One person’s gadget is another’s essential work tool, so perhaps we shouldn’t be too quick to dismiss the genre as an irredeemable source of excess consumption. The ten products selected below should all serve you well, even if they’ve been acquired for all the wrong reasons.
Top 10 gadgets of 2023
01. reMarkable 2 e-ink tablet
Expect this genre to expand even more in 2024; for now, reMarkable’s second gen e-ink tablet is our firm favourite, buoyed by excellent hardware design and software that keeps getting better.
02. Are flip phones actually back?
OPPO Find N2 Flip
Despite our enthusiasm for their ability to deter you from constant phone fiddling, flip phones haven’t taken the market by storm. That hasn’t stopped manufacturers from pushing the form factor in increasingly sophisticated ways.
03. Google Pixel Tablet
Google Pixel Tablet
Google’s first ever Pixel Tablet was a winner straight out of the gate. Used as a portable media centre, the hub of your smart home, or just as secondary laptop, the Pixel Tablet offers power and flexibility.
04. Meticulous Espresso machine
Meticulous Espresso machine
The most intriguing and elegant device from our round-up of home working tech, Meticulous’ Espresso machine promises to keep perfect cups of coffee flowing all day.
05. Polyend Tracker Mini
Polyend Tracker Mini
One for the incorrigible gear collector, Polyend’s Tracker Mini is a hardware iteration of very old school audio software. Patience and practice are required to get results.
06. Sky Live
Sky Glass and Sky Live
Sky’s Live service captured our attention. An add-on to the broadcaster’s Glass TV set, the onboard camera offers communications, sharing, games and even fitness.
07. Google Pixel 8 Pro
Google Pixel 8 Pro
Although its baked-in AI might make many baulk, Google’s newest Pixel stays at the top of its sector with smart synergy between hardware and software.
08. Zoom R4 MultiTrack
Zoom R4 MultiTrack
The latest digital recorder from Zoom serves as everything from a dictaphone to a pocket recording studio.
09. Fender Tone Master Pro
Fender Tone Master Pro
Fender’s first foray into the all-in-one guitarist’s pedalboard might upset the purists, but it’s been taken to heart by pros the world over. Excellent sounds and solid hardware design make this a sound choice.
10. The Computer, Taschen
The Computer: A history from the 17th Century to Today, Taschen
Finally, a traditional book that represents a fine example of how to archive such fast-moving history. Depending on your age, it’s a rich source of nostalgia or wonder.
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John Cage’s ‘now moments’ inspire Lismore Castle Arts’ group showLismore Castle Arts’ ‘Each now, is the time, the space’ takes its title from John Cage, and sees four artists embrace the moment through sculpture and found objects
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Architects collaborate on geometric extension to radically re-shape a London houseMediterranean influences, earthy tones and quirky angles abound in this geometric extension and the soaring living spaces of this reconfigured Victorian townhouse
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‘What a Fantastic Machine’: new film explores the camera, pop culture and human behaviourMaximilien Van Aertryck and Axel Danielson’s new film, ‘And the King Said, What a Fantastic Machine’, dissects the role of the camera in popular culture
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Five compact DAB radios that combine broadcast content with visual brioThe latest DAB radios – countertop and bedside broadcast companions – for those who like their devices to be standalone and visually simple
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New Nothing Ear and Ear (a) earbuds: audio innovation with a retro nodNothing’s new Ear and Ear (a) earbuds, drawing inspiration from vintage portable hi-fi and packed with updates, help the company maintain its status as an audio innovator
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Dial into the Boring Phone and more smartphone alternativesFrom the deliberately dull new Boring Phone to Honor’s latest hook-up with Porsche, a host of new devices that do the phone thing slightly differently
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Cutting-edge sound machines celebrate the independent spiritSynths, effects, and even toys – these sound machines offer up new adventures in music creation, and showcase the idiosyncratic world of low-volume tech production
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Wearable tech that’ll help you hack, track and snack your way to successThe latest in discreet wearable tech, from biowearables to smart glasses, is designed to help you be your best self
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Remote working wonders: what every home office needsRemote working calls for clever and efficient kit that won't impinge on domestic bliss at day’s end – from a desk that stows your monitor out of sight to a discreet cloud alternative
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New Leica SL3 meets the desires and demands of photographers and filmmakersThe Leica SL3, the latest in the brand’s range of mirrorless full-frame system cameras, is powerful, pocketable and undeniably professional
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Nothing Phone (2a) and Punkt MC02: our hands-on reviewTwo new smartphones – Nothing Phone (2a) and Punkt MC02 –offer different approaches to conventional device design, while emphasising simplicity, privacy and the power of good design
