T3 Agenda brings you snippets of the latest tech news in an easily digestible format.
Rather than doing oodles of separate stories on various announcements, we’ll gather them all together on this page, updating daily as new gear is announced. Enjoy!
12 October
The Healthy Home Coach is a climate monitor designed to keep your home happy
2016 has been the year that smart home devices have exploded into a thriving industry all their own – just look at some of the nominees and winner from this year’s T3 Awards for proof of that – and the new Healthy Home Coach from Netatmo.
The HomeKit-enabled Healthy Home Coach tracks and records indoor environmental elements – air quality, humidity, temperature and noise – and offers advice to improve indoor climate and keep things cozy.
Healthy Home Coach tracks and records all the indoor environmental elements. The device collects personalised data from your home and provides actionable customised insights based on the season, the time of the day and more – and it’s all beamed direct to a bespoke app you can track on your smartphone or tablet.
Healthy Home Coach is available now and retails for £99.99 at Apple Stores as well as apple.com, Amazon UK and netatmo.com.
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Send designs to your new Dremel 3D printer via Wi-Fi – wherever you are
Building on the popularity of Dremel’s original 3D Idea Builder in 2015, the company has now unveiled its next generation of build machines – in the shape of the new feature-rich 3D40 Idea Builder.
Thanks to integrated software, WiFi connectivity and a full colour touchscreen, it’s never been easier to unleash your imagination and make your build or prototype a reality.
The Dremel 3D40 Idea Builder costs £1,099, and is available from October 2016 from retailers and the Dremel online shop.
- Meet the $99 3D laser scanner made up of 3D-printed parts
HTC and HP team up for a new VR-friendly bundle
HTC has teamed up with HP to bring us the Vive Ready HP Computer Bundle, offering an easy, great-value choice for those hoping to add a little Vive-powered VR magic to their lives this Christmas.
The bundle will contain a VR-ready HP ENVY 750-470na alongside a full Vive VR system for £1,499 allowing consumers to get set up for the world of room-scale VR.
To be kept up to date on availability, you can sign up to updates direct from HTC.
- HTC Vive review: is this brilliant but flawed and demanding product the Betamax of first-gen VR?
Microsoft announces global expansion for HoloLens
Today Microsoft announced that Microsoft HoloLens, the world’s first self-contained holographic computer, is now available for pre-order in Australia, France, Germany, Ireland, New Zealand and the United Kingdom, with devices starting to ship in late November.
Microsoft first announced HoloLens in January 2015 and shipped to developers and commercial partners in Canada and the United States on 31 March 31, 2016. Microsoft HoloLens is now available to preorder exclusively from the Microsoft Store.
- Microsoft HoloLens is now shipping to developers – but when will normal people get it?
11 October
The Kickstarter-bound Ding wants to take doorbell tech to the next level
The Ding, which just launched its Kickstarter campaign, enables you to answer visitors to your door on your smartphone – from anywhere in the world!
Much like the Ring (which won our Editor’s Award at this year’s T3 Awards), the Ding uses a button and mic that sticks onto a wall outside your house or on your door, and a speaker that sits in your house. These two devices then send an alert to your smartphone, enabling you to answer the door from anywhere – so basically you’ll never miss a package or important visitor again (yes, that includes pizza delivery people!).
If you’re quick, you can grab an early bird Ding for just $119, with shipping planned for August 2017 (if the campaign pans out, which judging by how fast it’s being backed, seems quite likely). The campaign has a month left so head on over and see what you think of the Ding.
- Why Ring won Editor’s Choice at this year’s T3 Awards
Three grabs UK exclusive on the new ZTE Blade V7 from today
In another big deal, phone tariff provider Three has acquired the exclusivity to sell the ZTE Blade V7 in the UK. The new ZTE Blade V7 is the lowest priced 4GSV device on the market, making the new deal with Three an impressive partnership.
Being with Three nets you plenty of benefits, including Feel at Home – which lets you use your phone abroad at no extra cost in 42 countries worldwide.
Pricing for the device on Three starts at £9 per month with 500MB data and no upfront cost, with the handset also available on Pay As You Go for £129.99.
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Never lose your keys again with the Tile Mate
Tile, the firm famous for its broad lost-and-found network and smart key-finding devices, has just launched its smallest gadget yet – the Tile Mate.
Tile Mate, which launched today, is 25% smaller, lighter, and more versatile, and follows the global success of Tile Slim, which launched last month, and Tile Original – the world’s best-selling Bluetooth tracker.
Tile Mate retails for £23 each, or £65 for a 4-pack, and is available online today from Tile. It will be sold in retailers nationwide including Amazon, John Lewis, Argos, Curry’s PC World, Carphone Warehouse & Maplin, beginning tomorrow.
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10 October
You can pre-order the Oculus Touch today for £189 from Currys PC World
With VR set to take over the world in 2016, you’ll be pleased to hear Oculus’ bespoke motion controllers, the Oculus Touch, are now available for pre-order in the UK.
Currys PC World is one of those places you can put your money down for the peripherals from today. Oculus Touch uses ‘constellation tracking’ to give you precision control while using your Oculus Rift headset (sold separately).
The Oculus Touch motion controllers will retail for £189 and are set to arrive later this year. Head on over to Currys or PC World to today to pre-order yours.
- What is Oculus Santa Cruz and how will it change VR?
New toys-to-life Kickstarter campaign turns action figures into controllers
With Disney Infinity effectively cancelled and Skylanders beginning to run out of steam, it seems like the toys-to-life genre is going the way of the rhythm game. Well, Lightseekers from independent studio PlayStyle is aiming to reverse that trend with a new, innovative take on interactive toys and more.
In fact, the tablet-based Lightseekers (which only just launched its crowdfunding campaign on Kickstarter) isn’t just trying to retread old ground either. PlayStyle says it wants to create ‘connected play’ with Lightseekers, with a mixture of trading cards (which offer augmented reality features through your tablets camera) as well action figures that light up, vibrate and more.
The FusionCore at the back of each figure removes the need for an NFC portal and can be be used, with a special Flight Pack accessory, to control your character in-game by moving its parts.
With comics and more planned, Lightseekers wants to do things on its own terms – and if the final product (due for release in March next year) can deliver on those lofty ambitions, the toys-to-life genre is far from dead.
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Libratone’s One Click and One Style portable speakers get a lick of red paint
Award-winning audio specialist Libratone is rereleasing two if its portable Bluetooth speakers in a striking Cerise Red, giving you a new colour to your musical travels.
Released earlier in the year, the One Style and One Click Bluetooth speakers connect wirelessly to mobile devices and other Libratone Bluetooth speakers, and feature excellent acoustics thanks to the company’s signature 360° sound.
The red Libratone One Click and One Style are both available now from Libratone.com priced at £139.
- Best Bluetooth speaker: the easiest, cheapest way to get wireless music
7 October
Head to Harrods and personalise yourself a Signature Caterham Seven
British car manufacturer Caterham has launched its first personalisation programme – Caterham Signature – with a special edition Seven designed by world-famous department store, Harrods.
The Harrods special edition car is now on sale exclusively in store and includes a host of special features which demonstrate the breadth of options new Caterham buyers can add to their vehicles. These include paint colours and designs, dashboard and interior styling, embroidery and even the colour of the chassis.
The £59,999 Harrods special edition is on display in the famous London store throughout October for Harrods Man month, starting from Friday October 7.Head over to Caterham Cars for more info.
Oculus Rift’s Touch controllers and Headphones coming this December
Oculus has just announced its bespoke motion controller Touch is finally getting a release date – just in time for Christmas. The reveal was at the bg Connect VR event, with Oculus confirming there will be 35 Touch-enabled games coming at launch.
You can pre-order Touch on October 10 for $199 (£160.94), and it ships on the 6 December. All pre-orders come bundled with VR Sports Challenge and The Unspoken. Touch comes with an additional sensor and a connector for Rock Band VR.
Oculus also revealed the official Oculus Earphones for Rift. According to the firm, the headphones offer a, “solid bass response while maintaining excellent mid/high levels for a well-balanced sound signature. They also include passive noise isolation to help block out distractions from the outside world.”
They’ll be available for pre-order from the 10 October on Oculus.com, cost $49 (£39.62), and start shipping on the 6 December.
Grab yourself a Camellia Red HTC 10 and get 15% off for your troubles
Thinking of picking up a new HTC 10? Well, now’s the time to do it as the flagship model now has a sleek-looking Camellia Red edition available. Not only that, but for a limited time you can get one 15% off the asking price.
In our review, we called the HTC 10, “almost perfect,” saying: “Of course, there are some areas where the HTC 10 could improve. It’s not as slick as the Samsung Galaxy S7, it would be nice to see an IP waterproof rating, the camera isn’t perfect, and it we’d LOVE that two-day battery life.”
Those looking to get their hands on the luxury smartphone will have the opportunity to get 15% (that’s around £85.50) off the HTC 10 from 6 October to the 30 October.
Visit HTC.com and enter code ‘HTC15’ at checkout.
- HTC 10 review: close to a perfect 5…
6 October
The Cocoon will protect and secure your home with the power of sound
The market is awash with home security products, ranging from the basic to the most elaborate, but few come as unique as the Cocoon. A single device that uses infrasound – subtle, inaudible vibrations in the air caused by movement to detect and monitor the home.
The interesting thing about infrasound is it travels across rooms and multiple floors. Because of this, one Cocoon can look after the whole home without additional cameras or sensors, whether it’s a noisy inner-city flat or country home.
The Cocoon uses a combo of ultra-acute microphone sensors and machine learning to work out what are the normal sounds and movements in your home, so you won’t trigger an alert with day-to-day activity. With an in-built camera, the Cocoon is one smart and complete package and you can order one today for £299 from Amazon or the official Cocoon website.
- T3 Awards 2016: who’s nominated for Connected Home Tech of the Year?
Sony Xperia XZ available to buy now in the UK
After a tantalising and frustrating wait, Sony’s flagship handset in the X range is finally available to buy on UK soil. The Xperia XZ, which comes with one of the most powerful and sophisticated cameras available in a smartphone, can now be purchased from a variety of smartphone retailers.
You can get one from O2 for free from £43pm with 5GB of data; free from £35.99pm with 1GB of data at Carphone Warehouse; EE for £38.49pm with £44.99 upfront cost and 500MB of data; via Virgin for free from £33pm with 1GB of data; at a cost of £42pm with £20 upfront cost and 3GB of data through Vodafone and for £36pm with £49 upfront cost and 2GB of data from Three.
You can also order one from the official Sony Xperia store.
- Xperia XZ is the new flagship in Sony’s X Range
Tech21 wants to protect your Google Pixel and Pixel XL
Tech21, a specialist in impact protection for mobile devices, has announced the availability of its protective cases for Google’s all-new flagship device, the Pixel and Pixel XL.
The new Evo Check cases feature tech21’s, “scientifically proven,” impact-absorbing material, FlexShock, delivering thinner, lighter and more stylish impact protection than ever before.
Evo Check in Clear/White and Smokey/Black for the Google Pixel and Pixel XL will be available via tech21.com from 18 October.
- Google Pixel and Pixel XL Hands-on Review: is the Pixel perfect?
Protect your tablet or laptop with the new Booq range, available now
Booq has just released a set of new tablet accessories and laptop bags that are perfect for keeping your favourite portable tech safe and sound on the move.
The Saddle Pro, available from £250 from Amazon, has an expandable design that makes it perfect for comfortable travelling, and its quick-access pockets keep important items such as passports and an iPad within easy reach.
The Daypack, which comes in a variety of colours for £75 via Amazon, has been designed for your 13″ MacBook (Pro or Air), 15″ MacBook Pro, or up to 16.4″ PC laptop.
And finally, the the symmetrically-designed Booqpad is equipped with an Apple Pencil pocket, easy access to ports and rear camera and a removable, 50-sheet notepad. You can get one today from Amazon for £50.
- Waterproof tech: Best rugged cases, cameras and phones
5 October
smanos’ new Smart Home Panoramic Camera is out of this world
Smart home tech specialist smanos has just launched a brand new panoramic camera, and with its flying saucere-esque design it’s certainly going to add a bit of retro sci-fi style to your home surveillance.
The UFO Smart Home Panoramic Camera, “utilises surveillance-grade fisheye lens technology, superior night vision and accurate motion detection to bring clarity, immersive vision and ease of use to home monitoring.”
You can mount it on a wall or on a ceiling, and offers three selectable HD views: a 360-degree bird’s eye view, a 180-degree panoramic view and an auto-corrected 90-degree quad view. You can even zoom in on footage live from your iPhone or Android smartphone.
The smanos UFO Panoramic Wi-Fi HD Camera will be available in the UK from the middle of this month, with a price tag of £149. You’ll be able to order one from GetSmanos.co.uk and other retailers.
- Amazon Echo goes on sale in the UK for £149, first units being delivered today
Moovit’s new 5.0 update makes tracking public transport easier than ever
Moovit, the versatile app that helps you track public transport times and departures, has just released its latest update and the new changes have rebuilt the service from the ground up based on years of customer feedback and experiences.
The 5.0 update introduces a new redesign restructures its information around the primary transport requirements: Directions (enabling you to find the best route to your favourite locations quickly and efficiently), Stations (which includes a list of all train and bus stations as well as live and up-to-date arrival and departure info) and Lines (consolidating tons of info on a given line into one handy tab).
With 45 million active users already on its books, Moovit is already a huge hit – no doubt this new version will prove just as popular. You can download it today for Android and iOS. For more info, head on over to the official Moovit app site.
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Add a touch of class to your tablet with this soft leather sleeve from Original Satchel Store
Take a look around your local electronics retailer or supermarket and you’ll barely be able to move for tablet sleeves and covers, but there aren’t many that exude luxury and sophistication – that’s where the Original Satchel Store comes in with its sophisticated new soft leather sleeve.
Hand-made to order in England by skilled leather artisans, this gorgeous tablet cover (£105) is crafted from top quality leather and is available in black and brown.
A unique long leather strap is wrapped around the case a couple of times for a stylish, distinctive look. For that personalised touch, and to really impress the recipient, you can have the sleeve embossed with up to four letters in gold, silver or plain text, to ensure your gift is one of a kind.
Head on over to the official Original Satchel Store site today and order yours – hurry and you can grab a 10% discount for new customers (for a limited time only).
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[Source:-T3]
