Innehållsförteckning för Issue 212 från T3 Australia

APPSOLUTE UNIT Want to track your shares? Monitor your Duolingo progress? Display random memes? Tidbyt’s 500-plus apps cater to all this and more TIDBYT GEN 2 Two years after the barnstorming crowdfunding campaign that brought its first dot-matrix displays to market, Tidbyt is back with its second-gen display. The customisable screen can show any info you might need and allows you to schedule each app to appear when you most need it. Meanwhile, it rocks a whole bunch of upgrades. Its new display is brighter, showing off more of the gorgeously retro LEDs and less of the space between them. It can now also offer 8-bit style audio notifications and its touch control surface allows you to skip through apps with a tap. Finally, its built-in mount allows you to…

STUBBLE & CO KIT BAG Part-crafted from recycled materials with a waterproof exterior and plenty of internal pockets, the 45-litre Stubble & Co Kit Bag provides all the functionality you need from a gym backpack while looking good on your back. $TBC, stubbleandco.com NIKE METCON 9 With considerable changes since its predecessor, including a bigger Hyperlift plate for added stability during those big lifts, a much wider toe box, a larger rope guard and a great colourway selection, this functional fitness shoe is even better than before. $199, nike.com SKULLCANDY CRUSHER ANC 2 The Skullcandy Crusher ANC 2 Headphones build on their bass-heavy predecessor and add active noise cancellation to provide an even more immersive sound. A must-have for lovers of loud music and action movies. $399, skullcandy.com…

Ol’ Uncle Christmas did not have the greatest haul this year. His singular gift under the tree (and this is true) was some unlicensed Skeletor socks, sourced from Temu, through which his 20-grit heels tore within two wears. He bought them himself, just to be clear. Guru doesn’t need recognition, anyway. Just money. And at least once a year he’d rather his technology went to others. For instance, Guru completely emptied his bank account providing his children with a 1TB Xbox Series S (a stupid mistake, given that Guru Jr will no doubt be demanding a Series X or a PS5 in about three months), and a lime green 256GB Samsung Galaxy A24. For the cats, the PetCube Bites 2, a camera which also spits out treats that they can’t…

JANUARY The Cotswolds For the ultimate English winter holiday, head to the Cotswolds. If the weather allows, opt for a pedal-powered exploration along the Stroudwater Navigation – a massive restoration project is making it more accessible to cyclists and walkers. Reward your efforts at one of the Cotswolds’ growing number of distilleries, breweries and vineyards. Top of your list should be the canal-side Stroud Brewery, which scores highly in the sustainability stakes – 25% of the electricity is provided by rooftop solar panels and 70% of suppliers are within 50 miles of the brewery. Base yourself at Stroud’s Painswick Hotel, which provides rental bicycles (including electric ones) for guests. FEBRUARY The Antarctic Hurtigruten, known for its expedition-style cruises, is relying on tech to minimise environmental impact. Their fleet includes the…

BLU-RAY PANASONIC DP-UB820 You can spend much more on even higher-spec Blu-ray playback but this Panasonic delivers the goods exceptionally well, with a vibrancy and subtlety that belies its mid-range price tag. The omissions here – there’s no SA-CD or DVD-A support – aren’t going to be deal-breakers for most, and while it’s been out for a few years now it remains one of the best Blu-ray players you can buy in any price bracket. It supports all the key surround and HDR standards and in the director’s chair you’ll find Panasonic’s excellent second generation Hollywood Cinema Experience picture processing engine. $769, panasonic.com TAPE DECK CLEAR TECH UO Urban Outfitters does a great job of making us feel our age: it recently sold out a range of early-2000s iPods to…

Meta Quest 3 “Today marks the beginning of a new era for computing,” Apple CEO Tim Cook told attendees during the company’s developer conference in June earlier this year. “Just as the Mac introduced us to personal computing, and iPhone introduced us to mobile computing, Apple Vision Pro introduces us to spatial computing”. It’s a big bet on the technology that blends virtual content with everyday surroundings, a feature that Meta recently added via its colour passthrough camera to the Meta Quest 3. Then you have the Microsoft HoloLens, Magic Leap (funded by Google), Vive XR Elite, alongside the many others that have invested in the space. But why are so many betting on mixed reality as ‘the next big thing’? VR has primarily been deployed in the games industry,…

When the QuietComfort Ultra Headphones landed in our laps, we were excited to see how much Bose had advanced its already amazing noise-cancelling formula. But these cans are pricey, even compared to the competition. So is it worth spending so much for pure travelling bliss? The Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones fit into the company’s line-up as a sort-of replacement for the Bose Headphones 700. That might sound peculiar, as those in the know of Bose’s range will be all too aware of the QuietComfort 45 model. But really the Ultra are akin to both the above melded into an all-new product. That’s because unlike the 700 model, these have a folding design. But unlike the more plasticky and exposed-screw design of the QC 45 model, the Ultra Headphones appear seamless…

Although Suunto might be better known for its hard-working dive watches and infallible navigational instruments, it was also an early runner in the active smartwatch game. Suunto has been looking to turn things around, starting with its Suunto Vertical outdoors watch and now this… the Suunto Race running watch. First things first, this isn’t the watch to plump for if you like things small and compact, especially on smaller wrists. At 49mm, the bezel is a bit of a beast, and it sits quite proud, thanks to its chunky casing and digital crown Suunto has fitted. It does mean you get a decent amount of screen real estate, with a 1.43-inch touchscreen available and 466 x 466 resolution to play with – all pumping out 1,000 nits of brightness. Overall,…

There’s not a lot of time to let the grass grow in tech. The mad rush of Christmas and the January sales blends almost seamlessly into some of the biggest launches of the year, meaning things are once again a flurry of nail-bitten, over-caffeinated activity here at T3. At the time of writing, the tech world’s best and brightest are heading to the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, descending on the Nevada desert like radioactive fallout. Journalists and influencers are getting their teeth into every possible innovation from the sublime to the ridiculous, from the latest origami screens to biometric underpants that unlock your bank account. To make the most of all the gorgeous gadgets currently hitting the market, we’ve dedicated the latest issue of T3 to the coolest…

RANGE ROVER ELECTRIC Jaguar Land Rover has opened a waiting list for its upcoming Range Rover EV. Details are still limited on everything from specs to release date but we know it will be targeting the performance of its V8 and all-terrain capability. MCLAREN GTS The McLaren GTS is a supercar that you can use as your daily driver, because why would you want to drive anything else? It has a higher ground clearance than previous models, so you’re less likely to beach it on those speed bumps too. MERCEDES-AMG SL63 HYBRID The new SL63’s 6.1kWh battery might not get you far on electric power only (around 13 km apparently) but it does boost that 4-litre V8 to deliver an incredible 805bhp when used together. Just when we thought this…

JUNKYARD DIGS Current obsession: the YouTube channel of some bloke named Kevin from rural Iowa. He finds cars that smell like dead mice and makes them go again. Remarkably satisfying. NEIGHBOURS It turns out Amazon’s resurrection of the Aussie icon has upped the pace and ridiculousness of its soapy schlock to a seriously entertaining extent. THE MAN WHO ERASED HIS NAME The newest Yakuza instalment is a disappointingly short stopgap, but given that it’s on Game Pass you have no excuse not to take Kiryu out for a spin.…

GET FIT GET THE MOST OUT OF YOUR WORKOUTS As the new year begins, many of us prepare to set health goals and make fitness resolutions. But staying motivated and making the most of your workouts, especially once the initial excitement has worn off and the January blues have kicked in, can be a challenge. The good news is that you can transform your fitness resolutions into long-lasting achievements with the right tech and mindset. Fitness trackers have moved on significantly since the early days. Now, the best sports watches and activity monitors are packed with sensors, collecting vast amounts of data about your health, fitness and well-being, including your sleep, movement, heart rate, blood oxygen levels and much more. The best ones put that data to good use, enabling…

MACBOOK AIR ALTERNATIVES MICROSOFT SURFACE LAPTOP GO 3 It is not easy to make a laptop that stands out without doing something ‘out there’ or silly. But the Laptop Go 3 does. It’s available in four colours including T3favourites Sage Green and Ice Blue, and has a distinctive look and feel, with an aluminium and soft touch plastic casing. The screen is much taller than most too, thanks to its unusual 3:2 aspect. Portability is fantastic, and despite the tiny footprint the keyboard is comfortable for long-form typing. However, the starting price is higher this time around, and the so-so screen resolution is starting to show its age at this new higher price. From $997, microsoft.com ACER SWIFT GO 14 This might be one of the most direct 14-inch rivals…

The smartwatch industry is booming right now, and some of the biggest names in tech have just launched arguably their most advanced pieces of kit to date. As timing goes, now is the perfect opportunity to upgrade from that analogue timepiece to a digital number that acts as an extension of your smartphone for the wrist. Apple brings all-new functionality to its Series 9, with things like Gesture Control allowing users to interact with the user interface via stealthy taps of the thumb and forefinger. As with Samsung, with its Galaxy Watch 6, and Google’s Pixel Watch 2, Apple’s Watch is also now faster, smoother to use and easier to read in all situations thanks to ultra-bright next-gen displays. What’s more, the humble smartwatch has slowly morphed into the ultimate…

When we’re talking about the very best wireless earbuds, you need a pair that offer everything. They need to sound great, have decent noise cancelling cred and will often have a good app with some powerful sound sculpting capabilities. Enter the Bose QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds. You’ll find they share a lot of similarities to the QuietComfort II earbuds, which these follow on from. Those were a favourite here at T3, with particular praise being lavished on their noise-cancelling properties. The same blueprint is certainly on offer here, but there are a host of little upgrades, which should make them a firm favourite among audiophiles. First, let’s talk design. The case is a pebble-shaped plastic unit, which is gently curved on all edges and asymmetrically curved on the base. It has…

The Samsung Galaxy S23 FE is a compelling little Android phone – and one that’s keenly pitched its asking price perfectly. But what does this Fan Edition offer that you might want? For starters you get 128GB – or 256GB – of storage, 8GB RAM and a 6.4-inch screen from $899. It is worth noting that you can get the smaller yet more powerful – non FE – S23 for less money than this. To look at, the Fan Edition model fits perfectly into the S23 series’ aesthetic character. It’s got the same looks, same triple camera layout on the rear, same flat screen arrangement. It’s an echo of all the good stuff about the series, just in a slightly different format. And while those cameras on the rear may…

RESSENCE TYPE 1° ROUND MULTICOLOUR That colour palette may make it look a little like if Google released an analogue Pixel watch but the Ressence Type 1 Round Multicolour is a singular timepiece. It features the brand’s patented Ressence Orbital Convex System 1.3, a gorgeous domed mechanism that allows the hour, minute, second and days of the week dials to revolve around each other as time passes. That face is then capped with a double-domed sapphire crystal top, while its case is fashioned from grade 5 titanium to help protect it from knocks. And while it offers caseback winding, its self-winding mechanism and 36-hour power reserve should give it plenty of life. Around $28,360, ressencewatches.com NEXT ISSUE IS ON SALE MONDAY 22ND APRIL…

1 ASUS ZENBOOK DUO (2024) $TBC, asus.com The Zenbook Duo line has long been home to real innovation. It pushed (funnily enough) the dual screen laptop idea, utilising a slim above-keyboard second screen to give space for extra interaction. It introduced a dual-purpose touchpad, which could switch into a touch-based number pad when it was really time for business. And it gave Asus the chance to refine its software solution for managing multiple screens on one laptop – which is handy, because the 2024 edition feels like the range’s main event. The new Zenbook Duo features two full-size panels. That’s something we’ve seen elsewhere, but never from a company with as much experience as Asus does. And honestly, we’ve never quite seen it like this: you can use a two-screen…

Opinon With over 300 million smart homes around the world, it’s clear that smart home devices are here to stay. Whether you’ve kept it simple with one simple standalone device or you have an entire ecosystem that controls your music, heating, lighting and more, the first and most important step to creating a smart home is picking a virtual or voice assistant. Having a voice assistant at your beck and call 24 hours a day, seven days a week can make a huge difference to your day-to-day life. From asking questions about the weather and skipping songs, to turning on your lights and starting your morning routine, the likes of Alexa, Google Assistant and Siri deserve all the praise and attention they have. But which one should you choose? As…

2024 is set to be a huge year for electric cars, with major new launches from Audi, Hyundai and Polestar, plus an all-new Mini and the first electric SUV from Maserati. There’s also the Lotus Emeya, a four-door super saloon set to do battle with the Porsche Taycan, the handsome Volvo EX90 and even a two-seat convertible sports car from a resurgent MG. Who’d have thought we would be saying that just a couple of years ago? Oh, and don’t forget the first all-electric Range Rover. We don’t know much about this one just yet, but it should arrive before the end of 2024, likely beating most other luxury SUVs to the plug-in punch. Plainly, there’s a lot to be excited about. So unhook the charger, put on your seat…

The VR market is hotting up once again with the launch of the Meta Quest 3, one of the few standalone headsets designed for consumers. Unlike many competitors, the device – developed by Reality Labs – is backwards compatible with upwards of 500 VR games, apps and other activities available on the Meta Quest 2 – a huge win for anyone looking to bring over their back catalogue of titles. When purchasing the VR device, you can expect to take home the Meta Quest 3 headset, a pre-installed adjustable standard facial interface, two Meta Quest Touch Plus controllers with pre-installed wrist straps, an 18W power adapter, a USB Type-C charging cable and a pair of AA batteries. A special offer also includes Asgard’s Wrath 2 for the 128GB version and…