Innholdsfortegnelse for May 2016 i T3

Yes, coffee! Coffee, coffee, coffeeeee! Sounds like you’ve had too much already, mate. But yes, this is a coffee machine; the first Bluetooth-enabled Nespresso machine. It’s sleek, durable and fitted with a 19-bar pressure pump. When used with the Nespresso smartphone app (Android, iOS), it’ll whip up your favourite drink while keeping an eye on your capsule stock. Good, because I’m always running out. Considering the amount you clearly put away, we’re not surprised. When the machine is paired with the Nespresso app, each time you use a capsule it’ll update your stock levels, giving you a read-out of how many precious capsules you have left. It’s a nice-looking machine. Agreed. The Prodigio can be bought on its own, or for an extra £40 you can buy the Prodigio&Milk –…

Oh, sigh, another iPhone and iPad? It must be a slow news day, T3. Actually, the reality is quite the opposite – this is pretty big news for Apple, and for us. Instead of following the ‘bigger is better’ trend that’s been so in vogue lately, these devices have been scaled down and refined, without losing any of the features of their bigger siblings. OK, that’s… intriguing. But I still get nightmares about the iPhone 5C! Calm your pessimistic self – the iPhone SE is a different beast altogether. Though small, it’s very much a premium handset (unlike the 5C), with a gorgeous metal body, a Retina Display, the same processor found in the 6s (making it super-snappy) and a 12MP iSight camera. Oh, and the four-inch screen makes it…

The House of Commons smells like shit. Or at least the bit I’m in does. Perhaps it’s the proximity of the Terrace Pavilion – a sort of uPVC conservatory nailed to the Gothic splendour of the original building circa 1983 – to the turgid, brown flow of the River Thames. Or maybe it’s the drains. But even with the pervading scent of excrement, it seems churlish to moan about being allowed into the Mother of Parliaments… so I won’t. Much. I’m here ostensibly as the guest of Nigel Evans MP, because that’s how it works; but really it’s at the behest of BAE Systems, the UK defence brand. It’s quite unlike any other techrelated event I’ve been to before, and possibly even more British than last month’s Bristol Show. BAE…

Spring has sprung, and GaGu is both back on the bike full force and cursing his postie daily: Nikola’s new Zivo Titanium High Performance Pedals (left, $399/£282) are, thanks to a flurry of early orders, taking their time reaching Guru Towers. By building in a small amount of lateral movement, they promise to be more comfortable and add a good percentage on top of your power-per-stroke to boot – not that GaGu needs any more power in his stroke, you understand. All that exercise will soon be for nowt, of course, seeing as GaGu has backed this month’s official invention of the decade on Kickstarter – the $169/£120 biem Butter Sprayer (tagline: “Your butter... sprayed”). Shove a stick of butter in the top, press a button, and you can douse…

01 THEY’LL FIT INSIDE YOUR JACKET POCKET When you take away a DSLR’s mirror mechanism, you can manufacture a much slimmer camera body. This is taken a step further with the Olympus PEN-F; it uses a smaller Micro Four Thirds sensor that sacrifices little in quality but enables super-compact camera designs small enough to fit in a jacket pocket. 02 YOU CAN STILL CHANGE LENSES Once upon a time, you needed a DSLR to get interchangeable lenses, but compact system cameras offer this same ability without the bulk. The lens choice hasn’t quite caught up with the huge range offered by Canon and Nikon DSLRs, but the gap is closing and there’s very little you can shoot with a DSLR that you can’t also capture with a CSC. 03 FULL-TIME…

01 SHOULDER BAG The Billingham Hadley Small will give you easy access and adaptable storage space – you can quickly pull out the camera insert if you want to use it as a regular bag. £139, billingham.co.uk 02 TRIPOD For night shots, macros, interiors and carefully considered landscapes, you need a good tripod. The Manfrotto Befree is designed to weigh less and fold smaller. £248, manfrotto.com 03 MEMORY CARD You need a card with enough capacity for both stills and video, and the write speeds needed for glitch-free movies. This Lexar 64Gb SDXC UHS-II card ticks all the boxes. £69, lexar.com 04 LED LAMP These offer less outright power than regular flashes but simpler use. The Metz LED-480 clips straight onto your camera’s hotshoe – or can be used handheld.…

ON TEST THIS MONTH THE GADGETS WE’RE LIVING AND BREATHING ROB CARNEY LOEWE REFERENCE 55 I’ve just had Sky Q installed, and have an Amazon Fire TV, so what better way to view all this amazing content than on a top-end 55-incher? But is this telly from the German brand worth the high asking price? CLAIRE DAVIES PEBBLE TIME ROUND Finally, I’ve found a smartwatch that, aesthetically, appeals to my personal taste. But does the Pebble Time Round have the credentials inside to match? SIMON MIDDLEWEEK ORBITSOUND A70 Orbitsound’s flagship soundbar has impressed me no end so far, being at once stylish, easy to set up and great for streaming music. In this month’s final test, I see if it cuts the mustard when watching a Hollywood action movie. PAUL…

£89.99, POLAROID.COM Why I bought it I had a Polaroid camera in the Nineties and, despite its huge, bulky size, I loved the novelty of being able to develop my photos instantly. So when my sister had her hen night in February, I thought it would be a laugh to buy another. The Snap is a much more compact, 10MP camera that comes in a variety of funky colours. What I like about it The look of the camera is fun: it’s modern and funky, and easily fits inside my handbag, something I couldn’t say about the old model. Once you’ve taken a picture, the photo comes out in less than a minute. Obviously, a camera phone is instant, but this is much more novel. What I don’t like about…

LG PF1000U Stick this unit just five inches away from your projection surface and it’ll beam out a 60-inch, 1000-lumen 1080p picture with a claimed 150,000:1 contrast ratio. Four-corner keystoning ensures that you’ll get an optimal size. $1,399 (£1,005), lg.com BenQ W2000 This doesn’t go quite as close as the LG, but it’s still suitable for the front of the room thanks to its tendegree lens shift. It’s 3D-ready, 2000 lumens and rocks BenQ’s Colorific tech, which promises accurate cinematic colour. £915, benq.eu Epson EH-TW6100 Here’s an LCD offering, perfect if you’re bothered by the rainbow effect that can be an issue with DLP projectors. 3D, 1080p, auto keystoning and a 100-inch screen from a metre away – and up to 300 inches if you have the room. £900, epson.co.uk…

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…

Rob Carney EDITOR Rob’s been getting to grips with Sky Q this month: and he loves it. Take a look at ‘My 24 hours with Sky Q’ on p92 to get more of his thoughts on what Sky is calling “the future of TV”. Nick Odantzis DEPUTY EDITOR Nick’s been hacking around the mean streets of Bristol on a rather-too-expensivefor-him-to-ever-afford electric bike in readiness for a group test of them in a future issue of T3. Claire Davies ASSISTANT EDITOR Claire’s been checking out The Gadget Show Live this month – where she’s seen a myriad of tech from smarthome solutions to the best in VR. Watch out, Rachel Riley, she’s after your job! Paul Dimery PRODUCTION EDITOR Fresh from his antics with smart kitchen tech in the March issue,…

Xeo? The guy from The Matrix? No, that’s Neo, bozo, but this wireless music system might just be The One if you want audiophile sound without all the clutter. These compact bookshelf speakers have all the amplifiers and processing built-in, so all you have to do is connect your source via Bluetooth, optical or analogue and away you go. In short, the Xeo 2 is Dynaudio’s smallest and most accessible system to date. ‘Audiophile’ and ‘wireless’ in the same sentence. Isn’t that a contradiction? Not in this case. The Xeo 2 is crammed with high-end tech, optimised to deliver a bigger, sweeter sound than you would expect from such compact cabinets. Speaker-position EQ settings tweak the sound for your room at the flick of a switch. You can also play…

£150, nike.com 01 MID-SOLE MADNESS Stand by for a jargon barrage: an ‘injected Phylon core foam’ under your foot is paired with a slightly firmer ‘injected unit sole carrier foam’ to deliver a feeling like running on marshmallows. This is not a shoe for those who prefer minimalist running; it’s all about comfort, support and energy return 02 SUPER FLY This is Nike’s patented Flyknit fabric, a sort of extruded poly-thread that’s been computerwoven into form-fitting shapes. Ultra-light, and gripping like compression wear for your foot, it’s closer to a sock than a traditional shoe upper. Despite the close fit, the upper doesn’t feel unpleasantly tight, and it’s also highly breathable, offering good ‘moisture management’ 03 SIZEABLE SOLE Looking almost like those found on platform shoes, each sole is split…

Leonardo Da Vinci once said, “He who truly knows has no occasion to shout.” It’s a pearl of wisdom that applies rather nicely to the Denon Design Series, a brand-new range of audio equipment that exudes such confidence, it doesn’t need to be big or brash. Created for serious hi-fi listeners, the Design Series draws on the sophisticated aesthetics that have made Denon one of the world’s leading manufacturers of high-quality home entertainment products. Precision engineered from aluminium and boasting a deluxe two-tone design, the three components will segue seamlessly into the most stylish of home environments. But beneath the veneer of subtle elegance, these units pack some truly dynamic, next-generation audio credentials. The DRA-100 network player is an all-in-one solution that includes built-in Wi-Fi for high-res music streaming; AirPlay;…

WHAT IS IT, GAGU? A hoverboard. Not one of those awful two-wheeled, non-hovering, Chinese-import explosion risks, but a proper, honest-to-crikey, inches-off-the-ground trouser-soiler. WHAT’S ITS USP? This is, undeniably, a board that hovers. It uses 36 electric ducted fans – each of which has its own battery – to lift up a weedier human than GaGu and fly them around. You can even control it with your smartphone, and it comes in a choice of green, blue or sexy beige. WHAT’S GOOD HERE, GAGU? Listen, bub, it’s a big, fat plank that you stand on and go flying around like Marty McFly – if Marty McFly was somehow forced to stand on something even dorkier and more dangerous than the pink thing from Back To The Future Part II. And this…

What’s on your bucket list? Scaling a mountain? Swimming with dolphins? Bungee jumping? Whatever’s on your checklist of things to do before you kick the proverbial, why not make the experience even better by combining it with the world’s greatest tech? And that’s why we’ve compiled the ultimate tech bucket list. Yes, there are amazing adventures here such as flying into space (yes, really) and driving one of the world’s fastest cars, but there’s also a raft of quirky ideas for you to add to your list – have you ever thought about getting a robot butler, for instance? Or how about going on a date with a celebrity (in your dreams, using the iWinks Lucid Dream – see p47), or even getting a ‘tech’ tattoo? Over the following pages,…

Most manufacturers have mastered the art of making big TV sets look svelte, thanks mainly to ingenious corner-cutting when it comes to backlighting technology. But as it’s going to be the centrepiece of our lounge, we like a screen to boast a little élan, too. The Hisense has a slightly budget feel to it. The screen has a thin grey bezel and stands upon two cheap-looking plastic feet. There are four HDMI inputs, plus SCART, component and AV phono inputs, and a digital optical audio output. Two of the four HDMIs (inputs 3 and 4) are HDCP 2.2-compatible, making the set fairly versatile when it comes to hooking up sources. Also on board are three USBs, one a fast 3.0 for timeshifting to an external USB HDD. Ethernet supports on-board…

1st Panasonic TX-50CX680B Price: £649 URL: www.panasonic.co.uk T3 RATES: The TX-50CX680B is proof that you don’t need to spend a mint to get a great 4K TV. Picture performance is great, and it offers full-fat catch-up plus Netflix and Amazon Instant Video in 4K. T3 SLATES: Motion resolution is limited (but at this price, that’s understandable), while audio is functional. T3 SAYS: Cleanly styled, and boasting solid image quality and both Freeview Play and Firefox OS smart platforms, the TX-50CX680B outperforms its pay grade by miles. It’s a belter of a big-screen bargain, even if you will need to invest in a soundbar. 2nd Philips 55PUT6400 Price: £629 URL: www.philips.co.uk T3 RATES: It’s capable of great UHD picture quality. T3 SLATES: A solitary HDCP 2.2-enabled HDMI limits long-term appeal. T3…

1 HTC VIVE While a 90Hz refresh rate isn’t as high as that of Sony’s PlayStation VR, the Vive’s 70 sensors make it one of the most precise VR headsets. Requiring a decent PC rig to tether to, it has its own bespoke controllers built especially for motioncontrol movement. £689, htcvive.com 2 SAMSUNG GEAR VR Developed with Oculus, this is the natural evolution of Google’s Cardboard, with the power of your Android phone utilised with the extra power of a bespoke headset. Since it doesn’t need a PC (your phone acts as a processor and display), the Gear VR is an agreeable entry-level headset. £95.99, samsung.com 3 SAMSUNG GALAXY S7 In order to use the Gear VR, you’ll need a Samsung phone, and the Galaxy S7 is the latest to…

01 CONNECT Most CSCs now have Wi-Fi built in. You can use this to transfer pics to your phone, but in most cases you can also use your phone to control the camera. When Wi-Fi is enabled on the camera, it creates a hotspot that you can connect to with your smartphone. 02 LAUNCH THE APP You’ll need to download the Wi-Fi app supplied with the CSC. This Olympus one has a live view of what the camera sees, and you can move in front of the camera to rearrange your props, all the while checking the live view to see how the composition looks. 03 CHECK SETTINGS Different apps offer different control levels. With this one, you can adjust exposure compensation, ISO and white balance. You can then tap…

Anova Precision Cooker Sous-vide cooking is a mystical art. But this Wi-Fi water heater, when combined with a suitable pot, your iPhone, and something like the Foodsaver Vacuum Sealer (£74.99), means a tender dinner is but a few screen taps away. £229, anovaculinary.com iGrill2 Say goodbye to food poisoning and hello to deliciousness with the iGrill2: using Bluetooth, a pair of food probes and optional ambient temperature sensing, you can make sure your grilling is fully optimal even from a distance. £86, idevicesinc.com Drop Scale It’s a set of kitchen scales that sends its measurements to your iOS device. Not too impressive, but the app makes it: it’s packed with recipes, and you can adjust them all automatically depending on your ingredient supplies. Tasty! £60, getdrop.com…

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…

Dali Zensor 1 This set of six-ohm monitors sound like speakers four times the price and size, with amazing bass response and a super-detailed soundstage. They come in black, white or light-walnut finishes. £199, dali-speakers.com Bose 301 Bose’s Stereo Everywhere sound-reflecting technology is said to project balanced sound wherever you are in the room. These aren’t as tiny as you might expect from Bose, however. £299, bose.com Edifier Studio 1280T Edifier’s set are self-powered, which means you can do away with that amp for additional bookshelf space. Use the dual inputs to hook up a Chromecast Audio and a 3.5mm jack cable – and try a headphone amp for better clarity. £85, edifier.com…

Photoplethysmography Or PPG for short (and, boy, are we glad there’s a short version). This first method, which the Apple Watch (and many other fitness trackers) applies when you’re really getting pumping, relies on the fact that blood soaks up green light. The LEDs on the Watch’s rear illuminate the inside of your wrist hundreds of times per second, and a photodiode detects the level of green-light absorbtion. Each spike in absorbtion represents a pulse of fresh blood passing the sensor. Infrared The Apple Watch, at least, doesn’t always stick with green LEDs, presumably as a batterysaving measure. It also applies an infrared LED at times of lower activity, taking advantage of the inverse fact: blood reflects infrared light. It’s not as accurate as the green-LED method, but it’s perfect…

Nextbase 402G With six layers of lens glass, a 140-degree viewing angle and an aperture that can automatically compensate for low-light conditions without the need for IR, Nextbase’s camera – dated though it is – offers incredible images. £150, nextbase.co.uk Transcend DrivePro 520 That crash footage is precious. Using the DrivePro 520’s built-in Wi-Fi connectivity, you can back it up to a smartphone – or your passengers can watch a live view from its dual cameras. We won’t ask why they’d want to do that. £160, uk.transcend-info.com Mio MyVue 658 This manages an impressive 2,304 x 1,296 video at 30fps and – should you be willing to leave it in your car unattended – can use its motion sensor as a parking guard, capturing footage if your car takes a…

BUY GROCERIES WITH A TAP The Samsung Family Hub gives you a clever fail-safe when out shopping, but you can also peruse the virtual aisles straight from the fridge – the in-built cameras telling you whether you’ve got way too many avocado and seaweed snaps already. At the moment, this is just for US-based MasterCard users, but hopefully UK-based fridge fans will get some Ocado love. Until then, you’ll just have to pull your finger out, sonny! CLEVER GROCERIES So you’re in the supermarket but can’t remember what you need? No worries – just fire up the phone app and you can literally see what’s inside the fridge thanks to three built-in inner cameras SUPER STICKI Forget pinning half-arsed messages to the fridge door, only for them to fall off.…

FREE GIFT with a new T3 subscription p64 When ticking off the things you want to do and the places you want to see, have you thought of the tech that could help you make the most of them? Well, we have, and in our gargantuan feature starting on p44, we bring you the ultimate tech bucket list – a combination of incredible adventures, life-changing experiences, and the gadgets and tech that’ll make them even better. Whether it’s swimming with dolphins with a Garmin Virb, building the ultimate man cave or hiring a robot butler to serve you, there’s a bucket-load (sorry) of ideas to make your life better. Take a look and begin ticking them off… Finally, I’ll point you to Man Vs Tech this issue, where I challenged…

Action cam, you say? It looks like a watch to me. The sports-cam boom continues to gather pace like Felix Baumgartner hurtling towards Earth, but many of the contenders are bulky chunks of plastic that can often over-complicate the action rather than taking a back seat and doing their job. The dust-, shock- and waterproof Frodo Action Camera is here to change that. That’s a bold claim. Dish the dirt! Let’s be honest, nobody ever does much with their action-camera footage, but the Frodo app’s killer editing functions will encourage you to get busy. Action and Calm modes stitch together your footage based on whether you want balls-out or more sedate clips. People mode tracks faces to put you and your buddies front and centre, while Genius personalises your edits…

OK, I have a confession, T3: I’m a notorious plant killer. We know, and we also know what you did to that Bonsai last summer. That’s precisely why we’re featuring Parrot’s latest gadget, a self-regulating, connected plant pot. Right. Don’t tell my wife, OK? I want to confess before you expose me. Get your hands on the Parrot Pot and you won’t need to confess anything – this gizmo is so clever, it’ll help even the likes of you to nurture plants. With over 8,000 plant varieties recognised by Parrot’s Flower Power 2 app, the Pot will know what to do with your peace lily. It’s the watering, you see. I always forget to do it. Don’t worry, the Parrot Pot has a smart irrigation system that’s designed to learn…

THE READER Andrew Perrett Andrew has racked up a few surfing lessons and bought his first board last summer. He now wants to step up his skills by getting in the water more regularly – even when it’s cold. THE EXPERT Richard Owen A regular surfer for over 20 years, Richard lives close to several North Devon surfing hotspots, so knows which gear works best when the UK’s waters are at their coldest. 01RIP CURL SEARCH GPS WATCH By tracking each surf session, Rip Curl’s watch gives you invaluable performance analysis. While the watch itself provides stats, viewing data through the Search app creates a detailed picture. It displays your time in the water, distance covered and the speed of each wave, plus your path on each wave. Need the…

01 HONE YOUR RALLYCAR GAMING SKILLS With the launch of DiRT Rally’s console edition, you can supercharge your rally-driving skills on the small screen before testing them at one of the UK’s best rally-car schools Rally-car driving is an exhilarating experience, but rarely does a game provide players with a true sense of what it’s like to sit behind the wheel of a real rally car. DiRT Rally, hitting the PS4 and Xbox One this April, does that. Boasting officially licensed World Rallycross content, plus lots of additional material since its Steam Early Access debut, DiRT Rally lets you experience the high-speed thrills of some of the world’s fastest off-road cars. “The game was brought about by my experience in the co-driver seat,” says Paul Coleman, chief game designer. “Getting…

1 GOOGLE CHROMECAST You can add the benefits of Google interactivity for just £30. Plug the Chromecast dongle into a spare HDMI port, and throw video, games and audio from your mobile. Alternatively, you can turn your TV into a picture frame. £30, www.google.com 2 APPLE TV (4TH GEN) If you’re an iOS devotee, partner your Panasonic television with the latest Apple TV. A redesigned interface and the ability to search via Siri for content across iTunes and Netflix make it the most attractive Apple TV streamer yet. From £129, www.apple.com 3 PANASONIC UB900 UHD BLU-RAY PLAYER Couple your TV with Panasonic’s first 4K Blu-ray player for the ultimate in UHD picture quality. Netflix 4K streams at 15Mbps, while 4K from disc streams at the best part of 100Mbps! The…

01 TELEPHOTO ZOOM: PANASONIC 35-100MM F/2.8 This is equivalent to a 70-200mm f/2.8 on a fullframe camera. It can be used for low-light sports, action and even portraits. £799, panasonic.co.uk 02 SUPER-WIDE ZOOM: FUJI 10-24MM F/4 This is akin to a 15-36mm lens in full-frame terms, and can take in a much wider angle of view than the standard kit lens. £679, fujifilm.co.uk 03 MACRO LENS: OLYMPUS 60MM F/2.8 The ultra-short focusing capability of this lens can capture tiny objects like insects and jewellery at huge, frame-filling sizes. £349, olympus.co.uk 04 PORTRAIT PRIME: SONY 85MM F/1.4 This brand-new lens delivers beautifully blurred backgrounds and stunning resolution, even when wide open. £1,499, sony.co.uk 05 PANCAKE PRIME: CANON 22MM F/2 This pancake prime is made to fit Canon’s EOS M cameras. It’s…

AIRDOG An autonomous alternative to the Hexo+, and another Kickstarter success. The AirDog is foldable for transportation, works with a GoPro and tracks you via a wearable tracking device rather than a smartphone. $1,599 (£1,132), airdog.com 3D ROBOTICS SOLO The Solo is a GoPro shooter with bags of power, intelligent technology and some fantastic auto-shooting/flying functions that remove the headache of needing a pilot’s skill to master. £978 (with gimbal but no camera), 3dr.com DJI PHANTOM 4 DJI has hit a home run with its latest domestic drone. ActiveTrack technology recognises the subject and will follow automatically. Groundbreaking obstacle-avoidance tech means it won’t hit anything in the process. £1,229, dji.com…

APPLE iPHONE 6S The 6s offers a premium design but lags woefully on screen quality. The 3D Touch screen has some nifty features, and iOS is still wonderfully simple, but the S7 duo beat it pound-for-pound. £539, apple.com LG G5 The LG is full of innovation. Whether it’s the dual-camera set-up on the back, or the removable battery that gives life to extra accessories, this metal-clad device is something different from Samsung’s rival. £529, lg.com SONY XPERIA Z5 PREMIUM A 4K screen on a mobile phone? That’s what you’re getting here. It’s a phablet with a powerful camera and water-resistant smarts. It’s a touch big, but it’s a real powerhouse too. £550, sonymobile.com…

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 Fossil Q Founder REVIEWED BY IAN HUGHES FROM TELFORD FROM £279, FOSSIL.COM Why I bought it Argh… I said I’d never jump on the smartwatch bandwagon, but I have. My wife wanted to buy me a watch for my 40th birthday, so I started browsing the Fossil website, as I’ve always been a fan of its stuff. I didn’t even know the company made a smartwatch until I spotted the Q Founder – I guess the fact that it’s a lesser-known smartwatch made it more appealing to me. I hate following trends, and everyone seems to have an Apple or Pebble. What I like about…

ASSASSIN’S CREED SYNDICATE Silly ancestral DNA-hopping story aside, Syndicate’s beautifully detailed recreation of Victorian London makes the game a must for history lovers. £29.99; PC, PS4, Xbox One NAPOLEON: TOTAL WAR Another top entry in Creative Assembly’s PC-based RTS series. Follow the military career of Napoleon Bonaparte as he bulldozes his way across Europe. £14.99; PC THE OREGON TRAIL The original survival simulator, The Oregon Trail tasks you with surviving the long road across the American Frontier. You will die of dysentery, a lot. Free; PC DARKEST OF DAYS This time-travelling shooter might’ve received a mixed reception from critics but, with its (mostly) faithful recreations of historical battles, it’s still worth a punt. £14.99; PC, Xbox 360…

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…

Origin EON17-X Origin’s mobile flagship is all about the options: add to its overclocked Core i7 desktop CPU with anything up to a GeForce GTX 980M, a 4K screen, a custom paint job, and a max 64GB of DDR4 RAM for absolutely absurd performance. From $2,499 (£1,786), originpc.com MSI GT80 Titan Stretching the definition of ‘laptop’ somewhat is this 18.4-inch monster, fully equipped with a Core i7, 32GB RAM, 256GB SSD space, an additional 1TB hard drive and, oh, two Nvidia GTX 980M cards running in SLI mode. Ridiculous. £3,795, msi.com HP Pavilion 15-ak002na When buying a gaming laptop, it’s hard to avoid the temptation to hit your credit card hard. This understated but still-capable Core i5/GTX 950M package proves you can get good gaming for your buck, if not…

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 model 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 Hi-Res player that boasts incredible sound, support for all file formats, and stylish looks. The Androidpowered five-inch screen is a bonus.…

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…

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…