20 minute read
COVID-19 Stay home
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ONLINE SHOPPING
RETAIL THERAPY
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SOCIAL DISTANCE SHOPPING The shopping you knew is gone (for a while, at least). In its place is something that requires a little more space
ONLINE SHOPPING
Well done, you. When everything went bad you didn’t rush the stores in an attempt to hoard enough items to survive a year in a post-apocalyptic wasteland. You saw the situation for what it was, didn’t panic about anything and just stocked up for a week or two. Thumbs up, friend! Problem is, that first batch of supplies is starting to run a little thin. We get it, one packet of twominute noodles just doesn’t fill you up. You’re gonna need to head out to the shops fairly soon but you don’t want to risk stepping outside, right? Fortunately, there are loads of places that provide you access to essential groceries. If you know where to look. Even better, you don’t even need to look very far. We’ve got a guide on where to shop while in isolation. It’s easier than you’d think…
Through WiFi, we overcome The first place you should check for groceries are your online retailers, specifically Takealot. While sites like Loot.co.za aren’t going to be much help right now, no matter how essential you think that new bike helmet actually is, Takealot has donned the armour of a provider. SA’s largest online retailer has assured everyone that they do in fact deliver necessary supplies for a price that’s actually not expensive.
Clicking on over to Takealot reveals whole categories filled with groceries that you’d have to drive minutes to collect from your local shopping centre. It’s a waste to leave your house for a bit of Sunlight dishwashing liquid when Takealot could just swing by.
Having said that, we would also advise you to use caution when using Takealot. It’s certainly the most convenient and cheapest option but that means everyone is using them. We’ve seen cases of people ordering food and toiletries through Takealot in March and the estimated delivery date being halfway through April. They may not be the best solution if the situation is desperate but Takealot is certainly your best bet if you plan ahead. Very far ahead.
under an hour. That’s...well, that’s quite impressive. You can even ask the Zulzi shoppers to travel to a range of local stores, including Pick ‘n Pay and Woolworths, schedule your delivery for a specific date and save shopping lists for repeat uses. Just be warned that it can be quite pricey, and the human element means that mistakes do happen. That’s the price of convenience.
Woolworth the effort For those of you practicing social distancing and isolation (keep it up!) but don’t want to sacrifice the standard of living you’ve become accustomed to, don’t stress because Woolworths delivers. You don’t have to worry about running low on your ridiculous little finger burgers. All you need to do is phone up your local Woolworths, tell them what you want and wait for them to arrive with the goods. Want some inside information? Delivery on your first online order is free! You’ll have to start paying your way after that but it’s a nice introduction to the service.
Picking and Checking You’re not fussy like those Woolworths shoppers, right? You can just sign up for Pick ‘n Pay Delivery or the Checkers Food Service to access thousands of groceries and have them delivered to your door. Going this route is probably the cheaper option in the long run as, depending on when you want your stuff delivered, you’ll be paying only R50 to have a driver drop off your goods. If we’re choosing between the two, we’d go with Pick ‘n Pay. Just because they have an app for the whole process, making everything even easier.
STILL WARM
MR DELIVERY When you need something small delivered quickly, Mr D is your main guy. Though bear in mind they’ll only be working again from 16 April.
PLAN AHEAD Obviously online shopping will be more expensive, so always double check you have everything you need before placing that order. Necessities only!
BE PATIENT Those folks delivering our stuff are doing us all a huge favour, so maybe cut them some slack f they’re running late? They’re doing their best.
TESTED LAND ROVER DEFENDER (2020)
Just l
Traditionalists will be choking on their Pimm’s, but Land Rover’s all-new Defender is as techy as it is tough
It was never going to be easy to replace one of the most iconic cars in the automotive landscape. Land Rover’s decision to unleash an ultra-modern, technologically advanced replacement for its Defender was sure to ruffle some pheasant feathers.
But you can’t accuse the company’s engineers of taking any shortcuts, because this model rides on a new, rugged D7x architecture, uses the latest Terrain Response 2 off-road system, comes in two body styles and has more nods to the original than you can shake a tan leather shooting stick at.
Toughness is built in, yet it’s possible to flatten your nearest mountain while digesting that latest Spotify Made For You playlist thanks to the addition of always-on dual LTE modems. The chuntering, stripped-out farm-patrollers of yesteryear might be a distant memory, but the go-anywhere attitude still remains. from R948 000 / landrover.co.za
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Roverboard Floods ahead? Hit a button on the touchscreen and it softens the throttle response, sets the heating to recirculate cabin air, locks the driveline and adjusts the ride height to its off-road setting (1) while activating the Wade Sensing screen on the infotainment system.
Roverview That Pivi Pro infotainment system runs through a rather smart 10in interactive display (2). Powered by Snapdragon chips, highly configurable tiles and over-the-air software updates make it one of the most customisable and futureproof in-car tech systems.
GOOD MEH EVIL
A supremely comfy place to sit The new off-road tech rocks
Diesel model lacks punch
Roverweight This new Defender is as tough as old army boots. It can carry a payload of 900kg and a static roofload of up to 300kg, and can tow up to 3500kg (3). Inside, the materials have been selected for durability and there’s a choice of old-school steel wheels. Because blingy alloys are for drifters.
You can spec a winch!
But you can’t hose the interior
Roverhead
‘Alpine lights’ along the sides of the roof are a nice nostalgic touch, and let in extra sunlight for you to write your hunting trip invitations.
TESTED LAND ROVER DEFENDER (2020)
Tech specs
Engine 2-litre petrol, diesel or mild-hybrid AWD auto Max speed 192km/h (petrol) 0-100km/h 7.6s (petrol) Displays 12.3in driver display, 10in infotainment Connectivity Bluetooth, LTE, 5G, Android Auto, Apple CarPlay, up to 7x USB
When testing the brand new Defender, there was only one logical place to do it – the Skeleton Coast Let’s off-road!
■ Suits you, sir Land Rover hosted the debut drives of this car on some of the harshest terrain on earth: Namibia’s Skeleton Coast, where six Defenders journeyed over 500km, almost all off-road, to prove the machine’s hardiness.
■ Winch was nice Fitted with the Explorer pack, each Defender had a winch, an engine snorkel, chunkier wheel-arches and a roofrack laden with spare tyres, hydraulic jacks, spades and myriad tools for digging Defenders out of sodden riverbeds.
Roverpowered The infotainment system is 5G-compatible, while the dual LTE modems allow uninterrupted access to entertainment. Still too old-fashioned? A Mild-Hybrid Electric Vehicle (MHEV) option will be joined by a Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicle (PHEV) version in the near future.
Rover your shoulder Every variant of this Defender can be specced with the latest ClearSight off-road assistance tech. Ground View uses trick cameras to render the bonnet invisible, while Rear View projects a live video feed onto the mirror (4). There’s even a colour head-up display for on/off-road info.
■ I was very dunked The drive saw at least 12 punctures, three rescues from thick mud and two cable-ties required to clip bodywork back into place. “This is as close to the old Camel Trophy races as you can get,” said one experienced onlooker.
■ Brilliant! All the vehicles came out of the other side more or less unscathed, making miraculously short work of the fiendish terrain. Despite all the comfort and cutting-edge tech, this is still very much the tough warrior of old.
There’s no denying the new Defender is a major departure from the much-loved original, but this is a modern car for modern drivers –one that can still handle the world’s toughest terrain while its occupants relax inside. And the upcoming electric and hybrid models will ensure the new Defender resonates with urbanites as well as off-road fans.
ST UF F S AYS ★★★★★ An absolutely epic 4x4 that manages to tackle the tough stuff and mix it with the most modern of machines
TESTED MARSHALL MONITOR I I ANC
Eight days a tweak
Combining long battery life with customisable EQ, Marshall’s first ever noise-cancelling cans are a magical mystery tour de force
If your aim in life is to feel the same raw power from your headphones that you do from a rock concert, there are some clear limitations. Strapping an amp stack to your head isn’t really recommended unless you’re a World’s Strongest Man competitor, and any sort of prolonged listening will leave you with tinnitus akin to being stuck in a lift with My Bloody Valentine for seven years.
Marshall’s new over-ear cans attempt to deliver a scaled-down version, by drawing on nearly 60 years of producing some of the finest amps rock music has ever seen, only in a more practical form factor and with less risk to your hearing. They also have tweakable EQ, and active noise-cancelling so at least a live recording can’t be ruined by someone talking all the way through it.
Styled to resemble Marshall’s famous amps, the Monitor II ANCs offer definite swagger… but is there anything going on under that rock star facade? Rtba / marshallheadphones.com
Wired honey pie The little coiled wires running to the earcups echo the ‘vintage guitar lead’ look of the included 3.5mm cable.
Twist and pout The first thing you notice is the classic cursive logo bearing Jim Marshall’s surname (1). That’s surrounded by amp-style textured plastic, with squishy padding for your head. These cans are not heavy, they twist and fold away easily, and the hinges help them adapt to your head shape.
You won’t ANC me Hit the ANC button (2) on the left earcup to turn the noise-cancelling on or off. Want more control? Using the Marshall Bluetooth app, you can choose how much noise to let in on a sliding scale from 0 (full ANC) to 100 % (no ANC). It’s a neat feature that’s genuinely useful.
Strum together Marshall’s headphones look the part… and they sound pretty great too. While some cans only seem to be suited to certain genres, these span all of them. Being able to switch between EQ presets, or create your own, makes these the noise-cancellers of choice for those with broad tastes.
Here, pair and everywhere On the right earcup, the M button (3) can be used to switch between EQ presets – or you can set it to summon your voice assistant. Equipped with Bluetooth 5.0, our cans paired immediately with a strong signal that never once faltered. You’ll get about 30 hours of playback with ANC, 45 without.
Sergeant peppy Custom-tuned 40mm dynamic drivers deliver powerful, crisp audio with Marshall’s signature punch. Bass is strong but not overcooked, vocals are clear, there’s a warmness to acoustic tracks, and the ANC works a treat. Then again, who needs ANC? The passive isolation is excellent.
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GOOD MEH EVIL
Killer rock’n’roll styling… …with a slick folding design No touch controls, only buttons
Nice EQ customising options Battery life is up with the best
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TESTED MARSHALL MONITOR II ANC
Tech specs
Connectivity Bluetooth 5.0, USB-C, 3.5mm Battery life Up to 45hrs (30hrs with ANC) Weight 320g
Interacting with Marshall’s noise-cancellers is easy enough, and the app opens up more control options I’m looking through UI
■ Shove me do The ANC and M buttons are camouflaged to look like rivets on the back of the earcups, but they’re easy to locate. In keeping with the vintage vibe, a gold button on the right cup turns the cans off and on.
■ Day skipper The gold button doubles as a joystick to control the volume (up and down) and skip (left and right). There’s no annoying double-tap to master, because pressing down on the joystick takes care of play and pause.
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■ What goes off The Marshall Bluetooth app, originally created for the brand’s speakers, has been updated for headphones. It lets you set a timer to turn off your cans after a set period, in case you’re falling asleep to Ringo’s Greatest Hits.
■ Fuel on the hill If you forgot to charge your cans overnight, you can score up to five hours of wireless playtime with a 15-minute boost. The ’phones are supplied with a USB-C charging cable plus a 3.5mm lead for wired listening.
Marshall’s amp-inspired design is the big sell here, and it’s as close as many of us will ever get to a backstage pass; but there’s more going on than good looks. A sturdy foldable design, slick controls, a comfy fit, adjustable noise-cancelling and great all-round performance make them a hit. They’re not cheap, but they’re easily Marshall’s best cans yet.
ST UF F S AYS ★★★★★ A tidy set of over-ear headphones packed with more customising options than any other noise-cancellers
TESTED HUAWEI SOUND X
Shut up and jive
Huawei has partnered with French audio specialist Devialet to deliver a smart speaker that rivals the HomePod… only you probably won’t understand it
Huawei is getting itself a bit of a reputation – quite a few, actually. There’s the one for ruffling White House feathers, and the one for causing UK 5G controversy, but also the one for making excellent smartphones and picking clever partners to work with – thus its excellent Leica phone cameras.
So when it came to making the Sound X smart speaker, it called in the big guns at Devialet – the high-end French audio brand responsible for the outrageous Phantom wireless speaker. Together they’ve conjured up an Apple HomePod-esque effort… but due to the US trade ban with Google (which we’re sick of explaining), its AI assistant doesn’t speak English.
Huawei says it’s coming to South Africa but it hasn’t been able to say when. When it does, it should be about on a par for price with the HomePod. Until then, it’s relying on sound quality alone as a straight Bluetooth speaker… but that’s fine by us. Rtba / consumer.huawei.com
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Meshin’ around The Sound X follows the basic cylindrical form of the HomePod, but opts for a black piano-gloss finish and a mesh fabric grille on the bottom section only. The eye-catchers are the exposed subwoofers (1) – one on each side – that vibrate in the fashion of the Devialet Phantom.
Design your name There are no ports here, only a power socket that feeds into the bottom (2), and the lead is removable (but nowhere near as nice as Apple’s fabric effort). There’s Huawei branding, ‘co-engineered with Devialet’ branding, and touch controls on top, which we’ll come to later.
GOOD MEH EVIL
It’s bigger than a HomePod
It sounds better than a
HomePod
Supports hi-res and a stereo pair
The steady pair’s picnic On startup, our Sound X speaks Chinese. This is Huawei’s Xiaoyi voice assistant, and it’s really not a lot of use to us. Instead, Bluetooth 5.1 pairing is simple and steadfast, and anyone with a compatible phone can use Huawei Share NFC streaming with a single tap.
Supports HiLink smart home
Nice gesture controls
TESTED HUAWEI SOUND X
Tech specs
Output power 65W Drivers 6x 1.5in full-range, 2x 3.5in subwoofers Mics 6x far-field Connectivity Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 5.1, NFC Dimensions 203x165x165mm, 3.5kg
Just because it’s speaking Mandarin, that doesn’t mean you can’t navigate the Huawei Sound X Howzit, China?
Off the wall
You can adjust the sound profile based on whether you decide to place the Sound X in the middle of a room or up against a wall.
Water feeling Devialet’s 360 ° sound is provided by six full-range drivers (3) plus those woofers, with ‘push-push’ tech cancelling out unwanted vibrations while preserving the bass. To prove this, Huawei says if you put a glass of water on top it’ll remain completely still. We tried it and it works.
Spray it loud The sound is colossal – distinctly more expansive than that of the HomePod. It’s physically bigger, but so is the audio experience. Bass is controlled, allowing the other frequencies to breathe and exposing plenty of detail. It’s pure head-nod territory – Devialet has worked wonders.
■ On tap The top of the speaker is home to an LED touchscreen display. It features four controls: volume up, volume down, microphone mute, and an ellipsis button for entering Bluetooth pairing mode with a long tap.
■ On call A multicoloured LED ring encircles the touch controls and is there to acknowledge voice commands or reflect a change in volume – but only when using the touch controls, not your smart device.
■ On hand Move your hand towards the controls and motion sensors will kick in to illuminate them –handy in a dark room. Tapping the mic button sends all of them red, and lights up the LED ring in the same colour.
■ On the quiet You can also mute the speaker using gesture controls –simply place your hand on the top of the Sound X and it’ll quieten down, which works well if you need to hear something in the background.
With the appropriate voice smarts for this region, the Huawei Sound X might well become the best smart speaker in its price range. At the moment it doesn’t possess them, but that still makes this a sonically brilliant standalone Bluetooth speaker, backed by Devialet expertise. We wonder what it’ll cost.
ST UF F S AYS ★★★★ ✩ A big dose of Devialet audio engineering at an affordable price… even if it’s in need of some elocution lessons
TESTED ACER SWIFT 5 (2020)
Holding out for a kilo
If you refuse to carry over 1kg of laptop, the 2020 version of Acer’s Swift 5 could be the slinky all-rounder you’ve been waiting for Rtba / shopacer.co.za
■ Laptops are pretty light these days, but there’s always room for improvement – and the 2020 evolution of the Acer Swift 5 has found it. You lose a bit of stiffness, but this 990g charmer has just about everything you could ask for from a modern Windows laptop.
■ The 14in IPS LCD panel is a touchscreen and it looks great. Blacks are deep, colours rich, and hardly any laptops with this power at this price are any sharper. The Microsoft Surface Pro 7 is, but you get lots more for your money here.
■ The keys have decent travel and tactile feedback, and are backlit with two brightness levels. What’s not so good is the fingerprint scanner – as on most Windows machines , it refuses to work half the time – and a trackpad that’s plastic rather than glass. The speakers are weak too.
Last action kilo The 54Wh battery is better than the latest Dell XPS 13’s, and good for 9 hrs ’ streaming or a full fun-packed day of typing.
■ There are no big compromises on performance. Our 10th - gen Core i5 model had 8GB of RAM and a 256GB SSD. This is Acer’s entry-level spec, but it’s far from entry-level hardware and runs Windows 10 perfectly. It’s also effectively silent.
■ Serious about gaming on your laptop? Buy the Core i7 version and you get one of Intel’s Iris Plus GPUs, which bridges the gap between dedicated hardware and bog-standard built-in stuff.
Screen 14in 1920x1080 IPS touchscreen CPU Intel Core i5-1035G1 RAM 8GB OS Windows 10 Home Storage 256GB SSD Connectivity USB - 3, USB-2, USB-C, HDMI, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth Battery life Up to 12.5hrs Dimensions 318x210x15mm, 990g Tech specs
■ Working-class kilo The real-world practicality of the Swift 5 is off the charts. Its footprint is small, the low weight is brilliant for portability and the connections cover all the basics. As well as a full suite of USBs, you get a full-size HDMI output.
■ Have-a-go kilo Acer also aims for practicality with the screen. This is a 14in IPS LCD touchscreen panel of 1080p resolution, and the slim surrounds mean you couldn’t really fit in much more without making it a bigger laptop.
STUFF SAYS An ultra-light laptop that doesn’t dump everything to stay slinky ★★★★ ✩
TESTED JABRA ELITE ACTIVE 75T
Sweatier groove on
Slippery when sweat
A grippy coating is meant to keep the buds in place while you run.
It’s OK, but clip-on w ing tips would be better.
Jabra’s Elite 75t true wireless earphones now have a workout-ready Active sibling. But are they the best gym buddies on a budget?
Rtba / circuitcity.co.za
■ Built to withstand the rigours of soundtracking your stints in the pain cave, these are the sporty new addition to Jabra’s Elite line-up of true wireless ’phones. T hey come with better battery life, improved durability and a more compact design than previous models… And pricing should be rather reasonable.
■ Sweat weekend Beyond comfort, sound and durability, the feature that matters most with true wireless buds is battery life. A single charge on these offers 7.5hrs , and there’s another 20.5hrs in the charging case. That’s a lot.
■ Sweat blanket HearThrough Transparency mode is a neat feature for fitness-focused buds. Engaged with a simple tap, this setting softens your tunes and lets more sounds leak in from the outside world for safety on the road .
■ Rich and well-balanced sound is backed up by plenty of big-bass oomph. A customisable equaliser in Jabra’s app also lets you set your sounds how you like them: there are five presets , or you can use a slider to find your own levels. That’s something Apple’s AirPods Pro don’t offer.
■ The fast - charge feature provides an hour’s juice from just 15 minutes on the plug, so no low - power surprises can derail your workout. There are quicker fast-charging headphones out there , but that’s rapid enough to deliver a session’s worth of motivational tunes in the time it takes to pack your gym bag.
■ An IP55 rat ing means they’re waterproof and sweatproof. You can’t swim with them, but sweat y or rain - soaked runs and rides are covered , and you should get away with the odd puddle drop .
■ The physical buttons make it easy to switch tracks and cancel incoming calls from your boss while you’re being screamed at in a spin class; but mastering all the combinations of taps and presses of the single - button controls takes time.
Connectivity Bluetooth 5.0 Battery life 7.5 hours (buds), 20.5 hours (charging case) Waterproofing IP55 Weight 2x 5.5g (buds), 35g (case) Tech specs
