We bring you a selection of the interesting products that have caught our eye this month, from haptic Bluetooth earphones to giant screens and coffee-making gadgets.
HP Sprocket Portable Bluetooth Smartphone Printer
As part of our invitation-only jaunt to the Cannes Film Festival this month we also got to try out this nifty printer from HP. It quickly churns out fun pocket-size photos that can be stuck around your room, office, or person. Read the full review in all its glory here.
RRP: $129.99
Varidesk Dual Monitor Arm
This month I added these nifty monitor arms to my Varidesk setup, which give a bit more flexibility when adjusting the height of my display in relation to where I’m sitting (or standing as the case may be). These feature fully articulating 360-degrees screen rotation for maximum ergonomic comfort, and come in both single and dual monitor options. As you may have guessed, however, these are specifically designed to work with the various models of the Varidesk so probably not the best choice if you’ve got a regular desk. Similarly, these days most monitors come with fittings that will allow for wall or arm mounting, but one of mine was a bit older, so I needed to purchase some brace-like adaptors that kind of spoiled the sleek look. If your monitor is compatible, however, installation is pretty straightforward, and each arm holds up to 19.8 lbs (8.98 kg) in weight which covers most size monitors. The advice is to double check your specs and the back of your monitors before ordering.
RRP: $239
Skullcandy Crusher Wireless Haptic Earphones
Our self-confessed sound geek and chief technical reviewer Tom Atkinson had a blast – literally – testing out these vibrating headphones, specially with loud films and VR content. Take a quick read of how he got on here.
RRP: $199.99
iXCC 5200mAh Portable Power Bank
You can really never have too many power banks as far as I’m concerned, and this sleek little one is classy looking (I liked the metallic pink colour) and packs a healthy charging punch while being small and lightweight. It’s also at a good price point, specially if you take advantage of the exclusive offer for Tech Trends readers to get it at 20% off using code iXCCBLON
RRP: $15.49
RCA Cable 3.5mm, iXCC 3.5mm Audio Cable to 2RCA, Stereo Splitter Y Cable with Dual Shielded and Gold-Plated Connector
This set of audio cables is perfect for connecting your smartphone or tablet to your home stereo system enabling you to stream music into your living room from your mobile device. Build quality is very high with gold-plated connections and a tough but flexible rubber coating. We tested it by streaming music from various services such as Spotify and Google music and these cables really highlighted the difference in quality from those services. It was somewhat surprising that a dedicated music streaming service like Spotify sounded so disappointingly flat while relative newcomers to that space Google Music provided bright and lively sounds. It goes to show how it’s worth investing a relatively small amount in peripherals such as these to enhance your listening experience.
RRP: $8.00
Exclusive offer for Tech Trends Readers: Get 20% off until 30th June 2017 with promo code iXCCZXCV
Sony VPL-VZ1000ES Ultra Short Throw Projector
From bit sounds to big pictures, while in London Tom also got to try the new top-of-the-range Sony Home Cinema setup. Click here to read the verdict.
RRP: $25,000
Pour Over Coffee Kettle with Build-in Thermometer
Former BBC journalist Phil Williams used to drink instant coffee, until a hike in Colombia changed his life by introducing his taste buds to the real deal. He founded Coffee Gator to help equip people like himself to create that nirvana-like experience at home. Being Brazilian, the love of good, ridiculously strong coffee is in my DNA, so I tend to own a large array of home brewing apparatus, but I was won over not only by Phil’s hilarious promo video (see below) but by the fact that it’s by far the cleanest and easiest to use gadget of the lot. As any barista will tell you, temperature is key for making the perfect brew, so this baby just tells you when the water reaches that temperature. The small spout also stops you from pouring the water over your coffee grounds too quickly. Simples.
And to keep my perfect brew hot for up to 12 hours (fat chance of it lasting that long) I used this beautiful Corkcicle stainless steel bottle. You’d easily spend as much over a month of buying weak lattes at your local coffee shop (or I would, anyway, just through adding extra shots so I can actually taste the coffee). And yes, I considered making some sort of #Covfefe joke here, but frankly I’m too depressed by the whole damn thing. If we’re all going to die we might as well drink good coffee while we can though.
RRP: $51 (Kettle) and $38 (Corkcicle)
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Alice Bonasio is a VR and Digital Transformation Consultant and Tech Trends’ Editor in Chief. She also regularly writes for Fast Company, Ars Technica, Quartz, Wired and others. Connect with her on LinkedIn and follow @alicebonasio on Twitter.
Tom Atkinson is a Digital Producer & Photographer at R3Digital and Reviews & Dept. Editor at Tech Trends. Connect on LinkedIn and follow him on Twitter @R3Digital
