Our pick of the month’s smartest tech
…running sunglasses get a major upgrade
“The mindset of a god. The image of a warrior” – that is the cringe-inducing, hyperbolic introduction Oakley chose to go with for the Xeus_AG glasses.
Sadly, they don’t offer omnipotence or barbarian abs, they’re just a pair of glasses for runners. They feature trademarked PhysioMorphic geometry, which is a fancy way to say aerodynamic curves, and two-tone chromatic lenses that Oakley claims allows runners to see far more colour and detail.
Not for the average runner, these are all about the little wins needed for high-performance, which we’d expect with that price tag.
Oakley Xeus_AG £384, oakley.com
….advanced augmented reality
There have been plenty of virtual reality headsets, but augmented reality hasn’t had quite the same attention.
Few companies have made a convincing headset that blends the real world with a digital one, but the Magic Leap 2 is hoping to change all that… for a cool $3,299 (£2,700 approx). The Magic Leap 2 is trying to create realistic augmented reality experiences for education. This could mean interactive planets floating in your living room, or even a digital cadaver in the classroom. Neat.
Magic Leap 2 $3,299 (£2,700 approx), magicleap.com
…a fridge on your back
There are those people who are organised for a barbecue, bringing food and drinks. Then there are those that forget everything. Then there’s that one friend who brings a 36-litre, £255 backpack that keeps your drinks cool.
It can hold up to 24 cans, plus ice, while also having a separate six-litre reserve for water (or chilled white wine, naturally). Everything stays cold for 70 hours, and there are separate pockets for your phone, wallet, keys and other belongings.
CamelBak Chillibak £255, camelbak.co.uk
…a keyboard and screen all-in-one
Mostly, mechanical keyboards are all similar, offering a small change to the clicking and clacking of keys, the size of the board or even just how it lights up. Kwumsy clearly decided that it would go slightly further with its K2 keyboard by slapping a 12.6-inch screen on the top. Is this necessary? Not even slightly. Do we want one? Definitely.
You can use the screen as an on-the-go monitor, for Spotify controls, to stream YouTube or just to replace your mouse.
Kwumsy K2 keyboard $399 (£328 approx), kwumsy.com
…a fun take on the mobile phone
Like the first iPhone or folding smartphones, the start-up Nothing has tried to create a revolution with its new handset, the Nothing Phone 1. It offers a familiar phone experience with some cool new additions, such as a built-in ring light to softly illuminate photo subjects. The transparent back on the phone has flashing LEDs to indicate battery life, phone calls, texts and more.
The phone’s affordable price tag and impressive spec sheet are tempting us.
Nothing Phone 1 £399, nothing.tech
IDEAS WE DON’T LIKE…
…HIGH FASHION TAKES A CONFUSING TURN
‘Haute Couture Hi-Fi’. That is how Bang & Olufsen describes its new collaboration with Balenciaga which, we can’t help but feel, is another way of saying ‘eye-watering price’.
The two companies that pride themselves on premium design have joined to make just 20 bags that probably require selling off your worldly belongings to just put down a deposit. It’s a solid aluminium, pearl-blasted, polished speaker… that is also a handbag. That means it has three functions: you can blare out your tunes, store an item or two, and inform everyone around you that you have too much money.
Speaker Bag
£TBC, bang-olufsen.com
…A WORLD RECORD WATCH AT A RIDICULOUS PRICE
‘Because we can’ are three words that when put together always result in something unnecessary. Need proof? Look no further than Ferrari’s new watch. The legendary car company has created the world’s thinnest mechanical watch. At 1.75mm thick, it is slimmer than an American quarter, but it can’t quite take on the British penny for size.
Want to buy one for yourself?
With only 150 available and an absolutely insane price tag, you’ll probably want to think again. Unlike some other pricey watches packed with features, apps and mechanisms, the price you’re paying here is fully invested into the thinness.
RM UP-01 Ferrari
$1,888,000, richardmille.com