T3 December 2019

Gearbox Records, a London label that originally made a name for itself as a purveyor of archival jazz, is what you might call a music connoisseur. So it should come as no surprise that its turntable is a bit special. Inspired by Dieter Rams’ iconic 1955 Braun turntable (which also inspired Jony Ive’s first iPod), the Automatic MkII is a plug ’n’ play, Bluetooth-connected design masterpiece that would hold its own in the most exquisite surroundings. Naturally, Gearbox wanted it to sound great too, which is why the turntable contains a number of audiophile features. These include a precision belt drive, a pre-mounted Ortofon OM10 cartridge, a solid glass platter and a low-vibration synchronous motor with built-in electronic speed control. Our favourite feature? The track recognition software, used in combination…

MATT BOLTON Editor MICHELLE McLAREN Art Editor ROB JONES Ecommerce Editor MATT KOLLAT Staff Writer CLAIRE DAVIES Senior Content Editor RUSSELL LEWIN Production Editor DUNCAN BELL Lifestyle Editor JO GULLIVER Senior Art Editor PAUL DOUGLAS Global Editor-in-Chief SPENCER HART Product & Style Editor MATT EVANS Staff Writer MEET OUR ADVERTISING TEAM Get in touch to see what T3 can do for your brand! UK COMMERCIAL DIRECTOR CLARE DOVE clare.dove@futurenet.com +44 (0)7432 442244 ACCOUNT DIRECTOR ANDREW TILBURY andrew.tilbury@futurenet.com, +44 (0)1225 687144 ACCOUNT MANAGER ISABEL LINCOLN-MOORE isabel.lincoln-moore@futurenet.com, +44 (0)1225 442244 SENIOR AD MANAGER SASHA McGREGOR sasha.mcgregor@futurenet.com, +44 (0)1225 442244 THE GLOBAL MAGAZINE T3 is currently licensed worldwide, from Australia to Mexico HOW TO LICENSE T3 Interested in publishing a licensed version of T3 in your territory? Please direct enquiries to T3’s Senior Licensing & Syndication Manager, Matt Ellis (matt.ellis@futurenet.com; +44 (0)1225 442244) VISIT T3.COM We’ve overhauled T3.com – the best site for gadget news and reviews now has…

Working on the Christmas issue has a funny effect on the T3 team. You might think it’s like putting together any of our other product collections, but it really does get us in the spirit – suddenly, a group of experienced professionals is making suggestions like including an actual puppy in the photo shoot (he was a Very Good Boy) and spending hours building Lego sets “for work”. Basically, we have a lot of fun with it every year, pulling together everything in our Christmas Gadget Gifts feature (p38), plus the extra mag you’re getting with this issue, plus the best speakers (p72), plus the best statement watches (p78) and cheaper drones that don’t skimp on the features (p59) – it does tend to leave us with terrifyingly extensive wishlists ourselves,…

Our mission is to bring you the clearest recommendations we can – and that means a great deal of hard work happens before a product even reaches our pages! Because we only feature products the T3 team would happily use ourselves, we end up discarding a significant number of options in each category before settling on a final shortlist to review. We select only the best of the best for our Tested section; the gear we know you’ll want to seriously consider purchasing. And that should mean an end to you having to undertake hours of painstaking research and product comparisons. You won’t see any duff products, but you will come away with clarity on which one is the best in its category or for a specific task: our awards badges (see…

1 MICROSOFT SURFACE PRO X • £999, microsoft.com The latest laptop/tablet hybrid from Microsoft is a mouthwatering proposition, both in terms of looks and features. At just 7.3mm thick and encased in matte-black aluminium, the Surface Pro X oozes businesslike finesse. The device’s ‘Instant On’ functionality and super-fast 4G connectivity will ensure that you get up and running in no time once at the office or wherever you’re working. Under the hood is the all-new custom SQ1 processor, developed by Microsoft in collaboration with Qualcomm, capable of driving 4K displays. Another showstopper is the 13-inch virtually edge-to-edge PixelSense Display touchscreen, with a 3:2 ratio for an expanded workspace. The Surface Pro X is compatible with the Alcantara-covered Signature Keyboard, designed with backlit keys and large glass trackpad, and Slim Pen for writing and doodling…

IMAGE SOURCE: SNOW PEAK, VANS, TIMBERLAND, TOMS, DANNER…