APPLE WATCH 2 iPHONE 7 AIRPODS

WE RATE
THEM ALL

NO JACK, NO PROBLEM!

iPHONE 7
YOUR
ULTIMATE
GUIDE
100 BEST FREE APPS
10 TOP WIRELESS CANS
1 SUPER MARIO

NEW TECH TESTED

PlayStation 4 Pro
Amazon Echo
Fujifilm X-T2
Urban bikes megatest
4.99
November 2016
www.stuff.tv

N O T J U S T A N E W T V.
A W H O L E N E W C AT E G O R Y
OF TELEVISION.
OLEDs next generation pixel construction allows for unique screen architecture
which is so light and thin it can be bonded to a transparent piece of glass.
This stunning television produces an incredible picture with infinite contrast that
is complimented by an innovative sound bar stand that produces superb audio.
A masterful television from LGs award winning OLED TV range.
lg.com/uk/discoveroled

What the Experts Say

LG EC970V

WINNER
TV OF THE YEAR

LG65EG960V

LG OLEDC6V

LG OLEDE6V

2015-2016

MAY 2016

JUNE 2016

Your home, alive with music

Experience at John Lewis, selected Apple stores and our network of specialist audio retailers

AirPlay is a trademark of Apple Inc.

Channelling forty years of audio engineering and design excellence, we present

Mu-so a range of compact, yet commanding wireless music systems. Simple to connect,
Mu-so offers total control via the Naim App, so you can unleash your music wherever its stored,
in breathtaking quality. With a host of versatile features, you can sync up to five systems
to play the same song beat-for-beat in any room of your home.

naimaudio.com

CONS
ON THE
COVER

p12

p46
The big
Apples

HOT STUFF
12 The Hot Four
PS4 Pro & Slim
Apple Watch Nike+
Amazon Echo & Echo Dot
Leica Sofort
22 Gigapixel PitPat
Yep, its a fitness tracker for dogs. Woof!
24 Apps
Make your Apple Watch tick like a clock
28 Start menu
A belt that tells you to stop eating pies
30 Vital stats Canon EOS 5D Mark IV
The swanky DSLR gets user-friendlier
32 Choice Pens
If all this typing seems a bit too futuristic
34 Icon HP Pavilion Wave
A Windows PC camouflaged as a speaker
36 Games
Resident Evils gone a bit unpleasant
38 Best of Wired headphones
Reports of their demise are unfounded
41 Your month
Dare to watch Daredevil on Blu-ray

P45

TESTS
p48
The Pod
couple

p18
The home
help

45 First test special Apple

iPhone 7, 7 Plus, AirPods and Watch Series 2
74 First test Fujifilm X-T2
Is the sequel even better than Fujis original?
76 Versus Lightning headphones
Audeze and Philips fight over your new iPhone
79 Tested UA Gemini 2 Record Equipped
Trainers that know how far youve run
90 Tested Jura E8
Your caffeine fix, fixed via Bluetooth
92 Group test Chromebooks
Time to throw out the Windows laptop?
94 Long-term test Samsung Gear 360
An all-round camera
96 Tested Games
Deus Ex: Mankind Divided

11.16

WIN!
p42

P104
P81

FEATURES
53 The 100 best free apps
Apps for playing, reading, fragging, driving,
messaging, watching, drawing, training and
more and they wont cost you a penny
81 Stuff picks Urban bikes
We go to work on an e-bike, an all-rounder,
a crossbreed and a folder
88 Gadget doctor
A reader whos bought a 4K telly asks Stuff
what he can actually do with it
98 Media hoard
A different kind of cult film, plus the best new
albums and some music movies to stream

PROJECTS
104 Beta yourself Instagram
Take better pictures, share better pictures
106 Playlist Remasters
Great-sounding music, and Phil Collins
108 Upvoted Best sub-500 watches
Got Rolex tastes with a Casio budget?
110 Instant upgrades PlayStation 4
Get more from your pre-Slim, pre-Pro PS4
112 The big question
What should I do with my old phone?
113 5-minute hacks If nothing else, at least
Mod your tech Un-selfie your selfies
Search everywhere

TOP
10
OF
EVERYTHING

Looking to buy
something but
need a bit of
advice? Turn to
our Stuff Top Tens:
our expert listings
of all gadgetry,
from p115.

The Stuff Top Tens

are shoppable on
your phone!
Find out how
on p115

Subscriptions Hotline
0344 848 8806
World: +44 (0)1604 251 460
Email
help@stuff.
themagazineshop.com
Web
www.themagazineshop.com
Advertising
020 8267 5493
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Volume 20 issue 11
ISSN: 1364-963
On sale 6 October 2016
Audit Bureau of
Circulations: 62,624
(Jan-Dec 2015)

PEFC Certified

Welcome
The two most important things Ive learned this month?
One: Team Stuffs thirst for profanity knows no bounds.
Two: Jack off is not and never will be an acceptable
magazine cover line.
But hey, youve got to laugh at Apples decision to ditch the
headphone port. Dumping a near-on 150-year-old connection
with the same ruthlessness you might show for a month-long
Tidal trial takes some gumption.
That aside, it turns out the two new iPhones arent too shabby.
Weve reviewed both the 7 and 7 Plus in our six-page Apple
reviews special, and even squeezed in our verdict on the Watch
Series 2 and AirPods. Read it all from p45 youll doubtless be
shocked to learn Apple is still pretty good at this tech lark.
Whatever phone you own, our list of the 100 best free apps is
essential reading. Starting on p53, its filled with fantastic games,
media players, creative playgrounds, productivity tools and more,
for both Android and iOS aficionados. And none of them will cost
you a penny to download.
Thats the kind of value our subscribers can expect on a monthly
basis in addition to the odd bodily fluids gag. If youre of similarly
good taste, and havent signed up already, then why not check out
p100 for how to join the club.
Rob Leedham, Editor / @robleedham

This product is
from sustainably
managed forests and
controlled sources

PEFC/16-33-197

www.pefc.org

APPLE WATCH 2 iPHONE 7 AIRPODS

WE RATE
THEM ALL

2016, Haymarket Media Group Ltd.

Printed by William Gibbons, Wolverhampton.
Distributed by Frontline Ltd, Midgate House,
Midgate, Peterborough, PE1 1TN.
Stuff, ISSN 1364-963, is published monthly
by Haymarket Media Group, Bridge House,
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US annual subscription price is $75.50. Airfreight
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and only applicable to the UK market.

www.stuff.tv

NO JACK, NO PROBLEM!

iPHONE7
YOUR
ULTIMATE
GUIDE
100 BEST FREE APPS
10 TOP WIRELESS CANS
CA S
1 SUPER MARIO

NEW TECH TESTED

PlayStation 4 Pro
Amazon Echo
Fujifilm X-T2
Urban bikes megatest
4.99
November 2016
www.stu.tv

facebook.com/joinstuff

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9

I PHOTOGRAPHED
THE MOON WITH
MY SMARTPHONE

Alright, so I had a bit of

help from a telescope
as well specifically the Celestron Inspire
70AZ (US$170), which comes with a nifty
smartphone adaptor. Its ridiculously
easy to set up and use, and the phone
kit, though low-tech, works surprisingly
well. Its not high-powered enough for
galaxies and the like, but for shots of the
moon and planets itll do a fine job. So
tonight Im going to see if David Bowie
was right about Mars.
Marc McLaren, Editor, Stuff.tv

I SAW A TUBBY
PLUMBER LEAP
ONTO iPHONE

I got tired of Nintendos

first app, Miitomo, in about
the amount of time it takes to complete
Mario Kart 8s Rainbow Road circuit. Having
launched at Apples iPhone 7 event, Super
Mario Run looks a lot, lot better. If anyone
can nail the endless runner/platform genre
on their debut, Id bet my life savings on
your favourite chubby red plumber. And
with news of Nintendos NX still elusive,
its good to know my Mushroom Kingdom
fixation will be satiated this Christmas.
Rob Leedham, Editor

Making Stuff up
Editor
Rob Leedham
Deputy Editor
Tom Wiggins
Production Editor
Richard Purvis
Consulting Editor
Fraser Macdonald
Reviews Editor
Tom Morgan
Features Editor
Mark Wilson
Deputy
Features Editor
Esat Dedezade
Editor, Stuff.tv
Marc McLaren
Deputy Editor, Stuff.tv
Tom Parsons
Colouring Stuff in
Brand Art Editor
Chee-Chiu Lee
Deputy Art Editor
Ross Presly
Senior Designer
Will Clarke
Senior Video Editor
Peter Brown

OUR MONTH

Adventures in riding, plumbing, framing and mooning

I TURNED AN
OLD iPAD INTO
A DIGITAL
PHOTO FRAME

I, like everyone else,

take a huge number of photos that
exist nowhere but on a hard drive. Except
now, thanks to an iPad 2 and a lovely
mount bought from getiframe.com, Ive
got a constant slideshow of my digital pics.
Its like one of those old-fashioned digital
photo frames but, you know, good. My wife
and I keep spotting wedding photos weve
never seen before and we got married
two years ago.
Tom Parsons, Deputy Editor, Stuff.tv

I CHOSE A FINE
DAY TO CYCLE
ACROSS LONDON

Read that sarcastically. In

order to get some miles in
for this months bike test (see p81), I elected
to ride the Kona from north London to my
home, a long way south of the river. The day
I chose, however, was a record-breaker with
city streets melting into the early 30s. I was
surfing the curious bike-route decisions of
Google Nav, exacerbated by only hearing its
instructions through one earphone; I had a
funny turn in Balham but made it home, two
hours down, and fell into an ice cream.
Fraser Macdonald, Consulting Editor

Keeping Stuff in order

Global Editor-In-Chief
Guy Cocker
International Director
Alastair Lewis
Syndication Enquiries
Isla Friend
020 8267 5058
Brand Manager
Claire Griffiths
Brand Executive
Kadie Chanter
Office Manager
Sarah Weetch
Contributors

Andrew Williams, Sam

Kieldsen, Pete Gardner, Craig
Grannell, Andrew Hayward,
Elissa Loi, Laura Lovett,
Stuart OConnor, Matt
Beedle, RGB Digital, Roger
Stillman, Johnny Sharp
Cover photography
Matt Beedle

Email us
stuff@haymarket.com
Call us 020 8267 5036
Haymarket
Media Group,
Bridge House,
69 London Road,
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standard ISO50001.

10

HOT
FOUR
#1
NOT NEO NO MORE
Sony PlayStation 4 Pro

Very few of us would pass up the chance

to be called a pro. Nick Woodman named
his entire action camera company on the
aspiration to go pro. But it might not have
the same appeal if youd spent the past few
months thinking you were going to be called
Neo. Maybe you even got yourself some
calling cards made up with an 80s sci-fi
stencil font and laser slashes. Neo!
But no, Pro it is for PlayStations new
4K console, and the improvements are

12

certainly more 2016 than 1985. Doubled

graphics ability and a boosted processor
mean the PS4 Pro will either run or upscale
games at 4K, adding HDR effects into the
bargain. The original PS4, meanwhile, lives
on in a svelte new case with less radical
improvements turn over for our review.
Its happy with its Slim name.
As hot as HDR shading on Nathan Drakes
brooding face
349 / stuff.tv/PS4Pro

F
VR still waiting

Apart from saying that

the Pros super specs
would mean better VR
performance, Sony didnt
give us much news about
the PS VR headset. But we
do know its due out
on 13 October.

23 PAGES
OF THE BIGGEST
STORIES FROM
PLANET TECH

Hands on
with the
PS4 Pro

Tom Parsons

It seems
crazy that
Sony would
launch a new
console just three years
after the PS4, but here
we are. The three-tier
stacked design holds
new CPU and GPU
hardware to power
the Pros raisons detre:
HDR and 4K.
And yes, that does
mean native 4K in
some cases. The Last
of Us demo had a proper
4K/30fps mode, and
it looked lovely. Most
devs, though, will make
use of so-called 2160p

checkerboard upscaling.
It generates a 4K image
from half the pixels
dont forget, thats
still way rezzier than
1080p. Having played
Rise of the Tomb Raider
in this format, and seen
Horizon Beyond Dawn
side by side with the old
Full HD mode, Im never
going back.
One surprise was the
lack of 4K Blu-ray disc
playback. But if hitting
the 350 mark meant
choosing between 4K
Blu-ray and fantastic
graphics, Sony made
the right choice.

13

THE PROS LITTLE BRO

Tested Sony
PlayStation 4
Slim
259 / stuff.tv/PS4Slim

Whats going on outside?

Its slimmer. Lying flat on a desk its just
3.9cm, down from the originals 5.3cm,
and the Pros 5.5cm. Its also 1.2kg lighter,
which is a big deal if you plan to cart it over
to a mates house for shouting-distance
multiplayer action. The touch-sensitive
power and eject buttons of the old console
are now proper buttons. Other notable
physical changes are the deletion of the
optical audio output which might be
an issue and a new window on the
controllers touchpad so you can see
the lightbars colour.
Whats going on inside?
Not much. If you want added graphical
grunt you want the Pro. The years buzzy
acronym HDR, for High Dynamic Range,
is present on the Slim but the original
PS4 gets HDR too, via a software update.
The Slim is quieter almost silent when
the discs not spinning or youre just
watching Netflix, and about 5dB less noisy
when youre doing some proper gaming.
Whats going in your basket?
Nothing, if you already have a PS4 that
works. If the HDR attracts you then youll
need an HDR-supporting TV, which is
almost certainly a 4K TV, so you might as
well spend the 100 extra on a 4K-gaming
Pro. But, if you dont have a PS4 and arent
interested in hardcore gaming, then a Slim
might be your thing. Its great. Although,
first check you dont want an Xbox One S,
with its exclusive games such as Forza
racing and 4K Blu-ray drive. (Or because
all your mates have Xbox.)

STUFF SAYS
The Slim is smaller, quieter
and cheaper, and HDR is a
nice touch a job well jobbed
14

EIGHT PS4 PRO GAMES WE CANT WAIT TO PLAY

CALL OF DUTY:
INFINITE WARFARE

Infinite Warfare got a

hostile fan reaction when
it was announced. So how
do you respond? By jazzing
up your space-themed
frag-fest in 4K. Headshots
are gonna be well gory.

MASS EFFECT:
ANDROMEDA

The PS4 Pro reveal gave us

a first look at Andromeda
gameplay, with a new
protagonist taking over
from Captain Shepard. The
real draw here will be the
writing and voice acting.

MIDDLE-EARTH:
SHADOW OF
MORDOR

The must-play game of

this console generation is
being updated for the PS4
Pro. This will be a title for
Tolkien megafans and
everyday geeks alike.

FIFA 2017

Having watched Premier

League football in 4K, we
werent looking forward to
going back to HD for FIFA
17. Thanks to the PS4 Pro,
well be able to enjoy Diego
Costas mug in all the detail
it deserves.

HORIZON
ZERO DAWN

UNCHARTED 4:
A THIEFS END

The years best game so

far deserves to be played
in the best quality, so of
course its being updated
for the Pro. As if we needed
an excuse to play Drakes
final adventure again.

RISE OF THE
TOMB RAIDER

Rise of the Tomb Raider is

the game that sold us the
Xbox One S, and it looks
just as good on Sonys new
console. Plus its 20 Year
Celebration edition comes
with PS VR content.

DEUS EX:
MANKIND DIVIDED

Sneaking, sniping or
smashing your way
through a neo-futuristic
world where augmented
humans are treated like
second-class citizens will
look even better with HDR.

Killzone never went far

beyond a reputation of
being the best-looking
shooter on PS, but
developer Guerrilla
has been given a new
franchise to run at.
Not surprisingly given
the studios heritage,
it looks stunning,
with a mix of hi-tech
dino-bots and nature
reclaiming the planet
and now HDR makes
it even prettier.

15

HOT
FOUR
#2

WATCH,
YOUR WAIST

APPLE WATCH NIKE+

If youre planning something complicated
and important, such as lunch, its best to
break down your wants and unwants by
writing them all on Post-Its and sticking
them all over the walls. Want: Village Pizza
midday meal deal. Unwant: anything
involving quinoa. Simple. But imagine the
neon explosion of notes all over Apples
device kitchen when they were planning
the first Watch. Chaos. And the resulting
watch, though pretty, lacked functional
focus. The Series 2, however, knows that
its consumers hunger for fitness features,
so it has GPS and better waterproofing. You
can read a full review of the standard model
on p50, but this super-fit Nike+ version,
with a sweat-swishing Swiss cheese strap
and a swanky homescreen, wont be out
until later this month. Mmm. Swiss cheese.
As hot as neon Ronhills
from 369 / stuff.tv/Watch2Nike

READ OUR
WATCH 2
REVIEW
ON P50

A WATCH BY ANY OTHER NAME IS PROBABLY MADE BY SOMEONE ELSE

Samsung Gear S3 Frontier

Both Classic and ruggedy Frontier

versions of the new S3 get GPS and
a bigger battery, but the devices are
also much bigger than the old S2.
tba / samsung.com
16

TomTom Touch

Along with its new Spark fitness

and Adventurer outdoorsy watches,
TomTom has the first watch to
measure body fat composition.
129 / tomtom.com

Asus ZenWatch 3

Jewellery-grade metals and three

buttons are highlights, but the truly
keen-eyed among you will have
spotted that its round, not square.
229 / asus.com

Withings Activit Steel HR

The minimalist Activit is gradually

getting smarter, now gaining an
optical heart-rate sensor and a wee
display for stats and notifications.
from 169 / withings.com

HOT
FOUR
#3

IS THERE AN
ECHO IN HERE?
AMAZON ECHO
& ECHO DOT

Therapists are expensive. But if you ever

feel that nobody listens to you, Amazon
might have a cheaper alternative. The
newly UK-bound Echo may not be able to
help with your emotional issues (unless
youre emotionally lacking in pizza) but
theres not a lot else that Alexa, the
cylindrical speakers onboard helper,
cant do. A new Just Eat takeaway app
allows you to order that aforementioned
deep-pan pepperoni with your voice,
while link-ups with Nest, Hue, Hive and
WeMo mean it can make your existing
tech smarter too. Want to add Alexas
talents to a speaker you already own?
Theres a dinky Echo Dot for that.
As hot as an XL napalm stuffed crust
149 (Echo), 49 (Echo Dot)
/ stuff.tv/Echo

3 THINGS YOU CAN

ASK YOUR ECHO
Alexa, whats the weather like
in Skegness today?
Alexa, could you add Scotch eggs
to my shopping list?
Alexa, play Chas & Dave on Spotify.

AND 3 THINGS
YOU CANT (YET)
Alexa, two pints of cider and a packet
of cheese and onion, please.
Alexa, whats the score in
the Test match at Lords?
Alexa, prepare the hounds. Theres a
defenceless animal we need to kill.

18

Instant
means instant
No mucking about: the
fixed lens is a 60mm f12.7,
with auto exposure. But
there are various modes,
including selfie, plus
a self-timer.

HOT
FOUR
#4
NOBODY
EXPECTS THE
GERMAN
INSTANT VISION
LEICA SOFORT

Well, this is the icing on the cake. The cake

being the month, the body and filling being
the (expected but still delicious) news
from Apple, PlayStation and Amazon. But
this is an unpredicted sweet zing. A fun,
affordable, fixed-lens instant-film format
camera from Leica, of all people. Its going
to cost 215 when it goes on sale in
November which, while hardly biscuit
crumbs, isnt pricey by Leicas standards.
There are branded film packs for it, but its
actually just the popular Instax format so
youll be able to get your hands on film
easily, even if you wont find it much
cheaper about 1 a shot is the norm.
As hot as your first Leica
215 / stuff.tv/LeicaSofort
19

A damn good egg

POWERVISION POWEREGG
Firstly, its not made of actual egg, neither shell nor splodge.
But, like natures delivery mechanism, the PowerEgg is still an
ingenious packaging solution. From a rugby-ball-sized ovum
come forth landing gear and prop arms, and a cap pops off
the bottom to reveal the built-in, 3-axis-gimballed 4K camera.
Its aimed at amateurs, so it comes with two controllers: one is
a traditional twin-joystick box, but the other is a Wii-style motion
controller, designed to be intuitive for newbie pilots. You can also
pre-set the flightpath and just control the camera, or set it to
autonomously selfie you forever (well, for a while).
1279 / powervision.me

ALTERNATIVELY
You can really get
your weird on by
owning a Huawei
Nova (399) or
Nova Plus (429),
the companys
Android 5in and
5.5in midrangers.
Each so completely
lovely and harmless,
you might put it
down one day and
forget you ever
had it.

The unXpected

SONY XPERIA XZ
We all long to be slightly out of the ordinary by some definition,
superhuman. Thats what youre seeing on the face of that goon
whos queued for a thousand nights to be the first to get the
new iPhone until hes followed by the sea of me-toos pouring
out of the Store doors. Buy a Sony Xperia, though, and you are
superhuman for your whole two-year contract. Whats that?
people will cry. And youll say: Why, its the Xperia XZ, my little
counter-cultural hunk of classy-designed Sony flagship, brimming
with cutting-edge camera skills and Google cleverness. And
theyll huh and walk off. Its lonely being out of the ordinary.
549 / sonymobile.com

DROP EVERYTHING
AND DOWNLOAD...

Google Duo free / Android, iOS

Forget the frivolous filters and features of Skype or Snapchat Duo does
one-to-one video calling with pared-back brilliance. Theres no conference
calling, and you can only use it on your phone. But so long as you both
have the app, you can call an iPhone from an Android phone, and calls
are encrypted. Call quality changes depending on network speed, and
the app will hop seamlessly between Wi-Fi and mobile data to keep you
connected. Perfect. Unless, of course, you prefer comedy face masks.
20

Like a rocket
from the socket.
Simply plug in and enjoy excellent Wi-Fi coverage in any room,
from any power socket, with devolo Powerline!

BUY IT!

The devolo dLAN 1200+ WiFi ac Starter Kit enables

Wi-Fi without signal loss anywhere in your home:

Ideal for HD streaming and higher broadband speeds

Plug & Play installation
Award winning German technology
3-year manufacturers warranty

www.devolo.co.uk

RECOMMENDED

The bigger picture in tech

FITNESS IN HIS EYES

Bonko, pictured above, is not
amused. The data from his latest
stick-chasing session is in and
the pace is well down on his PB.
But maybe hes misreading the
numbers. He is, after all, a dog.
And PitPat, the Bluetooth dog
tracker, only measures activity
using an accelerometer theres
no optical heart-rate sensor,
because fur. Plus, unlike human
trackers, you have to make sure
you specify the correct breed.
(This is important, because a
dachshund uses 2000 calories
to cover the same ground as one
Newfoundlands step.) But all this
is academic. Bonko needs to up
his stick game. Or no biscuit.
22

NEWS FEED

RUDDERLESS
VIKINGS AHOY!

Volvo is bringing its

autonomous vehicle
programme to the UK in
2017. Drive Me London cars
will initially be co-piloted
by Volvo engineers for data
gathering, but should be
in the hands of real people
after a year or so. Well be
volunteering, natch.

ANDROID PAY YAY

Natwest, Santander,
Royal Bank of Scotland
and Ulster Bank have
all joined Android Pay,
taking Googles tally to
12 supported banks and
building societies. TSB
is due to rock up at any
moment, leaving just
Barclays to make the
whole field level.

NO MANS WIKI

You know what they say: If

youre bored with Wikipedia,
youre bored with being at
work. But if you really have
random article saturation,
try wikiverse.io. Its a 3D
spatial build of the worlds
online encyclopaedia: play
The Blue Danube behind
it for the full educational
elite experience.
23

A P P S

This months mobile must-downloads

IN THE
SPOTLIGHT
Pebble
OS 4.0

free /
iOS, Android

1 Magic Mansion

free / iOS, Android

Charming monochromatic retro
gameplay time your taps to jump
enemies and collect coins offset
by the intrusion of all-too-modern
ads. Still, thats the (lack of) price
you pay

2 Minecraft

4.99 / iOS, Android, Windows

Lost your Minecraft mojo? Perhaps
itll be renewed by knowing you can
now point one of the worlds most
advanced gaming platforms at its
blocky graphics. Oculus Rift joins the
Gear VR, mobile and PC versions.

3 Action Launcher

4 Nightgate

5 Enyo

free / iOS, Android

Rather than asking you to stab
or chop your way to victory, this
Greek-themed game plays through
indirect combat, which is to say
youll have to outwit your enemies.
Outwit them into a lava pit.

6 Space Marshals 2

4.49 / iOS
A number 2 and an improved app
icon do not a great sequel make.
Rather, a great sequel is made my
being great: SM2 features richer
graphics, better physics and new
space cowboy adventures.

7 Tickr

8 Circle Pay

9 Poison 202 Vintage

Midi Synthesizer

2.99 / iOS
An accomplished, pitch-perfect
puzzler, a neon-soaked art
installation, and a synth-driven
audio showpiece thatll prick the
ears of anyone whos just polished
off Stranger Things.

tba / iOS
For decades, engineers spent
exactly zero time trying to give
digital watches a mechanical tick.
But along came the Apple Watch,
and with it was born code to make
it tick like a Rolex, or Big Ben.
24

free / iOS, Android

Complex back-end banking enables
this app to send and receive money
with the informality of a messaging
app. It can even transfer between
US dollars and UK pounds and
soon euros without extra fees.

free / Android
Still waiting for your network to
serve up the Nougat OS update?
Get the look with Action Launcher,
which has swiftly copied some of
the menus and folder actions of
leaked Nougat shots.

7.99 / iOS
A decent mobile game can kill
a couple of hours on a long flight.
A synth app, however, like this
sample-laden Poison 202? The
crew will have to drag you out.

While Apple
Watch 2 hubbub
rages outside,
Pebble fans are
crouched by
their email
inboxes, waiting
for their Pebble 2
shipment
notifications.
Here, like
the police
motorcycle
before the
peloton, is the
latest OS update.
Health is brought
much more to
the fore, with
your daily stats
accessible by a
simple press of
the up key. The
mobile apps are
also redesigned
to be more
fitness-trackery
and there are
updates to the
way apps work
and launch on
the watch,
making the
whole Pebble
experience more
sophisticated.

P5 Wireless.
Weve taken
away the wires
but kept the
sound quality.

229.99
from authorised retailers
Buy direct from bowerswilkins.co.uk/P5W

Two-year warranty
Free delivery

Ambi-LED

PHILIPS 55POF901F
Retrieve your credit card from the toilet cistern and
lift the family ban on speaking of OLED. Its on.
Philips OLED TV is here. Its 55in, its 4K, its got a
Dolby-badged soundbar and theres talk of a 17-bit
colour system. Round back theres the companys
three-edge Ambilight system, guaranteed to generate
a woo from the 90% of visitors who dont care about
the wide colour gamuts and inky blacks of the screen
itself. Its the TV youve been waiting for. And it costs
nope, we dont know yet. Euro price is 3500, so
3000+ seems likely. Credit card back in the toilet?
tba (due winter) / philips.co.uk

Selfies? Moi?

FUJIFILM X-A3
Right, remember the script. Good eye contact,
steady breathing. You say: I bought it for the
resolution bump to 24.2MP over the X-A2, plus
the new electronic shutter that maxes out at an
action-friendly 1/32000. Theyll say: Whatevs
isnt that the one with 180 tilting screen and
special controls for taking selfies, though?
You, surprised but with a neutral expression:
Really? I wouldnt know about it being a special
selfie camera. I dont really take selfies. Focus on
your breathing. Youll get away with it.
599 / fujifilm.co.uk

FUTURE STUFF
SMILE LIKE YOUVE SEEN IT

Autonomous cars are getting smarter, says Rob Leedham. Thats something to grin about

Its been a rough year for self-driving

cars. Aside from a fatal Tesla Model S crash
involving the Autopilot system in May, Apple
has reportedly seen the departure of dozens
of staff from its secret project to build
an autonomous vehicle. But fear not the
dream of being shuttled to work by your own
AI-powered chauffeur is very much alive.
For starters, Tesla has rolled out an updated
edition of Autopilot with a much-increased
reliance on radar. Where radar used to be a
supplementary technology, used alongside

the camera in a Model S, this update pulls a

switch reverse on that formula. Kind of like
when Phil Collins moved onto lead vocals
for Genesis having previously been just
the drummer. To ensure the results arent
so divisive, Tesla is introducing a geocoded
whitelist of objects such as bridges and
road signs that could have been identified
as obstacles. So your Tesla should only brake
with good reason.
Thats all fine for autonomous car owners,
of course, but what about the most low-tech

commuters of all: pedestrians? To quell their

Luddite fears of being run over, Swedish firm
Semcom has developed a Smiling Car (above)
that flashes a grin to confirm its coming to a
stop. Its totally bizarre and a little bit brilliant,
even if we cant see the idea of a real-life Brum
catching on with manufacturers.
With Uber having just rolled out its first
fleet of autonomous vehicles in Pittsburgh,
a self-driving future seems just around
around the corner, whether were all smiles
about it or not.
27

S T A R T M E N U
ST KIC
AR K
TE R

The latest startups, crowdfunded projects and plain crazy ideas

Talented trouser tightener

WELT

But isnt that what the holes

do? What theyve always
done? You laugh inwardly at
this regressive thinking and
attempt to explain the marvel
of a belt that measures waist
size differences over the course
of the day. Look, you say, the
app records when youve eaten
something by showing the extra
tension on the buckle. But I
know when Ive eaten something!
Its recorded by my eyes watching
my hands put things in my
mouth! Nope, theres no
convincing this one. You march
off, putting an extra wiggle into
your hips to try to fool the built-in
accelerometer into bumping up
your steps score.
from US$99 / weltcorp.com
BACK IT
STACK IT

ST KIC
AR K
TE R

ST KIC
AR K
TE R

Bluetooth king of keys

Sun-sucking powerpack

Selfie stalker

Watery 3D printing

The cat is both alive and dead.

You point out the irritated
noises very much proving the
cats alive state. Besides, you
opened the box earlier and
gave it half a Bounty. But the
box is locked! You remind him
he gave you an access code
to the smartphone-operated
Bluetooth lock back when the
box was still holding biscuits.
US$89 / smartarmorcube.com

Feel my calves, go on. This,

from a rambler, is unexpected.
I didnt get them from hiking
a box of pencils up here. Ive
got my DSLR, tripod, spare
batteries You show him
some of your phone pics and
the 200g solar panel you use
to keep it charged up the hill.
He looks vacant. Marvellous,
Im sure. But feel my calves
76 / sunnybag.com

And you spent your precious

time coveting plastic selfie
tat says the Angel of Death.
But actually, you fire back with
confidence, this was a handy
device. It could track a face or
do a timelapse through a preset
arc. You explain about the app
Whoosh! Youre vaporised.
Apps, says the Angel. Sick
of hearing about them.
from US$80 / mypicbot.com

Cant you just stick a needle

up your wossitsname? But
its not just the blocked nozzle,
you explain, thats seen dust
gathering on the 3D printer.
Youve outgrown it. Which is
why you want to splash out
on this metal-cutting waterjet.
You can make useful stuff, like
forks! But shes gone, muttering
something about your nozzle.
from US$5999 / wazer.com

SMART CUBE

30
28

ST KIC
AR K
TE R

I
GONDI
GOE-

SACK IT

LEAF+

PICBOT

WAZER

ADVERTISEMENT FEATURE

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fter much anticipation, the All-New

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V I

T A L S T A T S

NOT JUST FOR THE PLAYAZ

Canon EOS 5D Mark IV

3629 / canon.co.uk

30

You dont have to be a pro

to get the most from this
big Canons new features

Wi-Fi and NFC built in which

will at least help to keep your
costs down. (A bit.)

Get a grip
The 5D sits in a sweet spot where
full-frame performance meets
reasonable price, making it tasty
for ambitious enthusiasts as well
as serious snappers. But for the
Mark IV, the main new ingredients
will be of more benefit to the
former. For example, the screen
is now touch-enabled, making
the 5Ds huge capabilites easier
to corral. The grips are grippier,
theres a new configurable
shortcut button under your
thumb and it now has GPS,

Free go-arounds
The usual specs are all up 30.4MP
full-frame sensor, 61-point AF,
32000 ISO but theres a new
way of dealing with the power
that makes it user-friendly for
us norms. Dual-pixel RAW mode
doubles the already enormous file
size of each shot, but it gives you
the ability to tweak the image later.
Sharpen up the focus or move the
bokeh blur its just the thing when
composition and subject placing
arent yet instinctive in the heat of
the moment.

Action, not art

Of course, you might not be into
improving your stills photography
at all. A huge proportion of DSLR
buyers are pure videographers,
who eschew the 19th-century
charm of the portrait for the racy
thrills of the movies, and theres
good news on that front too: 4K
video at 30fps, Full HD at 60fps,
or slo-mo-ready 120fps recording
at 720p res. Wannabe directors
need storage and power the
arrangement of dual CF and SD
card slots continues, while the
Mark IV is compatible with older
5D batteries. Finally, for epic days
on set, Canon has also improved
the weatherproofing seals.

Mostly hidden
but hard at work,
the improved seals
of the 5D are
drizzles nemesis.

THE NEW
5D HAS GPS,
WI-FI AND NFC
BUILT IN

Measured regression

AH, BUT THERE

IS ALSO THIS
Is it the same thing?

Very much not, no. This is the

EOS M5, Canons first proper
attempt to attack the compact
system camera market. That
means its taking on the
Panasonic Lumix, Olympus
PEN and Fujifilm X ranges. Gulp.
Serious competitors, so the
M5s been given a serious look.
Like a smallified 5D, in fact.

KOBO AURA ONE

Theres nothing wrong with wanting a bigger screen. At 7.8in, the
screen of the Aura One is considerably larger than that of Amazons
flagship Kindle, the 6in Oasis. More screen space is great if you dont
like the page-turning experience of e-readers and its also handy for
viewing PDFs, technical books or comics. Theres also nothing wrong
with wanting a waterproof e-reader just the thing for messy family
life, baths and beaches. The only thing is, youre inexorably returning to
the oversized, laminated book format of your childhood. But if youre
happy with that, so are we.
189 / kobo.com

Why am I bothered?

Because 1149, for starters,

with a standard lens. But
mainly, if you were at all
interested in the friendly to
beginners angle laboured over
in the 5D story, then the M5
also has a prod-to-focus LCD,
a 24.2MP sensor with the
super-quick DIGIC 7 processor
and the same wireless smarts.

Every shot on target

LOMOINSTANT AUTOMAT
Instant photography is so liberating. Instead of thinking about shutter
speeds and apertures, it frees your mind to do other calculations,
such as: At 17 for 20 shots of instant film, each button press is
equivalent to one chocolate muffin. Then, instead of worrying about
post-capture filters and multi-platform sharing, you can spend that
time watching other people eat muffins. Enter, via Kickstarter,
Lomos new Instant Automat. Its still cutely styled, still prints on Fuji
Instax Mini film, but can now be tasked to do the aperture, shutter and
flash maths for you, making every muffin-costing shot a winner.
129 / lomography.com

31

C H O I C E
1

PENS

You gotta fight, for

your write, to party

1 Parafernalia
Revolution Ballpoint

Triangles have delivered such joy

as Dairylea and Zeldas Triforce.
This Italian pen is tri-mendous
enough to join that crew.
37 / heinnie.com

2 Retro 51 Dr Gray

If your actual doctor is using

this, it means someone in their
social group thinks they need
an aide-memoire. #justsayin
35 / welovepens.co.uk

3 MecArmy TPX33

Good writing can open a window

on the world. This pen can also
open a window with its smashing
spike end. Win-win.
81 / heinnie.com

4 Power Pen

It wasnt so very long ago that

700mAh could power the world.
And now you have that in your
pen? Revel in your time!
24 / firebox.com

5 Cleo Messograf

And from that day forward,

she just measured things, then
wrote down the measurements.
Measured. Noted. All the things.
19 / cultpens.com

6 Faber-Castell
Scribolino

[ Picture RGB Digital ]

All your little writer-in-training

needs (chunky ambidextrous
grip, anti-roll, visible ink levels),
except the desire to write.
15 / faber-castell.co.uk

32

7 Kaweco
Liliput Fireblue

Thank your auntie for the 5

book token with a tiny fountain
pen thats been hand-tempered
by people with blowtorches.
119 / cultpens.com

DECIPHER
ALLOW ME TO EXPLAIN

#15 APPLE HOME

Tom Parsons, Deputy Editor, Stuff.tv

Smells like tureen spirit

BANG & OLUFSEN BEOSOUND 1 & 2

The BeoSound 1 is a Bluetooth speaker styled like a vacuum flask for
your hot, hot tunes. The heavier part of your musical soup the bassy
potato comes out of the underside via a downward-facing
low-frequency driver. Meanwhile, the whiffy mids and highs come
wafting out of the top in 360 room-filling degrees via one of B&Os
trademark Acoustic Lens emplacements. The app-controlled
BeoSound 1 has a battery, so can kept just about anywhere; the larger,
mains-powered BeoSound 2 on the left needs a more stable home,
but serves up an intoxicating, oxtail-strength sound.
995, 1350 / bang-olufsen.com

You already know about

Apples smarter home
project, HomeKit, but it
never seemed to really
get off the ground.
Now, with iOS 10, its ready to fly. Firstly
theres a proper HomeKit control app,
called Home. And its good, even at
the beta stage where I first tested it.
Creating and customising scenes and
rooms is super-intuitive, with devices
re-organisable via the wibbly icon-drag
familiar to anyone whos ever re-ordered
apps on an iPhone or iPad.
Secondly, theres stuff. For me its
still the Philips Hue lights that lead the
HomeKit line-up, but Im pretty keen
to add a set of the awesome motorised
Lutron blinds to my setup. Next on my
list is the Netatmo thermostat and its
new, independently controllable radiator
adaptors, closely followed by a Schlage
door lock.
HomeKit-compatible smart cameras
are on the way too, and the new version

I CAN GET SIRI TO

CHANGE THE HEATING
OR LIGHTING JUST BY
SAYING IM OFF TO BED

4K Blu-rays out, round two!

PANASONIC DMP-UB700
Thus far, the fight to be your 4K disc delivery system has been duked
out by two megahunks: Panasonic and Samsung. But a new
contender has entered the arena. Its taking off its robe its got
to be Sony! Is it Sony? Gasp! Its not Sony. Its another Panasonic.
The UB700 is a little brother, here to tag-team the pioneering
UB900 in Panasonics bid to own the whole market. Itll have a
simpler set of connections and slightly tweaked innards to justify
its 200 cheaper price but the Samsung K8500s first punch
was a street price of under 400 from the get-go. Oomph.
399 / panasonic.co.uk

of the Canary, called Canary Plus, is very

appealing. All of this, remember, I can
get up and running without calling in an
installer. So long as it has the Works with
HomeKit badge, its good to go.
Finally, and most futurisitically, its all
controllable by Siri. Unless I already have
a scene set by time, or by my geolocated
arrival, I can get Siri to change the heating
or the lighting simply by telling her Im off
to bed. I dont even need to use my phone
I can voice activate the Movie Night
scene via my Apple TV remote.
If youve been sitting on the smarthome
fence, Home in iOS 10 looks set to deliver
the final nudge.

33

I C O N

HP PAVILION
WAVE
from 679 / hp.co.uk

Why, its surely a B&O speaker.

A fair assumption, given the
available visual information, but
wrong. Its something far better,
with many more talents than
a mere speaker. Hold on to your
beret its a new Windows 10 PC.
But the size, the shape, the
freakin B&O logo! What gives?
Bang & Olufsen were involved in
the design. And so, though it isnt
primarily a speaker, it will speak
thanks to an upwards-firing
driver that will bounce noise off
the underside of the top bit to
give you 360 sound. How will
you verify the truth of this? By
running circles around it like a
dog on a string, thats how.
And theres still room inside for
computery bits?
Plenty. Its not a cylinder like
the Apple Mac Pro, but a curved
triangular prism, and HP says this
shape is well suited to efficient PC
construction. Motherboard, CPU,
GPU and SSD sit on one side, the
cooling setup on another, and the
main hard drive on the third. And
theres still space for a trio of USB
3.0 ports, one USB-C port and
HDMI and DisplayPort outputs.
Hmm. In my book, efficient
rhymes with dull.
Your book is pish. For this type of
PC, efficient means being small
enough to sit next to your TV,
quiet enough not to be heard over
that TV and yet powerful enough
to squirt 4K to that TV. Final UK
specs are yet to be announced,
but sixth-generation Intel Core
processors and up to 8GB of RAM
are being teased. Its probably
not suited to a VR setup, though.
For those, youll want something
three times the size with steam
coming out of its rump, not this
pretty PC with Bach coming out
of its hat.

34

THIS WINDOWS 10
PC LOOKS LIKE A
SPEAKER BUT
CAN STREAM TO
YOUR TV IN 4K

FO C A L

LI S TE N

Comfort, freedom and design, all combined in a pair of headphones. Listen is the realisation of mobile
high-end audio. These headphones offer excellent insulation, optimal comfort and beautiful acoustic
performance, for hours of intense music listening. Focal opens up a new world of emotion and feeling.
Experience at your local Focal retailer: www.focal.com

G A M E S

DUE
24 JAN

FIRST PLAY RESIDENT EVIL 7: BIOHAZARD PS4, Xbox One, PC

[ Words Tom Regan ]

Its clear enough from the

Beginning Hour demo for
Resident Evil 7 that the series
has taken a turn for the grisly.
Its swapped zombies for
slasher movie tropes, including
a rickety old house filled with
animal carcasses, mysterious
locked doors and spooky VHS
tapes that plunge you into
playable flashbacks.
One such flashback begins
by being chased across a dark
plantation by a horrible old hag
holding a lantern. Well call her
Theresa. Three words appear
on the screen: Dont get caught.
36

With the usual over-shoulder

perspective ditched in favour of
first-person (to accommodate
PlayStation VR?) we dash inside
an old house while Theresa tails
us, shrieking: I told you not to
come here!
Managing to evade her, we
find a statue in one room and a
pedestal in another. We place
the statue on the pedestal
and rotate it until its shadow
matches the painting opposite.
Bingo. A passageway opens.
But Theresas wise to it and
shes waiting. We dive beneath
the floorboards and crawl away

until things fall silent. We find a

scrap of paper, with the words
Theres something wrong with
her on it. You can say that again,
piece of paper.
Eventually theres a gap in
the floor and we emerge, only
to be grabbed by Theresa. As
she emits a hideous scream, the
words Welcome to the family
appear on screen.
Its rare that a horror game
scares without supernatural
foes, but Resident Evil 7 will have
you more shaken than James
Bonds martini. Do we really have
to meet the rest of the family?

FIRST LOOK CAN METAL GEAR SURVIVE WITHOUT KOJIMA?

METAL GEAR
SURVIVE
Xbox One, PS4

Despite Metal Gears long history of

encouraging you to hide underneath
cardboard boxes, Survive isnt a game
where you just have to stay concealed
inside one until everyone around you
dies of boredom.
With the series eccentric creator
Hideo Kojima no longer on Konamis
payroll, a change of direction is
no huge surprise. So, instead of
galloping around the Afghan desert
coshing people on the head and
releasing them into the sky attached
to large balloons, Survive sees
you playing as a soldier whos
been sucked through a wormhole
into another dimension filled with
zombie-type baddies. Sounds pretty
Call of Duty, right?
Well, Konami insists it hasnt
abandoned stealth completely and
youll still have to use those sneaky
techniques to fend off your enemies.
How thatll work in practice isnt yet
clear, although the trailer shows a
chap wielding a bow that fires arrows
with spinning, explosive heads. Very
stealthy. Its due out some time in
2017. Until then, why not find a nice
cardboard box to hide in?

COMING SOON INDIE GAMES

HOT LAVA

PC
Remember that game you used to play
as a kid where you couldnt touch the floor
because it was made of lava? Now you can
play it on your PC. And its not just beds,
sofas and upturned washing baskets youll
be hopping between; there are schools,
offices and underground caverns as well.

TOKYO 42

PS4, Xbox One, PC

Like a cross between Fez and Syndicate,
Tokyo 42 puts you in the shoes of an
assassin, in an isometric open world that
you can spin around to get a better look
at who youre offing. Stealth your way
around or plough in guns-first, and try
to avoid the giant robots out to stop you.

100FT ROBOT GOLF

PS4
A group of Transformer-style robots pull
on their plus-fours and try to sink putts
on a course built between skyscrapers.
Get stuck behind one? Just smash it to
bits with your gigantic nine-iron. It even
supports PlayStation VR, which launches
on 13 October.

INCOMING
NOVEMBER
FOOTBALL MANAGER 2017
WATCH DOGS 2
DECEMBER
STEEP
SOUTH PARK: THE FRACTURED BUT WHOLE
GRAVITY RUSH 2
FEBRUARY
FOR HONOR
SNIPER ELITE 4

37

B E S T O F

WIRED HEADPHONES

Wired headphones are dead! cried iPhone 7 newsniks.

Oh, yeah? Check out these stringy superbuds

Cool your boots,

pastelphobes: you
dont have to pick
pink. They come in
four colours.

PRICED UP

SINED UP

BUTTONED UP

38

oBravo EAMT-1

Libratone Q Adapt

Audeze iSine 10

Heres a joy that iPhone 7 owners will

never get: spending over three grand on
an extremely niche set of hi-fi in-ears.
The ceramic/wood-bodied EAMTs come
with either a 3.5mm jack or, if you have a
suitably equipped headphone DAC, two
balanced 2.5mm jacks. Sound comes via
a 13mm neodymium driver and an 8mm
Air Motion Transformer Tweeter our
ears are not worthy.
3699 / audiosanctuary.co.uk

Not long ago, three-button remotes for

headphones were considered mindblowingly complex. Three buttons?
we wrote in 2009. What, are we fighter
pilots now!? But whats this?
Libratones Lightning-cabled Q Adapt
has four. The extra one is CityMix,
which controls the amount of noise
cancellation. Sounds cool; were never
going to use it. Four buttons! Nope.
tba (due this month) / libratone.com

If you were worrying about what to buy

that retiring TIE-fighter pilot in your
family, then your search is at an end.
Audeze has finally managed to
miniaturise its planar magnetic drivers
into an in-ear format. Given that the big
on-ear versions get a glowing review on
p76, this is big news. Plus, like those big
uns, the iSine 10s will come with both
3.5mm and Lightning cables.
US$399 / audeze.com

On the up (and the down)

FITBIT CHARGE 2, FLEX 2

Fitbit has had its morning crawling up granite slabs in the pouring rain.
Right now, its gambolling along a sunny ridge, breathing easy and
looking forward to a Twix at the next waypoint. Its just released new
styles for its Blaze and Alta devices, and a new Fitbit Adventures app
feature. Its also released two updated fitness trackers, including the
lozenge-sized Flex 2 that can be worn on your wrist or around your
neck. But its the Charge 2 (on the left) that wed take up a mountain.
Multi-sport, heart-rate monitoring, and available with lots of different
straps, its slim build and battery life make up for it polling your phone for
GPS data. You need a bag for the Twixes anyway.
129, 79 / fitbit.com

ALTERNATIVELY

Podo

If the VIRB
is a tetradodecahedron,
the Podo is a
circle: a Bluetooth
mini-cam that
can stick or
magnet itself to
a handy surface.
59 /
cuckooland.com

DROP
EVERYTHING
& DOWNLOAD

Legend of
the Skyfish

2.99 / iOS

Along with emitting distinct whiffs of

Zelda, what with its top-down viewpoint
and wandering protagonist who has a
tendency to get a bit stabby, Legend of
the Skyfish is a handy warning about the
dangers of overfishing. Namely, in this
world, the fish got sick of it and fought
back, turning the humans into mutant
slaves. All except Little Red Hook,
the character you guide through this
simpler-than-Zelda adventure, hooking
and thwacking things with your fishing
rod. It looks and sounds great, and is easy
to get firmly hooked on (hooked, yes?
Yes?) for as long as it lasts. An Android
version is due this winter.

The shape of things to cam

GARMIN VIRB ULTRA 30

Ever watched a child struggling to fit the square
block in the square hole? No? Why not, are you
some sort of child-hater? Anyway, Garmin has
finally succeeded where they fail. The latest VIRB
camera looks set to slot straight into the hole,
knocking GoPro out onto the floor. The Ultra 30 is
right up there with resolution 4K, 30fps but its
the hands-free voice control, distance-based lapse
mode and accelerometer-sensed action metrics
that could make it champ of the action cams.
449 / garmin.co.uk
39

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28th
LO AND BEHOLD,
REVERIES OF THE
CONNECTED
WORLD
Dont be put off by the
highfalutin title Werner
Herzogs new doc about
how the internet has
changed the world is both
hilarious and horrifying.
When the apocalypse
comes, will you be one
of the people printing
out pages of Wikipedia?

NEXT
ISSUE
December
We name
our gadgets
of the year
On sale
3/11/16

OCT
YOUR MONTH

27th

SAY THIS!
Jib: Skate-style
step jumps and
rail grinds
Steezy: From
style and
easy: She
landed that
well steezy.

DAILY TELEGRAPH
SKI & SNOWBOARD
SHOW (until 30th)
BATTERSEA PARK
Because no one can
actually afford to go
skiing. In addition to
the show itself, theres
ice rinking, ice tubing
and Alpine food. Late
on Friday and Saturday
therell be booze and live
DJs while pros compete
on rails and kickers.

THEN

How to rock(tober) your world

15 years ago
Grand Theft
Auto III

NOW

Download

Grand Theft
Auto III
3.99 / Android, iOS

3rd
9th
World
Post Day

11th

NOW
DAREDEVIL
BLU-RAY

Oh, you might think, not

another bouncing boy in
leggings with an irrational
desire to right wrongs at
the expense of his own
freedoms? But! Daredevil
is smarter than it sounds,
and finally off Netflix and
onto physical media.

18th
GEARS OF WAR 4
PS4, XBOX ONE

Play this:

Paperboy
(archive.org)

Do: stomp down to your

local gameporium to get
the latest version of this
duck-and-cover smasher
with new weapons and
groovy weather effects.
Dont: ask for Gears of
Four. Those game shop
geeks can kill with a look.

BONUS
TRACKS?
Sia,
Chandelier
Weezer, King
of the World
Semisonic,
Closing Time

ROCK BAND RIVALS

PS4, XBOX ONE
Available as a DLC
expansion or in various
box bundles with bonus
tracks and/or a new
folding Fender guitar
Rivals adds an online
multiplayer mode. Playing
solo? Spinal Tap-esque
rockudrama commentary
on your noodling should
give you an incentive to
bring the noise.

41

W I

TOTAL
PRIZE
VALUE
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WIN 12 MONTHS OF SKY Q WITH

ULTRA HD PLUS A 43IN LG 4K TV
I can see clearly now the rain is gone, sang
Johnny Nash in 1972. And he didnt even have
access to 4K Ultra HD! So imagine how clearly
youll be able to see assuming it doesnt rain
in your living room if youre lucky enough to
win this months competition.
You may have noticed us harping on about
how Sky Q is just about the ultimate package for
on-demand television we called it the best
TV experience you can buy even before it started
streaming Ultra HD content. This months winner
scoops a full 12 months of Sky Q viewing, with
the box and installation included, plus a 43in LG
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HOW TO ENTER

For your chance to leap into Ultra HD, go to

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WHICH OF THESE FILMS IS NOT

AVAILABLE IN ULTRA HD ON
SKY Q WITH SKY CINEMA?
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10 NOVEMBER
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the Talking Microbe
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6 Competition is open to new and existing Sky customers.
For full Haymarket terms & conditions see www.stuff.tv/legal
Promoter: Haymarket, 69 London Road, Twickenham TW1 3SP

FIRST TEST SPECIAL APPLE

A bigger bite
of the Apple
Settle in for a six-page review bonanza as we test the
iPhone 7 and 7 Plus, the AirPods and the Watch Series 2

nce upon a time, new Apple

gadgets used to arrive as often
as raindrops in the Sahara.
Nowadays it feels like Stuff is
permanently entrenched on the Yorkshire
Moors with only an old mac and some
soggy mint cake to sustain us between
launches. But hey, at least this years
downpour is worth camping out for.
In addition to the iPhone 7 and 7 Plus,
weve got the Apple Watch Series 2 and
those brand new AirPods to contend
with. And theyre all pretty significant
in one way or another.
Doubtless youve already heard
about how both iPhones have cut the
headphone jack adrift with all the caring
that Darth Vader applied to his sons
arm surgery. But with major camera
improvements, a taptic home button
and the blisteringly quick A10 Fusion
processor, Apples latest phones still
offer plenty to get excited about.
So how do they rate against the
Galaxy S7s and OnePlus 3s of this world?
Read on across this six-page reviews
special to find out, and get our verdict
on whether the wireless AirPods and
waterproof Watch Series 2 can make
much of a splash.

45

FIRST TEST SPECIAL APPLE

Pic a winner
Both new iPhones are slick, speedy
and waterproof but the 7 Pluss
dual cameras make it our favourite
from 719 / stuff.tv/iPhone7Plus
It might have started life as a plus-sized
version of the vanilla iPhone, but this year
the Plus has truly stolen the spotlight.
And not just because of its clever twin
camera tech.
The biggest change is one you wont
be able to spot: its waterproof. Yep,
you can finally give the iPhone a bit of
a dunking. Flip it over, though, and you
cant miss those two all-seeing eyes
staring back at you. Ones for standard
shots, the others for close-ups.
Youll also get a good look at the new
colour choices. Apples 2016 shades du
jour are black and black. You can still buy
gold, silver and rose gold versions, but
space grey is gone, replaced with a darker
matt black hue and its joined by jet
black, which is so glossy itll rival the sheen
of any shampoo ad.
Otherwise, were talking marginal gains
all round. Its the camera that makes the
biggest leap, but that 5.5in Retina display
continues to impress (even if it loses out
on pixel count to countless Android rivals)
and battery life is fantastic.
This is the iPhone you know and love,
only better.

1 Design

2 Screen

3 Camera

4 Performance

No, its not a dead ringer for the

iPhone 6s. The antenna bands
on the back are a lot more subtle
now, and there are two new
colours to choose from. Jet
black looks seriously dapper.

Who needs QHD? The 1080p

screen is Retina, so you cant see
the pixels without a magnifying
glass. Its bright enough to use
outdoors, and the wider colour
gamut makes images pop.

Or should that be cameras?

Those twin sensors really set
the 7 Plus apart from its little
bruv. It takes stunning photos
in daylight and low light see the
panel on the right to find out why.

Apples gone quad-core for the

A10 Fusion, its fastest mobile chip
yet, and bumped up the memory
to 3GB. That means the Plus
really flies through apps and
games, with zero lag or stutter.

Good
Meh
Evil

W
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a
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M age
ar
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!

24 hours with the

iPhone 7 Plus

1min
46

2mins

10mins 15mins 45mins 50mins

1hr

3hrs

5hrs

8hrs

FIRST TEST SPECIAL APPLE

Double exposure
Things are better in pairs. Fact. Take, for example,
the cameras on the back of the Apple iPhone 7 Plus

Zoom and enhance

Both have 12MP sensors,

but one lets you see more
of the action with a 56mm
field of view. If thats not
enough, theres also a 10x
digital mode.

Ready for a close-up

Theres a dedicated portrait

mode in the works, which
will combine both cameras
for some clever depth of
field effects and pretty
bokeh blur.

Baby I like it RAW

Pros can shoot in RAW

using third-party camera
apps. These files save
loads more light info than
a jpeg, so you get more
detail and fine control.

5 Battery

Tech specs

Its got more room inside for

battery, so of course the 7 Plus
lasts longer than the standard 7.
Even if youre caning Clash Royale
over lunch, youll still have juice left
when you get home at night.

Screen 5.5in 1920x1080 LCD

Processor Apple A10 Fusion
quad-core OS iOS 10 Cameras
2x 12MP rear, 7MP front
Storage 32/128/256GB
RAM 3GB Dimensions
158x78x7.3mm, 188g

T
ar he
t i Mu
sp s
re ic a
tt p
y, p
bu loo
t s ks
So
hr
Ta d
in dif
pt ee
k t fe
ic p
ho re
vi in
se nt.
be a
s a gam
fo Th
nt e
dd e
s!
Ap
m Im
or is
m pl
e i se
ak e P
m d
es a
m m
ol y is
er y
df a
sio tra
ol s u
kt s
n. in.
ef
h
ink ul
B
as
m att
y
od er
ou ev
e c y li
re er
an fe i
a w , an
st s s
iza d s
re up
rd till
tc e
.
h t rb
Tim
he , an
th e
e d to
las d l
ig ad
t f ow
ita d
ew p
le m
ho owe
qu y m
ur r
iva u
s.
T
len sic
Lo he
t
to h
w su
f p rou
-li n
ull gh
gh s g
ing iT
t p on
te une
ho e b
et s
to ut
h. ,
s l Im
oo
s
k s ti
pe ll sn
ct ap
ac p
ul ing
ar .
.

16hrs

18hrs

A light in the dark

The TrueTone flash has

doubled up too, with four
LEDs. You might not need
them, though: low-light
snaps look seriously good
without any extra help.

20hrs

21hrs

22hrs

24hrs

The camera has always been one

of the iPhones greatest weapons
against the Android army and
that twin sensor upgrade makes
the 7 Plus a bit of a no-brainer
for photographers. Add in a better battery
and youve got a clear winner over the
basic iPhone 7. If youre firmly in camp
iOS, go big or go home. @TomParsons

STUFF SAYS
Superb camera skills and better
battery life give the bigger of the
new iPhones a real edge
47

FIRST TEST SPECIAL APPLE

10 BEST JACK-FREE HEADPHONES

TESTED APPLE AIRPODS
159 / apple.com

Rip the wires out of a pair of

EarPods, give em longer tails,
cap the ends with a glint of silver
and youve got AirPods.
Its not that simple, obviously.
Theyre packing batteries good
for five hours of tunes between
charges, live in a teeny charging
case thatll top you up with 24
hours of extra listening time, and
pair to your iPhone with a tap.
In your ears they look like the
kind of early-00s Bluetooth
headsets that were all the rage
with Goldman Sachs bankers,
but some will love how instantly
recognisable they are.
Put them in and your music
starts playing; pull them out

HANDS-ON VERDICT
These buds look good and
feel funky, but the sound
still lets them down

Motorola Verve Ones+

Bragi Dash

Samsung Gear IconX

Bose QC35

AKG Y50BT

Parrot Zik 3.0

LG Tone Platinum

JBL Reflect Mini BT

Monster iSport Wireless

Three hours per charge, and

a carry case to top them up.
229 / verve.life

Lovely noise-cancellers that

drown out the world with beats.
289 / bose.co.uk

These hook up to a batterystuffed neckband with mic.

130 / lg.com

48

The original wireless earbuds

are chunky, but store 4GB.
299 / bragi.com

These sound great, fold flat and

can go 20 hours on a charge.
149 / uk.akg.com

The inter-bud cable reflects car

lights, so you wont go unnoticed.
79 / jbl.com

and the track will automatically

pause. Handy. Double-tapping
a bud will wake up Siri, and
you can answer calls with
the built-in mic.
Sound quality is a downer,
though. If youve tried Apples
EarPods, these sound pretty
much the same: mediocre. So
youre basically paying 159 to
cut the cord. Hmm. You might
be better off with one of the
alternatives below @elissaloi

These have wingtips that

keep them locked in place.
169 / samsung.com

Noise-cancelling on-ears
in eye-catching colours.
279 / parrot.com/uk

These are robust, sound OK and

wont require a remortgage.
79 / amazon.co.uk

Stable mate
It might fly solo, but the 7s
single 12MP camera still takes
great photos. Its now got
optical image stabilisation and
saves photos in a wider colour
gamut, looking fine on that
colour-calibrated 4.7in display.

FIRST TEST SPECIAL APPLE

Plucky seven

TESTED
iPHONE 7
from 599 / stuff.tv/iPhone7

So lets talk about that missing headphone

jack for a sec. If you dont already own a pair
of wireless or Lightning buds then its going
to sting a bit especially when you have to
reach for that pug-ugly adaptor.
That said, switching to Lightning isnt all
bad. Its freed up space inside the iPhone 7
for the same taptic engine you get in the
Apple Watch, adding force feedback to the
new all-digital home button. Games get in
on the fun too its like slapping a Rumble
Pak into an N64 controller all over again.
And you might not even need to reach
for your headphones, thanks to the new
stereo speakers. They can really pump
out sound when you crank up the volume.
Theyre a great match for the brighter,
more colourful screen too Netflix on
the move is a genuine treat, even if the
resolution hasnt had a bump.
Theres also room inside for your own
files. Ditching the basic 16GB storage
size was a great move, and the spacious
256GB model will keep media hoarders
happy, but its just a shame theres no
64GB sweet spot any more.
A firm press on any Apple app icon will
throw up a list of shortcuts for jumping
straight into the setting or mode you
want. Its perfect for snapping impromptu
selfies with the much-improved camera,
which handles low light as well as any
phone out there.
Theres loads to love here, with a whole
host of little tweaks that make this new
iPhone greater than the sum of its parts.
Itll serve you well even if its Android
rivals still offer better value for money.

Tech specs
Screen 4.7in 1344x750 LCD
Processor Apple A10 Fusion
quad-core OS iOS 10
Cameras 12MP rear, 7MP front
Storage 32/128/256GB RAM 2GB
Dimensions 138x67x7.1mm, 138g

STUFF SAYS
Forget the headphone
furore the iPhone 7 is
still a slick update with
some handy new features
49

FIRST TEST SPECIAL APPLE

Second wind
Apples apparently minor tweaks
have made the Watch Series 2
a real winner for sporty types
from 369 / stuff.tv/Watch2
Looks just like the last one,
doesnt it? But the new Apple
Watch has had some pretty
significant upgrades, the most
striking of which is waterproofing.
Good news for swimmers, yes,
but also for surfers, sauna fans
and forgetful showerers.
A combo of GPS, heart-rate
monitoring, accelerometers and
huge amounts of research is
claimed to make the Watch 2 the
most accurate sports tracker out
there. For our money the heart
monitoring seems less consistent
than one of those horrible chest
straps, but the rest is hard to fault.
The addition of GPS is a big boon
if you like to train unencumbered
by a phone. The Series 2 locks onto
a GPS signal almost instantly and
the screen is twice as bright as
before, while 2GB of space for
music gives you another reason
to leave the phone at home.
Its sportier than ever before,
then, but the new Apple Watch
is also smarter, thanks to a new
dual-core chip thats 50% faster
than the old one. That makes a big
difference to navigating the OS and
opening apps, and Siri feels more
responsive too. Siri on the Watch,
by the way, is awesome.

Strap up
Customising the look of your
Series 2 Watch is easy, as its
compatible with all of the
Series 1s straps, of which
there are now 10 styles in
numerous colours. The basic
Sport is really comfortable.
Face off
You can also very quickly and
easily change the Watchs
face between a number
of designs, each of which can
be customised to display
precisely the info you want to
see at a glance.

Despite the increase in power

and added GPS, the Series 2 lasts
longer than the original. Sure, two
days is about the most you can
expect, which is much less than a
Garmin or Pebble, but for the extra
functionality here its impressive.

Tech specs
Processor S2 dual-core Display
1000-nit OLED Connectivity GPS,
heart rate, accelerometer, gyroscope,
Wi-Fi, Bluetooth Waterproof 50m
Battery life Up to two days

STUFF SAYS The smartest watch is now one of the sportiest a great all-rounder
Say goodbye to
blinding bling,
say hello to
white ceramic
Tom Parsons

50

The Apple Watch has actually put on a bit of extra bulk for its Series 2 appearance.
Youre not going to notice the extra millimetre, though. And what if you want a much
more exclusive version? The gaudy gold option has gone, replaced by a prettier white
ceramic model that starts at 1249. There are a number of new, extremely expensive
Hermes straps to choose from too, should you wish to really broadcast your wealth.

The first 360 VR

Action Cam in 4K
#explorein360

Visit: www.kodakpixpro.com/Europe

FREEBIE LOVER

100 apps that wont cost you a thing

53

BEST FREE APPS

The other
Kindles in the
range have higher
screen resolution
(300ppi compared to
167ppi) but its still
easier on the eyes
than a tablet.

REDDIT
Getting to work to find
out youve missed out on
a new meme can see you
becoming a social pariah
around the watercooler. To
make sure youre on top of
breaking internet crazes,
AMAs with Very Important
Cats, or the latest posts
in r/slavs_squatting, get
Reddits app. Just dont
miss your stop.
free / iOS, Android

AMAZON
KINDLE

THE TECH

60 / amazon.co.uk

If you want to be top dog on the 8:21 to Wage Slave Parkway,

the luxuriously expensive Kindle Oasis is the only choice for you;
but if you can afford one of those you probably dont need to put
yourself through the misery of commuting by train. Join the rest
of the worker drones with a 6in basic Kindle, which has recently
had a few millimetres shaved off the edges (its 11% thinner)
and been spruced up with a nicer chassis (its 16% lighter).
Unfortunately theres no built-in light, so you might have trouble
reading it when the darkness of another impending Monday
morning envelops your soul.
54

KINDLE

MARVIN 3

Sure, youll probably have

to buy books to read on it,
but if you own a Kindle the
free app is worth installing
if only so you can keep
reading when youve left
it at home. As long as you
keep the web connection
on itll sync between your
registered devices, so
you can blaze through
Moby-Dick in no time.
free / amazon.co.uk

You possibly missed

Marvins 1 and 2, but
this e-reading app offers
features you wont find in
most of its rivals. Itll open
a boatload of file formats,
from books to comics, plus
it supports the newest iOS
functionality such as Split
View and Side Over, so pair
it with something thats
got plenty of pixels.
IAPs / iOS

BEST ON
iPAD

BEST FREE APPS

COMMUTER COMPANIONS

MAPMYWALK
Want to get fitter but
just cant find the time?
Tracking your normal
pavement-pounding with
MapMyWalk will give you
an idea of how much more
walking you should be
doing, so you can hop off
the bus a couple of stops
early, or scoot up and
down the stairs a few
times at lunchtime.
IAPs / iOS, Android

SLACK

SIDECHEF

Despite being a glorified

IRC client, Slack is slowly
replacing email as Stuffs
go-to way to share gifs
and YouTube videos. And
while wed never endorse
working while youre not
being paid, Slacks app is
great for keeping in touch.
You know, if you have an
urgent meeting at the pub
on a Friday afternoon.
free / iOS, Android

Youre almost home but

youve just remembered
theres nothing but an old
lime and some brie in the
fridge. Fire up SideChef
and its daily homepage
will provide the necessary
culinary inspiration,
the ingredients needed,
plus the step-by-step
instructions (plus videos)
on how to make it. Sorted.
free / iOS, Android

VS

MICROSOFT
OUTLOOK
Microsoft killed our
favourite calendar app,
Sunrise but thankfully
its been swallowed up by
the latest Outlook app.
It plugs into your email
accounts, Facebook
events and Songkick
plans, plus theres
OneDrive online storage
included too.
free / iOS, Android

OVERCAST

POCKET

INSTAPAPER

Podcasts are a commuters best friend: funny,

educational, time-killing and most of all completely
free. So even if you have to spend 40 minutes
pressed against a perspiring businessman from
Basingstoke, you wont mind, because you can
use Overcast to listen to another episode of Alice
Isnt Dead. Overcast is better than Apples built-in
podcasts app and it includes neat power-ups that
allow you to boost voices on quieter recordings and
shorten any silences that stretch the running time.
IAPs / iOS

The Pocket vs Instapaper

battle is the catch-up
reading app equivalent
of the Coca-Cola vs Pepsi
argument. In the Coke
corner is Pocket the
magazine to Instapapers
broadsheet newspaper,
keen to show you images
and video alongside the
text of any articles you
send to it.
IAPs / iOS, Android

In the blue corner is

Instapaper a far more
minimalist approach that
borrows from e-readers
to fill its feature set.
Theres less emphasis
on images but it gives you
more options to change
fonts, you can highlight
passages or sort articles
into folders, and itll tell you
how much is left to read.
IAPs / iOS, Android
55

BEST FREE APPS

GAME CHANGERS
RODEO STAMPEDE
We at Stuff HQ arent privy to how zoos are run, but
were pretty sure Rodeo Stampede plays fast and
loose with reality. Here, you saddle up, leap into the
air and lasso a rampaging beast. Ride said critter for
long enough and itll decide it loves you and wants
to be a part of your zoo. Did we mention your zoo
is floating in the sky? Rodeo Stampede then finds
you switching back and forth between catching new
animals (super-fast twitchy ostriches, bulldozer-like
elephants) and micro-managing your menagerie.
IAPs / iOS, Android

CALLYS
CAVES 3
Youll probably be a few
levels into Callys quest
to rescue her parents
before you wonder what
the catch is. But there
isnt one. This really is
a charming old-school
platformer with smart
level design and weapons
that get more powerful
the more things you shoot.
IAPs / iOS, Android

LETTERPRESS
The ideas easy: take
it in turns to find the
longest words you can
on a five-by-five grid.
But the cunning bit is that
any tiles surrounded by
ones youve claimed are
protected from your online
opponent during their
next go. Letterpress
therefore becomes a
tug-of-war landgrab.
IAPs / iOS

BENEATH THE
LIGHTHOUSE
Whats beneath the
lighthouse? A lost grandpa
and a network of caverns.
Each is a smartly designed
circular death trap, rotated
by turning an on-screen
wheel, with nothing more
than gravity helping your
character on his way.
Some are simple, some
are fiendish.
IAPs / iOS, Android

VS

56

SMASH HIT

PICO RALLY

CARRAGE

Cathartic, atmospheric
and addictive, Smash Hit
is an abstract and semiambient smash-em-up.
You float through the void,
lobbing metal balls at
crystals; all the while, you
must judge which glass
forms are about to collide
with you and smash them
to pieces. Each new level
brings surprises.
IAPs / iOS, Android

Pico Rally boils the racing

experience down to
a single button: an
accelerator. That makes
it feel a bit like slot-racing,
with you timing when to
put your foot down and
when to lift off. It gets
pretty frantic, never more
so than when trying to
catch rivals on maze-like
tracks in Asia.
IAPs / iOS

CaRRage depicts what the

nutcases in the Mad Max
flicks presumably do on
their days off. Armoured
vehicles zoom about
in a ravaged wasteland,
aiming to smash up the
opposition. There are even
Fury Road-style supply
runs where hordes of
hostile vehicles try to take
your cargo for themselves.
IAPs / iOS

BEST FREE APPS

This is the Digital

10,000 if you
want something a little
smaller, the 6,000 takes
up less space but still
has enough juice for
two charges.

LEAP DAY
A new challenge beckons
daily in this one-thumb
platformer. Your little blob
pootles about, and you tap
to make it jump, threading
your way through nasties
to reach the top of each
tall, narrow level. It visually
echoes 1980s classics
such as Bubble Bobble
but has the brutal heart
of Super Hexagon.
IAPs / iOS, Android

THE TECH

CYGNETT
CHARGEUP
39 / uk.cygnett.com

No matter how many charges it gives you, theres not much point
lugging around a portable charger if it weighs the same as a
petrol-driven electricity generator. Cygnetts Chargeup Digital
10,000 uses polymer rather than lithium-ion battery tech, which
keeps the weight down despite it holding enough juice to charge
your phone around five times before needing a re-up. And with a
pair of USB ports you can charge two phones simultaneously. You
know, for when youre so deep in a Clash Royale hole you have to
play it on two phones at once.

FRISBEE
FOREVER 2
It seems odd that a game
called Frisbee Forever
could have a sequel,
but theres an almost
Nintendo-style charm
to this disc-flinger. The
mechanics are idiotproof:
move left and right to keep
your frisbee on the right
path and collect stars to
stay airborne.
IAPs / iOS, Android

TIME LOCKER
In this strange, blocky
universe of roaming
dinosaurs and giant bears,
time freezes when you
stop moving. This is less
helpful than you might
think, given that youll be
devoured by the relentless
darkness if you sit still for
long. But Time Locker is a
little bit cleverer than your
average vertical shooter.
IAPs / iOS

57

BEST FREE APPS

A lot of phones
will fit the default
size of Pocket Tripod.
But if yours doesnt,
there are adaptors to
make sure it sits well
and wont topple.

SNAPSEED
This photo editor excels
when youve got a lot of
screen space to play with.
Choose an adjustment
type (such as black
& white or tilt-shift)
and the app gives you
a gestural interface. Edits
can be added in layers and
tweaked later, so dont
worry about ruining your
masterpiece.
free / iOS, Android

58

RETRICA

MSQRD

The iPhones camera

app already has eight
live filters, but Retricas
selection is larger. Its
other creative tools
include vignettes, blurs
and borders. Our favourite
feature is the interval timer,
which takes consecutive
photos and stitches
them together in a
user-defined layout.
free / iOS, Android

Unless youre 17 years

old, Snapchats CGI-style
mods should be off limits.
Ah, but some of them are
quite good. Luckily, MSQRD
offers similar live overlays
that you can save to your
phone. It periodically
updates with new topical
masks and filters, so youll
never be upstaged by your
teenage niece again.
free / iOS, Android

POCKET
TRIPOD

THE TECH

from US$19 / pocket-tripod.com

Wielding a selfie stick not only marks you out as a narcissistic

cretin; its also one extra thing to carry around with you. You
could shove it where the sun is too embarrassed to shine, or you
could use a Pocket Tripod instead. When not on duty it patiently
waits in your wallet disguised as a credit card but the second
you need to hold your phone steady for a selfie, a long-exposure
shot or a timelapse video, it twists and twizzles into a sturdy little
tripod. The angle of your phone is even adjustable. Handy if you
ever run into Peter Crouch.

BEST FREE APPS

BEST
FOR
SELFIES

PRISMA

PHOTOSHOP FIX

PIXLR

Not many people wake

up and face the world
completely #nofilter. Yep,
even that 8 seconds you
spend in front of the mirror
sorting your hair out
counts. So nobody will
judge you if you run your
selfies through Photoshop
Fix before posting them,
using its simple tools to
give yourself a little boost.
free / iOS

Pixlr puts itself ahead

of Androids myriad other
free photo editors simply
by being ad-free; but
its huge range of tools
enables you to do anything
from simple cropping,
rotating and collaging to
subtly adding radial focal
blurs or going all out with
all kinds of grunge and
crazy effects.
free / iOS, Android

If good artists borrow and great artists steal, Prisma

is the perfect accessory to your crime. So much
more than just a set of clever filters, it deconstructs
your photos and uses cloud-based machine learning
tech to apply its artist-aping effects to your pictures
as it puts them back together, resulting in some
of the most convincing homages youll get from a
phone without having to add any talent at all. MIOBI,
Curtain and Electric are our favourites. Just dont
forget to turn off the watermark in the settings first.
free / iOS, Android

GOOGLE PHOTOS
Google Photos has a neat
trick up its sleeve. No more
having to go through and
tag all of your pictures
(amusing vegetables,
cows that look like
Hitler etc) it analyses
and groups them
automatically, so search
cows and the one that
looks like historys most
evil vegetarian will appear.
free / iOS, Android

MOTION STILLS
GIPHY CAM

FYUSE

The gif has become

valuable currency on
the stock market of social
media, so being able to
churn out your own from
your phones camera will
put you in a strong position
to harvest those likes and
retweets. Giphy Cam is
a cinch to use and has an
ever-changing catalogue
of meme-worthy effects.
free / iOS

Remember those
lenticular holograms on
the front of cereal boxes
in the 90s? Fyuse is that
for the emoji generation.
Kind of. Use Fyuse to take
a curved panorama photo,
capturing a 180 view of
a subject, and the app will
turn it into a gif-type 3D
file that moves as you tilt
your phone left and right.
free / iOS, Android

Apples Live Photos can be

neat but theyre difficult to
liberate from your phone.
Googles Motion Stills app
scours your camera roll
for compatible images and
lets you turn them into
shareable gifs or video
clips, with the option to
either loop the video or
bounce it back and forth
from start to finish.
free / iOS

PHONETOGRAPHY
59

BEST FREE APPS

ARMCHAIR ATHLETES
PREMIER LEAGUE
The Premier League used to charge for its fantasy
football app, but now its put everything in one
handy package. That means when youre in the
supermarket on Saturday morning and you suddenly
remember youve left Sergio Aguero on your bench,
you can quickly amend your starting line-up before
the deadline. Phew. The apps also full of news,
stats and videos. Theres even a page on referees,
presumably for you to yell at when your team has
a last-minute winner wrongly ruled out.
free / iOS, Android

BBC SPORT

ESPNCRICINFO

Apparently there are

sports other than football.
Who knew? The BBC,
for one it has an app
dedicated to everything
from NFL to netball.
Itll show you headlines
and scores, with a
customisable section
you can fill with the sports
you want to be kept up to
date on.
free / iOS, Android

Theres only one thing

cricket fans like more than
the sound of leather on
willow and thats talking
about it. To do that you
need ammo, and ESPNs
Cricinfo app provides lots.
Its packed with stats,
scores and breaking news
from the worlds most
civilised game. Is it time
for tea yet?
free / iOS, Android

SKY Q
from 44/month,
sky.com
Now its the home of
the Premier League
(well, most of it), all
the good cricket and
Formula 1 (which
will be in 4K from
next season) not
forgetting the NFL,
and more boring
sports such as golf
can you really call
yourself an armchair
athlete without a Sky
subscription?

LIVE
FOOTBALL ON TV
With Sky and BT Sport
moving the fixtures
around willy nilly
to satisfy the
astronomical fees
theyve spent on
broadcasting rights
this season, it can be
difficult to keep up with
whos on TV and when.
The free version of this
app will let you track
one team at a time; itll
tell you when theyre
going to grace your
TV screen and what
channel itll be on.
IAPs / iOS, Android
60

STATS ZONE
Its all very well calling
Robbie Savage a clueless
waste of space when
hes on TV, but can you
do better? Boost your sofa
punditry with Stats Zone,
which will generate the
facts and figures to back
up your radical tactical
ideas (rather than relying
on a mediocre playing
career and bad hair).
free / iOS, Android

THE
TECH

BEST FREE APPS

THE
TECH

LG G5
530 / lg.com

CAR
DASHDROID

If you like to tinker

under the hood,
theres really no
other phone for
you. LGs modular
G5 allows you to pull
it apart and slot in
specific power-ups,
whether thats a B&O
DAC to make your
music sound sweeter
or a supercharged
camera to give
you a head start
on Instagram.

Got a fancy new phone

but drive the automotive
equivalent of a Nokia
3310? Use this app to turn
your phone into a pseudo
Android Auto dashboard.
It makes the icons more
proddable, plus itll read out
your texts and Whatsapp
messages for you to
dictate responses to.
free / Android

VS

LOKLOK

STATUS BOARD
Chances are that your iPad sits around doing nothing
much of the time. Status Board gives your tablet
purpose during this downtime, displaying all kinds
of info. Precisely what info is down to you: the app
gives you widgets for a clock, weather, calendar,
email subjects/counts, Twitter and RSS. Splurge on
the 7.99 IAP and you can add graphs, tables, DIY
HTML, countdowns, text and photo albums. HDTV
support also makes Status Board a superb means
of creating a live status display for an office.
IAPs / iPad

SWIFTKEY

GBOARD

Some people still dont

realise they can switch
the keyboard on their
phone. Swiftkeys the
old favourite, with its neat
swipe-to-type system
that turns you into a
texting ninja. It can now
predict which emoji you
want based on the words
youve typed. Insert
sunglasses emoji here
IAPs / iOS, Android

Googles Gboard takes

Swiftkeys finger-swiping
typing tech and throws in
some of the search skills
Google is best known
for. It lets you seamlessly
chuck in links, pictures and
gifs related to what youve
just written, so you dont
need to keep switching
between your message
and browser.
free / iOS

With the LokLok app

you can set a picture
as your lockscreen
then scribble on top
of it. Whatever you
draw or write will then
appear on top of the
lockscreens of all
those in your LokLok
group. Presumably its
intended to be used
for sharing notes and
pics between people,
without them even
having to unlock their
phones. We do not
condone using it to
send people rude
scrawls. Not at all.
IAPs / Android

MOBILE MODDERS
61

BEST FREE APPS

AIRHELP

ROME2RIO
Youre in Rome. You want
to get to Rio. This app
will tell you all the possible
permutations for that trip,
from car to train to plane.
Itll do it for other starting
points and locations
too, with prices, booking
links and suggestions for
accommodation thrown in
for good measure. Spoiler
alert: its best to fly to Rio.
free / iOS, Android

Mugged off by the pirates of the sky? AirHelp is a

bit like one of those no win, no fee injury lawyers
but less shady. If your flights delayed, cancelled or
overbooked AirHelp will take up your case for you,
saving you from a frustrating Twitter spat with the
airlines poor social media manager or hours on
hold to the customer service department. If any
compensation is due to head your way, AirHelp takes
a sizeable chunk (25%) but what price can you put
on not having to do all that pesky paperwork?
free / iOS, Android

APP IN THE AIR

UBER

Airports can be stressful

places, especially if
youre not sure where
the Wetherspoons is. App
in the Air holds your hand
right until your backside
hits that seat on the
plane, with reminders
for everything from online
check-in to boarding
times. Itll show you tips
from other travellers too.
free / iOS, Android

Download Uber and youll

never have to hold your
phone up to a taxi drivers
face, pointing helplessly
at an address and hoping
they understand. Uber
takes the hassle out of
using taxis and eliminates
the chance of getting
ripped off by a driver
charging you an imaginary
tourist tax.
free / iOS, Android

VS

MAPS.ME

HOPPER

SKYSCANNER

Google Maps now lets you

save areas offline, but it
makes you redownload
them every 30 days. Store
the areas you need and
Maps.me works without
a web connection, complete
with directions and places
of interest. Itll even help
you hunt out Wi-Fi if you
have snaps you want to
upload to Instagram.
free / iOS, Android

Heading somewhere but

in no huge hurry to book?
Just tell Hopper where it
is youre hoping to fly to
and when, and itll monitor
flight prices, letting you
know when it expects
them to soar or drop so
you can get the best deal
going. Hopper reckons it
can save you up to 40%.
Not bad for a free app.
free / iOS, Android

If time is not on your side

but a bargain is still a
priority, Skyscanner
snoops through all the
flights on your selected
dates and shows you the
cheapest way to fly from
A to B. You can tell it to
ignore layovers; or, if youre
feeling adventurous, get
it to show you a load of
cheap flights and pick one.
free / iOS, Android

BINARY BACKPACKERS
62

BEST FREE APPS

UE reckons
the Roll 2 is
15% louder than
its predecessor. That
doesnt sound like a lot,
but every little counts
when your speakers
this small.

TRAFI
There are places in the
world that Citymapper
is yet to reach. Far-flung
towns such as Kayseri,
Kaohsiung and Kettering.
OK, Trafi might be no use
in Northamptonshire, but
its self-learning algorithm
and real-time updates
will help you navigate
transport systems in
more exotic locales.
free / iOS, Android

UE
ROLL 2

THE TECH

79 / ultimateears.com

A decent Bluetooth speaker should be behind only your passport

and clean pants on the essentials list when youre packing to go
away and there arent many as travel-friendly as the UE Roll 2.
It takes up as much space as a pair of socks, and with similar
audio smarts to the much bigger Boom 2 its capable of filling
anything from a cosy Airbnb lounge to a fancy boutique hotel
room. Its waterproof too, so you can take it to the beach and
bolster that Brits abroad stereotype by annoying all the locals
with your choice of tunes.

TRIPIT
Tripit is like having a PA in
your pocket. Send it all the
confirmation emails you
get for your journey and
it will build an itinerary, so
youll know exactly when
you need to be where.
You can even share it with
everyone else on the trip.
Well, you dont want to
leave Jamie behind, do
you? Not after last time.
IAPs / iOS, Android

GOOGLE
TRANSLATE
Rather than pointing at
items on a menu in the
hope one of them is steak
and chips, point Google
Translate at the problem.
It knows more than 70
languages and can convert
them into English for you
without needing a data
connection. It even works
on handwritten words.
free / iOS, Android

63

BEST FREE APPS

PART-TIME PICASSOS
VS
ASSEMBLY
Assembly claims to be graphic design for everyone.
In reality, its more like a modern take on playing
with felt shapes. At the foot of the screen theres
a shapes drawer, and you drag elements to the
artboard, which can then be moved and resized.
Get a little more advanced and they can be grouped
for mass manipulation, recoloured, and have effects
such as drop-shadows applied. You can even import
an image as a backdrop. You know, if you fancy having
a bash at designing next months Stuff cover.
IAPs / iOS

BRUSHES
REDUX

SKETCHBOOK
EXPRESS

The original Brushes app

sadly keeled over (boo!)
but became open-source
(hooray!) and now Brushes
Redux brings the app to
modern devices. Its still
simple and usable but also
powerful, and boasts one
of the best super-fast
brush creation tools youre
ever likely to see.
free / iOS

Proof you dont need

expensive creative apps
to get finger-painting,
SketchBook Express gives
you layers, opacity control,
15 preset brushes and
a transform tool. And if
youre not artistic, you
can always use it for
adding rude tattoos to
pictures of Michael Gove.
IAPs / iOS

PENCIL
BY 53
36, fiftythree.com

PAPER
Originally an elegant
drawing app for iPad,
Paper got a radical
overhaul with version
3. The sketching stuff
remained but was
joined by superb tools
for quickly creating
diagrams, taking notes
and making lists. Hip
beardists bemoaned
the loss of digital
notebooks, but we
much prefer the new
stacks of virtual paper
that explode into a wall
of sticky notes that are
easy to explore.
free / iOS

64

ANIMATIC
You wont be challenging
Pixar with Animatic, but
as you scribble each
frame you see previous
ones beneath in faded
form, ensuring smooth
transitions throughout
your DIY cartoon so you
might at least give early
South Park a run for its
money. Think of it like a
virtual flick book.
free / iOS, Android

Designed for iOS but

happy working with
any touchscreen, the
Pencil is the stylus
that goes with Paper.
It will work with other
drawing and writing
apps too which is
just as well, because
have you ever seen
a stylus that looks
as good as this? No
wonder its so pricey.

THE
TECH

BEST FREE APPS

HEALTH FREAKS
VS

RUNKEEPER

STRAVA

For 7.99 a month you

can turn Runkeeper into
a personal trainer in your
pocket with personalised
workouts, but for 0.00
a month you can log
your routes, store your
stats and compare your
performances with
friends. We just hope
for your sake youre not
buddies with Mo Farah.
IAPs / iOS, Android

If you prefer to burn your

calories on a bike, opt for
Strava over Runkeeper.
A superior cycling
community means
its maps have loads
of real-world time trial
routes that you can try
to beat on your commute.
Just try not to get to work
too early. Nobody likes a
teachers pet.
IAPs / iOS, Android

SAMSUNG
GEAR
ICONX
169 / samsung.com
Exercise is boring
without music but
the wires can get in
the way. Samsungs
IconX in-ears are
cable-free, plus they
have fitness-tracking
tech built-in in case
you want to leave
your phone at home
while youre grunting.

THE
TECH

SLEEP BETTER

SEVEN

APP FORMERLY KNOWN AS H__R

Seven minutes is barely

enough time to polish off
a kebab, but according to
this app it is enough for a
daily workout. With nothing
more than your phone, a
chair and a wall, Seven will
guide you through a quick
set of exercises you can do
each morning while waiting
for the bathroom.
IAPs / iOS, Android

H__r (to give it its shorter name) is either a poncey

avant-garde remix app or a tool to help you shut out
the hustle and bustle of daily life, whether youre
trying to concentrate at work or get some sleep at
night. Depending on which of the seven filters you
select, it listens to the sounds being made around
you and applies varying amounts of delay, reverb
and volume-boosting to all of it (you can tweak
the settings to suit), so next doors noisy kids
might as well not exist. Either that or itll give you
really weird dreams.
free / iOS

Rather than turning to

your old friends Mr Jack
Daniel or Mademoiselle
Artois to help you
get to sleep at night,
Runtastics Sleep
Better app sits on
the edge of the bed
while you snooze and
analyses your sleep
patterns, waking you
up at the right time
and, hopefully, making
it easier to drop off at
night. You can also use
it to keep a diary of your
dreams and monitor
phases of the moon.
IAPs / iOS, Android

65

BEST FREE APPS

The S7 Edge
isnt just a big
battery and an even
bigger screen. Those
curved edges run handy
widgets, and its got
oomph for days.

SHOOTY SKIES
Its roots are in the scrolling
shooters of the 1980s, but
rather than downing an
endless stream of boring
jets, Shooty Skies has you
attacking joystick-spewing
arcade cabinets and
laptops running LOLcat
loops. Daft, but getting
past the colossal bosses
requires some seriously
deft finger-work.
IAPs / iOS, Android

THE TECH

SAMSUNG
GALAXY S7
EDGE
from 599 / samsung.com

Games eat your battery like grime MCs consume Nandos, but the
Edges 3600mAh cell will last over a day with normal usage. Some
intense sessions on Rodeo Stampede will bring that down, but
with a 5.5in Quad HD screen youll be too pixel-dazzled to notice.
Its also waterproof to 1.5m, so you dont even have to stop playing
when you get in the bath.
66

PAC-MAN 256

SPACETEAM

This re-imagining of the

iconic dot-munchers
maze-based adventures
dumps Pac-Man beyond
the infamous Level 256
glitch that consumed
everything in its path. Our
hero must keep moving,
grabbing power-ups that
enable him to spew laser
death from his maw. Ah,
yes that bits new.
IAPs / iOS, Android

Social mobile games

often only let you battle
someone on Facebook,
but Spaceteam is different.
Up to four players join
on a local network, faced
with a control panel of
dials and sliders. Everyone
must coordinate to deal
with instructions (Set
Shiftsanitizer to 1!), lest
the spaceship explode.
IAPs / iOS, Android

BEST FREE APPS

MORE GAME CHANGERS

DEEP LOOT

CLASH ROYALE
Clash Royale might look
like one of those horrible
freemium games you see
advertised on TV (and it
sort of is), but this mashup of real-time strategy
and card-collecting is so
compelling that its worth
dodging its attempts to
mug your wallet. Your bank
balance might be safe, but
your free time wont be.
IAPs / iOS, Android

SUPER
DANGEROUS
DUNGEONS
The name makes it sound
like childs play, but each
of these dungeons is
peppered with traps intent
on impaling or drowning the
intrepid Timmy as he aims
to grab the keys and reach
the exit. Which sounds
simple until youve died
27 times.
IAPs / iOS, Android

VS

SUPER
STICKMAN GOLF 3
Super Stickman Golfs
catapulting ancestor is
the same Apple II artillery
game that Angry Birds has
at its core, but thwacking
balls around giant
forests in this mini-golf
extravaganza is much
more fun, particularly in
the frenetic multiplayer
race mode.
IAPs / iOS, Android

WGT GOLF
If youd prefer something
a little more down to earth,
WGT Golf hits a hole in
one for realism, from the
delicate controls through
to the eye-popping photorealistic courses you play
on. It takes no prisoners,
mind, and its all too easy
to end up embarrassingly
over par. Best get
practising, eh?
IAPs / iOS, Android

This sweet exploration game resembles such mobile

classics as Mines of Mars and Mr Driller. Your little
diver scoots about, unearthing wrecks and treasure
in a procedurally generated watery environment,
taking his turn to move before various fishy critters
follow suit. Loads of surprises hide in the depths,
and theres a real sense of progression as you add
to collections back on the surface. Its grindy at first,
and dives are short; but persevere and youll salvage
one of the best mobile games around.
IAPs / iOS, Android

IMAGO
The aim of Imago is to
merge tiles of the same
size and colour to form
large blocks. These then
explode back into
individual squares, each
retaining the score of its
parent. Savvy planning can
quickly see your score leap
into the millions. Ignore the
IAPs and this is one of the
finest puzzlers around.
IAPs / iOS, Android

HOPELESS:
THE DARK CAVE
Hopeless sees you playing
as cute, gun-toting yellow
blobs in a gloomy cave.
Things run at you and
you only have a moment
to react: monsters must
be shot and other yellow
blobs left alone so they
can join you and increase
your powers. Tense, frantic
entertainment.
IAPs / iOS, Android
67

BEST FREE APPS

WEEKEND WANDERERS
GLP GREAT LITTLE PLACE
Second only to kidnapping a local, Great Little Place
helps you to find the bars and restaurants that
others dont know about (well, unless theyve also
got this app). Its a bit like a dating app for food and
drink, although you dont have to worry whether a
restaurant or pub fancies you back. Find something
you like the look of and you can add it to your
shortlist. Find somewhere you like thats not on
the app and you can add it yourself. Just dont get
annoyed if it suddenly gets harder to find a table.
free / iOS

CAMONROAD
Going on a road trip? After
a decent playlist and
plenty of sweets, a satnav should be top of your
kit list and CamOnRoad
is GPS with a twist. Mount
it on your windscreen and
it doubles as a dashcam,
with footage sent to the
cloud and augmented
reality directions and
points of interest overlaid.
IAPs / iOS, Android

MET OFFICE
WEATHER

LIVETREKKER

Youd have to be a fool to

go out in the UK without
checking the forecast
first. The official Met Office
app isnt fancy you get
a timeline of the changing
skies, maps showing
incoming fronts, plus alerts
for unexpected events.
Because sometimes it
snows in April.
IAPs / iOS, Android

If you like spending your

weekends outdoors it can
be tough to keep track of
where youve ventured,
but LiveTrekker uses
your phones GPS to
leave a digital trail. You
can add pics of the most
picturesque views, videos
of you getting spat on by
that llama, and notes to
remind you of your day.
free / iOS, Android

VS

68

ONEFOOTBALL

GOOGLE MAPS

OS MAPS

Just because youre

spending Saturday at
Ikea doesnt mean you
cant keep up with whats
happening around the
grounds. Onefootball will
send you goal notifications
(to your smartwatch if
you have one), so youll
know not to miss Zlatans
96th-minute equaliser on
Match of the Day.
free / iOS, Android

Most people dont need to

be told Google Maps exists,
but if youre still using
Apples effort then clearly
you havent been listening.
Googles guidance is better,
plus Street View is handy
for checking out routes and
destinations before you
arrive. Existing users might
not know you can also save
chunks offline now.
free / iOS, Android

If your choice for a

weekend wander is
off the tarmacd track,
youll need more detail on
your maps than just where
the nearest Starbucks
is. Ordnance Survey has
decades of experience
supplying exactly that;
and while the free version
isnt perfect, itll do for the
odd excursion.
IAPs / iOS, Android

BEST FREE APPS

The trackers
battery lasts at
least a year, but
when its dead Tile will
recycle it for you and
give you money off
a replacement.

MAGNUS
So youve wandered into
that gallery you always
planned to check out, but
its so coolly minimalist
theres no information
about any of the pictures.
Never mind Magnus is
like Shazam for art. Let
your phones camera see
what you want to identify
and around 70% of the time
the app will recognise it.
free / iOS

TILE
SLIM

THE TECH

US$30 / thetileapp.com
When youre gallivanting about the place downing Bloody Marys
and sampling craft beer, it can be easy to lose track of time/your
belongings/your mind. You cant attach a Bluetooth tracker to two
of those things but you definitely can to the other. Tiles new Slim is
bigger than its original tracker but much slimmer, so itll slip easily
into your wallet, camera bag or Panama hat band and you can use
the app to track it down if it goes missing. Get close but cant quite
lay your hands on it? You can trigger an alert noise to sound from
the accompanying app. Just try not to swallow it by mistake.

FOURSQUARE

CITYMAPPER

FourSquare is no longer
about checking in to your
local chippy in the hope of
becoming its mayor. Now
its about discovering
places to eat and drink
around you. Results show
their ranking and price, and
theres also a section that
suggests other places of
interest, from historic sites
to jazz clubs. Nice.
free / iOS, Android

Theres still no better

app than Citymapper
for getting from A to B,
and its now available in
36 cities around the world.
Tell it where you want to
go and itll work out every
permutation of public
transport to get you there,
with time and price info,
plus how long it would
take to walk instead.
free / iOS, Android

69

BEST FREE APPS

THE
TECH

KITCHEN STORIES

LG
OLED55C6V
2299 / lg.com

ADOBE
LIGHTROOM

If youre going to spend so much time watching other

people cook their dinner on MasterChef and its ilk,
you might as well have a go yourself. Kitchen Stories
is awash with mouthwatering but helpful, cleanly shot
videos covering recipes and essential skills, such
as how to prepare a squid or make a hearty beef
stew. Itll tell you exactly how long a dish will take to
make, and when you adjust the number of portions
required it automatically alters the ingredients. Just
make sure you can see the TV from your kitchen.
IAPs

Our favourite Ultra HD

telly is almost too
talented for Apples
tiny black box (it
cant feed the LG a
4K HDR signal at
least not yet), but
dont let that stop
you investing in this
amazing rectangle
of tech with a curved
screen. The OLED
picture will blow your
slippers off.

Were bending the rules a

little with this one because
you need a Creative Cloud
subscription to use it, but
if youre serious enough to
subscribe for Photoshop
you should be just as
serious about showing
off the results and where
better than on the biggest
screen in your house?
CC from 8.57/month

VS

FLICKR
If nothing else, Flickr
is worth signing up for
just to get the 1TB of
storage and automatic
photo backup to the
cloud that it offers for
free. But if you also
happen to own an
Apple TV and have
access to some poor
unsuspecting victims,
its also a neat way to
subject the family to a
slideshow of your snaps
from your summer
holiday in Alicante (or
those from holidays
uploaded by people
you dont even know).
free

PLEX

INFUSE 4

Plex appeared in unofficial

form on jailbroken secondgen Apple TVs but now its
gone legit, keeping your
movie collection in shape
and streaming it from your
computer or NAS to your
telly. You can also select
what you want to watch
on your phone or tablet
and then seamlessly send
it to the TV instead. Neat.
IAPs

Infuse is a similarly
skilled streaming app,
re-encoding your files
on the fly as you fling
them from a PC, Mac or
NAS to that little black
box under the telly, so
you dont need to worry
about pesky conversion.
Artwork, catalogue
sorting and metadata
are all automatic.
IAPs

APPLE TV ESSENTIALS
70

BEST FREE APPS

HUMAN DIY

PHOTOMATH

TED

Thought youd left maths

lessons at school? Well,
you were rubbish at it then
and youre still rubbish at it
now. Write down the sum
you need to solve, point
your camera at it and
Photomath will show you
step-by-step instructions
on how to solve it. If only
youd had a smartphone
back in the day, right?
IAPs / iOS, Android

TED is food for the brain,

full of riveting talks by all
manner of clever people,
which you can watch
live or download to view
offline. Given that this is
an app about discovery,
were particularly fond of
the Surprise Me section.
Define the type of content
you want to see and it will
offer talks to suit.
free / iOS, Android

XIAOMI
YEELIGHT
47 / xiaomi-mi.com
This bedside
smartlight has
modes for any mood,
with a free app to
change the colour
Hue-style. Itll also
help you read before
bed without straining
your eyes, plus its
wake-up function
will gently ease you
out of your slumber
each morning.

THE
TECH

TICKLE

REACHOUT BREATHE

DUOLINGO

STRESS! ANXIETY! MORE STRESS! If your hearts

thumping now, you could probably use ReachOut
Breathe, an app designed to slow your breathing and
help you unwind. You place a finger on the screen,
breathing in until a circle fills. You then hold your
breath for a bit and breathe out until the circle fades.
This probably sounds like its turned us into a bunch
of hippies (man), but ReachOut Breathe really works.
Try it. Relax. Be briefly at one with the world, until
some idiot does something to annoy you again.
free / iOS

Annoyingly, weve found

that eating loads of tapas
and watching La Liga isnt
enough to gain fluency
in Spanish. Fortunately,
Duolingo turns learning
the basics of a foreign
language into a game-like
experience through
exercises, stats, and a
gentle difficulty curve.
IAPs / iOS, Android

Self-improvement isnt
all about sitting in a
cupboard and thinking
of your happy place.
Tickle teaches you how
to code using a simple
block-based system,
slotting commands
together like a jigsaw.
Itll work with your
Sphero BB-8, Philips
Hue bulbs and other
programmable gadgets,
so you can put what
youve learned into
action straight away.
free / iOS

71

BEST FREE APPS

LIFE ADMIN
VS
CTRL-F
Not an app youll use every day, but Ctrl-F can
certainly come in handy. The name is the keyboard
shortcut to search for something on a document,
and that should give you a clue as to what it does.
Take a picture of a page of text and the app will
digitise it, giving you a fully searchable version that
can help you find the bit youre looking for, plus you
can export the doc as a printable PDF. If only you
could hold it up to your house and get it to scan for
your car keys.
free / Android

WUNDERLIST

ANY.DO

EVERNOTE

If find a new to-do list

app is somewhere on
your to-do list, Wunderlist
deserves an audition. It
works on everything from
your Apple Watch to your
web browser, syncing
between them. You can
also add notes for those
particularly mammoth
jobs, like cleaning your
pet mammoth.
IAPs / iOS, Android

Were all busy. Busy

sticking our to-do lists
on the fridge door or
tapping reminders into
our phones. Any.do is
the best way to keep
on top of it all, thanks
to its cloud syncing and
sharing skills. You can run
it as a live widget on your
homescreen and separate
your tasks into folders.
IAPs / iOS, Android

You can only use Evernote

on two devices for free,
but its still a great dumping
ground. Quick idea for
something amazing?
Bung it in Evernote! Got
a receipt? Chuck it in
Evernote! Fancy recording
yourself yelling ARGH!
because you forgot to save
a receipt in Evernote? Do it
in Evernote!
IAPs / iOS, Android

VS

72

PUSHBULLET

MONZO

Install PushBullet on every

device you use and you can
control everything from
your computer: send texts,
see notifications, exchange
files and links (no more
emailing stuff to yourself).
It also means you can text
away at your desk without
fiddling with your phone
and itll look like youre
getting on with your work.
free / iOS, Android

An app that comes with

its own debit card, Monzo
is just about the techiest
bank out there. Every
time you spend using your
Monzo card (pre-pay only
for now, but it plans to
switch to full debit card
status next year) itll send
you notifications and show
how much youve spent so
far that day. How much?!
free / iOS, Android

MONEY
DASHBOARD
Money Dashboard can
track how much wonga
is leaking out of your credit
and debit cards. Input all
your accounts and itll
show you nice graphs
of where you spend the
most money. Time to cut
down on those trips to the
artisan pork scratchings
emporium, then
free / iOS, Android

BEST FREE APPS

The Echo can talk
to Nest kit, Philips
Hue lights and WeMo
tech, so you can instruct
it to control other
gadgets all over
your house.

FEEDLY
No matter how much
of the internet gets read,
there always seems to be
more to get through. Will
it ever end? An RSS reader
helps, and Feedly lets you
put all the stories from
your favourite sites into
one easily browsable list,
plus it integrates nicely
with the likes of Pocket
and Evernote. Get reading!
free / iOS, Android

AMAZON
ECHO

THE TECH

149 / amazon.co.uk

Having spent the last couple of years helping out our friends across
the pond, Amazons Echo is finally making the trip to the UK. This
hi-tech tennis ball tube is home to Alexa a Siri-style helper
that you can instruct to set timers, make lists and read out your
schedule for the day, among a stack other things that Siri can only
dream of. Use it as a brainy speaker or internet radio using voice
commands to get it to play what you want from Spotify, Audible
or TuneIn Radio. Dont fancy cooking? Get Alexa to look up nearby
restaurants for you. Its just a shame she cant call them and make
you a booking.

SUBSCRIPTME

1PASSWORD

That free trial with the

mail-order sausage firm
you signed up for is about
to end and with Netflix
and Spotify draining
your monthly income,
somethings got to give.
SubscriptMe scans your
phone and inbox to spot
what youre spending on
and will give you a reminder
when the bills are due.
free / iOS

Telling one app all your

passwords might seem
like Edward Snowdens
worst nightmare, but with
its 256-bit encryption,
1Password means you
can come up with stronger
passwords for each online
account without making
them too simple. Isnt it
time you moved on from
password12345 anyway?
IAP / iOS, Android

73

F I R S T T E S T F U J I F I L M X-T 2

Yes sir, I can Fuji

The X-T1 was already a great compact
system camera, but 4K video and better
autofocus make the sequel a real mover
1399 / stuff.tv/XT2
If Apple made cameras, theyd
probably look a lot like the Fujifilm
X-T2. As with the iPhone or iPad,
Fujis new compact system cam
melds style with simplicity for
a gadget youll itch to pick up but
wont want to put down. Like the
MacBook, it thumbs its nose at
the spec wars but still manages
to outperform most rivals. And as
with every Apple product, it costs
a pretty penny while seemingly
offering only a minor upgrade
over its predecessor.
Dont think its all hype and no
trousers, though; because while
it may look much like the X-T1,
the T2 is definitively a far better
camera. On the face of it the
biggest change here is the new
24.3MP X-Trans APS-C sensor,
which gives you 50% more pixels
to play with.
Thats no bad thing, but image
quality was never Fujis problem
anyway it really lagged behind
Canons recent efforts (and most
of its CSC rivals) due to its shoddy
video skills and so-so autofocus.
Well, theyve both been massively
improved here and then some.

1 Film developed
If video was the X-T1s Achilles
heel, the X-T2s been to a top
chiropodist: 4K recording is the
headline but the fact that it now
autofocuses smoothly and
continuously is just as big a deal.
Footage is sharp and you can also
use Fujis lovely filters while filming.

2 Focus pocus
The X-T2 autofocuses like a
champ. With 91 focal points,or
a massive 325 if you go manual,
its uncannily accurate and superfast even in gloomy conditions.
The subject-tracking mode can
even be customised according to
what youre shooting.

[ Words Marc McLaren ]

Good
Meh
Evil

74

C
an rus
tic he
lim d b
ax y o
. It ve
lo rw
ok h
Ac
s j elm
to tu
us in
tu all
tl g
rn y,
ike fe
n
an o
th elin
dn tq
eX g
ow uite
-T of
W
lo : th
1.
ck e
it ow
sd !
d
pr ia
op ls
on Foc
er are
e b us
ly e
ef is
.Y a
or so
ay sie
e
! r
Lo
I p fas
re t n
a s vin
s
ow
en g
s
th .
te the
e b It f
nc f
e I oc
ut eel
u
to s l
ne s
n. ike
ve nu
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St
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i
big ills
ou n t
ge loo
gh oo
r. k
t I . Th
Th th
d a
w ts
at e s
rit
ll a
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do m
.
fin e a
4K
e, s b
Go v
t
a v efo
od ide
er re,
jo o d
bI o
y bu
m t
ve es
uc
go nt h
h.
t t al
w ft
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ca up
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A
s n ac
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ow e.
en I
.

ew m o
du ut
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Th
ry ry
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gr . N
or m
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pi ge
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rs ial
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t. ur
e
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n
de cr
nly os
m
Ia o
m no
an c
ar hro
tis m
t! e

28 hours with the

Fujifilm X-T2

5mins

10mins 30mins 35mins 50mins

1hr

3hrs

6hrs

10hrs

F I R S T T E S T F U J I F I L M X-T 2

Tech specs
Sensor 24.3MP APS-C X-Trans CMOS III
ISO 200-12800 AF points 91 (325 manual)
Shutter speed 1/8000-30secs (manual);
1/32,000-30secs (electronic) Video 4K mpeg-4 AVC
Screen 3in, 10.4m dots Connectivity Wi-Fi, microHDMI,
microUSB, USB3.0, mic/remote, SD/SDHC card

Little wonders
The difference between a great camera and a camera
that just takes great photos? Touches such as these:

Dial it up

3 Black beauty
At first glance the T2 looks nearidentical to the T1, but thats fine.
Its a stunner: elegantly retro but
at the same time reassuringly
well built and impressively
weatherproof. It feels great
in the hand, with oodles of
manual controls at your fingertips.
4 Still got it
Fuji continues to forge its own
path image-wise, kitting out
the T2 with its own X-Trans
sensor. That means super-sharp
stills with bags of colour. The
straight-out-of-camera jpegs
are wonderful; you may never
need to go near the RAW files.

T
m he
y 18
35 -5
m 5
m ki
on t le
th ns
e p is
Fu
ics goo
is jis
ad c
ju d,
a
st bu
re m
am s
sin t w
na
g. it
to il
h
us ma
Fu
e f nu
a U jis
o
a
I o Re
rm lf
ve m
ac ocu
rh ot
ro s.
au e a
sn Th
l is pp
ap is
se w
s.
Ba
rio or
ks
up tt
u
s
e
f
th ry
ly in
er s
ov e b
e w go
er ut
du
n
ith e
e.
DS aga
LR in.
Di
s f Its
Ye d I
or c
s? m
st lea
W ent
am rl
ell io
in y no
n
Ill h
a. t
m ow
en
tio fas
ni ta
t a ut
ga ofo
in cu
an s
yw is?
ay
.

5 Filter it out
The Fujis pics have plenty of pop
but for maximum wow factor
check out the film sim modes.
These simple filters can be applied
at any time and range from the
moody Classic Chrome to the
gorgeous new Acros B&W option.
Instagram schminstagram.

20hrs

24hrs 25hrs

26hrs

28hrs

Taking photos should be a

tangible experience or you
might as well use a phone.
Here you get physical dials
for ISO, shutter speed and
exposure, with aperture
set on the lens. Youll
barely use the menus.

Dual delight

Like its stablemate the

X-Pro2, the X-T2 has dual
SD card slots. This is great
news: you can back up
images to the second card,
shoot jpegs to one and
RAW to the other, or just
use both in turn.

Button boon

Round the back theres

a new focus lever which,
with so many focus points
to choose from, youll
soon rely upon. Every
button can be customised
too, giving you the setup
that really works for you.

Screen dream

The screen flips sideways

as well as up and down,
making it easier to grab
shots in tricky positions.
Its not as flexible as
Canons class-leading
efforts, but its a step in
the right direction.

The Fujifilm X-T2 is a lesson in how

to upgrade an already great gadget.
There was no need for big changes
here the X-T1 was itself a brilliant
camera. Instead, Fuji focused on the
first models weaknesses, giving it superb
video and autofocus skills to go with the
already top image quality and build. The result
is a truly superb all-rounder. @marc_mclaren

STUFF SAYS
The X-T2 is a joy to hold and a
dream to shoot with; its a camera
youll quickly fall in love with
75

VERSUS LIGHTNING HEADPHONES

1 Heavy metal

The Sines metal frame can

take a battering but isnt
hugely flexible. Get through
a few albums and it may feel
stiff around your head.

2 Discretion session

TES
WIN T
NER

Top-end cans usually have

OTT looks, but Audezes
subtle styling means you
can take these out without
looking like a music snob.

3 Precious memories

The Fidelios cushions are

filled with memory foam, so
they mould to your lugs. It
seals in sound, but may turn
your ears a little toasty.

4 Use your head

The M2Ls dont have an

inline remote the volume
and playback controls are
built right into the ear cup
for easy skipping.

76

VERSUS LIGHTNING HEADPHONES

Lightning
strikes tw ce
Hit the road, jack socket if youre picking up a new iPhone and dont
want to go wireless (or fiddle about with an adaptor), youll need some
Lightning-cabled headphones. We put two top contenders to the test

Whats the deal?

Planar magnetic drivers are standard stuff

for top-end, listen-at-home headphones,
but rare as hens false teeth in a pair of
portable cans. Audeze has squeezed them
into a pair of on-ears you can actually
wear outside the house. The Sines are
iPhone 7-ready out of the box, but have
a 3.5mm cable too so you can swap the
wires out and plug into other kit.

Are they any good?

Theyre heavier than they look, but not

uncomfortable once youve got them on
your bonce. The cups sit on your ears, not
around them, so they dont completely
block outside noise but you dont need
to whack them up full blast to drown out
your commute. Still, if you do turn them up,
those drivers wont distort one bit.
The big focus on bass and treble leaves
the midrange just a little isolated. Thats
great if youre mostly listening to electronic
music: The Prodigys The Day is My Enemy
explodes out with every digital beat, and
Skrillexs signature brand of wub-wub is
suitably wub-wubby. But vocal-led tracks
dont have quite the same impact.
These are not the last word in critical
listening, then; but if your music has to
have real presence, with no chance of
distortion, they really hit the spot.

Philips Fidelio M2L

Whats the deal?

The Fidelio M1s are still some of the best

bang-for-buck on-ears weve ever had the
pleasure of putting on, and this Lightning
version is aiming for a repeat performance.
They ditch the removable 3.5mm cable for
a fixed Lightning connector, which is perfect
for the iPhone 7 and 7 Plus, but less handy
if you knacker it out: a broken cable here
means a whole new pair of cans.

Are they any good?

The leather and metal styling looks the

business, and theres plenty of movement
in the ear cups to get a comfy fit. Theyre
also pretty light on your head, so all-day
listening wont get heavy. The smaller
ear cups let in more noise than the Sines
chunky pads, so youll want to up the
volume a notch to mute the world.
A Lightning connector means your
phone isnt doing any of the work changing
digital to analogue decoding is all down
to the cans. Philips built-in DAC does great
things with our test tracks, pumping out
a rich, full-bodied sound with lots of bass,
even if the Audezes are that little bit more
punchy and precise.
If you could swap the cables around,
the M2Ls would be a no-brainer; but since
youre stuck with Lightning, they wont be
versatile enough for everyone.

Price 399 / audeze.com

Tech Planar magnetic drivers
Closed-back design >120dB
10Hz-50kHz 20 ohms 230g

Price 199 / philips.co.uk

Tech Dynamic drivers
Closed-back design >107dB
7Hz-25kHz 16 ohms 195g

Stuff says

Stuff says

Phenomenal sound thats not tied to an

iPhone 7, making them worth the extra cash

Portable, powerful, and pretty as long

as you dont mind being tied to Lightning

APP-LY
SOME
PRESSURE
Both these sets
of cans are plugand-play, but you
can tweak how the
Sines sound with
the Audeze app. Its
free in the iOS App
Store, and you can
set up two custom
EQ presets using
the 10 frequency
sliders. Dont want
to fiddle? Well,
dont install the
app they work
fine without it.
Theres no
official Philips
Fidelio app, but
youll need to
download a thirdparty player if
you want to listen
to hi-res music.
iTunes cant play
FLAC files, but
Onkyos HF
Music Player
(free to download,
7.99 for hi-res
playback) does
a great job. Just
dont expect
24-bit, 192kHz
audio the
Lightning
connector doesnt
support it at all.

[ Words Tom Morgan ]

Audeze Sine

77

n
o
d
n
o
L
g
n
Shapi

2016
Exhibition opens 20 May

Download the FREE

London Transport Museum
app for exclusive content
and special offers.

TEST UNDER ARMOUR SPEEDFORM GEMINI 2 RECORD EQUIPPED

Smart shoes. No, really

If these trainers dont get you moving,

nothing will. Why strap on a wearable
when your shoes know everything?
130 / stuff.tv/UAGemini
OK, Speedform Gemini 2 Record
Equipped is a bit of a mouthful for
a pair of running shoes, but its
the Record Equipped thats the
important bit. It means theres
a Bluetooth foot pod inside, for
recording all kinds of data every
time you run. Its sealed inside the
sole, so the only signs of the shoes
smarts are the tags on the laces.
Dont worry, your feet wont light
up like a fairground with every step.
The Gemini 2s are actually pretty
subtle in grey and red. You could
wear them to the ambassadors
reception without causing an
international incident.
The built-in battery doesnt
need recharging, and should last
for the lifetime of the shoes. Thatll
work out at around 500 miles of
running. And while a fitness tracker
is easily left at home, youll never
forget to put your shoes on before
you go for a run.
Out on the road, theres enough
sole padding to stop your tootsies
getting tender. The tracking tech is
only in the right shoe, but you cant
feel any weight difference once
youve laced them up. Just dont
expect them to keep score once
youre on your bike they only
record runs, not cycle rides.
Finish your workout and the pod
will automatically beam a record
back to your phone. Inside the app,
my distance, speed and pace were
all spot-on its as accurate as any
top-spec tracker.

App my run

Most Under Armour gear uses

the UA Record app, but these
kicks only work with Map My
Run. It syncs with apps such as
MyFitnessPal too, so you know
if youve done enough exercise
to burn off that pre-lunch donut.

Route master

Leave your phone at home and

the Gemini 2s will still record
your run, but youll only get GPS
mapping data if you bring your
handset along. It will save your
route as you run, so no need to
open the app before you set off.

Tech specs
Sensor Pedometer foot pod for
tracking time, cadence, duration,
distance, splits Connection
Bluetooth Sizes UK size 6-15
Weight 295g

STUFF SAYS Theyll get you race-ready, but only if you chosen discipline is running
Lace em up and
leave the phone
at home unless
you want GPS
Tom Morgan

Any bit of running tech you dont have to charge, turn on or even remember to wear
is a good thing. The Gemini 2s track your workouts with precision, are as comfy as a
regular running shoe, and dont cost much more either. Youll only get so many miles
out of a pair, youll still need a phone in your pocket for GPS, and they only record runs
(sorry, cyclists), but for sheer convenience they deserve a place in your kitbag.
79

W I

N
100
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VOUCHER

MISFIT
RAY
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OR 1 OF 5 MISFIT RAY BANDS
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about our magazine. Were listening! Let us
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the things we cover. Youll help inform crucial
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URBAN BIKES

The bikes

Coboc ONE Rome

New to biking? This light and

easy-to-use electric bike will get
you up and riding in double time.

URBAN
BIKES
STUFF PICKS

Canyon Urban 7.0

Ready to upgrade? The Urban

proves city bikes can be sexy
and low-maintenance.

Kona Honzo CR Trail

Want something different?

A hooligan hardtail mountain bike
is perfect for urban shortcuts.

Our favourite
city rides will
ensure you
arrive with a
smile on your
face and flies
on your teeth

Tern Verge X20

Need to use the train? Folding

bikes are allowed on most trains
and this ones a rocket off it.

81

URBAN BIKES

The e-bike

COBOC
ONE ROME
2999 / coboc.co.uk

Tom Morgan
Reviews Editor
A daily commute through
central London is probably
the 10th level of cycling hell,
but even with the ever-present threat
of militant cabbies, Cobocs electrically
assisted One Rome should make sure
I wont melt into a puddle of sweat by
the time I reach the office.
Not that youd know it was an electric
bike; Coboc stealthily stuffs the frame
full of batteries, and the motor is built
into the rear wheel. The power button
and charging port are hidden under the
top tube; the blue battery LEDs are the
only visible giveaway that youre not

purely running on pedal power. Its

assistance is most noticeable on hills,
although the minimalist motor only
makes 40nM of torque so I have to put
some effort in on big inclines.
But, unlike more powerful e-bikes,
the Coboc is light enough to reward
that graft. I find that I can blast past
the government-regulated 15mph
motor cut-off, winding the single gear
up to about 25mph in a sprint.
Range is minimalist too, at about
50 miles but the Coboc is designed
for buzzing around town, not climbing
Mont Ventoux. And the fact that its
light enough to take up four floors to
my flat every evening more than makes
up for the lack of adventure.

The light stuff

Even though the Rome is a

featherweight compared to most
e-bikes, hydraulic disc brakes give
you maximum stopping power.

Start me up

Underneath that classy Coboc

logo is the bikes on/off switch.
The charging port is under there
too, out of the rain.

Lend a helping foot

What looks like a big wheel hub

is actually a small wheel motor.
Its not as powerful as some, so
you will have to do some work.

TomTom
Spark 3

This pacetracking superwatch keeps an

eye on the miles
youre racking up,
and you can stay
smug knowing
your heart isnt
hammering away
while the bikes
motor does
its thing.
119 /
tomtom.com

82

Lifestraw Go
Gone so far that
youve drained
the Cobocs
battery? This
water bottles
got a purifying
straw built in,
so you can drink
straight out
of the Trent
while you work
out how to
get home.
46 /
amazon.co.uk

Lumo
Clissold
Bomber Jacket
Stay safe with
this lit-up jacket.
Its got LEDs
built in, so youll
stick out like a
beacon at night,
and with a motor
doing the work,
the thick lining
wont leave you
soaked in sweat.
125 /
kickstarter.com

Orp
Smart Horn

That zippy motor

will have you
whizzing along,
so youll want
something
to warn any
pedestrians
to get off their
phone and watch
where theyre
going 96dB
ought to do it.
US$65 /
orpland.com

URBAN BIKES

I CAN BLAST
PAST THE
15MPH MOTOR
CUT-OFF IN
A SPRINT

83

URBAN BIKES
Just add gadgets

Any aero advantage gained by

the slick stem design will soon be
ruined by lights, a GPS computer
and your big parpy horn.

Lose your seat

All the bikes in this feature have

racy-looking saddles. All of
which wed instantly swap out
for something more comfy.

It can look after itself

The never-needs-oiling belt drive

and enclosed 8-speed Shimano
Alfine hub gears make for a
maintenance-phobes dream.

The all-rounder

C A N Y O N U R B A N 7. 0
1139 / canyon.com

Ross Presly
Deputy Art Editor
Having ridden all of these
bikes extensively on rollers
(thats me blue-steelin all
over the pictures up there), mine is the
only opinion you should trust. Electric?
Too slow once the motor cuts out. MTB?
Good luck nipping through a gap with
those wide bars. Folder? Everybody
knows you should go Brompton.
But the Canyon is a truly versatile
urban cycling champ. Equipped with a
belt drive and eight-speed hub gear, its
easy to ride up hills, doesnt leave your
legs spinning on the descents, cruises
along the flats comfortably, then as a

84

trouser-flapping bonus the carbon fibre

belt drive is super-quiet and filth-free.
Youll probably notice a lot of people
trying to get a good look at your
interesting frame and asking about
that crazy headtube setup. If youre
like me youll tell them how long it took
you to figure out how to adjust the stem
(the bolt to loosen the top cap is on the
underside of the top tube).
The wheels and seat are secured
by antitheft bolts, and the fat 35mm
Schwalbe tyres roll really quickly and
offer plenty of grip. The only things Id
change are the pedals get some of
those double-sided ones Chee has
chosen over the page; theyll be a bit
more stable and grippy.

Cateye Volt
300/TL Rapid
X Rechargeable
Light Set
Youre going to
need lights to be
seen on those
murky evenings.
These have USB
connectors so
you can plug into
your computer
or phone charger
at work.
48 /
evanscycles.com

Chrome
Storm 415 Pro
Leather Boot

Winter is coming
and, as the storm
in their name
suggests,
these are fully
waterproof and
have reflective
heels. And
theyre SPD
compatible
to, erm, boot.
160 / chrome
industries.com

URBAN BIKES
Time to re-tyre

Best keep this off-road rubber

for the weekends: there are loads
of 29in semi-slick tyres thatll be
faster for a gravelly commute.

Hon a budget?

If the attitude appeals but the

pricetag prevents, Kona does
various Honzos in lesser specs
of carbon or aluminium.

Get a grip

Wide and thick bars make for

precise turning, but you might
want to consider narrower ones
for nipping through traffic gaps.

The crossbreed

KONA HONZO CR TRAIL

3499 / konaworld.com

Fraser Macdonald
Consulting Editor
Sod Google Maps Ive
managed to plot a route
to work thats only 30%
road, the rest being shared between
cycle paths, gravel, off-road, a few
sets of steps and what may actually
be someones garden. Very little of it
is boring. So I need a bike that can take
a bit of rough.
This Kona may technically be a
mountain bike, but it uses the large
29in wheel diameter normally reserved
for fast race bikes. Still, the new-school
geometry, the wide handlebars, the
toughty Fox 34 suspension fork they

all hark towards something more

attuned to rock-drop hooliganism
than Lycra-clad pace-chasing. And to
confuse bike spotters even further, this
is one of the new-for-2017 carbon fibre
Honzos, making it not just strange but
ultra-expensive for a mountain bike
with no rear suspension.
Is it any good, though? Yes. Too good,
if Im honest. The stiff, light carbon
frame gives it accelerating, leaping
and hooning abilities outside the
parameters of my nearly-40-year-old
biomechanics. Nonetheless, whether
Im giving it my take on maximum
attack, or just sitting back and letting
the big, wide wheels suck up Londons
stupid road surfaces, Im all smiles.

Cycliq
Fly 12

One of these
days Im going to
jump them steps,
rather than rattle
down them
and I want this
combined bike
light and action
cam to capture
the carnage.
Which itll do, in
1080p and 45fps.
249 /
cycliq.com

Madison
Addict
Softshell

These mountain
bikers baggy
shorts are smart
enough to be
seen in the office,
and theyre
cosy and waterresistant enough
to take the sting
out of a wintry
commute.
64 /
madison.co.uk
85

URBAN BIKES

The folder

TERN
VERGE X20
2299 / ternbicycles.com

Chee-Chiu Lee
Brand Art Editor
Given that youre only
paid for being at work,
not getting there, it makes
sense to shorten your commute as
much as possible. In the city, that often
means a combination of train and bike
and with rush-hour restrictions, that
means a folding bike. The Tern Verge
X20 is the Ferrari of folders.
The aero 20in wheels, FSA carbon
cranks and hydroformed aluminium
frame add up to a weight of just 9.9kg.
Thats great for when youre carrying it
about, but it gives it a swift ride quality
too. Its surprisingly stiff and quick off

the mark, with no movement or

creaking from the folding bits. Theres
a bit of flex in the tall handlebar stem if
youre sprinting, but you get used to it
and it probably helps take a bit of sting
out of the potholes the racing tyres
dont offer much cushioning.
Folding takes only 10 seconds with
practice, with just a couple of clamps to
undo on the main frame and seatpost.
It makes for a tidy folded bundle, except
that the big 55-tooth chainring is left
exposed and it looks like itd be an
ankle-biter in a crowded carriage. In
truth, though, if the homebound train
is looking busy, Id happily just ride the
Tern all the way home. Might even beat
my PB.

Little red booster

Natty red anodising marks out

the X20 as an above-average
city bike. Though itll have the
thieves swarming too

Back in the fold

Magnets and a rubber strap hold

the folded bike together. Its not
quite as neat as the Brompton
system, though.

Gear we go

Zoom zoom light wheels and

big gearing make this an express
city-crosser. And if your legs go,
you can take it on the bus. Win!

Tern
CarryOn
Cover 2.0

Nothing gets
train commuters
tutting like taking
a muddy bike on
board. So give
your folding bike
a disguise while
keeping chain and
stabby chainrings
away from
the haters.
44 /
evanscycles.com

Hydro Flask
16 oz Coffee

Take an extra
20 mins snooze
and throw your
hot breakfast
beverage in your
bag instead of
gulping it down
before leaving
home. This sippy
flask will keep hot
things hot for up
to six hours.
from 19 /
hydroflask.com

Shimano
PD-A530 SPD
Single Sided
Touring Pedals
These pedals are
the best of both
worlds. One sides
flat for your work
shoes, but on the
other theres an
SPD connection
for your suitably
prepared
race shoes.
32 /
wiggle.co.uk

Vulpine
Mens British
Waxed
Harrington

Without any
mudguards, youll
need a decent
cycling-specific
jacket. This
Vulpine jacket
is spendy, but
thoughtfully
designed and as
smart as a button.
350 /
vulpine.cc

Thanks!

Madison lent us
the Arion Mag
Parabolic Rollers
(274) for this
shoot. We can
imagine training
in front of the
telly on cold
winter nights
with these. We
wont, but we
can imagine it.
madison.co.uk
86

URBAN BIKES

FOLDING
TAKES ONLY
10 SECONDS
WITH
PRACTICE

87

GADGET DOCTOR

Help!
What can
I watch
on my
4K TV?

1
Supercharge
your
subscription

READER IN NEED Alex Wilks Telly buff

Upgrade your Netflix

Stuff, Ive just shelled out on a new

4K TV, but my Ultra High-Definition
dreams were shattered upon
turning it on. Every channel
seems to broadcast in boring old
HD. I want to see the world in
dazzling quality while quaffing
cheese Doritos on my couch.
Sort this out, wont you
THE EXPERT Rob Leedham Editor

88

Most Netflix Originals shows are available to watch in 4K.

Got a fibre internet speed of 25Mbps or higher? Youll
want to upgrade to the 8.99/month subscription and
feast on a smorgasbord of revelatory telly.

Watch Mourinho at United with Sky Q

When it comes to the Premier League, Sky Sports is king.

Its got over 120 games a season, now in Ultra HD. Available
to Sky Q Silver box owners, this package isnt cheap, but it
means youll get to see Rooneys mug in visceral detail.

Optimise Prime

Amazons 4K library for Prime Instant Video is dominated

by original shows like Transparent and The Man in the High
Castle. You can also pay to watch so-so movies such as
The Amazing Spider-Man 2, Elysium and Fury.

Take a trip to the continent

If youre more interested in European football, then its

probably worth plumping for BT Sports UHD offering.
Here youll get Champions League, Europa League and
FA Cup matches in addition to its Premier League fixtures.

GADGET DOCTOR
WERE
ALWAYS
ON CALL

Sort out your

home cinema
setup

Shoot
your own
footage

@stuffTV

facebook.com/
joinstuff

google com/
+stufftv

stuff@
haymarket.com

NOW
ADD
THIS

YouTube

Panasonic DMP-UB900

Fuji X-T2

Xbox One S

GoPro Hero4 Black

PlayStation4 Pro

Panasonic Lumix TZ100

Watching from a disc is the superior way to do UHD, and

this really shows on Panasonics premium Blu-ray player.
If youve ever wondered how much Leo DiCaprio suffered
for his Oscar in The Revenant, this classy device will reveal
all in excruciating minutiae. Discs are 20 a pop, though.
599 / panasonic.com

The Xbox One S was a smash hit when it first launched,

selling out within a fortnight of its arrival in stores. But
dont panic if you didnt get hold of one the cheaper
500GB version is out now, and comes bundled with a free
copy of FIFA 17. Considering this console also doubles as
a 4K Blu-ray player, its an absolute bargain.
from 249 / xbox.com

The other 4K console essentially does all the same stuff

as the Xbox One S, only slightly better. We believe it will be
better at upscaling your standard HD games to 4K, and of
course you get to play all those amazing PS4 exclusives
like Uncharted 4, Bloodborne and God of War.
349 / playstation.com

The latest edition of Fujis most winsome camera improves

on the one thing its last incarnation fell down on: video.
With 4K smarts, as well as a retro-inspired design and
plenty of stills prowess, this snapper ensures the fruits
of your photographic labours will look great on your TV.
1399 / fujifilm.eu

Watching your extreme sports exploits on a poxy little

smartphone display wont do them justice at all. So why
not show them off on a whopping great 4K TV with the
help of the Hero4 Black? Beware, though: youll have to
make sure your hellraising is worthy of this big-screen
treatment. Biking to work just wont cut it.
368 / gopro.com

Proving point-and-shoot cameras still have a place in

the world, the TZ100 packs a wealth of tech into a device
thatll fit in a jacket pocket. Its 1in sensor ensures your
holiday shots are full of detail, while 4K video recording
will do the same for any footage you catch on the fly.
549 / panasonic.com

If all you
want is some
cool footage
to show off
your new
telly, then
you could do
worse than
head over
to YouTube.
From
frolicking
puppies to
a stunning
timelapse
view of Earth
from the
International
Space
Station,
theres
plenty of
awesome
stuff thatll
wow anyone
deemed
deserving
of a peek at
your 4K box.
free / iOS,
Android

89

TEST JURA E8

Whole latte love

A hardcore machine for hardcore
coffee lovers made even better
by optional Bluetooth cleverness
1100 / stuff.tv/JuraE8
Serious about coffee? The Jura
E8 is fair old investment but itll
pay itself back through use after
about two years, assuming youre
mainlining at least one filter coffee
every day. And if you go for the
optional Smart Connect Bluetooth
dongle see below right itll open
up a whole new world of coffee.
The styling falls somewhere
between Apple-esque all
polished metal and friendly screen
and steampunk. This thing is
packing some hefty double pump
action at the front, which makes
it perfect for dual-wielding the
morning espresso cups.
Setup is way easier than the
manual would have you believe
the pathetic printed booklet is by
far the weakest link in this coffee
production line. Youll find answers
to most of your questions about
fitting filters etc online but not
necessarily on Juras website. We
found unofficial YouTube videos
to be much more useful.
The screen is bright and
colourful, with onboard menus
putting several types of coffee
just a few buttons away. The
stuff itself tastes great, with a
beautiful aroma, and it looks like
a professionally prepared brew
with proper crema. Its heavenly.
Theres a complete set of
maintenance modes to keep
the machine clean. You might
not fancy doing this every day,
but itll be worth doing properly
to keep the taste top-notch.

Tech specs
Water tank 1.9 litres Pressure 15 bar
Milk foaming arm Automatic
Power 1450W Dimensions
351x280x351mm, 9.8kg

Welcome to the dongle

Its the 45 Smart Connect

dongle that separates the E8
from your ordinary bean-to-cup
machines. Download the Jura
Coffee app (iOS and Android)
and your phone can now speak
to the machine via Bluetooth.

Customise your cappu

The options list is practically

overflowing, but the app itself
is simple enough. You can tweak
recipes and save new presets for
your favourite cuppa: length of
drink, temperature, amount of
milk and froth

STUFF SAYS A stylish, easy-to-use machine made even better by Bluetooth

Its mighty
expensive, but
the coffee is
mighty tasty
Pete Brown

90

Time to put away the stove-top espresso pot, paper filters and drip jug. Even those
convenient single-use pods can stay on the supermarket shelf. If your coffee
addiction is at the level where every barista in the local Starbucks knows your
name and order off by heart, its time to start thinking about the E8. Yes, the price
is stratospheric, but true caffeine fiends will love it.

Developing the
next generation of
Sport Scientists
and Coaches.

Sam Lawson, UCS Sport Science Graduate.

Now Director of Performance Analysis in the US.
Be bold. Be brave. Go far.

www.ucs.ac.uk/football

#UCSgofar

GROUP TEST CHROMEBOOKS

In our good books

Android apps are about
to make Chromebooks
a lot more useful here
are three to convince
you to ditch the desktop

Asus C202SA
from 223 / stuff.tv/ChromebookC202SA
This is one laptop you
wont mind lending to
the kids. Asus is going
for a real back to school
vibe, with added
protection from little
accidents and a cheap
and cheerful design. Its
all plastic and rubber,
so theres plenty to grip
onto, but it might look
out of place outside
the classroom.
Its no powerhouse
underneath either, with
a dual-core Celeron and
2GB RAM (you can opt
for 4GB), but the battery
should keep going all
day. Theres not much

storage, but thats

because youll be
keeping most of your
files in the cloud.
That 11.6in screen
is bright enough to
use outside as well as
indoors, and the chunky
keyboard should be
fine for adults to type
away on as well as any
little uns. Throw in a few
USB ports, an SD card
reader and HDMI, and
youve pretty much
covered the basics.
Forced to share your
computer with the kids?
This is probably the
Chromebook to buy.

STUFF SAYS
Built to last, even if the styling is hardly, well, stylish

92

Lifeproof

Flat mate

Hardy type

Those reinforced
rubber corners
mean a knock
off a desk wont
destroy the
precious internal
mechanisms.

The fold-flat
screen is handy
for sharing the
action with
someone else,
and has an antiglare coating.

The keyboard
can take a real
pounding, which
is great if you
bash out words
like youre hitting
a punchbag.

GROUP TEST CHROMEBOOKS

Marathon runner

Slot to trot

Dell reckons the

Chromebook 13s
battery should
tick for 12 hours,
and we managed
two whole days in
the office.

A lot of cheap
Chromebooks
ditch ports to keep
costs down, but
the R 11 has USB,
HDMI and an SD
card reader.

WHEN IN
CHROME
FREE APPS

Audiosauna
This fullyfeatured audio
workstation will
let you create
chronically sick
beats on the
move, without
even draining
the battery
too much.
free / audio
sauna.com

VLC
Chromes local
video playback
isnt the best, so
VLC is a must if
youve got a lot
of backed-up
videos. Play
them from the
laptop or off an
SD card.
free / chrome.
google.com

WhatsApp
web version
If you want to
stay in touch
without pulling
your phone
out, this will
move all your
chats to your
Chromebook
screen.
free / web.
whatsapp.com

T
TES R
NE
WIN

Dell Chromebook 13
from 615 / stuff.tv/Chromebook13
The Dell Chromebook
13 is actually a bit of a
monster, particularly
the 1079 top-spec
version weve tested.
Thats because its
rocking a Core i5 CPU
and 8GB of RAM kit
rarely found in laptops
running Chrome OS.
Its built like a tank, so
its durable but not the
lightest, and the look is
distinctly high-end. That
isnt normally something
youd associate with
a Chromebook, but
neither is the price
besides, take one look
at the gorgeous 1080p

display and you can tell

Dell is onto a winner.
In this spec at least,
the Chromebook 13 eats
through anything you
throw at it. Photo editing,
huge files in Google Docs,
30 open tabs at once
nothing slows it down.
And its great for working
on, thanks to the spacey
keyboard and springy
keys that will soon have
you speed-typing.
The Chromebook
Pixel might have the
edge when it comes to
looks, but Dells got just
about everything else
right here.

STUFF SAYS
Not the flashiest, but the top-notch screen is a stunner

Acer Chromebook R 11
229 / stuff.tv/ChromebookR11
Can a laptop ever be
adorable? If any can,
its this one. The R 11 is
absolutely tiny, and youll
have no trouble finding
room for it in a bag.
In fact this is more of
a Chrome-tab hybrid,
with hinges that let the
screen fold flat, turn
into a tent, or flip over
completely to turn into
a tablet.
It might not run the
most powerful hardware,
with a lowly Intel Celeron
CPU and 4GB of RAM,
but thats enough to
keep Chrome OS ticking
over. Once your browser

tabs hit the double

digits it will start to
struggle, though.
Stick to the basics
and youll squeeze 10
hours of battery life out
of a single charge, but
the bright and colourful
screen is begging to be
used for watching video.
The touchscreen works
well, which is handy
because the dinky
touchpad is jittery, and
the small keys can throw
you off your pace.
Even so, once you get
used to it, this Acer is
difficult to beat without
spending a lot more.

STUFF SAYS
Tiny enough to carry everywhere, and super-flexible too

[ 93 ]
[[2C]]

TWO WEEKS WITH THE SAMSUNG GEAR 360

Champion all-rounder?
Samsungs dual-lens 360 camera is pricier than its rivals,
but is it better? Sam Kieldsen spent a fortnight finding out
349 / stuff.tv/Gear360

The Gear 360s

shape makes it
hard to stuff into
a jacket pocket.
Skinny jeans?
Forget about it.

DAY 01
Well all be spending a lot more
time with VR headsets bolted
to our faces if Oculus, HTC and
Google Cardboard get their way
but only once theres anything to
actually watch on them.
A few fancy demo videos are
fine, but its the clips and 360
photos you shoot yourself thatll
really wow your friends once you
get them goggled up. A couple of

GoPros bolted together will get

the job done, sure, but what if
youre after something more
elegant and affordable? Nikons
got an all-in-one 360 action
cam, as has LG, and now Samsung
has stepped up with this duallens snapper.
At 349, the Gear 360 is
definitely pricier than its LG rival,
the 360 Cam, which sells for
199, but does it deliver a better
experience and better footage?

Once its paired up with the camera using

the companion app, your phone becomes
a remote viewfinder and controller

94

The first thing I notice as I remove

it from the box is that the Gear
360 is a striking bit of kit: with the
combination mini tripod/handle
attached, its almost a cross
between a robots ice cream cone
and one of those machine gun
turrets from Portal.
Build quality is excellent, with
a solid feel backed up by IP53
dust-proofing. Its water-resistant
too, but only against spray
from less than 60 degrees from
vertical. So make sure you take a
protractor into the shower.
The mini grip screws into the
bottom of the camera to give
you something to hold without

getting in the way of the lenses.

Flip out the feet and it turns into
a tiny tripod: perfect for timelapse
clips and videos where you want
to be the centre of attention.

DAY 02
Size is the biggest problem with
the Gear 360, at least compared
to LGs 360 Cam. The latter is
nicely pocket-sized, but the
Gears bulbous shape makes
it tricky to slip in a pocket. The
protective carrying pouch
bundled in the box tells me
Samsung expects us to toss
it into a bag instead.

LO N G -T E R M T E S T

01

Donut of Truth

05

04

02

01 Solid, attractive and

distinctive design
02 Easy pairing and
reconnection, and the
app is good

03

03 Numerous tech issues

04 A bit too big to fit in
a trouser pocket
05 Desktop software is
Windows only

Tech specs
Sensors Dual
15MP CMOS
Lenses Dual 180
f/2.0 fisheye
Display 0.5in
PMOLED
Storage microSD
(up to 200GB)
Dimensions
67x56x60mm,
152g

DAY 04
The Gear 360 has a tiny display
and a couple of hardware controls,
but Im not using them. I found
them fiddly, and framing footage
takes too much guesswork.
Without a phone to hand, theres
also the problem of what to do
with your recorded files. Theyre
not VR-ready if you pull them
straight off the microSD card onto
a PC youve got to upload to a
site that supports playing back
360 clips, or watch them on a
compatible device. And Samsungs
desktop editing and playback apps
are only built for Windows.
The companion app makes
things a lot easier. Once youve
paired your phone with the cam
it becomes a remote viewfinder
and controller, plus you can play
back clips or check photos.
Youll need a recent Samsung
smartphone, though. The Galaxy
S7 and S7 Edge, S6, S6 Edge and
S6 Edge+, and Note 5 all work out
of the box. An iOS app is apparently
on the way, but theres no word yet
on other Android phones.

DAY 08
It hasnt been all smooth sailing.
The camera regularly drops its
connection to my Galaxy S6, or
the app gets stuck on the loading

screen, forcing me to reboot the

camera. It also hates the 64GB
microSD card Im using, throwing
up compatibility errors and
demanding a reformat moments
after it was working perfectly.

DAY 12
Its a shame Ive hit so many pitfalls,
because image quality is decent.
Still photos and videos look crisp
and it copes well with changes
in brightness, like when you walk
inside from a bright sunny day.

DAY 14
After two weeks using the Gear
360, its clear that it beats the LG
360 Cam in features, performance
and build quality. But remember
youre paying a 150 premium for
that bump in quality.
And its a premium that you
might well find difficult to justify,
given the tech troubles Ive had
and the lack of decent Mac
support. Id like to see a bit more
from Samsung here: proper Mac
desktop compatibility is surely
a must, as are guidelines as to
which microSD cards will or wont
work properly.
These are easy fixes, though
and once theyre made, theyll
make the Gear 360 a much more
tempting prospect.

STUFF SAYS
Too many
problems to
recommend
it to everyone,
but theres a
capable 360
camera in here
somewhere

95

TEST GAMES

Deus Ex:
Mankind
Divided
Serious sci-fi storytelling, played
the way you want? Don the gothy
trenchcoat and start augmenting
yourself: Adam Jensen is back

PS4, Xbox One, PC

/ deusex.com

o you do things by the

book, or prefer to go rogue?
Deus Ex has always let
you pick how to play, and Mankind
Divided is no different. The moody,
trenchcoated man-machine Adam
Jensen is back cracking skulls or
lurking in the shadows if you prefer
on the hunt for the mysterious,
string-pulling illuminati.
Picking up two years after
Human Revolution, its now a really
bad time to be part of humanity
2.0. Effectively, the world has been
split into normals and augs, with
the latter treated as second-class
citizens. Its bleak stuff, but Jensen
is on the job, battling an aug
terrorist group while also working
covertly with a hacker group to
uncover the illuminatis dastardly
plans for the planet.
As much as we liked the stylised
golden hues of Human Revolution,
the dev team has gone for a wider
colour palette this time around.
It helps give each new location
its own sense of character, so it
really feels like youre on an epic
globetrotting adventure. You
always have a choice: which way

to head next, how to get the

information you need from a
particularly skeezy underworld
type, or whether to ignore the main
story while you polish off all the
side missions you can find.
Thats true of the combat too.
Mankind Divided has overhauled
its gunplay for the better, with
much more responsive controls.
The universal ammo that was
so unpopular in previous editions
wont be missed, but its the second,
hidden layer of cutting-edge kit
that makes a big impact.
Experimental augmentations
like the nano-crystal Titan Shield
will give you a major edge in fights,
making you completely invincible
to bullets for a short time. Even
better are the arm-mounted Tesla
darts, which lock onto enemies and
knock them out silently.
Mankind Divided isnt scared
to change up the Deus Ex formula,
but it keeps the things that matter.
Were hooked on the story, and
the improved controls will be handy
when we go in with everything
blazing. Goodbye, Ghost rating
Tom Morgan

STUFF SAYS Existing fans will lap up the tense story, and so will Deus Ex newcomers
96

Gameplay has
been simplified,
making the
combat feel
more crunchy
than ever.

The game looks

just as luscious
when it drops
the bright
colours for
moodier hues.

BRINGING LIFE
TO SOUND
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#hearingisbelieving

REVIEWS

Media
hoard

Avoid falling out with the Church

h
of Stuffology by following our
instructions on what to watch
and listen to this month

WATCH

My Scientology Movie_cinema
he worlds most
unflappable man takes
on the worlds most
secretive religious organisation in
Louis Therouxs first proper feature
film and its a stonker.
After 2015s excellent Going
Clear doc, another film focusing
on Scientologys disturbing
peccadilloes was never going
to be enough, even with Therouxs
disarming front-of-camera style.
So, with access to the church and
its members highly restricted,
Theroux instead auditions actors
to play high-ranking Scientologists
in re-enactments, scripted and
supervised with the help of a
disgraced ex-member called
Marty Rathbun.
Before long the church gets
wind of Therouxs project and

98

My Scientology Movie becomes a

hybrid of his trademark interviews
and a kind of absurd espionage
thriller, culminating in a truly
bizarre encounter with a highranking acolyte in the darkness
outside Scientology HQ.
Theroux draws plenty of laughs
with his nonplussed approach
(Thats actually quite helpful, he
remarks when blinding security
lights on the propertys perimeter
fence suddenly come to life) but
he never backs down, even when
followed or threatened. He doesnt
take Marty at face value either,
probing the ex-Scientologists
own part in the practices that he
now seems so keen to expose.
Tom Wiggins

Bulletproof widower Luke

Cage was one of the best
characters in Jessica
Jones, but he struggles
to carry his own series.
His brooding and reluctance
to use his power are a little
tiresome, and the show
isnt as smart as it thinks
it is. Marvel fans will still
want to watch, if only for
the occasions that Cage
engages rampage mode.
Tom Parsons

Twenty years after Oasis

played to 250,000 people
at Knebworth, Supersonic
tells the story of how they
got there, via hammers,
crystal meth and being
locked in the brig on
WANT
a ferry to Holland. Its
MORE LIKE
funny, eye-opening,
THIS?
and will remind you why
(for a time) Oasis were
the most exciting band
on the planet.
Tom Wiggins

STUFF SAYS

STUFF SAYS

STUFF SAYS

Luke Cage
_Netflix

Supersonic

_cinema, Blu-ray

REVIEWS

STREAM

Control_Amazon Prime
While Anton Corbijns 1979
black-and-white photos of
Ian Curtis and post-punk
legends Joy Division are
considered iconic, Control
the Dutch directors
similarly monochrome
biopic of the band and
its late frontman will
probably never be as
widely respected.
But thanks to a twitchy
and intense performance
from then-newcomer
Sam Riley, plus the
strength of the bands

music and the films

source material (Touching
From a Distance, written
by Curtiss widow), few
music flicks have captured
the troubled spirit of a
musician with the artistic
elegance of Control.

LISTEN

Only Ghosts_Red Fang

With Queens of the Stone
Age yet to emerge from
hibernation, Red Fangs
mixture of heavy hooks,
shoutalong choruses and
bludgeoning breakdowns
might just convince Josh
Homme to make sure hes
right on his game.
While theres nothing
here as good as Prehistoric
Dog from their debut, Only
Ghosts is probably the
Portland four-pieces most
complete album so far.
Whether its the crunchy

stomp of Not For You, the

runaway wail of Shadows
or the cry-from-beyond
that is The Deep, its an
album packed with the
kind of blood-pumping
rock songs the Foo
Fighters might make
if they all got bitten by
radioactive wolves and
found themselves locked
in the studio with 1000
unused Melvins riffs.
Tom Wiggins
STUFF SAYS

8 Mile_Amazon Prime
MUSIC
MOVIES

Eminems semi-autobiographical raps mean a film based

on his life might seem unnecessary, but his accomplished
performance makes 8 Mile more than a vanity project.

Muscle Shoals_Netflix
Muscle Shoals is the Alabama studio where the Rolling
Stones and Lynyrd Skynyrd recorded, but its the story of
the band that originally owned it thats most interesting.

Nas: Time Is Illmatic_Netflix

Rapper Nas went from Queensbridge survivor to global
superstar when he released Illmatic in 1994, and this
documentary returns him to the streets that made him.

The Midnight
Sun_C Duncan

Dissociation_The
Dillinger Escape Plan

Just a little too progressive

for the average dentist,
this is as generically
pleasing as Duncans
debut Architect was
inventive and enigmatic.
Its a warm bath of
lush retro synths with
peppermint-scented
harmony vocals, the
songs sloshing gently
from one into the next.
Four stars, but only just.
Richard Purvis

This absolutely hits par for

the genre-shifting, brainfuddling intellectual metal
that is Dillinger. Which,
given that its to be their
last album before a hiatus,
is a slight let-down like
expecting a wild send-off
but just ending up at your
local. Well, at your local for
a really strong, complex
and noisy night that youll
talk about for months
Fraser Macdonald

STUFF SAYS

STUFF SAYS

99

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MAKE. DO. UPGRADE.

p104
BETA YOURSELF:
INSTAGRAM

How to be a
phone-wielding,
picture-pimping
Insta-legend

p106
PLAYLIST:
REMASTERED
ALBUMS

Great records
polished up for
your hi-res ears

p108
UPVOTED:
WATCHES

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to spare? Need to
know the time?
Look no further

p110
INSTANT
UPGRADES:
PLAYSTATION 4

It may not be Slim

or Pro, but your old
PS4 isnt done yet

103

YOBET
SE UR A
LF -

PROJECTS | 11.16

Its where many of us loiter like addicts for our daily fix
of images and videos; Elissa Loi explains how to make
the most of Instagram with these handy tips and apps

power to approve or reject tags

from other people by going to
your profile, selecting the person
icon, tapping the options icon
at the top right, then selecting
add manually.

THE BASICS
Manage your filters.

Its important to have all your

Instagram filters in perfect order.
In the filters list, tap and drag to
rearrange the order of the list.
To reinstate ones youve hidden,
scroll to the end of the list and
choose Manage Filters.

Go direct. See that little

inbox icon in the top right-hand
corner? Thats Instagram Direct,
a way to share photos with select
followers rather than the world.
Do the usual (select photo and
edit), but instead of sharing to
Followers, tap Direct to choose
the lucky recipients.

FOLLOW US
@STUFFMAG

Get mappy. To see a map

of where youve taken your
Instagrams, go to your profile
and choose the map icon. Dont
want anyone to know about
that weekend in Blackpool? Go
to your photo map and deselect
the offending snaps.
Do not disturb. Want total
control over which pictures
appear in your profile? Get the

Jog your memory. If you

cant find that classic of a cat
riding a Roomba, go to the
settings wheel and choose
posts that youve liked.
Keep it steady. Lets not
forget, the first thing you need
is good photos. If you dont have
a smartphone tripod to hand, try
balancing your phone on objects
like backpacks or handrails to
keep your Instagrams sharp and
in focus. And then, get editing

EDITING TRICKS
Make a collage. Instagram
Layout (free, iOS and Android)
is a quick and easy way to
combine up to four photos
into one poster-worthy shot.
Fix your perspective.

Instagrams built-in Adjust tool

is fine for basic work, but to
really iron out those wonky
horizons try SKWRT (from
1.19, iOS and Android).

Remove distractions.

Photoshop Express (free,

iOS and Android) has a host
of essential quick fix tools,
including ones for softening
noise and adjusting shadows.

104

11.16 | PROJECTS
WHO TO
FOLLOW

@ZACHLIPSON

If youre into interesting

buildings, urban jungles
and the people living in
them, Zach Lipson has
you covered. A resident
of Chicago, his sharp,
muted shots look like
theyre plucked straight
from the pages of a
graphic novel, and offer
plenty of inspiration for
architecture fans and city
lovers alike.

@NASAGODDARD

Fact: everyone loves

space. Except maybe
Sandra Bullock. But
for the rest of us, the
universes wonders
never cease to amaze,
and the Nasa Goddard
Space Flight Centers
official Insta account has
plenty of jaw-dropping
images of the great
beyond to inspire and
terrify simultaneously.

SPECIAL FX
Get psychedelic. Need to
make an emergency album
cover? Fragment (from 10p,
iOS and Android) will give your
photos major surgery.
Become an artist. Prisma

(free, iOS and Android) and

Pikazo (1.49, iOS) are our
favourite apps for creating
works that truly reflect our
fearless artistic vision.

Embrace puddletography.

Find a puddle with an interesting

reflection, turn your phone
upside down, and take a shot.
Its great for getting a new
angle on subjects.

TELLING STORIES
Press self-destruct.

Instagram now lets you take

Snapchat-style photos and
videos that disappear after 24
hours. To make a Story, press
the plus symbol in the top
left corner, doodle over your
creation using the markers, and
fling it into the ether.

Fix your invisible text.

The text in Instagram Stories

is white by default, which is
annoying if youre trying to
write over an albino kitten. To
help it stand out, select the
drawing tool and colour the
background your text will
now stand out.

BACKING UP
Take ownership. If you plan
to leave Instagram or just want
to back up your snaps, try using
Instaport (free, instaport.me).
Save to Drive. Instagram
doesnt have a built-in option
for saving photos to Drive, but
the self-proclaimed internet
glue IFTTT (ifttt.com) can do
this automatically. To set it up,
go to bit.ly/instagramdrive
Convert to atoms. Turn
your photo feed into a physical
album. Our favourite service for
this is Blurb (from 11.25, blurb.
com), which also offers book
options for Facebook snaps.

@TANAKA_TATSUYA

Tanaka Tatsuya is a
genius when it comes
to blending real-world
objects with miniature
models. From
transforming ice cream
scoops to planets, belts
to rollercoasters and
many, many more
ingenious ideas, hes
created a whole new
fascinating world of
macro art that we would
happily hang on our walls.

105

PROJECTS | 11.16

Make the most of your swanky new speakers

or headphones with these classic albums,
now sounding even better than they used to

Interpol
Turn On the
Bright Lights

This is the album that

put Interpol on the
wanted list. The bands
trademarks angular
guitars, expressive
bass and the studied,
effective monotone
of Paul Banks vocals
sound pleasingly
bleak and clean, all
the better to express
TOTBLs sketches of
pain and squalor.
Spotify, Tidal, 7digital

Underworld
Second Toughest
in the Infants

Rather than being

packed with banging
techno anthems,
Underworlds fourth
album seamlessly
blends various
forms of downbeat
electronica, proving
in the process that
rave music could be
just as comfortable
being atmospheric
and reflective.
Spotify, Tidal, 7digital

106

Phil Collins
Hello, I Must
be Going!

There are people,

some of them in
the Stuff office,
who will tell you that
Phil Collins music is
without merit. But this
is a flawless record, full
of tracks with deep,
sometimes dark
lyrical stories. The
remaster polishes
what was already
a kind of perfection.
Amazon

Love
Forever Changes

Whether its the bad

trip of A House is Not
a Motel or the hints
at indiscriminate
slaughter on The
Red Telephone,
Forever Changes
is a subversive and
surreal record. The
Morricone-esque
blast of brass midway
through Alone Again
Or is worth the
download alone.
Spotify, Tidal, 7Digital

My Morning Jacket
It Still Moves

Tinkering with an
album thats loved
partly for its raw,
live sound could be
a dangerous game,
but My Morning
Jacket get the balance
right on this remixed
version of their
fan favourite. It still
feels like youre in a
sweat-drenched bar
listening to classic
rockers on top form.
Spotify, Tidal, Qobuz

Lift To Experience
The TexasJerusalem
Crossroads

Its an apocalyptic
sprawl of post-indie
magnificence, but the
spacey production of
the Lifties one album
never sounded very
big. Well, this is not
just a remaster but an
actual remix, with the
band involved. Its out
any day now, and we
are panting for it.
(tba)

Nirvana
In Utero 20th
Anniversary Edition

This 2013 edition of

Nirvanas final studio
album includes a
remastered version
plus new remixes by
Steve Albini, whose
original mixes were
deemed too lo-fi to
release in 93. With
the remasters higher
dynamic range, these
songs have never
sounded so nuanced.
Amazon, Tidal, Spotify

11.16 | PROJECTS

HI-RES
HAUNTS

TIDAL HIFI

Spotify remains our

favourite all-rounder,
but if its lossless FLAC
streaming youre after
(and youve got the kit
and ears to support it)
then Tidals HiFi plan
could be your match.
Its catalogue is more
rock and pop than rival
Qobuz, and its likely to
support the MQA format
later this year.
20/month / tidal.com

7DIGITAL

Our pick of the hi-res

download stores,
7Digital uses its ties with
four major record labels
to serve up a catalogue
that covers everything
from Kendrick Lamar to
the Dalai Lama. Handy
editorial features will
also help you discover
new music to go with
your pristine 24-bit
studio remasters.
7digital.com

Isis
Panopticon

This is a record that

sounds like it was
unearthed rather than
recorded. Wherever it
came from, the album
was remastered in
2014 and its never
been more earthshakingly heavy.
Everything on it
sounds massive, with
Aaron Turners vocals
buried somewhere
deep in the middle.
Spotify, Tidal, 7Digital

Manic Street
Preachers
The Holy Bible

Less an album and

more an exercise in
pain and suffering
The Holy Bible places
such laugh-a-minute
subjects as anorexia,
prostitution and the
holocaust against
a backdrop of
raw guitars and
unflinching samples.
Not an easy listen,
but an essential one.
Spotify, Tidal, 7Digital

My Bloody
Valentine
Loveless

If you listen closely to

the remastered edition
of Loveless, you might
just about hear the
difference between it
and the seminal 1991
original. Given that
Kevin Shields spent
22 years making the
follow-up, thats no
surprise hes famous
for raising hell at a
glacial pace.
Spotify, Tidal, 7Digital

Slint
Spiderland

Post-rock didnt exist

as a genre when Slint
released Spiderland
in 1991. But it was so
far removed from the
music that Pearl Jam,
Guns N Roses et al
were making, what
else could you call it?
So sparse you can
almost hear the
empty space in the
studio, it still sounds
like nothing else.
Spotify, Tidal, 7Digital

WAX & STAMP

This vinyl subscription

service will hand-pick
and send you two of its
favourite new LPs every
month. Slap them on
Sonys new PSHX500
turntable (395,
amazon.co.uk) and you
can convert them into
hi-res digital files too.
You retro-futurist, you.
26/month /
waxandstamp.com

107

PROJECTS | 11.16
Sometimes life demands the charm of an analogue
ticker Laura Lovett picks an assortment of classy
watches that wont see your wallet filing for divorce

HOW TO DECIDE
QUARTZ VS
AUTOMATIC
The most accurate
watches are the
more affordable,
battery-driven
quartz pieces.
But accuracy isnt
everything if its
craft and heritage
you want, then go
for an automatic
calibre. To tell the
difference, look at
the second hand
on a quartz watch,
itll have a tick-tock
motion; the action
on a mechanical
watch is smooth.

CHOOSE THE
OCCASION
You wouldnt wear
a tux to a house
party, and its
the same when
choosing your
timepiece.
Chronographs and
other complications
add a bold
masculinity to a
dials design, which
makes them good
for informal, active
environments. For
the daily grind, you
want a watch that
just tells the time
and looks sleek.

WHATS THE
STORY?
Every good
watchmaker
has a back story
anything from
an appearance in
a classic 60s film
to the homegrown
charm of a new
British brand. True
horophiles know
about this sort of
thing. For now,
whether youre a
sharer or a discreet
watch-wearer,
this selection of
sub-500 watches
will ease you in

THE REVOLUTIONARY

The groundbreaking Sistem51

launched in 2013 in plastic, but
this year sees the release of
the stainless steel version. The
ultimate affordable automatic,
it retains the same principles
(a Swiss-made, 51-part
automatic movement) but
with a more manly, less faddy,
everyday aesthetic.
139 / shop.swatch.com

THE CULT CLASSIC

THE LIGHTWEIGHT

THE DRIVERS CHOICE

MONDAINE SBB
STOP2GO

SQUARESTREET
ALUMINIUM

CHRISTOPHER
WARD C7 RAPIDE
CHRONOGRAPH
MKII V390

This exact replica of a Swiss

railway clock copies every
detail, right down to the quirky
red second hand: this turns
full circle in 58 seconds, before
waiting at 12 oclock for the
final two seconds. Why? The
pause allowed 1940s Swiss
stations to synchronise their
clocks by telephone cable
every minute.
470 / mondaine.com

108

The Aluminium weighs in at

only 33 grams, but what it
lacks in heft it makes up for
with its crazy dial design.
The concentric rings and
numberless indices create a
look some might call modern
maximalism. In other words,
its meant to be gazed at
which is good, as it might take
a while to work out the time.
210 / dezeenwatchstore.com

The Tag Heuer Carrera is

one of the most iconic luxury
watches on the market, but
it comes with a 2k price
tag. Thankfully, Christopher
Wards quartz Rapide
Chronograph delivers the
same automotive-inspired
style at a fraction of the cost.
350 / christopherward.co.uk

[ Photography Roger Stillman ]

SWATCH STEEL
SISTEM51 IRONY

11.16 | PROJECTS

THE MODERN BRIT

THE MINIMALIST

THE DEEP SEA DIVER

THE GATEWAY DRUG

FARER
CARTER GMT

KITMEN KEUNG
LONG DISTANCE 1.0

SEIKO PROSPEX
PADI KINETIC
GMT DIVER

TISSOT PR100

This new homegrown brand

delivers impressive, sporty
models powered by a
Swiss-made quartz
movement. Named after
British archaeologist Howard
Carter, this model features
colour-popping hands and
a sporty perforated leather
strap that gives it a great
weekender vibe.
420 / selfridges.com

Watches with a dual-time

function are an obvious choice
for those people who regularly
cross time zones. But unlike
so many of its rivals, Hong
Kong-based Kitmen Keung
has made one with the
most clean and simple of
dial designs. Just the ticket
for jet-lagged, bleary-eyed
country-hoppers.
310 / dezeenwatchstore.com

This collaboration with PADI,

the governing body for pro
diving instructors, is aimed
at scuba-loving watch-hunters.
The Prospexs screw-down
crown, 200m water-resistance
and hi-vis lettering courtesy
of Seikos Lumibrite coating all
combine to satisfy its owners
inner Jacques Cousteau.
479 / seiko.co.uk

Tissot is one of those brands

that tend to mark a watch
fans first foray into serious
pieces. A heritage Swiss
marque, its been around for
more than 160 years, and this
handsome automatic draws on
all that experience. The PR100
has a date window, minimal
hour markers and a stainless
steel case that makes it the
perfect office timepiece.
from 200 / tissotwatches.com

THE CHAMELEON

SHORE PROJECTS
POOLE
Inspired by the seaside, Shore
Projects watches are built to
withstand everyday rough and
tumble. With stainless steel
cases and crystal sapphire
glass, and waterproof to
100m, theyre versatile wrist
adorners. The interchangeable
straps means each can be
dressed up for any occasion.
115 / shoreprojects.com

109

PROJECTS | 11.16

From adding accessories to unlocking

hidden features, theres plenty
more to squeeze out of your PS4

110

1 SAMSUNG M9T
2TB HDD
Yes, this is a hard drive. Not the
most exciting thing to look at,
well give you that, but as your
PS4s original one is probably
stuffed to the brim with all
sorts of digital goodies, 80
quid for a slim 2TB upgrade
sounds like a no-brainer
to us especially as its a
complete doddle to install.
79 / amazon.co.uk

2 PLAYSTATION VR
(AVAILABLE 13 OCT)
Sure, you could spend a hefty
sum on a beastly gaming rig
and a VR headset like the HTC
Vive or Oculus Rift. Or you
could spend a lot less on Sonys
own Virtual Reality facehugger,
which looks like its been
plucked from a futuristic
arcade, ready to blast your
eyes into new worlds.
349 / playstation.com

3 TURTLE BEACH
ELITE PRO TAC PACK
Once youve experienced the
isolated joy of a proper gaming
headset, youll never want
to go back to anything else.
Turtle Beachs latest cans
come with an external audio
controller that lets you tweak
game noise, background noise
and mic levels, giving you full
control over your ears.
279 / turtlebeach.com

[ Words Esat Dedezade ]

BEST NEW ACCESSORIES

11.16 | PROJECTS
FINISHING
TOUCHES

NOW DO THIS...

1 DISAPPEAR
Working from home while
secretly playing FIFA online
was always a risky move, but
you can finally avoid stern talks
with your boss by appearing
to be offline. Hit up your profile
from the main menu, select
Online Status > Appear Offline,
and youre good to go. You
can also do this from the login
screen when you first turn the
PS4 on, by highlighting your
profile, clicking the Options
button on the controller, and
selecting Log In With Online
Status [Appear Offline]. Hello,
sweet secrecy.

4 SHARE THE LOVE

If you find yourself constantly
taking majestic screenshots
of alien worlds in No Mans Sky
or meticulously positioning the
camera to capture your aerial
achievements in Rocket
League, then youre probably
a bit of a collector. The default
option is to press the Share
button and select, but an even
quicker way is to hold Share
down for a few seconds, which
snaps one for you without
having to leave the game
screen. Find them all on your
PS4, put them on a USB stick,
and share with the world.

2 BFF ALERT
Instead of being alerted when
each person on your friends list
comes online, you can instead
limit these alerts only to your
favourites the ones in your
inner circle who provide the top
bants. Setting up customised
alerts only takes a few seconds:
Settings > Notifications > When
Friends Go Online. Then its just
a case of selecting your besties
from your friends list before
youre sorted. The next time
they come online youll get an
on-screen notification, so you
can start flinging out a party
invitation straight away.

5 CARRY ON GAMING
If you fire up your PS4 on
a daily basis, then you dont
want to faff around loading
up games from scratch each
time. Well, you dont have
to. Go to Settings > Power
Saving Settings > Set Features
Available in Rest Mode. Select
Keep Application Suspended,
and each time you fire up your
PS4 after putting it in Rest
Mode youll be right where you
left off. It wont work for online
games like Destiny youll
find yourself back at the login
screen but even then, youll
be saving a bit of time.

3 PS PLUS GAMES
If youre a PlayStation Plus
member then youre probably
aware of the free games Sony
dishes out to subscribers each
month. Trouble is, it used to be
a pain to download games you
might not even play in terms
of both downloading time and
space taken up on your hard
drive. Thankfully, Sony updated
the PS4 with a new feature that
lets you select Add to Library
instead of Download. That way
you can access it in the future,
when you feel like downloading
it, though youll still have to keep
up your PS Plus subscription.

6 MULTITASK
LIKE A PRO
We still come across people
whove yet to discover the
wonders of easier multitasking
on Sonys console. Double-tap
the PlayStation button and
you can swap between your
two most recent screens
which comes in handy when,
for example, gaming while
messaging friends. Once youve
opened up messages while in
a game, double-tapping the PS
button will flick you between
the messages and game screen.
A single press will still take you
to the main homescreen.

CUSTOM HOMESCREEN
Do you have trouble
sleeping because
your PS4s default
homescreen is so
boring? Head to
Settings >Themes
and choose a brand
new look. If you havent
got any themes loaded,
go to Find in PlayStation
Store and find a design
that speaks to you.
Boom: a perfect
nights sleep is (gaming
marathon aside) yours.

PERSONALISED
SOUNDTRACK
If youre a Spotify
subscriber you can
stream music straight
to your PS4 a bit of
Bacharachs ideal for
making scary games
less terrifying. Simply
make sure both your
phone and console are
on the same network,
select the PS4 from
the devices tab in your
Spotify app, and say
hello to your personal
gaming mixtape.

APPY BANTER
Sony has a separate
PlayStation Messages
app, which is a handy
tool you should install
on your phone if youre
forever nattering to
your mates. Essentially
WhatsApp for your
PS4, it lets you send
messages to people
using your phones
onscreen keyboard,
which is a much more
agreeable typing
experience than using
the controller to peck
at letters on your telly.

111

PROJECTS | 11.16
SIMPLE BUT
EFFECTIVE

What should I do with my old phone?

1 / Have to dash
AutoBoy Dash Cam
Converting your
old smartphone
into a dashcam
is as simple as
downloading an app
such as AutoBoy
Dash Cam, which
lets you record all
of your automobile
outings useful in
case of an accident.
free / Android

NEVER BE BORED AGAIN

PS4 REMOTE PLAY

free / forum.xda-developers.com

If youre a PS4 owner, then you

might already be familiar with
Sonys Remote Play app, which
lets you stream and play PS4
games directly to your phone
like magic. It even lets you
connect the PS4 controller
to your phone, for proper
on-the-go console gaming.
Trouble is, its not supported
on non-Xperia handsets.
Thankfully, though, theres
an easy workaround.
Theres a version of the
Remote Play app available
on the XDA Developer forums
which lets you load a version of
the Remote Play app on almost
any Android phone. Installation
is a doddle, and you can even
get the PS4 controller working

too, with a little bit of tweaking.

Once youre set up, youll be able
to remotely access your PS4
from anywhere with a solid
internet connection playing
games, starting downloads,
you name it. It really is like
having a PlayStation in your
pocket. Full instructions
can be found at tinyurl.com/
ps4-on-android

NOW DO THIS
GAME IN STYLE
Buy an adaptor mount that
attaches your smartphone to
the PS4 controller and you wont
have to worry about propping up
your phone on a table. You might
look a little odd, sure, but youll
be too busy scoring a hat-trick
in Rocket League to care.

2 / Eyes on the road!

Car Dashdroid
Motor not Android
Auto-compatible?
Give your old phone
a new home in the
glovebox. This free
app provides fingerfriendly navigation
for music, maps and
contacts, making for
safer use in the car.
free / Android

KEEP AN EYE ON
YOUR TINY HUMAN

BABY MONITOR
& ALARM

[ Words Esat Dedezade ]

2.49 / Android

Congratulations youve created

a miniature human being, and all it
wants to do is eat, cry and create
waste, which you have to clean
up. On the rare occasions its
decided to sleep, youre going to
have to tend to your own needs
but youll still want to keep an
eye on Mini You. Luckily, you can
load up your old smartphone
or tablet with the Baby Monitor
& Alarm app. Once its paired to
your current phone it acts as a
baby monitor, letting you keep
an eye on your little one while you
desperately try to cram food into
your mouth and recover from the
toll of your parenting duties.

112

YOUVE BEEN FRAMED

iFRAME

US$70 / getiframe.com

NOW DO THIS...
RELAX MELODIES
2.29 / Android

You can also load your spare

device up with an app like Relax
Melodies, which can help soothe
your child to sleep with an array
of relaxing sounds, from the light
patter of rain to calming waves
lapping gently on a sandy beach.

If youve got an old iPad thats

been decommissioned to the
gadget graveyard drawer, then
breathe new life into it with the
iFrame a handsome frame that
lets you stand the tablet up or
hang it on the wall, transforming
it into the worlds most advanced
digital photo frame. With plenty of
apps including a built-in slideshow,
youll be gazing wistfully at last
summers beach shots in no time.

3 / Phone home
Boinc
Fire up this app
when your unused
phone is charging
and connected to
Wi-Fi, and the Boinc
project will put its
number-crunching
processor to good
use like searching
for aliens with SETI.
free / Android

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11.16 | PROJECTS

2 ...UN-SELFIE
YOUR SELFIES
Wide-angle smartphone lenses
can make your face look even
stranger than normal. This tool
will help fix your massive nose
and bulbous eyes...
Go to Repose. Head to Princeton
Universitys beta project (faces.
cs.princeton.edu/) and check out
some of the examples to see its
face-warping code in action. It
combines 3D head models and
editing wizardry to convincingly
simulate a change in focal length.
Upload your snap. Go to upload
your photo and mark the top of
your ears and head. This helps
the tool make a 3D rendering
based on your flat 2D image.
Youll now have some controls
for adjusting the focal length,
yaw and pitch of the photo.

1 ...MOD YOUR TECH

Tune up. For a less powerful but

more fully realised selfie editor,
check out Facetune (from 2, iOS
and Android). This lets you tweak
your eyes and hair like a digital
plastic surgeon, but lacks the
Princeton tools selfie trickery.

Gadgets have a habit of either

breaking or not being perfectly
tailor-made for your needs.
Sugru and Formcard have some
ideas on how to fix that...

3 ...SEARCH
EVERYWHERE
Have you ever found yourself
wishing there was an Apple F
shortcut for your entire life?
These tools can help track things
down in the places Spotlight and
Google cant quite reach...
Search the real world. Ctrl F
(free, Android) lets you scan
printed text then search it for
keywords (it doesnt work with
handwriting, though). Handy for
searching a manual thats been
printed in a teeny font (or just
cheating at word search games).
Search your digital life. Not sure
whether that file is hiding on
your Macs desktop or in the
likes of Dropbox, Google Drive
and Evernote? The beta app
Meta Search (free, app.meta.sc)
will let you search all of them
simultaneously.
Search your Mac with your
iPhone. One for the truly lazy,
Find It (free, iOS/Mac) lets you
search your Apple computer with
your iPhone, as long as both are
on the same network.

Boost your storage. Sugrus

mouldable silicone is available
in a new Rebel Tech Pack (10,
sugru.com), which is most keen
on customising your tech. We like
its hook-based ideas for tidying
away Apple TVs and hard drives.
Tweak your controller. If your
PS4 pads analogue sticks
or shoulder buttons are too
stubby for your liking, a couple
of moulded balls of Sugru could
lift you top of your FIFA league.
Get a quick fix. Formcards
mouldable bio-plastic (from 5,
formcard.com) is handily shaped
to slip into wallets, but a cup of
hot water later its ready for all
sorts of fixes, from headphone
tidies to smartphone stands.

3
TUNE IN NEXT MONTH TO...

Become a Facebook Messenger ninja Find the best

password manager Get more out of your OnePlus 3

113

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Get the app, scan the
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TOP
TEN
OF EVERYTHING
Smartphones
Tablets
Hi-fi
Headphones
Home cinema

116
117
118
120
121

TVs
Laptops
Geek accessories
& games consoles
Wearables
& smarthome
Cameras

122
123

Streaming devices & speaker systems

124
125
126

For full reviews of every product in the

Top Tens, visit stuff.tv/reviews

T
HO
Y
BU

W
NE

EW

W
NE

SMARTPHONES

Business as usual has never been so good. Once again, OnePlus has swanned
in with a 300-ish phone that offers a true alternative to some costing more
like 600. The tech is as aggressively packed in as ever, but this is also the
best-looking, most expensive-feeling OnePlus phone to date. If an extra 300
is nothing to you, there are slightly better screens and cameras available. But last
time we checked, most of our readers like a good deal. This is an unbeatable one.

Samsung Galaxy S7

Apple iPhone 7 Plus

Samsung Galaxy Note 7

HTC 10

Apple iPhone 7

LG G5

Lenovo Moto G4

Vodafone Smart Prime 7

10

STUFF SAYS

OnePlus 3

Welcome to the age of sensible Samsung, a smartphone maker of dependable

excellence. The Galaxy S7 looks a lot like the old S6 but has been improved all round,
not least with a better camera. This sets a high bar for all of Samsungs competitors.
The new 7 and 7 Plus look almost identical to last years models, except for the glossy
jet black option and Lightning headphone output. But theyre waterproof, processing
power and battery life have been improved, and the Plus gets a tasty dual-lens camera.
Just an S7 with a stylus? Nope, its the combination of the S Pen with the bigger 5.7in
screen and clever software that makes the Note 7 different. Plus its a big phone that
doesnt feel like one, and a productivity powerhouse that doesnt look like one.
This handset barely puts a foot wrong, but its a marketers worst nightmare. Whats it
good at? Everything. Whats special about it? Battery life. Stamina may be the least sexy
of features, but knowing the 10 will survive an impromptu pub trip feels pretty good.
The iPhone 7s modest upgrades all come together to make a much more significant
whole than youd expect in typically Apple fashion, the experience is just so polished.
Losing the headphone port stings, though and you dont get the 7 Pluss ace camera.
The scale of the LG G5s ambition is breathtaking. Its a unique modular smartphone,
allowing you to swap out its parts for improved ones, such as a bigger battery, camera
controls or Bang & Olufsen audio tech. Its a big, ballsy move that pretty much pays off.
Motorola (now owned by Lenovo) once again ups the ante and shows every other big
phone maker what can be done for less than 200. With a slimmer design, metal-effect
sides and a bigger screen than the old Moto G, this is the new no.1 budget phone.
The Smart Prime 7 is a lesson in quite how cheap phones can get before they seem
cobbled together out of bits found in bargain bins. On specs alone it easily holds its
own against rivals that cost twice the price a solid gold bargain.

Apple iPhone SE

The cheapest iPhone ever made packs pretty much all the power of the iPhone 6s into
the 4in aluminium shell of the iPhone 5s. Its compact, no-compromise concept should
tempt plenty of newbies into Apples world. The SE is the best small phone you can buy.

A big, brilliant bargain of a

phone that looks and feels
as good as a handset costing
twice as much

329
from 549

from 719

from 699

BEST FOR
CUTTING-EDGE
GADGETEERS

509

from 599

429

from 159

BEST FOR
BUDGET
BUYERS

80

BEST FOR
SUPER
VALUE

from 359

Prices quoted are handset-only unless otherwise stated

116

FOR THE FULL REVIEWS AND OUR SMARTPHONE BUYING GUIDE, VISIT STUFF.TV/TOP-10/SMARTPHONES

Download the Shop Stuff app

Looking for the
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can now find it,
and even buy
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1. Download and
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2. Open the app,

hold your phone
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TABLETS 117
T
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BU

Apple iPad Pro 9.7

The iPad Pro 9.7 takes everything we loved about Apples original 12.9in Pro tablet,
makes it a lot more portable, and even adds in a few extras of its own. The True
Tone display, which changes automatically based on ambient conditions, is a
marvel, while the 12MP shooter is frankly overkill for those brave enough to
use it out and about. Its expensive, but perfection usually comes at a price.

Apple iPad Mini 4

Samsung Galaxy Tab S2 8.0

Google Pixel C

Samsung Galaxy Tab S2 9.7

Apple iPad Mini 2

Samsung Galaxy TabPro S

Apple iPad Pro 12.9

Asus ZenPad S 8.0

10

This is the mini tab weve been waiting for. Its 1.4mm thinner and 32g lighter, just the
right size for a great portable entertainment hub, and subtle display tweaks will do
justice to games and graphic novels alike. Plus it will easily last three days on a charge.
This is the best of the small-screen Android tablets, bringing you all the fab features of
its bigger brother but in a smaller, even lighter form design. The 8in model is great for
reading mags, playing games and watching films, while being easier to hold in one hand.
The Pixel C is a superb tabtop. This 10in tablet with keyboard (120) and 2K display is
excellent for working on the go, and itll handle demanding games easily. The Android
OS is a major advantage the choice of apps is years ahead of Chrome OS.
Slimmer and faster, with a brilliant screen and serious stamina, the Tab S2 sees
Samsung back in the running for the Android throne. A bundled keyboard would
have been nice, but the S2s a versatile, big-screen tab first and foremost.
Yes, its not as good as the new Mini 4 but believe it or not, Apples iPad Mini 2 is the
best cheap-ish tablet on the market. At this price, its frankly bargain-tastic. Thats
why the old model stays in our Top 10 its still a mini tablet of real quality.
If you want to get some serious work done without feeling like youre doing it on a toy,
the TabPro S is a better option than even the iPad Pro 9.7. Its basically a full-on PC
slimmed right down to skinny tablet dimensions.
Apples tablet colossus, the supercharged iPad Pro, is for serious creatives with deep
pockets: the perfect digital coffee-table book that just about doubles as a laptop. To
make best use of all that screen, remember to also buy a Smart Keyboard and Pencil.
A top affordable tablet with a dazzling display getting 2048x1536 pixels at this price
is a big win. Its also dead slim and light, at 7.9mm and 316g; and with 8.5hrs of video
between charges, the Zen Pad feels like a tablet you can take everywhere.

Huawei MediaPad M2 10.0

This is a solid stylus-ready tablet, though it might have a tricky time given how well
priced some alternatives are these days (iPads start even cheaper than this). Its not
a standard-setter, but it does have great battery life, solid design and a funky stylus.

STUFF SAYS

Incredible power, superb

features and near-flawless
design: the iPad Pro 9.7
is pure tablet perfection

from 549
from 379

BEST FOR
FUN ON
THE GO

269

from 399

289

from 239

BEST FOR
SMALL
BUDGETS

849

from 729

BEST FOR
ARTISTIC
TYPES

149

from 249

FOR THE FULL REVIEWS AND OUR TABLET BUYING GUIDE, VISIT WWW.STUFF.TV/TOP-10/TABLETS

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SOCIAL NETWORK
facebook.com/joinstuff

118
T
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HI-FI & MUSIC STREAMING

If you want to pretend your favourite band are playing in your living room, theres
no better option than a Sonos wireless speaker. They always look great, work
effortlessy with your smartphone and, most importantly, boom out your tunes
with dazzling finesse from the compact Play:1 (159) to the flagship Play:5
(429), a speaker that was redesigned from the ground up last year to sound
better and be even more of a breeze to use.

Naim Mu-so

KEF Muo

Naim Mu-so Qb

Google Chromecast Audio

Bowers & Wilkins Zeppelin Wireless

Bowers & Wilkins T7

Monitor Audio Airstream S200

Cambridge Audio Go

10

STUFF SAYS

Sonos multiroom system

How much for a wireless speaker?! Well yes, but what a wireless speaker it is. Naim
has ploughed all of its high-end hi-fi experience into delivering a beautifully made,
great-sounding device with AirPlay, Spotify Connect and aptX Bluetooth all on board.
The KEF Muo sounds as good as it looks, which is very nice indeed. It may be the size of
a beer can, but it creates a room-filling sound, brilliantly balanced and packed with vim
and vigour. The Muo has the audio solidity of the B&W T7, but with even greater detail.
This can-do cube complements its big brothers more refined character with a confident
presentation that pays no attention to its physical size. And its features list makes it more
flexible than Madonnas yoga teacher. A stunning addition to the Mu-so family.
The original Chromecast was a very bright idea: a device to stream TV directly from the
internet. Chromecast Audio has arrived to do the same to your hi-fi. Its smart and highly
affordable, and makes a huge variety of apps such as Spotify and Deezer more fun to use.
Wireless speakers and quality dont always go hand in hand. But this is a desirable
product through and through and in terms of sound and design, not a penny is left
unaccounted for. Its the ultimate wireless speaker for the streaming-savvy audiophile.
The T7 is B&Ws first attempt at a portable Bluetooth speaker, and its good looks and
real hi-fi sound combine to make it a real winner. Its solid and easy to use, and has an
attractive honeycomb structure that helps reduce cabinet vibrations.
It may look a bit like a floppy skyscraper, but the Monitor Audios Bluetooth-plus-AirPlay
speaker makes a lot of sense, mostly because it takes up very little shelf/desk/table
space but makes loads of lovely noise. Its a bit of a steal at this price.
There are loads of very cheap Bluetooth speakers out there, but we reckon its worth
spending that little bit more to get something thats really good and thats the Go.
It sounds awesome, its really nicely built and its battery lasts a massive 18 hours.

Bluesound multiroom system

Fancy a bit of Sonos-style multiroom but with better-than-CD-quality sound thrown

in? You want Bluesound. There are all-in-one speakers, adapters for your existing hi-fi,
and a Vault that rips and stores all your CDs. All can handle high-resolution audio.

Infinite music in every

room without the need
for custom installers?
Sign us up now, please

from 159
895

BEST FOR
ONE-BOX
WI-FI HI-FI

299

BEST FOR
PORTABILITY

595

20

499

299

149

BEST FOR
PICNIC PARTIES

99

from 299

FOR THE FULL REVIEWS AND OUR HI-FI BUYING GUIDE, JUMP OVER TO STUFF.TV/TOP-10/HI-FI-STREAMING

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hold your phone
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INTRODUCING

NADs New
Classic
Amplifiers
NEW
5 YEAR
WARRANTY

BLUETOOTH
OUTPUT

C 368 & C 388

with optional MDC module

C 368 799

C 338 599

C 388 1499

This advanced amplifier includes many cutting-edge technological

breakthroughs developed by NAD over decades of creating affordable
ultra-high performance audio components.

The C 338 includes Wi-Fi and Network Streaming

and supports both Google Cast and Spotify
Connect. It also provides access to internet radio
stations and can serve as an UPnP Client for
network streaming from a local NAS library.

Every detail of the powerful C388 has been

carefully planned and perfectly executed to wring
out every last drop of performance. Featuring
NADs exclusive modular design, adding the
optional BluOS Module provides access to your
local area network via Wi-Fi or wired Ethernet
connection and adds Hi-Res Audio streaming.

FUTURE-PROOF MODULAR DESIGN.

This NAD exclusive feature allows you to customise your C 368 amplifier
with additional capabilities and features, now or in the future. The two
available MDC slots can accommodate a variety of upgrade modules
including 4K video capable HDMI switching, additional Digital Inputs,
additional Analogue and Phono Inputs, and one of the most advanced
Hi-Res Audio multi-room wireless systems available, the BluOS music
management system developed by Bluesound. BluOS connects to your
network and is controlled via smartphone, tablet or desktop to manage
your music collection and connect to a growing list of high-quality
streaming music services.

You can connect instantly to the C 338 with

Bluetooth allowing you to stream music wirelessly
from any Bluetooth-enabled device. The high
performance aptX codec is fully supported for true
CD-quality sound.

HiFi for a wireless generation

NEW

5 YEAR
WARRANTY

NEW

PULSE SOUNDBAR 999

P7 WIRELESS
319

The PULSE SOUNDBAR is the worlds first Hi-Res Audio soundbar, supporting audio resolutions
of 24 bits and up to 192kHz sampling rate. Furthermore, it supports Mater Quality Authenticated
(MQA) high-resolution audio streams, another first in the soundbar category. But it is not just the
ability to handle hi-res audio streams that make the PULSE SOUNDBAR so unique, it is how it
brings music and movies to life with its natural and dynamic sound quality.

Wireless headphones with

Bluetooth apX.

PULSE SUB 599

NEW

P3 SERIES 2
119

Lightweight, foldable on-ear

headphones.

SOME BRANDS/PRODUCTS ARE NOT AVAILABLE AT ALL STORES. SPECIAL OFFERS ARE NOT IN CONJUNCTION WITH ANY OTHER OFFER (NICWAOO).

click & collect available

Small and Easy to Live With. With

the PULSE SUB, Bluesound has
reimagined the subwoofer. Most
subwoofers are large cubes that dont
often fit very well in the typical living
room. The PULSE SUB on the other
hand, is a compact, slim, rectangular
shape, allowing it to fit beside, behind,
or underneath living room furniture.
This room friendly design has several
clever installation options.

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120
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HEADPHONES

STUFF SAYS

SoundMagic E10C

SoundMagic
undMagic has been pumping out quality in-ears for years, but this latest
revision
vision is the best yet. You get fantastic sound for the money, a quality cable
and
d plenty of ear tips and unlike the E10Ss, you dont need to tell these buds
whether
hether youre plugging into an iPhone or an Android. Theres still nothing out
there
here that can topple SoundMagic as the king of cheap headphones, but the
E10Cs
0Cs prove that it is still possible to improve without hammering up the price.

AKG K451

AKG Y50BT

Bowers & Wilkins P5 Wireless

Bose QC35

Soul Electronics Flex

Audeze Sine

JBL Everest 100

Philips Fidelio M2L

10

Jabra Sport Pulse

These bargain on-ears offer awesomely agile and punchy sound in a subtly stylish
and foldable design. Add standard and three-button control cables for maximising
compatibility, and theres no excuse for not getting brilliant sound from your phone.
Proof that good wireless sound doesnt have to cost the earth: with none of the
horrid hiss, whine, crack and pop thats often a glitch of Bluetooth headphones,
these serve up truckloads of detail, with a full charge promising 20 hours of juice.
The brands first foray into wireless brings luxury for your ears inside and out: these
are the Aston Martin DB10s of wire-free cans. If you like your sound authoritative,
dynamic and subtle (and who doesnt?), youll feel right at home with these P5s.
The QuietComfort range has long offered a sterling mix of comfort and noise-cancelling,
but with the new 35s you can add freedom-enhancing Bluetooth. These QCs are high
on clarity and spaciousness, making them perfect for your next long-haul journey.
These simple in-ears are brilliant for workouts, as they stay put thanks to the
comfortable and unobtrusive ear-hooks. Sound quality is excellent, with crisp
treble notes, clean vocals and even a decent amount of bass for the money.
If you want some Lightning-connected headphones for your new iPhone 7, these
will hit the spot for clarity and presence and they come with a standard 3.5mm
jack cable too, so theyre worth the extra cash if you also listen on other tech.
The size of a pear drop, JBLs wireless buds are all about fuss-free fit. Their eight-hour
battery life will help get you through the daily grind and their sound is one you could
easily listen to for that long if you dont mind your music on the meaty side.
Philips excellent M1s get a Lightning version, offering a rich, full-bodied sound with
lots of bass but the lack of a 3.5mm jack option means theyre not enough of an
all-rounder for anyone who doesnt eat, sleep and breathe iPhone.
A tech-packed but easy to use pair of wireless buds with good enough sound. The big
draw here is connection to the Jabra Sport app, delivering heart-rate monitoring and
pretty much any other stat you might want. Theres also an inline remote and mic.

If youre still listening

to a pair of freebie buds,
stop it and buy a pair
of these right now

39
44

129

BEST FOR
GREAT SOUND
WITH NO WIRES

229

289

BEST FOR
SHUTTING OUT
THE WORLD

42

399

79

199

109

FOR THE FULL REVIEWS AND OUR HEADPHONE BUYING GUIDE, VISIT STUFF.TV/TOP-10/HEADPHONES

Download the Shop Stuff app

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best deal on a pair
of SoundMagic
E10Cs? You can
find it, and buy
them, 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
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HOME CINEMA 121

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Amazon Fire TV 4K

Amazons latest Fire TV is faster and more powerful than the previous model,
but more importantly, it supports ultra-detailed 4K video: TV and movies in four
times the resolution of Full HD. Of course, youll need a 4K set to enjoy all those
extra pixels, but if youre thinking of making the upgrade soon, this streamer is
a tele-futurists delight. With the added attractions of neat voice controls and
great gaming functionality, its the most complete streaming box you can buy.

STUFF SAYS

Netflix, iPlayer, Amazon

video and Android games
in one 4K-capable box

79

Sky Q

Q Acoustics Media 4

Canton DM55

Google Chromecast

Dali Kubik One

Geneva Model Cinema

Philips Fidelio B5

This Philips isnt just a soundbar. Its a shape-shifting 4.1 system with detachable ends
that can double up as surround or multiroom speakers. Clever, eh? Detail levels are sky
high, while the rumbling bass charges along with accuracy and power.

499

NowTV Smart Box

39

10

A Sky subscription is already an expensive option, but Sky Q works flawlessly and
could change the way you watch TV especially now 4Ks arrived. Undoubtedly the
best TV experience you can get, but only early adopters need to dive in right now.
Sure, it doesnt look like much. And yet, this soundbar has won awards two years in a
row from our friends at What Hi-Fi? The Media 4 combines subtle detail with precise
surround effects to be the best-sounding and best-value soundbar you can buy.
This soundbase is a bit like dark chocolate: it may look plain and unassuming, but its
packed with a rich and full-bodied character. If you want that extra oomph to your films
without breaking the bank or sacrificing too much space, the DM55 is worth a look.
The new Chromecast lets you search multiple streaming services from one app, offers
better Wi-Fi and lets you use your phone to control Android games. For the seriously
impatient, its smart preloading also plays Netflix episodes almost instantaneously.
Dali knows a thing or two about making great-looking, great-sounding loudspeakers,
and the Kubik One is a riveting listen. It can handle high-res files and offers a gorgeous
high-end sound. If youve got the cash, this is a talented system worth investing in.
The impeccably built Model Cinema looks rather lovely (for a soundbase), and being
a fairly slim box, it has no business sounding this huge and cinematic. It does so with
authority and insight its like youre sitting in your own personal theatre.

NowTV was already a fine alternative to a satellite dish, giving you the best of Sky for a
monthly subscription, all through your internet connection. Its even better in this latest
version: this streaming box is a one-stop shop for all your TV needs, Sky or free-to-air.

Apple TV (2015)

Cupertino still hasnt given us a real telly, but this powerful streaming device brims with
potential. Its Siri Remote could be a game-changer and it works well as a platform for
third-party apps and games; but for now its more pricey and less open than its rivals.

from 99
+44/month

BEST FOR
TELLY ADDICTS

249

BEST FOR
TRUE-TO-LIFE
SOUND

299

25

BEST FOR
BUDGET
STREAMING

799

495

(or free with

NowTV bundle)

from 129

FOR THE FULL REVIEWS AND OUR HOME CINEMA BUYING GUIDE, SEE STUFF.TV/TOP-10/HOME-CINEMA

PLUG INTO STUFFS

SOCIAL NETWORK
youtube.com/stuff

122
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TVs

This is a truly stunning television. LGs OLED panel can go blacker than most TVs
and will dazzle your senses with its brightness; it offers sharply etched detail,
excellent viewing angles and solid HD upscaling. It also boasts support for both
HDR standards: HDR10 and Dolby Vision. This means youll be able to watch
compatible content from Amazon, Netflix and UHD Blu-rays regardless of
which format wins out in the future.

Samsung UE55KS7000

Samsung UE48J6300

Sony 55XD9305

LG OLED65G6V

Samsung UE55KS9000

LG 55EG960V

Panasonic TX-40DX600B

Panasonic TX-65DX750B

10

STUFF SAYS

LG OLED55C6V

This set sprinkles a little extra stardust on top of its 4K and HDR brilliance in the form
of Quantum Dot technology, which claims to offer over a billion colours to point your
peepers at. The result is an impressively refined performance.
A 48in screen seems to be the ideal size for most living rooms, and a prominent curve
makes this Samsung eye-catching in every respect. The performance is stunning and
the colours have the right balance of vividness and subtlety. This is a smart TV bargain.
Sonys stunning newcomer ticks all the boxes for a thoroughly modern TV: beautiful
looks, 4K, HDR and much, much more. Above all, this is as stonking a picture as youre
going to get for under two grand, and in a svelte frame as well.
This is a stunning specimen of technology and design, with one of the best pictures
weve ever seen. Its OLED panel yields absolute blacks with precision lighting and no
halo effects whatsoever. The only downside is the equally astonishing price.
Samsung has kept up the pace following the success of last years sets, and delivered
a superb TV at a competitive price for its level. You get an absolutely stunning picture
and performance for the money, proving theres plenty of life in LCD yet.
We knew that OLED and 4K together in one TV would be rather special. This 55in LG
combines the unbelievable contrast of OLED with the super-sharp images of 4K to
create a picture thats almost as real and enticing as looking out of the window.
Not everyone has room for a large TV, and this 40-incher is ideal for those with limited
space. Add 4K and you have a truly appealing proposition there are other 4K sets
available at this money, but none can match the Panasonics wonderfully crisp picture.
If you want a big 4K telly that wont decimate your savings, this 65in Panasonic is a
tempting option. It does fall short of the supercharged levels of peak brightness and
colour bit depth that youll find higher up this list, though.

Philips 65PUS8901

A seriously expensive 4K beast with HDR compatibility, this Philips has the AmbiLux
twist creating a more immersive experience with nine projectors that extend the
screen image onto the wall behind. Its only available in store at Harrods.

Packed full of tech with

jaw-dropping performance,
this is the TV your overdraft
was made for

2299
1299

529

BEST FOR
VIEWING
VALUE

1649

BEST FOR
THE WOW
FACTOR

5999

1999

1699

489

1699

3999

FOR THE FULL REVIEWS AND OUR TV BUYING GUIDE, NAVIGATE TO STUFF.TV/TOP-10/TVS

Download the Shop Stuff app

Looking for the
best deal on the
LG OLED55C6V?
You can now
find it and buy
it by scanning
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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
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then hit buy or
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LAPTOPS 123
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Apple MacBook Pro 13in

Apple didnt change too many parts of the MacBook Pro for the 2015 update.
Theres a new trackpad and the latest generation of Intel CPUs, which deliver
better stamina as well as a chunk more power. This is an incremental upgrade,
but given how good the Pro already was, thats more than enough to keep it
right at the top of our honours list. If you need speedy processing as well as long
battery life and portability, this is one of the best laptops money can buy.

Dell XPS 13

Dell Chromebook 13

Asus ZenBook UX305

The original XPS 13 was already a great lightweight laptop, but now Dell has given it
a Windows 10 refresh. If the last one was the thinking persons ultrabook, this is that
and a whole lot more. With improved battery life and performance, its hard to beat.
This Dell brings quality construction together with horsepower that outclasses almost
every other Chromebook on the market. The price is roughly double that of similar
devices, but for the extra cash youre getting a true laptop experience.
Asus knows what its doing. It knows that the Apple MacBook Air laptops are treading
water and the ZenBook UX305 is pretty much everything the 2015 Air should have
been, with its fetching aluminium design and as good a display as any 1000 laptop.

STUFF SAYS

It hasnt radically changed,

but the Pros performance
and trackpad are top of its
class. If it aint broke

from 999
from 949

from 615

from 599

Toshiba Chromebook 2

Toshiba has created the most desirable Chromebook to date with some well-judged
upgrades. Smaller, lighter and great value, the screens resolution now has pin-sharp
HD and the Skullcandy speakers are distortion-free. It lasted eight hours on test.

169

6
7

Apple MacBook

from
1049

Prettiness in pink aside, this is much like last years 12in MacBook. The 2016 version
is skinny and fab to work on, with a lovely screen but unless youd lap up the extra
hours battery life, theres no real need to upgrade from last years model.

HP Spectre 13

How do you earn the title of worlds thinnest laptop? By shrinking and slashing until
youre left with only the essentials. Yet the Spectre has got serious power under the
hood, and the looks to give Apples 12in MacBook a run for its money.

Asus X555LA

Apple MacBook Air 13in

10

Microsoft Surface Book

Fancy high performance for a low, low price? Of course you do! This bargain beast
manages to cram in a speedy Core i5 processor and up to 8GB of RAM. With a crisp
keyboard and responsive trackpad, its a challenge not to be impressed with this Asus.
Apple is scraping by with pretty much the same Air design as before. You get a new
processor, new connectors and slightly improved battery life, but still no Retina screen.
However, if a portable road warrior is what youre after, this is a great choice.
Microsofts finally made a laptop, and shorn of its initial bugs, the Surface Book is a
lustrous Windows machine with premium appeal. With an innovative hinged design,
plenty of oomph and a tablet option, this sleek hybrid gets a lot right.

BEST FOR
PRACTICAL
PORTABILITY

BEST FOR
VALUE FOR
MONEY

from 1149

from 429

from 849

from 1169

FOR THE FULL REVIEWS AND OUR LAPTOP BUYING GUIDE, CLICK ON OVER TO STUFF.TV/TOP-10/LAPTOPS
APPLE WATCH 2 iPHONE 7 AIRPODS
WE RATE
THEM ALL

NO JACK, NO PROBLEM!

iPHONE 7
YOUR
ULTIMATE
GUIDE
100 BEST FREE APPS
10 TOP WIRELESS CANS
1 SUPER MARIO

NEW TECH TESTED

PlayStation 4 Pro
Amazon Echo
Fujifilm X-T2
Urban bikes megatest
4.99
November 2016
www.stuff.tv

Every gadget, every review, every page,

available on PC, Mac, iPad and Android
www.stuff.tv/digital-magazine

TOP FIVES GEEK ACCESSORIES & CONSOLES

124

GEEK ACCESSORIES

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Raspberry Pi 3 B

DJI Phantom 4

Amazon Kindle Oasis

Yuneec Typhoon H

DJI Osmo

It just keeps getting tastier by the year 50% faster, 100% more Wi-Fi, same price. No
other circuit board computer touches what the Pi offers as a package: the amazing value
hardware, the mountains of online support and the sheer wealth of projects you can try.
The Phantom 4 is not so much an upgrade as an evolutionary leap. The world of drones
can be an intimidating one, but what DJI has done here is to create a quadcopter that
anyone really can fly and do it safely. Expect to see a lot more of these in the sky soon.
If youre looking to get an e-reader to take on holiday, the Kindle Paperwhite will do just
fine it has a great screen and backlighting, and costs less than half the price of this
one. But buying an Oasis is the decadent option, and it never hurts to show your class.
The Typhoon H is a fantastic hexacopter thats easy to fly, has a lengthy flight time,
takes great footage and photos, and folds up to a (reasonably) portable size. Its only
hamstrung by the two-hour battery charging time, which is trounced by rivals from DJI.
You cant fly a drone through a narrow hallway, but you can walk down one wielding an
Osmo and the footage will be silky smooth. This stabilised camera is in a category of
its own, and to get similar functionality from a DSLR youd end up spending far more.

30

BEST FOR
DIY PROJECTS

1129

BEST FOR
RULING
THE SKIES

269

1094

489

GAMES CONSOLES

T
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W
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Xbox One S

Sony PlayStation 4 Slim

HTC Vive

Oculus Rift

Nintendo Wii U

The Xbox One S dumps all the stuff that didnt make sense about Microsofts third
proper games console Kinect, the 400+ asking price, that fugly power brick and
the result is that it looks and feels like an even more enticing machine than the PS4.
This is effectively the old standard PS4 squeezed into a 20% smaller package, and will
still deliver an awesome console gaming experience. But if you see a 4K TV in your
future, youre probably better off saving a little extra for the imminent PS4 Pro.
HTC Vive is our VR headset of choice because of one key feature: frickin laser beams.
This allows you to roam free instead of being confined to a chair. Combined with two
motion controllers, its a completely new way to experience games.
The wait is finally over, virtual reality has arrived, and Oculus got there first. The Rift is
seriously impressive, a window into untold flights of escapism youre going to want
one. It really needs the Touch controllers, though.
While it hasnt had the same impact as the original Wii, dont underestimate the Us
fun factor. Nintendos bottomless bag of superb game franchises rolls on with the
excitement of Mario Kart 8, with its anti-gravity karts and submarine racing.

from 249

259

759

BEST FOR
FUTURE
GAZING

549

239

FOR THE FULL REVIEWS IN EACH CATEGORY AND OUR BUYING GUIDES, VISIT WWW.STUFF.TV/TOP-10S

Download the Shop Stuff app

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Xbox One S?
You can now
find it and buy
it by scanning
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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.

TOP FIVES WEARABLES & SMARTHOME 125

WEARABLES

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NE

NE

Apple Watch Series 2

Pebble Time Steel

Under Armour HealthBox

Garmin Vivomove

Misfit Ray

Last years Apple Watch was already the best smartwatch to date; now its found its
focus. The Series 2 devices come with an array of upgrades more power, a brighter
screen along with a greater emphasis on fitness functions without a phone in tow.
Its very similar to the Pebble Time, but the extra Gorilla Glass 3 on the front makes it
a bit less damage-prone and the bonus battery life means itll last for a solid week of
proper use. These tweaks ensure that the Time Steel is the best Pebble you can buy.
UA teamed up with HTC to create this all-in-one package comprising a fitness band,
a chest strap, a smart scale and a whole bunch of smartphone apps to bring them all
together. Its everything you need to fit up all you need to add is willpower.
Serious athlete? This sleek, analogue-faced watch will be the one you swap out for
a dedicated tracker when its workout time. Stylish commuter on a health kick? Free
up a space on your wrist: this is everything you need from a fitness watch.
Misfit has crammed a lot of tech into this basic-looking bracelet. Theres no heart-rate
tracking, and youll need your phone in your pocket for GPS, but you do get step
tracking, silent vibration alarms, sleep monitoring and movement reminders.

from 269

BEST FOR
TECH YOU
WANT TO WEAR

from 169

BEST FOR
BATTERY LIFE

349

139

79

SMARTHOME

T
HO
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BU

Nest Learning Thermostat (3rd gen)

The latest Nest adds the ability to control your hot water (if you have a separate
tank), as well as a slightly nicer dial with a bigger screen that, helpfully, shows you a
clock when you walk past. Its not the most dramatic update, but it didnt need to be.

249 (with
installation)

Netatmo Welcome

Netatmos smartcam now has added face recognition capability, which works reliably
well once it knows a face, and all the usual motion and noise detection is controllable.
We also like the way individual profiles can be adjusted. Slick and hugely informative.

159

Hive Active Heating 2

249 (with
installation)

Honeywell Evohome

204

Samsung SmartThings

Simple enough for anyone to use and powerful enough to be useful, Hive is now far
smarter, with features such as geolocation and holiday mode to help you save cash.
For a family-friendly introduction to the connected home, this will take some beating.
Set schedules to control the precise temperature of each individual room of your
family home, using either the tablet-like central controller or the free Total Connect
Comfort app. Its a big old investment, but youll soon pity anyone living without it.
While this is some of the best, simplest smarthome kit weve used, the starter pack
isnt quite as well thought out as we were hoping. Its really just a demonstrator kit for
people who want to try this sort of tech without doing any rewiring.

BEST FOR
HOME
SECURITY

+ 55/radiator
+ installation

from 199

FOR THE FULL REVIEWS IN EACH CATEGORY AND OUR BUYING GUIDES, VISIT WWW.STUFF.TV/TOP-10S

Get online wherever

you are with
Mobile Broadband.

12GB
data included

Connect your 3G/4G tablet or device. Use your

inclusive data in the UK or abroad in 42 destinations
at no extra cost.
Subject to coverage. Check yours at Three.co.uk/coverage. Details at Three.co.uk/feelathome

www.mymemory.co.uk/3

TOP FIVES CAMERAS

126

SLR
SLRs

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Fujifilm X-T2

The X-T2 is a lesson in how to upgrade an already great gadget. The X-T1 was itself a
brilliant camera, so Fuji gave it superb video and autofocus skills to go with the already
top image quality and build. The result is a truly superb all-rounder.

1399

(body only)

Sony A7R II

Yes, its expensive, but the A7R II combines impeccable build quality with a class-leading
full-frame sensor, 5-axis image stabilisation, huge ISO range, super-fast autofocus, an
excellent viewfinder and 4K video recording. The finest camera Sony has ever made.

(body only)

Canon EOS 80D

999

Fujifilm X-T10

Canon EOS 5DS

Even a child would get great results with the 80D its the photographic equivalent of
playing FIFA 16 as Barcelona, on full auto mode, against Burnley. If you want a camera
that takes the hard work out of getting fantastic photos, you wont find much better.
For rich landscapes, detailed macro shots, stunningly sharp portraits and everyday
photos, the X-T10 beats most other choices at any price. It also handles beautifully
and can be paired with some of the most consistently superb lenses youll ever find.
A fantastic piece of kit that any pixel-peeping SLR fan will get heaps of enjoyment out
of. The astounding 50MP sensor puts an incredible amount of pictorial detail at your
fingertips, and the 5DS is very much pitched as Canons ultimate stills camera.

2999

(body only)

449

(body only)

BEST FOR
ALL-ROUND
VALUE

2699

(body only)

COMPACT CAMERAS

T
HO
Y
BU

Sony DSC-RX100 IV

Panasonic Lumix LX100

Nikon Coolpix S7000

Sony RX10 III

Panasonic Lumix FZ1000

Yes, its pricey for a compact, but the high frame rate, fast burst mode and 4K video
recording arent to be sniffed at. The RX100 IV is a premium point-and-shoot that
offers all the versatility, flexibility and all-round performance you could ever need.
This is one of the most capable premium compacts on the market and the LX100s
4K capabilities give it a crucial edge over its rivals. HD video capture and superb stills
performance make the Panasonic a star performer when it comes to the basics too.
If small and light is the way you need to go, you can jam the affordable S7000 in your
jeans and you wont even notice its there. Yet it still packs a 20x optical zoom and
back-illuminated 16MP sensor, as well as 4-axis stabilisation and Wi-Fi.
The RX10 II was a fantastic camera, and the III edition does nothing but improve on it. Its
one of the best all-rounders weve seen, and if youre looking for a high-performance
camera without the hassle of interchangeable lenses, this should be the one.
The FZ1000 is incredibly versatile a fixed-lens camera capable of shooting fantastic
stills and video in almost any situation. Yes, its almost the same as the Leica V-Lux,
but at about 300 cheaper it deserves an extra star. A brilliant bridge camera.

829

BEST FOR
POCKETABLE
POWER

499

129

1549

589

FOR THE FULL REVIEWS IN EACH CATEGORY AND OUR BUYING GUIDES, VISIT WWW.STUFF.TV/TOP-10S

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best deal on the
Fujifilm X-T2?
You can now
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hold your phone
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S TU FF PRO M OTI O N

STRAPPY FAMILY
From high-tech to classic, via minimalist and sport,
here are seven ways to satisfy your horological cravings

DU MAURIER COMMODORE
LIMITED EDITION, 465
This Swiss-made diving watch is limited to just 125
pieces. Its a classic combination of style and
performance: the Commodore is a true dress-diver
that looks as good with a suit as it does in the water.

CHEAPO BRAND
NANDO METAL, 55

www.dumaurierwatches.com

Born in Sweden and inspired by

skateboarding, music and art,
Cheapo Brand believes that
good-looking watches and
sunglasses shouldnt cost you a
fortune. Thats why they offer great
looks, great quality and great social
values at prices anyone can afford.

SUUNTO SPARTAN
SPORT, FROM 399
Suunto Spartan Sport is an
advanced multisport GPS watch
with trim fit, a color touchscreen,
100m water resistance, a compass
and up to 16 hours of battery life
in training mode. With 80 preset
sport modes and rich sport-specific
metrics, Spartan Sport could be
your ideal training partner.
www.suunto.com

www.cheapobrand.com

GREYHOURS VISION SHINE

ELECTRON, 220
The Vision Shine Electron is
built from the finest 316L stainless
steel and shielded by a Blue PVD
coating. It comes with a French
sapphire glass and is fitted with
a soft calf-leather strap from
the best French tannery. The new
Vision collection is available now.
www.greyhours.com

NITE WATCHES
HAWK T100, 300
The HAWK T100 from British
watch brand Nite Watches
combines unrivalled T100 rated
GTLS (tritium) illumination tech
with a lightweight reinforced
polycarbonate casing.
www.nitewatches.com

GWC MESH CHRONO,

49
The strikingly minimal Mesh Chrono
from Megir boasts a steel mesh
band, precision stopwatch and
calendar wheel at 4 oclock. Three
variations. Quote STUFFNOV
at The Gentlemens Watch Co.
for 10% off (expires 31/10/2016).
www.gwcwatches.com

ALBANY & CO. FLAGSHIP 40MM, 69

The Flagship 40mm from Oxford-based Albany & Co. has a seamlessly
machined stainless-steel case, Swiss movement and 100m water
resistance. Limited numbers are available for discount pre-order.
www.albanyandco.com

Highly Classified

To advertise call Jessica Sarfas 0208 267 5521

www.myshreddies.com

01509 610610

Vintage Watch Movement Cufflinks

When these watches stopped who knew they would be

reincarnated as really cool cufflinks.
Crafted from 1920s - 1950s Swiss watch movements,
set with original ruby jewels and mounted as cufflinks.
Presented in a vintage inspired box.

49 - by Pretty Eccentric
Visit: www.prettyeccentric.co.uk

Get online
wherever
you are with
Mobile Broadband.

12GB
data included

Simply insert our Data SIM into your 3G/4G

tablet or device and connect to the internet
on the go.
You can use your inclusive data in the UK
or abroad in 42 destinations at no extra cost.
Its the Internet with legs.

Available at www.mymemory.co.uk/3

Mobile Broadband SIM preloaded with 12GB data, lasts for up 12 months. Once your data is used up or expires, you will need to buy a top-up and convert to our Pay As You Go Mobile Broadband Add-on (valid from date of activation),
otherwise data charged at 11p/MB see Three.co.uk for details. Subject to coverage check yours at Three.co.uk/coverage. Use your inclusive data allowance to get online abroad in 42 destinations for details see Three.co.uk/feelathome.

NEXT BIG THING?

hose appear to be Polaroids. Not

quite Harry Potter snaps, are they?
Not exactly, though theyre not that
far off. These 3D prints dont quite
move around with their own intelligence and
sentient will, but they are full colour holograms
that have been printed using standard inkjet
printers. Which is, you know, a sort of magic
in itself. It all works thanks to some clever
folks from MIT, who have developed a realistic,
glasses-free 3D experience using a combination
of algorithms and light-field technology. Theyre
calling it Lumii.

What did the cheese say to its reflection?

Hey Lumii!
Very good. Its going to take us a while to recover
from that. But back to these magical photos,
because the way they work is rather clever.
Subjects are scanned and a 3D model is created.
Lumiis special light-field engine then processes
these 3D models, before an algorithm calculates
and churns out a set of unique patterns. These
are printed on separate layers using a regular
printer, which means you can do it at home.
Sandwich those together and boom! youve
got a Hogwarts-worthy Polaroid in your hands.

Neat. But why?

But why? Imagine if Krunk had said that to
Gorg when he first brought a flaming stick
back to their cave. Wed still be eating berries
and living in furs, and thered be no such thing
as Netflix. But enough preaching. These 3D
prints are easier to make and have a larger
depth of field than existing holograms. Plus
they have lots of potential uses homemade
advertising, novelty cards, or next-gen photo
albums. Lumiis still in the alpha stage right
now, so youve got plenty of time to commission
your futuristic portrait.

DONT MISS THE NEXT ISSUE! ON SALE 3 NOV

[ Words Esat Dedezade ]

light-field photos

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www.avon-tyres.co.uk

ATAC-TA TREAD PROFILE

ATAC varies the tread profile across the tyre
for the ultimate in handling and stability.

INVERTED FRONT TYRE GROOVES

Delivers smooth handling, improved wet braking and
shorter stopping distances throughout the tyres life.

ENHANCED AQUA FLOW

Computer designed tread pattern propels water away
aiding water dispersion and maximising wet grip.

FORCE FOLLOWING GROOVES

Work in tandem with forces transmitted
through the tyre for increased wear
resistance, optimum water dispersal, reduced
tyre noise and improved mileage.

ob
ra

The Triumph Thunderbird LT represents the best of British engineering with

its iconic parallel twin engine and class leading, head turning chassis.

C
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ST

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AP

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So its no surprise that Triumph has approved the Cobra Radial tyre from
Avon for all Thunderbird LT new fitments.

/T

Designed and made specifically for the power cruiser/touring market,

Cobra provides incredible stability and longevity perfect for touring.

IN

/C

Drawing on Avons sports tyre technology, Cobras unique sidewall design

and aggressive tread pattern promotes nimble handling and an ultra
quiet ride experience.

For further information on the Avon Tyres range, visit www.avon-tyres.co.uk

IS

ER