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We were so busy writing reviews and burying nuts in the ground for winter that we just didn’t have time to tell you about all the glorious tech that won an Editors’ Choice award in August. Allow us to now reward your patience by presenting you with a bumper, all-in-one harvest of both August and September’s award-winning technological crop.
Ferrari 458 ItaliaIf you died and went to supercar heaven, you’d see angels rollin’ in Ferrari 458 Italias. It’s Ferrari’s best-looking car in years and features the company’s most advanced, most inventive new technology, much of which is handed down from the world of F1. It may ‘only’ use a 4.5-litre V8 engine, but don’t let that fool you — it’ll accelerate quickly enough to pin your ears back, and its excellent suspension and futuristic aerodynamic package means it corners like a frightened rodent.
Mercedes-Benz SLS AMGThe SLS AMG isn’t Italian, nor is it wedge-shaped, but it’s every inch the exotic supercar. Its enormous 6.3-litre engine makes the sort of noise that can make a grown man weep and it’s quick enough to keep up with the most flamboyant models from rival stables. It’s a wonderfully civilised car, too, with an aeronautically-themed interior, a great entertainment package and — thanks to Bang & Olufsen — one of the best factory-fitted speaker systems known to man.
Asus N73JnBang & Olufsen’s speakers have been put to good use in home hi-fis, cars and mobile phones for some time. As of now, you can also find them in laptops such as the N73Jn, where they really work wonders. The sound this machine produces is loud enough to comfortably fill a small room. The rest of the laptop is top-notch too. It has fast components, a beautiful, 17.3-inch display, USB 3 connectivity and an integrated Blu-ray drive, so it’s right up there with the very best multimedia laptops.
Sony Alpha SLT-A55As the camera world goes nuts for lens-swapping compact snappers, Sony has taken a slightly different approach. The SLT-A55 and its smaller sibling, the SLT-A33, have a fixed mirror and the power of a small digital SLR, but with all the speed advantages of a compact model. They’re the first Sony Alpha models to feature a handily redesigned flip-out screen and the first to shoot video too. Throw in GPS and the A55 is a worthy winner of our Editors’ Choice award.
Panasonic HDC-SDT750We’ve yet to be convinced by the 3D revolution that television manufacturers seem hell-bent on selling us, but we’ve still been seduced by the HDC-SDT750 camcorder. Let’s face it: watching 3D films is one thing, and making 3D films is quite another. The SDT750 is a top-notch 2D high-definition camcorder to boot.
Panasonic Viera TX-P46VT20 If you’ve just bought a HDC-SDT750 and you’re looking for a TV to play back your 3D videos on, you could do far worse than invest in the 46-inch, 1080p VT20 plasma TV. It’s slim, will let you tweak pictures to your heart’s content, offers outstanding 2D picture quality, and sports the best 3D performance we’ve seen so far.
Huawei IdeosOne of the best things about Google’s Android operating system — besides its powerful features, simple user interface and great selection of apps — is that, compared to the competition, it shows up on a huge variety of phones, including ultra-affordable treats like the Ideos. Despite having a cheap plastic case and an ugly navigation key, we couldn’t help but fall for the Ideos, thanks to its smart-phone features and low price. A responsive capacitive touchscreen, the latest version of Android (2.2 Froyo), 802.11n Wi-Fi and 7.2Mbps HSPA all make us weak at the knees. Add a price tag of around £100 on pay as you go, and you’ve got yourself a bargain.
The Ideos isn’t in shops yet and, since Huawei isn’t a well-known brand here, it will probably get rebranded by the network that brings it to the UK. It should still be called the Ideos, though, so keep your eyes peeled for it.
Sky+HD 1TBThe broadcaster’s premium personal video recorder is a peach. It’s smaller, slicker and faster than the original Sky+HD box, and also extremely reliable, presenting us with no crashes, playback foibles or recording fails during testing. Offering around four times as much recording space as the original box, you can record any hi-def show or movie on a whim, without having to worry about managing space. That, dear reader, is intoxicating indeed. Any self-respecting hi-def obsessive should have one.
The best iPod has just got better, adding a higher-resolution screen, the ability to call iPhone 4 and other fourth-gen iPod touch owners over Wi-Fi, and 720p video-recording capability. It’s the best do-it-all MP3 and video player around, by some margin.
The 13.3-inch R630 is a sexy ultra-portable laptop and no mistake. Its metal chassis is pleasingly slim, its excellent keyboard makes it easy to rattle off long emails and Word documents, and its Intel Core i5 processor packs a serious punch. To top it all off, the machine’s battery life isn’t half bad either. Like most ultra-portables, though, it’s not much cop when it comes to gaming.
Panasonic Viera TX-L42D25B The 42-inch Viera D25 is a cracking LCD TV. Its Internet features are top-class, but the most impressive feature of all is its high-definition picture quality. The TV’s LED edge lights deliver colours so punchy they’re practically slamming their fists into your face, but they’re also extremely natural and accurate, while black levels are remarkably deep too. If ever there were proof that Panasonic is no longer just a plasma specialist, the D25 is it.
Panasonic Viera TX-P42V20B With the 42-inch Viera V20, Panasonic has created a superb plasma TV that produces some of the most cinematic images you’ll find outside of your local movie theatre. Its excellent Internet features and freesat HD and Freeview HD tuners only serve to add a gigantic, sugar-coated cherry on top of what is already a delicious cake.
Sonos ZonePlayer S5If you want to move audio around your house, you’ll find few products as elegant as the ZonePlayer S5 multi-room audio system. The S5 is the first such system from Sonos to include a speaker. The audio quality is incredible, the system is a dream to set up, and you can access not only your own music but also thousands of Internet radio stations. Available in both black and white versions, the S5 will fit in virtually anywhere, but be prepared to cough up quite a chunk of cash for it.
Sony BDP-S470The BDP-S470 Blu-ray player is 3D-capable, but has a reasonable asking price nevertheless. This machine will also let you watch Internet video, including BBC iPlayer and LoveFilm content. Its picture and sound quality are superb too, and the machine is both slender and good-looking. It loads discs faster than most other players as well.
LG 47LE8900With the 47-inch LE8900, LG continues to prove it can make TVs that both look the part and perform brilliantly. The LED-backlit LE8900 LCD TV will treat your eyes to a bright and vivid picture, and offers a collection of features that are both useful and fun. Most importantly, this TV scores big points when it comes to picture quality. It’s not the cheapest TV and it doesn’t have as much Internet functionality as some rivals, but this telly is smashing in the areas that really matter.
