Table of contents for September 2018 in Stuff UK

I have a confession to make – I’ve never owned a Windows laptop. My portable computing odyssey began back in 2006 with a first-gen Apple MacBook in Stay Another Day white polycarbonate, and has since evolved to not one but three MacBook Airs of various ages and specs running all at once. By the end of the decade I’d descended so deeply into the macOS well, I’d become too lazy to contemplate climbing out and trying another ecosystem. Fast-forward to today, however, and a growing reliance on G Suite and Office 365 has got me wondering whether to go down the Windows or Chromebook route. Fanning the flames of indecision further is the fact that, in this age of productivity, PC laptops have diversified to such an extent that it’s…

$699 / astellnkern.com HIGH-END DACs MAKE OBSCURE NEIL YOUNG B-SIDES SOUND STUDIO-FRESH The A&norma SR15 seems anything but normal. Despite being one of Astell & Kern’s more affordable premium portable music players, it’s by far its boldest in terms of design – and the on-paper specs suggest it should sound just as remarkable… ● Wonky-tonk women The SR15’s skewed screen is a trouser-twisting breath of fresh air. The 3.3in 800x480 display looks like it’s been rotated a few degrees, and that hasn’t been done simply to confuse you – it actually gives the user’s fingers more places to grip on the chunky aluminium body without blocking any of the screen. ● Jumpin’ DAC flash Of course, a hi-res music player truly lives and dies on its audio performance, and on…

£tba / honda.co.uk Now that’s what you call a proper icon! Isn’t it just? This is the 2018 incarnation of Honda’s legendary Monkey bike – and because it’s probably not completely clear from the picture, here’s a list of things it’s about the same size as: a pretty big dog, a large suitcase, or a standard wheelie bin. But do you know what it’s bigger than? The 1961 original, which had 5in wheels, foldable handlebars and no suspension. Anyway, both versions are small in stature but big on charm. Why the embiggening? Unless you were a child or an actual ape, riding the original Monkey made you look like you should be wearing a red nose and massive shoes. (In fact it was designed for getting around an amusement park…

Unfold £free / iOS, Android Whether it’s on Snapchat or Instagram, ‘stories’ are one of fastest-growing social media trends, and you’ll no doubt be familiar with the endless streams of avocado on toast, #nofilter beach views and extremely thought-provoking motivational quotes. But you don’t have to be a wannabe ‘influencer’ to enjoy mucking about with the software – and that becomes even more fun with Unfold. It’s a story-formatting app that lets you apply tidy templates to existing photos and videos. This helps you to transform your questionable smartphone photography into slick-looking #content, plus it’s a lot of fun collaging photos and videos onto one frame. This is what scrapbooking looks like in 2018. What really makes Unfold stand out from other layout apps is its multimedia approach to displaying…

ACER SWIFT 3 (2018) from £499 / stuff.tv/Swift3 The Acer Swift 3 is the computing equivalent of a King Pot Noodle washed down with snakebite and black: a powerful cocktail representing proper bang for your buck that frees up student loan funds for more important things, like bucket hats. For under £500 you get a generous 14in Full HD display with super-narrow bezels and up to 10hrs of battery life, ensuring you can get through every episode of Atlanta during lectures. There’s also a plethora of ports and a capable backlit keyboard for larking about on Reddit. There’s a specification for every budget, but for peak performance the range-topper features an 8th-gen Intel Core i7 processor, an Nvidia GeForce MX150 graphics card, 8GB of RAM and lashings of storage: a…

ASUS ZENBOOK PRO from £1899 / stuff.tv/ZBPro (available late August) It takes a lot for a ripple of excitement to stretch through the Stuff office when a new laptop is announced, but our first look at the Asus ZenBook Pro had us brimming with anticipation. Could it be that PCs are exciting again? Starting with the obvious, yes that’s a second display in the trackpad. The 5.5in Full HD ScreenPad is ace for dual tasks, like referring to presentations or doing calculations without minimising windows on the main display – it’s like having a smartphone embedded into the base of your laptop. This flagship touchscreen/touchpad hybrid for pros has a 15.6in Pantone-validated 4K main display for accurate colour reproduction. It’s surrounded by a super-skinny copper bezel, made from aluminium, and…

THE BASICS ■ See what’s on Start how you would with basic Freeview: fire up the guide and use your remote’s arrow buttons to navigate the list. You’ll get a brief synopsis of whatever you rest your selection on. For more in-depth details, press the info button. ■ Look ahead To look ahead without getting cramp, forget pounding the arrows and head to Schedule. This zips you to a user-chosen date and time; move back downwards into the guide to continue navigating from that point. When you’re done, use Jump Now to have the guide return to what’s on now. ■ Channel-surf An alternative way to use the guide is for a mix of surfing, browsing and previewing. If you know the ID of a particular channel, tap it in.…

£199 / stuff.tv/Playr ■ For a while now, Premier League coaches have been strapping trackers to their thoroughbreds to measure training performance and prevent injuries. Catapult’s Playr system, aimed at Sunday league players and five-a-side warriors, finally brings elite-level insights to a green rectangle near you. ■ The slick and simple system consists of a lightweight tracking pod with GPS and motion sensors, a fetching sports-bra-style vest, and a smartphone coaching app; they all connect via Bluetooth. The pod slips easily into place in the vest, where it’s secured by magnets. ■ The pod captures a whopping 1250 movement points per second, while 10Hz GPS – 10 times more accurate than your phone – tracks your moves to the nearest metre. That’s essential for logging Playr’s impressive range of stats…

Staff Writer Remember that kid in school who was never top of the class, but was just quirky enough that all the teachers still loved him? That’s kinda like the LG G7 ThinQ. It can’t compete with the iPhone X or Galaxy S9 in terms of camera or design, but its wacky feature list and affordable price help it stand out from the competition. The G7’s special skills include a BoomBox speaker that’s beefy enough to match a laptop’s, a 1000-nit display that’s so bright it has no fear of sunlight, and a wide-angle camera – so you’ll never again have to make the agonising decision of which friend to cut out of the holiday snaps. ThinQ before you buy Let’s get to the real question, though: is the G7…

HOT BUY 1 Urbanista Seattle Wireless £80 / stuff.tv/SeattleWireless Urbanista makes affordable headphones that sell in the kind of high-street shops where you won’t usually find hardcore hi-fi nerds – so it’s a real surprise that the Seattles are some of the best-sounding affordable wireless cans around. They have a far more expansive and involving soundstage than most sub-£100 pairs – they’re full and rich-sounding, with the sort of tasteful bass drive that will please the masses without turning off the chin-stroking crowd. Stuff says Bags of style and fantastic sound quality at the right price – these Urbanistas are an absolute steal BARGAIN BUY 2 Beyerdynamic Byron £40 / stuff.tv/Byron These earphones have a sound we defy you not to like, with great mid-range detail that outdoes our long-term…

HOT BUY 1 PlayStation 4 Pro £350 / stuff.tv/PS4Pro As a gaming platform, PlayStation 4 is the best around – which makes the PS4 Pro the best of the best. Games optimised for the new console look stunning on a 4K HDR TV, and are substantially improved by the extra grunt inside this slightly bigger machine. Sure, it can’t match the Xbox One X for sheer power or resolution, but it makes up for that with an impressive line-up of games – including Uncharted 4, Horizon Zero Dawn and Bloodborne – and virtual reality support. Stuff says The system for console gamers who have a 4K TV and want the best catalogue of games on offer 2 Nintendo Switch £280 / stuff.tv/NintendoSwitch Nintendo’s console earned a promotion in our list…

HOT BUY 1 Sky Q from £20 + £20/month / stuff.tv/SkyQ Sky Q works flawlessly and could change the way you watch TV – especially now 4K’s arrived. With Sky Movies’ huge range of films and Sky Sports’ frequent doses of football and F1 now all in stunning Ultra HD, there’s something for everyone to treat their eyes with. And 2TB of storage means you can record 350 hours’ worth of entertainment, so you’re unlikely to be sweating over which show needs deleting. Factor in its multiroom skills, and Sky Q is undoubtedly the best TV experience you can get. Stuff says You’ll have to cough up for a subscription, but this is the best box for watching both live and recorded shows HOT BUY 2 Q Acoustics Media 4…

HOT BUY 1 Tado Smart Thermostat from £199 + installation / stuff.tv/Tado It might not be as pretty as the Nest 3.0, but Tado has quietly evolved into the best all-round smart heating system around. Like autopilot for your boiler, it senses when you’re leaving home or coming back thanks to the app’s geolocation. And Tado’s gadgety goodness is second to none, with the option of zonal control for individual rooms and voice smarts from the likes Alexa and Google Assistant. Stuff says Tado roasts the competition with its combination of simplicity and smarts • NOW ADD THIS Tado Smart Radiator Thermostats Once you’ve tasted the joys of zonal smart heating, you and your wallet will never go back. £59 each / tado.com • TIPS & TRICKS Check out the…

HOT BUY 1 SNES Classic Mini £80 / stuff.tv/ClassicMini Why bother splashing out over £200 on a games console when you can get the SNES Classic Mini for a fraction of that? Especially when you get 21 classic titles pre-installed on this nostalgia-inducing machine, including the likes of Super Metroid, A Link to the Past, Super Mario World and the never-before-released Star Fox 2. And with two controllers bundled in the box, you’ll be able to start the Super Mario Kart action right away. Stuff says With 21 classic games installed, gamers won’t find better value anywhere • NOW ADD THIS 8Bitdo Bluetooth Retro Receiver Fed up of those short cables? Use this clever device to connect most modern controllers wirelessly. £16.14 / 8bitdo.com • TIPS & TRICKS • Chickens…

I SAW MASSIVE ATTACK REDEFINE LIVE CONCERT VISUALS… AGAIN Cornwall’s Eden Project is a mesmerising backdrop for any band to perform when its rainforest biomes are illuminated at night. When that band is Massive Attack the on-stage visuals cause sensory overload – especially when frontman Robert Del Naja manipulates his face in real time with augmented reality. Check out Fantom, an algorithmic sensory app allowing you to remix their songs in tandem with your heart rate. James Day, Editor I HAD A POKE AROUND THE LAST POLAROID ORIGINALS FACTORY The Impossible Project was made possible when a few analogue-heads pooled together to take Polaroid Originals back to its former glory. In full swing, the Dutch factory is a huge and complex network of living, breathing, spluttering machines, and it takes…

OUT 7 SEP Marvel’s Spider-Man has been one of the PlayStation 4’s most anticipated exclusives since its reveal in 2016. Fans’ enthusiasm has been balanced by some cautious optimism, however, as Peter Parker’s previous interactive outings have been less than stellar. We’re pleased to announce, then, that Marvel’s Spider-Man is shaping up to be a fan-pleasing hoot that could stand next to the Batman: Arkham series as one of the very best superhero games. It helps that Spider-Man is forgoing ‘origin tale’ tedium in favour of putting players behind a web-crawler who’s already comfortable with his crimefighting powers and, of course, the responsibility that comes with them. Within seconds of picking up the DualShock 4, we were zipping through Marvel’s open-world NYC in acrobatic style. Intuitive, responsive and sporting an…

ANT MAN AND THE WASP After the dizzying superhero onslaught of Avengers: Infinity War, we welcome a Marvel flick that only asks us to concentrate on a couple of very small ones. Well, the first Ant Man turned out pretty funny… OVERCOOKED 2 Thought the MasterChef contestants had it tough? Well, we’re yet to see John and Gregg task their wannabe culinary sensations with successfully navigating a kitchen located in a falling hot-air balloon. Standard stuff in Overcooked 2. PLAY EXPO What better way to celebrate how far video games have come than by shuffling around a sweaty show floor battling your fellow geeks for a go on Pac-Man? Bringing together retro classics, indie gems, VR and loads more under one roof, the Play Expo this year hits London for…

RAZER BLADE 15 from £1700 / stuff.tv/Blade15 Time was, most gaming laptops were so bulky they’d give even Dwayne Johnson a crooked spine if he hauled one around in a rucksack. Meanwhile, those machines that were lightweight enough to merit the portability tag could barely run Candy Crush, never mind the hordes of hyper-realistic shooters that PC nerds worship. These days, though, gaming laptops have finally cracked the fine balancing act between portability and power, and there’s no better example than the Razer Blade 15. At just over 2kg it’s light enough to carry to work without causing your back any grief, yet packs the power to play absolutely any game you please without performance worries. League of legends Actually, that’s not doing it justice. Thanks to its 8th-gen Intel…

HP SPECTRE 13 (2018) from £1400 / stuff.tv/Spectre We all know someone who went on a gap year and 10 years later they’re still ‘working’ from the island where The Beach was filmed. There’s a word for people like this, but they’d prefer we call them ‘digital nomads’. OK, so we’re jealous of the ability to work anywhere, any time, and scrape enough of a living to reside almost exclusively in Thai beach huts. It takes a particular type of laptop to support this type of existence and it’s called the HP Spectre 13. Most HP laptops are solid, reliable machines focusing mainly on bang for your buck. So the Spectre has always been a bit of a surprise, with its bling-tastic chromed gold hinge that makes all others look…

Sonos has sat at the top of our hi-fi chart for as long as we can remember, but its home cinema kit has always come with a hefty price tag: the Playbar and Playbase cost £699 apiece. So when the Beam was announced at just £399, we were all ears. Especially because the Beam also packs in Alexa and HDMI ARC compatibility, meaning you can ditch the TV remote and control things using your voice. So where’s the catch? Well, on its own the Beam isn’t quite as punchy as its predecessor: it’s a lot smaller than the Playbar, with fewer speakers and amps. Whether that matters depends on where you’re coming from: if you’re upgrading from your TV speakers, it sounds phenomenal; but if you’re an existing Playbar or…

1 Blade trinity There are three types of mowing mechanism: cylinder, rotary and hover. Rotary blades are more versatile than cylinders, and hover mowers (also with rotary blades) are the easiest to push. 2 Cut to the chase Petrol mowers are the most powerful, but are pricey to maintain. Electric models cost less, but can be restricted by cables. Unpowered ‘push’ mowers are cheap… but need pushing, obvs. 3 The constant gardener Your garden size is important for which mower you buy. Most push, robot and electric mowers are only suitable for medium lawns, with petrol the best pick for anything larger. 4 Mulch appreciated Rather than have you dump cuttings in a binbag, mulch mowers will finely cut the grass and then spread it out onto your lawn as…

TV PLAYER If you’re watching telly on a tablet or a smartphone, or have a streaming box attached to an old TV (see p115), TVPlayer can provide an approximation of the Freeview experience. You gain access to 100 channels, and of course you have all the individual channel apps for catch-up. JUST WATCH If the hub aspect is what appeals to you most about Freeview Explore, then take a look at JustWatch. With this mobile app, you can select channels you care about and track favourite shows. Tap to watch something and the relevant app should open on your device. ALL OF THE TRIALS When saving money is the main driver for your viewing habits, but Freeview isn’t quite doing it for you, be mindful that video streaming services offer…

It’s raining in the desert. Not the damp stuff we Brits are used to, but grain upon grain of sand. With the wind across the the canyon gusting at over 40 miles an hour, every whoosh shakes a fine dusting of shingle over us. Within minutes, it’s in everything. Equipment, bags, lunch, teeth. Alistair Chapman—the director of photography leading our crew across the Arizona desert—grins and borrows a light-modifying umbrella, which he quickly uses to cover £60,000 worth of camera equipment. Behind him, photographer Dave Stevenson grimaces. “We’ll wing it,” he says. What he doesn’t know yet is that he’ll return home to a £600 repair bill. Two months later, he ruefully confesses, he still sees a shower of sand every time he extends the legs on his tripod. Northern…

VICTORINOX TRAVELLER LITE Richard Purvis, Production Editor Go out into the country without some kind of multi-tool and you’re basically asking to be trapped under a fallen tree, lost in an underground cavern and/or eaten by a wolf. It’s sheer recklessness. The Swiss Army has all the best ones, of course – how else do you think Switzerland won all those famous wars? – and this ‘jelly red’ number is an extra-techy take on the formula. As well as the usual array of cutters, twisters and prodders, it has an LCD screen that can function as a watch, timer, altimeter, barometer or thermometer. And there’s an LED torch that’s perfect for emergency wolf-dazzling. £116 / swiss-store.co.uk CAMPINGAZ DOUBLE BURNER & TOASTER Natalya Paul, Online Editor Cereal bars are not dinner.…

The oppressive rule of wires is slowly coming to an end, as the LG G7 ThinQ joins the growing list of smartphones that support Qi charging. Ikea offers one of the most budget-friendly and best-looking wireless chargers, with a svelte wooden finish so – unlike most wire-free pads – it doesn’t look like a lump of weird alien tech that’s been dumped in your living room. £15 / ikea.com Stuff Everywhere you are Read it, like it, share it…

NETFLIX Disenchantment (S1) Think that little elf creature looks like Bart Simpson after eating rotten sushi? That’s because this animated fantasy is another Matt Groening creation, as we follow alcoholic princess Bean on her adventures through Dreamland. Better Call Saul (S4) Better watch Saul – we’ve all been eagerly anticipating Jimmy’s transformation into Breaking Bad’s lawyer scoundrel, and following the events of last season’s finale we may just get our wish this month. Ozark (S2) Jason Bateman is usually a jolly fellow, starring in all sorts of cheery comedies. But after he becomes entangled in the operations of a drug cartel in this tense Netflix crime drama, poor Jason’s anything but jolly. AMAZON VIDEO Jack Ryan (S1) It’s hard to take John Krasinski seriously after so many years pulling pranks…

1 Warframe It’s hard to believe this co-operative third-person sci-fi shooter is free to download. And despite having microtransactions for upgrades, there’s plenty on offer to enjoy without spending a penny. PS4, Xbox One, PC 2 Fallout Shelter Bethesda’s popular mobile app has arrived on console. If you missed it the first time around, this Fallout entry will have you managing a nuclear bunker, ensuring residents don’t starve or get eaten by radroaches. PS4, Xbox One, PC, Switch, iOS, Android 3 World of Tanks An MMO where you blast apart opponents with an army of tanks. Need we say more? A new Mercenaries update also gives players a fresh story, revamped maps and a bigger choice of vehicles. PS4, Xbox One, PC GET STUFF DELIVERED FOR FREE: SHOP.KELSEY.CO.UK/SUBSCRIPTION/STU…

HOT BUY 1 Lego Boost Creative Toolbox £150 / stuff.tv/LegoCreativeToolbox Building Lego models is already ridiculously good fun, so think what great a time you’ll have when the completed model turns into a functioning robot. With the accompanying tablet app, you can use simple coding to make the robot move, fire projectiles and play various games. And rather than retiring it to the dusty shelf once you’re bored, you can rebuild him into four other programmable models: a harmonica-playing cat, a driveable rover, a working robot-builder and a playable guitar. Stuff says All hail Vernie and friends – for value and sheer fun, it’s hard to beat this programmable Lego kit 2 Sphero BB-8 with Force Band £130 / stuff.tv/BB8 BB-8 was fun even without the Force Band. Now it…

1 Air Deck Durable, waterproof, lightweight and about half the width of a standard deck, these are perfect when travelling, especially if your bag is already full of Jaffa Cakes. £8.99 / thefowndry.com 2 Forma ‘Forma’ is Spanish for ‘shape’. If you know how to do one of those fancy shuffling tricks, it’ll look extra-impressive using this stylish deck. £9.99 / jpgamesltd.co.uk 3 Marvel Universe Waddingtons No. 1 Watch for your mates’ reaction when you reveal a grinning Groot front and centre of your winning hand the next time you play poker. £3.50 / amazon.co.uk 4 Bicycle The best-known card brand on the planet has been producing decks since 1885. So if you need some cards for your summer break, you really can’t go wrong. £7.99 (2 decks) / johnlewis.com…

Have everyone fuelled AMPLE POWERBANK Gadgets are great for doing things on the go – until they run out of juice. Then you might reach for a bulky power-brick nestled in a tangle of cables and wonder why you bother using anything more technologically advanced than a Biro. The Ample Powerbank says it doesn’t have to be this way. This slimline charger packs in a 5000mAh battery, and has a clever cable system that lets you mix and match USB-A, USB-C, microUSB and Lightning – all in a charger that can quench a phone’s thirst while still in your pocket, or refuel two simultaneously in pass-through mode. €49 / amplecharge.com Fizzy cool graffiti SCRIBIT People have always loved scrawling on vertical surfaces, but now a robot can do the job…

DELL CHROMEBOOK 3189 EDUCATION 2-IN-1 from £259 / stuff.tv/ Dell3189 Dell’s 2-in-1 Chromebook is designed to be school-proof from the moment kids leave the house, forget their bag is undone and see everything come crashing down on the driveway… just before Dad reverses over it. OK, so this is not quite indestructible, but Dell Drop Protection helps it withstand lockers, backpacks, buses and projectiles hurled across the school canteen. There’s also a spill-resistant keyboard and rubberised edges for when you’re recreating Harry Potter potions in science. Lurking under the covers is a hybrid laptop, with an admittedly low-resolution touchscreen, built specifically for the classroom. It’s powered by a reliable Intel Celeron N3060 processor, used widely on Chromebooks around this price. There’s also ten hours of battery life to last through…

APPLE iPAD PRO 12.9in from £769 / stuff.tv/iPadPro Say hello to the joker in our laptop pack. Yes, it’s a tablet, but no ordinary one: the oversized iPad Pro is a creative’s dream because it’s absurdly powerful – almost to irresponsible levels. The Pro has a fantastic Retina display, a battery that lasts all day long and processor performance to outpace most laptops. Add a keyboard and Apple Pencil into the mix and it becomes a productivity powerhouse too, and that’s where our focus lies. Calling the iPad Pro fast isn’t telling the full story. Apple’s A10X Fusion is an absolute beast of a chip, providing enough grunt to run even the most demanding apps, with three high-performance cores and three efficient low-power cores to extend battery life. Go Pro…

£619 (with lens) / stuff.tv/XT100 ■ The Fuji X-T100 is a millennial’s dream camera. Love selfies? It has a flip-round touchscreen. Vlogger? It’s small and shoots 4K video. Instagram addict? It has a billion filters. But don’t let all that put you off, because at £619 – and that’s with an XC 15-45mm lens – this is a classy bargain snapper for anyone, whatever your generation. ■ This camera looks properly premium, like it might cost twice as much. It’s a resolutely rectangular shape, with no grip as such, but a clip-on effort is at least bundled with it. This helps, but bear in mind it’s still so small that folk with large hands may struggle. ■ The 24.2MP APS-C CMOS sensor is more than 10 times the size of…

HOT BUY 1 Huawei P20 Pro £669 / stuff.tv/P20Pro While Samsung and Apple’s war for smartphone supremacy rages on, Huawei has sauntered up and knocked both companies off their feet with the P20 Pro. Serious snappers will love this flagship phone thanks to the triple-lens camera, with 5x zoom and a 40MP main sensor. Add to that a quite awesome AMOLED display, lightning-fast internals and a top-notch design, and you’ve got yourself a recipe for the best new smartphone of 2018. Stuff says That triple-lens cam gives the P20 Pro the edge in the smartphone wars • NOW ADD THIS AModern Huawei P20 Pro Case With its fragile back, you’ll want a case for your P20 Pro – one that accommodates the three sensors. £6.99 / amazon.co.uk • TIPS &…

TES: BLADES This Elder Scrolls title may not excite like the newly announced Skyrim sequel, but slashing your foes on tablet still looks bloody good fun. COMMAND & CONQUER: RIVALS After bossing PC gaming, this real-time strategy series is set to invade the mobile market. GEARS POP! The last thing you’d expect from the gritty Gears of War series is a spin-off crossover with the cutesy Funko Pop figures. Yet here we are… GET STUFF DELIVERED FOR FREE: SHOP.KELSEY.CO.UK/SUBSCRIPTION/STU…