The Stuff Hot Five
These are the top five products worth your time and money this week
FEELIN’ HOT HOT HOT
We see a lot of products every week here on Stuff, but which are the ones we actually want to take home with us? Every week, we condense all of the many products we see into the Hot Five — the definitive list of the best new gadgets to lust after, buy and use. These are the best products, the top apps and games, and the best tech accessories to blow this week’s savings on. Read this, and you’ll have absorbed the best of the week on the Stuff website! But please, do also read the rest of the website.
5) THE RETRO CONSOLE WHERE ALL THE CLASSICS ARE WELCOME
Listen up, retroheads! There’s no need to take an NES, SNES, Mega Drive and PlayStation into the shower that we call gaming – at least when you’ve got a Polymega. This strikingly elegant console is designed to run basically any disc- or cartridge-based retro console game, with different mods slotting into the base unit as required and full Bluetooth controller support. The console outputs at 1080p quality, and will let you grab screenshots to share with your social media contacts and broadcast live via YouTube or Twitch. Now all we need to know is when it comes out. Its makers aren’t saying just yet, so don’t bin your creaking TurboGrafx-16 just yet…
4) THE AM1 IS AN ELECTRIC BIKE THAT LOOKS NOTHING LIKE ONE
Electric bikes aren’t usually the sort of two-wheeled machine that those with a sense of style would want to be seen straddling, but Analog Motion’s AM1 is a glorious exception. This sleek, lightweight and elegant bicycle features a tiny electric motor that only kicks in when it senses you need a helping hand (i.e. climbing a hill), so you can nip around town with your head held high and your thighs feeling fresh.
3) BBC’S SOUNDS APP IS A TROVE OF AUDIO TREASURE
Out this week for both iOS and Android, the BBC Sounds app is an audio archive worthy of Auntie’s broadcasting brawn. With over 80,000 hours of radio to listen to and a beautifully simple user interface, it links up with your BBC account (if you use iPlayer, you probably have one) to recommend content based on your previous activity, or lets you search by genre, station or even DJ. Whether you’re after the latest in new music or want to delve deep into Radio 4’s spoken word stuff, there’s so much here to stick in your ears. And more features are promised for the future.
2) SONOS BEAM IS A BARGAIN BAR
Sonos products have never been known for their affordability, but with the company’s new Beam soundbar, that’s all set for change. Despite costing just £399/$399, it’s a typically stylish Sonos design with typically scintillating sound quality, and to top everything off it comes with Alexa and AirPlay 2 integration, making it controllable via your voice and a more than willing wireless audio partner for your iPhone, iPad or Mac. If you’re looking for a compact soundbar that’ll give your flatscreen telly the sound boost its picture deserves but won’t break the bank with it, the Beam has just set the standard to beat. Read our full review via the link below.
1) ASUS’ ZENFONE 5 IS A MID-RANGE MARVEL
Yes, it has a notch – well, it’s 2018 – but don’t write the new Asus ZenFone 5 off as yet another affordable Android upstart blithely trying to steal the iPhone X’s shine. This £400/$370 phone has a prettily clean UI, excellent battery life and the performance and design of a pricier handset, even if its camera skills aren’t particularly impressive across the board. Click through this link to see our full, in-depth review – but without spoiling anything we can say that Asus has created a very solid notch-having phone here. Bezels? Begone!
