO 01 BROOKSTONE MINI OVEN As a Top Gear presenter, Matt’s going to be on the road a lot and will need something to eat. Hanging around with Chris Evans will put him off Ginger Nuts for good, so we suggest the Brookstone Mini Oven. Plugging into a 24V cigarette lighter, this two-litre device will warm soups, frozen meals and sandwiches in seconds. And considering he might be driving a supercar, it’ll literally be ‘fast food’ (I’ll get me coat). £POA, brookstone.co.uk LIFE IN THE FAST LANE 02 PORSCHE 911 CARRERA Who could forget the Friends episode where Joey found the keys to a Porsche and pretended the car was his to impress the ladies (which was actually a pile of boxes under a sheet)? Well, we…

As a kind of tech dilettante – a pontificator on all things, specialist in none, if you will – I get to go to a wider range of events than most. This month, it was The Bristol Show. Or, to give it its full title, Sound & Vision: The Bristol Show. Or, to give it its real title: The Bristol Show For Men Who Like Hi-Fi And Have A Paunch, Often An Ill-Advised Beard, And Are Mainly Bald. They couldn’t find a poster printer that could make that fit onto a sheet of A3, so they use ‘The Bristol Show’. Now, I like sneering at middle-aged, white blokes as much as the next hipster, but fact is, it’s a cool event. You remember Life On Mars, the TV show where…

WHAT IS IT, GAGU? It’s a lunch box, reader. A cloyingly hip lunch box. A lunch box with its own app. A lunch box that costs $70 (around £50). You can put your lunch in it. SO WHAT’S NEW? It doesn’t have a picture of the A-Team on it, that’s for sure. But GaGu has calmed down a bit from the £50 lunch box revelation now, so here’s the real deal: it’s a cleverly designed unfolding wooden case with modular food containers inside, magnetic cutlery or chopsticks, a wipe-clean eating mat and an app packed with calorie-conscious eating plans and ubiquitous social features. Yep, you’re encouraged to take pictures of your lunch. Extra investment gets you more airtight containers, so you can get your lunch up together days in advance,…

1 KEYLESS ENTRY Your keys need never leave your pocket. Tug the door handle and the car unlocks when it senses your keys; climb inside and you need only press the start/stop button to get going. You’ll soon wonder how you ever lived without it. £365, volkswagen.co.uk 2 PARK ASSIST Press a button and the GTE automatically scans for parallel parking spaces. It alerts the driver when it finds one – follow the prompts on the dashboard, and you just man the gears and pedals while it twirls the wheel. £150, volkswagen.co.uk 3 REAR-VIEW CAMERA The camera automatically swivels up from beneath the rear VW badge when you select reverse, so it’s kept hidden and clean during normal driving. A crisp image is displayed on the touchscreen, so there are…

Nest Learning Thermostat THREE GENERATIONS ON, THE NEST REMAINS THE MOST LUSTED-AFTER SMART-HOME GADGET £249 (INC. INSTALLATION), NEST.COM DESIGN Nest made thermostats desirable, and the simple, Apple-esque design still turns heads. It looks gorgeous, the screen is pin-sharp and the dial action luxurious. Face it, even without its energy-saving superbrain you‘d still want one. FEATURES As well as app control, the Nest uses a motion detector, temperature sensors and a humidity gauge to learn when you’re home and how warm you like things. It then creates a heating schedule which should mean no more manual adjustment. PERFORMANCE Aside from the odd manual tweak to help the learning process along, it works effortlessly. The app is slick, it rarely overheats or leaves us chilly, and if you’ve never had a timed…

Get involved We’d love to know about any tech you’ve bought. Tell us about it at inbox@t3.com – and please include a pic of yourself Iron Maiden/Onkyo ED-PH0N3S REVIEWED BY JAMES HOWSON FROM NORWICH £199, MAIDENAUDIO.COM Why I bought them I’ve been a huge Iron Maiden fan since the Eighties – my favourite gig of all time was their Monsters of Rock headline act in 1988. So when I heard that Onkyo was launching a pair of Maiden-themed cans, designed in collaboration with co-founder, bassist and co-producer Steve Harris, I was onto them like a rash. What I like about them They’re the coolest things ever! Emblazoned with an illustration of Eddie – Maiden’s mascot – they leave no one in any doubt that you’re a full-on metalhead. But they…

LIFE IS STRANGE There may be some freak weather raging away elsewhere, but that doesn’t faze LIS lead Max Caulfield as she gently navigates the minefield that is highschool life and recreational time travel. £24.99; PC, PS3, PS4, Xbox One, Xbox 360 GONE HOME Gone Home tasks you with strolling around a house to uncover the secrets and lies of its occupants. Deeply affecting and beautifully paced. £12.99; PC EVERYBODY’S GONE TO THE RAPTURE EGTTR manages to create a quaint English village in all its photorealistic glory. Your walking pace is locked in as you explore its eerily quiet streets. £15.99; PS4 MONUMENT VALLEY They may look starkly different, but Monument Valley has a great deal in common with The Witness – namely, devilish puzzles served chilled. £2.99; Android, iOS…

This is Primal Scream’s 11th studio album – and one of their most schizophrenic to date. It all starts with Trippin On Your Love, a song so vintage-sounding it could’ve featured on Screamadelica. And it’s on tracks like this where Scream’s influence on bands such as Kasabian seems so blindingly obvious. The nostalgia continues on (Feeling Like A) Demon Again, an Eighties-pop-electronica number that sounds like the comedown track to 2000’s XTRMNTR. That laidback vibe is echoed on I Can Change. Four tracks in and we want Bobby Gillespie to get his dancing shoes on, and he does (kinda) with 100% Nothing, but this soon segues into Private Wars, a mandolin-led beauty. Where The Light Gets In, When The Blackout Meets The Fallout and Carnival Of Fools, with its four-to-the-floor…

IF YOU’RE LOOKING FOR THE VERY BEST TECH AVAILABLE TODAY, YOU’VE DEFINITELY COME TO THE RIGHT PLACE. T3 Elite is the best gadget-buying guide you’ll ever encounter. To create it, we’ve ruthlessly filtered all the categories that count, to bring you rock-solid recommendations. We’ve selected a Super Six of elite gear for each of the categories listed below. If something’s not included, we don’t rate it – it’s that simple. Each Super Six is ranked in order, and the number-one product makes it into The Elite (p118), which is our pick of the 12 best products you can buy today. To make your next purchase as straightforward as possible, we’ve also included useful buying advice, and highlighted the hottest gear you can get for £100 and under. Stay up to…

Smartphones 01 SAMSUNG GALAXY S6 EDGE/EDGE+ www.samsung.com PRICE FROM £760 TESTED T3 243 As well as that gorgeous ‘infinity pool’ build, you get a top camera and a pin-sharp QHD display. The Edge+ is a 5.7-inch beauty. T3 SAYS We love the glass-and-metal body, stunning screen and fantastic camera. 02 APPLE iPHONE 6S/6S PLUS www.apple.com/uk PRICE FROM £539 TESTED T3 249 The best iPhone ever, now with 3D Touch technology, a beefed-up 12MP camera with 4K video, and added processor power. T3 SAYS The best iPhone ever made – it’ll make you consider giving up your Android. 03 HUAWEI GOOGLE NEXUS 6P consumer.huawei.com PRICE £449 TESTED T3 251 Huawei’s super-sized phone offers an incredible package – a 5.7-inch AMOLED screen, a brilliant camera and Android 6.0 Marshmallow – all for…

Core M series Intel’s best ratio of CPU muscle to power/heat efficiency comes in the form of the Skylake-based Core M3, M5 and M7, which can be found in passively cooled systems like the Surface Pro 4 tablet and offer genuinely good results. They’re a system-on-chip design, which means the processor you choose will have Intel’s HD Graphics system on board –don’t expect high-end visuals, but it’ll get the job done. Core i series The most recent sixth-gen update to the Core i3/i5/i7 brings the Skylake architecture to Intel’s ultra-low-voltage chip package. Again, it’s an SoC with integrated graphics, although as it’s generally used in ‘proper’ laptops, you’ll often find a bit of additional pixelpushing power added in. Even the bog-standard sixth-gen i3 offers power similar to the fifthgen mid-range…

Home audio 01 B&W ZEPPELIN WIRELESS www.bowers-wilkins.co.uk PRICE From £499 TESTED T3 253 The first Zeppelin launched nine years ago, and style-wise it’s hardly changed, but why mess with perfection? The latest version now streams aplenty and sounds heavenly. T3 SAYS A classic, now with a modern twist. 02 HEOS BY DENON www.denon.co.uk PRICE From £199 TESTED T3 245 With its unique design, great audio performance and affordable price tag, HEOS by Denon is the system of choice for multi-room audio in the home. T3 SAYS Upgrade your home audio experience with great sound in any room. 03 ACOUSTIC RESEARCH M2 www.acoustic-research.com PRICE £900 TESTED T3 246 A portable high-res player that boasts incredible sound, support for all file formats, and stylish looks. The Androidpowered five-inch screen is a bonus.…

Stick to auto If your quadcopter comes with a manual setting, it’s tempting to get cocky and take full control straightaway. Don’t. Switching off all the flying aids that automatic mode offers is a sure-fire way of sending your precious aircraft groundward. Spend time practising your technique before building yourself up to those stick-flicking rolls and loops. Speaking of which… Go light Up. Down. Left. Right. Keep it simple and go as light as possible on the controls. Practise making fine movements, gaining and reducing altitude slowly and carefully, and most importantly get the hang of hovering at around 4-5 feet off the ground. Going heavy and whacking a stick all the way to one side will inevitably end up with your ’copter spiralling out of control. Consider conditions You…

Rob Carney EDITOR Rob’s been beavering away on the annual T3 Hot 100 this issue. After months of research and collaboration with key contributors from the likes of Techradar, the list is complete. See p44. Claire Davies ASSISTANT EDITOR We’re worried about Claire. This month, she’s been losing her mind over the new Witti Beddi alarm clock (p20) and babbling about how she needs one now! Seriously. It’s. An. Alarm. Clock. Dan Grabham EDITOR, T3.COM Dan’s now back from Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, where he fondled the Galaxy S7 Edge, LG G5 and Xperia X. He’s after an HTC Vive (p12), too, but he’ll need a bigger house before he can use it. Nick Odantzis DEPUTY EDITOR Nick’s so into home security, he’s installed a Nest Cam in every…

This is so cute, T3. What is it exactly? You’re looking at the new activity and sleep tracker from Withings. When worn without the included wristband, the Go looks like a funky fob watch that you can clip onto your clothing or carry in your pocket. This colourful gizmo automatically recognises a variety of daily activities (ie, running and walking), and tracks steps taken, calories burned and distance covered. Plus it’ll nose into your sleep routine. Don’t mean to be rude, but it looks pretty basic. The Go was never designed to compete with flashier trackers, but it’s ideal for newcomers, for those on a budget, and for relaxed gym-goers who want easy-to-digest stats, not a constant barrage of intense biometrics. So I won’t have to fiddle with buttons? Nope…

THE READER Katy McDonald The proud owner of a cat and a dog, Katy’s after some tech to keep her pets busy when she’s at work, to track ’em when they’re out, and to see which one’s clawing the sofa. THE EXPERT Chris Haslam Lifestyle-tech writer Chris has reviewed plenty of quirky gadgets for pets, including GPS trackers and indoor surveillance cameras, many with the help of his four-legged pal Roscoe. 01PITPAT A simple-yet-effective fitness monitor that clips onto any dog collar, the Pitpat uses a three-axis accelerometer to measure how much walking, running, playing and resting your four-legged friend manages. Input the breed, weight and age of your dog, and the device will calculate the optimum amount of walkies it needs. This Bluetooth 4.0 device stores over a week’s…

01 IMPROVE YOUR GAME THIS SPRING With Euro 2016 hurtling towards us, now’s the time to get into the spirit of the game and up your performance with some hightech football boots designed to increase your ball control Do you long for the skill and speed (not to mention the bank balance) of players like Mesut Özil and Ivan Rakitic? Yeah, us too! While that level of talent will remain a distant daydream for the majority of people, Adidas has developed a pair of high-tech, knitted, laceless football boots to help us mere mortals improve our ball control and speed. Set to become an iconic Adidas release, the Ace 16+ PureControl boots aren’t afraid to stand out. “We’ve taken away something that’s been present in every pair of football boots…

ANGULAR DESIGN The edgy design divides opinion here at T3. Some like the retro aesthetic, others think it looks dated and tacky Fitbit is a name that’s become synonymous with fitness trackers. So when it announced in January that it was breaking out of its comfort zone by launching a ‘smart fitness watch’ – a cross between a fitness tracker and a smartwatch – some were skeptical that it could compete with the Apple Watch and other similarly advanced wearables, and the uncertainty saw the company’s stock plummet. But is the apprehension towards this hybrid justified, or does the Blaze represent a new revolution in wearables? T3 tested one to find out… The Blaze is being sold for £159.99. That’s competitively priced against the Apple Watch, which still costs almost…

FROM £159, INVOXIA.COM Why I bought it I don’t often get a look-in when it comes to tech in our home – it’s my husband who gets to buy all the cool stuff. Then I saw this, which looked right up my street – a gadget that benefits me, but actually has something to offer the whole family. What I like about it The Triby is essentially a radio that can stick to your fridge, but it has other tricks up its sleeve. It’s an all-in-one music system, so you can also use it as a Bluetooth speaker to stream music. It may look like a toy radio, but the sound is actually great. And there’s more. Using the iOS app, you can use the Triby as a family message…

Free; App Store, Google Play Not all of us can afford to spend hours in a recording studio, so it’s a good thing there are apps such as Music Maker Jam to make sonic alchemy simple, easy and intuitive. You can choose from a huge selection of pro-recorded audio samples, ranging from meaty guitar hooks and dirty basslines to chiptune breakdowns and drum and bass beats. Choose from over 100 musical styles and link them together with a handy eightchannel mixer that’s surprisingly easy to use. You can also record your own vocals onto a separate track, which gives the whole app a much more professional feel. The app will automatically align your tracks, so your creations won’t sound like an audio nightmare. It’s easy to mix and match samples,…

01 JAMES: GIRL AT THE END OF THE WORLD Recorded at RAK Studios, James’s 14th studio album is a tapestry of inspiring, euphoric songs. The band indulge their electronica side on To My Surprise, implore us all to embrace the redemptive power of love on the Beatles-esque Nothing But Love, and have a contemplative moment on the title track. Uplifting and fun. 02 IGGY POP: POST POP DEPRESSION Produced by co-writer/guitarist Josh Homme and featuring Matt Helders (Arctic Monkeys) on drums, Iggy’s new album is brooding and sexy (listen to the swaggering Chocolate Drops). He’s on the prowl on Break Into Your Heart and gets lusty on Gardenia. The drumming is tasty, the basslines fat and the lyrics deliciously dark. 03 UNDERWORLD: BARBARA BARBARA, WE FACE A SHINING FUTURE An…

Cambridge Audio CXR120 If you’re not fussed about Atmos, DTS:X and their ilk, good news: they’re not in here. What is in here is Cambridge Audio’s finely honed audio expertise, absolutely cracking sound, and winning, lounge-centrepiece looks. £1,500, cambridgeaudio.com Marantz SR7010 There aren’t many Dolby Atmoscompatible receivers that support the full 5.1.4 experience. This nine-channel unit does that, gives you an upgrade path towards DTS:X and Auro-3D, and includes Audyssey room correction, too. £1,200, marantz.co.uk Onkyo TX-NR545 Onkyo’s second-tier unit has support for 5.1.2 Atmos, along with Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and AirPlay, all in a sweet-sounding package that doesn’t cost the earth. Native support for Spotify, TuneIn and the like is on-board, too. £280, uk.onkyo.com…

Laptops 01 DELL XPS 13 www.dell.com PRICE £1,060 TESTED N/A The XPS 13 is brilliantly designed and outperforms its rivals under the hood. The infinity display gives you the expanse of a 13.3-inch screen on an 11.9-inch laptop. T3 SAYS With its fantastic performance and build, it’ll serve you well for years to come. 02 HP SPECTRE X360 www.hp.com PRICE £849 TESTED T3 244 The X360 is powerful and has a massive 12.5-hour battery life. Its 360-degree rotating keyboard enables you to use it as a tablet or stood upright for hands-free video. T3 SAYS For a relatively modest price, you get a powerful and versatile machine. 03 ASUS ZENBOOK NX500 www.asus.com PRICE £1,699 TESTED T3 239 The diminutive NX500 boasts a stunning design, impressive power and a bright, vibrant…

Lifesum Gamifying your life is a great way to make big changes. While this won’t give you XP or ‘chieves’ (as the kids say), it does show your day’s intake of calories, water and exercise in a progress-bar format, with added motivational messages to keep you on your toes. Citymapper Citymapper tells you where to go to find the nearest bus or train to your chosen destination – it’s the quintessential publictransport app. It’ll even give your wrist a tap when you get there, though a massive jolt to wake us up might be a bit more useful… Dark Sky Why not feed your inevitable weather obsession with an at-aglance look at exactly how dreary it’s going to be in the next hour, day or week? Dark Sky even integrates…

Connected home 01 3D ROBOTICS SOLO www.3drobotics.com PRICE £979.95 TESTED T3 250 If you’re planning to use a drone for more than just skimming your neighbours’ gardens, this is the drone for you. The Solo is fast, capable and future-proof. T3 SAYS It’s expensive, but perfect if you’re serious about aerial photography. 02 NEST LEARNING THERMOSTAT www.nest.com PRICE £180 TESTED T3 242 Stylish and easy to use, this smart thermo integrates with other connected-home gadgets, and learns your heating habits. T3 SAYS Nest’s thermostat is a great first step to creating a smarter home. 03 MAGIMIX LE BLENDER www.magimix.uk.com PRICE £159 TESTED T3 252 This is a glorious-looking blender, capable of blending even the hardiest of ingredients. It can rustle up soups, smoothies and more. T3 SAYS Kitchen connoisseurs need…

This is the 11th year that T3 has published its Hot 100 – a list of the best tech, gear, gadgets and people that are the hottest things around right now. Over the last 12 months, we’ve seen so many exciting developments, so many hightech gadgets and so many amazing innovators, it was a challenge to keep our list to just 100. Still, we did it – so take a look at what became a gargantuan feature, starting on p44. Another very exciting feature this issue is Man Vs Tech (p86). Our lifestyle writer Spencer spent ages honing his driving skills on the Xbox with a full-on driving rig, before taking to Brands Hatch to see if his practice did him any good. It was bucketing it down on the…

Qb? That sounds a bit like ‘cube’. Well spotted. The Mu-so Qb is the cube-shaped baby brother of Naim’s Mu-so, a wireless music system that won T3’s Sound Award in 2015. The Mu-so Qb packs the same tech into a more compact unit, without compromising on sound or style. Can’t argue with that. So what can it do, then? You name it, the Mu-so Qb plays it. Built-in Wi-Fi lets you stream music via Apple AirPlay, Spotify Connect, TIDAL and internet radio, or it can play tracks in high resolution from PCs and other networked devices. You can even link up to five Mu-so Qb units in different rooms, and control them using Naim’s smartphone app. Digital and analogue inputs, USB and Bluetooth cater for the rest of your kit.…

Winter, eh? Goodness, GaGu’s dangliest bits have shrivelled somewhat. But short of a quick sabbatical to Australia – which Guru’s granddad suggested was quite lovely in those blood-stained letters that GaGu Sr. kept wrapped in medical plastic – there’s really only one solution: a nice new gaming laptop, all set to radiate the heat of a thousand hells directly into GaGu’s rapidly-sterilising crotch. The newly updated and hyper-gaudy Alienware 17 R3 (£2,000 for the UHD model, don’t bother with the others) is a perfect glowing statement of intent, and you can slap on an external USB-C graphic module (£250 unpopulated, plus whatever you spend on a graphics card) to further warm your room. While you’re at it, you could do worse than treating your frozen fingers to a ValueRays Heated…

100 / Smarter Who’d have thought, even a couple of years ago, that we’d be able to boil a kettle or prepare fresh coffee using our smartphones? Smarter could be seen as being one of the pioneers of the smart home with its nifty hot-drink devices. And we’ve finally seen its long-awaited Smarter Coffee Machine – very good it is, too. T3 predicts that Smarter will move out of the kitchen and into other rooms very soon. smarter.am 99 / Periscope The whole idea behind Periscope is to ‘see the world through other people’s eyes’. And it’s been a blistering success in the last year, with everyone from pro golfers to TV presenters giving you a behind-the-scenes look at their lives. The recent update adds the ability to broadcast live from your…

The A3 and the Golf might technically be siblings, but you could never mix them up. The Golf apes the GTI hot hatch with its 18-inch alloys, muscular bodykit and twin exhausts. It just swaps the ‘I’ for an ‘E’, and racy red highlights for eco blue. Inside, the GTE gets intuitive touchscreen infotainment, neatly laid-out controls and grippy sports seats with an old-school GTI tartan twist. The Golf feels modern, understated and high-quality. The Audi appears more rep turbodiesel than racy hot hatch. The wheels are an inch smaller than the VW’s, the styling less showy, the exhaust hidden like a dirty secret. Only an e-tron badge reveals the plug-in tech lurking beneath. The doors close with a thunk, and the materials are of incredibly high quality – the…

1st Volkswagen Golf GTE Price: £31,255 URL: volkswagen.co.uk T3 RATES: We love the Golf GTE’s bang-up-to-date twist on the GTI hot hatch, with its sharp exterior styling and figure-hugging sports seats. Performance is good – the GTE will stay in EV mode at impressively high speeds, and we never triggered the petrol engine unintentionally when the battery was charged. T3 SLATES: The real-world e-range is limited; it sits high on the suspension; the Golf GTI and R are cheaper, faster and more fun to drive. T3 SAYS: The GTE balances sporty looks with impressive fuel economy, good performance and an enjoyable drive. 2nd Audi A3 e-tron Price: £33,190 URL: audi.co.uk T3 RATES: The comfort, interior and neatly integrated hybrid powertrain. T3 SLATES: Anonymous design; limited e-range; not as fun to…

1 MICROSOFT XBOX ONE Multi-talented, the Xbox One was our gaming system of choice for this particular task. Not only does it enable you to play the most recent, graphicintensive games, but it’ll also come in useful for watching the brilliant documentary film Senna on repeat. £279.99, xbox.com 2 F1 2015 The latest version of the game features an updated driver line-up, modern cars and a voice-activated race engineer for info during the game. It also makes use of the new EGO engine, which greatly improves realism -the learning curve is steep but rewarding. £25.99, codemasters.com 3 GT OMEGA PRO RACING SIMULATOR Currently taking up half the floor space in my living room, this sturdy steel frame is used to mount the wheel and pedals. The seat is comfortable and…

APPLE WATCH SPORT A class-leading smartwatch that boasts amazing hardware, an attractive design, and a standout ecosystem of apps and accessories. Smarter but less fitness-focused than the Blaze. £299, apple.com MICROSOFT BAND 2 The Band 2 is packed with sensors, including a heartrate monitor and a UV sensor. The small screen can be used to display phone notifications, but the design is less than comfy. £169.99, microsoft.com MOTO 360 SPORT Packing both a heart-rate sensor and GPS, the 360 Sport is a commendable running companion. It features Android Wear, so smartphone notifications work well, but the accuracy of stats is questionable. £219, motorola.com…

ON TEST THIS MONTH THE GADGETS WE’RE LIVING AND BREATHING CLAIRE DAVIES PEBBLE TIME ROUND This chic wearable has been on my Our Gadgets wishlist for some time. I’m looking forward to spending a few months with it, and seeing how it can support my busy work schedule and social calendar. WARREN BROWN CREATIVE SOUND BLASTERX P5 As a keen gamer, I was eager to try out Creative’s new in-ears. Can they enhance the playing experience better than some of the pricier over-ear alternatives? SIMON MIDDLEWEEK ORBITSOUND A70 Last month, I gave my verdict on this flagship soundbar’s build quality and ease of use – I was impressed. This issue, I get down to the nitty gritty and see if this slim unit can play my favourite music to the…

01 VEGOURMET Want to start or maintain a vegan diet but worried it’ll be boring? This app will add a little gourmet to the mix. £3.99; App Store 02 OPENTABLE UK Browse and book tables in thousands of restaurants around the world with a few taps of your smartphone. Free; App Store, Google Play 03 FOODIE RECIPE MANAGER Manage, update and share all your favourite recipes. £2.29; App Store 04 HELLO VINO Not sure which bottle to plump for? A label scanner, wine info and dish recommendations will see you right. Free; App Store, Google Play 05 YUMMLY RECIPES & SHOPPING LIST Over a million recipes and a shoppinglist app to get everything you need. Free; App Store, Google Play 06 COCKTAIL FLOW Pick from over 600 cocktail and smoothie…

Google Camera Google’s own camera app is notable mainly for its photo-sphere feature, which lets you take 360-degree photos that you can pan your phone to explore. It can also make use of automatic HDR+ to take great photos in low light. Free; Android Manual Camera If you’re used to using a DSLR, you’ll probably be familiar with more advanced camera controls. This app brings ISO, white balance and exposure compensation to your smartphone, as long as it supports Lollipop’s Camera2 API. £2.38; Android Hyperbooth Instagram has instilled a bit of a filter culture among many budding mobile photographers, and Hyperbooth – with its vast selection of cool tools and cuttingedge looks – is the best way to pick your filters before you shoot. Free; Android…

TVs 01 PANASONIC TX-50CX802B www.panasonic.co.uk PRICE £1,799 TESTED T3 246 Incredible 4K imagery, matched to 4K services from Netflix and Amazon, plus the combination of Firefox OS and Freeview Play, make this masterpiece a dream to use. T3 SAYS As modern as screens get, this TV will future-proof your lounge. 02 SAMSUNG UE55JS9000 www.samsung.com PRICE £3,099 TESTED T3 243 This beautifully designed TV is capable of an amazing picture and clear sound. It needs its settings tweaked to get the best picture, though, and standard def looks horrid. T3 SAYS This 55-inch is amazing in Ultra HD, but also brilliant in regular HD. 03 PANASONIC TX-50AX802 www.panasonic.co.uk PRICE £1,299 TESTED T3 236 Great looks, as well as superb picture quality and motion handling. Upscaling isn’t as spectacular as other budget…

Pick your controller The majority of multi-room audio systems use their own custom mobile app to stream media files – and while the quality of these varies wildly, they all get the job done. It’s most important to look for compatibility with your favourite streaming services and apps – if you’re a Spotify user, for example, you need direct compatibility. Hi-fi fans might also consider a system with a specialised adapter to integrate existing set-ups, or one that supports Bluetooth sources. Active or passive? The majority of systems come in active packages – powered speakers that receive the signal from the multi-room system. But if you’re concerned with future upgradeability, it’s worth considering a system that enables you to wire up your own passive speakers at each node. How many…

Smartwatches 01 PEBBLE TIME STEEL www.getpebble.com PRICE £229.99 TESTED T3 249 De-throning the Apple Watch, the Pebble Time brings with it ease of use, a devastatingly funky colour interface, Android support and great battery life. T3 SAYS All the features of previous Pebble smartwatches, but even more impressive. 02 APPLE WATCH www.apple.com/uk PRICE FROM £299 TESTED T3 242 Apple’s wearable is packed with features and offers a wide range of customisation options to give you some individuality. The only real downside is the limited battery life. T3 SAYS The wearable that properly kickstarted the smartwatch revolution. 03 PEBBLE STEEL www.getpebble.com PRICE £199 TESTED T3 240 The always-on, monochrome e-ink screen might not be for everyone, but it works brilliantly, and you get up to seven days’ battery. There are loads…