Icon Google Nest Wifi Pro

THIS DOESN’T DOUBLE AS A SMART SPEAKER: IT’S ABOUT PURE, UNADULTERATED INTERNET ACCESS

GOOGLE NEST WIFI PRO

from £190 / store.google.com

Nice diffuser. How does it smell? Absolutely divine. This one gives off the unique scent of mesh networks and WPA3 encryption, because despite the fact that it looks like it belongs in a wellness catalogue this is actually a Wi-Fi router. Routers work best when they’re out in the open, but many people squirrel them away because they look like, well, routers. That’s why Google has made the Nest Wifi Pro look a bit like a unicorn egg or a varnished melon, so people will be happier to have it out on display rather than hidden inside a dusty cupboard full of cables.

It’s not unlike a giant AirPods case. Don’t let Siri hear you say that… although there’s no need to worry about Google Assistant listening, because unlike the standard Nest Wifi this one doesn’t double as a smart speaker. No, this thing’s all about pure, unadulterated internet access, so you get Wi-Fi 6E that supports the new 6GHz channel. This isn’t just faster than 2.4GHz and 5GHz at short range but also offers way more bandwidth, so devices connected to it won’t be fighting for scraps. It’ll also work as a Thread border router – ideal for connecting smart home kit.

So what’s the range like? Google says a single one can cover up to 120m², but the idea is that you have as many as you need to make sure your whole abode is blanketed in a consistent carpet of connectivity. A set of three will set you back £380 and cover a space significantly larger than a tennis court. Setup is via Google’s Home app, so you shouldn’t need a degree in computer science to get up and running, and they come in four colours: snow, linen, fog and lemongrass. Disappointingly, they all smell the same.

I’ve got the dots for you XIAOMI 12T PRO

If phone cameras were judged purely on pixel count, the Xiaomi 12T Pro would be buffing its crown silly right now. With a preposterous 200MP crammed into its main 1/1.22in sensor it has enough pixels to mimic 2x zoom, while its ProCut tech analyses your snaps and suggests five different aspect ratios to crop to without losing clarity. Power for the 6.67in 120Hz AMOLED display comes from a Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 and up to 12GB of RAM, with a 5000mAh battery that can go from empty to full in just under 20 minutes. Other niceties include Gorilla Glass 5 and an anti-glare glass back that should keep smears and smudges to a minimum – so it can stay as shiny as Xiaomi’s highly buffed crown. £699 / mi.com Isn’t that a character from Star Trek? Mymanu’s Titan (£tba, mymanu.com) won’t be beaming anybody anywhere or propelling anything at warp speed, but it does have something in common with one famous gadget seen in the hands of Kirk, Spock and co: it doesn’t have a screen. That’s hardly unusual for a set of wireless earbuds, but it’s not all they share with Star Trek’s clamshell Communicator. The adjustable neckband also has a 4G eSIM on board, so you can use the buds to make calls without having to carry a phone around with you… although you might struggle for signal if you’re stranded on a strange planet.

They sound like a nightmare to use. We’re not totally convinced yet either, but presumably the man behind the Titan, a Ghanaian-Brit called Danny Manu, saw how successful voice-controlled smart speakers have been over the past few years and decided there was no reason it wouldn’t work if you shrunk those speakers and stuck them in your ears instead. They can access your contacts, so you can dictate texts as well as making hands-free calls, with text-to-speech converting received messages for you. But if somebody sends you a photo you’ll just have to use your imagination.

Can I still listen to my tunes? Yep, Mymanu says you can use them to stream music and podcasts, although it’s not clear exactly how that’ll work if you don’t have a phone connected. Perhaps their most intriguing party piece, though, is another nod to the Star Trek universe: the built-in translator. You will need a connected phone for this as it’s powered by the MyJuno app, but when somebody speaks into that phone the app will translate and pipe it directly into your ears. It’s not quite universal like the gadget used by Hoshi Sato in Enterprise, but it does understand over 30 languages. Sadly, Klingon isn’t one of them.

Yawn this way AMAZON HALO RISE

How do you sleep at night? On your back? On your side? With years of embarrassing social gaffes replaying in your brain as you drift off into a restless slumber? The Halo Rise automatically detects when you climb into bed and tracks the duration, quality and stages of your journey through the land of nod, with no need to don any wrist-based kit along with your pyjamas. A built-in smart alarm clock and sunrise-mimicking light help you rise and shine rather than whine on those gloomy winter mornings, while light, humidity and temperature sensors help it to suggest things you can do to sleep better. The only thing it can’t do is help you forget that time you called your boss Mum. £tba / amazon.co.uk