Indholdsfortegnelse for May 2021 i T3 India

GRAND SEIKO, SLGH005 ‘WHITE BIRCH’ With a stunning dial inspired by the white birch tree forests near Grand Seiko’s HQ and a revolutionary high-beat movement, this is watchmaking at its finest. ₹8,50,000, grand-seiko.com/in-en VICTORINOX, ALLIANCE COLLECTION Expertly balancing Swiss design and quality to create a no-fuss watch, the new models in this collection add colour to the mix, making any one an ideal companion for a busy day. ₹38,000, victorinox.com TAG HEUER, FORMULA 1 SPECIAL EDITION With a racy carbon fibre-textured dial and eye-catching yellow details, this precision-driven chronograph is the perfect way to show off your love of motorsport. ₹170,000, tagheuer.com/in IWC, PILOT’S WATCH CHRONOGRAPH EDITION ‘TRIBUTE TO 3705’ Honouring the legendary watch from 1994, this new tribute edition replicates the original’s dial design, with a case made of…

It’s no secret that the ID.3 is one of the most significant cars in Volkswagen’s history. It is the first vehicle to utilise a new electric platform and will spearhead a multitude of EVs arriving over the next few years. The brand is hailing it as the third era of Volkswagen (hence the 3 in its name), following the phenomenal success of the Beetle and the Golf. It has been designed with one goal in mind: to bring e-mobility to the masses. No pressure at all then… The ID.3 is intended to be unintimidating and simple to operate. As we approached the car with the key in our pocket it automatically unlocked. Then, as soon as we sat behind the wheel both the infotainment and air conditioning turned on. The…

MIRAFIT M2 ADJUSTABLE FID WEIGHT BENCH This chunky bench offers gym-worthy build quality for under £100. Despite the reasonable price, it still packs a solid frame and boasts premium extras such as the small wheels at the back and grab handle at the front for easy manoeuvrability. ₹14,995, mirafit.co.uk BOWFLEX 5.1S STOWABLE WEIGHT BENCH Built to last long with heavy-duty commercial construction, the Bowflex 5.1S Stowable Bench has a very high load capacity (272 kg/600lb) and a one-button ‘click, lift and go’ feature that makes it easy to stow the bench away when not in use. ₹29,900, fitness-superstore.co.uk ADIDAS ESSENTIAL UTILITY BENCH For those looking to work on muscle definition, as opposed to bulking up, the Adidas Utility Bench is perfect. The comfortable high-density foam padding and multitude of adjustable…

There’s never been a better time for dragging out that pair of neglected speakers you long ago banished to the corner of a spare room, dusting them off and reviving your love for them. Hear us out. You may well have your music duties covered by an Amazon Echo wireless speaker in your living room or a JBL Bluetooth speaker in your kitchen, but no single-speaker wonder, no matter how wondrous, will compare to the performance of a good stereo speaker system. A true stereo soundfield that’s wide-open and filled with generous detail really is the reserve of a hi-fi speaker-led set-up. Like the hardy Honda Civic, hi-fi speakers are built to last and often refuse to die (unless their drivers are poked by handsy kiddiewinks); they’ll outlast you if…

If you’ve already got a traditional hi-fi system you’re smitten with – speakers, an amplifier and maybe a turntable and CD player you’ve painstakingly pored over to get in tip-top shape – that doesn’t mean the music streaming door is closed to you. Far from it. Showing your system the gateway to the wonderful world of streaming is as simple as adding a music streamer. It’s another box to house, yes, but it can add another dimension to your music listening – and, crucially, could form a multi-room environment with this streaming amp and speaker system you’ve created for another room. Choose a streamer that’s built on the same platform as the streaming amp (DTS Play-Fi, HEOS and BluOS are all recommendable open wireless multi-rooms platforms) or has the same…

₹26,499, samsung.co.in It was not too long ago that 6GB RAM in a smartphone would feel like an overkill. Now it has become standard even in most mid-level and even a few budget smartphones. Samsung has launched its mid-level phones for this year, and the devices offer some advanced specs. The Galaxy A52 is perched right in the middle of these devices. The A52 has a plastic back, and the device does not make any attempt to hide the flimsy plastic feel. The phone is available in four subtle pastel shades — Awesome Violet, Awesome Black, Awesome White and Awesome Blue. The camera bump resembles those of the new galaxy devices. A curved glossy band runs through the perimeter. Power switch and volume rocker are at the right-hand side. The…

If you’re looking for the very best tech available today, you’ve definitely come to the right place. Best of the Best is the most useful gadget-buying guide you will ever encounter. To create it, we’ve extensively tested the best tech the world has to offer, to bring you rock-solid recommendations for your home life, daily commute and the tech you use all the time. In 21 different categories, we’ve chosen the top three products, so you can choose one that’s just the right mix of features and budget for what you need. These rankings come from real testing by our team of experts – they’re the products we’d choose for ourselves, and we can’t recommend any higher than that. SMARTPHONES APPLE IPHONE 12 PRO From ₹1,19,900, apple.com When the most…

Stay healthy, stay safe It is indeed painful to start the month on a sombre note. But when a country continues to wail at the state of its populace, we cannot stay aloof and look the other way. As the second wave and unpredictable mutants of Covid-19 continue their march unabated across India, my heart goes out to those brave souls out there, discharging their duties amidst the pandemic; healthcare workers, essential service personnel and our own colleagues from the mainstream media who are out on the field reporting live. As a technology publication, we are hopeful that innovations such as Onboard Oxygen Generation Systems originally meant for defence, being put to civil use, would help in arresting this crisis. While we continue to urge everyone to stay indoors and…

It used to be that some people equated ‘sun’s out’ with ‘guns out’, but we have mercifully moved past that. Now we’re all about flashing our ankles at the first rays of spring sunlight, and there’s no better shoe to do it with than a handsome loafer. If you’re happy to go barefoot inside your shoes, slip your feet into Tom Ford’s shearling-lined loafers and stride confidently into spring. The soft, fluffy lining will add a touch of warmth (it isn’t summer quite yet), while the outer brown or black calf leather will look super-smart and luxurious. Tom Ford’s Stephan slip-ons are quite traditional in one sense, with their classic loafer vibe, replete with traditional dangling tassel. But that backless design gives them a modern edge, and encourages them to…

JURA E8 This bean-to-cup coffee machine is almost certainly better than what’s in your actual office. Everything from espresso to cappuccino at the press of a button, with easy cleaning and maintenance to boot! ₹114,500, jura.com BLUEAIR HEALTHPROTECT 7770I Looking like something out of Star Trek: Discovery, this removes particles and gases from your home’s air. Not only that, it also kills viruses and bacteria, using something called ‘plasma charging’ – again, very Trekkie. ₹89,900, blueair.com AUDIO PRO T3+ Audio Pro’s compact Bluetooth speaker was already excellent, but now this limited edition in the ‘Pantone colour of the year’ also rocks ‘the perfect mid-yellow’ finish. Only 500 have been made – and the name is very cool, as well. ₹18,000, audiopro.com…

This is the first time that we will be covering a soundtrack from a film that was never released. Alas, the soundtrack also suffered the same fate. However, the music was not something that could be easily forgotten. It was the last effort of Shankar ( of the Shankar Jaikishan duo). Shankar had composed all the tunes but died before all the songs were recorded. The songs were then recorded by loyal arranger, Enoch Daniels. GORI was a low budget film produced and directed by lyricist Sudhakar Sharma. At one time, Sudhakar used to work for Shankar and even washed his car. When he launched GORI, he approached Shankar to provide the music. Shankar agreed to do so on a remuneration of one rupee. GORI ran into financial problems and…

TIDAL HIFI Tidal’s premium subscription not only offers a great user experience and vast CD-quality catalogue but also an extensive collection of hi-res ‘Masters’ streams (which you’ll need a streaming amplifier that supports MQA to take advantage of). ₹750/month, tidal.com REGA PLANAR 1 PLUS TURNTABLE With a phono-preamp built in, this classy plug-and-play turntable can hook up to any one of your streaming amplifier’s RCA analogue inputs. It’ll do right by your vinyl, too, spinning your records clearly, cleanly and with a good dose of fun. ₹32,900, rega.co.uk BLUETOOTH RECEIVER By nature, integrated streaming amps are typically well furnished, but in prioritising the wealth of networked features on offer they can sometimes overlook Bluetooth. Thankfully, it’s simple to add to the mix with a Bluetooth receiver, which range from the…

₹17,999, titan.co.in Titan has been committed to the smart watch space for the last many years and has been launching new models at regular frequency. Traq is their new smart watch range targeting the serious sports enthusiasts, more specifically the first-time triathlon participants in this case. Unlike conventional smart watch users, serious fitness enthusiasts, those who participate in full marathons and triathlons do not wear their smart watch all the time and they prefer specialist devices which are designed to track all aspects of their fitness activity, while undertaking the activity as well as later for detailed analysis on the dashboard. With the Traq Triathlon, Titan has got the core product right, it has got good battery life (13hours with GPS tracking on a full charge as claimed by the…

₹49,990, insta360.com A 360-degree camera offers unlimited artistic possibilities in the hands of a creative person. There are a few options for 360-degree cameras such as the Ricoh Theta and GoPro Max. The Insta 360 One X2 combines the slim profile of the Theta with advanced features of the Max. The Insta 360 One X2 has a sturdy polycarbonate body with a matte finish and rubber shock absorbent lining around the sides. The camera uses a large 1630 mAh removable battery. It uses a USB Type-C port for charging. Both the battery chamber and USB port have seals and indicators to ensure that it is protected from water ingress. The device is waterproof up to five metres of depth. The One X2 device has a power button on the one…

The Adidas Velosamba (₹10,000, adidas.co.uk) is the German sportswear manufacturer’s first city cycling footwear, featuring a two-bolt clip-in system “designed to meet the needs of a new generation of cyclists and clip more people into bikes”. The shoes also feature a recycled nylon insole board for extra stiffness plus a fully integrated rubber cup outsole with a cut-out window for the two-bolt cleat, which is said to be hard-wearing and delivers a “seamless transition for wearers to explore on-foot”.…

BEST TECH FOR… HOME ENTERTAINMENT 1 SONY BRAVIA XR A90J Sony’s 4K HDR OLED TV features a new processor, the Cognitive Processor XR. It uses AI to analyse and enhance multiple parts of the picture simultaneously. The Bravia also makes sounds such as vocals emanate from the correct part of the screen, and it can automatically upsample audio to 5.1.2 surround. ₹2,69,900, sony.co.uk 2 CLEARAUDIO CONCEPT An extraordinary feat of audio engineering, a turntable that delivers a compelling experience from your favourite vinyl. It’s an incredibly transparent, detailed, spacious turntable that doesn’t smother the most delicate details: it gets out of the way so you can enjoy the music as the artist intended. ₹1,39,000, clearaudio.de 3 B&O BEOSOUND STAGE The Beosound Stage delivers a thrilling soundtrack to movies and games,…

AMAZON ECHO DOT (4TH GEN) The diminutive Dot sounds better than the third generation, its front-firing speaker more effective than the previous model’s unidirectional one, and its voice recognition is better too. The bigger Echo sounds better but the Echo Dot is happy in smaller spaces, works well in a multi-room setup and can add voice control to your existing smart home devices. ₹3999, amazon.in APPLE HOMEPOD MINI Apple’s smaller, much more affordable HomePod delivers surprisingly big sound for its size: it sounds like a much larger speaker. It’s a great device but it’s very Apple-centric: if you’re not an Apple Music subscriber, it lacks support for rival services. The HomePod mini is a HomeKit smart home hub and supports the new Thread smart home protocol. ₹9900, apple.com AMAZON ECHO…

₹49,999, oneplus.in OnePlus has always been a value-for-money brand, offering devices that provide the best specs for their retail prices. Though the first few devices starting from the OnePlus 1 offered top-of-the-line image quality of those times, other brands soon came up with better cameras that pushed the brand to a distant second line of imagers. Now OnePlus has roped in one of the best in the field, the iconic large format camera manufacturer Hasselblad, to fine-tune their cameras to match those of the flagships. The OnePlus 9 sits a little lower than its Pro sibling in features, yet it probably offers the best value for money. On the design front, the OnePlus 9 does not break any new grounds. A curved back glass, a steel side band and a…

From ₹17,999, realme.com/in Realme has unveiled their 8-series and the 8 Pro features a camera with a massive 108MP resolution. This under-20k phone offers advanced features that are still alien on most other phones. The Realme 8 Pro is quite light and thin at 176g and 8.1mm. Realme has used AG-crystal process for the polycarbonate back cover for a granular and fluorescent finish along with a bold glossy ‘Dare to Leap’ slogan that literally screams from the back surface. The device is available in Infinite Blue and Infinite Black colours and comes in two variants with 6GB or 8GB RAM and 128GB internal memory. The phone has three dedicated card slots accepting two Nano SIMs and one micro SD card up to 256GB. The 8 Pro uses Realme UI 2.0…

₹18,495, fossil.com Fossil’s portfolio includes some of the best designed products, and watches are certainly on top of the company’s line-up. The new Gen 5E series of smartwatches offer a range of design and strap options to suit your personality. The range includes two 42mm (18mm strap) women’s watches — Blush and Rose Gold and two 44mm (22mm strap) men’s models — Black and Smoke. These are available in various strap options including silicon, stainless steel and leather. We received the Smoke coloured model with stainless steel strap. The watch provides a sturdy feel and exhibits fine craftsmanship. The stainless steel strap provides a touch of nostalgia for those who miss the feel of those old HMT and Seiko watches. The strap can be replaced with any 22mm strap and…