Gadget

we need to talk about alexa

In the last four weeks alone, Amazon Echo’s virtual assistant has learnt to lock your doors, schedule appointments in your calendar, order your usual at Starbucks, and even diagnose what’s wrong with you. Better known as Alexa, the system has 7,000 skills at last count, but this is clearly increasing all the time. ‘So what?’ you say – automation tool IFTTT has millions of ways of working with your gadgets and web services. Rather it’s how you interact with Alexa that’s so innovative: you just say what you want aloud and she makes it happen. The Amazon Echo launched in the UK last September, but is set to be everywhere this year. Alexa will be able to control your washing machine, talk to you through your television, travel with you in…

vespa’s new robot will carry your shopping

Zero turning radius Intended to manoeuvre even the busiest city streets, the spherical Gita can turn on the spot as well as use sensors to avoid obstacles Highly mobile The robot is designed to go anywhere a wheelchair can, so it can use ramps, fit down shopping aisles and even take the lift. Alternatively, Gita can be parked outside while shopping Follow the leader Gita will follow the signal given off by a tracking device the operator wears as a belt. Using this method, Gita can also learn routes so it can travel them on its own Biometric lock To keep your precious cargo safe, Gita requires you to scan your fingerprints and enter a code to either open its lid or even start moving Flashy ride As well as having wheels, Gita has LED rims. Less about showing…

android wear 2.0 wants you to leave your phone at home

Look sharp The LG Watch Style’s 1.2-inch P-OLED display has a resolution of 360 x 360, which works out as 299 pixels per inch (PPI). This should make for a pretty sharp picture, which you can see all the better thanks to a scratch-resistant Gorilla Glass 3 cover Surprisingly sturdy Though the LG Watch Sport is intended to be Android Wear 2.0’s ‘athletic’ model, the stainless steel Style is still IP67 certified, which means it’s water resistant and can keep out dust and other muck Standlone storage Both the LG Watch Style and Sport have 4GB of storage, so it remains to be seen how many apps you it will hold as this is half what the Apple Watch 2 offers. The Sport also has 768MB RAM, while the Style has 512MB Rotating dial Like a traditional…

second chance

HuaweiWatch A Huawei Watch 2 is imminent, but the original already boasts one of the sharpest resolutions going with a PPI equal to an Apple Watch 2. Not just pretty to look at, it also includes a heart-rate monitor making it one of the best all-rounders. £300 | $350 | huawei.com Polar M600 Tricked out with GPS and heart-rate monitor, the M600 is the ideal watch for leaving your phone at home if you plan to hit the gym or pound the pavements. It’s advanced fitness analysis is also way better than Wear 2.0’s Google Fit app. €300 | $330 | polar.com Asus Zenwatch 3 Though it looks like quite a traditional timepiece, Asus was one of the few manufacturers to have the foresight to include an NFC chip. Supercharged with Android Wear 2.0, you can now…

bring your lego bricks to life

The Move Hub This stud-covered brick is the Move Hub, the heart of all Boost creations. As well as proving power to the robots, other Lego elements are connected to the block Sensors and motors By attaching various motors and tilt and colour sensors to the robots, you’re able to use the app to create actions and routines for the robots to follow Different bases There will be three robot bases: one for making walking animals, another for vehicles and a third for creating entrances such as castle doors Five unique models Vernie the Robot, pictured here, is one of five suggested robots you can build, although Lego says Boost can be added to any brick kit from its City range to Batman Earlier this year, Lego was said to have built itself into the world’s most powerful…

the super-slim yoga a12 has a touchscreen keyboard

Trio! Triiiiio! Multitasking can be performed in the three-column window mode. The touchscreen display is a tad disappointing, though, at just 1,200 x 800 pixel resolution A great finish Aside from a anti-glare coating to lend a lovely matte finish, you can admire Yoga A12’s Gunmetal Grey or Rose Gold casing. The battery will last for up to 13 hours on a single charge Packed with power? The tablet’s Intel Atom x5 processor isn’t exactly cutting edge but you at least get 2GB RAM and 32GB storage. Lenovo won’t say which version of Android it uses Flip the hinge The 360-degree hinge means the device can be used just like a laptop or else flipped right back on itself to form a still-thin tablet Last year, Lenovo released its ultra-thin, dual-screen tablet Yoga Book which was available with…