Asus Vivowatch, LG G4, Huawei P8, Microsoft Band, Swimmo fitness band

 

Asus Vivowatch, LG G4, Huawei P8, Microsoft Band, Swimmo fitness band: Gadget Digest

Added: about 15 hours ago

From fitness bands capable of tracking your swimming progress, to a smartwatch that lasts all week and longer, it's been a great week for gadget lovers. And now we're reaching the weekend it's time to glance back at the biggest and best stories from the past few days. So read on as we take a look in our Gadget Digest.

Wearables galore

We've seen all sorts of wearables and fitness bands over the past couple of years, and now there's a smartwatch designed specifically for the swimming pool. Capable of tracking laps and swimming cadence, Swimmo could be the ideal wearable for fitness freaks, but could you imagine ditching the Apple Watch in favour of one?

If you're after a more conventional fitness band, there's always the Microsoft Band, which is finally touching down in the UK. You can order the Band now, and it costs a reasonable £169.99.

Asus hit the headlines this week, with its new VivoWatch. We already loved the look of the Asus ZenWatch, but the VivoWatch could be one of the best all-rounders yet, packing in a 10-day battery life that would put it in a direct head-to-head with the Pebble Time.

While it may not fall into the traditional wristband category when you think of 'wearables', the Panasonic HX-A1 wearable camera also popped up this week, and it looks more than capable of giving GoPro a run for its money.

Throw in a wearable for dogs, capable of tracking the fitness for your canine friend, and it's dfficult to ask for anything more!

Luxurious smartphones

There's been plenty going on in the past few days when it comes to smartwatches too, not least with leaks of the leather-clad LG G4. Whether the use of leather will be enough to make people want to go for the G4 over the gorgeous Samsung Galaxy S6 remains to be seen, but top marks to LG for trying something a little different - we’ll be finding out a bit more about LG’s flagship closer to its official launch.

We saw some smart additions on the software side of things this week too, and the next time you lose your phone, you'll now be able to Google it. With the ability to type 'find my phone' into Google, and have a web app launch to track down the Android blower logged into your Google account could be a life saver, and you can also make it ring in case it's simply lost somewhere down the back of your sofa.

Huawei made the news on Wednesday with its new P8 and P8 Max flagships, and the metal-clad wonders look ideal if you're a fan of big screens. There's a 5.2-inch panel on the P8, and the P8 Max gets a monster 6.8-inch display - a tad too big for most people, we'd imagine. Stay tuned for our full review of the P8.

And in other news...

It's also been a good week for more unconventional gadgets, such as the new Dyson Hot + Cool AM09 - a heater which, as the name cunningly hints, is capable of blowing both hot and cold air. We loved the Cirrus7 Nimbini micro PC, and the Xbox One has also received a promotional price cut - will you be jumping in?

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Apple Watch, Samsung Galaxy S6, LG G4

 

 

The Easter bank holiday may have made this a short week, but that doesn't mean we've been short on gadgets. There have been loads of great gadgets to feast your eyes on - especially with Gadget Show Live taking place, and we've also seen a couple of titans of the gadget world finally go on sale. So read on as we catch up with all the week's biggest and best news stories, in your Gadget Digest.

A good week for Apple

After months of sitting back and waiting, you can now finally pre-order an Apple Watch, and you could be wearing the year's most desirable bit of tech before the end of the month. Apple is expecting stock shortages though, so if you want one make sure you put your name down as soon as possible.

That wasn't the only news from Apple this week, as it looks like the Retina screen on the latest iMac could be about to get a whole lot better. According to LG, the next-gen iMac could pack in an almost barely believeable 8K screen, up from the already razor sharp 5K iMac that’s out now. We can only imagine how good photos and movies would look at that resolution, although it'll be a while before there are any apps or services that truly take advantage.

The latest phones and phablets

We fell in love with the searingly sharp, bright and colourful Quad HD screen on the Samsung Galaxy Note 4, but it seems that Samsung isn't content to rest on its laurels, and its replacement - the Samsung Galaxy Note 5 looks set to pack in the sharpest screen we've ever seen. A phablet with a 4K display certainly sounds interesting!

Speaking of phones with pin-sharp screens, the Quad HD-toting LG G3 has a successor is on the way, and the LG G4 looks like it'll also cram in an impressive camera. LG certainly wants us to think so anyway, and its official teaser video shows off a snapper with a fast F1.8 lens.

Gadget Show Live

This week also saw Gadget Show Live kick off, and the show will still be underway at the National Exhibition Centre in Birmingham over the weekend. We saw some brilliant gadgets there at the beginning of the week, and there are also shows taking place all weekend. Throw in some ridiculous vehicles and what more could you ask for if you're looking to be entertained this weekend?

Wearable wonders

For lots of us, the Moto 360 was one of the most stylish wearables yet, but it wasn't perfect. There was the 'flat tyre' look at the bottom of the round screen for starters, and there's definitely scope for improvement. That's where the second-gen Moto 360 comes in, and it looks like it could get a fully round display. Throw in an even sleeker design, and it could well be the wearable to take the fight to Apple.

If you prefer your wearables to be a little more subtle, how about the Jawbone Up3? The sporty wristband is finally set to hit the shops, although it's currently only shipping to the US - UK fans will be able to get one "later this year". It should be good for fitness fans though, with its bioimpendance sensor claimed to be more accurate than a more traditional optical heart rate monitor.

And in other news

We absolutely loved the Bolt - a tiny electric skateboard that’ll get you from A to B in no time at all, and you'll also be able to film all the aerial action using one of two new DJI Phantom 3 drones. It also looks like electric cars are finally starting to deliver too, with the Tesla Model S 70D promising to get you all the way from London to Leeds on a single charge.

What's your favourite gadget of the week though?

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Apple MacBook, Apple Watch, HTC One E9, Samsung Galaxy S6 Active, LG G4

 

This week started off with a bang, with Apple unleashing a brand new MacBook and the Apple Watch, and since then we've seen loads of fantastic gadgets. Now we're heading into the weekend, it's time to sit back and catch up on all the stories you may have missed, and make sure you're up to date with all the most exciting news.  

All things Apple

The week started off with some particularly exciting Apple gadgets, not least the brand new 12-inch Apple MacBook. Thinner, lighter and more desirable than the Air, and with a Pro-rivaling Retina display, could this be one of the best MacBooks yet? You'll have to ignore the almost complete lack of ports if you do want one, and it's definitely not the most powerful laptop out there, but we still can't help but want one...  

The same goes for the Apple Watch, which was finally given a price and launch date - you'll be able to get your hands on one on April 24. We're not convinced it'll be the ultimate wearable, but it's definitely one to add to the wish-list.  

If like us, the claims on battery life for the Watch aren't enough to impress you, this handy strap that doubles as a charger could be the ideal solution, but you'll need deep pockets - it's £166.  

It's not all good news for Apple fans this week, and the company also hit the headlines when designer Jony Ive spoke out about battery life, pointing out that whatever your complaints, you simply dom't need a bigger battery in your iPhone. With the thought that larger batteries would compromise the beauty and design, it looks like future iPhones will also place aesthetics ahead of function.  

All the latest smartphone news

It's also been a great week for smartphone fans, with loads of blowers hitting the headlines. We saw the first brand new Vaio smartphone for starters, although it didn't quite manage to meet our high expectations.  

The LG G4 Note phablet also popped up this week, going head to head with the Samsung Galaxy Note 4, and we saw leaks of the LG G4 smartphone too. Could this be the best smartphone to land during 2015?  

Not if HTC has anything to do with it, and hot on the heels of the HTC One M9, we saw news of the HTC One E9, which could manage to cram in a 5.5-inch Quad HD screen, an octa-core processor and a 20-megapixel camera. We already love the One M9, but this has all the potential to beat anything on the market, especially if it comes with the same great build quality.  

There was some sad news too though, with the Google Nexus 5 finally bowing out. It was an impressive handset, and with the Nexus 6 going upmarket, it could be the last truly affordable Nexus smartphone we get to see.  

We can't blame Google for wanting a piece of the high-end action though, and Samsung is also bringing out the big guns with the new Galaxy S6 Active, which could add waterproofing and shock resistance to the mix.  

And in other news...

Fancy a cheaper MacBook rival? The Chromebook Pixel could well be up your street, coming in at £799 and impressive build quality. Other innovative gadgets this week included the Dyson V6 Fluffy and V6 Absolute, and we loved the Podo - a gadget that promises to banish selfie sticks to the cupboard, never to be used again!

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