Indholdsfortegnelse for Issue 208 i T3 Australia

BIGSCREEN BEYOND Hefty VR headsets are quite literally a pain in the neck. Any time you spend in immersive virtual worlds is all too often limited by having to have a kilogram of glass and metal strapped to your face. Fortunately, Bigscreen is tackling this problem head on, with what it claims is the smallest VR headset in the world: the Beyond. Weighing in at a featherlight 127 grams, you’ll barely notice you’re wearing it – its innovative pancake optics mean it’s scarcely bigger than a pair of ski goggles. Meanwhile, you don’t have to sacrifice on visual spectacle for the sake of comfort, thanks to its 90Hz 5120 × 2560 OLED displays. But game-changing VR doesn’t come cheap. The Beyond costs a cool grand – and that’s before you…

OAKLEY CORRIDOR The Corridor is Oakley’s first dedicated sunnies for running, featuring the brand’s most popular tech. The Unobtainium sport ligature nosepad and ear socks provide a secure fit, while the Prizm lens technology improves vibrance, contrast and colour tuning. $239, oakley.com SUNGOD AIRAS A certified carbon-neutral product, the Airas feature 8KO lenses for improved optical clarity on the saddle. The lightweight, zero-frame construction allows for an unobstructed peripheral and vertical field of view. Comes with four nosepad options to achieve the best fit possible. $235, sungod.co KOO COSMO Ideal for outdoor life enthusiasts, the Koo Cosmo is the best companion for hikers, cyclists and golfers with a sense of style. Featuring a light and flexible frame in Grilamid, the Cosmo provides outstanding vision thanks to the Zeiss Polycarbonate lens,…

NUKI SMART LOCK 3.0 Always losing your keys? You won’t ever have to use them again with the Nuki Smart Lock 3.0. Easy to fit to any door in your house, this new smart lock from Nuki makes locking and unlocking your doors much easier… and it won’t break the bank, either. $399, nuki.io SODASTREAM E-TERRA A new addition to the SodaStream family, the E-TERRA features a unique electric interface for an automated experience that quickly and easily carbonates your water. It’s available in black or white, excitingly. $TBA, sodastream.com.au OONI VOLT 12 Ooni has introduced the Ooni Volt 12 to its bestselling range of pizza ovens and, this time, it’s electric. The brand’s first electrically powered indoor/outdoor pizza oven reaches 450°C, has easy-to-use timer and temperature controls, and cooks…

Let’s not get too complicated this issue. GaGu is tired and quite frankly he has had enough. Allow Uncle Grumbly to simply list some of the things which keep him sane, as much as a reminder to himself of the joy of life as it is a recommendation of good things to you. Guru loves caffeine but (shh) doesn’t really like coffee. Thus he consumes huge amounts of G-Fuel, the powder mixed with water filtered through a Brita Marella filter and shaken up in a HidrateSpark Steel smart water bottle. Gaming is essential to Guru. Sadly he is the household’s primary caregiver – at least, he is when his litany of nannies, chefs and sundry staff once again decide to march around the grounds holding placards and saying very mean…

#100 COOLER MASTER ORB X We have to imagine Cooler Master was crossing its fingers behind its back when it pitched this techno-egg at least partly as a compact module for office workers. There’s no way: this is destined for gaming centres, for the corner of rich-gamer living rooms, and for adorning the stage at e-sports events.~$22,000, coolermaster.com #99 VALENCELL FINGER BLOOD PRESSURE MONITOR We’re pretty sure the tech is still awaiting medical approval, but Valencell’s proof-of-concept shows it’s possible to take a blood pressure reading without resorting to an arm-squishing cuff. We fully expect similar sensors to make their way into smartwatches eventually.$TBC, valencell.com #98 OTTERBOX OTTERGRIP SYMMETRY As resilient as modern iPhones might be, nobody wants to drop them. Enter Otterbox with a case which both adheres to…

With pricing that sits close to its Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra competition, the Xiaomi 13 Pro quickly qualifies its position with a stunning Leica-supported triple camera and much faster charging technology. But can it convince would-be customers to steer away from Samsung? Outside of China, there’s just the one finish of the Xiaomi 13 Pro available: ‘Ceramic Black’, which is certainly a sensible description because: 1) the back is finished in ceramic and 2) it’s sort-of black. It also bloomin’ loves fingerprints, which is a downer quite frankly. Set within this ceramic rear is a square camera module, which is much deeper black finish, adorned with a Leica logo and it looks really smart. We far prefer this look compared to the earlier Xiaomi 12 Pro’s far more visible camera…

It’s astonishing so many of us still use keys to open doors. Simple pieces of steel that manually turn a lock mechanism – it’s archaic. Luckily, Ultion’s Nuki smart lock can make updating a breeze: it fits on almost any door, installs in minutes and, thanks to its modular design, is very affordable. There’s an installation checker on the Ultion website to ensure that the Nuki will work on your lock, but in most cases, the answer is yes. For the actual installation process, you can opt for the hands of one of its installation partners but on most doors, you should be able to easily install it yourself. You simply replace the back of the lock with Nuki holder and screw it in. The Nuki device then just clips…

CHRISTOPHER WARD C60 SAPPHIRE From $1,400, christopherward.com Striking, bold designs really set this British brand apart from its more conventional Swiss rivals. The best example of this is the C60 Sapphire, which features a see-through dial made from sapphire crystal. VICTORINOX I.N.O.X From $897, victorinox.com Having undergone 130 durability tests, this watch will stand up to anything you throw at it. The paracord strap hints at its adventurous heritage, and it’s great for all wrist sizes. HAMILTON KHAKI FIELD From $827, hamiltonwatch.com This is a faithful recreation of its original 1960s forebear and is true to Hamilton’s military heritage. The 38mm stainless steel case is paired with a durable NATO strap. TAG HEUER FORMULA 1 QUARTZ MENS WATCH From $2,000, tagheuer.com This F1 timepiece features a steel case with sapphire…

BOWERS & WILKINS ZEPPELIN $1,199, bowerswilkins.com Streams pretty much everything, and borrows some technology from the kind of hi-fi gear where if you have to ask the price, you can’t afford it. By audiophile standards, this is cheap. NAIM MU-SO 2ND GEN $2,900, naimaudio.com Mu-So 2 crushes its competition. An awesome, thumping wall of sound and reliable, versatile software platform and streaming support make for the perfect 21st-century music experience. SONOS ONE SL $260, sonos.com In terms of the sound quality, this really impresses with detail and clarity across the whole range, and how well balanced it is for treble and mid-range especially. You can get two for stereo, but one works fine. SONOS FIVE $799, sonos.coom Multi-room compatibility, a wide range of audio sources and, of course, great sound.…

SONY WF-1000XM4 $389, sony.com.au Sony’s latest high-end buds have slimmed down in size and weight considerably, but improved on battery life, boosted audio quality, and polished their noise cancellation even further. PHILIPS FIDELIO T1 $387, philips.com Powerful and crisp with a great level of detail, you won’t find many wireless buds that sound better. With effective noise cancelling and battery life of up to 48 hours with the case, the T1s are a winner. CAMBRIDGE AUDIO MELOMANIA 1+ $130, cambridgeaudio.com Cambridge Audio offers high-end sound for a lower-mid-range price. With support for AAC, apt-X and SBC and drivers made of miracle substance graphene, the Melomania 1+ are uniformly excellent. BOSE QUIETCOMFORT BUDS $429, bose.com.au The first set of ANC earbuds the company has put out – these buds’ noise cancelling…

JABRA ELITE 7 ACTIVE $169, jabra.com.au The Elite 7 Active buds are a significant update over the Jabra Elite Active 75t and offer more personalised sound, better fit and even improved calling thanks to the three-mics-per-bud setup. JAYBIRD VISTA 2 $TBC, jaybirdsport.com Real class, with an excellent fit and advanced water and muck proofing. Sound quality is great, and there is both effective noise cancelling and a ‘SurroundSense’ mode to hear what’s going on around you. BEATS FIT PRO $299, beatsbydre.com These combine easy and intuitive pairing and controls, excellent sound quality and phenomenal active noise cancellation. The Fit Pro also have a sublime build quality and fit: no losing these at the gym. SHOKZ OPENRUN $219, shokz.com Bone-conducting earphones that leave your ears uncovered, these let you listen to…

Many methods for predicting the future are notoriously flawed. During my brief flirtation with numerology, all I learned about the future was that I was going to fail HSC maths. My experiments with pyromancy only seemed to forecast an angry visit from the fire brigade. And forecasting the future by observing the flight paths of birds taught me the main thing I should look out for is volleys of pigeon crap. Fortunately for you, here at T3 we’ve hit on a more foolproof solution for anticipating the future: actual research. Our experts have spent months analysing every bombastic press release and reading every navel-gazing think piece to bring you the hottest gadgets and trends coming your way. Check out the most pioneering tech being developed, from 3D tablets and exercise…

BE THE WHEEL Katzman might just be Guru’s favourite indie funk country rock jazz man, and a new album full of sensitive high-voiced super-songs gives him endless pleasure on Spotify. PICARD Seasons one and two were a struggle, but you really do need to see season three if Next Generation had anywhere near the impact on you that it had on Guru. Old Worf? A sexy delight. GRAVITY FALLS Forgive Guru for missing this the first time around because it turns out that the Fortean fun of Gravity Falls (available on Disney+) is as enjoyable for him as it is for his kids.…

HONOR MAGIC VS Great foldables are no longer just Samsung’s domain. Tthe Magic VS is a massive 7.9 inches on the diagonal when it’s unfolded, which is bigger than the Samsung Galaxy Z 4. And its exterior screen is really close to many of the best phones you can buy today, too, at 6.45 inches across. While its processor is the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 1+ processor, which is a half-step behind the Gen 2 upgrade, there isn’t such a generational jump that you’ll be disappointed.$TBA, hihonor.com ONEPLUS PAD No, it’s not an iPad – but it could be one of the best tablets that isn’t. The company’s first ever tablet, the new OnePlus Pad offers an 144Hz display and an unusual 7:5 aspect ratio. Inside there’s a MediaTek Dimensity…

Is the Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra the best Android phone you can lay your hands on in 2023? Spoiler alert: there’s a high chance the answer is a resounding ‘yes’. However, that ‘yes’ does come with caveats. The new flagship just isn’t all that different to its predecessor, the S22 Ultra. It’s also more expensive year on year, making it really pricey (not Apple pricey, mind you). Clearly those points might affect whether you consider buying an S23 model or not. Plus ça change The two biggest new features in the S23 Ultra are the all-new 200-megapixel main camera and inclusion of Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 platform. But that’s not all: there are additional tweaks and changes too. The design, for example, has increased the curvature of the screen’s…

The Apple HomePod returns with a bang. It brings with it impressive premium performance as a speaker and a smart home device. Making it ideal for those wanting to listen to lossless music, upgrade their Apple TV experience and take control of the home. Its integration into Apple’s smart home ecosystem is much more pronounced than its predecessor. It’s central to not just your music listening needs but also your home cinema and the automation of other devices in your network. The new HomePod is largely the same size and shape as the original model. Placed next to each other you’d need to look carefully to tell them apart. The second-gen model is slightly shorter at 168mm but the same 142mm wide. The base of the unit has changed slightly,…

WITHINGS STEEL HR SPORT $566, withings.com Featuring a heart-rate monitor and the ability to track 30 different exercises, this is ideal for fitness fanatics. It’s water resistant to 50 metres, and the battery lasts around 25 days. GARMIN VIVOMOVE HR PREMIUM $499, garmin.com One of the most comprehensive hybrid watches you can buy, with a wide range of fitness- and health-tracking features, a subtle touchscreen digital display, and several different colours to pick from. FOSSIL HYBRID SMARTWATCH HR From $399, fossil.com This timepiece features activity and sleep tracking, plus app and call alerts, time zones, and buttons to control smartphone music. Yet it mostly looks like a regular watch, aside from the e-ink display. WITHINGS MOVE ECG $230, withings.com Think a pricey Apple Watch is needed to take an ECG…

PRO-JECT ESSENTIAL III $593, project-audio.com Really sounds great for the money, with an expansive and enjoyable sound across a range of genres and volume levels. It also looks very pleasing, in a variety of high gloss finishes. TECHNICS SL-1200GR $2,474, technics.com With rock solid build quality, easy set-up, immense bass, and a hugely exciting and involving sound, this is much more than just a DJ deck. There are few turntables that are more enjoyable to own. PRO-JECT PRIMARY E $395, project-audio.com Pro-ject’s entry-level player is the record player stripped down to its most basic form. Everything comes pre-adjusted and pre-installed, so it’s ready to go right out of the box with the perfect tracking force. ELIPSON CHROMA CARBON RIAA BT $TBC, elipson.com Elipson’s top-line turntable pulls down a lot of…

BANG & OLUFSEN BEOSOUND A1 V2 $375, bang-olufsen.com If you want a full, punchy sound that’s fairly expansive, and that doesn’t crush when going loud, then this is the place to start. It’s also an object of desire, and is available in a great range of colours. ULTIMATE EARS WONDERBOOM 2 $129, ultimateears.com The Wonderboom 2 doesn’t really try to straddle home and outdoors: it’s clearly meant to be taken to wherever the party is. It’s waterproof, and well protected against grit, dust and beachside sand. BOSE PORTABLE SMART SPEAKER $467, bose.com.au One of the best portable speakers money can buy. Connect it to Wi-Fi for Alexa or Google Assistant functionality, or use it over Bluetooth, for powerful, accurate, 360-degree sound. JBL FLIP 6 $143, jbl.com.au This speaker is small…

WHOOP 4.0 From $44 a month, whoop.com An excellent fitness tracker for those who train hard and want to know when to slow down. Although the membership costs can stack up, it can help you hit the optimal balance between rest and workouts. FITBIT CHARGE 5 $269, fitbit.com A decent update over the Charge 4, and the AMOLED screen is very handsome. It’s comfortable to wear, and the overall user experience is also great, but it’s as expensive as some running watches. HUAWEI BAND 7 $159, huawei.com Worth your attention for its huge screen and long battery life, the Band 7 shows small refinements over the Band 6. It’s accurate, attractive, functional, and jam-packed with useful features. GARMIN VENU 2 $679, garmin.com The AMOLED screen of the Garmin Venu 2…

URWERK UR-102 RELOADED The only thing T3 is more partial to than a minimal watch face is a blast from the horological past, which is why we love the Urwerk UR-102 Reloaded. Originally launched at Baselworld 1997, the UR-102 featured a smooth round body and an iconic handless design, displaying the time with a wandering hour unit that glided round a semi-circular track. Updated for the 21st century, the UR-102 Reloaded’s case has been scaled up to 41mm from 38mm, while its lugs are larger, taking their design cue from the Sputnik satellite. And it has a sleeker silhouette, thanks to its relocated crown, which blends into the case at 4 o’clock. Can’t decide whether the titanium or the black finish suits your style best? No problem. When you pick…

Just in time for the Winter season (coincidentally?), the flash new Summit Series Breithorn hoodie will keep you warm and snug if you’re summitting NZ’s Mt Cook or the escalators at Penrith Westfield. This standard fit jacket boasts lightweight, ripstop fabric, helmet compatiblity, large internal mesh pockets, stretch-knit cuffs and water resistant zips. Its 800 fill ProDown maintains loft even in wet conditions and will smoosh down to stow in the left pocket. It’s available is two colourways and looks (and feels) bloody fantastic. $600, thenorthface.com.au…

Opinion Talk of virtual reality headsets remains a hot topic in tech. Already this year we’ve seen the launch of Sony’s PSVR2 headset, Meta’s Quest Pro, HTC’s Vive XR Elite and Xiaomi’s AR prototypes. And there’s still a rumour that we may see Apple’s AR/VR offering, the Reality Pro before 2023 is over. Despite this huge push for headsets, the virtual experience hasn’t taken over in the way some would have hoped yet. We’re even seeing some signs of VR fatigue – what’s wrong with using a physical screen anyway? So are we still teetering on the edge of an augmented or virtual reality revolution or is it just another passing fad that companies continue to push? As well as being a big push for gaming, Meta is banking on…

SPECIFICATIONS Displays 1x 2000x2040 120Hz OLED per eye Sensors headset: six-axis motion sensing system, IR proximity sensor; controllers: six-axis motion sensing system, finger touch detection, IR position tracking Cameras 6 (4x headset and controller tracking, 1x IR per eye) Connectivity headset: USB-C; controllers: USB-C, Bluetooth 5.1 Having played Horizon: Call of the Mountain on the PSVR at CES 2023, and being blown away by it, we were genuinely hyped for the official launch weeks later. So is Sony’s new virtual reality headset the new must-have PS5 hardware accessory or will it become the latest dusty-at-the-back-of-a-cupboard piece of kit? There’s been plenty of discussion about whether PSVR2 is worth it. At $879, it costs a lot – you could go out and buy a second PlayStation 5 for that money. But…

Back in 2022, the OnePlus 10 Pro caused a stir thanks to its super-fast charging capabilities and impressive shooter, so we were pretty excited to see what the Chinese manufacturer had in store for us next. Almost a year on, the OnePlus 11 has officially landed on our shores and, without a doubt, it’s the best OnePlus phone yet. Just like its predecessors, the OnePlus 11 features a curved screen and a glossy frame, while on the back the stainless steel camera module sits in a similar position and wraps around the edge of the handset like we’ve seen before, although this time they’ve opted for a rounded notch instead of a square. The new design is both sleek and sophisticated. It uses a Super Fluid AMOLED 6.7-inch display with…

AUDEMARS PIGUET ROYAL OAK CHRONOGRAPH $38,500, audemarspiguet.com We love Audemars Piguet’s simple stainless steel model with a blue Grand Tapisserie pattern dial. It features a self-winding manufacture calibre 2385 movement with a 40-hour power reserve. BAMFORD LONDON MAYFAIR DATE $1,200, bamfordlondon.com The Bamford Mayfair Date is dependable and has the added benefit of being waterproof to 10ATM, making it a great accessory for outdoor activities whilst remaining cool and stylish. BAUME SMALL SECONDS $TBA, baume-et-mercier.com Baume uses sustainable and recycled materials where possible, and its elegant watches are fully customisable, with over 2,000 permutations achievable on an online configurator. BELL & ROSS BR03-92 NIGHTLUM $5,600, bellross.com No complicated bells and whistles here; the BR03-92 has its roots in aviation, a heritage the folks at B&R have clearly channelled into the…

SONOS PORT $699, sonos.com A great streamer, especially if you already own a Sonos speaker. It has an analogue input and output, as well as streaming to any Sonos speaker, so you can plug in your turntable. YAMAHA WXAD-10 $259, au.yamaha.com This Yamaha lets you stream everything from Bluetooth to hi-res audio, with support for AirPlay, most of your favourite streaming services and, of course Yamaha’s own MusicCast. IFI XDSD $589, ifi-audio.com This dinky little combined Bluetooth receiver, DAC and headphone amp supports AAC and aptX and sounds really superb. It has a battery, and can be used with earphones as well as speakers. AUDIOLAB 6000N $1,199, audiolab.co.uk Probably impractical if you don’t have a hi-fi stack, but with support for audio up to 192Khz/24-bit, its sound quality is noticeably…

SONY WH-1000XM5 $548, sony.com.au These headphones boast an unbeaten suite of features and audio quality. The sound is dynamic and full, offering rich bass and bright, clear treble. The active noise cancellation is impressive too. BOSE NOISE CANCELLING HEADPHONES 700 $399, bose.com.au These cans deliver great, well-balanced sound. They’re especially good if you want a pair of top-tier noise-cancelling Bluetooth headphones for calls and using voice assistants. JBL TUNE 660NC $129, jbl.com If you’re looking for a comfortable pair of Bluetooth headphones that offer great detail, these are ideal. They’re relatively heavy on the bass, which is fine for lots of music genres. SONY WH-1000XM4 $399, sony.com.au These were once the best wireless noise cancelling headphones money could buy. Now they look like a bargain. They fold better than the…

GARMIN FORERUNNER 255S $699, garmin.com With its new triathlon mode, this is now a full-fledged triathlon watch. And the smallest of those, too, enabling those with small wrists to access pro workout features and heart-rate variability tracking. COROS PACE 2 $330, coros.com The Pace 2 gets the basics right, but also has a couple of tricks up its sleeve. It might provide fewer casual features than some Garmins, but the running features on offer here are pretty much spot on. GARMIN FORERUNNER 945 $929, garmin.com The Forerunner 945 has retained the look and feel of the 935, but inside it has been completely revamped. There are new GPS chips and heart-rate sensors, plus onboard maps. GARMIN FORERUNNER 55 $249, garmin.com Most runners aren’t top athletes; they just need an accurate…