Stuff UK February 2020

You might find this hard to believe, but I basically run the good ship Stuff from an iPad Pro. If I had a pound for every time I’ve plugged into an external monitor and tried to swipe the screen like a twonk, I’d be embarrassingly minted by now. Touchscreen confusion aside, one thing that becomes immediately apparent when switching from a laptop to a tablet is a total reliance on apps. Whether it’s creating, banking, uploading, unzipping, listening, writing, travelling, storing or consuming content, if you want full functionality your web browser alone just doesn’t cut the mustard. The problem is your smartphone, tablet or smartwatch only has space for so many downloads, so we’ve compiled a comprehensive list of the greatest apps you’ll find anywhere on the planet to help you…

I WANT TO SEE FOOTBALLERS’ TEARS IN 8K The prospect of watching Cristiano Ronaldo cry in upscaled 8K makes Euro 2020 one of this summer’s must-watch sporting events, and the greatest argument so far for upgrading your TV. And if you’d rather avoid CR7’s temper tantrums, hi-res washboard abs with justified emotional breakdowns can also be seen at the Tokyo Olympics, the Tour de France and Finland’s World Wife-Carrying Championship. There may be trouble (and strife) ahead. James Day, Editor-in-Chief I CAN’T WAIT FOR VIRTUAL REALITY TO IMPROVE ON ACTUAL REALITY I got my kids an Oculus Quest for Christmas. And when I say ‘my kids’, I mean… well, I’ll probably let them have a go eventually. It’s a properly mind-blowing piece of kit, but VR is getting steadily better and I’m intrigued by…

HOT FIVE #1 NEVER MIND THE WALKMAN, NOW SONY’S GOT A DRIVEMAN Sony Vision-S Sony has concocted some unexpected stuff in its time. There was the futuristic but largely pointless robotic dog, Aibo. And who can forget the futuristic but largely pointless dancing Bluetooth speaker, Rolly? Its latest is kind of a combination of the two: an electric concept car. As concepts go, though, the Vision-S is pretty low on the bonkers scale, which is always a good sign for its chances of ever becoming reality. Beneath its Tesla-esque exterior are two 268bhp electric motors that will send it from 0-62mph in 4.8 seconds and top out at 149mph, while 33 sensors inside and out keep an eye on everything from traffic conditions to driver and passenger behaviour. Each seat has its own audio system…

MERCEDESBENZ VISION AVTR The Vision AVTR (above) is inspired by James Cameron’s Avatar, complete with biometric driver recognition, crablike movement and 33 ‘bionic flaps’ on the back. We’ve got many questions, but the main one is: Why isn’t it blue? FIAT CENTOVENTI Ever gone shopping for a car and wished you could pick and choose each part as if you were customising your ride in Forza? Fiat’s modular Centoventi lets you do just that, from bumper colour and interior layout to the capacity of the batteries. HONDA AUGMENTED DRIVING CONCEPT Honda’s latest concept looks a bit like a bathtub from the future. With no pedals, you push or pull the steering wheel to change speed, or just take your hands off the wheel to switch to autonomous mode.…

When OnePlus’s boffins decided to create their first ever concept phone, they were clearly too sidetracked with refining the tech to think up a more imaginative name… but frankly, who can blame them when they were working on an ‘invisible camera’? This isn’t some pathetic special effect, like James Bond’s ridiculous vanishing car in Die Another Day – the Concept One uses impressive glass technology to hide the lenses from sight. Under the rainbow Colour-shifting electrochromic glass on the back of the Concept One can change its transparency, so the lenses only become visible when the camera is in use. It’s a trick inspired by the clever sunroof of supercar partner McLaren’s 720S, with organic particles in the glass shifting it from opaque black to entirely clear. The glass also doubles as…

Crumbs, is… is that a new console? Yes indeed. This windowless black tower is ironically from Microsoft. It’s the Xbox Series X, it arrives this year and absolutely nobody saw it coming… except everyone who knew the PlayStation 5 was on its way and immediately put two and two together. If the design’s giving you vertigo, don’t fret – it’ll work on its side too, although insufferable geeks reckon that’ll make it the same height as the Xbox One X but double the width, so either way the real winner here is Ikea. Will it beat the PS5 for power? Specs are scarce, but AMD is on processor/graphics duty and it will use rapid GDDRG memory. Far more exciting is Microsoft’s claim that the Series X will support 8K gaming at up to…