I think I've been kidding myself.
We have surely reached an age when more and more people are choosing to disconnect, to switch off, to ignore their feeds or even to remove their social media profiles altogether.
While I've never been a massive consumer of any particular online network, (I don't even have a SnapChat account) the thing I've always loved about my smartwatch is its ability to show me my notifications the instant they come to hand, in an unobtrusive way. That way I could immediately decide to respond or not. In other words, is this message worth actually getting my phone out of my pocket for?
But lately I've realised there's not much difference between a regular raise of the wrist and those people who are just permanently nose to screen.
The fact is, the vast majority of messages, texts and especially emails are not that important and could probably be swiped away without being read as soon as they're received.
In other words, how smart does my watch actually need to be? If it tracks my exercise and my sleep, do i really need it to tell me the Rock has just added another "Cheat Day" story on Insta?...
Withings calls the Move ECG a smartwatch, but it's not like any smartwatch I've ever worn - and I've worn a fair few.
To begin with, it's an analogue-only display. That's because it's not a display at all; it's an analogue watch. What's more, it's an analogue watch with only one button.
Confused? Yes, at first I was a bit too.
Things become a lot more straight-forward once you download the companion app, Health Mate. It walks you through the setup process step by step, helping you create your profile, connecting your phone to the Move ECG via bluetooth and of course, setting the correct time. This last bit is particularly fun, as you get to watch the hands mysteriously move by themselves to the right place. Get used to that sensation, it's going to happen again.
The other weird thing about this watch is that it doesn't even have that many hands; only three in fact - hours, minutes and a step goal indicator. Well, to start with anyway - we'll came back to that soon too.
I actually really appreciated the all-out simplicity of this minimal design; the stainless steel hands are easy to see, even in very dim light. It's on the small side - perhaps a bit too small for my burly (fat) wrist, but its durable construction of stainless steel and high-quality plastic seems robust. The 18mm silicon strap is comfortable enough to sleep with, while a little boring to look at. However, its quick-release mechanism means it's easy enough to swap out with something more styley.
In short, the Move ECG won't make any bold fashion statements, but there's certainly nothing weird-looking or space-aged about it. It looks like a very simple, every day watch.
Ah, but looks can be deceiving.
Obviously, there's the ECG thing. This little watch can perform a medical grade electrocardiogram whenever you need one and it couldn't be easier. A single push of the single button activates the ECG - then you simply hold the stainless steel bezel with your opposite hand and watch the activity indicator count down the thirty seconds it takes to get an accurate reading. This could literally prove to be a life-saver if you and your doctor are worried about episodes of irregular heartbeat. (AFib) The Health Mate app can easily create a PDF you can share with your health professionals.
This is not to be confused with the usual kind of heart-rate monitor you'll find on most other activity trackers. It's literally an accurate, medical tool, which is amazing - except, it's not on all the time, so you won't get any heartrate data from your workouts, which is a shame.
It's a shame because all the other aspects of the Move ECG's exercise monitoring are excellent. Using the app, you can set your step target then track your daily progress via the little yellow hand. But more significantly, the watch will automatically track a wide range of workouts, including wet ones; it's waterproof up to fifty metres.
With a long button press, you can also start tracking a workout manually, which means magic ghost hands time again, as the display becomes a stopwatch, showing how many seconds and minutes you've been working out. Paired with your phone's GPS, your walk, run or ride will be displayed on the app as soon as it's complete. All your workout stats can then be synced with a variety of other fitness apps, like Samsung Health, Strava and Google Fit.
Strangely, when you manually fire off a workout, the Move ECG also automatically records one as well, making it look like you did two workouts at the same time. It's easy enough to delete one or the other but it's a bit strange that you have to.
In saying that, the data recorded is accurate and impressive; duration, distance, speed, elevation, calories etc. Everything you get from a conventional smartwatch or fitness tracker, but from an absolutely ordinary-looking watch.
The Move ECG, being light and relatively small, is certainly comfortable enough to wear to bed, which is handy for two reasons. You can set silent, vibrating alarms - either at specific times or choose the "Smart Wake-Up" option. This lets you choose a time range for your alarm to wake you at the most optimum point of your sleep cycle, hopefully leaving you feeling more refreshed.
That relies on accurate sleep tracking, of course, which is the other reason to wear the Move ECG to bed. The sleep tracking results are detailed, yet clearly displayed in the app. Unfortunately, if you work in breakfast radio like I do, the news is all bad and quite depressing.
Perhaps the Move ECG's most significant feature of all is battery life. No digital display means a heck of a lot of battery - think in terms of years rather than days. You know, like a normal watch.
And that's the true beauty of this device, it's smart enough without intruding on your day with a wrist vibration every two minutes. If you need to track your exercise, your sleep, or most importantly, perform your own clinically validated ECG's on demand, you can now do it without receiving Tweets and work emails at the same time.
Click here for more information on the Withings Move ECG.
What a golden age we're living in.
Technology has progressed so far, we are now being sold a lot of stuff we don't need and certainly never asked for.
In fact, some things have ended up being so advanced and unnecessary, nobody bought them and they went away again. Remember 3D TV's? Nope, me either.
So how smart does your smart speaker really need to be?
The JBL Link View is pretty much exactly what it looks like; a touch screen stuck on a big bluetooth speaker.
In fact, you could argue the aesthetics aren't particularly elegant - the screen itself is framed by big black bezels and the flat, oval shape of the device all seems a bit retro. But maybe that's what they were going for.
At 332mm wide, the Link View is quite a big beastie, about the size of a loaf of bread - definitely not one of those speakers that looks like an ornament or vase. No sir, this is speaker that demands to be the centre of attention on whatever shelf or table it's sitting on, loud and proud.
And yes, it's definitely loud. If there's one thing you can rely on from any JBL speaker it's a big boom - often producing more sonic punch than you'd expect from its size. The Link View is no exception and as I've just pointed out, it's not that small. This means you can legitimately fill a large room with your party playlist with a couple of notches still left on the volume dial.
Not that there's an actual dial of course, it's not that retro. In fact, the only physical controls are volume plus and minus buttons and two little privacy sliders to deactivate the camera and the mic. You'll want to leave those sliders unslid to get the most out of Google Assistant obviously. If you and your contacts have Google Duo activated, you can make crystal clear video calls, just like being in a science fiction movie.
Setup is easy enough, although you have to do it through the Google Home app on your mobile device, not using the touch screen on the Link View itself.
Once that's done, anything else you want to control is via voice command and my feeling is Google Assistant might just be edging ahead in the virtual helpfulness stakes right at the moment. I've experienced very few misunderstandings and it's helpful to see my vocal requests instantly transcribed on screen. Call up a recipe vid on YouTube, play it, pause it, repeat it - all with the knowledge there's no risk in having the Link View sitting on your kitchen bench as it's IPX4 splash resistant. I've never been entirely sure if that also means pasta sauce resistant but I assume so. Perhaps avoid actually dropping it in a pot of boiling water though.
Another ideal use for the Link View - and really it's all in the name - is keeping an eye on any Google-enabled security cameras you have installed... or any other Google smart devices for that matter. The screen is really very good - eight inches is a genuinely useful size, colour and clarity are excellent and the adaptive brightness works well.
As good as Google Assistant is, she doesn't seem to play particularly well with Mr. Spotify. Whether this is a deliberate ploy from Google to push you towards using YouTube or GooglePlay Music to stream your favourite hits instead, I couldn't possibly say. Yes, you can designate Spotify to be your default music app, but no matter how many times I ask the JBL Link View to shuffle "Dire Straits Radio," I get only Dire Straits songs, instead of songs by bands like Dire Straits. That may sound like a niggly little detail, but other smart speakers seem to be able to handle instructions like that with no issues at all.
On the plus side, the Link View is also a fully functioning Chromecast device - anything you're used to casting to your telly you can now also send to this 8" HD display. This is ideal if you need to sneakily keep an eye on the rugby while everybody else in the room is watching MasterChef. In fact, I was blown away by the quality of online TV being cast through this device.
Big screen, big sound and a host of useful functions means the Link View is certainly an attractive option if you're looking for one central speaker to handle all your smart requirements.
Click here for more information on the JBL Link View.
It must be a lot of pressure being the leader in any given category of tech.
By its very nature, top notch technology must be the most innovative, the best performing and yes, probably even the most eye-catching in its class.
Any manufacturer caught resting on its laurels risks being overtaken, if not swamped by its competitors when the next generation of products rolls around.
Trouble is... and it's the same trouble we've seen hit all the big tech brands over the years - if your device is already great, just how exactly do you make it greater?...
Okay, I know what you may be thinking; Isn't that just another Microsoft Surface?
The answer is yes... and no. Sort of.
The Surface Pro 7 really doesn't look or feel that much different to the last one, which doesn't bother me massively because the last one was pretty great.
The major update is under the hood, with the inclusion of the 10th-gen "Ice Lake" Intel Core processor. This is of course pretty much the latest and greatest brain you can bung in your box. The device I'm reviewing sports the i7 version, teamed with a very respectable 16GB of RAM and a generous 512GB of internal storage. Figures like those leave no doubt the Surface now has all the functionality of any other quality business laptop, with all the versatility and portability we've come to expect from this unique form factor.
The Surface Pro 7 is indisputably fast and smooth and I've found no issues with its performance whatsoever. From basic browsing to multi-track audio editing, the Surface Pro 7 hums along. The high resolution, 12.3" display is sharp, detailed and I've found less issues with glare and reflection than on previous models. Touch response on the screen is surprisingly accurate, given my fat, clumsy fingers.
Big sound is always going to be a challenge for a slim device like this, although I have used other tablets that have blown me away with their audio setups. The stereo speaker array is fine - clear and accurate but perhaps a little underpowered for my tastes, even when turned up to 100.
While we now have a USB-C port on the Surface Pro 7, it isn't a Thunderbolt socket, even though the 10th-gen Intel processor now supports that super-fast transfer technology. Happily, the USB-A port is still on there, as is the microSDXC card reader but this is not the device for multiple hard-wired connections - it's all about bluetooth and WiFi accessories.
Accessories like the Surface Pen and of course, the mandatory Type Cover.
The Surface Pen, as previously discussed, is a great stylus that conveniently magnetises to the side of the device although I have to be honest; I've never had much use for a stylus. I'm sure there are people into drawing, graphics and calligraphy who find this sort of thing essential though.
What is more widely required is the Type Cover - it's kind of the whole point of the Surface and always has been. That's why I'm still amazed it isn't bundled with the Surface Pro 7 automatically. That gripe aside, I'm also surprised to find Microsoft hasn't really improved it much. Yes it's nice to have a full-sized keyboard to use with a device like this, but compared to the keyboards I've been using on other small laptops and transformables lately, I'm starting to miss the travel and response of those less "flat" setups. I've also found myself a bit frustrated by the trackpad - there are no separate left and right buttons, you basically have to guess where to press for those. Not only that, but a single tap should also work as a left click and it does... sometimes. All too often I tapped and tapped to no avail.
I think I've fallen out of love with the Type Cover. Which is weird, because I've always thought it was pretty much the coolest thing Microsoft ever came up with. And the one I was sent is even RED!
In a former professional life I once had the misfortune of attending one of those hyped-up sales seminars where a "guru" regaled us with pearls of wisdom, guaranteed to keep our clients happy and the money rolling in. As cynical as I may be, one of his pithy catchphrases has always stayed with me; "Satisfied customers leave." He went on to point out although you may not do anything wrong, if your competitor starts doing something more right, even a happy customer might have their head turned by the promise of a bit more happiness.
This is something Microsoft definitely needs to keep in mind here - sure, the last few generations of Surface Pros have been standout performers but it's now time for a bit more. More battery life, less bezel and a revamp of the type cover would be a good start.
Make no mistake, the Surface Pro 7 is awesome. It does everything it's supposed to and it couldn't be more powered up under the hood. As far as I'm concerned it's still the most elegant solution in terms of business portability and versatility.
If you haven't got one and it sounds like it might be useful for you, definitely get one.
However, if you already have last year's, I'm not sure you need to rush out for an upgrade.
Click here for more information and pricing on the Microsoft Surface Pro 7.
Jabra has been a genuine revelation to me over the past year or so.
I've gone from thinking of the brand as a supplier of headsets for office phone systems to being a leader amongst stiff competition in the bluetooth headphone market.
Nowhere is that market being more fiercely contested right now than in the category of true-wireless earbuds.
So what does Jabra have to offer?...
The Elite 75t true wireless earbuds are the epitome of everything I've recently come to expect from Jabra.
No flash. No bling. 100% performance.
There are some significant advantages offered by the Elite 75t's straight out of the blocks. Not only are they IP55-rated to resist dust and water, they actually carry a 2-year warranty against dust and water damage. That means you can definitely exercise hard out with extreme confidence. Or if you happen to drop one while gardening, it won't be the end of the world. Do I admit I've even showered wearing my Elite 75t's? Better not. That might seem weird.
Battery life is another standout feature. Jabra claims up to 7.5 hours of continuous use from a single charge, with a total of 28 hours from a fully charged battery case. Those are some of the best numbers in town. It may surprise you to know I haven't managed to find the time to spend 7 hours listening to these buds in one go. What I can tell you is I've been using them for more than two weeks, running, doing housework, just out and about. I've only charged the case once. Works for me.
That battery case is tiny, by the way - one of the smallest I've come across - very flat too which means it slides comfortably into a pocket.
While it's true there are a million different options out there when it comes to wireless earbuds, there still aren't that many offering active noise cancelling. The Elite 75t's don't either. And yet, they are perhaps the best noise cancelling earbuds I've worn to date. This is due to their noise isolating fit. They're very small and light and twist so snugly into your ear canal, there's no room for pesky outside sounds to worm their way in.
If you're worried the outside world is being sealed off too completely, a single press of the left earbud enables "HearThrough" mode, introducing a feed of what's going on around you into your personal mix. Pretty clever.
I really wanted these earbuds to be the best fitting buds I'd ever worn - everything else is so perfect. Well, they very nearly are. Very nearly. But not quite. I was surprised to discover only three different sizes of EarGels included in the box - especially when some other products in this high-end price-range offer alternate shapes as well as a bigger variety of sizes. In saying that, after a bit of experimentation, turns out I'm a boring old Medium after all. Except... while the right earbud stays rock solid for the duration of my 7km run, the left one often starts feeling slightly wobbly around the 5km mark. I can't deny my ears are worryingly asymmetrical and to be honest, I usually only have to readjust that left one once by the time I get home. I'm being super picky.
The big lesson I've learned about Jabra products is how amazingly good they sound. Nobody ever talks about the booming bass of a Jabra headset but they should. Whether it's due to innovative audio design or a by-product of the impressively tight seal or a combination of the two, the Elite 75t's positively thump when you wind them up. And it's not just all about that bass either; using Jabra's Sound+ app, you can customise the EQ to your preference.
The app also lets you choose your virtual assistant, accessible with a double-tap of the right earbud. The tap controls are reassuringly clicky and tactile - long presses to adjust volume, short presses to start, stop, answer etc.
The bluetooth 5.0 connection has proved impressively clear and stable, although there's one particular block of public toilets on my run that always interferes with my wireless connectivity. I don't understand why or how. But given that it happens no matter which earbuds I'm wearing, I'll excuse the Jabra 75t's for dropping out briefly in the same place.
Jabra's been doing phone systems for decades, so it's no surprise call quality is standout with the Elite 75t's too. This is pretty rare for wireless earbuds, as the microphones are a long way away from your mouth. Jabra's answer is a four-mic setup that reduces background and wind noise quite effectively. The other unusual feature is you can choose to use just a single earbud, leaving the left one in the case. Most other sets I've tried won't work at all unless you're wearing both at once - this makes sneaky podcast listening at work much easier.
But perhaps the best thing about the 75t's is how small they are. They really do nestle snugly into your ears, without sticking out making you look like a nerd. In short, these earbuds basically do everything you could possibly want them to. Setup is easy, battery life is great, they fit comfortably and securely and they sound as good - if not better - than any other buds I've tried.
If you're prepared to pay over $300 for a set of earbuds, you're probably wanting the very best. These just might be.
Click here for more information on the Jabra Elite 75t true wireless earbuds.
It's an age old question; can you be smart and good looking?
It's easy to assume the more attractive you are, the less you actually have to do to get by. When it comes to tech, often the most boring devices are the best performing.
So...
Does that mean the latest convertible from HP is all flash and no substance?
The HP Spectre x360 is undoubtedly one of the most beautiful laptops I've ever seen. There are distinctive features we've seen from previous Spectres, like the angled corners around the hinge. But the bronze highlights and sheer slimness of the device are all new.
Not only is it slim, but the Spectre x360 is tiny all round - thanks mainly to its vastly improved 13.3-inch FHD touch display. It's almost edge to edge so you get the same screen size but a much smaller form factor.
You may be worried this has led to a squished-up keyboard but no, like the screen, the keyboard stretches out right to the very edges of the device. In fact, I've found the keys to be so big and so spread out, sometimes I mistype because I'm so used to more compact setups. There's a reassuring, clicky response to the keys although they're totally flat, so perhaps not quite as comfy as other hollowed-out styles I've used elsewhere. On the bright side, if you'll excuse the pun, there are two levels of backlighting, or you can turn it off completely with the push of a dedicated key.
Speaking of dedicated keys, both the microphone and webcam can be deactivated for privacy. Speaking of the webcam, it's absolutely minuscule, nestled neatly in the top bezel. It's an IR-enabled camera which means a more secure face unlock which I've found works consistently and quickly.
There's also a fingerprint sensor if that's your preferred login method.
The hinge mechanism, highlighted in bronze, is as strong and durable as ever, enabling tent and tablet modes - although I always feel a bit weird using a laptop as a tablet when you can feel the physical keyboard just hanging around redundantly underneath.
Unfortunately, due to the Spectre x360's littleness, there wasn't enough space for four Bang & Olufsen speakers as we've seen on previous models. Luckily, the dual speaker setup seems to perform admirably anyway. Match that with a really first-class performance from the FHD display and you've got a fantastic media player, ideal for all your mobile Netflixing requirements.
So be in no doubt, the Spectre x360 is a fine, fine looking machine. There's even a luxurious leather folio case included in the box with a convenient pouch for the stylus - also included in the box.
Performance-wise, you'll be pleased to know the Spectre x360 stacks up admirably. And how.
Combine the very latest, tenth generation i7 Intel processor with the very fastest DDR4 RAM and you have an extremely powerful and speedy computer indeed.
Startup times, app downloads, installs and launches are all blazingly efficient. Streaming is flawless. Multitasking causes zero issues. The touch screen is responsive and accurate, as is the touchpad. Everything looks classy and feels like the business.
In saying that, HP has packed quite a bit of new cooling technology into the Spectre x360 which is just as well, because it still gets pretty warm after a bit of solid use. Yes, I know it's been a hot summer, but not only have I found the Spectre x360 doesn't take long to warm up my lap, even the palm rests don't really stay cool. I assume this is largely due to so much stuff being squeezed into such a petite form factor. The fan system is quiet but powerful and when you really push this device, you can definitely feel warm air being pushed out through the vents underneath and even up through the keyboard.
Battery life is good. We seem to have turned a significant corner with Windows laptops when comes to all-day charge, although I haven't found the Spectre x360 to be quite as good as the HP website claims. Nice long lead to charge with and thanks to the Spectre's unique cut-off corners, the Thunderbolt charging port is always accessible, no matter which way you're using it - laptop, tent or tablet.
In fact, there are two Thunderbolt USB-C ports, a full-size USB-A, a Micro SD slot and an audio jack - pretty much everything you need in terms of connectivity except maybe an HDMI connection. There's one of those on the 15.6-inch version but to be honest, wireless screen-mirroring options are probably more useful these days anyway.
I could do without the pre-installed HP utilities, but I didn't find them intrusive and simply ignored them.
Unless you decide to go for an over-specced dedicated gaming laptop, which will probably look a lot uglier than this piece of design art, you're unlikely to find a device that offers as much computing grunt as the Spectre x360.
And there's definitely nothing prettier.
Click here for more information on the HP Spectre x360 laptop.
