Table of contents for July 2018 in T3

KEECKER Prepare to have your movie night, house party and big-screen gaming sessions elevated with the world’s first voice-enabled multimedia robot for the home. Keecker is designed to bring your favourite forms of media, and entertainment apps, into a central hub, making control of your home’s entertainment much smarter, faster and easier. A party animal and budding DJ, the (iOS, Android) app-connected Keecker runs an Android TV platform (for access to content across Google Play, Chromecast and Google Assistant) and has a built-in 4.1 audio system, featuring four speakers and a subwoofer. It can stream custom playlists from Spotify and Google Play Music, plus internet radio from TuneIn, and uses its integrated 90-degree adjustable video projector to transform any blank wall or ceiling into a big screen. And don’t worry,…

SAYS… OnePlus has gone from bargain brand to big dog. This thing is seriously capableMatt Bolton, Editor 1 ONEPLUS 6 ● From £469, oneplus.com/uk Fast and smooth aren’t qualities you’d necessarily want in a first date (maybe), but they’re definitely attractive in a smartphone. And the polished-looking OnePlus 6 has both in spades, especially super-fast speed. Dressed in a classic monochrome colour palette of Midnight Black, Mirror Black or crisp Silk White, this new flagship phone is the definition of smart and beautiful, coming loaded with a Snapdragon 845 CPU, Adreno 630 GPU and 8GB of RAM. The OnePlus 6 flaunts a stunning all-glass body, though we can’t help thinking it’ll end up slathered in sticky fingerprints within minutes of use. If you have a soft spot for bigger phones,…

Each year the Big Apple is host to the most legendary car show around, and this year’s New York International Auto Show has more than 1,000 vehicles on display over four floors. There’s an eclectic mix of metal, from burly muscle cars to electric concepts, and there’s even a few family wagons thrown in. Of course, when we say family wagons, what we mean is Audi’s brand-new 444BHP RS5 Sportback (it’s got four seats and a big boot, duh), which is the wilder version of the regular S5 Sportback, complete with oodles of carbon fibre, an irresponsible amount of power and four-wheel drive. Want more space, and speed? There’s Maserati’s take on the mega SUV: the Levante Trofeo. Obviously it’s a huge hunk of metal, but it also has a…

Looking to take acoustics to the next level for your home cinema setup? Check out Artnovion’s new Flow range of acoustic panels (£TBA, artnovion.com). They not only look awesome, in a ‘Bond villain secret lair’ sort of way, but also elevate sound. The Flow panels, made from a selection of woods and in a range of colours, use Helmholtz resonators and foam-weaved acoustic cores to stop reverberation and diffuse uneven sound. Essentially, the Flow panelling will help your speakers sound the way they’re meant to.…

SAMSONITE COSMOLITE This carry-on has an impressive amount of storage space. Its robust ‘Curv’ shell looks attractive and is super lightweight. Four smooth rolling wheels make getting around airports a breeze. £319, samsonite.co.uk AWAY THE CARRY-ON The stunning Away Carry-On features an integrated charger so that you can play with your phone or tablet without worrying about running out of juice. The charger is also ejectable and compliant with all airline policies. £225, awaytravel.com THULE CROSS OVER CARRY-ON This backpack-meets-travelbag is a great piece to have at your side. It’s suitable for a business conference but also rugged enough for more adventurous holidays. £215, thule.com…

INOV-8 ALL TERRAIN KITBAG Keep stinky gym shoes away from your workout gear in this 40-litre pack, which doubles as a weekend bag. £72, inov-8.com ADIDAS THREE STRIPES GYM BAG Adidas’s bag is roomy, and that hanging loop is handy for hoisting the bag onto changing-room pegs. £12.95, adidas.co.uk ORTLIEB COMMUTER DAYPACK CITY Ortlieb’s 21-litre offering has room for a gym kit and laptop with ventilation channels to minimise sweat build-up. £94.99, ortlieb.com/en…

DETROIT: BECOME HUMAN David Cage’s futuristic noir for PS4 is shrouded in controversy, but there’s no denying how gripping it is, as you take on the role of three androids trying to survive a world that hates them. THE RAIN Netflix’s first Danish-language outing sounds a bit too much like a trashy B-movie. ‘A deadly virus that’s released through the rain?’ we sneered. But we weren’t laughing for long… LOGAN LUCKY The director of Ocean’s Eleven is back with another heist, set during a giant NASCAR race. We love seeing the workings of a good thieving, and it’s a fun (and very cool) movie.…

Invest in a new fridge that can act as the hub of your smart home From connected kettles to clever cat flaps, we bet many readers have already dabbled in the world of smart kitchen gadgets. But rather than focus on gimmicks, we’ve collected together some of the best new smart tech designed to make cooking, cleaning and automating your kitchen life easier than ever before. If you want to make a big difference to your kitchen, then invest in a brand-new fridge that can act as the hub of your smart home. 1 The Samsung Family Hub Fridge Freezer (from £1,999, samsung.com) is a state-of-the-art appliance with best-in-class energy efficiency, as well as an advanced cooling system that promises to keep food fresher for longer. But its smart capabilities…

THE MISSION Running a marathon is one of the toughest endurance challenges you can face. Our resident runner and art editor, Michelle McLaren, hits the tarmac for fitness but has never attempted a race of this magnitude. With the help of some cutting-edge training tech, can she work up to making the full 26 miles before her deadline, the London Marathon? With just a few months between setting the challenge and the big day itself, it’s time to start stretching… I LOOKED LIKE I HAD CLIMBED INTO THE MICHELIN MAN’S SPACESUIT Have you ever had a terrible idea that you just had to do anyway? One day, after returning from one of my lunchtime runs, T3’s editor Matt asked if I’d thought about running a marathon. “No,” I laughed. “I’m…

Head over to the Alexa Blueprints site at blueprints.amazon.com and log in with your Amazon account. You’ll be shown the current list of available blueprints – head to the Learning & Knowledge section, select Flashcards, then click ‘make your own’. The default content of the Flashcard skill blueprint is US state capitals, but it doesn’t have to stay that way. Change the topic, then fill in your terms, definitions, and a hint to help you remember. Click ‘add card’ as many times as you need more cards. Tap Next to configure the niceties that Alexa will use around your revision in the ‘Experience’ tab, then hit Next again to set the trigger name that Alexa will use to launch your flashcards. You’re free to create multiple sets with different names…

DSLR – Digital Single Lens Reflex – cameras are defined by internal mirrors that enable you to see straight through the lens when looking through the viewfinder. This gives a true-to-life view of what your camera will capture, but also make DSLRs bulky. Compact System Cameras (CSCs), also known as Mirrorless Interchangeable Lens Cameras (MILCs), ditch the mirrors to create a slimmer body. They operate more like a camera phone, with the image sensor feeding a live digital preview to the rear screen, or an electronic viewfinder (EVF): a miniature monitor that emulates the optical viewfinder in a DSLR. EVF resolution, colour and contrast accuracy are better than ever, but an electronic viewfinder can’t replicate the accuracy of a DSLR.…

PICOBREW PICO No longer does home brewing have to involve spending hours in a shed, presiding over a small city of fermenting vats. As sleek and stylish as a luxury coffee machine, the PicoBrew Pico is an automated microbrewery that sits neatly on your kitchen worktop. Simply insert a PicoPak (there are dozens of these grain-and-hops formulas available, from award-winning breweries around the world, or you can rustle up your own recipes), select your preferred alcohol content, hit Brew and within two hours the accompanying barrel will be full of sterile but unfermented ale. Then all you do is add yeast, then wait a few days (monitoring your beer’s progress via your smart device) before carbonating it and you’ll have five litres of beery goodness with which to wow your…

While choosing a quality beer for your guests is essential, you also need to make sure you serve it correctly. For a start, it needs to be served at the right temperature, as Neil Bain, master brewer of Woodforde’s Brewery in Norfolk (woodfordes.co.uk) explains: “The perfect cask beer should be served between 11 and 13°C, while keg beers and lagers would normally be served between 4 and 7°C, in nucleated glasses to promote head formation.” Speaking of head, how much is acceptable on the top of the glass can depend on where your guests hail from. “If you present a Midlander with a pint with no head, he’ll hand it straight back complaining that the beer is flat,” says Neil. “But the same beer would be perfectly acceptable in Norfolk…

COASTER COMBAT If you’ve got the stomach for thrill-seeking and think roller coasters could do with extra firepower, this one’s for you. In Coaster Combat you hurtle along roller coaster tracks while trying to shoot fast-moving targets. Totally immersive and massively fun. OCULUS ROOMS Create a shared, customisable virtual space where you can hang out with other Oculus Go-wearing pals, each represented by your avatars (well, your floating heads). Play games together or share photos and watch videos, interacting the entire time. NETFLIX VR Step into a virtual living room free of distractions. Sitting in a virtual den, you’ll fire up a giant screen in front of you and browse Netflix’s catalogue. The video itself isn’t VR – it sits in 2D on a faux TV – but it’s a…

£199.99 gopro.com GoPro has dominated the action camera world for years, providing adrenaline sports legends and enthusiasts alike with the tools to confidently capture wild footage from unique angles. Aiming to extend their authority into the budget market, the entry-level Hero borrows premium features from GoPro’s flagship Hero 6 and wraps them in a streamlined, wallet-friendly package. The Hero’s design is identical to the Hero 5 and 6, making it compatible with GoPro’s extensive mount and housing range. The camera is also shockproof and waterproof (to 10 metres). The responsive, sunlight-friendly two-inch touchscreen provides rapid access to playback and settings, with the replaceable battery dishing out around two hours of use per charge. Voice control first appeared on the Hero 5 and it’s included here. If the GoPro is mounted…

Nothing brings out the beauty of your music better than a serious set of loudspeakers. Smaller speakers can do a fantastic job of recreating detail, but you need a set of full-size speakers to get that open, room-filling sound that makes you feel like you’re sitting in the middle of the original recording. PMC hand-builds some of the best full-size speakers on the market right here in the UK, and we’ve got a pair of the truly fantastic PMC Twenty5.23 speakers to give away to one reader. The Twenty5 line celebrates a quarter of a century of cutting-edge craft from PMC, packing the latest developments into a classically styled cabinet. The slimline design of the Twenty5.23 units means they can fit in most rooms, yet still give you the bass…

MULTI-ROOM SPEAKERS SONOS ONE Pound for pound, this is a hell of a lot of speaker for your money, easily filling a room, and expandable through the versatile Sonos speaker range. Built-in Alexa support clinches it for Sonos. £199, sonos.com PORTABLE BLUETOOTH SPEAKER CAMBRIDGE AUDIO YOYO M These portable speakers are made for wireless stereo sound and come as a pair (though you can use one on its own). They offer punchy audio in an impressively wide sound field, and look great, too. £249, cambridgeaudio.com WIRELESS IN-EAR HEADPHONES FLARES PRO These headphones plug into a mini-DAC you need to clip about your person, but the result is truly amazing sound for the size. It’s audiophile stuff, with beautiful stereo channel separation. £349, flareaudio.com WIRED IN-EAR HEADPHONES KEF M100 This blend…

FAMILY CAR VOLVO XC60 Well-appointed and exquisitely designed, this mid-size hybrid SUV has all the entertainment options you need, the poise to make those long journeys smooth and enjoyable, and is safe as houses. From £35,655, volvocars.com/uk CITY ELECTRIC CAR BMW i3 The i3 is a responsive, highly practical electric runabout packed with connectivity options and enough power in its 170bhp motor to hit 62mph in just 7.3 seconds. Perfect for a daily commute. From £30,250, bmw.co.uk SMART CONNECTOR LOGITECH ZEROTOUCH Transform your Android phone into an Alexa-powered voice assistant for your car. This car holder connects to your phone over Bluetooth to provide voice and gesture control when driving. £49, logitech.com DASH CAM GARMIN DASH CAM 55 Constantly watching the road, the Dash Cam 55 does more than record…

COFFEE MAKER SAGE BY HESTON BLUMENTHAL THE ORACLE TOUCH A sleek machine bringing barista-level coffee making to your home, with the hard part handled automatically. You can also go manual and the results are just as tasty. £1,999, sageappliances.co.uk COOKER RANGEMASTER ELISE 110 Want the versatility of gas hobs and the reliability of an electric oven? This dual-fuel range is the ultimate in kitchen convenience, with six solid burners, two ovens and a grill with glide-out action. £2,379, rangemaster.co.uk DEHUMIDIFIER MEACO 25L ULTRA LOW ENERGY DEHUMIDIFIER This small unit can drag 25 litres of water out of the air in a day, perfect for drying clothes indoors without the risk of mould or condensation ruining your windows. £299, meaco.com WASHING MACHINE AEG 9000 SERIES L9FEC966R This fantastic cleaner introduces a salt…

ULTRAPORTABLE LAPTOP HP SPECTRE 13 4K An incredibly thin, light and beautiful laptop, with a dense, high-end 4K panel. Despite being 1cm thick, it doesn’t skimp on the power either, thanks to an Intel Core i7 processor. From £1,599, hp.com GAMING LAPTOP ASUS ROG ZEPHYRUS GX501 This is an amazing piece of engineering. Despite being incredibly thin and light (2.2kg), it packs insanely powerful Nvidia GeForce GTX 1080 graphics, a quad-core processor, and a 120Hz 1080p display. £2,799, asus.com ALL-IN-ONE APPLE iMAC WITH 5K RETINA DISPLAY There’s never been a screen like this. Big enough for every task, detailed, bright, colourful, and it happens to have a Mac stuffed in the back of it as well. From £1,749, apple.com/uk GAMING HEADSET STEELSERIES ARCTIS PRO WIRELESS This brilliant PC and PS4…

ENTRY-LEVEL DSLR CANON EOS 800D Make no mistake: the EOS 800D’s tech, trickled down from higher models in the line, is remarkable. It offers up 45-point autofocus, a touch-sensitive screen and awesome image quality. £659, canon.com MIRRORLESS CAMERA PANASONIC LUMIX G9 A super-fast focus makes it easy to grab the moment in beautiful detail on this camera’s 20-megapixel sensor. Add in 4K video, a viewfinder and a top-mounted LCD for settings, and you’ve got a winner. £1,499, panasonic.com ACTION CAMERA GOPRO HERO6 BLACK The most advanced action camera on the planet can shoot stunning 4K video at 60fps, with advanced stabilisation making footage super-smooth and realistic. It’s also waterproof to 10m without a case. £399, gopro.com RUNNING WATCH GARMIN FORERUNNER 630 You get exhaustive running metrics from this fantastic watch…

MATT BOLTON Editor Matt’s hunt for the best gear to watch the World Cup in 4K (p76) was all-consuming. He’s sick of football now. Good thing it’s all over, and the actual tournament isn’t just about to start. CLAIRE DAVIES Associate Editor Claire’s week off at the beach during this issue was a relaxing haven away from work. Apart from the bit where she tested and wrote about the best tech to take to the beach with you (p20). JO GULLIVER Senior Art Editor During our big smart home feature (p36) photography, Jo became enthralled by the Samsung fridge’s screen. It’s the same stuff you do on a phone, but it’s just different when it’s on a fridge… MICHELLE MCLAREN Art Editor Michelle tried the latest running and fitness tech…

SAYS… This tough tech can stand the sand, and turn any beach trip into a party!Claire Davies, Associate Editor 1 VIVOBAREFOOT X FINISTERRE WATERPROOF RUCKSACK Few brands do ocean-going clothing and accessories with as much style and ethical awareness as Finisterre. Grab its fully waterproof rucksack (designed in collaboration with running brand Vivobarefoot) and bundle in everything you need for an epic day at the beach. The spacious 35-litre capacity is plenty enough for clothing, blankets, sunscreen and even a folding selfie drone. There’s straps ahoy, too, including comfy padded shoulder straps and a chest strap for good weight distribution. £110, finisterre.com 2 ULTIMATE EARS WONDERBOOM Listen to your Spotify playlists and take voice calls, in and out of the sea, with Ultimate Ears’ most popular waterproof Bluetooth speaker. The…

ZUS SMART CAR FINDER AND CHARGER This simple gadget acts as both in-car charger – supplying juice for up to two devices simultaneously – and vehicle finder, enabling you to retrieve the previous location of your wheels by using the companion smartphone app. £29.17, amazon.co.uk V-AUTO This box of tricks plugs into your car’s OBD port and relays a wealth of info to your phone. A built-in accelerometer reveals your driving skills, while GPS shows you the location of your motor, even if it’s moving at the time. £85 (£4/m subscription), vodafone.com TRACKER RETRIEVE Got a nicer-than-average runabout on your drive? Then this Thatcham-approved (so it’ll lower your insurance premium) tracker will keep tabs on the whereabouts of your car at all times, even if it’s stolen and stored underground.…

SAGE BY HESTON BLUMENTHAL THE KINETIX CONTROL Sage’s blender is designed to capture small or gritty ingredients that get trapped beneath the blades (seeds, nuts and grains), ensuring velvety smooth results. £219.95, johnlewis.com NUTRIBULLET 600 SERIES The Nutribullet comes with three blade configurations and two travel cups. A 600W motor produces a cyclonic action to tease the goodness out of your fruit and veg. £59.99, argos.co.uk SMEG BFL01 A gorgeous retro-style blender, available in seven striking colours, fitted with an 800W motor and paired with a generous 1.5-litre impact-resistant jug. £149.99, smeguk.com…

A smart bed senses your movements and automatically makes adjustments We know what you’re thinking: isn’t adding tech to your bedroom the exact opposite of expert advice about sleep hygiene? Well fear not, there’s plenty of tech that’s designed to help your sleep nowadays, not hinder it. And for that reason, the bedroom is fast becoming one of the most important spaces in your modern-day smart home. If you’ve got cash to burn, then go all out and smarten up the most important part of your bedroom: your bed. The Sleep Number 360 i7 Smart Bed ($3,199/£2,363, sleepnumber.com) comes complete with a cooling memory-foam mattress, which contours and adjusts to how both you and your partner sleep. The bed gets its smart credentials because it can sense your movements throughout…

01 LONG RANGE A telephoto lens is often the first additional lens new camera owners buy. It’ll give you more ‘reach’ than the camera’s bundled lens to capture distant subjects, but that’s not all. Shoot something closer using a large lens aperture and bit of zoom, and it’ll produce a silky blurred background, making you look like a portrait pro. 02 LOW LIGHT A lens with a large aperture will let more light flow to the camera sensor, so you get sharper and less grainy photos at night. Maximum aperture sizes are measured on a counter-intuitive scale where lower numbers are better. f/2.8 is good, but an f/1.4 lens would make the ultimate low-light choice. More light also means you can use a faster shutter speed and still get bright…

As with art, cars and flatscreen TVs, beer is a subjective area. Whereas one person might go weak at the knees (literally) over a pint or two of chocolatey stout, another might get a buzz off a refreshing, citrussy sour. But for Neil Bain, master brewer at Woodforde’s Brewery in Norfolk (woodfordes.co.uk), there are one or two essentials that every good pint should boast: “Whatever the beer, a good mouthfeel and a beautiful balance are a sure sign that it’s been brewed with skill,” he explains. How the beer is served and what food you pair it with are other important considerations (more about that on the next page). Sometimes, though, how much you enjoy a pint can simply boil down to its suitability for the season. Neil says, “The…

SPECIFICATIONS Price From £2,499 Screen 55- and 65-inch OLED 4K HDR Audio 5x 10W, Acoustic Surface sound system Dimensions 44.7x83.6x5.5cm Weight 24.4kg Connectivity 4x HDMI, 3x USB, AV minijack input, headphone out, optical digital audio output, Ethernet Tuners Freeview HD with YouView, or HD satellite From £2,499 sony.co.uk The Sony AF8 is a 4K OLED flatscreen that oozes class, and sports a picture that will have you instantly hankering to upgrade. Good vibrations Available in 55-inch and 65-inch screen sizes (we tested the big fella), the AF8 sports a classic design aesthetic, unlike the lean-back Sony A1 model. It’s also slimmer, with a smaller physical footprint. This more conventional appearance makes it much easier to accommodate on typical AV furniture. Sony describes the overall design as ‘soft minimalism’. Everything is…

If you’re looking for the very best tech available today, you have definitely come to the right place. Best of the Best is the most useful gadget-buying guide you will ever encounter. To create it, we’ve ruthlessly filtered down to the biggest groups, to bring you rock-solid recommendations for your home life, daily commute and the tech you use all the time. Within each of those groups, we’ve got a dozen categories for key tech buys. We’ve picked one product for every category that we think is the best you can get on balance, taking into account price, quality and features, so it’s easy to know what you need in your life. You should also check out T3.com, where you’ll find even more categories, if you’re looking for something that…

RS3 FOOTBALL TABLE Forget playing foosball on ratty old pub tables where the ball rolls into the corners… let’s get fancy. The Rafael Rodríguez-designed RS3 is made from African iroko wood and weather-resistant steel, covered with durable polyester paint and fitted with easy grip handles to counteract your excitable, sweaty palms. More compact, lightweight and stylish than the average table football rig, the RS3 is as much a decorative item as it is a purveyor of old-school games joy. Available in black, red, white, yellow or blue, the RS3 will suit any room in your home, whether you’re setting it up in the kitchen, living room or den. conranshop.com NEXT ISSUE IS ON SALE FRIDAY 06 JULY Make more of the sun with our Summer Gadget Special!…

When it comes to smart home gear, one of the things I like to see, but that a lot of companies seem to forget, is that the gear needs to actually look nice. Some living room gadgets can get away with being a bit ‘techy’ – we don’t expect Blu-ray players to be especially avant garde – but if you’re making something that’s supposed to sit on shelves or a coffee table, you need to offer more than a functional plastic enclosure. That’s why I love something like the Mondaine Smart stop2go Clock that’s in our smart home feature, starting on p36. It starts off as a classic clock, using the company’s Swiss railway design that dates back to 1944 and yet still looks ultra-modern. I’d already love to have…

Private jets are no longer the preserve of rock stars and billionaire businessman, as T3 found when flying to the Isle of Islay with Stratajet (stratajet.com), a platform focused on making private jet travel more affordable. After arriving at a small airport south of London and having breakfast while waiting for the thick fog to clear, we walked out onto the tarmac and boarded a Learjet 45. The pilots greeted us onboard and within 20 minutes we were flying. Our jet was stocked with snacks and chilled bottles of Laurent Perrier, with enough seats for us and up to seven friends. It’s a more comfortable flying experience, thanks to the highly pressurised cabin (which doesn’t dry your skin out) and the luxury furnishings. After 90 indulgent minutes, we’d landed on…

Some snorkel masks feel like torture devices, leaving red indents around the eyes, aching teeth from hardened mouthpieces and clumps of hair yanked out by unforgiving elasticated straps. Now Wildhorn is launching a custom full-face snorkel mask called the Seaview 180 SV2 Snorkel ($79/£52.27, wildhornoutfitters.com), with anti-fog and anti-leak design, and Flowtech to enable natural breathing through the nose and mouth. There’s also 180-degree visibility, boosting peripheral vision, and an action-camera mount for capturing footage.…

The deed is done: Guru has a new Android knockabout. He teased going to China for his affordable handset, but settled for a trip to exotic Finland to grab the recently discounted Nokia 8. Made by mysterious entity HMD Global, it may be Nokia in licensed name only compared to the classics of old, but it is about as close to a stock Google flagship as you’ll get for the £300-ish price. In fact, it just did very well in the group test of cheaper phones over on p100. Not that Guru’s dark influence reaches such things. Now, don’t let this fill you with dread, but Guru is functioning progressively more poorly with age. Case in point: GaGu has become a glasses wearer. So annoyed was he by the shifty…

Smart lighting is an easy and effective way to smarten up your home There are so many connected home devices available to buy, and that are specially designed for your living room, that it’s harder not to overload your coffee table with fancy gadgets. Instead, here are some top smart products that look good, are genuinely useful, and are guaranteed to fit in well with your whole family. Smart lighting is an easy and effective way to smarten up your home. The GE Sol C smart lamp ($149.99/£105.80, cbyge.com) is a great-looking alternative to boring lamps. It has Amazon Alexa built-in, which means you can use it to set timers, adjust light levels and control devices by using your voice. It can also adjust its brightness depending on the time…

A self-heating loo is the ultimate addition to your smart bathroom The bathroom may be one of the most overlooked rooms in your smart home right now, but just because it tends to get a little too hot and steamy doesn’t mean you can’t upgrade it with some seriously splash-proof tech to make it as smart and stylish as everywhere else. For the ultimate (and not to mention indulgent) addition to your smart bathroom, invest in the self-heating Axent One Plus (£4,895, crosswater.co.uk) bidet toilet. This massaging super bidet allows you to control water temperature, water flow, oscillating and pulsating settings, dryer temperature and so much more, all from a handy remote. If you’d rather upgrade your shower than your toilet, the Mira Mode digital shower range (from £479, mirashowers.co.uk)…

NORMATEC PULSE A high-tech form of massage, Normatec’s leg compression system helps you recover faster while experiencing less soreness and pain, so you’re ready to run again much faster than you would otherwise £1,375, normatec-uk.com GARMIN FORERUNNER 645 MUSIC This running watch is all about the data. Wrist-based heart-rate, temperature sensing, GPS and more, as well as on-board music storage to play over Bluetooth. £349, garmin.com JABRA ELITE SPORT True wireless freedom paired with 4.5 hours of playback per charge (and another nine hours from its case) is great for any run. It also has heart-rate tracking and limited coaching tools in its app. £220, jabra.co.uk COMPRESSPORT FULL SOCKS V2.1 Keeping you warm and stimulating bloodflow, proper compression wear can reduce the chances of a s train in training that…

1 ADOBE CREATIVE CLOUD Software post-processing can make an already attractive image really pop. There are plenty of image-editing apps out there, but Adobe’s Photoshop is widely regarded as the best. These days it can be had for an accessible monthly subscription and comes bundled with Lightroom: an easy-to-use app for making quick edits using a PC, Mac or mobile device. £9.98/month, adobe.com 2 BENRO GOPLUS TRAVEL FGP18A TRIPOD + B0HEAD You can shoot most things handheld, but close-up photography and long exposures to create night-time light trail effects need more stability. Thankfully, the Benro GoPlus Travel FGP18A tripod & B0 ball head combo weighs under 2kg, yet offers superb rigidity. £200, benroeu.com 3 NISSIN i40 FLASHGUN Lighting can make or break a photo, and there’s only so much you…

The beer sphere is experiencing a revolution. With trendy microbreweries cropping up everywhere, and tasty craft beers becoming regular features in our local supermarkets, the masses have adopted a healthy(ish) new fascination with the brown/amber/red stuff. No longer will it suffice to sip from a 39p can of weak lager, as consumers want to sample innovative flavours and concepts, and even experiment with making their own boozy concoctions at home. With this in mind – and purely for the sake of journalism, you understand – T3 has spent the past few weeks examining the latest home-brewing gadgets and accessories, and tasting some of the most delectable beers on the market, to help you spend your money wisely. But, as we explain later, the beer itself isn’t the be-all-and-end-all. No sir,…

LUCKY BUDDHA The bottle this Chinese lager comes in is a work of art, and the beer (4.8 per cent) is every bit as good. As you knock back its deliciously crisp blend of malted barley, rice and hops yeast, you’ll certainly feel lucky. £1.59 for 330ml, drinksupermarket.com SANTO DEL FRIO One of the more adventurous beer makers, Surrey-based Siren Craft Brew teamed up with Californian company Sante Adairius to concoct this dry-hopped lager (5 per cent), which is made with blue agave syrup aged in tequila barrels, and even blue corn tortillas. Daring but delicious. £3.40 for 330ml, hophideout.co.uk BREWDOG ELVIS JUICE BrewDog is one of the UK’s most popular craft beer companies and it’s not hard to see why. With a caramel malt base, intense aroma hops and…

Audio Technica AT-LP60BT £189, audio-technica.com DESIGN The LP60’s compact, modern look will suit smaller spaces. However, the belt-driven turntable is let down by a naff plastic chassis, spindly tone arm and cheap white button controls. FEATURES The turntable features auto-start and auto-return, plus a button to move the needle. Two additional switches toggle between 33- and 45rpm speeds and 7- and 10-inch records. Bluetooth connectivity is handled via a deck-mounted LED button. USABILITY Out-of-the-box setup is a cinch. Phono and line outputs are available if you prefer a physical connection, or hit the Bluetooth button to pair a wireless device. It’s not the most refined, but once connected you’re ready to cue your first record. PERFORMANCE The anti-resonance aluminium platter is a firm platform for your wax, and the Dual…

AOC I1601FWUX Do you work while travelling a lot? Upgrade your mobile multitasking with this 15-inch Full HD monitor, which takes video and power over one USB-C connection. It weighs just 800g and can stand in portrait or landscape. £199, aoc.com KNOMO LEATHER 12-INCH LAPTOP SLEEVE Available in brown or black leather, this stylish sleeve has a soft faux-fur lining to protect your laptop from scrapes, plus padding to absorb knocks. And the fine leather will get better with age. £79, knomobags.com…

OLED 4K TV SONY AF8 Sony’s next-gen 4K HDR TV looks fantastic thanks to its OLED display and advanced image processing. Because of ingenious tech that uses the screen itself as a speaker, it also sounds superb. From £2,499, sony.co.uk TOP-END 4K TV B&O ECLIPSE Bang & Olufsen’s fantastic TV features a gorgeous OLED panel and a colossal 450 watts of speaker through its integrated soundbar. The Eclipse comes in different finishes to match your room perfectly. From £7,495, bang-olufsen.com VALUE 4K BLU-RAY PLAYER XBOX ONE S Yes, this is primarily a games console, but it’s a damn good UHD Blu-ray player too. Budget 4K players from other brands still cost around the same as this, but you can’t stick a game in them. £199, microsoft.com 4K STREAMER ROKU ULTRA…

ANDROID PHONE SAMSUNG GALAXY S9 Samsung’s super-slick smartphone is the most refined Android experience to date. An excellent camera, gorgeous Infinity Display screen and some smart exclusive features make for a truly fantastic phone. From £739, samsung.com MID-RANGE PHONE NOKIA 8 The Finns are back, baby! A powerful Snapdragon 835 processor, gorgeous 5.3-inch QHD screen, excellent camera, and stellar build quality mean this feels high-end through and through. £299, nokia.com SMARTWATCH APPLE WATCH SERIES 3 Nothing in the smartwatch market does more than the Apple Watch, and this third generation can do it all without a tethered phone – perfect for keeping your life in order whatever you happen to be doing. From £329, apple.com/uk ANALOGUE WATCH MONDAINE STOP2GO Mondaine’s classic design features a second hand that takes 58 seconds…

VOICE ASSISTANT AMAZON ECHO Alexa is everywhere these days, but nowhere is Amazon’s AI more at home than in its Echo. It couples an awesome array microphone with pleasing design for the perfect assistant experience. £90, amazon.co.uk SMART DOORBELL RING VIDEO DOORBELL 2 Part motion-detecting security camera, part ring-anywhere doorbell, the Video Doorbell 2 alerts you via your smartphone when you have a visitor – and you can two-way talk even if you’re not home. £179, ring.com LIFESTYLE WI-FI CAMERA LOGITECH CIRCLE 2 WIRED No smart home cam is as fun to use as this – instead of CCTV, it’s more like a Fitbit of home monitoring. It provides a sped-up ‘brief’ of the day, two-way communication, has a 180° camera and Alexa control. £149, logitech.com DOOR & WINDOW SENSORS…