Tech Buyer’s

GIFT GUIDE

THE TECHaCTivE SERiES

hot gadgets, selected by experts

Computers ● Consoles ● Games ● Fitness ● Travel ● Kitchen ● Kids ● Home ● Outdoors ● and much more!

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EXPERT Picks!

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Editor’s letter 3

AV & Computing Media streamers 8Complete your living room

Home movies 10Bring Hollywood home

Internet radios 12Hot sounds from around the world

Wireless speakers 14Your music where you want it

DJ skills 16Make music, and make it better

Gaming gear 18Upgrade your PC gaming experience

Projectors 20Start playing on the big screen

MacBook 22Upgrade your laptop with this selection

Perfect peripherals 24Plug them in and improve your computer

Gaming mice 28Point, click, it’s all in the mind

Mouse mats 30The perfect surface for your rodent

ConsolesXbox One 34Microsoft fires its third gaming salvo

Xbox One games 38Play these and be happy

PlayStation 4 40Sony’s chance to take over?

PlayStation 4 games 44The hottest new titles on the PS4

Wii U 46Nintendo attempts to prove its relevance

Wii U games 50Next-gen games for the new console

Gaming devices 52The best current-gen consoles out there

Xbox 360 games 53The best bang for your buck

PlayStation 3 games 54Don’t upgrade – play these!

Wii games 55Wave your Wiimote and get playing

Skylanders vs Disney 56The battle is on for the parent pound

Personal & PortableGadget watches 60Timepieces meet technology

Laptop bags 62Keep your stuff safe in style

Celeb headphones 64Hear things the way Dr Dre intended

In-ear headphones 66Compact buds to bring music to life

Ereaders 68Paper books are so last century

FitnessSport headphones 72Keeping fit? Keep it musical

Fun fitness 74Enjoy your workout with this kit

Fitness bands 76The personal trainer on your wrist

Running gear 80Hit the streets all kitted up

Swimming kit 82Take your gadgets in the pool

PhotographyPhotograpy kit 86The gadgets every snapper needs

Compact system cameras 88The bridge between DSLR and compact

Action cameras 90Capture everything, no matter how extreme

Landscape cameras 92Luscious shots made easy

Out & AboutBeat the commute 96Technologise your journey

Festival gear 98Camp in style – and mud

Winter survival kit 100Keep warm and get silly in the snow

BBQ equipment 102Burn meat with style and panache

Home & GardenDomestic tech 108For every modern home

Garden gear 110Why put in effort? That’s what tech’s for

Cool kitchen kit 112Fill up your cupboards with tech

Cookery gadgets 114Cook up a storm – or some food

Phone AccessoriesiPhone earbuds 118Stick them in, listen hard

Over ear headphones 122Classic cans for the purist

Bluetooth headphones 124Cut the cord and go wireless

Android extras 126Beef up a phone or tablet with this gear

KidsEducation essentials 136Back to school? You’ll rule with this lot

Tech toys 138What every kid wants

Baby tech 144Keep your newborn safe and entertained

Tech Buyer’s

GIFT GUIDE

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Perfect peripheralsWhether you use a Mac or a Windows PC, we have the ideal collection of kit

Apple USB KeyboardThis USB keyboard lacks the freedom offered by the cable-free wireless model, but it has two USB ports and a numeric keypad to make up for it. Like its wireless equivalent, it’s very comfortable to use, even after several hours’ typing. Like the wireless model, it’s much easier to keep clean than Apple’s old-style keyboards, too.£44 | $49 www.apple.com

Apple Magic MouseThe Magic Mouse is the world’s first Multi-Touch mouse, with a smooth surface that can detect multiple points of contact. Gesture inputs are detected just as on a trackpad. For example, a finger swiped across the mouse can move through Safari pages, and tapping gives a smart zoom. It has 360-degree scrolling too.£52 | $62 www.apple.com

Logitech Wireless Solar Keyboard K750 for MacThe Logitech K750 is a wireless Mac keyboard that’s solar-powered instead of running on batteries. It can draw energy from both artificial and natural light, and when fully charged can be used in pitch darkness for around three months. It’s very comfy to type on, too.£60 | $59 www.logitech.com

Mad Catz R.A.T. 9Mad Catz’ R.A.T. mice are excellent for gaming, with pixel precision, comfortably placed controls and a range of customisation options. The top-of-the-range R.A.T. 9 is wireless, and comes with two rechargeable battery packs. The R.A.T. 7 has the same feature set but is USB; and there’s also the cheaper R.A.T. 3 or 5 if you don’t want to spend quite so much on a mouse.£87 | $121 www.madcatz.com

Apple Magic TrackpadThe Magic Trackpad is a larger, desktop version of the trackpad used in the MacBook. It supports the same range of multitouch gestures, including 360-degree scrolling, activating Mission Control, Exposé or Notification Center, and scrolling, rotating and zooming. It connects to your laptop wirelessly using Bluetooth.£52 | $62 www.apple.com

Apple Wireless KeyboardApple’s Bluetooth keyboard is normally bundled with the iMac, but is also available separately. It lacks a numeric keypad and any USB ports, but it takes up considerably less room when it’s on your desk and offers cable-free convenience. It’s perfectly styled to go with the MacBook, and is extremely comfortable to type on. £55 | $62 www.apple.com

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Edifier E10 ExclaimThese 2.0 speakers look as good as they sound. The black base at the foot of each speaker contains bass radiators, while the silver columns hold high frequency and mid-range tweeters, so the whole sound spectrum is pretty accurately reproduced even without a true subwoofer. They would look great on your desk, complimenting any stylish laptop which needs a little boost – but they’re also small enough to be easily portable, giving you great sound wherever you go.£54 | $96 www.edifier-international.com

Viewsonic VX2370Smh-LEDThis budget monitor makes an ideal second screen. It has excellent image quality for the price, a great response time and a very thin bezel that doesn’t get in the way. Build quality is equally good, although its speakers leave a lot to be desired. It might not suit design professionals, but it’s great for general home use.£138 | $160 www.viewsonic.com

Buffalo MiniStation Slim 500GBIf you need to back up or transfer very large files or a lot of data, try a portable hard drive. This Buffalo drive is USB 3.0-compatible, and is described as “the world’s thinnest storage device”. The slimline USB 3.0 port has enabled Buffalo to shave a few millimetres off the enclosure’s height, leaving it just 8.8mm thick.£51 | $69 www.buffalo-technology.com

Creative ZiiSound D5If you don’t want your external sound system on your desk with your computer, the ZiiSound D5 is what you need. You can connect it to a computer through Bluetooth, and because it uses the aptX codec (which enables higher-quality sound), your music sounds great, too. It’s also supplied with a 30-pin aptX dongle for iPods.£101 | $250 http://creative.com

Philips 298P4QJEB UltraWide 21:9 DisplayThe 21:9 ratio gives you a lot of breadth; you can quite comfortably open two applications and run them side by side on your desktop, without squashing or overlapping. It has four USB 3.0 ports around the back, too, and built-in stereo speakers.£383 | $725 www.philips.com

Apple Thunderbolt Display (27-inch)This is the ideal display for your Thunderbolt Mac. A single cable combines a Thunderbolt lead for video and also a MagSafe connector to power your notebook while you work. As well as a big 27-inch screen, the display offers a FaceTime HD camera, three USB ports, FireWire 800 and Gigabit Ethernet ports.£795 | $950 www.apple.com

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The original Nintendo

Wii was something of a surprise hit – from a purely technical point of view, it lagged behind the other consoles of the time, the Microsoft Xbox 360 and Sony PlayStation 3. The graphics weren’t as impressive, the processor not as powerful, the multimedia capabilities not as pronounced – the list goes on and on. What those consoles didn’t have, though, but the Wii did, was motion-aware controllers, called Wii remotes. Not only could you play your games using the usual

directional pads and buttons that the other consoles offered, but you could also wave, shake and generally thrash around with the Wii in a way that you simply couldn’t with other consoles.

There was also a different focus for the Wii that the ‘more serious’ consoles had ignored – the Wii appealed to the whole family, from the youngest

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members who could barely

use the controller through to the eldest, who discovered a far more intuitive way to interact with games. This also lead to the type of games available on the Wii veering away from the classic first-person shooters (FPS) and violent games aimed at older teenagers, and instead focusing on classic genres – puzzles, platform games and sport simulators. Games that you wouldn’t mind your whole

family either playing, or sitting

around watching and shouting encouragement while someone else plays – although if you watch anyone play the Wii for the first time, you’ll want a go straight after.

Popularity contestThis all lead to the Wii being a great success. The sales figures for the affordable Nintendo console far outstripped those for Sony and Microsoft’s counterparts, having sold over 100 million units worldwide, compared to the PS3’s 79 million and Xbox 360’s 78 million. The Wii U,

Is Nintendo’s newest console set to be as big a hit with families as its predecessor?

Wii U

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■ Consoles

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Skullcandy Mix Master Mike1 These headphones sport the

name of Beastie Boys DJ Mix Master Mike and feature DJ-style rotating earcups. They’re comfy and have a mute button on the right earcup, as well as an input on each side so you can hook up to either one or attach a second pair of headphones. The sound quality is good, but suffers as you crank up the volume.£160 | $216 www.skullcandy.com

Headphones have got seriously cool, and if your cans aren’t celebrity-endorsed, then you’ve badly undermined your

cool credentials. There are scores of headphones from big-name brands such as AKG or Skullcandy backed by some of the biggest rappers, singers and music producers in the world, but with varying degrees of success. We got our groove on with the biggest names in music.

Celebrity headphonesEveryone from 50 Cent to Quincy Jones wants to lend their name to a pair of cans. We round up five of the best

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AKG Quincy Jones Signature Line Q4604 Bearing the name of legendary

producer Quincy Jones, these on-ear headphones are much smaller and lighter than any of the others here. They look plasticky, but padding on the earcups and the underside of the thin headband makes them comfy to wear. Audio performance is excellent thanks to the closed-back design, which means little sound is lost.£90 | $103 www.akg.com

House of Marley Destiny TTR3 These distinctive headphones are

the flagship model from House of Marley, which prides itself on using sustainable materials. The TTRs are built from recyclable aluminium and stainless steel, but it makes them heavy. The audio performance is strong and the on-board noise-cancelling tech proves its worth. The cable is covered in woven fabric, so it stays tangle-free.£185 | $300 www.thehouseofmarley.com

SMS Audio Street by 50 Cent2 The only wired cans in 50 Cent’s

Street range, the SMS Audios feature earcups that, while feeling squidgy and comfy, are huge and fairly heavy. The large and bendy headband makes them feel rather loose, and sound is leaked before it even reaches your ears. What does get through sounds good, but the low-end isn’t as beefed up as the Beats. £110 | $110 http://smsby50.com

Beats by Dre Studio5 The king of celeb headphones has

to be the Beats range from Dr Dre. The Studio cans feature noise isolation and are powered by a pair of AAA batteries. Available in a kaleidoscope of colours, the Beats will certainly get you noticed, although the shiny finish is a fingerprint magnet and the cable is annoyingly prone to tangles. The bass performance is second to none – fantastic for dance tracks or booming movie soundtracks. £200 | $250 www.beatsbydre.com

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■ pERSonAL AnD poRTABLE

Track your fitnessEmbrace your body – monitor its functions and tweak your daily habits with one of these health-giving tracking devices

Nike+ FuelBandAt first glance, the Nike+ FuelBand is stylishly understated. Available in black or white, it sports a rubbery yet rigid texture and links around your wrist with a retractable silver clasp. But with a press of the band’s discreet button, a strip of coloured LED lights illuminates a seamless animated display that can show the time, your steps taken, calories burned, and accumulated Nike Fuel – the company’s proprietary unit for calculating activity that’s tied to your Nike account, and feeds into other Nike-linked activities. Below the display sits a spectral dial of traffic lights, which indicate your progress towards a predetermined goal. This is chosen via the iOS app, which looks as sleek as the wristband and represents your data in various insightful ways. Holding down the button activates the all-important Bluetooth sync, and while GPS tracking is absent, it’s the visual nature of the instant feedback that will win over most users.£129 | $149 www.nike.com

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Fitbit FlexThe Fitbit Flex combines the company’s honed pedometer technology, key to its One product (see below), with a convenient wristband that, while not the most stylish of accessories, oozes ruggedness like no other tracker. An adjustable clasp keeps things secure, while a black strip acts as a simple progress display that’s activated with a double-tap and powered by a removable plastic sensor housed inside a rubber pouch. Battery life is around five days, and although the five LED lights helpfully indicate the number of steps taken in a day, it’s the iOS and Android apps that offer a more detailed and extended picture of your activity. This data can also be shared with other Flex users, all of whom can choose between a range of cool custom band colours.£80 | $100 www.fitbit.com

Fitbit OneThe Fitbit One is a more inconspicuous type of tracker, with

a sleek pebble-like design small enough to keep in your pocket or attach to your belt using the supplied clip. During the day it tracks your steps, distance covered, calories burned and even stairs climbed, thanks to its built-in altimeter. It also tracks the quality and duration of your sleep, and packs a vibrating alarm to wake you.

This data is stored minute-by-minute, and is converted to a daily total, which can be viewed

on the LED display or through the Fitbit Connect software, which works on both Mac

and PC via the supplied cable. It syncs the stored data from your tracker to your

Fitbit.com Dashboard, where you can also record diet, weight and more.£71 | $90 www.fitbit.com

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■ FITNESS

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