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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100 George Street is the new kid on the block in fashionable MaryleboneLondon's newest luxury apartment building brings together a sensitive exterior and thoughtful, 21st-century interiors
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Experience the cradle of the Renaissance in a new light at Florence’s W hotelFlorence’s palazzi, basilicas and baptistries groan with history. But the city’s new W hotel poses an alternative perspective – one that is distinctly modern
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Wallpaper* Gift Guides: What our director of digital content, Charlotte Gunn, has on her wishlist this yearFrom the year's most-anticipated music biography to stacks of vinyl, these goodies will help you unwind and unplug
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New Leica Q3 Monochrom camera sees the world in black and whiteDefined by its crisp 60MP monochrome sensor, the Leica Q3 Monochrom is a camera designed for those who want to focus only on light, shadow and form
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Apple Watch Ultra 3 has innovation at its heart – a 3D-printed titanium caseWe delve into Apple’s pioneering use of 3D-printed metal, and how it ties in with the company’s path to carbon neutrality
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LG rolls out its ThinQ AI into a sleek new crew of connected home helpersThe age of thinking washing machines is well upon us, thanks to companies like LG and its ThinQ AI system, which harnesses artificial intelligence for better appliance integration
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Swedish tech brand Transparent launches its Aroma Diffuser for the homeThe audio specialist moves into the olfactory zone with its latest product, the elegant Aroma Diffuser
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Teenage Engineering gets playful with two new devices, Riddim and TingThe new EP–40 Riddim and EP–2350 Ting from Teenage Engineering are infused with authentic dub and reggae sounds and effects
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Forget the sensor-stuffed smart home and opt for these bots made from warm Danish oak insteadSwift Creatives have debuted their conceptual Wooden Bots, smart notification systems concealed within a trio of sculptural, highly crafted, but still recognisably robotic devices
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Two new portable projectors from Wanbo and Soundcore showcase extremes of scaleThe ultra-compact Wanbo Dali 1 goes up against Soundcore’s mighty Nebula X1 Pro mobile theatre system
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Google Home gets a glow-up as Gemini joins the party with its uncanny observational skillsYour smart speaker becomes sentient and you now have your own NSA-grade domestic surveillance set-up. Welcome to the terrifying power of Gemini-enabled Google Home
