Home//Stuff UK/July 2016/In This Issue
Stuff UK|July 2016WELCOMEEver since we laid eyes on Samsung’s first ever 4K TV at CES 2009, we’ve been in love with the idea of owning an ultra-high-definition screen. There’s been just one problem: the lack of 4K content.Thankfully, the steady trickle has suddenly turned into a downpour. Netflix and Amazon now stream most of their flagship shows in 4K, Sky and Virgin have released or announced 4K-capable boxes, and there are new versions of the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One supposedly on the way that will support 4K games. All of this means that it’s time to call it: your next TV has to be 4K.The magazine you’re holding has everything you need to say goodbye to HD and hello to UHD. Whatever your budget, we’ve found the TV for you, from…2 min
Stuff UK|July 2016NO-ONE LIKES SHOUTY WRISTSIn this world of 24-hour Technicolor tittle and tat, subtlety is to be applauded, or even actively encouraged. Garmin’s latest fitness tracker is the very picture of restraint, quietly measuring your steps and displaying that information as a dynamic daily goal percentage bar. It also has an inactivity bar that slowly fills up with red if you don’t move about. But that’s it: Vivomove won’t vibrate or beep or scream at you. If you do want a little visual reward for your efforts, you can Bluetooth your steps and sleep stats over to Garmin’s Connect app, there to compare your totals over time on its colourful graphs. But the Vivomove itself will just keep on with its dignified daily summing up, for the entirety of its one-year battery life.As hot…1 min
Stuff UK|July 2016WATER WAY TO DIFFERENTIATEFive years ago, something amazing happened called the Alienware M11x, and we thought the future of computing was shifting away from the slim-and-light prophecies of the MacBook Air and towards small but awesome laptops with red glowing keyboards and steam coming out of the vents. Sadly, it failed to change history and we’re festooned with MacBook Airs and Microsoft Surfaces and the like – none of which have any chutzpah. But the new Acer kickstand hybrid is a beacon of hope – beneath its silver casing it’s got badass liquid cooling for its proper i3, i5 or i7 processors. We’ve been told, though: no steam.As hot as… being less hot from €700 / acer.co.ukALSO ACE THIS MONTH…Acer Liquid Zest PlusBattery life is your phone’s greatest daily performance indicator. Acer’s taken…1 min
Stuff UK|July 2016TAKE IT LIKE A POLAROID PICTURE Impossible Project I-1Nothing says ‘I was born in the wrong era’ like a Polaroid camera. But this one is not all analogue…• This is a firstAs in, it’s the first Polaroid-style ‘instant’ format camera to be launched in over 20 years. There are plenty of existing Polaroid cameras still in the world, all of which owe their continuing functionality to the Impossible Project, which rescued the original manufacturing machines from a Dutch crusher and began marketing the film cartridges to enthusiasts. But now, Impossible is realising its dream by releasing an entirely new camera.• Analogue… and yet digitalThe basic shape of the I-1 will be familiar to anyone who has ever seen an old Polaroid camera, even if the matt black finish and lenssurrounding LED ring flash are bang up to date.…3 min
Stuff UK|July 2016MOONIN ITS ‘LIVE’ MODE, THE MODEL TAKES OVER 29 AND A HALF DAYS TO FULLY ROTATEUh-oh, get out your The Sky At Night badge.Fine words from someone who spends so much free time staring gormlessly at the fantasy worlds of Game Of Thrones. You could at least be contemplating the very real, super-fantastical landscapes of our own planet and its solar system. And anyway, how nice to finally be able to silence those cries that you want the Moon on a stick. “I already have the Moon on a stick,” you can reply, “so how about you get on with what I want from you?” Zing!You will surely never wield that much power.Nor do I want it. All I need is enough reward for my humble activities to be able…4 min
Stuff UK|July 2016APPS1 Airbnb £free / iOS, AndroidRather than just a daunting spread of location-based results for your trip, Airbnb now lets you choose a neighbourhood type to filter by. Also, property owners can submit local guides. They’d know, right?2 Morgaw Saddle Adjust £0.84 / iOS, AndroidSuspect that your saddle detaches itself from your bike at night and goes clubbing? For better or worse, this saddle-position recorder app will give you the gyroscope-based evidence you’ve been craving.3 Microsoft Word Flow £free / iOSUS text-entry fans are excited about this latest Microsoft Garage project. It’s an iOS port of the Windows 10 Mobile keyboard with its natty one-handed mode. Fingers crossed for a UK version.4 Cuvva £free / iOSPeople don’t want to speak to their insurance company. Not even after an accident, most…2 min
Stuff UK|July 2016MOONIN ITS ‘LIVE’ MODE, THE MODEL TAKES OVER 29 AND A HALF DAYS TO FULLY ROTATE Uh-oh, get out your The Sky At Night badge. Fine words from someone who spends so much free time staring gormlessly at the fantasy worlds of Game Of Thrones. You could at least be contemplating the very real, super-fantastical landscapes of our own planet and its solar system. And anyway, how nice to finally be able to silence those cries that you want the Moon on a stick. “I already have the Moon on a stick,” you can reply, “so how about you get on with what I want from you?” Zing! You will surely never wield that much power. Nor do I want it. All I need is enough reward for my humble…4 min
Stuff UK|July 2016FUTURE STUFF ATMOS CLUB NIGHTSI don’t go to clubs much these days. But when I do, I’ll usually head for Ministry of Sound because it’s always had a kick-ass sound system.So when I heard it’d been upgraded with a new Dolby Atmos system and DJ Sub Focus was there to demo it, I grabbed my fluo vest and headed down there in a state of some excitement.Atmos is a name movie buffs might be familiar with, perhaps having made a pilgrimage to one of the cinemas equipped with the new sound tech. It’s able to handle 128 separate audio tracks via up to 64 speakers, thus creating sound ‘objects’ that whizz about the room with uncanny realism. You can get it at home too, though perhaps with fewer than 64 speakers.Ministry’s Atmos upgrade, a…1 min
Stuff UK|July 2016LIKE A WAIT? IT’S A CAMERA WITH NO LCD SCREEN Leica M-DWith characteristic savoir faire, Leica has launched a digital camera that has something missing• No screen, no stressIn Leica’s words, taking the screen off the back helps the M-D user “focus on the absolute essentials of photography”. Namely: aperture, distance, sensitivity and shutter speed. And composition, obviously. There’s no live view, no digital setting screens to muck around with, and no knowing whether you got the picture you actually wanted until you get home and physically swap the SD card into your PC. Even then, because the M-D only shoots in RAW, you’ll have to go into your virtual darkroom and ‘process’ the pictures before you can think about doing something hideous like posting them on Snapchat.• What do you get?A selection of beautifully engineered dials to twiddle. There’s a…3 min
Stuff UK|July 2016JUNE• NEXT ISSUE August Summer’s sunniest travel tech On sale 30/6/16WIMBLEDONWe don’t actually mind who wins, but we are excited to see the new Wimbledon app for Apple TV, as well as the revamped Android and iOS apps that promise a grand experience for spectators both at the event and watching under their desks at work.INDEPENDENCE DAY: RESURGENCEAlien Lieutenant: When do you propose we launch our second attack? Alien General: Exactly 20 years after the first one! Alien Lieutenant: What, 20 Earth years? Alien General: Arr! It’ll give them tons of opportunities for patriotic plot exposition before we turn up. Alien Lieutenant: Oh, you.•KEY DATES! 1996: The original film 2007: Hero is ‘killed’ in crash 2016: Fox don’t have to pay Will Smith to be in sequelMIRROR’S EDGE CATALYST XBOX,…1 min
Stuff UK|July 2016WIN A PHILIPS SCREENEO 2.0 HOME PROJECTOR WORTH £1499Technology transforms everything. Once, if you found yourself sitting alone in the living room staring at a wall, that would mean you were desperately bored (assuming you’re not just a big fan of walls). Now, it probably means you’re enjoying a full HD home entertainment experience. Well, it does if you own a Philips Screeneo 2.0 ultra short-throw projector. And if you win this month’s competition, you soon will.Perfect for big sporting events, films and gaming, or even streaming music via Bluetooth from your smartphone or tablet, the new Screeneo 2.0 can turn a blank wall into a 1080p screen of up to 120in from just a few centimetres away. It has an integrated 26W Dolby Digital 2.1 sound system, and the carry handle means you can take it all…1 min
Stuff UK|July 2016FUELISH PREDICTIONS What will your car look like in 2020?IT’LL STEER ITSELF Tesla Model 3 due 2017Tesla’s Model 3 is supposed to be the affordable electric car that’ll turn us all into battery-powered movers, but that doesn’t mean it won’t be stuffed with all of Tesla’s greatest gadgets – including the Autopilot mode that once whisked Stuff along the M4 without our hands on the wheel.The 215-mile Model 3 might even have a whole new version of the tech. Tesla CEO Elon Musk says that complete autonomy is only two years away; and while our roads probably aren’t ready for that yet, the relatively bare interior of the Model 3 could signal a concerted push towards letting the car do more of the work for you, potentially with a cool HUD-style dash projected onto the windscreen. Musk even tweeted…6 min
Stuff UK|July 2016DECIPHER#11 BOTS Andrew Hayward Essentially, bots are artificially intelligent respondents that you can hold a conversation with – but in the case of the latest crop, most of them are not there just to amuse you. Bots are built to help you accomplish tasks – ordering food, booking airline tickets, choosing clothes – in a very natural, conversational manner. Buying flowers was the example shown by Facebook at its recent F8 summit. Using Messenger chat you can pick a bouquet, customise the message and have it charged to your account. That’s not anything that you couldn’t do on a website or app, or by calling up a real person – but bots can do some things faster, and at minimal expense to the site or service running the bot. That’s…1 min
Stuff UK|July 2016Make 9 a double1 Taking the PAn ultra-slim metal phone with curved edges, the P9 feels and looks expensive, and with a 5.2in screen, it’s easy to handle. There are some great hardware extras: the fingerprint scanner is terrific, plus the microSD card slot and extra SIM slot earn nerd points.2 Neo screenThe display goes as bright as you like with good contrast and poppy colours that, while pretty energetic, don’t look overdone. Huawei aimed for a ‘cinemagrade’ colour palette rather than the plain old sRGB one. Viewing angles are just as impressive.3 Hunting EmusAs usual, Huawei’s pasted the latest version of its EmotionUI on to Android. While it does include Now on Tap, it doesn’t have an apps menu. What will grate more is how much extra rubbish Huawei has shovelled on…3 min
Stuff UK|July 2016The winner is… LG OLED55C6VOK, we’ll admit it. For a brief second we were tempted to go for the Samsung here. Not only is it a phenomenal 4K TV, but it also offers sensational value for money. Then, we put all semblance of logic aside and went for the TV that our heart pines for and our wallet fears more than the one who knocks.Granted, LG’s latest OLED costs twice as much as the Samsung, but it’s also a clear cut above the 4K fray. LG’s mighty OLED features both sublime picture quality and design, while at the same time being future-proofed to the very hilt. The LG C6 needn’t worry too much about what’s next for TV tech, though. After all, it’s set the bar – now everyone else has to jump higher.Now…2 min
Stuff UK|July 2016Pink-remental gainsfrom £1050 / apple.co.ukLast year Apple reinvented the laptop with the 12-inch MacBook. Despite its infuriating lack of ports, it was pretty darned brilliant.The most important change to this year’s MacBook can be summed up in one word: pink. Apple now makes a MacBook in rose gold.I think this must be the only pink laptop I’d be happy to own. Like the iPhone and iPad rose gold, it’s a subtle pink, not the day-glo shade that might earn disgusted looks on the train.It almost seems pointless to tell you about how well made the MacBook is. As we’ve said in nearly every review since MacBooks began, it’s a lovely all-aluminium thing. One day there’ll probably be one of these propped up in the Design Museum next to a Philippe Starck…4 min
Stuff UK|July 2016FUELISH PREDICTIONS What will your car look like in 2020?IT’LL STEER ITSELF ■ Tesla Model 3 due 2017 Tesla’s Model 3 is supposed to be the affordable electric car that’ll turn us all into battery-powered movers, but that doesn’t mean it won’t be stuffed with all of Tesla’s greatest gadgets – including the Autopilot mode that once whisked Stuff along the M4 without our hands on the wheel. The 215-mile Model 3 might even have a whole new version of the tech. Tesla CEO Elon Musk says that complete autonomy is only two years away; and while our roads probably aren’t ready for that yet, the relatively bare interior of the Model 3 could signal a concerted push towards letting the car do more of the work for you, potentially with a cool HUD-style dash projected onto the windscreen.…6 min
Stuff UK|July 2016THE TV PICTURE BIGGER THAN THE SCREEN IT’S ONThe best demonstration of Ambilight you can get is to turn it off. Seriously. Because it’s only then that you realise just how much of a difference Philips’ TV technology really makes.Ambilight adds another dimension to your viewing by shining light from LEDs on the back of the TV onto the wall behind it. These lights use the TV’s internal processing to replicate the colours you’re seeing on-screen in real time – which makes the picture appear to expand far beyond the bezel.It reduces eye fatigue, immerses you more in the on-screen action and makes the screen appear larger than it really is.And then you turn it off, and you really wish you hadn’t. It’s the sort of thing you only do once in a while, when you have skeptical…2 min
Stuff UK|July 2016Clash of the dash: Apple vs AndroidApple CarPlayOS: in the driving seat?It should come as no surprise that Apple’s gone with a grid of square icons for its in-car homescreen, given that this has been the stylistic approach of its screens since the first iPhone in 2007. Irritatingly, though, you can’t re-order the apps to put your favourite ones first.With just eight icons on each ‘page’, prodding the one you’re after is mighty simple even when doing 70mph on the M25 (should the M25 ever clear up enough to make 70mph possible). You get a notification when a text message comes in, and you can send and receive using dictation via Siri.Fight of the navigatorsApple Maps really isn’t that bad. Sure, it was something of a catastrophe in 2012, but it’s come on a lot since…5 min
Stuff UK|July 2016It’s time to 4K outHas your best mate suddenly become an expert in Slovakia’s centre-back conundrum? Perhaps they’ve announced themselves as the world’s foremost authority on water polo tactics? Fear not, they won’t be this insufferable for long. Once the Olympics and Euro 2016 are over, you’ll want to own at least one triumphant memento from the ‘summer of sport’. Should Harry Kane, Jess Ennis-Hill and co fail to deliver the goods, then a 4K TV will do the job just fine. There’s never been a better moment to invest in an Ultra High-Def tellybox. Even if the only ‘shock exit’ you’re interested in is the next grizzly death in Game Of Thrones. With every major streaming service now offering its wares in 4K, UHD Blu-rays having finally arrived and a fancy new PlayStation…19 min
Stuff UK|July 2016UEFA Euro 2016 Pro Evolution SoccerThe stage is set, the stadium bursting with sound and colour. It’s the opening game in a historic European Championship – the first to feature 24 teams – and as my squad belts out the Belgian anthem, I wonder if it’ll continue to be a tournament of firsts. The first, perhaps, to see Belgium crowned champions? After four games, a Cristiano Ronaldo hattrick and a penalty shootout, I’ll have my answer…This isn’t a premonition about the upcoming Euros, but rather what happened during my first play of Pro Evo’s official Euro 2016 tie-in. If you already own PES 2016, you can download the free Euro content. Or, if you buy the physical version, the main game comes packaged with it. But is it worth your time?For me, the answer was…2 min
Stuff UK|July 2016Pink-remental gainsfrom £1050 / apple.co.uk Last year Apple reinvented the laptop with the 12-inch MacBook. Despite its infuriating lack of ports, it was pretty darned brilliant. The most important change to this year’s MacBook can be summed up in one word: pink. Apple now makes a MacBook in rose gold. I think this must be the only pink laptop I’d be happy to own. Like the iPhone and iPad rose gold, it’s a subtle pink, not the day-glo shade that might earn disgusted looks on the train. It almost seems pointless to tell you about how well made the MacBook is. As we’ve said in nearly every review since MacBooks began, it’s a lovely all-aluminium thing. One day there’ll probably be one of these propped up in the Design Museum next…3 min
Stuff UK|July 20166 INSTANT UPGRADES TRAVEL TECH FOR KIDS1 LEAPFROG EPICKids love tablets, and while you could just let them loose on your iPad, we’d recommend buying them a child-focused tab like this. For starters, you’ll feel much more comfortable: the Epic runs Android but it comes with a customisable LeapFrog skin, safe browsing and curated app store – no more cries of “Daddy! It says I have to pay some money!” LeapFrog’s own apps are pricey, but they are also educational without looking like lessons, so there’s less chance of your child just spending hours on Angry Birds. £95 / amazon.co.uk2 ONANOFF BUDDYPHONES INFLIGHTMost headphones are easily lost or broken, and not that kid-friendly. BuddyPhones are strong and bendy, and come with stickers for your little tyke to personalise their pair (or the long-suffering cat). We like…3 min
Stuff UK|July 2016SMARTPHONESFOR THE FULL REVIEWS AND OUR SMARTPHONE BUYING GUIDE, VISIT STUFF.TV/TOP-10S/SMARTPHONESDownload the Shop StuffappLooking for the best deal on the Samsung Galaxy S7? You can now find it – and buy it – by scanning this page…1. Download and install the free Shop Stuffapp, available on iOS and Android.2. Open the app, hold your phone 10cm over the page and wait for the swirly vortex.3. Scroll through the products and pick your options, then hit ‘buy’ or save it for later.• Prices quoted are for handset only unless otherwise stated…1 min
Stuff UK|July 2016Clash of the dash: Apple vs AndroidApple CarPlay OS: in the driving seat? It should come as no surprise that Apple’s gone with a grid of square icons for its in-car homescreen, given that this has been the stylistic approach of its screens since the first iPhone in 2007. Irritatingly, though, you can’t re-order the apps to put your favourite ones first. With just eight icons on each ‘page’, prodding the one you’re after is mighty simple even when doing 70mph on the M25 (should the M25 ever clear up enough to make 70mph possible). You get a notification when a text message comes in, and you can send and receive using dictation via Siri. Fight of the navigators Apple Maps really isn’t that bad. Sure, it was something of a catastrophe in 2012, but it’s…5 min
Stuff UK|July 2016Uncharted 4: A Thief’s EndSuch is Naughty Dog’s record, the assumption has always been that Uncharted 4 would be great. A tiny part of me wishes I could tell you it isn’t, despite all the odds and the anticipation. Bad news on that front: it’s ace. That’s not to say everything’s perfect. The basic premise, that Drake is drawn out of retirement for one last job by his long-lost brother, is quite a cliché. Thankfully, the gunplay here is more enjoyable than ever before in the series. Combat feels faster and more fluid. It’s always been possible to creep up and silently take down an enemy, but in the search for a pirate’s treasure, stealThis now given more emphasis. Some firefights can be avoided altogether with a few sneaky takedowns and creative ledge-shuffles. And…3 min
Stuff UK|July 2016Media hoardWhere To Invade Next_cinema It’s a long old time since Michael Moore last fronted a documentary (2009’s Capitalism: A Love Story) and he seems to have mellowed: Where To Invade Next is far less shouty and sensationalist than much of the work he’s famous for. This doc, though, is contrived and misleadingly titled. Far from being about where the Eye of Sauron (the US military) might focus its gaze next, it’s essentially a jaunt around a bunch of mostly European countries that have laws, policies or social conventions so brilliant that Moore ‘steals’ them to take back to the US. So he steals long lunches from Italy, education from Finland and prisons from Norway. There’s lots of detail around how these work and what the results are: Italians are more…4 min
Stuff UK|July 2016PLAYLIST SCI-FI EBOOKSDown Station Simon Morden With a similar beginning to Philip José Farmer’s To Your Scattered Bodies Go, a bunch of Tube workers run from a huge fire and find an underground door leading to a sunlit beach. They pass through, and the door disappears. What follows is magical, violent and thrilling. £8.99 Under the Skin Michel Faber Even if you’ve seen Scarlett Johansson’s turn as an alien predator in the 2013 film, it’s well worth devouring the chilling novel it’s adapted from. More slowburning than the movie, it’s an oddly compelling thriller that’s probably best not combined with a summer barbecue… £5.22 Ancillary Justice/Sword/Mercy Ann Leckie Ambitious and wildly inventive, this trilogy is essential reading for fans of military sci-fi . It follows a sentient spaceship with a hive mind…3 min
Stuff UK|July 20165-MINUTE HACKS IF NOTHING ELSE, AT LEAST…1 ...BECOME A SPOTIFY COMPLETIST Want all your old CDs, iTunes downloads and Napster playlists filed neatly next to your Spotify Discover Weeklies? Here’s how to bring it all under one musical roof: Scan your CDs. To save typing in the names of all of your old albums, use CD Scanner For Spotify (£1.49, iOS). Scan the case’s barcode and, as long as it’s in Spotify’s library, the album will appear in your account. Import from iTunes. To make sure all those old iTunes downloads are in your Spotify library, click on ‘local files’ under ‘your music’ and drag the tracks into ‘songs’. Combine your playlists. Got some playlists marooned on the likes of Deezer or Tidal? Soundiiz (soundiiz.com) will convert them to Spotify playlists for you. 2 ...GET FREE…2 min
Stuff UK|July 2016OUR MONTHI WENT TO THE MOONIt’s funny how growing up after the first Moon landing makes it all feel so mundane. Weirdly, it was last year’s The Race For Space album by Public Service Broadcasting that brought home the mind-blowing brilliance of the achievement to me, and the Apollo 11 Virtual Reality Experience is similarly eyeopening. Over an hour I saw every stage of the mission, much of it from the eyes of the astronauts; and while some parts are pretty amateurish, that doesn’t diminish the impact. Thoroughly edutaining stuff. Tom Parsons, Deputy Editor, stuff.tvI TRIED ON A £72K WEARABLEA smart wristband that puts the Apple Watch Edition to shame when it comes to splashing the cash? I was pretty nonplussed. Wait, though: it comes bundled with a £72,000 Jaguar SUV?…2 min
Stuff UK|July 2016NOT JUST A LOT OF HOT HAIR?Time to pick a lane, gadget fans. Head down that way if you want to suggest that Dyson’s targets – vacuum cleaners, hand dryers and now hairdryers – are mechanically simple devices that are easily upsold using buzz phrases and bright plastic. Alternatively, bear left if you think Dyson’s magic lies in bringing innovation to otherwise boring domestic products. Or – third option – join us at the intersection. We have deckchairs and drinks, and we’re throwing Supersonic facts at oncomers and taking bets on which way they’ll go. Facts such as that its motor is in the handle for balance, or that its thermostat measures the exhaust temperature 20 times a second to protect your hair. Or that it costs £300 – ha! Did you see that one swerve?As…1 min
Stuff UK|July 2016TECHNOLOGY VERSUS TECHNIQUEDo do things by halvesThe ‘proper’ shutter button lets you half-press to lock the exposure and focus, then re-frame your shot as you see fit. Lock, move, frame, shoot. Do a roly-poly. Repeat.Mastering photography technique can unlock images that look better than the camera you took them with. But technique takes time. Technology is, as ever, ready to give the impression of technique in return for cash. The Pictar camera case works with any non-Plus iPhone and adds a two-step shutter button plus physical zoom and exposure controls, and a selfie button. Coupled with its inherent handholding stability, your shots can only look better. (If not, buy yet more ‘technique’ and use the tripod mount or LED light cold shoe.) More clever yet, Pictar doesn’t use battery-intensive Bluetooth or Wi-Fi…1 min
Stuff UK|July 2016NOT JUST A LOT OF HOT HAIR?Time to pick a lane, gadget fans. Head down that way if you want to suggest that Dyson’s targets – vacuum cleaners, hand dryers and now hairdryers – are mechanically simple devices that are easily upsold using buzz phrases and bright plastic. Alternatively, bear left if you think Dyson’s magic lies in bringing innovation to otherwise boring domestic products. Or – third option – join us at the intersection. We have deckchairs and drinks, and we’re throwing Supersonic facts at oncomers and taking bets on which way they’ll go. Facts such as that its motor is in the handle for balance, or that its thermostat measures the exhaust temperature 20 times a second to protect your hair. Or that it costs £300 – ha! Did you see that one swerve?…1 min
Stuff UK|July 2016TECHNOLOGY VERSUS TECHNIQUEDo do things by halves The ‘proper’ shutter button lets you half-press to lock the exposure and focus, then re-frame your shot as you see fit. Lock, move, frame, shoot. Do a roly-poly. Repeat. Mastering photography technique can unlock images that look better than the camera you took them with. But technique takes time. Technology is, as ever, ready to give the impression of technique in return for cash. The Pictar camera case works with any non-Plus iPhone and adds a two-step shutter button plus physical zoom and exposure controls, and a selfie button. Coupled with its inherent handholding stability, your shots can only look better. (If not, buy yet more ‘technique’ and use the tripod mount or LED light cold shoe.) More clever yet, Pictar doesn’t use battery-intensive Bluetooth…1 min
Stuff UK|July 2016SUNGLASSES1 Dragon EnduroXDragons like vented lenses, because they get quite hot. And easily swappable lenses too, because of all that ‘flying into your own flames’ bother. £125 / dragonalliance.com2 Serengeti Panarea 24hr Le MansWe don’t suggest buying new sunglasses for every race, but this being the month of Le Mans, you could do much worse than these 555nm specials. £197 / serengeti-eyewear.com3 Adidas Evil Eye Evo Pro VarioHuge wraparound lenses with clear-to-grey photochromic tech make these perfect for fast forest cycling. Or miniature pony point-to-point. £190 / adidas.com4 Oakley LatchWhen you drop your expensive sunnies there’s always some cackling brat watching. Oakley pre-empts the problem with a built-in pocket clamping latch. £110 / oakley.com5 Bolle Bolt CompetivisionWimbledon begins this month, and these yellow-enhancing lenses will give you excellent tennis-ball-spotting skills.…2 min
Stuff UK|July 2016START MENUKICK - STARTERYoung geeks are the new movers and shakersTECHNOLOGY WILL SAVE US MOVER KITCoding kits for kids are ace, but you don’t want your little ones sitting around in front of the PC. You want them lolloping about outside, bioconverting Findus Crispy Pancakes into an all-night sleep. King of kits Technology Will Save Us gets you. Its latest project is this snap-together wearable for kids. The Mover has LED lights, sensors and a brain, all of which can be activated in various ways using the PC-based Make program, while your little Poindexter can make his or her own apps from scratch.from US$45 / techwillsaveus.comTorqueing about a revolutionGEOORBITAL WHEELIt’s the dream of every cyclist slogging into a headwind: just pop out the front wheel and install this self-contained 500W, 20mph…3 min
Stuff UK|July 2016FIRST LOOK CALL OF DUTY: INFINITE WARFARE PS4, Xbox One, PCCall Of Duty: Infinite Warfare is shaping up to boldly go where no COD game has gone before: outer space.With Earth stripped of its natural resources and reliant on off-world colonies for survival, it’s going to be a bad day in the office when the Settlement Defense Front decides to send bombs and bullets instead of the usual care packages.Leading the fightback, you’ll be in control of Tier One Special Operations pilot Captain Reyes, with combat shifting from ground to space with “few visible loading times” – though you shouldn’t expect No Man’s Sky levels of exploration.Naturally, Call Of Duty’s competitive multiplayer mode will be making a return too; but with Destiny, The Division and upcoming mech stomp-a-thon Titanfall 2 to compete with, COD is sure to add a sci-fi…3 min
Stuff UK|July 2016SUNGLASSES1 Dragon EnduroX Dragons like vented lenses, because they get quite hot. And easily swappable lenses too, because of all that ‘flying into your own flames’ bother. £125 / dragonalliance.com 2 Serengeti Panarea 24hr Le Mans We don’t suggest buying new sunglasses for every race, but this being the month of Le Mans, you could do much worse than these 555nm specials. £197 / serengeti-eyewear.com 3 Adidas Evil Eye Evo Pro Vario Huge wraparound lenses with clear-to-grey photochromic tech make these perfect for fast forest cycling. Or miniature pony point-to-point. £190 / adidas.com 4 Oakley Latch When you drop your expensive sunnies there’s always some cackling brat watching. Oakley pre-empts the problem with a built-in pocket clamping latch. £110 / oakley.com 5 Bolle Bolt Competivision Wimbledon begins this month, and…2 min
Stuff UK|July 2016START MENUKICK - STARTER Young geeks are the new movers and shakers TECHNOLOGY WILL SAVE US MOVER KIT Coding kits for kids are ace, but you don’t want your little ones sitting around in front of the PC. You want them lolloping about outside, bioconverting Findus Crispy Pancakes into an all-night sleep. King of kits Technology Will Save Us gets you. Its latest project is this snap-together wearable for kids. The Mover has LED lights, sensors and a brain, all of which can be activated in various ways using the PC-based Make program, while your little Poindexter can make his or her own apps from scratch. from US$45 / techwillsaveus.com Torqueing about a revolution GEOORBITAL WHEEL It’s the dream of every cyclist slogging into a headwind: just pop out the front…3 min
Stuff UK|July 2016LIKE A WAIT? IT’S A CAMERA WITH NO LCD SCREEN Leica M-DWith characteristic savoir faire, Leica has launched a digital camera that has something missing • No screen, no stress In Leica’s words, taking the screen off the back helps the M-D user “focus on the absolute essentials of photography”. Namely: aperture, distance, sensitivity and shutter speed. And composition, obviously. There’s no live view, no digital setting screens to muck around with, and no knowing whether you got the picture you actually wanted until you get home and physically swap the SD card into your PC. Even then, because the M-D only shoots in RAW, you’ll have to go into your virtual darkroom and ‘process’ the pictures before you can think about doing something hideous like posting them on Snapchat. • What do you get? A selection of beautifully engineered dials…2 min
Stuff UK|July 2016GRAND TECH’D AUTO• Auto UpkeepIt’s far from the prettiest app in the world and is in effect a chunk of a book (unsubtly pimped by way of the ‘Book’ tab), but Auto Upkeep’s worth having on your phone for when your car goes wrong. You get straightforward instructions on diagnosing common problems and performing basic repairs, from changing tyres to replacing lights.Stuff says£free / Android, iOS• Open RoadOf all the dashboard apps we’ve seen, Open Road is by far the most slick. Its big buttons are configurable, so you can have one-tap access to music, contacts and locations. You get built-in video recording, integrated navigation, a gestural music player, and voice input to further speed things along and keep your hands on the wheel.Stuff says£7.99 / iOS• Google MapsThis one’s a bit…2 min
Stuff UK|July 2016WIN A PHILIPS SCREENEO 2.0 HOME PROJECTOR WORTH £1499Technology transforms everything. Once, if you found yourself sitting alone in the living room staring at a wall, that would mean you were desperately bored (assuming you’re not just a big fan of walls). Now, it probably means you’re enjoying a full HD home entertainment experience. Well, it does if you own a Philips Screeneo 2.0 ultra short-throw projector. And if you win this month’s competition, you soon will. Perfect for big sporting events, films and gaming, or even streaming music via Bluetooth from your smartphone or tablet, the new Screeneo 2.0 can turn a blank wall into a 1080p screen of up to 120in from just a few centimetres away. It has an integrated 26W Dolby Digital 2.1 sound system, and the carry handle means you can take it…1 min
Stuff UK|July 2016What’s next for 4K?PlayStation 4K£tba / playstation.comIt seems mad to suggest that Sony is about to unveil a new console only three years after the launch of the PlayStation 4, but that’s exactly what it seems the Japanese tech giant is doing. At the time of writing, so much has already leaked about the ‘PlayStation 4K’ that it seems a certainty to be announced at the E3 trade show in Los Angeles this month.OK, so technically we’re not actually talking about a next-gen console here – but if the rumours are true, the upcoming PS4K will offer more than just a slimmer build and an all-new price tag. The real meat on this machine’s bones looks set to be its extra power, delivered by a new AMD processor in order to serve up…2 min
Stuff UK|July 2016App:rovedFOR TIME KILLERS • Reddit Until now, mobile users have largely been spared from the time-sink that is Reddit, on the basis that the smartphone experience was risible. Now, though, an endless rabbithole of funny cat GIFs, gorgeous data visualisations and chats on any subject you can imagine awaits. Bar the odd niggle – taking too many steps to access some content (the aforementioned cat GIFs) – the Reddit app is fast, responsive and absurdly engrossing. Send help. Stuff says FOR WELLNESS WISHERS • Remente Wellbeing apps have a tendency to be fluffy and not terribly helpful, but Remente’s smarter than most. It tracks key areas of your life, and has you set goals to form good habits. The app makes helpful suggestions, from planning time with loved ones to…2 min
Stuff UK|July 2016GRAND TECH’D AUTO• Auto Upkeep It’s far from the prettiest app in the world and is in effect a chunk of a book (unsubtly pimped by way of the ‘Book’ tab), but Auto Upkeep’s worth having on your phone for when your car goes wrong. You get straightforward instructions on diagnosing common problems and performing basic repairs, from changing tyres to replacing lights. Stuff says £free / Android, iOS • Open Road Of all the dashboard apps we’ve seen, Open Road is by far the most slick. Its big buttons are configurable, so you can have one-tap access to music, contacts and locations. You get built-in video recording, integrated navigation, a gestural music player, and voice input to further speed things along and keep your hands on the wheel. Stuff says £7.99…2 min
Stuff UK|July 2016Oasis: What’s the story?from £270 / amazon.co.uk Sasquatch, Godzilla, zombies… they’re all about as terrifying as the Kindle Oasis’s price tag. Get the Wi-Fi/3G version and it’ll set you back a monstrous £330. The Wi-Fi-only version isn’t much cheaper at £270, which is still a lot for something that shows your ebooks and graphic novels in black and white. Especially given the Kindle Paperwhite costs £160 less. But let’s assume that you love to read. I don’t mean you roll deep with Tolstoy and Dostoevsky, just that you devour a tome a week. Then the Oasis is the best e-reader you can buy. Its superiority revolves almost exclusively around its design. For something made of plastic polymer, the Oasis feel deluxe in the hand. The slight ridge on its back is easy to…2 min
Stuff UK|July 2016The winner is… LG OLED55C6VOK, we’ll admit it. For a brief second we were tempted to go for the Samsung here. Not only is it a phenomenal 4K TV, but it also offers sensational value for money. Then, we put all semblance of logic aside and went for the TV that our heart pines for and our wallet fears more than the one who knocks. Granted, LG’s latest OLED costs twice as much as the Samsung, but it’s also a clear cut above the 4K fray. LG’s mighty OLED features both sublime picture quality and design, while at the same time being future-proofed to the very hilt. The LG C6 needn’t worry too much about what’s next for TV tech, though. After all, it’s set the bar – now everyone else has to jump…2 min
Stuff UK|July 2016What’s next for 4K?PlayStation 4K £tba / playstation.com It seems mad to suggest that Sony is about to unveil a new console only three years after the launch of the PlayStation 4, but that’s exactly what it seems the Japanese tech giant is doing. At the time of writing, so much has already leaked about the ‘PlayStation 4K’ that it seems a certainty to be announced at the E3 trade show in Los Angeles this month. OK, so technically we’re not actually talking about a next-gen console here – but if the rumours are true, the upcoming PS4K will offer more than just a slimmer build and an all-new price tag. The real meat on this machine’s bones looks set to be its extra power, delivered by a new AMD processor in order…2 min
Stuff UK|July 2016Media hoardWhere To Invade Next_cinemaIt’s a long old time since Michael Moore last fronted a documentary (2009’s Capitalism: A Love Story) and he seems to have mellowed: Where To Invade Next is far less shouty and sensationalist than much of the work he’s famous for.This doc, though, is contrived and misleadingly titled. Far from being about where the Eye of Sauron (the US military) might focus its gaze next, it’s essentially a jaunt around a bunch of mostly European countries that have laws, policies or social conventions so brilliant that Moore ‘steals’ them to take back to the US.So he steals long lunches from Italy, education from Finland and prisons from Norway. There’s lots of detail around how these work and what the results are: Italians are more productive, Finns are…4 min
Stuff UK|July 2016PLAYLIST SCI-FI EBOOKSDown Station Simon MordenWith a similar beginning to Philip José Farmer’s To Your Scattered Bodies Go, a bunch of Tube workers run from a huge fire and find an underground door leading to a sunlit beach. They pass through, and the door disappears. What follows is magical, violent and thrilling. £8.99Under the Skin Michel FaberEven if you’ve seen Scarlett Johansson’s turn as an alien predator in the 2013 film, it’s well worth devouring the chilling novel it’s adapted from. More slowburning than the movie, it’s an oddly compelling thriller that’s probably best not combined with a summer barbecue… £5.22Ancillary Justice/Sword/Mercy Ann LeckieAmbitious and wildly inventive, this trilogy is essential reading for fans of military sci-fi . It follows a sentient spaceship with a hive mind capable of controlling hundreds of…4 min
Stuff UK|July 2016THE BIG QUESTIONTHE ALL-ROUNDER GOOGLE TRANSLATE £free / iOS, AndroidGoogle Translate has been the go-to pick for desktopbased language translation for a decade now, and it’s showing no signs of slowing down. In fact, Google’s effort has only grown in its abilities and effectiveness over the years, with the free Android and iOS app being the best way to actually put its skills to use when you’re travelling overseas.It currently supports an impressive 103 languages for typed (or finger-drawn) translation, but it’s the other input options that you’ll use even more regularly when on foreign shores. With certain languages, you can use two-way automatic speech translation and carry on a conversation. Its ability to use your phone’s camera to translate signs and menus is now even more magical as it works offline.That’s…3 min
Stuff UK|July 2016Cheap, not cheerful£290 (body only) / canon.co.uk DAY 01 Can a DSLR ever replace a phone’s camera for sheer immediacy? Canon thinks so, hence the 1300D: a super-cheap lens-swapper aimed squarely at smartphonesavvy Instagram addicts looking to level up. How do I know that’s the target audience? Well, despite a spec that’s so stripped back it might as well be naked, it arrives rocking NFC and Wi-Fi for easy uploading and a dedicated Food mode. QED. It really is cheap, too – at £290 it costs less than any other new DSLR and not much more than plenty of compacts. But at that price, some compromises are inevitable. This super-cheap lens-swapper is aimed squarely at smartphone-savvy Instagram addicts looking to level up For starters, it’s plasticky: you’ll find more metal on an…4 min
Stuff UK|July 2016Oasis: What’s the story?from £270 / amazon.co.uk ■ Sasquatch, Godzilla, zombies… they’re all about as terrifying as the Kindle Oasis’s price tag. Get the Wi-Fi/3G version and it’ll set you back a monstrous £330. The Wi-Fi-only version isn’t much cheaper at £270, which is still a lot for something that shows your ebooks and graphic novels in black and white. Especially given the Kindle Paperwhite costs £160 less. ■ But let’s assume that you love to read. I don’t mean you roll deep with Tolstoy and Dostoevsky, just that you devour a tome a week. Then the Oasis is the best e-reader you can buy. ■ Its superiority revolves almost exclusively around its design. For something made of plastic polymer, the Oasis feel deluxe in the hand. The slight ridge on its back…2 min
Stuff UK|July 2016UEFA Euro 2016 Pro Evolution SoccerThe stage is set, the stadium bursting with sound and colour. It’s the opening game in a historic European Championship – the first to feature 24 teams – and as my squad belts out the Belgian anthem, I wonder if it’ll continue to be a tournament of firsts. The first, perhaps, to see Belgium crowned champions? After four games, a Cristiano Ronaldo hattrick and a penalty shootout, I’ll have my answer… This isn’t a premonition about the upcoming Euros, but rather what happened during my first play of Pro Evo’s official Euro 2016 tie-in. If you already own PES 2016, you can download the free Euro content. Or, if you buy the physical version, the main game comes packaged with it. But is it worth your time? For me, the…2 min
Stuff UK|July 2016BEDTIME VR STORIESSomething tells me Samsung’s engineers don’t have kids…You mean, they have awesome kids who were born into a VR headset and have already completed EVE: Valkyrie. Sure, ‘responsible’ parents might say that getting a child to bed is hard enough without an ultra-vivid screen jammed into their faces. And even pro-VR parents might be concerned by the premise of over-stimulating young eyes and brains right before sleepy time. But imagine how much better your dreams would have been if you’d just been read The Magic Faraway Tree in VR…So good I’d have had a magic, faraway look in my eyes at school the next day, no doubt.There are worse things to have in your school report. Anyway, the aim of Bedtime VR Stories isn’t to replace books. Samsung’s pitch is…1 min
Stuff UK|July 20166 INSTANT UPGRADES TRAVEL TECH FOR KIDS1 LEAPFROG EPIC Kids love tablets, and while you could just let them loose on your iPad, we’d recommend buying them a child-focused tab like this. For starters, you’ll feel much more comfortable: the Epic runs Android but it comes with a customisable LeapFrog skin, safe browsing and curated app store – no more cries of “Daddy! It says I have to pay some money!” LeapFrog’s own apps are pricey, but they are also educational without looking like lessons, so there’s less chance of your child just spending hours on Angry Birds. £95 / amazon.co.uk 2 ONANOFF BUDDYPHONES INFLIGHT Most headphones are easily lost or broken, and not that kid-friendly. BuddyPhones are strong and bendy, and come with stickers for your little tyke to personalise their pair (or the long-suffering…3 min
Stuff UK|July 2016SMARTPHONESFOR THE FULL REVIEWS AND OUR SMARTPHONE BUYING GUIDE, VISIT STUFF.TV/TOP-10S/SMARTPHONES Download the Shop Stuff app Looking for the best deal on the Samsung Galaxy S7? You can now find it – and buy it – by scanning this page… 1. Download and install the free Shop Stuff app, available on iOS and Android. 2. Open the app, hold your phone 10cm over the page and wait for the swirly vortex. 3. Scroll through the products and pick your options, then hit ‘buy’ or save it for later.…1 min
Stuff UK|July 2016TOP FIVES CAMERASFOR THE FULL REVIEWS IN EACH CATEGORY AND OUR BUYING GUIDES, VISIT WWW.STUFF.TV/TOP-10S Download the Shop Stuff app Looking for the best deal on the Fujifilm X-T10? You can now find it – and buy it – by scanning this page… 1. Download and install the free Shop Stuff app, available on iOS and Android. 2. Open the app, hold your phone 10cm over the page and wait for the swirly vortex. 3. Scroll through the products and pick your options, then hit ‘buy’ or save it for later.…1 min
Stuff UK|July 2016BEDTIME VR STORIESSomething tells me Samsung’s engineers don’t have kids… You mean, they have awesome kids who were born into a VR headset and have already completed EVE: Valkyrie. Sure, ‘responsible’ parents might say that getting a child to bed is hard enough without an ultra-vivid screen jammed into their faces. And even pro-VR parents might be concerned by the premise of over-stimulating young eyes and brains right before sleepy time. But imagine how much better your dreams would have been if you’d just been read The Magic Faraway Tree in VR… So good I’d have had a magic, faraway look in my eyes at school the next day, no doubt. There are worse things to have in your school report. Anyway, the aim of Bedtime VR Stories isn’t to replace books.…1 min
Stuff UK|July 2016WELCOMEEver since we laid eyes on Samsung’s first ever 4K TV at CES 2009, we’ve been in love with the idea of owning an ultra-high-definition screen. There’s been just one problem: the lack of 4K content. Thankfully, the steady trickle has suddenly turned into a downpour. Netflix and Amazon now stream most of their flagship shows in 4K, Sky and Virgin have released or announced 4K-capable boxes, and there are new versions of the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One supposedly on the way that will support 4K games. All of this means that it’s time to call it: your next TV has to be 4K. The magazine you’re holding has everything you need to say goodbye to HD and hello to UHD. Whatever your budget, we’ve found the TV for…2 min
Stuff UK|July 2016OUR MONTHI WENT TO THE MOON It’s funny how growing up after the first Moon landing makes it all feel so mundane. Weirdly, it was last year’s The Race For Space album by Public Service Broadcasting that brought home the mind-blowing brilliance of the achievement to me, and the Apollo 11 Virtual Reality Experience is similarly eyeopening. Over an hour I saw every stage of the mission, much of it from the eyes of the astronauts; and while some parts are pretty amateurish, that doesn’t diminish the impact. Thoroughly edutaining stuff. Tom Parsons, Deputy Editor, stuff.tv I TRIED ON A £72K WEARABLE A smart wristband that puts the Apple Watch Edition to shame when it comes to splashing the cash? I was pretty nonplussed. Wait, though: it comes bundled with a…2 min
Stuff UK|July 2016NO-ONE LIKES SHOUTY WRISTSIn this world of 24-hour Technicolor tittle and tat, subtlety is to be applauded, or even actively encouraged. Garmin’s latest fitness tracker is the very picture of restraint, quietly measuring your steps and displaying that information as a dynamic daily goal percentage bar. It also has an inactivity bar that slowly fills up with red if you don’t move about. But that’s it: Vivomove won’t vibrate or beep or scream at you. If you do want a little visual reward for your efforts, you can Bluetooth your steps and sleep stats over to Garmin’s Connect app, there to compare your totals over time on its colourful graphs. But the Vivomove itself will just keep on with its dignified daily summing up, for the entirety of its one-year battery life. As…1 min
Stuff UK|July 2016WATER WAY TO DIFFERENTIATEFive years ago, something amazing happened called the Alienware M11x, and we thought the future of computing was shifting away from the slim-and-light prophecies of the MacBook Air and towards small but awesome laptops with red glowing keyboards and steam coming out of the vents. Sadly, it failed to change history and we’re festooned with MacBook Airs and Microsoft Surfaces and the like – none of which have any chutzpah. But the new Acer kickstand hybrid is a beacon of hope – beneath its silver casing it’s got badass liquid cooling for its proper i3, i5 or i7 processors. We’ve been told, though: no steam. As hot as… being less hot from €700 / acer.co.uk ALSO ACE THIS MONTH… Acer Liquid Zest Plus Battery life is your phone’s greatest daily…1 min
Stuff UK|July 2016GIGAPIXELHOTH RACERWe wouldn’t blame you if you were to immediately rip out this page, lie down on the floor with some crayons and draw some AT-AT walkers in the background. (The newsagent might be miffed, though, so maybe buy the mag first?) But you’re right, this does look like it might be a vehicle from the next Star Wars film, Rogue One. It isn’t. The Snoped is a one-off design study by Joey Ruiter, engineer of the outlandish. Inspired by the ‘cafe racer’ style of motorcycles, it has a 90cc engine powering a single snowmobileesque track. It looks as if it would be extremely difficult to ride in the snow, but then it also looks awesome, which is the idea.NEWS FEEDLEAF IT AT HOMENissan is launching a home power storage…1 min
Stuff UK|July 2016TAKE IT LIKE A POLAROID PICTURE Impossible Project I-1Nothing says ‘I was born in the wrong era’ like a Polaroid camera. But this one is not all analogue… • This is a first As in, it’s the first Polaroid-style ‘instant’ format camera to be launched in over 20 years. There are plenty of existing Polaroid cameras still in the world, all of which owe their continuing functionality to the Impossible Project, which rescued the original manufacturing machines from a Dutch crusher and began marketing the film cartridges to enthusiasts. But now, Impossible is realising its dream by releasing an entirely new camera. • Analogue… and yet digital The basic shape of the I-1 will be familiar to anyone who has ever seen an old Polaroid camera, even if the matt black finish and lenssurrounding LED ring flash are…3 min
Stuff UK|July 2016GIGAPIXELHOTH RACER We wouldn’t blame you if you were to immediately rip out this page, lie down on the floor with some crayons and draw some AT-AT walkers in the background. (The newsagent might be miffed, though, so maybe buy the mag first?) But you’re right, this does look like it might be a vehicle from the next Star Wars film, Rogue One. It isn’t. The Snoped is a one-off design study by Joey Ruiter, engineer of the outlandish. Inspired by the ‘cafe racer’ style of motorcycles, it has a 90cc engine powering a single snowmobileesque track. It looks as if it would be extremely difficult to ride in the snow, but then it also looks awesome, which is the idea. NEWS FEED LEAF IT AT HOME Nissan is launching…1 min
Stuff UK|July 2016APPS1 Airbnb £free / iOS, Android Rather than just a daunting spread of location-based results for your trip, Airbnb now lets you choose a neighbourhood type to filter by. Also, property owners can submit local guides. They’d know, right? 2 Morgaw Saddle Adjust £0.84 / iOS, Android Suspect that your saddle detaches itself from your bike at night and goes clubbing? For better or worse, this saddle-position recorder app will give you the gyroscope-based evidence you’ve been craving. 3 Microsoft Word Flow £free / iOS US text-entry fans are excited about this latest Microsoft Garage project. It’s an iOS port of the Windows 10 Mobile keyboard with its natty one-handed mode. Fingers crossed for a UK version. 4 Cuvva £free / iOS People don’t want to speak to their insurance…2 min
Stuff UK|July 2016DECIPHER#11 BOTSAndrew HaywardEssentially, bots are artificially intelligent respondents that you can hold a conversation with – but in the case of the latest crop, most of them are not there just to amuse you. Bots are built to help you accomplish tasks – ordering food, booking airline tickets, choosing clothes – in a very natural, conversational manner.Buying flowers was the example shown by Facebook at its recent F8 summit. Using Messenger chat you can pick a bouquet, customise the message and have it charged to your account.That’s not anything that you couldn’t do on a website or app, or by calling up a real person – but bots can do some things faster, and at minimal expense to the site or service running the bot. That’s a win-win situation on…1 min
Stuff UK|July 2016FUTURE STUFF ATMOS CLUB NIGHTSI don’t go to clubs much these days. But when I do, I’ll usually head for Ministry of Sound because it’s always had a kick-ass sound system. So when I heard it’d been upgraded with a new Dolby Atmos system and DJ Sub Focus was there to demo it, I grabbed my fluo vest and headed down there in a state of some excitement. Atmos is a name movie buffs might be familiar with, perhaps having made a pilgrimage to one of the cinemas equipped with the new sound tech. It’s able to handle 128 separate audio tracks via up to 64 speakers, thus creating sound ‘objects’ that whizz about the room with uncanny realism. You can get it at home too, though perhaps with fewer than 64 speakers. Ministry’s…1 min
Stuff UK|July 2016FIRST LOOK CALL OF DUTY: INFINITE WARFARE PS4, Xbox One, PCCall Of Duty: Infinite Warfare is shaping up to boldly go where no COD game has gone before: outer space. With Earth stripped of its natural resources and reliant on off-world colonies for survival, it’s going to be a bad day in the office when the Settlement Defense Front decides to send bombs and bullets instead of the usual care packages. Leading the fightback, you’ll be in control of Tier One Special Operations pilot Captain Reyes, with combat shifting from ground to space with “few visible loading times” – though you shouldn’t expect No Man’s Sky levels of exploration. Naturally, Call Of Duty’s competitive multiplayer mode will be making a return too; but with Destiny, The Division and upcoming mech stomp-a-thon Titanfall 2 to compete with, COD is sure to…3 min
Stuff UK|July 2016App:rovedFOR TIME KILLERS• RedditUntil now, mobile users have largely been spared from the time-sink that is Reddit, on the basis that the smartphone experience was risible. Now, though, an endless rabbithole of funny cat GIFs, gorgeous data visualisations and chats on any subject you can imagine awaits. Bar the odd niggle – taking too many steps to access some content (the aforementioned cat GIFs) – the Reddit app is fast, responsive and absurdly engrossing. Send help.Stuff saysFOR WELLNESS WISHERS• RementeWellbeing apps have a tendency to be fluffy and not terribly helpful, but Remente’s smarter than most. It tracks key areas of your life, and has you set goals to form good habits. The app makes helpful suggestions, from planning time with loved ones to binge-watching TV shows. Some stats and…2 min
Stuff UK|July 2016JUNE• NEXT ISSUE August Summer’s sunniest travel tech On sale 30/6/16 WIMBLEDON We don’t actually mind who wins, but we are excited to see the new Wimbledon app for Apple TV, as well as the revamped Android and iOS apps that promise a grand experience for spectators both at the event and watching under their desks at work. INDEPENDENCE DAY: RESURGENCE Alien Lieutenant: When do you propose we launch our second attack? Alien General: Exactly 20 years after the first one! Alien Lieutenant: What, 20 Earth years? Alien General: Arr! It’ll give them tons of opportunities for patriotic plot exposition before we turn up. Alien Lieutenant: Oh, you. •KEY DATES! 1996: The original film 2007: Hero is ‘killed’ in crash 2016: Fox don’t have to pay Will Smith to be…1 min
Stuff UK|July 2016It’s time to 4K outHas your best mate suddenly become an expert in Slovakia’s centre-back conundrum? Perhaps they’ve announced themselves as the world’s foremost authority on water polo tactics? Fear not, they won’t be this insufferable for long.Once the Olympics and Euro 2016 are over, you’ll want to own at least one triumphant memento from the ‘summer of sport’. Should Harry Kane, Jess Ennis-Hill and co fail to deliver the goods, then a 4K TV will do the job just fine. There’s never been a better moment to invest in an Ultra High-Def tellybox. Even if the only ‘shock exit’ you’re interested in is the next grizzly death in Game Of Thrones.With every major streaming service now offering its wares in 4K, UHD Blu-rays having finally arrived and a fancy new PlayStation 4 on…19 min
Stuff UK|July 20160 to150 mph in 42 yearsEvery car Jonny Smith owns has a story. His Dodge Charger has bulletholes in the boot (caused, he suspects, by somebody firing from the inside out); his Austin Allegro, a car widely considered to be one of the worst ever made, has been fitted with a 2.7-litre V6 engine; and even the emerald green Insight he picks me up in is the most travelled example of Honda’s first-gen hybrid in Europe. But his little yellow Enfield, aka Jonny’s Flux Capacitor, has the best story of them all.City slickerAs we pull up to Jonny’s Lincolnshire home, I notice some clues that suggest there’s more happening on this road than just horse riding and dog walking. Tyre marks scuff the Tarmac directly outside his gravel driveway, evidence of previous rides he’s given…10 min
Stuff UK|July 2016Cheap, not cheerful£290 (body only) / canon.co.ukDAY 01Can a DSLR ever replace a phone’s camera for sheer immediacy? Canon thinks so, hence the 1300D: a super-cheap lens-swapper aimed squarely at smartphonesavvy Instagram addicts looking to level up. How do I know that’s the target audience? Well, despite a spec that’s so stripped back it might as well be naked, it arrives rocking NFC and Wi-Fi for easy uploading and a dedicated Food mode. QED.It really is cheap, too – at £290 it costs less than any other new DSLR and not much more than plenty of compacts. But at that price, some compromises are inevitable.This super-cheap lens-swapper is aimed squarely at smartphone-savvy Instagram addicts looking to level upFor starters, it’s plasticky: you’ll find more metal on an American teenager’s teeth. Nor is…4 min
Stuff UK|July 2016Make 9 a double1 Taking the P An ultra-slim metal phone with curved edges, the P9 feels and looks expensive, and with a 5.2in screen, it’s easy to handle. There are some great hardware extras: the fingerprint scanner is terrific, plus the microSD card slot and extra SIM slot earn nerd points. 2 Neo screen The display goes as bright as you like with good contrast and poppy colours that, while pretty energetic, don’t look overdone. Huawei aimed for a ‘cinemagrade’ colour palette rather than the plain old sRGB one. Viewing angles are just as impressive. 3 Hunting Emus As usual, Huawei’s pasted the latest version of its EmotionUI on to Android. While it does include Now on Tap, it doesn’t have an apps menu. What will grate more is how much extra…2 min
Stuff UK|July 2016One-inch punch£550 / panasonic.co.uk If you’re off on your holidays, the Panasonic TZ100 might be your ideal companion. With a big 1in sensor, 10x optical zoom, RAW shooting and 4K video capabilities plus an electronic viewfinder all squeezed into a point-and-shoot body, this superzoom snapper is designed with portability and performance in mind. The TZ100 is a thoughtfully constructed and well-designed camera. The body is smooth metal, but the lens barrel and small grip on the right side give you plenty of purchase. There’s a lot of customisability with the controls and you’d barely notice it hanging around your neck. The rear panel is dominated by a 3in touchscreen. There’s also that electronic viewfinder, which is activated when you hold the camera up to your eye: great not only for composing…2 min
Stuff UK|July 2016Uncharted 4: A Thief’s EndSuch is Naughty Dog’s record, the assumption has always been that Uncharted 4 would be great. A tiny part of me wishes I could tell you it isn’t, despite all the odds and the anticipation. Bad news on that front: it’s ace.That’s not to say everything’s perfect. The basic premise, that Drake is drawn out of retirement for one last job by his long-lost brother, is quite a clichéThankfully, the gunplay here is more enjoyable than ever before in the series. Combat feels faster and more fluid. It’s always been possible to creep up and silently take down an enemy, but in the search for a pirate’s treasure, stealThis now given more emphasis. Some firefights can be avoided altogether with a few sneaky takedowns and creative ledge-shuffles.And while the action…3 min
Stuff UK|July 2016OverwatchRemember Blizzard? Well, the World Of Warcraft developer now has a firstperson shooter. And it features giant apes in power armour.Imagine Pixar ditched films and you’ve got the gist of Overwatch. Countless hours of my life have been hoovered up by its closed beta, and the full release is set to do the same. This is the most joyful shooter I’ve played in a long time, blending old and new for a mechanically complex experience that’s easy to enjoy.Those seeking ladder-climbing glory may be frustrated by some of the compromises made for the sake of a harmonious community. But if you like to play for 10 minutes of unbridled fun, then this is the unmissable shooter of 2016.It’s a game where notching up kills will guarantee you victory. Across each…2 min
Stuff UK|July 2016GARAGEBANDTHE BASICSEmbrace loops. On OS X and iOS, GarageBand has a loop browser, enabling you to create songs by drag and drop. This is great for building confidence in songwriting. Using the occasional loop can also add texture to custom compositions.Use Smart Instruments. Ignore those who balk at the idea of automated accompaniment. Smart Instruments in GarageBand for iOS are an excellent way to learn how to construct chord progressions, and also a speedy means of fashioning a custom backing track to jam along to.Learn to play. In the ‘New Project’ dialogue on OS X, click ‘Learn to Play’ for playalong intro vids for guitar and piano. Lesson Store has free full courses and £4 tutorials where artists teach you how to play their tracks.Tap dance. Live Loops are handy…4 min
Stuff UK|July 20160 to150 mph in 42 yearsEvery car Jonny Smith owns has a story. His Dodge Charger has bulletholes in the boot (caused, he suspects, by somebody firing from the inside out); his Austin Allegro, a car widely considered to be one of the worst ever made, has been fitted with a 2.7-litre V6 engine; and even the emerald green Insight he picks me up in is the most travelled example of Honda’s first-gen hybrid in Europe. But his little yellow Enfield, aka Jonny’s Flux Capacitor, has the best story of them all. City slicker As we pull up to Jonny’s Lincolnshire home, I notice some clues that suggest there’s more happening on this road than just horse riding and dog walking. Tyre marks scuff the Tarmac directly outside his gravel driveway, evidence of previous rides…9 min
Stuff UK|July 20165-MINUTE HACKS IF NOTHING ELSE, AT LEAST…1 ...BECOME A SPOTIFY COMPLETISTWant all your old CDs, iTunes downloads and Napster playlists filed neatly next to your Spotify Discover Weeklies? Here’s how to bring it all under one musical roof:Scan your CDs. To save typing in the names of all of your old albums, use CD Scanner For Spotify (£1.49, iOS). Scan the case’s barcode and, as long as it’s in Spotify’s library, the album will appear in your account.Import from iTunes. To make sure all those old iTunes downloads are in your Spotify library, click on ‘local files’ under ‘your music’ and drag the tracks into ‘songs’Combine your playlists. Got some playlists marooned on the likes of Deezer or Tidal? Soundiiz (soundiiz.com) will convert them to Spotify playlists for you.2 ...GET FREE APPLE MUSICWell, six months of…2 min
Stuff UK|July 2016THE TV PICTURE BIGGER THAN THE SCREEN IT’S ONThe best demonstration of Ambilight you can get is to turn it off. Seriously. Because it’s only then that you realise just how much of a difference Philips’ TV technology really makes. Ambilight adds another dimension to your viewing by shining light from LEDs on the back of the TV onto the wall behind it. These lights use the TV’s internal processing to replicate the colours you’re seeing on-screen in real time – which makes the picture appear to expand far beyond the bezel. It reduces eye fatigue, immerses you more in the on-screen action and makes the screen appear larger than it really is. And then you turn it off, and you really wish you hadn’t. It’s the sort of thing you only do once in a while, when…2 min
Stuff UK|July 2016One-inch punch£550 / panasonic.co.uk ■ If you’re off on your holidays, the Panasonic TZ100 might be your ideal companion. With a big 1in sensor, 10x optical zoom, RAW shooting and 4K video capabilities plus an electronic viewfinder all squeezed into a point-and-shoot body, this superzoom snapper is designed with portability and performance in mind. ■ The TZ100 is a thoughtfully constructed and well-designed camera. The body is smooth metal, but the lens barrel and small grip on the right side give you plenty of purchase. There’s a lot of customisability with the controls and you’d barely notice it hanging around your neck. ■ The rear panel is dominated by a 3in touchscreen. There’s also that electronic viewfinder, which is activated when you hold the camera up to your eye: great not…2 min
Stuff UK|July 2016OverwatchRemember Blizzard? Well, the World Of Warcraft developer now has a firstperson shooter. And it features giant apes in power armour. Imagine Pixar ditched films and you’ve got the gist of Overwatch. Countless hours of my life have been hoovered up by its closed beta, and the full release is set to do the same. This is the most joyful shooter I’ve played in a long time, blending old and new for a mechanically complex experience that’s easy to enjoy. Those seeking ladder-climbing glory may be frustrated by some of the compromises made for the sake of a harmonious community. But if you like to play for 10 minutes of unbridled fun, then this is the unmissable shooter of 2016. It’s a game where notching up kills will guarantee you…2 min
Stuff UK|July 2016GARAGEBANDTHE BASICS ■ Embrace loops. On OS X and iOS, GarageBand has a loop browser, enabling you to create songs by drag and drop. This is great for building confidence in songwriting. Using the occasional loop can also add texture to custom compositions. ■ Use Smart Instruments. Ignore those who balk at the idea of automated accompaniment. Smart Instruments in GarageBand for iOS are an excellent way to learn how to construct chord progressions, and also a speedy means of fashioning a custom backing track to jam along to. ■ Learn to play. In the ‘New Project’ dialogue on OS X, click ‘Learn to Play’ for playalong intro vids for guitar and piano. Lesson Store has free full courses and £4 tutorials where artists teach you how to play their…4 min
Stuff UK|July 2016THE BIG QUESTIONTHE ALL-ROUNDER GOOGLE TRANSLATE £free / iOS, Android Google Translate has been the go-to pick for desktopbased language translation for a decade now, and it’s showing no signs of slowing down. In fact, Google’s effort has only grown in its abilities and effectiveness over the years, with the free Android and iOS app being the best way to actually put its skills to use when you’re travelling overseas. It currently supports an impressive 103 languages for typed (or finger-drawn) translation, but it’s the other input options that you’ll use even more regularly when on foreign shores. With certain languages, you can use two-way automatic speech translation and carry on a conversation. Its ability to use your phone’s camera to translate signs and menus is now even more magical as it…3 min
