Indholdsfortegnelse for Issue 210 i T3 Australia

STEAMBOX Sure. Microwaves may already be a perfectly adequate way to warm up your lunch. But microwaves also aren’t exactly known for their portability – if you want to chow down on your katsu curry out in the countryside or your bolognese on the bus, you’re out of luck. Step forward the Steambox: this self-heating lunch box will use steam to reheat your rations to the perfect temperature. Just add a splash of water to its reservoir, set how long you want it to warm your munchables in five-minute intervals and piping hot food can be yours wherever you are. And thanks to its capacious battery, it can heat up to three meals on a single charge – perfect for warming up multiple courses during that camping trip. $431, steam-box.com…

Opinion For me the new Apple Vision Pro headset isn’t just about mixed or virtual reality – its killer feature is that you’ll be able to do more things ‘head back’ rather than ‘head down’. The problem with so many gadgets – including phones, tablets and laptops – is that you use them with your neck bent forward, concentrating on the task in hand, rather than with your head back and relaxed. I could scream, the amount of time I’m forced to be ‘head down’ to do what I need to do. Over the years I’ve developed a bad case of ‘tech neck’ or ‘gadget stoop’, a curve of the back and a roundness of the shoulders that comes from crouching over small screens. It was never this way with…

CLEER ARC II SPORT With their IPX5 rating, Cleer Audio’s ARC II Sport buds are a must-have if you don’t like to compromise on sound quality, even during your sweatiest workouts. The headphones have 16.2mm neodymium drivers with aptX Adaptive that support lossless audio. $265, cleeraudio.com SHOKZ OPENFIT Mostly known for their bone-conduction technology, Shokz’s latest buds are open-ear headphones with powerful bass and a well-rounded sound profile. Thanks to the super soft silicone construction, the Shokz OpenFit is comfortable enough to wear all day. $285, shokz.com.au SENNHEISER SPORT TRUE WIRELESS Sennheiser’s buds allow you to use them in open-ear or closed-ear mode using the unique ear tip design. They don’t sound half bad, either, and have a small form factor, so you can listen to your favourite songs and…

Your old pal Gadget Guru has been working mainly out of his car this month, for reasons which definitely do not involve the fumigation of his office nor his expulsion from Guru Towers by a Mrs Guru finally at the end of her tether – though he can definitely see why you’d think that. If he were to say it’s been a fun experience, please know that means his sciatica has gained enough strength that it has developed sentience and is manifesting its feelings through Guru’s mouth. This very edition of Gadget Guru has been written while periodically moving GaGu’s car around the Asda car park in order to find somewhere shady to lurk; curse his choice of a Lenovo Yoga Slim 7, which would be a meticulously neat little…

#SOUND #1 SOUNDCORE Q20i If you’re after ANC but don’t want to pay through the nose for the privilege of blocking out the world, this latest update of Soundcore’s surprisingly competent budget noise-cancellers is worth a look. Although they might look a little basic, they’re consistently comfy, very well built, feature astonishingly strong ANC for the price, and have a generous amount of passive noise cancelling to back it up. $119, soundcore.com #2 EARFUN AIR PRO 3 EarFun is the very definition of a contender brand, sneaking up on the big boys with fully up-to-date kit that does its job well. In fact, switch out ‘sneaking’ for ‘stomping’, because the Air Pro 3 buds, with their Bluetooth 5.3, aptX Adaptive compatible Qualcomm QCC 3071 chipset and huge 11mm drivers…

The summer months are almost here, holidays are finally upon us and it’s time for a road trip. We know almost any car can make for a memorable asphalt adventure, but once you’ve added in a couple of kids, a dog and all of the outdoor accessories your active lifestyle demands, you’ll likely want an SUV. And, this being 2023, that SUV could well be electric. The EV SUV market is growing quickly, with a wide range of manufacturers offering plug-in family cars across a broad range of sizes and prices. But while their design and specification can vary significantly, most SUVs share the same basic formula of a raised ride height, extra space inside and a greater sense of adventure than your common-or-garden hatchback or saloon. You might not…

When it comes to flip phones, while Motorola has a strong claim thanks to its Razr series, it’s Samsung’s Galaxy Z Flip 4 that’s the star of the, um, galaxy. So can Motorola’s 2023 flagship foldable, the Razr 40 Ultra, cause a supernova and shake things up? The design has changed a lot compared to its predecessors. The Razr 40 Ultra has a new hinge, meaning a no-gap fold in the closed position; the interior display, with its punch-hole camera, now has much smaller bezel than before; while the whole screen’s implementation means less screen edge exposure – it’s just a more solidly built device. Folded up, the Razr 40 Ultra’s boxier form reveals two large camera lenses cutting into its front 3.6-inch cover display. But that cover display is…

When Nothing was first introduced, as the plucky London-based upstart, we wondered: could a newcomer really succeed in this bustling market? But Nothing has doubled down since it released the Nothing Phone (1), pouring mass resources into its software and upping its hardware game too. When a phone really stands out, just as the Nothing Phone (2) does, it’s a real thrill. From the very moment we first held the handset it’s the incredibly low weight – it’s just 201g – that stood out the most. The Phone (2)’s display is a big improvement over the Phone (1)’s offering. While both phones are as sharp as one another, low peak brightness was a criticism of the Phone (1), with its screen capping out at around 700 nits. The Nothing Phone…

As the successor of the POV-shooting action cam the GO 2, the Insta360 GO 3 is still all about POV footage and trying to find unique ways to capture content for online platforms. However, the addition of its Action Pod turns it into a full-fledged action camera, akin to the best GoPros, – albeit with a lower resolution. Although the camera body of the Insta360 GO 3 looks and feels similar to the GO 2, the two cams are significantly different in some key areas. The GO 3 is 9g heavier than the GO 2 (35.5g vs 26.5g) and has a longer battery life (45 mins vs 30 mins). The Insta360 GO 3 is also very similar to its predecessor in an operational sense, in that there is only one…

No one can accuse Beats of sitting on its laurels. Two months after the Beats Studio Buds Plus launched, the brand is back with another exciting release: the Beats Studio Pro. One thing is for sure: our appetite is thoroughly whetted for the new flagship cans. The Beats Studio Pro feel sleeker than the Studio 3; the angles are more refined, and the almost monotone colours help further reinforce this feeling of unity and class. The all-plastic construction feels good in the hand, and the Beats Studio Pro don’t creak when you flex or twist the headphones, either. But the brushed exterior of the Studio Pro does pick up grease and fingerprints easily, which in turn makes the headphones look less snazzy. So if you prefer your cans to look…

The gadget gods are a fickle bunch. They giveth and taketh away with an alarming frequency. Case in point: I managed to smash my phone a couple of weeks ago. Thanks to the sartorial sadist who decided that shorts should have vertical pockets, it leapt out onto the concrete as I climbed into a car, simultaneously destroying both the glass back and my bank balance. There’s a lot that can be said on the merits of taking a tech detox now and then. Mostly: ‘there aren’t any’. While my handset was being repaired, there was an initial novelty to going phoneless. But I lasted five seconds of awkward conversation before I was desperately jonesing for my usual fix of Wikipedia articles and Twitter toxicity. Fortunately, my phone and I are…

AEW COLLISION It’s the ‘what Guru has actually been consuming’ issue, and given that he has no time must prioritise his likes: big men slapping meat. AEW’s second weekly two hours is great. POUR LA VIE ENTIÈRE GaGu must listen to mild electronic indie music sung in French while working, or his mind will otherwise wander and nothing will ever get done. This EP by Blond fits the bill. WILDFROST This isn’t the best card-battling roguelite ever - it’s no Slay the Spire - but it has at least got its hooks into Guru in his rare off-hours. Very thinky gameplay loop, lovely presentation.…

WATER Whether it’s the sea or the river, these aquatic activities are worth diving into EFOILING You need waves to surf and wind to wing, but to operate independently of the elements, try eFoiling. Battery powered and controlled by a handheld device, these relatively easy to operate boards lift out of the water on a hydrofoil and skim along just above the surface, as though you’re hover surfing. Learn on a Flitescooter (with handlebars) and progress to a Fliteboard once you find your feet. TRY: FLITEBOARD Available in fibreglass or carbon fibre, with a battery life of up to 2½ hours, the Fliteboard can be jet or propeller powered, and supports riders weighing up to 120kg. From $15.495, fliteboard.com WINGSURFING The world’s fastest-growing watersport, wingsurfing supplies all the speed for…

Samsung hasn’t had much big-screen foldable competition in the past, but for 2023 it’s a different story, thanks to the new Google Pixel Fold and upcoming OnePlus Open. Despite this, the new Z Fold 5 is still the folding phone champion... for now. You’ll have a good idea of what to expect from the Z Fold 5’s design. A polished frame, matte glass back and tall body that serves up a narrow cover screen but makes up for it with an expansive inner display. While some foldables – namely the Honor Magic Vs and Pixel Fold – don’t open out completely flat, Samsung’s Z Fold 5 locks into place with a satisfying snap. The hinge is the first real highlight. The Z Fold 5 is much chunkier than some foldables…

The Philips Fidelio FB1 is a single-box soundbar that supports the main object-based spatial audio formats of Dolby Atmos and DTS:X using its upfiring drivers. It includes a pair of built-in woofers designed to generate deeper bass, despite lacking a separate subwoofer. But how deep is that bass, and does it do enough to stand out in a crowded market? The Philips Fidelio FB1 sports an attractive design and elegant finish befitting of its premium status. The cabinet is fairly large, but the sleek styling doesn’t dominate the front of the room, while the build quality is excellent, with a robust metal construction that weighs a solid 7.2kg. The cabinet has rounded corners and a Muirhead leather trim that separates the top, front and side panels, adding a degree of…

T-10 BESPOKE EARPHONES The T-10 Bespoke are game-changing earbuds in so many different ways. Produced as part of a collaboration between Ear Micro and Klipsch Audio, they deliver up to 96kHz/24-bit audio through twin Cadence/Tensilica Hi-Fi DSPs, incredibly efficient class-D amplifiers and Sonion precision balanced-armature transducers. Despite being tiny – just 12.7x8.9mm – they squeeze in eight hours of battery life. Not only do they offer assignable touch sensitive controls but also patented head and even mouth gesture controls. And finally, the buds are made to order and fully customisable using pure gold, silver and bronze, Italian leathers, exotic hides and rare woods. US$3,000 to US$38,200, t10bespoke.com NEXT ISSUE IS ON SALE MONDAY 4TH DECEMBER…

1 DJI AIR 3 From $1,699, dji.com We can’t say we’re surprised to see the DJI Air 3, because its existence has, for the past few months, been pretty much the worst kept secret in tech. We also aren’t super-shocked at the Air 3’s final form, which mixes up the classic Air style and borrows heavily from the design of the recently released Mavic 3 and 3 Pro. Neither are we stunned by the new controller, which is basically the same as that of the latest Mini. But has the Air 3 thrown us a curveball in terms of its features? Well, almost. The baby is still truly united with the bathwater, as it were: the Air range remains home to a mid-sized, mid-range drone, one with enthusiast-level qualities a…

Opinion September is a big month for Apple users, as it’s usually the time when the new iPhone is announced. I suspect by the time you read this we will already know what the iPhone 15 has in store for us. Faster memory, brighter screens, higher-quality cameras, and longer battery life are all par for the course these days but there’s often a killer feature in there too. Smartphones have become much more than just a communications tool. For me, my phone provides my social media and news updates, my banking, shopping, music collection, camera and smart home hub. Even when I get in my car, my iPhone syncs automatically with CarPlay to provide my navigation and music. Having the ability to do this was a major factor in choosing…

School ACER CHROMEBOOK SPIN 514 The benefits of Chromebooks are now well established: these lightweight laptops are essentially windows onto the web, so you never need to worry about keeping your stuff backed up. Sign in with a Google account, and you’re instantly up and running. With the Spin 514, Acer builds on that foundation rather well, with a 360-degree hinge on the screen that means you can fold it right over and use the device as a makeshift tablet. Fold it half the way back and you can prop it up in tent mode – handy for watching videos or making video calls. It’s an eminently flexible and versatile piece of hardware, available at a very reasonable price. From $497, acer.com THE ACCESSORIES ACER WIRELESS OPTICAL SLIM MOUSE If…

Designed for users that push their Macs harder, with video, audio and 3D processing, the Mac Studio has been the most powerful Mac in the range for a year. And while there is now a new Mac Pro on the horizon, it shares the same M2 Ultra chip that can be found in the new Mac Studio. But do you even need the M2 Ultra incarnation? For all but 1% of professional users, isn’t the M2 Max version enough? Prices for the Mac Studio M2 Max start from $3,299, while the M2 Ultra version starts from $6,599. Both versions are upgradeable, with increased GPU cores, memory and storage. The model we tested was the M2 Max 38-core, with 96GB RAM and a 4TB SSD, retailing for $6,599. Which is serious…

The outgoing Sony WF-1000XM4 were never less than ultra-competitive. And so not only do the WF-1000XM5 have to improve on one of the most acclaimed products Sony has ever delivered, they have to triumph over the numerous rival designs launched in the meantime too. In the most meaningful respects, the WF-1000XM5 are very good indeed. But that’s not the same as them being class-leaders. Sony’s certainly done the business when it comes to producing a product that’s smaller, lighter and more comfortable – but in other ways, very little seems to have happened in the two years since the WF-1000XM4 launched. On first acquaintance, the biggest thing about the WF-1000XM5 is how small they are. At 5.5g per earbud and around 37g for the charging case, they’re a far more…