The Phission soundbar is a USB-powered speaker that uses a 3.5mm
jack audio connector. Its relatively small size, combined with its simplicity
of use, makes it a solid option for any system such as a laptop, or a basic
office setup that benefits from having a reasonable ability to make noise,
but where a heftier set of speakers isn’t feasible.
The sound quality from the Phission is good enough for close quarters
and clarity, but it’s not going to make your home cinema pop or your
music bring the house down. The styling is low- key and even the
obligatory LED can be switched off. It’s a decent option when you need
some noise, but not much of it.NOKLEAD ALARM CLOCK
/ £16.14 inc VAT
SUPPLIER amazon.co.uk
Custom kit
Phil Hartup checks out the latest gadgets, gizmos and geek toys
REVIEWS / CUSTOM KIT
The clue that the UniM Mug Warmer isn’t messing
about lies with the power supply – it uses the
mains rather than a USB cable for power. It’s
one of those rare desktop mug warmers that
takes its job incredibly seriously. The UniM Mug
Warmer will warm your mug of tea of coffee. It
will warm it a lot.
The plate on the UniM gets incredibly hot,
so you’re not gently warming your cup of tea
to buy you an extra few minutes to drink it hot
- instead, it’s hot enough that, given enough
UNIM MUG WARMER /£16.99 inc VAT
SUPPLIER amazon.co.uk
In a time where the ubiquity of smartphones has mostly rendered
the alarm clock redundant, the Noklead Alarm Clock has adopted
an interesting strategy to remain useful. Rather than attempt to
compete with smartphones, the Noklead has Qi charging capability,
so you can recharge your phone on top of it, while also using it as an
alarm clock.
The Noklead is USB-powered and simple to set up. Programming
the time and setting the alarm involves the usual amount of awkward
faffing for a device with only a few buttons to control its interface, but
once it’s working, it does exactly what you want.
The one design drawback is that the phone charges on top of
the clock, and that’s where you’d expect the snooze button to be
positioned. Instead, the Noklead has the snooze button in the foot
underneath, with the off switch at the back. It’s not
bad, but the positioning
of these crucial
controls feels a little
inelegant, especially
with a phone in the
way of the top.
PHISSION SOUNDBAR
/ £ 21.99 inc VAT
SUPPLIER amazon.co.ukLose Snooze Fishion Fission
singg
ttime, you could probably reheat a cold cup of tea on it. This
places the UniM in an awkward position.
It’s a mug warmer, and it’s very good at putting warmth
into mugs, but the price you pay is having this unassuming-
looking, yet extremely hot plate, on your desk. The UniM
needs to be treated with a degree of caution more usually
reserved for kitchen devices, not the rumble-tumble world
of the desktop gadget. Oh Icarus, maybe just drink your
tea before it gets cold.Lukewarm Lu ke Skywa lker