Stuff UK June 2021

welcome

There are different types of gardener: those looking to recreate the Wembley pitch flanked by prize-winning marrows, those who prefer ‘party den’ decking and a massive BBQ, and those hoping to attract animals by making their backyard a haven for wildlife. The June issue of Stuff caters for all of you, and comes just in time for outdoor gatherings of up to 30 finally being allowed. Whether that’s people or squirrels rests partly on the company you keep, but also which of our garden gadgets and expert pointers resonate with you; and while those of you restricted to balconies, roof terraces or allotments might not want a robo mower, you’ll still find plenty to inspire – from pizza ovens to waterproof speakers. If you’ve acquired a pet during lockdown, firstly, how’s the…

hot stuff

HOT FIVE #1 GOOD NEWS FOR PEOPLE WHO LOVE RAD HUES Apple iMac (M1) Apple gave the computing world the shake it arguably needed last year when it said goodbye to Intel and introduced a couple of scarily accomplished MacBooks equipped with its very own M1 chipset. And to nobody’s surprise, the stationary Mac has now followed suit. Apple says its new M1 iMac will deliver up to 85% faster CPU performance and up to 2x faster GPU performance, while allowing users to edit up to five streams of 4K footage simultaneously. And as well as switching to powerful Apple silicon, the completely redesigned iMac – just 11.5mm thin – sports a 24in 4.5K display with 500 nits of brightness, True Tone and over a billion colours. You also get what Apple calls the best…

okay zoomer sony xperia 1 iii

£tba (due early summer) / sony.co.uk • Now near, now far Sony supplies many of its rivals with camera sensors, but one thing it’s kept back for itself is the Xperia 1 III’s variable telephoto lens. It’s paired with a 12MP sensor and instantly switches between f/2.3 70mm and f/2.8 105mm focal lengths, so you can zoom in and out instantly and still get pictures packed with detail. There’s also AI super-resolution zoom, which claims to restore definition that’s lost when using digital zoom. • Relative waheys Sony’s penchant for tall and thin screens already makes its phones stand out, but the 1 III also comes with a world-first 4K HDR 120Hz display. That’ll make the 6.5in OLED a real treat for the peepers when watching video, especially when you throw in 240Hz motion-blur…

stream

The Underground Railroad This 10-part series from Moonlight director Barry Jenkins follows the fraught journey of an escaped slave attempting to reach freedom via a network of abolitionists and safe havens running from the South to Canada. Nothing to do with the proposed extension of the Bakerloo Line, then. S1 / Amazon Prime Video, 14 May Love, Death & Robots Do you like androids, ultra-violence and philosophising about free will, intelligence and the very meaning of life itself? A second batch of adult animated sci-fi tales arrives on Netflix and, if it’s anything like the first one, it’ll be heavy on all of the above. It should also display the same broad swathe of animation types as the original series. S2 / Netflix, 14 May The Woman in the Window Joe Wright’s psychological thriller was supposed to…

bang & olufsen beosound emerge

from £539 / bang-olufsen.com THE IDEA IS THAT THE SPEAKER SITS ON A BOOKSHELF TO BLEND IN That’s a nice-looking… book? Nearly. B&O’s Beosound Emerge speaker has been designed to resemble a hardback: side panels wrap around it like a book cover, while the front wears its maker’s logo like a name on the spine. So is it like one of those novelty birthday cards where you open it and it starts playing Dua Lipa? Er, no. There are touch-sensitive buttons on the top, and you can choose between oak and black finishes. The general idea is that the speaker can sit on a bookshelf to blend in. I’m guessing it goes louder than a copy of Bleak House? Beyond its camouflaging skills, the Emerge promises sonic muscle that belies its slenderness The front-firing 37mm midrange driver…

drop everything & download

Clap Hanz Golf Apple Arcade (£5/m) The Apple Arcade subscription service has slowly but surely built itself an impressively eclectic library of games… bolstered by a huge update that Apple recently dropped out of nowhere, which featured a number of games from some industry big-hitters. And the pick of the bunch, if you ask us, is Clap Hanz Golf. In all but name this is an Everybody’s Golf title for Apple Arcade, marking the end of developer Clap Hanz’s long exclusivity deal with PlayStation. But don’t expect an inferior knockoff. Like its predecessors, the infectiously cheerful Clap Hanz Golf hits that sweet spot between arcade and simulation golf, with this iteration letting you switch to a different character for each hole. The new touch controls, meanwhile, arguably make hitting a great shot even…