t h e 1 0 t h a n n u a l h o t 1 0 0 From trailblazing tech to the TALENT behind it, T3 reveals the gadgets you need right now! The Gadget Magazine April 2015 / £4.99
THE TIME IS NOW F O R A P P L E WAT C H !
THE CURVED TV comes of age
CUTTING-EDGE TA B L E T S
WEARABLE TECH I N N O VAT I O N S
the sharpest new shooters
HOME AUDIO GOES HIGH-RES
ELO N M USK : SPACE T E C H TA K E S O F F
NEW ADVENTURES IN VIDEOGAMES
POWERFUL P O R TA B L E S
MICROSOFT HOLOLENS
T H E FA S T E S T phones e v er !
ELECTRIC HYPERCARS
T O N Y FA D E l L : N E S T AND GLASS 2.0
GEAR VR ON TEST + VIRTUAL REALITY you can buy on the high street
tablet battle royale + android buying guide: £100 tesco HUDL vs best for £300
Contents April 2015 / Issue 241
This issue’s highlights HTC One M9
13
Tech in sport
92
If the difficult second album is dodged, will the third release suffer? How does it rate for specs and style?
Gooooooaaaal! Although, hold on… is it? How technology is about to radically change sport all over again
New model maker army
Samsung Gear VR
22
How 3D printers just keep on getting cleverer and cheaper – they don’t all look like rubbish microwaves
Virtual reality headsets are finally, um, a reality. But after the wait, is the Gear VR actually any good?
The Hot 100
Digital SLRs supertest
48
The tenth edition of our definitive tech list. But what does the top ten look like? Top tech people decide…
99
109
Why, despite smartphones, DSLRs are still important and why you should buy this one and not that one!
April 2015 T3 5
win an Apple Watch!
Contents
Your chance to get hold of this year’s most WANTED gadget! see page 74
April 2015 / Issue 241
Editor’s letter
9
Opinion
Let e-battle commence
45
Insight by Szilárd Stange
Radar
So long, the ’Shack
Most Wanted
13
After a couple of belters, can HTC score an unlikely hat trick with the One M9?
Blade Runners
Need List
Viva Barcelona
16
46
Stateside by Chris Smith
Rated
360 review: Samsung Gear VR
Bang & Olufsen Beolit 15
103
47
It feels like a posh coolbox, but it makes a big sound – and has a big price
47
Round-up: Android tablets
Truth by Duncan Bell
The best tech your credit card will allow: cameras, cool cans and skateboards
Finally… by Pete Dreyer
From guffawed at gizmo to almost an institution in a few short years
Driverless pods are here
the hot 100
Supertest: DSLRs
20
The robots have finally taken over. In Milton Keynes anyway Trend
Star tech: the current generation 22
3D printers are slowly coming down in price. And doing cleverer stuff Fly me to the moon 24 And then Mars. Liquid Galaxy has arrived Spend
26
The specs, style and wizardry behind Astell&Kern’s intriguing music player Icon: Seymourpowell
27
Stuff
Obsession: geocaching
The Buzz
The kit you need to get geo-geeky
Flipping phones Stats
Test: e-cigs 33
All the numbers that really count Incoming
Tech happenings we can see on the horizon
Samsung SD59OCS
Bloodborne
Showdown: wireless headphones 75
Beats Solo 2 vs Harman Kardon Soho
76
subscribe
77 79 80
Pulse
81
Games
Including a dumbo’s idea of a thoughtprovoking film. And The Prodigy
Home
85
Smart fridge anyone? Here’s Kitchen 2.0 Drive 38
We check out the nippy Renault Megane Renaultsport 275 Trophy-R
40
tech in sport
Elsewhere in cheery news, Mortal Kombat X is still as gory as ever Apps, websites and e-books
84
Keeping it (uni-)wheel on the street 37
117
With 20 brightness levels
Smarten your phone up, or look a bit rural
Tech Dad
Gothic despair, dread and menace… This game’s a proper chortle
117
More curves and that…
Adidas vs Nike: who’s the duke of daps?
Play
116
Is it more than just a fancy flexy thing?
118
Save money and get a free gadget!
104
Subscribe to T3 and get yourself a free Kisai Tenmetsu watch
It’s a smoke off! Upgrade: get on the case
35
LG G Flex 2
Beat Netflix
This month’s essential selection of gadgets 32
109
The push bike just got smart How to...
30
106
Pentax, Nikon, Sony, Canon and Samsung go into the ring...
Bookeen Cybook Muse FrontLight
Gadget of the Month
Planes, trains and Lynx deodorant
48
In this, the tenth year of the Hot 100, we bring you the ultimate cutting-edge list of tech, talent, gear and gadgets. You know the score, but what’s number one?
Tech life
99
The first virtual reality headset comes to market – and for less than £200
How tech will transform sport yet again
The guide Smartphones Cameras Laptops Headphones Tablets Audio
122 123 124 126 128 129
88
92
Tennis, cricket and rugby have long utilised the benefits of advanced technology to decide crucial decisions. Now football is finally catching on too. Plus apps to up your game
On the cover
the tenth annual hot 100: the ultimate list of the cutting-edge gadgets, life-changing technology and influential talent that will ignite your world right now!
April 2015 T3 7
Editor’s letter April 2015 / Issue 241
It’s easy to get excited by new tech – there’s something that hits my inbox every single day that grabs my attention. But among the gaggle of new releases and developments, what are the real game-changers? That’s what we’ve set out to answer with this year’s Hot 100 list. Now in its tenth year, it’s the ultimate round-up of the world’s best gadgets, gear and talent that have changed the way you live your life – or are about to. What’s really stood out for me this year is the connected home – the Internet of Things, if you will. It’s not just the gadgets, it’s the services that combine with it. Who’d have thought even a couple of years ago I’d be able to control my heating via my watch? When you write it down it seems like madness. So as well as the compendium of cutting-edge TVs, cameras, cars, smartphones, wearables and, well, you name it, we’ve also included services in this year’s list: online apps or tech developments that improve your daily life and can only get better and better over the coming years. It’s been assembled by some of the very finest tech journalists and commentators, and I hope it will cause some debate. Get in touch with me and let me know what you think.
We also had the opportunity to speak to Steve Mann – who many regard as the father of wearable tech. In a year when such developments are rife, it only seemed right to chat to the man who was developing smart eyeglasses before Google was even born. It’s a fascinating read; our Hot 100 starts on page 48. Fuelling the fire of this year’s ultimate list is a swarm of other great stuff. For instance, we got our hands on the HTC One M9 way before the official release and have had an extensive play with the gorgeous new device. With the Galaxy S6 announced (with its new all-metal design) as I write this, it looks like we have a real Android smartphone battle on our hands – and there’s nothing I like more than a smartphone battle. In the meantime, flick to page 16 to see what we thought of the One M9. If you looked around the T3 office this month, you’d see many of the team here spinning around in their chairs, bumping into desks and having a slightly gormless openmouthed look about them. It’s not the normal deadline atmosphere, more that we were all trying out the Samsung Gear VR. Whilst it’s not the best VR solution out there and doesn’t have the longeveity of Oculus and the library of titles is a little sparse, it’s the first real bit of VR kit available to the mainstream. That makes it an incredibly exciting and influential product in my eyes. Flick to page 99 now. Before I leave you to get stuck into the issue, there’s something big coming your way next month. Can you guess? Need a clue? Didn’t think so. Of course it’s the Apple Watch. The most anticipated gadget of the year, if not the decade, will be on our wrists and we’ll be bringing you the ultimate review. Make sure you grab a copy – it’s on sale from April 16. Or better still, subscribe now – see page 104. Tom Dennis, editor Twitter: @tomdennis / Email: tom.dennis@futurenet.com
{Contributors}
1
2
3
Eric Schudiske from Groundspeak Geocaching reveals everything you need to know about hunting for goodies across the country. Flick to page 77 now and get your cache on!
Szilárd is director of project management at OPSWAT, the San Francisco-based company that specialises in security. On page 46 he reveals the truth about the threat of cyber-war.
Regular T3 writer Joe has been investigating the world of sports tech this month. From DRS to GLT, see how incredible technology will change how we watch the sports we love. Hit page 92.
Eric Schudiske
szilÁrd stange
joe minihane
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