phones W E A R A B L E S a u d i o tvs laptops A TON OF FUN!
top £100 gadgets Fantastic kit that won’t break the bank
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issue 251 january 2016 PRINTED IN THE UK £4.99
AMAZING MUST-HAVE UPGRADES TO KEEP YOU AHEAD OF THE CURVE
OCULUS RIFT AT LAST! NEXT-GEN APPLE WATCH GOOGLE GLASS RETURNS iPHONE 7 AND S7 EDGE PS5 VERSUS XBOX TWO THE DRONES TAKE OVER
PLUS! PHABLETS TESTED / SMART THERMOSTATS / SKY Q:TV REBORN
issue 251 / January 2016
Contents BEST TECH
Features 038
G adget Guru This month, our tech talisman turns his attention to the latest and greatest in-car tech, and, er, how to combat cat poo
enda 043 Ag
Face your fears with Derren Brown’s lastest cuttingedge tech attraction, make household objects digital, and build yourself something with interactive LEGO
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Driverless cars, VR and automated homes: this year will see your wildest dreams turn into a reality
How to beat the winter snap without getting a serious case of frostbite on your appendages - our grizzled outdoor expert shows you how it’s done in style
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Fab phablets Bigger is better, huh? When it comes to smartphones, it most definitely is, as the three supersized handsets in this issue’s group test prove. But which will come out on top – the iPhone 6s Plus, the Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge or the Nexus 6P?
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Exclusive T3 subscription offer – p54
092 complete guide to… smart thermostats
To subscribe to T3, point your browser at myfavouritemagazines.co.uk, or turn to p54. The next issue of T3 goes on sale 19 Jan.
Keep your home toasty this winter with one of these neat home gadgets
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issue 251 / january 2016
Contents 014
Win!
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Preview
B&O BEOPLAY A6
The tech you should be getting excited about. This month: Sky Q – the 4K wirelessentertainment box; a drone that’ll follow and film you as you run/ride, and a sexy, almost-affordable Leica camera
Multi-room audio has already taken off massively in the last year, so what can premium speaker-maker B&O bring to the living-room table?
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smackdown
people Now that he’s getting on a bit, we check out essential gadgets for Star Wars hero Han Solo, to stop him falling asleep at the wheel of the Falcon…
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we can build you... Can’t afford a Tesla? Make every motoring journey that bit more epic with this carefully chosen selection of the best auto gadgets
035 Style
The thing you need most this winter: jumpers! But not dodgy, knitted numbers from your nan. We check out five of the best to keep you warm and looking like a boss
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What’s the best mid-range action cam that’ll do 4K recording? Find out in this issue’s head-to-head
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super six If you’ve bagged yourself a brand-new TV but feel like the sound isn’t living up to your blockbuster ideals, these soundbars will give you some front-row oomph
p124
125 introducing the best buyer’s guide known to man
From thermostats to tablets, and cameras to cars, our pick of the very best tells you what to buy Plus! T3’s £100 Hotlist
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our gadgets You’ve seen the expert reviews, now witness the T3 team getting hands-on with the latest gadgets, including a Zeiss VR One headset, a Bose sound system and some super cycling glasses from Recon
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games
opinion Duncan Bell travels across time and space to bring you the weird and wondeful side of tech
All the best titles you should be playing over the Christmas break, including Fallout 4 and our old favourite Lara Croft in Rise Of The Tomb Raider
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an isaw edge action cam
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Essentials 005 Gamechanger 007 welcome 054 Subscriptions 120 Next issue 124 Competition 138 Money No Object M ore grea t content a t the a ll-ne w w w w.t3.co m
issue 251 / JANUARY 16
this month… 16 18 20 22 24
your guide to the hottest tech, People and Styles Right now
BlackBerry Priv Samsung Galaxy View Riva S Hexo+ Leica D-Lux ‘Solid Gray’ 26 Garmin Index 28 Cocoon 31 Han Solo 32 Tech for a road trip
Sky Q £TBC, sky.com/skyq
A new Sky box, eh? How does this one differ to Sky+? Oh, Sky Q is much more than just a new box – it’s a whole wireless homeentertainment system that offers what Sky is calling Fluid Viewing™. Customers will be granted unprecedented flexibility in terms of how they view content. Sounds pretty cool – tell me more. When you sign up, you’ll get a choice of two main boxes: the top-end Sky Q Silver or the regular Sky Q. The former packs a 2TB hard drive for up to 350 hours of HD recording, as well as 12 tuners, enabling you to record four shows at once while watching a fifth. Sky Q has a 1TB hard drive and eight tuners. So where does this fancy Fluid Viewing™ come in? That refers to Sky Q’s multi-room ability. The Sky Q Silver supports up to two Sky Q Mini boxes (sold separately), which enable you to enjoy all the features of your main box in other rooms; and also lets you view content on two tablets via the Sky Q app, which means you can watch live TV and your recordings on the go. Excitingly, you’ll be able to pause what you’ve been watching on one device, and pick up from where you left off on a device in another room. (The Sky Q box supports one Sky Q Mini box and one tablet.)
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Will the service offer Ultra HD? Yes, but that won’t come until later in 2016. Sky says it’s planning several Ultra HD channels – expect sports, an entertainment channel, movies and more. How much will all of this cost? We don’t know yet. Sky is being pretty cagey on price, but it’s calling Sky Q a “premium product” – so be prepared! 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
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complete control The Sky Q Bluetooth remote offers touch control, while a built-in microphone means it’s ready for voice search – a feature that’s promised for the near future
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Hype SKY q
Vital stats Four 12 The number of shows you can record at once on the Sky Q Silver box, while watching a fifth
The tuners inside a Sky Q Silver box. There are also three spares for future updates
2TB Two The storage inside the Sky Q Silver box. The Sky Q packs 1TB
The Sky Q Silver supports a pair of Sky Q Mini boxes
(From left) The Sky Q box, the Sky Q Silver box and the Sky Q Mini box. The slim designs belie the powerful capabilities of these devices
TV viewing has never been more flexible claire davies, assistant editor
SIGNAL BOOSTER Another device, the Sky Q Hub (not pictured), turns each Sky Q box into a Wi-Fi hotspot, boosting the signal throughout your home
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2016 tech
VR headsets, cars that drive themselves, fully automated smart homes, and phones that don’t require a desperate search for the nearest power outlet every 12 hours. 2016 is all about turning the world’s most talked-up tech into everyday reality WORDS Joe Minihane PHOTOGRAPHY Joe Branston
Being a tech obsessive means one thing: whatever you’ve got in your hand, on your desk or under your telly is never as good as what’s coming next. Whether it’s the smartphone that’ll last for an extra day, the set-top box that offers seamless 4K streaming or the AV kit that makes your MP3s sound like a stadium PA, there’s always something better to be jonesing for. Next to what 2016 has in store, though, such demands seem a tad prosaic, because the coming 12 months promise to turn some of the most talked-about developments of the last five years into reality. The worlds of virtual reality, home automation and self–driving cars are set to go from the stuff of laboratory legend to consumer must–haves.
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MY TECH 2016: the autonomous car is almost upon us WITH TESLA’S AUTOPILOT MODE HERE, IT’LL BE ALL-CHANGE FOR CAR TECH, SAYS Rob carney We’ve heard so much about self-driving cars recently, with Google and Apple (reportedly) working on vehicles that can get themselves around without any driver input. But while that’s still seemingly a long way off, the likes of Tesla are doing wonders for in-car tech and autonomous driving. Tesla’s Autopilot functionality is already here – albeit in beta mode – and that excites me enormously. And it can only get better in 2016. While it’s recommended that you only use
“Tesla’s Autopilot functionality is already here, and that excites me” the Autopilot feature on the motorway, it’s only a matter of time before it works flawlessly on A-roads too – and although it’s billed as a driving assistance, the combination of autosteer and adaptive cruise control could see us getting from A to B with very little input. Some would argue that this takes the fun out of driving but, having tested the Autopilot beta, I disagree. I can’t wait for more developments next year.
High-end VR headsets such as the Oculus Rift will provide the ultimate interactive experience
all–out VR war, one that’ll dominate headlines and divide consumers just as much as Apple vs Google does in smartphones, and Sony vs Microsoft does in console gaming.
The rise of VR
Nowhere is this more obvious than with virtual reality (VR). If it feels as if we’ve been talking about the dawn of VR for half a decade, it’s because we have. Oculus Rift creator Palmer Luckey put together the first prototype of his hugely anticipated device in 2011. Now, a final consumer version is set to go on sale in the first three months of the year. And it’s not the only headset that’s due to hit the shelves in early 2016. Samsung’s Gear VR is already available, and HTC and Valve’s Vive is also primed for an early 2016 release, not forgetting Sony’s PS4–focused Project Morpheus. We’re about to enter an
Market-research firm TrendForce predicts that VR products will enjoy sales of 14 million in 2016, rising to 38 million a year by the end of the decade. VR already has a huge fanbase, thanks to endless coverage and availability of beta kit over the past year especially, not to mention the fact that because it’s intrinsically tied to gaming, there will be plenty of users keen to be involved from the get-go, something 2015’s busted flush, smartwatches, struggled to do. “VR hardware’s market positioning is clearer than smartwatches,” claims Jason Tsai, TrendForce’s wearable-device analyst. “Since VR devices’ strongest feature is providing users with an immersive audiovisual experience, their early application will be related to gaming.” The understandable concern is that the very top-end kit, such as the Oculus Rift and Sony’s Project Morpheus, is not going to be cheap, with neither manufacturer yet revealing its price. However, the fact that Designed to fit a range of Samsung phones, the Gear VR will throw you into the world of virtual reality
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2016 tech
The smartphone battery booster What is it? A new screen technology that’s set to bring an end to the days of fast–dwindling smartphone batteries.
Who’s behind it? Bodle Technologies, a company set up by 32–year–old Dr Peiman Hosseini. Hosseini spun his company out of Oxford University, whose Sciences Innovation Fund has handed him £320million to research the technology. He’s even in talks with some of tech’s biggest players, although he’s not allowed to say who.
How does it work? Hosseini is keeping things deliberately vague, only saying that the technology uses electric pulses sent to flexible
Samsung is making its Gear VR, a product made with Oculus, available for £80 suggests that VR is not going to simply be a toy for hardcore first adopters. Perhaps more so than PC- and console-gaming VR, mobile VR is where consumers are likely to get their first experience of delving into virtual worlds. All without the wallet–melting price tag.
layers on a phone’s screen. He says it requires virtually no power to operate.
What does it do to a phone’s battery? It turns it from a source of constant frustration to something that only needs powering up once a week, according to Hosseini. Current screens suck up around 90 per cent of a phone’s power, so it’s not over-egging it to say that this could change phones forever.
When will it be out? If it’s in major smartphones in 2016, it’ll be a big surprise, but this is definitely tech to keep an eye on. It could make our most important gadget even better, and it might do so sooner than you think.
Android smartphones, is enabling developers to create immersive worlds, and users to experience them without spending a fortune on new kit. 2016 is surely set to be the year when VR bursts out into the mainstream. If VR is about to have its consumer moment, then self–driving cars are still some way from being parked safely on your drive. But that’s not to say the tech behind them isn’t moving at a rapid pace. 2016 is about refining and testing the experience of automation when it comes to getting behind the wheel. While Google has expanded its testing programme for its self–driving cars into Canada, and continues to grow its fleet in its home state of California, Elon Musk’s Tesla is leading the charge in bringing a more considered, realistic version of automated driving to our roads.
VR is not going to simply be a toy for hardcore first adopters “We see virtual reality as the next computing platform,” said Samsung CEO JK Shin at the Gear VR’s launch in September, adding that he believed it would set the standard for mobile VR. Likewise, Google Cardboard, the search giant’s lo–fi viewer for
Driving change
VR concert apps should become even more immersive with the new technology
MY TECH 2016: WELLBEING Stress and poor sleep are on the rise, but, as Claire Davies discovers, so are the raft of wellness products designed to alleviate them My bag on T3 is mainly wellness tech and kitchen gadgets – the Tefal Cuisine Companion, Oral B’s Pro 6500 Bluetooth Toothbrush and Muse: The Brain Sensing Headband have been my tech highlights of 2015. I was hoping to try out the Smartmat, the world’s first interactive yoga mat, and the Luna smart-sleep mattress cover before Christmas, but I’m heading into 2016 with them still on my list. Sleep is hugely important to us all, so I’m keen to see how the wellness sector
“Stress is toxic, so any innovation here is welcome” continues to approach the subject and help to improve the quality of our rest. Mind hacking is another area I’m interested in – seeing how stress can be so toxic to our bodies, any innovation here is welcome. Thync launched in America last year, and I for one hope its stressbusting Calm Vibes patches officially land in the UK this year. Completing the wellness circle for 2016 is LivBlends, a blender that whips up raw smoothies in 30 seconds, then cleans itself. How very thoughtful!
Tesla’s Autopilot function launched in October, but with the company readying new models for 2016 – specifically its slick new Model 3 and its long–awaited Model C city car – there are set to be a lot more cars knowing how to drive on our roads this year. Autopilot hands over control of braking, steering and changing lanes to the car itself, although some gentle pressure on the wheel can correct mistakes. What’s more, the tech learns from errors, such as trying to make a turn when it shouldn’t, and these lessons
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MY TECH 2016: facing a new kind of reality after a disappointing 2015, DAN GRABHAM hopes 2016 will be a vintage year for tech There’s no disguising the fact that 2015 was a slightly sorry tale of evolution rather than revolution – it was mostly quite dull. Phones and tablets got bigger, while smartwatches were just too chunky. 2016 should blast that to bits, and I’m super-excited about AR in particular. I can’t wait to get properly up close with Microsoft’s HoloLens. Better home automation is also on the cards – we’ve got constantly improving systems like Hive and Nest, of course, but Google’s Brillo and Apple’s HomeKit are set to bring whole new ecosystems of connected devices into our homes. The iPhone 7 and Galaxy S7 will keep the smartphone market ticking over, while I’m also genuinely excited by the next generation of smartwatches. The Moto 360 Sport and Tag Heuer Connected point towards a future in which smartwatches become, well, just watches – smaller, lighter, cleverer and just altogether better.
“2015 was a sorry tale of evolution not revolution. 2016 should blast that to bits”
With Tesla’s Autopilot tech, all you need to worry about is your driving soundtrack
are passed on to Tesla’s entire fleet via a so–called ‘fleet learning network’. “While truly driverless cars are still a few years away, Tesla Autopilot functions like the systems that airplane pilots use when
Tesla’s Autopilot functions like systems airplane pilots use conditions are clear,” says Tesla. “The driver is still responsible for, and ultimately in control of, the car. What’s more, you always have intuitive access to the information your car is using to inform its actions.” Tesla is not alone. Volvo – with its IntelliSafe function – Mercedes and BMW are all offering
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tech trends to keep an eye out for in 2016
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new autopilot tools to help make driving safer and less driver-reliant, with cars featuring the tech available this year. A car without a steering wheel might be a way off yet, but the chance to let your motor do the work is already becoming a reality. Of course, buying yourself a car that’s specced up with the kind of technology that means you can worry less about others’ second-rate driving skills is a pretty expensive proposition. However, one area of tech that looks set to finally break out and become a more affordable must–have in the year ahead is home automation. The so–called Internet of Things – connected kit, from light bulbs to toasters, that you can control with a smartphone or tablet – has been touted as the next big thing
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Flip phones
Phone design has hardly been cutting-edge since the dawn of the iPhone, but it seems the humble flip phone could be making a comeback. After LG launched a smart take on the old–school blower in 2015, Samsung is said to be lining up its own model for 2016.
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Tablet struggles
Tablets are having a torrid time of it, and especially the iPad. Sales are slipping for all major players, but Cupertino’s one–time worldbeater just isn’t doing the numbers any more. Don’t expect the iPad Pro to fix the issue, either.
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2016 tech
Autopilot will take control of your Tesla’s braking, steering and lane changes if you wish
Marc Chacksfield can’t wait for real life to be over. 2016 WILL BE ALL ABOUT VR
for years. But with Apple and Google now ready to push their own systems into the limelight, the ability to control your home from your pocket will be within reach of more people than ever.
A Brillo’d pad Google’s Project Brillo, a new operating system based on Android that can be baked into compatible kit, is likely to start appearing in products this year. Think fridges, door locks and lamps, and you get the idea. What’s more, it includes a standard that Google calls Weave, which enables compatible kit to ‘speak’ to each other. It’s similar to what Apple is already doing with HomeKit, a system that enables manufacturers to create products that can then be controlled by an iPhone or iPad. The company’s Apple TV acts as a hub, enabling you to activate kit using its Siri voice-control tool. While Brillo is still in its nascent stages, HomeKit’s growing list of products, such as Elgato’s Eve thermostats and energy-assessment kit, coupled with the arrival of Apple’s powerful new set-top box, means Google is unlikely to hang around to get its own kit into your home in the next year. Analyst firm Gartner says that 6.4 billion ‘things’ will be connected to the internet by the end of 2016, a 30 per cent jump compared to 2015, with home products with the Web baked in helping to drive growth. Chances are that by the end of 2016, at least part of your home will be smart – and we don’t just mean your smartphone.
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4K Streaming
Amazon and Netflix already offer 4K Ultra HD streaming, but you need a killer Web connection and the right TV to take advantage of it. With infrastructure improving and 4K getting cheaper, 2016 will be the year for making the step up from HD.
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MY TECH 2016: REALITY IS SO LAST YEAR
Hands-free driving could be the future, with the advent of intelligent driverless cars, but these are still a few years off
Project Brillo is the OS behind Google’s smart-home technology
USB–C
A decent, standardised charging solution has been needed for years, and it seems that USB–C, a cable with identical connectors at each end, could well be it. Already in Apple’s 12–inch MacBook and Google’s Nexus 6P phablet, the tech will go mainstream in 2016.
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2015 – what the hell happened? Marty McFly promised us hoverboards, but what we actually got was a crap Segway that caught on fire. The Apple Watch launched but didn’t do everything we wanted it to and, yes, the Samsung 6S Edge was beautiful, but its battery life was shorter than Haley Joel Osment’s movie career. Thankfully, 2016 is here and the PlayStation VR and Oculus Rift mean we can finally kiss the real world goodbye. VR is going to be amazing. Rift founder Palmer Luckey recently revealed that one of the games you’ll be able to play in VR will be . Imagine that: rocking out to a virtual crowd. The Who will have nothing on you... Granted, it’ll be disappointing when the headset comes off and you’re just a grown adult playing with a plastic guitar to a crowd in a world that doesn’t actually exist. But it’ll still be nowhere near as disappointing as 2015’s hoverboards.
“2015: Marty McFly promised us hoverboards, but what we got was a crap Segway”
Drone delivery
Drone delivery is one of Amazon’s Jeff Bezos’ favourite topics, but start-up Starship, formed by Skype’s co-founders, is set to trial six–wheeled automatons on the UK’s streets this year, offering free on–demand delivery within half an hour.
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state of the art
Massive attack Want a pocket-straining phone? WE pit our three top phablet picks against each other to see which reigns supreme Words: Andrew Williams
Photography: Jonny Gawler
ometimes, a regular size phone just won’t do. Maybe you’re planning to watch a lot of Netflix or play games on a long, boring commute to work. We get it. Sometimes, five inches just won’t cut it.
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The good news is that 2015 was a great year for the phablet, phones so big they strain both your pocket and the definition of what a phone is: somewhere between a phone and a tablet, that is. It’s been such a good year that choosing between even the very best contenders can take hours of head-scratching. But you can sit back and relax, because we’ve done the hard work for you. We’ve been living with the iPhone 6s Plus, the Nexus 6P and the Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge+ for weeks
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now – because some quirks only pop out when you use the phone day in, day out. So, is it worth laying down £600-plus on the Edge+ or iPhone 6s Plus with their stabilised camera and pressure-sensitive screen chops, or should you save a few quid and shack up with the new official king of Android, the Nexus 6P? We’ve zeroed in on these three phones as the only phablets you should be considering, unless you’re on a real shoestring budget. The good news is that they’re all bloomin’ great. The bad news is that this is going to make choosing between them all the tougher. We’ll assess their design, features and software to find out which is best for you. After all, everyone has different priorities. As part of this, we’ll be looking at their ease of use, what their cameras are capable of, and their battery life. Strap in and get ready for the ride.
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Select
phablets W hat’s on test…
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iPhone 6s Plus The 6s Plus is an upgrade from the outgoing 6 Plus, but will this pressuresensitive beast be enough to fend off strong competition from all corners? Price: From £619 URL: apple.com
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Nexus 6P The best Nexus phone to date has a 5.7-inch display and a high-class metal design. It’s also the cheapest here. Can it gatecrash the Apple/Samsung party? Price: From £449 URL: store. google.com
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Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge+ With curves in all the right places, this is one seriously striking phone, and it’s full of features too. Will it be as successful as its little brother? Price: From £649 URL: samsung.com
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