Stuff - UK (2021-08)

KEY SPECS

O 12.9in 2732x2048 Mini LED touchscreen

O Apple M 1 O 8/16GB RAM

O 128/256/ 512GB/1/2TB O iPadOS 14

O Up to 10hrs O Thunderbolt 3 (USB 4)

O 281x215x6.4mm, 682g

STUFF SAYS +++++

A very modern computer for a very

modern worker

APPLE iPAD

PRO 12.9IN

from £999 / stuff.tv/iPadPro

THE DIGITAL NOMAD

When the whole world is your office, you don’t need to get a pass from HR... but

you do need a different kind of approach to kitting up for optimum productivity

GET MORE DONE

43

eing a digital nomad in the age of

Covid might mean you spend more

time on the beaches of Bridlington

than Bali – but when globetrotting does

return, having an iPad Pro stashed in your

bag will mean you’re ready to work from

anywhere. Possibly even Bognor.

Apple’s cleverest rectangle hasn’t

changed much on the outside, but opt

for the 12.9in version and you now get

a stonking Liquid Retina XDR display. Its

64ppi resolution isn’t a great leap from

the 11in model, but brightness, colour and

contrast are streets ahead. Things just look

more vibrant, highlights are more intense,

and blacks almost look like they could suck

in time itself.

Flit and working again

The M1 chip inside puts up figures that are

comparable with the iMac on p40; and with

pro-grade apps for everything from video

and photo editing to writing and boring old

spreadsheets, the whole ‘you can’t do real

work on an iPad’ argument just doesn’t

hold water any more.

With 5G support on the cellular model

and an ultrawide 12MP camera that uses

Apple’s Centre Stage tech to make sure

you’re always in shot on video calls, it’s

also ideal for keeping in touch with your

beloved colleagues.

For typing, Apple’s new Magic Keyboard

is taking the mickey a bit at £329. But the

iPad Pro’s modular make-up is one of its

biggest strengths – and it switches from

tablet to laptop to digital sketchpad with

ease, no matter where you pitch up.

NOW

APP

THESE

WORKFROM

Rocked up

somewhere new

and need to find

a spot to work

from? This app

can help, with

info on places

with good Wi-Fi

and coffee in

over 1200 cities.

£free /

Android, iOS

TRAIL WALLET

If you’re juggling

daily budgets

and currencies

as part of your

digitally nomadic

existence, Trail

Wallet keeps

track of your

finances. It’s free

for the first

25 items.

£4.99 / iOS

TRIPIT

Making your

route up as you

go along? Got

a complicated

itinerary?

Forward all your

booking emails

to TripIt and the

app will build a

schedule for you.

£free (IAP) /

Android, iOS

B

LARQ BOTTLE

PUREVIS

When you’re living

out of a backpack it

can be hard to keep

yourself clean, let

alone all your kit... but

Larq has a solution. Its

self-cleaning water

bottle has a UV light

built into the lid, which

kills the nasties inside

every two hours (or

when activated by

pushing the button).

If only they could

apply the same tech

to a pair of pants...

£95 / livelarq.com

IRIS FLOW

With all that travelling

you’re going to need a

decent pair of cans to

block out the hubbub

when you’re trying to

work in airports, train

stations and noisy

hotel lobbies. Iris’s

wireless headphones

don’t have ANC, but

they claim to help you

switch your brain into

a ‘flow’ state, which

can aid focus. Or you

can always just pump

up the volume.

£379 /

irislistenwell.com

WD

ARMORLOCK

ENCRYPTED

NVME SSD

You wouldn’t leave

your work laptop

without a password

to keep baddies out,

so why should your

portable hard drive

be any different? In

fact, WD’s 2TB SSD

doesn’t waste time

with mere passwords:

it uses your phone’s

biometric tech to

control access.

£350 / shop.

westerndigital.com

ONEADAPTR

ONEWORLD

PD

If only more travel

problems could be

solved with adaptors.

Need to ask where

the nearest vape shop

is in Portuguese? You

could stick a language

adaptor in your gob.

The OneWorld PD

isn’t that clever, but it

does allow you to plug

in your gadgets in 150

countries, and has a

bunch of handy USB

ports. Brilhante.

£37 / oneadaptr.com

THULE

CROSSOVER

BACKPACK

25L

Nobody’s suggesting

you should traverse

the globe with a

25-litre bag, but when

it comes to humping

your kit around

whichever spot you’re

in for now, this water-

resistant pack is big

enough for a 15in

laptop plus a tablet,

and has a crush-proof

compartment for your

fragile possessions.

£90 / thule.com

APPLE AIRTAG

Apple’s Find My app

is brilliant for locating

your lost iStuff, but

what if it’s one of

your non-Apple

things that’s gone

walkabout? You can

attach an AirTag to

pretty much anything

you own – bag, keys,

bike – and if it goes

AWOL the app will

help you find it. If

you’ve got an iPhone

with UWB, it’ll even

tell you when you’re

getting warmer.

£29 / apple.com

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