…a lighting setup for your webcam
For those of us in office jobs, video meetings are going nowhere, so why not look your absolute best while you do them? Logitech’s new webcam light, built for budding streamers, beams out a soft glow that should conceal just how recently you’ve got out of bed. Sensors on the Litra Glow will adjust the brightness to adapt to different skin tones and diffuse the light so that you don’t look like a deer caught in the headlights. Litra Glow has also undergone testing, clearing guidelines to ensure it’s safe to use over long periods of time.
Litra Glow
£59, logitech.com
…an electric surfboard
Awake is a company that specialises in electric surfboards and with the RÄVIK S22, they’re happily claiming it’s the “most extreme electric surfboard in the world”. Rad, dude. With a top speed of around 56km/h (35mph) and a 0-50km/h (0-31mph) acceleration in four seconds, it certainly sounds extreme, tubular even. But with only 15-20 minutes of riding time between charges, you’ll need to cram your bodacious board time into small bursts.
Awake RÄVIK S22
€12,900 (£10,760 approx), awakeboards.com
…a handheld gaming device with the power of a PC
From Steam, the big name of PC gaming, the Steam Deck has been hinted at for a while. Now available to buy, the Steam Deck allows you to log in to your entire Steam library on the go and play your games from where you left off on your computer. Where it differs from handheld devices before is in its high-powered processor, which allows for much more demanding games than its competitors. It is expected to have a battery life of between two and eight hours (depending on usage), can be connected to a TV, and at £349, will be cheaper than most consoles and gaming PCs.
Steam Deck
From £349, store.steampowered.com
…an apocalypse-ready jacket
As we lurch out of the pandemic, and with the new series of The Walking Dead fresh in our minds, we wonder whether it might be time to reassess our wardrobe. Sci-fi British clothing brand Vollebak agrees, and has created a coat tailor-made for Armageddon. World-ending super volcano? This coat has got your back. Flash fires? You’ll be hot, but safe. Zombie invasion? Sure, you’re covered. Vollebak claims its Apocalypse Jacket is made with material that can withstand black lava, flash fires and chemical erosion – but strangely, we couldn’t find a volunteer to test out their claims. It even features 23 pockets to store your snacks when the world ends.
Vollebak Apocalypse Jacket
£995, vollebak.com
…headphones that don’t cut you off from the world
Sony has always been at the forefront of headphone technology and with its latest pair, it’s doing something rather unique. These earbuds feature a hole in them (by design – don’t worry, no parts are missing). This means you can be more aware of your surroundings and people desperately trying to get your attention while you’re enjoying your music. It includes other clever features like Wide Area Tap, which allows you to control your music by tapping the skin in front of your ear.
Sony LinkBuds WF-L900
£149, sony.co.uk
…a discreet yet powerful wearable
Now in its 3rd generation, the Oura Ring is more advanced than ever. It can tell you how well you slept, how warm you are, how relaxed you are – we wouldn’t be surprised if it knew your darkest secrets too. Among the features Oura crams into this latest ring is 24/7 heart tracking, detailed sleep monitoring, mindfulness sessions and graphs detailing your exact mental state to a decimal point. It’s not the cheapest wearable on the market, but it’s certainly one of the most discreet.
Oura Ring Generation 3
$299 (£225 approx), ouraring.com