Stuff - UK (2019-12)

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MUDITA PURE

Like a sci-fi take on an old

blower, the Mudita Pure mixes

sleek modern design with

a distraction-free ethos.

Everything’s stripped back

and offline, and it’s all about

mindful tech use – so no

internet or email, but there is

a music player and meditation

timer. Oh, and a headphone

port. Take that, Apple!

$258 / mudita.com

Beat up

POCKETDRUM

Air-drumming’s fine, but it’s

basically flailing arms and spitty

drum noises. This is better:

Bluetooth-enabled drumsticks

that use spatial awareness

and haptics to make it feel

like you’re playing the real

thing. You can even strap

a PocketGuitar (which is a sort

of air-guitar plectrum) to your

foot for the kick drum.

from £56 / aeroband.net

Cut up

CHOPBOX

Yep, even chopping boards are

now ‘smart’, although this one

avoids gimmicks and Alexa.

Instead you get a scale and

timer, with a digital readout

that’ll last 30 days before you

have to recharge your board.

There’s an integrated second

board, but sadly no automated

chef to make your dinner.

Perhaps in ChopBox 2.0.

$99 / theyescom.com

Light up

ARCADE CODER

This tactile board mostly

comprises 144 chunky LEDs,

and is designed for up to four

players to do battle on classics

like Whack-a-Mole and

Snake. But delve into iOS

app Game Studio and your

kid can create new games or

try Painter Mode, for fashioning

dazzling multi-coloured light

shows and more.

£80 / techwillsaveus.com

Listen up

EARHD

Sorry to break it to you, but the

design of your ears is flawed.

Sound reflects off of your pinna,

which acts like a funnel. This helps

you determine where sound’s

coming from, but causes

distortion. Like tiny ear-trumpets

from the future, earHD is like a

lughole upgrade. These wearables

focus sound to a central location.

This isn’t about amplification – it’s

more like ‘cleaning’, removing

clutter and heightening the detail

for anything from lectures to

hi-res audio. That might sound like

rot, but boffins at the University of

Southampton have verified the

claims, which – if you were already

excited by the concept – will be

music to your ears.

from £199 / flareaudio.com

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