Stuff - UK (2021-08)

KEY SPECS

O 13.5in 2256x1502 LCD touchscreen

O 11th-gen Intel Core i5 O 8/16/32GB RAM

O 256/512GB/1TB SSD O Windows 10

O USB-C, USB-A, 3.5mm, Surface Connect

O Up to 19hrs O 308x223x14.5mm, 1.27kg

STUFF SAYS ++++,

Microsoft’s ultraportable gets

a handy performance boost

MICROSOFT

SURFACE

LAPTOP 4

from £999 / stuff.tv/SurfaceLap4

THE COMMUTER

So, it’s back to the office after a lifetime away... whether or not you’ve been

secretly looking forward to it, this lot will help you slip into the old routine again

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39

hen you’re only commuting as far

as the kitchen table, it’s not really

a problem if your laptop weighs as

much as a fat spaniel; but if you’re heading

to the office via train/bus/jetpack, you’ll

want to carry as little bulk as you can... and

at just 1.27kg, the sleek Surface Laptop 4

is a strong candidate.

Crafted from aluminium with optional

fuzzy Alcantara, it balances skinniness

with sensible cooling. Armed with an Intel

Core i5 processor and 8GB of RAM, our

entry-level model showed no signs of

strain when running a handful of work

apps, a browser filled with open tabs and

Spotify in the background. It’ll cope with

heavy-duty stuff like video editing too, but

not with the same ease as Apple’s M1 chip.

Porty fears two

There are some compromises when it

comes to connectivity: just one USB-A,

one USB-C and a headphone port. But the

2256x1504 3:2 display is great for fitting

in two documents side by side, and while

the bezels around it could certainly be

smaller, you probably won’t even notice

unless someone sits down next to you

with something super-skinny.

The battery life can be bettered, but it’ll

be more than enough to get you from nine

to five with some catching up on emails or

Netflix on the way home – unless you’ve

opted for the jetpack that day, in which

case you should probably watch out for

chimneys and crows.

NOW

APP

THESE

POCKET

Sometimes your

commute is the

only chance you

get to catch up

on reading.

Pocket is the

ideal app to

collect all the

stuff you haven’t

had time for.

£free /

Android, iOS

OVERCAST

Rather than

listening to other

people’s phone

calls, Overcast is

a great way to fill

your ears with

podcasts, with

clever features

to enhance the

talky bits.

£free /

Android, iOS

HEADSPACE

The late-running

07:57 might not

be the ideal

place for

meditation, but

Headspace is

packed with

stuff to help you

shake off your

daily stress.

£free /

Android, iOS

W

AIRPOP

ACTIVE+ HALO

SMART MASK

With any luck masks

won’t be mandatory

on public transport

forever – but if you

fancy knowing a bit

more about what’s

hitching a ride in your

lungs, this is like a

Fitbit for your face.

Its sensor pairs with

Apple HealthKit and

records things like

breathing rate and

particles blocked.

£150 /

airpophealth.com

BOSE QUIET

COMFORT

EARBUDS

Remember public

transport? Big tin

cans full of people

honking on about last

night’s telly and what

they’ve got for lunch?

If you’re looking for

something to block

that out, the ace

noise-cancelling and

equally brilliant sound

quality on Bose’s QC

Earbuds will transport

you far away from the

top deck of the 155.

£250 / bose.co.uk

GROOV-E

GV-WM 6

WIRELESS

CAR MOUNT

There’s nothing more

annoying than getting

in your car to find you

forgot to fuel up your

phone overnight. But

this charger, mounted

to the windscreen or

air vents, welcomes

a low battery, its IR

auto-grip system

clamping onto your

phone for the journey.

And wireless charging

means no fiddliness.

£30 / groov-e.co.uk

GOCYCLE G4

There’s not a lot of

point investing in a

fancy electric bike if

some rascal comes

along and nicks it, so

picking something

you can fold up and

never let out of your

sight makes a lot of

sense. Gocycle is the

master of squashable

e-cycling and the

new G4 uses more

carbon fibre to keep

the weight down,

while a new motor

delivers more torque.

£3399 / gocycle.com

HARBER

LONDON

LAPTOP

BRIEFCASE

You could travel to

work with all your

essentials shoved in

a Tesco bag-for-life,

but is that really the

impression you want

to give? This laptop

briefcase comes

in 13in or 16in sizes,

but both have space

for a tablet too. It

comes in tan, black

or deep brown.

from £379 /

harberlondon.com

EMBER MUG²

While everyone else

in the office slurps

their tea out of those

massive Sports Direct

mugs that seem to

magically multiply

overnight, any true

brew aficionado

knows they’re likely

to get pulled into a

meeting and come

back to a cold cuppa.

So the self-heating

Mug 2 keeps your

hot drink at a preset

temperature for up to

90 minutes.

£130 / ember.com

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