Mercier Jones Hovercraft: pull the hover one

What is it?

It's freaking amazing, is what it is. It's a sports hovercraft — not like the hovercraft you take to the Isle of Wight, more like a two-seater sports car that has a cushion of air where Its wheels should be.

Will It work?

Do not question the sports hovercraft! Instead, run around with excitement, making whooshing noises and pretending you're in a sports hovercraft! By using hybrid drives and light materials, maker Mercier-Jones says it can produce one for under US$20,000.

Build it or bin it?

We used to believe fusion power would be the next big step in human civilisation, Now we realise: the sports hovercraft is more important.
mender-jones.com

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AIAIAI Capital: cans of whoop-ass

    You exist alongside millions of others, but that doesn't mean you want to listen to their stupid opinions. Most headphones will keep you in a sonic bubble until rain starts bucketing down — but then they have to come off and you're back to hearing about the weather. These new cans from AIAIAI, the company named for the noise you make when you step on a plug, are rugged and resistant to rain, snow and dirt, so you can enjoy the 40mm drivers whatever the sky has planned.€100, alaia.dk

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Insteon LED bulb: dimmer than thou

    The light switch has been working perfectly since 1884, but we doubt it will be around for much longer. The reason? This network-connected LED bulb, which gets a 60W bulb's worth of brightness from 8W of power and doesn't need a switch — you brighten, dim and extinguish it with an app. Sadly, so far it's only available in the US, but it's definitely going to be so much more convenient than hitting a switch on the wall. Now if I can just find my phone... wait, I've put the PIN in wrong. Let's just sit in the dark instead.
US$30, smarthome.com

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Spiderpodium Tablet: arach for your tablet

    If you listen to the moaning doomsayers, the only thing being manufactured in Britain these days is a vague sense of unease. Not true: the world's most useful gadget stand is made in Exeter, from British steel, and comes in a box fashioned in Manchester. Unlike the legions of stands and shields that cater exclusively for the iPad, the Spiderpodlum will wrap its legs around any tablet, and even doubles as a tripod (or hexapod, or possibly octopod) for your DSLR. What say you to that, moaning doomsayers?£25, breffo.com

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Securifi Almond: router all evil

    If you've ever sat by your router, trying to guess the IP address and then the login details (192.168.1.something?), then you'll know how un-user-friendly they tend to be. If you haven't, then your neighbours probably have, right before they started stealing your broadband. The Almond is the first router to have its own touchscreen, with a simple user interface that makes setting up and controlling your network easy — and secure. Take that, neighbours.£tba (due autumn)  securifi.com

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JVC Addixxion: crack shooter

    The thing about the JVC Addixxion is, you think you can handle it. You'll just take it for a bit of orienteering, you tell yourself, get some 1080p (or 720p@60fps) footage of you map-reading. It's shockproof, too, so maybe a little climbing. Oh, it's also freezeproof and has Vi-Fi for turning your smartphone into a monitor, so maybe just one more snowboarding trip... Before you know it, you're addicted to extreme sports, everything you own has an 'X' In the name, and you're wearing a ridiculous hat. Small doses, people.£300, jvc.co.uk

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Garmin Swim: pool shark

    It's a classic mistake: you plan to do a couple of lengths of your local pool, but you keep losing count and starting again until, by the time you towel off, it's a decade since you entered the pool and you've exercised yourself into a giant scaly man-shark. Next time, let this watch do the counting — and the timing, and graphing of your performance. It'll even tell you what stroke you were doing at the time, and clean your new gills.
£130, garmin.com

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Nifty MiniDrive: space invaders

    Lovely as Apple's laptops are, they do boast the most expensive storage since Crazy Gary's Super  Expensive Cupboard Shop got shut down for overcharging. But expand your space with an SD card and it hangs out of Apple's shallow SD slot, spoiling that clean-lined design you forked out for. Nifty's MiniDrive is a microSD holder that sits flush with the side of your MacBook, allowing you to add up to 64GB extra while keeping style intact.
US$30, niftydrives.com

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iRobot Roomba 790: carpet crawler

    Not so long ago, we'd spend every Saturday afternoon moving slowly across the living room floor, carefully licking up all the cat hair and crumbs In our path. But now, a robot can do it for us. This Roomba autonomously munches dust for hours, finding denser patches of filth with its optical and acoustic sensors, but if you're hankering for the old times, It also comes with a touchscreen controller that lets you assume direct control and drive it straight towards the nicest hair or tastiest crumbs.
£800, irobot.com

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Windows To Go: free stuff by Microsoft

My PC is secure. I always click on those 'You May Have a Virus' pop-ups and install what they tell me to.
Wow. It's butties like you that keep IT people awake at night. Actually it's a mixture of coffee and Game of Thrones (yes, of course the books) that keeps IT people awake at night, but you're not helping. But Windows To Go should change that: this portable build of Windows 8 lives on a USB stick, which you can plug into your malware-stuffed home PC to boot as an independent machine. You'll log Into your work computer - secure and IT-managed.

But how? it is magic?
No, you great ciabatta. By using all of your PC other than its hard drives, Windows To Go gives you the muscles of your home machine (or one in your hotel, or at your mum's house) but not its crazy, virus-addled brain. Cloud storage means your data stays where your IT guy wants it to stay, and it can even resume from where you left off if the USB stick gets unplugged by an inquisitive child or dextrous pet (just as long as you plug it back in within 60 seconds). And as It's not a pricey-looking laptop, it's a lot less likely to get nicked than, say, your new Windows 8 work laptop.
Cool! I'm going to go buy one!
Steady on, you eager bap. Windows To Go isn't being sold as a product. It's all part of the functionality built into Windows 8 Enterprise. It's likely something you're issued with, not something you'll buy. OK, muffin?

Windows 8 in USB form, wherever you are - great news for businesses

£free, microsoft.com

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APPLE MACBOOK PRO WITH RETINA DISPLAY

    Apple's latest 15-incher uses style cues from the Air to reduce the size and weight to an almost-ultraportable, despite its 16:10 ratio screen, quad-core processor and Nvidia GT 650M graphics. Damn pricey, though.Alternatively No Retina display, but Apple's 27in IPS-screen iMac (£1000) is still a stunning desktop alternative.
Pros Retina screen; excellent performance; thin design
Cons Eye-watering price; relatively small SSD storage£1800, apple.com

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Hot laptop: Toshiba Z930 ultrabook

    The holder of the title of world's thinnest Ultrabook seems to change weekly, but who's going to topple this tablet-taunting Tosh? There is more to the Z930, of course - it matches the latest MacBook Air for power and has an optional 512GB SSD for practical space.Alternatively For a space-saving Windows desktop, try the touchscreen Lenovo A720 (£1300, lenovo co uk)
Pros Very thin; very light; reasonably priced
Cons Only 1366*768 screen resolutionfrom £900, toshiba.com

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SAMSUNG SERIES 3 CHROMEBOX

    As far as tiny PCs go, Samsung's Series 3 is up there with the Mac Mini for design, fast boot and connectivity. But Google's Chrome OS is threatened by its own Android OS for low-power usage and web apps.
Alternatively The portable Series 5 Chromebook (£300) lets you take a walk, but you'll need net access.
Pros Small and well designed; cheap to buy and run; smooth video playback.
Cons Not much use without web access, no local storage.

£280, samsung.co.uk

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HOT mobile: HTC One V features

The Android smartphone with a mammoth feature set and not-so-mammoth price tag…

    Putting the V into VFM, HTC’s latest affordable Android smartphone the One V punches well above its weigh when it comes to specs and features.
    Under the curved unibody, with its chin jutting forth like a proud Bruce Forsythe, you'll find a 1GHz processor churning the Android Ice Cream Sandwich operating system to a whippy consistency, while HTC's famed Sense overlay makes the experience silky smooth and intuitive.
    Around the back you'll find a camera that starts up in under a second. With no shutter delay you can begin snapping five-megapixel stills or shooting 720p video instantly - you can even take a still whilst shooting video. Thanks to HTC Image Chip the results always impress. Like all HTC One devices, the HTC One V also benefits from Beats Audio", giving music a boost with richer audio.
    The One V browses the internet with ease thanks to HTC's Text Reflow, which fits web pages more perfectly to the 3.7-inch screen, so you have less tiresome scrolling and zooming to do.
    There's a microSD slot for storage, offering plenty of room to stash all your playlists, videos and photos too. Even better, the HTC One V comes with 25GB of Dropbox cloud storage that you can save stuff to for two years, and access even after that free period ends.

FEATURES

Camera skills
It's quick and easy to swap between taking five-meg snaps and shooting 720p video.

Beats Audio^TM

Advanced audio-processing tech boosts the sound of your tracks beyond what you'd expect from a smartphone.

Easy internet

HTC’s Text Reflow feature moulds the internet to fit your device's screen, making sites easier to read.

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NINTENDO 3DS XL: a hot handheld game player

    The buttons, connectivity and innards — bar the addition of a 4GB rather than 2GB SD card — are the same as the original 3DS, making this a predominantly aesthetic overhaul. But is bigger better?

    The rounded design is more comfy in the hand and at 4.88 inches its screen has a larger 3D sweet spot, so gameplay is more immersive. Yet resolution is not improved, the pixels are just bigger.
    While there are a stack of A-grade games available and more on the horizon, the lack of cheap, downloadable titles is an initial 3DS gripe that still needs addressing.

    Having to shell out £6.99 extra for an AC adaptor is a bit odd in this day and age, while the decision not to integrate the Circle Pad Pro add-on (£15) is a shame, but probably wise on the size front. Nintendo quotes a 3DS-beating 6.5 hours of 3D play and eight of 2D for the XL, and while we lost power a bit quicker than that, it's noticeably improved.
    The 3DS remains a very good handheld, with the XL the best choice for newbies, but there's not enough here to recommend an upgrade for original 3DS owners.

The 3DS XL, pound for pound, out-punches the original 3DS, but existing users should stick rather than twist

{SPECIFICATIONS}
PROCESSOR/RAM Nintendo ARM (speed not specified)/127MB
GRAPHICS PICA200
TOP SCREEN 4.88-inch, 800x240, 3D
BOTTOM SCREEN 4.18-inch, 320x240, 2D touchscreen
CONNECTIVITY G Wi-Fi
CAMERA 0.3-megapixel 3D dual interior and exterior
STORAGE 2GB internal, SD card (4GB card included)
SIZE/WEIGHT 134x74x21mm/235g

LOVE Big 3D sweet spot. Comfortable design. Battery life bump
HATE Build feels a bit cheap. No major tech improvements

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THE REAL COMPACT KILLER: NOKIA 808 PUREVIEW

    When Nokia announced the 41-meg PureView in February, the tech world collectively tutted about more megapixels not equating to better shots. That's true, but Nokia wants to concentrate on what it does with those pixels. Its "oversampling" tech condenses up to seven pixels-worth of info into one for eight-, five- or three-meg shots that are incredibly sharp.
    There are controls aplenty, and the high-res sensor and Carl Zeiss lens combo delivers superb results with natural colours, though it won't focus as close as the other cams on test. The 1080p video is also the best on test. Score!

An innovative approach gives hugely impressive pics and vids

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