Gadget Issue 10

Dan Hutchinson Editor In Chief I already have a Samsung Gear VR. It offers Oculus tech and content for about a fifth of the price! Drew Sleep Production Editor The only feasible one for me is PS VR but, while I’m a VR zealot, I’m trying before I’m buying. Andy Downes Senior Art Editor It’s early days for VR games, but I loved piloting a starship and fighting off other players in Elite: Dangerous. Harriet Knight Designer I would love one, but I think I would use it far too casually to spend that kind of money.…

This month’s Gadget celebrates the innovators igniting tech with exciting new ideas. In our first-ever Hot 100 list, we compile the cutting-edge companies, trailblazing trends and most amazing gear of the year. Featuring everything from phones to drones, coffee makers to 3D printers, leading tech giants and upstart start-ups, find out where your favourite gadgets rank and discover new ones. Disagree with our ranking? Think we’ve forgotten something or – better still – completely agree with us? Tell us what you would list at number one on Facebook or Twitter, our details are below. After staring into the coalface of new tech, you might need to cool down. I’d recommend checking out Dyson’s new fan (page 72). As well as offering a bladeless breath of fresh air, it filters out 99.5…

Elegant design There’s only one button on Google Home, which switches it on and off. Everything else is controlled via voice, which means the device itself has a simple and clean design Smart home hub Google Home will be able to control your lights, start the oven, play your music and more – if Google can get the deals signed with third-party services, that is Assistant inside Google unveiled Assistant at the same time as Home – the powerful software will help with responding to your queries and pulling info from the web Integrated microphone According to Google, a decade of voice recognition and natural language processing has gone into Home, so it should pick up your words flawlessly Customisable case Google says you’ll be able to customise the base of the Home device when it goes on sale:…

Just like Amazon Echo has Alexa, Home will have Google Assistant. More than just an etheral voice, Assistant is the next stage of Google, drawing on the search giant’s vast databases to be even more personal than Google Now. It will also follow you around across platforms and devices, from Google Home to the new Allo messaging app. Allo is launching on iPhone and Android later this summer. It handles a lot of what Google already does, from booking movie tickets to finding travel directions, but it’s going to do it all more intelligently and with a more conversational, ‘human’ interface than ever before.…

Wi-Fi enabled The Knocki team says it chose Wi-Fi for the device’s wireless capabilities because of its greater reliability and greater range when compared with Bluetooth technology Put it anywhere You can stick Knocki to any kind of hard surface around the home – it uses an accelerometer to detect knock patterns and the vibrations they cause Simple setup Once you’ve picked a place for your Knocki, you run the Android or iOS app to decide what types of knock activate which types of actions in your other Third-party integrations Knocki relies heavily on third-party integrations: WeMo, Nest, Spotify, Facebook, Philips Hue, Samsung SmartThings, IFTTT and others are already Simple operation The beauty of knocking on surfaces is that you don’t have to look at displays or find buttons, and you can even control your gadgets in the dark Gently…

Bluetooth connectivity Bluetooth Low Energy (LE) is used to connect up the Sneakairs with your smartphone, so once you’ve set your destination, directions can be sent to the shoes Vibration motor The vibration motor is designed to spread the buzzing out across the soles of your feet, letting you know when you need to take a turn or retrace your steps Sneakairs smarts The Sneakairs use a custom-made circuit board similar to an Arduino, with one of these smart panels fitted inside each shoe (bright orange EasyJet branding optional) GPS signals The accompanying app calculates a route and then uses the GPS capabilities of your phone to work out exactly where you are and where you need to go next If you want a demonstration of how smart clothing can actually be useful as well as innovative, look…