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Top Tech #005

Two companies promise to take the pain out of 3D printing, while Dell, Sony and Nike show off their latest products.

Two companies promise to take the pain out of 3D printing, while Dell, Sony and Nike show off their latest products.

Introduction

We love the possibility of 3D printing, but we havent quite got round to investing in a 3D printer ourselves. Two items in this edition of our tech round-up look mighty tempting, though. Cubifys 3D printer is the nicest-looking weve seen so far, whereas DIWires wire-bending gizmo uses cheap and readily-available wire rather than expensive plastic composites.

Other highlights this week include a magic bluetooth pencil, Sonys PlayStation 4 and Dells retina-scorching new 4K monitor. Ironically, tracking down high-res photos of the latter proved to be a bit tricky.


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1. Cube 3D Printer

© Firebox

3D printers are in the process of taking off but weve yet to see a Microsoft or Apple-style company establish itself in the market. Our moneys on Cubify, whose Cube 3D printer (£1,195) doesnt look like it was built by your mad uncle in his shed, and its the only printer to be certified for safe at-home use.

2. DIWire

© Pensa Labs

3D printing isnt the only way to get your digital creations into reality Pensa Labs DIWire is a simpler machine which bends wire at specific angles, so you can build all sorts of (literal) wireframe models. Its currently seeking funds on Kickstarter, and its worth backing if you often find yourself running out of coat hangers.

3. Pencil

© FiftyThree

It may look like a traditional carpenters pencil, but FiftyThrees simplistically-named Pencil (from $49.95) contains a bunch of tech. Designed to be used in conjunction with FiftyThrees Paper app (see what they did there?), it connects via Bluetooth so you can sketch quickly and accurately, and you can even use its eraser to rub out mistakes.

4. PlayStation 4

© Sony

Released last week, the PlayStation 4 (£350) is Sonys stab at next-gen gaming. New features include a redesigned DualShock controller which includes a speaker and touch pad, game curation based on what you play, and, of course, loads of new games. We especially liked the PlayStation 3 for its solid media support, and this continues with its bigger brothers 4K capabilities.

5. Dell UltraSharp 32 Monitor

© Dell

Which brings us neatly to Dells new uber-screen. Packing a drool-worthy 3840 x 2160 resolution, its perfect for artists and animators who want to see their work at the fullest possible resolution, and PremierColor technology means theres little risk of color discrepancies. Having had some eyes-on time with 4K, we can tell you the razor sharp perfection of the image is worth the £2,739 asking price.

6. Nike FuelBand SE

© Nike

Pre-empt your new years resolution to get fit by getting one of Nikes newest training devices right now. As well as counting your steps, it also provides ongoing motivation and it can connect to your smartphone to sync it to the web and see how well/badly youre doing compared to your friends.

7. Nude Audio Move S

© Nude Audio

The company is probably aiming to bait dodgy Google search results with that name, but the Move S (£29.99) is a cool little device nonetheless. Like pretty much everything it connects via Bluetooth, and it packs a 40mm speaker so your music sounds far better than it would coming from your smartphone or tablet. Its rugged design means itll survive a chaotic Christmas and still blast out Good King Wenceslas.

8. Olloclip 4-in-1 Lens

© Olloclip

The closest youll get to having interchangeable lenses on a smartphone (without it becoming completely impractical), Olloclips all-in-one solution (£79.99) perches on the corner of your iPhone and lets you switch between fisheye, wide-angle and 10- and 15-times macro lenses. Great for getting close-ups of that weird bug you just found.

9. Western Digital My Passport Ultra

© Western Digital

While every single internet company in the world is banging on about cloud storage, its still impractical for most especially if youre on a slow rural internet connection. Western Digitals My Passport Ultra (from £49) is a great solution, allowing you to store up to 2TB of data on a rugged device which will fit in the palm of your hand.

10. Bag Light

© Firebox

Another lamp, of course. According to the blurb, its safer and longer-lasting than plonking tealights in a paper bag, which apparently is a thing people do. Or its a joke we dont get. Anyway, we think it looks pretty nifty, and its made from recyclable materials, although its £35 price tag means wed certainly think twice about putting it in our green bin.

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