Indholdsfortegnelse for June 2020 i Essential Apple User Magazine

The amount of technology that’s gone into these Triple Driver Bluetooth earbuds is amazing. Each bud boasts two balanced armatures and a separate dynamic driver, giving a broad sound spectrum seldom heard on in-ear devices. LDAC transmission technology allows a transmission rate of 990 kbps, three times the data speed of ordinary Bluetooth and the HFP, A2DP, AVRCP protocols are catered for, bringing lossless sounds to your earbuds. Ultimately it’s not the techno-babble that matters. The 1MORE Triple Driver BT In-Ear Headphones has an impressive list of specs, but do they deliver when they’re on your head? Thankfully, the answer is a resounding ‘yes’. The first thing that strikes you as you slip on the soft rubber collar and pair the device with your iPhone is how comfortable they are.…

VQ | www.myvq.com | £29.99 If your iPhone regularly runs out of power during the day, this is a great way to carry around a power bank. Coco Lite is a three-inch handbag mirror and a 3,000mAh rechargeable battery rolled into one. It comes in two Emma Bridgewater-designed finishes and is supplied with a carry bag and cables. The lower mirror has LEDs to light it up if you’re applying your makeup in poor light and the upper mirror offers 3x magnification. As the battery is sufficient for a full recharge on most iPhones, it’s great if you’re away from your charger for the day, alongside this it’s also light and convenient. RATING: 4/5…

With headphone manufacturers desperately trying to out-do each other in the fashion stakes, it’s good to see there’s still a place for a minimal aesthetic. KS District Bluetooth Headphones boast a comfortable headband and well padded ear cups, without any gaudy colour options; it’s plain black all the way. The headphones have wireless charging, which is accomplished by placing them on a Qi charging pad, however there is also an option to charge them using a supplied MicroUSB cable. Also supplied is an AUX cable so, if the battery runs down, you can plug your headphones into your sound device using a cable, but as the battery gives up to 25 hours playtime for a 2.5-hour charge, this shouldn’t happen often. Sound quality isn’t the best we’ve heard at this…

V9-Port USB Hub Macally USA https://macally-europe.com £59.90, $49.99, 69,95 € This is no ordinary USB hub; Boasting nine ports, it’s built from unibody aluminium and there’s enough space between the sockets to make sure you can fit in even the largest USB plugs. It comes with its own mains supply, which it needs, as it has two ports purely for charging. (USB-A and USB-C). Its seven data ports consist of one USB-C, two USB 3.0 and four USB 2.0 ports. It’s designed to be connected to a USB-C outlet on a very recent Mac, though you can swap the USB-C lead for a regular one and use it with an older Mac instead, if you wish. Just remember you won’t get USB 3 speeds from any port if you connect…

Macally STANDWALLMOUNT Macally USA https://macally-europe.com £29.95, $29.99, 34,95 € Despite the rather silly name, STANDWALLMOUNT is a very sensible product. It’s a stand that can take an iPhone, or a tablet up to 11 inches wide and hold it in portrait or landscape orientation; you can stand it on your desk, raise or lower your screen and then turn and twist the caddy to suit your position. If you want to fix it permanently, or it’s got a little loose, use the supplied alan key to tighten a few bolts. By closing the brushed aluminium legs, you can easily slot it into a supplied wall or ceiling mount. It’s great for use in the kitchen, watching TV in bed, or any number of applications. AF RATING: 4/5 Cygnett FreePlay BT…

Pure Siesta Charge’s key feature is Qi charging. If your iPhone is recent enough (iPhone 8 or later), you can charge simply by placing it on the radio. It can even charge through an iPhone case. If your phone is pre-iPhone 8, or you want to charge a different device, there’s a USB port around the back. Switch it on and it soon scans the airwaves for DAB stations. It’s easy enough to navigate the menu options, so you can set it up to your requirements: a 12 or 24-hour clock, for example, and an always-on or timed-off display. It’s available in ‘graphite or polar’ (black or white to the less pretentious), and you can stream your sounds to it using Bluetooth as well as listening to DAB+ or FM…

Not so long ago, a 1TB portable solid-state drive (SSD) would cost you more than your Mac. Today, the LaCie Mobile SSD (which is also available in 500GB and 2TB capacities) is affordable, if not exactly cheap. With speeds of up to 540MB/s when connected to a USB-C port, it’s very fast indeed. If you’re not lucky enough to have a super-high-speed USB-C port on your computer, there’s a USB 3.0 lead supplied too, which is, of course, backwards compatible with USB 2.0. It’s when connected to a USB-C port, the Mobile SSD really shows its worth. You can edit video with no lag at all, and copy even the largest of files without making yourself a cup of tea while it works. It’s a looker too; a perfect match…

I’ve been using my iPhone and the Maps app as a replacement Sat Nav and as the base for my in car entertainment. Why would I spend cash on anything else when I have the best option on my phone? It's brilliant! Unfortunately, finding a safe place to mount the phone is a different matter. I have spent – sorry, wasted – a fair amount of cash on the cheaper options. Sticky pads that don't stick. Sucker pads that really do suck but don't actually stick. Mounts that don't hold the device with any substance. Mounts that don't actually fit the larger iPhone models. You name it, I have angrily shouted at. The Moshi SnapTo not only counters all of the above woes but can be mounted through the air…

This desktop raiser is made of tempered glass with two steel supports. It can hold a display of up to 40lbs/18kg in weight, which is sufficient for all but the meatiest monitors. It raises your display by three inches, or 7.6cm if you prefer, giving you lots of extra room underneath for your bits and pieces. On top, it measures 17x7.9 inches or 43x20cm, which is likely more than enough for your monitor. It looks great too, especially if you have a glass-topped computer desk. Info// Macally https://macally-europe.com/spacestand-b £32.95, $39.99, 39,95 € Compatibility: Any monitor, subject to weight Verdict// LAST WORD Attractive and strong, SPACESTAND-B is great for giving your screen a little more height. RATING: 5/5…

This eleven-interface USB hub is designed to extend your Mac notebook’s connectivity when used at home. It also serves as a notebook raiser. Simply place the hub on your desk, with the ports facing away from you, and your laptop rests on it to tilt the keyboard into a comfortable typing position. Obviously, this makes it better suited to cabled connections that remain in place permanently. Reaching over your notebook to slot in a flash drive or SD card can be irritating. Around the back, the ports on offer are three USB 3.0, Ethernet, two 4k HDMI, VGA and a USB-C port to power both the hub and your notebook. There’s also SD and MicroSD card slots, which really should have been on the side along with the audio jack.…

Headphone manufacturers take different approaches in the way they process sound. If they’re for the light and poppy end of the audio spectrum, the emphasis is on the vocals, which are always high in the mix. For rock and hip-hop, more attention is paid to bass, while classical aficionados welcome a detailed mid-section. Awia’s Arc-1 Bluetooth Headphones does none of these. They hardly process the sound at all, so what you get is a very balanced, detailed, and comprehensive sound stage that doesn’t emphasise one aspect over another. You can use the headphones over Bluetooth, pairing up to two devices, or using a 3.5mm cable. They’re light and comfortable, and come with a handy carry case. Battery life is up to 20 hours, and they support various high-definition codecs for…

If your team is sitting around a table on a speakerphone call, one of these is the ideal companion. Place it in the middle of the table, and everyone can be heard. It’s easy to use. If you’re calling from your Mac, just pop in the supplied USB dongle and the Speak 710 acts as an external speaker and microphone. If you’re using an iPhone or iPad, connect using Bluetooth. And when you’re not using it for phone calls, you can prop it up with its built-in stand and use it as a speaker for your music. As a portable device, it weighs just 289g and has a 15-hour battery life, so it’s ideal for taking away with you on a business trip. It has a one touch Smart button…

Why do monitors have such boring names? U2790PQU works as a serial number, but couldn’t they at least try to give it a moniker you can actually remember and ask for? Thankfully, the name is the only thing that’s boring about this 27-inch, 4K screen. There’s certainly nothing dull about its performance. Given the price, the U2790PQU is clearly a budget monitor. Don’t expect a full USB-C hub around the back, just a couple of USB 3.0 ports and a headphones jack. It doesn’t have HDR, so it’s not ideal for gaming, and the built-in speakers aren’t great, though anyone who cares about audio wouldn’t leave it to a display’s speakers anyway. Having got the negatives out of the way, let’s look at the considerable positives. With 10-bit colour depth,…

It’s amazing how far notebooks have come over the years. Once a useful supplement to a desktop computer, they’ve long since grown sufficiently powerful to replace their desk-bound stable mates for all but the most high-needs user. And with the late 2019 MacBook Pro’s substantial leap in power, even extremely demanding Mac aficionados should find this notebook more than capable of meeting their requirements. Let’s start with the display. With the late 2019 release, Apple has given us an extra inch of screen space over the 15-inch models they replace, but without adding too much to the notebook’s footprint. The new Pro is 14.09 inches wide, 9.68 deep and 0.64 inches thick, up from 13.75/9.48/0.61 inches. Not a massive increase. It hasn’t gained much weight either, being 4.3 pounds, up…

Instead of fitting directly into your ear while the cables dangle underneath, Shure’s SE215 earbuds loop the cable over the ear and let the body of the buds rest in it. The body of the device clips neatly onto your shirt, and it has controls on the right-hand cable. It’s a little awkward at first, but when in place, it makes for a comfortable fit and a decent degree of sound isolation. The sound quality is excellent, as you’d expect from Shure. The balance is just right, with a rich bass underpinning a detailed mid-section and well realised vocals. A common criticism of Shure audio devices is they can be a little clinical and lacking in warmth. This is certainly not the case here. Your music loses none of its…

YubiKey 5Ci is an encrypted dongle that provides two-factor authentication for web services. In a nutshell, this means you have to plug it into your Mac or mobile device in order to log on. Even if a hacker breaks or steals your password, they still can’t get in without also connecting your dongle. It has a Lightning connector on one end for iPhones and iPads, and a USB-C plug on the other for Macs that have this facility. It’s not yet compatible with iPads that use USB-C and it’s not compatible with all sites and apps. For example, you can’t use it with the mobile version of Safari; you need to switch to a browser such as Brave. It’s compatible with several password management apps, such as 1Password, Bitwarden, Dashlane…

It's amazing how much prices of top-quality displays have fallen over the last few years. This QHD (Quad High Definition) monitor offers 2560x1440 resolution and a 27-inch screen for under five hundred notes. Its low price certainly isn't at the expense of build quality. Solid and robust, its metal base has a very sturdy feel. You certainly won't knock it over by accidentally bumping your desk. It's very configurable too. You can adjust the height of the screen to suit, swivel it right and left without turning the stand and even rotate it 90 degrees into a portrait view. You can connect it to your Mac through HDMI or DisplayPort, and if you also connect a USB cable, there's a four-port USB 3.2 hub. It's a gaming monitor, so as…

Mixcder is noted for decent headphones at an affordable price, and these E10 noise-cancelling cans are no exception. They've certainly done a decent job on the build quality. Its all-metal skeleton is finished with comfortable padding, and its understated design is perfect for those who prefer gadgets with a minimalistic look. The latest tech is incorporated too, with Bluetooth v5.0 for faster transmission and Advanced Apt-X Low Latency Technology. Battery life is 30 hours on a full charge, and if you're in a rush, five to eight minutes of charging can give you two or three hours of music time. In our tests, the ANC (Active Noise Cancelling) proved adequate rather than remarkable. It wasn't bad; just not perfect. The overall sound is impressive. Although activating the ANC reduces the…

Alert Indoor Security Camera is an affordable way to keep an eye on your home, but it doesn't lack in smart features. After connecting the camera to your Wi-Fi network and pairing it with the SWANN Security app on your iPhone or iPad, you can view and capture high-quality video in 1080p full HD. It has a passive infrared sensor that can detect movement at up to 32 feet, and it can also detect loud noises and heat too. The camera then sends a push notification to your phone and starts video recording. You get free cloud storage, which saves clips for seven days, and they're also stored locally for two days. A full 110-degree viewing angle decreases blind spots, and there's a mic and speaker built-in for two-way talk…

With these earbuds, cable tangles are a thing of the past. Like Apple AirPods, Jabra’s Elite 65t connects to your iPhone or iPad wirelessly through Bluetooth. The are no cables at all, not even between the left and right buds. Connection is reliable and unlike some wireless earbuds, they won’t keep losing the signal. They fit snugly in your ears too, perhaps even more so than the AirPods, and come with three different sizes of silicon tips. People with very small ears might find them a little tight but you can wear them with confidence; they won’t keep falling out and they’re comfortable enough for prolonged use. Like the AirPods, Jabra’s earbuds are good for five hours on a single charge and are recharged in a small carry case. The…

WaterField Designs has a well-earned reputation for excellent, if expensive, bags and this one is no exception. Available in black, ballistic nylon or brown, waxed canvas, it’s built to hold and protect a current-generation Mac mini. Just the thing if you wish to use the same Mac both at home and at work, simply set up a display, keyboard and mouse at either end and carry the Mac mini between them. The bag is lined with shock-absorbing neoprene, so it keeps your computer safe and sound during transport. As priced here, it comes with a durable strap with a shoulder pad, but you can save money by buying a cheaper one or forgoing the strap altogether, should you only want a sleeve for your Mac mini. One thing it doesn’t…

Back in the day, serious gamers insisted on a wired mouse, as wireless models often suffered a slight lag; not important for casual gamers, but unacceptable for high-end gaming. Times have moved on and this wireless version of Logitech’s popular G502 is as quick and true as any USB peripheral. Its 16,000 CPI HERO sensor reproduces every move of the mouse with intense precision; no lag or stutter here. It feels comfortable in the hand too, and you can configure its weights to suit your gaming style. Another configuration you can make is to utilise the 11 programmable buttons. You can now set these up for functions that would previously be slaved to the keyboard. They’re all within easy reach, but don’t get in the way when you’re not using…

Why did nobody think of this before? There are plenty of USB-C docking stations available, so you can plug your printer, external hard drive, monitor and various other peripherals into the dock and connect it to your new MacBook Pro’s Thunderbolt 3 port with one cable. There are also travel accessories that give you back a few legacy ports, again by connecting to the MacBook Pro’s Thunderbolt 3 port. However, the beauty of Twelve South’s new StayGo is that it does both. Built around a robust metal casing, StayGo gives you a 4K HDMI port, three USB 3.0 ports (one with extra charging power), Ethernet, and a pass-through USB-C port to power your MacBook Pro from a mains charger. Around the side, there are MicroSD and SD card readers. Finally,…

What a concept. Place the Muse 2 headband on your head and its sensors detect your brainwaves, checking whether your mind is in an active or resting state. It’s simple to use. Just download the free app and, after a quick calibration, you can start your first mindfulness meditation session. Different types of meditation are on offer. You can still the mind, body, heart, breath or just use a timer. As you follow the audio instructions, ambient noise is played in the background. If you’re not at peace with yourself, this noise rises until you relax again. Achieve a high degree of meditative stillness and you hear a bird cheeping. The headband is comfortable to wear and lightweight, but not very robust. Muse 2 does a great job of helping…

You can’t fault them for style. Whichever of the four colours you prefer (pink, teal, space grey or silver), 1More’s Piston Fit Bluetooth In-Ear Headphones certainly look the part, with a style and build quality that belies their inexpensive cost. They’re comfortable too. The connecting cable sits behind your neck, with twin plastic weights to keep it in place, the righthand one housing the controls and charge point. The piston-fit buds sit nicely in the ears, and do a decent job of keeping out extraneous noise. Their sound quality also belies their low cost, offering depth and detail rarely heard in earbuds at this price point. Naturally, it’s not perfect. The bass is slightly muted, and they don’t shape the sound as well as a more expensive set of earbuds.…

Not everyone wants a bedside clock radio alarm. Some people prefer the good, old-fashioned beep-beep-beep of an alarm clock to get them up in the morning. That’s where Groov-e Athena comes in. Available in black or white, it’s easy on the eyes in more ways than one; not only is it stylish and well built, its digital display is gentle enough not to disturb your sleep. Both the screen and the downward-shining night light have three levels of brightness, and can also be turned off if you prefer. The reason it’s of interest to Apple fans is the inclusion of a Qi charger, so you can charge an iPhone 8, or later, just by placing it on top of the clock. At 5w it won’t charge particularly quickly, but that’s…

GameSir GS6 takes a new approach to iPhone game controllers. Instead of offering a joystick on one side and face buttons on the other, it puts the joystick and buttons on the left, keeping the right side empty so you can use the iPhone touchscreen’s virtual buttons. There are also three trigger buttons atop the device. It’s configurable. When you’ve downloaded the free GameSir G-Crux app to your iPhone, you can customise the buttons to suit your games. Numerous presets are offered for popular games, such as Call of Duty: Mobile, PUBG Mobile, Asphalt 9, FIFA Soccer and more. It’s spring-extended, so can hold almost any iPhone or iPod touch, and it holds the device securely enough for the most animated gamers. This ‘one thumb on, one thumb off’ approach…

Computing has become more mobile in the last decade or so, with email and web browsing on smartphones alongside light, portable notebooks with all-day batteries. Printing on the go is less well served, but this portable printer from Epson is a notable exception. It measures just 30.9 x 15.4 x 6.1cm and weighs 1.6 kg, so it’s not too bulky or heavy to carry around and, as opposed to plugging it into the mains, it’s powered through either USB or an in-built rechargeable battery. The printer is well built, small enough to carry around in a decent-sized notebook bag and can manage 20 sheets at a time. However, at seven pages a minute it’s far from speedy. Clearly designed for business travellers, it does a great job of printing text,…

What an awesome set of earbuds. They’re for far more than just music. In fact the Jabra Evolve 65t is aimed at business professionals who spend most of their time on the go, taking phone calls and teleconferencing as well as listening to their tunes on the train or in their hotel room. With its four-microphone technology, phone calls are crystal clear. It sounds like the other person is sitting right next to you. They’re great for video chat with Skype or FaceTime too. They’re good for five hours on a single charge, with two full charges in the case. Naturally, these true wireless earbuds are Bluetooth-paired, but they also come with a USB dongle for your Mac or PC, so all you have to do to switch from your…

Bluetooth headphones and earbuds are fabulous. You can listen to your music anywhere, without being hampered by annoying cables. But not every audio player has Bluetooth; this is where AirFly comes in. A small dongle that comfortably fits in the palm of your hand, it connects to the headphone socket of a non-Bluetooth device, from where it acts as a wireless transmitter. Just pair your headphones or earbuds with AirFly, and you can use them with anything that plays audio. Its onboard battery gives up to 16 hours of life on a single charge. The new AirFly Pro brings several new features. For the first time, you can pair two sets of headphones so that you can listen in with a friend; Just the thing for watching TV, for example.…

This home security camera is a different beast from the SWANN model covered elsewhere on the page. It lacks heat and noise detection, but it can detect motion at up to 16 feet. When it does so, it records 30 seconds of footage and uploads them to the cloud or your Dropbox account. It has a 130-degree angle-view and a fixed focus from between just under two feet to infinity. You can watch live too, of course, and, unusually for a security monitor, there's a privacy shutter you can activate when you don't want the camera to record you. Video quality is excellent and it works well both night and day. It's designed to stand on a flat surface. If you want to wall-mount it, you have to buy a…

STM Dux iPad Case STM Goods | stmgoods.com | From £44.95, $49.99, €53.95 DUX cases are great for those who need a high degree of protection for their tablet but don’t want to make it too big and bulky. It’s available for most current iPads, and a fair few discontinued models, and it comes in a range of colours. We like the cool, understated black and smoky grey the best but the choice is yours. The protective polycarbonate and rubberised TPU bracket make it super strong. It’s designed to survive drops of around two metres and is resistant to drips and spills; just don’t drop it in the bath. IO RATING: 4/5 Twelve South CableSnap Twelve South LLC | twelvesouth.com | £20.00, $19.99, €24.95 If you’re sick of getting your…

Many would argue cabled earbuds with an inline controller and a 3.5mm jack have had their day, and not without reason. Bluetooth solutions such as Apple’s AirPods and the Jabra 65t Elite offer significant advantages. However, there’s still much to be said for old school wired models. They’re cheaper, less wearing on your iPhone or iPad’s battery and you can use them with other devices you might have, such as a handheld games console or an old fashioned iPod. Moshi’s Vortex 2 earbuds are a nice, snug fit. They come with a wraparound case and four sizes of tip and their anti-tangle covering helps keep them from knotting in your pocket. The inline controls let you pause the music, skip tracks and take or decline a call but not change…

Danish company Dynaudio has released four new intelligent speakers. Music 3 is a midrange model. It can be run from both the mains and an eight-hour rechargeable battery, so it’s great for taking into the garden. It has one five-inch woofer and two one-inch soft-dome tweeters, each with its own 40W amplifier, for a total output of 120W. Available in light grey, dark grey, red and blue cloth finishes, up to six speakers can be connected at a time and arranged into multiroom groups or controlled individually from the Dynaudio app. A lot of tech has gone into the Music 3. As a wireless speaker, it can stream through Bluetooth (including aptX), Wi-Fi, AirPlay 2, and can access DLNA networked devices. It has USB and 3.5mm inputs for cabled music…

It’s clearly been intelligently designed for today’s tech-heavy commuter, with excellent cable management evident throughout. If, for example, you’re carrying a power bank, you can keep it in a zipped pocket and thread a cord through to the front compartment to charge your iPhone on the move. There’s a luggage pass-through sleeve on the back, so you can thread it over the handle of a wheelie suitcase and the straps and back are well padded so it’s comfortable on your back. When it comes to looks you can’t fault it, the blue model, especially, is a delight to look at, but if you prefer, there’s a Granite Black or Windsor Wine version too (which are basically grey or off-white). Our only criticisms of the STM Myth are the price, which…

Remember those old Kodak cameras that printed their own pictures? They were popular in the Seventies, but never really caught on. However, Lifeprint now revisits the idea with this Bluetooth device that connects to your iPhone and gives you instant prints. Available in black or white (the device, not the pictures), Instant Print Camera for iPhone lets you print photos immediately, from your camera roll. Using the Lifeprint app, you can take a new photo, add filters or overlays and then give it a caption before printing, you can also print a single frame of video and even have it animate when you hold your iPhone over the photo. There’s a social element too – share your pictures with others, follow your friends and see their pictures, or if you…

Summer’s here, and it’s time to relax by the pool. What better way to unwind than by blasting your sounds through a waterproof Bluetooth speaker? The KitSound Hive2o won’t blow if it gets wet. It’s waterproof to a IP67 rating; you can immerse it in water without causing damage. It’s available in black, grey, blue or pink, and gives eight hours of playing time on a single charge. A passive radiator helps boost the bass sounds, and if you have two of them, you can pair them so one Hive2o acts as the left speaker, and the other the right. Not a bad feature set for such an affordable device. We dropped the Hive2o into a sink of water, and it is indeed waterproof (despite the hilarious warning in the…

This excellent Qi charger can be used as a stand to charge your iPhone, but also flat on your desktop to charge your AirPods. It’s made from chrome and leather, and looks great next to your Mac. Your iPhone has to support wireless charging, which means it’s limited to the iPhone: X, XS Max, XS, XR, 8 and 8 Plus, but if you have one of these phones, it’s an awesome accessory. Info// Twelve South LLC www.twelvesouth.com/products/hirise-wireless £79.99, $79.99, 91,05 € Compatibility: iPhone with wireless charging Verdict// LAST WORD A solid, attractive and durable charging stand. The perfect companion for your iPhone. RATING: 4/5…

Routers handed out by ISPs are of variable quality. If your Wi-Fi is flaky, or lacking in range, plugging in a Multy X WiFi node can greatly improve both its speed and quality. Packed into its rather bulky exterior is a 4x4 antenna array, for a maximum bandwidth of 1,733 Mbps, and it has an excellent range, even through stone walls. If your network is still not getting to the furthest reaches of your house, you can add extra units as extenders. It’s easy to set up; just download an app and follow the instructions. There’s four Ethernet ports, and a USB port on the back for cabled connections. The only downside is you need to connect it to your router or modem using a cable, so if you want…

You can’t fault it for features. As well as Ultra Wide-Color Technology, a 178 degree viewing angle, and LowBlue Mode to make it easy on the eyes when working late, this 27-inch IPS display has a built-in USB-C docking station. If you own a Mac with USB-C, you can connect your peripherals to the monitor, and then just plug in your Mac for large-screen viewing and everything at the ready. The display has four USB 3.0 ports for gadgets such as printers and external hard drives, ethernet for cabled Internet and an audio jack port for speakers. If you don’t have a USB-C Mac, you can connect the display using HDMI or DisplayPort. Throw in a regular USB cable and you can make use of the four USB 3.0 ports…

Ever made a group video call where half your mates or colleagues can’t get on the webcam? Ever watched a web feed featuring a couple of faces and several disembodied voices that aren’t in the picture, with the occasional hand waved on the screen to show you they’re there? Jabra’s PanaCast offers a solution. A USB webcam with a difference, it boasts three cameras working in sync to give you a panoramic 180-degree view. It has an intelligent zoom, so if only one person is in front of the camera, it reduces the field being broadcast so there isn’t acres of empty space either side of them. If more people join, the camera recognises their faces and expands the area shown, so everyone’s in the picture. It’s 4K for excellent…

This handy bedside, or desktop, lamp has a Qi charger built into the stand, so if you have an iPhone 8 or later, you can place it on the base of the light and charge it wirelessly. It also has a built-in Bluetooth speaker that won’t set the world alight, but is OK if you’ve nothing else to hand. It’s powered via a USB cable so you can connect it into your Mac if you wish; however, if you want to plug it into the mains, you must supply your own adapter. The light itself is impressive. Powered by LEDs it doesn’t draw much power, and it has three different illumination settings: a cool blue light, a warm orange glow, and a regular white light. This is great for bedtime…

As the sun sets on regular USB-A ports as a Mac standard, and USB-C becomes the norm, carry-around storage like the WD My Passport for Mac has to work with both. That’s why this latest model comes with two cables: a USB-C lead for the latest Macs, and USB 3.0 if yours is a little older. At 105x75x10mm, this particular portable drive is small enough to fit in your shirt pocket. It comes in four sizes: 2TB (the one tested here), 4TB and 5TB. As you’d expect, My Passport for Mac is Mac-formatted out of the box, so there’s no need to fiddle around with Disk Utility. In our tests, it gave a read speed of 83.2 MB/s and write speed of 10.9 MB/s, which is very reasonable. The bundled…

These cabled earbuds are made with mobile gaming in mind. They feature vibration effects, a removable mic that plugs into the left earbud and an optional extension with two 3.5mm jacks so you can use them with devices that require dual inputs. Although primarily intended for mobile games with voice chat facilities, you can use them with your computer or home console too.Despite the size of the earbud units, they feel very comfortable in the ears. They look good too. There’s onboard controls for volume, pause, taking calls, skipping tracks and Siri, and a second mic in the control unit is used for phone calls when the main boom mic is not connected. When listening to music, the sound stage is crisp and lively, but not quite as expansive as…

These days, you can never have too many USB device chargers. Macally’s Nightstand LED Light gives you four of them, set into the base of this handy lamp. A useful addition to your bedside table, the light has three levels of brightness; simply tap the metal ring atop the device to turn it on and advance through dim, medium and bright light, then again to turn it off. Much easier than feeling around in the dark for a physical switch. The lamp is white, with a false wood design at the base. It plugs into the mains to power both the lamp and the chargers. It's well designed, if a little cheap looking, and its four USB ports will undoubtedly come in handy when you need to charge several devices…

Here's a wireless charger with a difference. Install the iXpand Charger App and as well as charging your iPhone it also backs up your photos, videos and contacts. It's available in 128GB and 256GB capacities, so there's plenty of space for your snaps, and it isn't much more expensive than a regular QI charger. Obviously, it only works with iPhones that can charge wirelessly, but as it's QI certified, you can charge your AirPods or other QI-compatible devices too. After Bluetooth pairing the charger with your phone and connecting it to your local network, it’s simple to use; just place your phone on the pad and, as long as the battery is at 20% or more, it backs up your data. If you want to share the charger with more…

If you need a gaming headset but can’t justify splashing out on the latest Bluetooth model, these are a decent option. 50mm speakers deliver stereo sound and there’s a mic on a flexible arm that folds away when you don’t need it. The Spirits headset is cabled, with a 3.5mm jack and a bundled extension for connecting to USB dongles or aeroplane seats. It can be used on home consoles as well as Macs and mobile devices. At this price, you wouldn't expect them to replace your favourite music earbuds, and they won't. Bass is lively and intense, but the vocals and treble sound muted. The ear pads are comfortable and do a decent job of blocking out external noises, though, after wearing them for a while they make your…

If you remember the review we did of the devolo Magic 2 Wi-Fi Starter Kit back in Issue 2, you know that powerline adapters are a great way of extending the reach of your cabled and wireless network using your house's electrical wiring. A powerline setup consists of at least two plugs, which fit in your household mains sockets. By connecting one of them to your router using a supplied Ethernet cable and plugging the other into any mains socket in the house, you create a cabled connection between your router and the second adapter. This unit can offer a wireless access point for your network, Ethernet ports for cabled connectivity, or both. devolo’s Magic 2 LAN Triple powerline adapter starter set doesn’t offer Wi-Fi access, but it does have…