Innehållsförteckning för Issue 186 från T3 Australia

SEABUBBLES BUBBLE TAXI With around four billion cars expected to be on the road by 2050, congestion and pollution are only going to get worse. A group of aeronautical engineers in France don’t like the sound of this, so they have come up with a very clever solution to the problem. Say bonjour, then, to the Bubble Taxi, a revolutionary water-based car that runs on a 2x10-watt battery that’s recharged by the sun, wind and water while the vessel is docked. The Bubble also uses the same hydrofoil technology found in the speed record-smashing Hydroptère trimaran to elevate itself above the waves once it reaches seven knots. The result is a zero-noise, zero-waves ride that promises to get you to work quicker, and with minimal motion sickness. You won’t even…

1 APPLE iPAD PRO From $1,229, apple.com/au Not content with already making a better tablet than your Nan, Apple is taking another leap forward to its iPad Pro line-up. For a start, the design has been updated, inheriting the curved screen corners from the iPhone, and slimming down to just 5.9mm thickness. There’s a new screen size too – Apple said that it could fit more pixels in the same body size as the previous 10.5-inch model (which is still on-sale), so it created a new 11-inch iPad Pro. The bigger sibling stays at 12.9 inches, but in a smaller and lighter body than the old model, making it perhaps the ultimate ultra-portable computer at just 631g. And make no mistake, this is meant to be a full-on computer: the…

As we head into this year’s party season, it’s important to be aware of the basics of evening wear and black tie in order to achieve the right look for formal events. In a nutshell, black tie is a strict dress code comprising a black two-piece suit. But how can you work with black tie’s nuanced etiquette, while still maintaining a cool, modern edge to your outfit that helps you feel comfortable and more yourself? To make this task easier, T3 reached out to renowned London-based personal stylist Daniel Johnson (daniel-johnson.com). He’s worked with brands including Saint Laurent, Moncler and Berluti, and has appeared on BBC2’s Millionaires Gift Guide and the BBC World News in a segment entitled, ‘Is the Suit Dead?’ “As with all the best food and music,…

LUMIE BRAZIL $258, lumie.com Sunshine has a transformative effect on mood, alertness and productivity. This powerful lightbox alleviates the effects of SAD by delivering 10,000 lux of light intensity, giving you a dose of sunshine each morning to boost your mood and energise you. It’s quite big, though, so not suitable for compact spaces. PHILIPS ENERGYUP ENERGY LIGHT $215, philips.com.au A super-portable lamp choice that also bathes you in 10,000 lux of light to keep your energy levels up, and to elevate your mood, throughout the darkest months of winter. It has three different light intensity settings, so you can tailor the light treatment to match your changing levels of SAD or winter blues.…

BOWERS & WILKINS PX WIRELESS Drown out noisy travellers hell-bent on serenading the plane with endless carols by donning these noise-cancelling headphones. A generous 22-hour battery life will outlive the most persistent of revellers. They’re super-comfy too. $549, bowerswilkins.com BEOPLAY E4 Take to the skies in style with these wonderfully sleek noise-cancelling earphones. Ready to tune into your surroundings? Do so quickly with Transparency Mode, before delving back into your tunes, audiobooks or podcasts for up to 20 hours. $339, beoplay.com AKG N60NC AKG’s active noise-cancelling on-ears fold up neatly into backpacks and carry-ons. They’re also one of the most affordable headphones for the tech packed into them. $244, au.akg.com…

THE AUDIOPHILE CHOICE MARANTZ SR7013 DOLBY ATMOS 5.1.4 AVR Offering a classically refined Marantz sonic approach, the SR7013 is a nine-channel 3D audio amplifier (with 11-channel processing), tuned for movies and high-res audio. The brand’s sweet HDAM amplifier tech ensures supreme musicality, while a double-layer copper-plated chassis combats resonance during movie soundtracks. $2,672, marantz.com POWERHOUSE HOME THEATRE DENON AVR-X4500 DOLBY ATMOS 5.1.4 AVR With nine brawny channels of amplification, this big Denon opens the door to either 5.1.4 or 7.1.2 Atmos surround. More impressively, it can decode 11 channels (7.1.4) if you add an additional stereo amplifier. Built around a 9x200W power plant, audio quality is crisp and detailed, and connectivity is top class with eight HDMI inputs. $2,649, denon.com DSP MEETS DOLBY ATMOS SONY STR-DN1080…

Michael Kors Access Runway A fully capable smartwatch that’s also big on style This beautiful timepiece is designed for people who want a capable smartwatch wrapped up in a stylish package. Yes it looks similar to previous iterations from Michael Kors, but it’s had a tech boost. With a 41mm circular design, the watch suits smaller wrists and is aimed primarily at women. Its stainless steel casing comes in silver, gold or rose gold, with a choice of stainless steel and silicone straps. The design is bold, but not as glitzy as previous smartwatches from the brand. We think the simpler design makes a statement while being effortlessly stylish. The 1.19-inch touchscreen display has a super-bright 390X390 resolution, and you can even customise the watch faces. The Access Runway is…

GOOGLE HOME The original Google Assistant speaker. The audio is nothing to write home about, but it’ll respond to your commands perfectly, and is clear to hear in response. $199, store.google.com GOOGLE HOME MINI This T3 Award-winner packs Assistant’s smarts into a tiny package that, crucially, looks pretty good, coming in a range colours to suit any room’s decor. $78, store.google.com GOOGLE HOME HUB If it’s not volume you need, but visibility, this is ideal. It can show lots of info in response to a question, play videos, act as a photo frame and more, all powered by Assistant. $199, store.google.com…

STICK AND TWIST Sketch out where your lights are going before you put them up. Factor in corners, as strips won’t bend beyond 90 degrees. Preview your layout before peeling off the backing and make sure the surface is clean because you only have one shot. KEEP ’EM SEPARATED LEDs placed against a wall mean bursts of colour, so, for a softer look, stick the strip a few inches away from the surface it’ll be projecting onto. And make sure they’re hidden away, because you don’t want 20 LEDs staring you in the face. MEASURE ONCE, CUT TWICE Most LED strips can be cut with scissors, at marked points, to ensure you’re running at the correct length. Bundling up any excess LEDs at one end, leading to an ugly bright…

WHAT’S ON TEST… 1 Lenovo Yoga 730 An all-rounder with great specs for the price… And Lenovo certainly knows its way around the two-in-one world. $1,999, lenovo.com 2 Microsoft Surface Book 2 This lean machine hits the high-end, with a detachable screen, unique design and incredible specs on paper. $1,799, microsoft.com 3 Dell XPS 15 2-in-1 A convertible model that hinges on its display, with an attractive slimline design and Dell’s impeccable credentials behind it. $2,099, dell.com The laptop is dead: long live the laptop. Now begins the new reign of the two-in-one. Doubling the potential and doubling the flexibility, the theory is that two-in-one laptops make quick work of tons of tasks, and can roam from the desk to the lap to the,…

01 DROP THE BRIGHTNESS Okay, we’ve gone on at great length about the brilliance of Dell’s InfinityEdge display. Step that brightness down a little and you’ll pull a bit more extra battery life out of your machine – perfect if you’re browsing the web on your lap. 02 TAKE A PEN TO IT Using an active pen – Lenovo includes one with its machine, while it’s an optional add-on (for a cost) from Microsoft and Dell – means having a much greater tablet-mode drawing experience. It’s not just a case of having pinpoint accuracy. An active pen means that you have pressure sensitivity, giving your strokes a sense of weight and helping the whole experience feel more like pen on paper. 03 FLIP IT ROUND If you’re getting all arty,…

01 CHECK FOR UPDATES Your DJI Mavic Air and the controller will work at their best when the DJI Go 4 app and the drone’s firmware are bang up to date. Before you leave home to go on an adventure, always check for routine software updates as countryside Wi-Fi and 4G can be sketchy. 02 GET INSPIRED If you’re stuck for shot ideas, fret not. Plenty of pro pilots share their astonishing video footage and stills online, giving you endless inspiration for new locations, angles and subjects. For starters, take a gander at the popular Instagram accounts @droneoftheday and Tobias Hägg’s @airpixels. 03 POWER UP As mentioned above, our only reservation with the Mavic Air is the short battery life per charge. At $119 each, a spare Mavic Air Intelligent…

In T3, we feature only the finest gadgets out there, and we believe that you – our loyal reader – deserve only the best tech in your life. We don’t want you to waste time, and money, on inferior products, and that’s exactly why our Tested section exists. In here you’ll find only the latest and hottest tech. Each product has been handpicked and tested by T3’s experts. We only choose people with specialist knowledge for each test, so you know you’re going to get an outcome based on many years of experience in their respective field. As well as our traditional five-star rating system (right), we also give out awards to particularly exceptional gadgets, using the line-up below - so when you spot one of these, you’ll know you’re…

From $1,199 store.google.com Google’s third generation of its own phone hardware continues what we saw with the Pixel 2: a brilliant camera paired with a stand-out version of Android. But the world has moved on in the last year. So the question is, has Google kept up? Cut it out Google has tried to make the Pixel phones instantly recognisable with their two-tone textured backings, as you’ll know if you’ve spotted previous Pixels. That same design language is in evidence here, though this time the backing is smoother thanks to it being an all-glass design to enable wireless charging. A matte finish for the lower half means it doesn’t feel slippery in your hand. We’ve also got a single-lens rear camera and a fingerprint sensor around the back – no…

GEAR4 CRYSTAL PALACE A nice-looking phone needs a case that shows it off, and keeps it in one (unscratched) piece. This see-through case can take a battering – we think its D3O tech is the best in the business for protection with minimal bulk. $50, gear4.com SONY WH-1000XM3 If you are going to while away some travelling hours by watching a movie on the Max’s glorious screen, get some equally impressive headphones. These are as good as it gets for noise cancelling, and sound fantastic. $449, sony.com.au NATIVE UNION DROP WIRELESS This wireless charging pad is a cut above when it comes to design. The fabric look is very in for tech right now, but the silicon tread pattern on top keeps your phone locked in…

When smart home assistants first began appearing, music control was clearly a big selling point for people. But the original Amazon Echo’s speakers were crap, so it’s wasn’t a great combination overall. But that’s all changing. Great companies want to make sure you get the most flexible speakers to play music on demand, so they’re throwing ingenious sound tech into tiny packages that work perfectly in any room, filling them with lush sound at your command. Far-field mics ensure that the various assistants can hear what you want, and extra wireless connectivity means you can play from devices. Here we put six speakers tuned for sound through their paces. 01 CLASSIC ROCK, MODERN TECH MARSHALL STANMORE II VOICE US$399, marshallheadphones.com The rock riff that plays when you turn…

OLED 4K TV SONY AF9 Sony’s next-gen 4K HDR TV looks fantastic thanks to its OLED display and advanced image processing. Because of ingenious tech that uses the screen itself as a speaker, it also sounds superb. From $4,998, sony.com.au TOP-END 4K TV LG W8 With an incredible 2.75mm thin screen and a 4.2-channel soundbar, this is a stunner. But there’s also a new brain that takes image quality to a whole new level. It’s more like a window than a screen. From $7,995, lg.com/au VALUE 4K BLU-RAY PLAYER XBOX ONE S Yes, this is primarily a games console, but it’s a damn good UHD Blu-ray player too. Budget 4K players from other brands still cost around the same as this, but you can’t stick a…

ANDROID PHONE HUAWEI MATE 20 PRO The Mate 20 Pro delivers an experience that leaves nothing to be desired. It has a super-fast chip, stunning OLED screen, knock-out Leica camera system and a next-gen in-screen fingerprint reader. From $1,599, consumer.huawei.com MID-RANGE PHONE ONEPLUS 5T This isn’t the newest phone, but at the prices you can now find it for, it’s ideal. You get a six-inch display, a fast Snapdragon 835 processor with 6GB of RAM, and truly premium build quality. $668, oneplus.com SMARTWATCH APPLE WATCH SERIES 4 Beautiful big screens, a thinner design, cellular connectivity, great battery life and groundbreaking health, and fitness features make this the essential techy timepiece… for iPhone users only, alas. From $599, apple.com/au ANALOGUE WATCH TUDOR BLACK BAY GMT…

VOICE ASSISTANT AMAZON ECHO Alexa is everywhere these days, but nowhere is Amazon’s AI more at home than in its Echo. It couples an awesome array microphone with pleasing design for the perfect assistant experience. $149, amazon.com.au SMART DOORBELL RING VIDEO DOORBELL 2 Part motion-detecting security camera, part ring-anywhere doorbell, the Video Doorbell 2 alerts you via your smartphone when you have a visitor – and you can two-way talk even if you’re not home. $329, ring.com LIFESTYLE WI-FI CAMERA NEST CAM This indoor cam streams sharp HD video to your phone or computer, and can alert you when it senses motion or sound, so you can tune in – with an 8x zoom and 130-degree view, you won’t miss a thing. $319, nest.com/au…

ULTRAPORTABLE LAPTOP HP SPECTRE 13 An incredibly thin, light and beautiful laptop, with a dense, high-end panel. Despite being 1cm thick, it doesn’t skimp on the power either, thanks to an Intel Core i7 processor. From $2,999, hp.com/au GAMING LAPTOP ASUS ROG ZEPHYRUS GX501 This is an amazing piece of engineering. Despite being incredibly thin and light (2.2kg), it packs insanely powerful Nvidia GeForce GTX 1080 graphics, a quad-core processor, and a 120Hz 1080p display. $3,299, asus.com ALL-IN-ONE APPLE iMAC WITH 5K RETINA DISPLAY There’s never been a screen like this. Big enough for every task, detailed, bright, colourful, and it happens to have a Mac stuffed in the back of it as well. From $1,599, apple.com/au GAMING HEADSET ASTRO A40 + MIXAMP PRO…

ENTRY-LEVEL DSLR CANON EOS 800D The 800D gets great features from Canon’s pro line, including a snappy 45-point AF system, top build quality, articulating screen and, most importantly, fantastic image quality. A top all-rounder. From $1,199, canon.com MIRRORLESS CAMERA SONY A9 It’s so expensive, but it earns every penny by packing an incredible 24.2-megapixel full-frame sensor, with 20fps shooting while tracking autofocus the whole way. It’s a technical and imaging marvel. $4,700, sony.com.au ACTION CAMERA GOPRO HERO7 BLACK On top of classic GoPro toughness and 4K 60fps image quality, this adds image stabilisation that makes recordings super smooth. It has voice control, a touchscreen, and is waterproof to 10m. $599, gopro.com RUNNING WATCH GARMIN FORERUNNER 645 MUSIC Garmin is the king of sports watches.…

There’s watching TV, and there’s experiencing it. There’s been a lot of action on the TV front lately so here at T3 we’ve pulled together all the important developments, and added a whole lot more like soundbars, projectors and top-end amps and receivers. Some of this stuff is crazy expensive, like the $26,000 JVC projector, but a lot isn’t and if you’re thinking it might be time to properly upgrade then do please turn to page 26. If you really want to go full-bore check out Samsung’s new 8K TV, we’ve reviewed it on page 72 and it’s a beast. We saw this one at the CES show at the start of the year and it’s almost ready to hit the shops here in Australia so…

You can almost hear Doc Brown telling Marty McFly: “Wing mirrors? Where we’re going, we don’t need wing mirrors!” Or something. But the car you’re looking at isn’t from the future. No, this is the Audi e-tron and it goes on sale early in 2019. In place of good old-fashioned wing mirrors, the German marque’s first standalone all-electric model, a five-seater SUV, boasts a pair of cameras that transmit a live video feed to interactive OLED displays inside the doors. With various pre-programmed settings (motorway, turning, parking), a zoom feature and the ability to aim the cameras in totally different directions, you can enjoy unprecedented ease of manoeuvrability. Replacing mirrors with cameras also reduces the e-tron’s drag rating, contributing to a Tesla-rivalling 400-mile range per charge. Performance is equally impressive,…

GaGu’s commentary on just about every crazy thing going on in the tech world around the time of writing follows: Alexa-addled Microwave, no, but maybe yes depending on if he can truly shout at a robot to excite the molecules of microwave pizzas; Oculus without a proper computer, yes, but that would depend on if it’s actually any good and Guru suspects it’ll be bad; new iPhones, hmm. GaGu isn’t tempted to spend over a thousand pounds upgrading his Apple pocket, but he wouldn’t moan if an iPhone XS Max landed there. Your favourite Gadget Uncle does love a puzzle, as any of you who’ve woken up in the morning to find your combination locks randomly opened will know. He’s particularly fond of the Rubik’s Cube, which is why the…

BRAUN AW 10 EVO The iconic AW 10, Braun’s first wristwatch designed by Dietrich Lubs and Dieter Rams, has been updated for more modern tastes while still sticking to the original blueprint. $264, braun-clocks.com CALVIN KLEIN SWING The fashion brand’s first step into ‘proper’ watchmaking, this stylish timepiece features a stunning automatic movement, showen off with a skeleton dial and transparent caseback. $859, calvinklein.com BAUME HRS LIMITED EDITION Baume and legendary skateboarder Erik Ellington have teamed up to make this watch from used skateboard decks. Each timepiece from the collection will be utterly unique. $TBC, baumewatches.com…

AEG FSS63400P SLIMLINE This slim dishwasher is perfect for slotting into small spaces. It has four spray levels to give you a thorough clean, as well as AirDry tech that uses natural air in the drying cycle to cut down on your energy costs. $925, aegaustralia.com BOSCH SERIE 8 SMS88TW06G Your home is smart, so why not get yourself a connected dishwasher to match? This one is packed with features, including Home Connect, which sends notifications from your dishwasher straight to your phone. $1,399, bosch-home.ie MIELE G6665 SCVI XXL Ideal for party-loving households or large families, this dishwasher is heavy duty and spacious enough to clean plates, cutlery and wine glasses from the biggest of banquets. It has a nice selection of trays and baskets, so nothing gets left behind.…

PREMIUM DISC SPINNER PIONEER UDP-LX800 Built like a battleship, this high-end 4K UHD deck elevates disc playback to another level. With peerless build and best-in-class componentry, no expense has been spared. A 4.6mm double-layer composite chassis tips the scales at 10.3kg, thwarting resonance, and the analogue audio section adopts a pure audiophile design. Whether you’re playing Dolby Vision UHD discs or spinning Super Audio CDs, no other deck does it better. Just don’t drop one on your foot. $3,880, pioneer.com CUT-PRICE 4K BLU-RAY PANASONIC DP-UB420 This budget UHD disc player may have a paper-thin build, but beneath the hood it boasts the same impressive HCX image video processing as higher models. Image quality is sensational for the price, both with 4K HDR discs and regular Blu-ray discs. The…

01 HOME TURF Begin by plugging in your Home Max, but don’t get too hasty! Wait for it to boot up (this takes a couple of minutes). Once the Max has chimed to indicate its readiness, open up the Google Home app on your phone. The first screen will show devices that you’ve already installed; tap the plus at the top. 02 FIND THE MAX Later you’ll be able to use the Add page to group up your speakers or add audio sources, but for now tap ‘Set up device’, then ‘set up new devices in your home’ to search for the Google Home Max. Once it’s found, tap ‘Yes’ to confirm that you want to set it up, and again to confirm you’ve heard the sound it’s made. 03…

1 MICROSOFT SURFACE PEN PLATINUM Painfully expensive, perhaps, but Microsoft’s pressure- and tilt-sensitive Surface Pen is a superb way to get digital ink onto your screen. Replaceable tips give you precisely the feel you’re after, from pen to pencil and beyond. $139.95, microsoft.com 2 INATECK 15-15.4 INCH LAPTOP SLEEVE BRIEFCASE The outer shell of the Surface Book isn’t particularly delicate, but you wouldn’t just want to toss it into a bag and be done with it. Prevent irreversible scratches and protect those sharp corners with a soft, classy case that comes with five layers of device protection. $43, amazon.com 3 JRC BODY GUARD STICKERS Stickers? On a Surface Book 2? Well, these aren’t the nerdy stickers you’ll see on the lids of battered old laptops. No,…

HUAWEI MATE 20 PRO This 6.5-inch phone has a brilliant triple-camera setup on the rear, a speedy processor, a futuristic in-screen fingerprint sensor, and a gorgeous screen. It’s a technical tour de force with huge battery life. From $1,548, huawei.com APPLE iPHONE XS MAX This 6.5-inch phone is damn expensive, but you get a fantastic screen and camera, stunning stainless steel finish, and a processor faster than most pro laptops. It’s the slickest phone around. From $1,799, apple.com/au…

Immortalisedinthe2003film Lost In Translation, when Bill Murray’s struggling actor was seen advertising it, Suntory is renowned for its award-winning malt whiskies, distilled at the foot of Mount Kaikomagatake in the Japanese Alps. One of those, the Hibiki (Japanese for harmony), is a truly indulgent blend that contains notes of vanilla, ripe bananas, marzipan and fruit cake, and comes in a gorgeous, multifaceted bottle representing the 24 ‘small seasons’ of Japan. But what makes the 17 Year Old edition of this tipple especially noteworthy is that Suntory is discontinuing it due to a shortage of stock – meaning your investment is likely to go up in value, if you can resist opening it. Considering how damn good this stuff tastes, that’s a very big if. $999 danmurphys.com.au NEXT ISSUE…

T3’s mission is to help you find the best products for every area of your tech lifestyle. From traditional gadget buys like phones and TVs to connected home security and sports sensors, if it can make your life better, we’re here to make sure you get the right one for you. The products we feature are chosen by our expert writers, with years of experience in their key areas. We wouldn’t recommend something we wouldn’t be happy to live with ourselves – the tat is filtered out long before we print a page. This goes for reviews too – you won’t us wasting your time with products you don’t need to know about. More than that, our aim is to make sure you get the most out of the things…

TOD’S GOMMINO DRIVING SHOES Comfortable as a slipper on the foot, these navy suede slip-ons look stylish and have a full black rubber sole, which provides extra grip when driving – and when you’re navigating icy winter pavements to get to your car. $380, tods.com RIPARO MOTORSPORTS SOFT LEATHER DRIVING GLOVES Thanks to a mesh-perforated leather design, these are suitable for wear during cold and warm weather. They’re available in four different colours and multiple sizes, and feature a snap button at the wrist for a secure fit. $57, amazon.com MAUI JIM WIKI WIKI SUNGLASSES POLARISED Due to the warm bronze lens colour, these are ideal for everyday driving and changing light conditions. The lenses are polarised, too, so you won’t have to worry about the glare from light reflecting…

1000 MILE TRAIL SOCK Sucky socks can ruin a run or hike, so you’ll be thankful for these. A Merino wool blend makes them super soft and reduces friction, while extra padding keeps your Achilles comfy. $28, wiggle.com SHERPA RINCHEN LS TEE Silver ions in this slim-fit long-sleeve tee’s Polygiene technology keep you smelling fresh. It’s also excellent at wicking, and a UPF rating of 40 protects you from the sun. $52, sherpaadventuregear.com ICEBREAKER BODYFITZONE 200 ZONE LEGGINGS Lycra aids stretch and mobility here. Strategically placed Merino mesh helps ventilation, while flatlock seams prevent chafing. $105, au.icebreaker.com…

THE GARDENS BETWEEN This breathtaking game from The Voxel Agents transports you to a series of small islands, where you use time, team work and the objects around you to solve the puzzles you find. CHILLING ADVENTURES OF SABRINA If you need something spooky to watch on Halloween, put on Netflix’s horror retelling of Sabrina, which sees the young witch take on Madam Satan. BLACKBIRD One of comic books’ biggest talents, artist Jen Bartel, teams up with writer Sam Humphries for this neon-drenched slice of California gothic. A new series from Image, issue #1 is out now.…

THE JACKET Tom Hardy makes every film premiere look effortless, just as he does here in this simple yet hugely versatile bomber. Flex just as well in an all-black J.Lindeberg Thom Gravity Bomber ($400, jlindberg.com). THE JEANS Denim is a true staple of Tom’s wardrobe, and he often bases outfits around it. Go for a similar look to the ones pictured here by choosing a pair of Slim Jeans from Tom Ford ($1,200, tomford.com). THE SHOES Hardy wears these essential beige and white Nikes with aplomb, showing that the right sneakers can elevate your look too. Step out just like Hardy with suede Air Max 1s ($141, nike.com).…

1 FIZZICS WAYTAP BEER DISPENSER Improve the taste of canned or bottled beer with a dispenser that turns them into flavourful draft. No gas required: it uses sound waves to carbonate effectively. $181, fizzics.com 2 ALESSI BOSTON COCKTAIL SHAKER A must-have item for any home bar, this stainless steel cocktail shaker oozes style from its stark, precise silhouette as it muddles up your favourite drinks in seconds. $104, alessiaustralia.com 3 PERFECT DRINK PRO Instantly become a bartending pro with these smart scales that make it easy to measure out your ingredients. This is foolproof cocktail-making for tech lovers. $149, amazon.com.au 4 ACACIA WOOD COCKTAIL MUDDLER Effortlessly extract the essence from any fruits you’re working with when using the toothed end of this lightweight muddler.…

A growing number of Aussies are seeking new ways to soak up the sand and surf over the Summer season. The Caribbean paradise of Grenada is a popular choice, thanks to its year-round hot and sunny climate. The rainy season ends in November, with the island transformed into an explosion of lush greenery, complete with wonderfully hot weather, as of December. This year also sees the opening of the luxurious Silversands Grenada resort (from $850 per night, including airport transfers, breakfast, plus a choice of soft drinks and beer, silversandsgrenada.com/en). It’s the first property to open in 25 years on the spectacular Grand Anse Beach and is sure to get booked up fast for Summer. If the Caribbean doesn’t do it for you, head to Costa Rica instead. Its wildlife-filled…

HDR SHOWCASES READY PLAYER ONE Steven Spielberg’s pop culture nostalgia ride makes extravagant use of wide colour and dynamic HDR. And the opening race sequence is an audiovisual eye-popper. (Blu-ray, iTunes) BLACK PANTHER Marvel’s superhero hit oozes 4K eye candy, thanks to ace VFX. Vibranium-powered weapons sizzle brightly, and T’Challa’s costume harbours so much near-black detail. (Blu-ray) STAR TREK: DISCOVERY Discovery may ‘only’ be presented in 1080p, but the addition of exquisite lighting and ambitious visual effects go boldly where no other Trek TV show has gone before. (Netflix) BEST 4K REMASTERS CLOSE ENCOUNTERS OF THE THIRD KIND 40TH ANNIVERSARY Freshly remastered, Spielberg’s sci-fi classic has never looked better. This edition unlocks hitherto unseen detail, while the use of HDR adds almost three-dimensional depth. (Blu-ray, iTunes) THE DARK KNIGHT TRILOGY…

The first-generation Surface Book had a somewhat small issue for users to contend with: the screen section, packing all the relevant hardware needed to keep the machine running, along with a fairly hefty battery of its own, made the unit rather top-heavy. Why does this matter? Because it stressed the hinge to the point where it wouldn’t always stay put. Not so here… Microsoft’s design team has, for this gorgeous second iteration, included a ceramic part in the muscle-wire mechanism that expertly manages the hinge’s angle, making it steady as a rock in use. Hoorah! The use of ceramic, which is unusual in laptop design to say the least, should also equate to much longer staying power versus a plastic part.…

SONY AF8 Our favourite 65-inch TV of the moment is the Sony AF8, a 4K OLED model delivering incredible colours, and brilliant upscaling and motion processing. Ingeniously, it also uses the screen itself as a speaker. $4,995, sony.com.au LG OLED77W8 If you had your eye on the bigger sizes of the Q900, this is a great 4K alternative. A 77-inch OLED, it comes with a separate box/soundbar for connections. There’s also a 77-inch version of the cheaper C8 model ($10,995). $7,995, lg.com JVC DLA-NX9 Is the 85-inch version of the Q900 not epic enough for you? How about this 8K projector? It’s actually 4K natively, but pixel-shifting tech enables it to mimic a resolution of 8192x4320 convincingly on a screen up to 300 inches. $22,000,…

From $1,799 apple.com/au For the last few years, when there’s been a ‘plus’-sized iPhone, the bigger one has always been better. The screen size is a matter of personal preference, but they’ve also had significantly better battery life and dual cameras instead of single-lens affairs. That all changes with the release of the iPhone XS models. The 5.8-inch iPhone XS and 6.5-inch iPhone XS Max are the same phone in different sizes, so apart from talk of physical dimensions, this is effectively our review of both. Beauty factor We might as well start by looking at that screen. The 2688x1242 OLED screen is absolutely stunning, leading the field in vibrancy and colours without question, even if the 6.4-inch Samsung Note9 actually has it beaten for sharpness. When things are this…

From $1,299 apple.com/au Last year, Apple declared that the iPhone X’s design was the future. But it was also much more expensive than previous flagship iPhones. Now, the iPhone XR brings that design at a price more people will be willing to pay, but it’s still packed with flagship-level tech from the XS. Still, starting at $1,299 instead of the $1,629 of the 5.8-inch iPhone XS means some savings had to be made by Apple. The biggest change is the screen: here, you get a 6.1-inch LCD screen (which is easier to use one-handed than the 6.5-inch screen of the iPhone XS Max) with a resolution of 828x1792. That’s nowhere near as detailed as the 1242x2688 display in the iPhone XS Max, and being LCD instead of OLED means you…

If you’re looking for the very best tech available today, you have 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 ruthlessly filtered down to the biggest groups, to bring you rock-solid recommendations for your home life, daily commute and the tech you use all the time. Within each of those groups, we’ve got a dozen categories for key tech buys. We’ve picked one product for every category that we think is the best you can get on balance, taking into account price, quality and features, so it’s easy to know what you need in your life. You should also check out T3.com, where you’ll find even more categories, if you’re looking for something that…

MULTI-ROOM SPEAKERS SONOS ONE Pound for pound, this is a hell of a lot of speaker for your money, easily filling a room, and expandable through the versatile Sonos speaker range. Built-in Alexa support clinches it for Sonos. $299, sonos.com PORTABLE BLUETOOTH SPEAKER CAMBRIDGE AUDIO YOYO M These portable speakers are made for wireless stereo sound and come as a pair (though you can use one on its own). They offer punchy audio in an impressively wide sound field, and look great, too. $599, cambridgeaudio.com WIRELESS IN-EAR HEADPHONES BOSE SOUNDSPORT FREE These are great all-rounder headphones, with the bonus of true wireless freedom. They sound great, are sweat-proof for exercise, have a healthy five-hour battery life per charge, and are a good price. $299,…

FAMILY CAR AUDI Q7 E-TRON The Q7 is ice-cool, uncompromising and ruthlessly efficient. The spacious seven-seater has all of the entertainment and technology to make long journeys as smooth and comfortable as possible. From $139,000, audi.com.au CITY ELECTRIC CAR BMW i3 The i3 is a responsive, highly practical electric runabout packed with connectivity options and enough power in its 125kW motor to hit 100Kph in just 7.3 seconds. Perfect for a daily commute. From $63,900, bmw.com.au SMART CONNECTOR LOGITECH ZEROTOUCH Transform your Android phone into an Alexa-powered voice assistant for your car. This car holder connects to your phone over Bluetooth to provide voice and gesture control when driving. $49, logitech.com DASH CAM GARMIN DASH CAM 55 Constantly watching the road, the Dash Cam…