Table of contents for March 1, 2015 in Stuff UK

...to a magazine that looks like it’s about the future, but is actually about things that have been around for ages. Podcasts, for example – remember them? – have been quietly heating up over the past decade, adding listeners here and there, until suddenly you realise everyone in your train carriage is listening to Serial and podcasts are more popular than respiration. How did that happen? Go to p67 to find out. Of course, podcasts are as fresh as a newly-sprouted daisy compared to electric cars. A century ago, Henry Ford’s wife Clara refused to drive one of her husband’s gas-guzzling Model Ts, preferring her Detroit Electric, but the processors and batteries and flux capacitors needed to get the vehicles of tomorrow on the road have finally arrived, and it’s…

£1800 / bang-olufsen.com Would you mind explaining what this is? Okey-dokey. But we’ll start with what this isn’t. The BeoSound Moment is not a speaker. You’ll need one of Bang & Olufsen’s wired or wireless active speaker systems to get it to put any noise in your noiseholes. What this is, though, is an ‘intelligent’ wireless music controller. It’ll choose music – from your network-attached storage, from your mobile device or via Deezer’s online service – and it’ll play it. Intelligently. OK, I’ll bite. What’s the ‘intelligent’ story? It has ‘PatternPlay’, which B&O claims will learn what music or radio stations you play at certain times of day. Press that pretty wooden button on the controller and it should play something you’re ready to hear. If not, you just lift…

1 Unicorn Mask You are Derek. You have a love of the fanciful, yet only just cleaned the blood off your horn after yet another person in your local made the ‘long face’ joke. You are the occasional stunt double for Bjorn of the vastly popular puzzle game, Peggle. £10 / red5.com 2 Skull Mask You are Frank. Whilst laboriously cutting, folding and taping the angular masks you obsessively download, print out and make, you often ponder the merits of humans having so many different types of screw head. Surely flathead should be phased out. £4.50 / wintercroft.com 3 Zombie Mask You are Basil. Certain things have changed in your life since your partner left. For one thing, she took all the make-up with her. But that’s led to you…

FOR HEALTH POINTS ● Earthmiles Endorphins and a non-embarrassing waist size are good rewards for exercising, but what if you want a monetary incentive too? Enter Earthmiles. It connects to fitness trackers such as Strava, converts your workouts into points, then gives you a list of health-conscious places to redeem them. It’s a great idea, but our ‘rewards’ weren’t any better than sweat-free offers from Groupon. If they sign up some better partners, it could be a winner. Stuff says £free / iOS, Android FOR LAZINESS GUILT ● Google Fit As the big G’s rival to Apple’s Health Kit, this app aims to track all your fitness-related activities on your Android. It does a pretty good job, although testing this over Christmas led to some pretty sad stats, with a…

■ Its design won’t get your heart racing as the shiny circular body of the Moto 360 might, but the SmartWatch 3 isn’t ugly – just plain and inoffensive. The adjustable strap is comfortable and the metal clasp is sturdy. Sadly, you can’t use standard watch straps with it – you’re stuck with Sony’s. ■ The SmartWatch 3’s biggest disappointment is its screen. While it’s as sharp as its other Android Wear rivals, it can’t hold a candle to the deep blacks of the LG G Watch R, and colours appear washed out, with yellowish whites. ■ There’s no lack of power, though. The 1.2GHz quad-core processor runs the latest version of Android Wear without any lag or stutter. Speaking of which… ■ Android Wear 5.0.1 Lollipop brings a host…

When I was eight I was given a microscope for Christmas – and so began a fascination with nature’s hidden details. I would examine leaves and bugs and bits of food, thrilling at the intricacy; but with only my memory to preserve the images, the details faded. It wasn’t until I discovered macro photography 25 years later that I was able to record and share the beautiful world of the very small. And that’s when I got really obsessed… So what is macro photography? Well, officially, it means any shot taken with a 1:1 magnification ratio – meaning your subject will be depicted on the camera’s sensor at its actual size. But that’s a pretty dry way of saying that it’s the art of photographing the minuscule. And an art…

Alex Garland on directing Ex Machina INGENI-O-METER ●●●●● stunning FX in the service of stunning drama I’ve been interested in AI since I made a ‘Hello World’ program on a ZX Spectrum as a kid. I mean a kind of AI that doesn’t exist yet, which is sentient and self-aware. I get fixated on a subject and then a story floats out of it years later. I was in working on the Dredd screenplay and this fully formed idea for Ex Machina [in which a young coder becomes the human element in a Turing Test] arrived. I want people to forget that Ava [above] is a robot, while seeing that she’s a robot. Humans find it really easy to project emotion onto inanimate objects, let alone animate objects. Te hard…

As you abseil down the side of an airship high above Victorian London it’s hard not to stop and take in the view. You are Grayson (aka Sir Galahad) of The Order: a group of smartly dressed secret agents with even more impressive facial topiary than the editorial staff of The Chap. In this parallel version of the late 1800s, the typewriter isn’t the height of technology. As you sneak through the ship offing guards with well-timed takedowns, you’re able to communicate wirelessly with your fellow agents, override onboard power systems using a steampunk-inspired hacking device and pick locks using the more nuanced vibration in the PS4’s DualShock controller for feedback. The guns might be ahead of their time but they still feel like blunderbusses: all shock and awe in…

Gogoro Scooter £tba (concept) / gogoro.com An electric scooter is the perfect urban transport solution, with only two factors holding it back… namely ‘electric’ and ‘scooter’. But two ex-HTC execs have the answer ● The issue with electricity is… Where does a city dweller get it from? An increasing number of homes and workplaces have electric vehicle hook-ups, but it’s still a tiny proportion. Are you going to run an extension lead out of your first-floor flat window down to the street? No, say Taylor and Luke of Gogoro. You’re going to pay them a subscription and hot-swap your battery at roadside Gogoro GoStations. Smartphone apps will help you find the nearest GoStation, and the founders say the system will be smart enough to keep the stations efficient. ● Which…

Podcasts have been quietly growing for years, but one show has turned them into a true cultural phenomenon. Stuff investigates the huge success of Serial Telling a story in this way is as old as Dickens Sarah Koenig f2011 belonged to Ned Stark in Game Of Thrones, 2012 was all about Lena Dunham’s quartet of Girls, and 2013 was dominated by Breaking Bad’s meth-cooker extraordinaire Walter White, 2014 was the year of Hae Min Lee, Adnan Syed and Sarah Koenig. That’s because the year’s must-watch TV show wasn’t on Sky Atlantic, HBO or Channel 4. It wasn’t even a TV show – it was a 12-part podcast called Serial. Serial is a re-investigation of a real-life murder case that unfolded in Baltimore, Maryland in 1999. Hae Min Lee, a 19-year-old…

WITHINGS ACTIVITÉ POP There’s only so much space on a wrist. By the time you’ve added a normal watch, some bling and a fitness band, you look like a Del-Boy wannabe selling knock-offs down the market. The Activité Pop is less Del-Boy and more The Man From Del Monte. It’s a real watch, for a start – one that tells the actual time. An auxiliary dial shows how close you are to daily goals that you set on the accompanying app (things like steps taken, calories burned and distance covered). It also monitors your sleep, and you can even take it swimming. It’s simple and elegant and unobtrusive – no look-at-me LEDs to tell everyone that you’re honestly definitely working out, like, ALL the time. And the battery lasts a…

THE BASICS ■ Choose your station. A Digital Audio Workstation (DAW) is the production software you’ll use to create your electronic music. Each one has different attributes so do some research. Garageband, Ableton Live and the newer Bitwig are the most beginner-friendly. ■ Start with a beat. The most common way to start a track is hammering out a beat with a Music Production Centre (MPC) or a drum machine like Maschine (native-instruments.com). The latter helps you build rhythm loops without a mouse slowing your flow. ■ Borrow sounds. Bringing in a new element from the outside world can open doors to your track’s direction, so download lots of samples. Bear in mind that the better the audio source, the better your tracks will sound, so get digging through your…

1 SEALSKINZ MID LENGTH SEA EAGLE Being dry is as much about improving your performance as it is about comfort. Sealskinz socks have top-secret patented technology, which give them great breathability while being completely waterproof. Te Sea Eagle has a tongue-in-cheek design that pokes fun at stuffy golfers, with a comfortable ft thanks to their elasticated ankle and insteps. Save money on expensive shoes and invest in socks, because trench foot isn’t a great post-race hangover. £32 / sealskinz.com 2 BOARDMAN CX TEAM Te CX bikes are the love-child of road and off-road, although cyclocross racing was around long before mountain biking. A couple of years ago the UCI relaxed the rules and cable-activated disc brakes began to appear. Te purists will moan about weight, but when racing in muddy…

TOTAL PRIZE VALUE £599 x2 Whether you’re planning a winter ski sojourn or a trip somewhere further afield, the NX30 is the ultimate compact system camera. Packed with premium features, the NX30 (RRP £599) lets you take superb-quality shots even in low light – so you won’t end up with grainy photos if you’re out with your camera on those dark winter nights. And when pictures just aren’t enough, you can record 1080p Full HD video with its hybrid autofocus. Then, when you’re ready to show your handiwork to your friends, the NX30 lets you share all your memories in an instant with built-in Wi-Fi and NFC technology. As you may have spotted by now, the reason we’re telling you this is that we have TWO Samsung NX30s to give…

Bluesound from £400 / bluesound.com This is a system that’s all about putting sound quality first, with support for hi-res files up to 24-bit/192kHz. It’s not picky either: anything you play through it has the same full-bodied presentation that works with all genres. It’s the best option for audio nerds. Pure Jongo X from £50 / pure.com The newly updated Pure Connect app makes a great first impression, with stepby-step instructions bringing Sonos levels of simplicity, although you can’t access any other streaming services. If you’re on a budget, this should definitely be on your list. Samsung M Series from £160 / samsung.com The three all-in-one speakers have the same triangular design that allows them to be used either laid flat or stood upright. It’s not quite as seamless as…

1 Jump from £free / Android, iOS In this simple platformer, you control a ball that bounces in pre-set jumps. Which might not sound much, but once you’ve been entranced by its hypnotic boinking you’ll grow a beard before you remember to stop playing. 2 Star Wars: Knights Of The Old Republic £7 / Android, iOS A wodge of Star Wars RPG action just slammed down in the Android Play Store. All the fun of the PC version, but now you can play it at work too. Its controls translate surprisingly well to touchscreen. 3 80 Days £free / Android, iOS A new, Jules Verne-y adventure from the groovers who brought us the book-game hybrid Sorcery! That’s their exclamation mark, not ours – though we are excited by 80 Days,…

Robot chef COOKI sereneti.com / from US$400 What do you get if you cross a robot arm with a motorised tray of ingredients? Dinner, dinner, dinner, dinner… Batman! No, wait. What does Batman’s mum say when she sees an invention that automatically cooks and stirs the supplied ingredients? ”Holy smoke!” No? Why did Batman spend all his time picking recipes for Cooki to attempt? Because there were no reports of anyone Robin. Oh, forget it. Status Seeking funding (indiegogo) Got any gum? MINT breathometer.com / US$150 Humans have been surviving with the cupped-hand method since the development of social groups. But now we have Mint, a Bluetooth LE widget that measures volatile compounds that might indicate poor health as well as pongy breath. It also reports on hydration levels, although…

1 Pick your kit The beauty of podcasting is that you only really need the essentials. A decent USB microphone, a pair of cans and a computer of some sort will do, but if you want to make things sound a little more professional you’ll need an XLR mic, audio interface, mixer and some proper studio speakers. 2 Prep your ‘studio’ Any hard surfaces in the room that you choose to record in will make sound bounce around all over the shop, so try to find somewhere with plenty of soft furnishings and a carpeted floor. Close the curtains. Ideally, record your podcast in a padded cell at your local asylum. 3 Select your software Whatever you do, don’t splash out loads of money on some fancy audio editing software.…

NAKAMICHI DRAGON LILY Take a moment to admire the sleek form of the Nakamichi Dragon Lily. Its metallic petals envelop a 2.1 digital integrated amplifier and speaker with Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and NFC capabilities. Enjoy its ability to control and charge iThings via USB. Then take a moment to think about its namesake, the dragon lily flower (also known as the ‘stink lily’) which, upon flowering, produces a smell almost identical to rotting meat, attracting the swarms of flies that help to pollinate it. And be thankful that Nakamichi haven’t taken the biomimicry too far. £240 / nakamichi.co.uk AUDIOQUEST NIGHTHAWK The NightHawks may be named after a bird of prey, but their design draws inspiration from a much smaller flying animal. The 3D-printed grilles on these semi-open headphones take their cue…

■ The CEL Robox looks a lot more polished than other 3D filament extruder-type 3D printers; it has an enclosure door, integrated filament spool and even curves! ■ Open up its AutoMaker software and you get a graphical representation. It’s great for easing in first-timers, unlike the usual wall of input boxes. Click the light and it changes colours, click the extruder head and it moves. ■ Importing STL part files and positioning them is simple. From there you can either jump right in with presets or expand the options to adjust the parameters yourself. It then sends it through the included Slic3r program and starts printing. ■ Treading the line between convenience and restrictive practice, the Robox’s filament-laden SmartReels are recognised by the machine – but you can use…

ALWAYS ON CALL facebook.com/joinstuf l @stufTV google.com/+stufftv l stuff@haymarket.com MAIL OF THE MONTH Q HIT ME WITH YOUR RHYTHM STICK Hi Stuff, bit of a weird one this, but is there anything techy and fun you can recommend to a drummer who’s bored with using practice pads? Something portable would be great. Cheers! Chris Scofield A You’re in luck, Mister Chris. While Korg’s Cliphit (£95, gear4music.com) might look like a giant ostrich egg, it’s actually a portable music-making machine that has the power to transform almost any object into part of a drumkit. Connect the clips to anything from a tub of butter to a teddy bear, and their vibrations are transformed into cymbal and drum sounds. There’s a kick pedal included and you can add a hi-hat pedal too,…

Asus Eee Top ET2203T £770 Stuff said This touchscreen PC looks like a giant iPod Touch with its smooth, seamless body and flush-fitting screen. It’s not the fastest for the price but has some added extras that you won’t find elsewhere, like a Blu-ray player and HDMI input for a games console. iRiver Story £230 Stuff said This ain’t no Kindle. The Story shares its aesthetic qualities, including wonderful build quality and a QWERTY keyboard, but lacks the Kindle’s 3G connectivity. Easy on the eye and easy to use, the Story is a great bit of kit. But other e-readers are imminent. Klipsch Image S4 £70 Stuff said Combining the bass of the feistiest buds around with the high-end resolution of the most refined, the S4s offer bundles of detail…