T3 March 2018

BUILD YOUR PERFECT SMARTWATCH With up to five slots for adding new modules to the BLOCKS Core, you can expand it with cool features like a fingerprint reader, environmental sensor and more. The possibilities are, potentially, endless BLOCKS CORE In the last couple of years, a bevy of modular devices has appeared on the tech scene. Admittedly, LG’s G5 phone – the most iconic of these, which had a hot-swappable section allowing you to add in tasty new modules, such as a DAC or beefier battery – wasn’t the biggest success, but the theory behind modularity in gadgets is sweet: buy the device and upgrade it as and when you need to; as tech gets better, you can improve it without having to buy the next big thing. About a year before the…

MATT BOLTON Editor Matt cast his scrutinous eye over all the 2018 product announcements so far, and selected the best for your enjoyment from p32. He also discovered that ‘scrutinous’ is a word, so that’s nice. JO GULLIVER Senior Art Editor Jo explained that it was very important that she go on our Man vs Tech (p76) photo shoot to make sure the look was right. But her reaction when the raccoons came for a cuddle revealed the truth… ANDREW WESTBROOK Operations Editor It’s new phone time for Andy, which means battling through the piles of choice. That the Honor View 10 (p92) is so good might help. Oh hang on, no, he says yet another great choice does, in fact, not help. SPENCER HART Product & Style Editor, T3.com Spencer’s a humble guy. Doesn’t like to…

The first few months of the year usually bring some great tech launches, and they tend to range from the sublime to the ridiculous. We’ve tried to focus on the former in our round-up of the tech we’re looking forward to most this year (p32), but sometimes you’ve got to let the hype sweep you up and feature some futuristic robots, too. So we did. I’m still not sure what to think about the potential of home robots right now. The template seems to be a kind of ambulatory Alexa – you can use them as a smart home assistant, and they’re also walking security cameras. But given the size of them (plus whatever charging cradle they require), I’m having trouble imaging squeezing one in as a new housemate in my…

1 SONY XF90 • £TBC, sony.co.uk TV is the undisputed king now. Even Hollywood has acquiesced to this, having doffed its cap to a range of Netflix and Amazon Prime Video originals at this season’s film and TV awards. With ‘binge-racing’ the new binge-watching, no wonder so many of us are ploughing cash into our home cinema setups. 2018 will be a defining year for always-connected laptops, sure, but 4K HDR TVs are gearing up for glory too – and that’s due in part to Sony’s XF90 Series of LCD 4K HDR TVs. While we haven’t yet tested the XF90, the big spec, dynamic features and glossy looks are enticing. We’ve complained in the past that bigger screens have more noticeable motion blur during action scenes, but Sony says that this won’t be…

1 MARNI HOODED COLOURBLOCK JACKET All eyes will be on you in Marni’s new season colourblock jacket; a sporty, water-resistant garment with full lining and zipped pockets. £720, farfetch.com/uk 2 GUCCI WOLF-APPLIQUÉ COTTON BLEND SOCKS Colourblocking isn’t just for tops and trousers – give your sock draw a vibrant lift with Gucci’s ribbed knit, cotton blend socks. £85, matchesfashion.com 3 PRADA LO PATCH HI-TOP SNEAKERS For a more casual approach to colourblocking, pair your dark denim with Prada’s funky hi-tops, designed with a sunshine sole. £490, farfetch.com/uk 4 GIVENCH Y STAR KNIT SWEATER If you only buy one colourblock piece make it Givenchy’s SS18 stunner, a cosy cotton sweater with tricolour-stripe slee ves and heaps of sartorial versatility. £465, harrods.com/en-gb 5 PICTURE ORGANIC CLOTHING SOAVY BAG Boost your green credentials with this roomy backpack, made from 50 per cent recycled polyester. £79.99, picture-organic-clothing.com WHICH WATCH THE…

Want to know what it’s like to drive an everyday supercar? Spencer Hart spends a week with the Audi R8 V10 Plus Spyder to find out Ever since its introduction in 2007 the Audi R8, now in its second generation, has been called the ultimate everyday supercar. Recently Audi handed T3 the keys to an R8 V10 Plus Spyder for a week, and to say we were excited is an understatement. On the big day, we didn’t see the R8 coming, we heard it – the Audi announced its arrival with a sonorous growl. So where did we drive it first? Tesco, of course! We spent most time in Sport mode, flooring the throttle at any opportunity (it does 0-62mph in 3.3 seconds). Parking wasn’t too bad – there are sensors and…