Sennheiser Momentum Wireless 3: Headphones for those on the go

Whether you’re a frequent flyer, avid audiophile or simply someone who enjoys seamless music on the go, the new Sennheiser Momentum Wireless 3 headphones seem to be a pretty good fit whatever your audio needs may be.

The third edition of the flagship wireless headphone from the experts at German luxury audio solutions brand Sennheiser, the Momentum Wireless 3 has set a new benchmark for high-end auto noise-cancelling headsets. Everything about this sleek gadget screams ‘high-tech’, be it the absence of a power button (the headphones automatically turn on when the ear cups are unfolded), the in-built virtual assistant or its auto-pause/play feature, which tracks the user’s movements and triggers when the device is worn or removed while powered on.

A huge draw for the Momentum Wireless 3, though, is perhaps its ability to allow users to alter the level of noise-cancelling as the situation calls for it. Three levels of noise-cancelling can be chosen: anti-pressure, anti-wind and maximum. In a deft display of consumer behaviour awareness, Sennheiser has also fitted it with adjustable levels of Transparent Hearing, allowing users to select the amount of ambient noise filters through during their audio experience.

If that weren’t enough, the sophisticated eargear also comes with Tile tracking integration – a feature which essentially allows you to track it wherever you are – as well as the ability to connect wirelessly to two devices at a time. Pair that with undeniably strong sound performance and a luxurious exterior, and what you get is a high-end headset that you can take wherever you go.

Sole Benefits: Digital running commentary from Nurvv Run insoles

A veritable plethora of wearable tech has flooded the fitness market over recent years, with everything from watches to pants proudly offering to display your weight, reveal your secret sleep statistics or monitor your heart rate. Now, though, a newly-launched, particularly smart gadget targeted at runners is aiming to take things several steps further, with its manufactures claiming it can measure everything from cadence to stride length to pronation (the rolling of the foot as it hits the ground).

The product in question – the Nurvv Run insole – is the debut offering from Nurvv, a UK-based fitness technology company. The thinking behind it is simple – just slide a smart insole into your shoe and connect it to your phone via a bespoke app. Once you start running, the app tracks your strides in real time via its array of 32 sensors. Once you’re all lapped out, the Run system then analyses your running style and provides useful tips as to how to improve. It also tracks your workout frequency, going so far as to suggest rest days in order to avoid over-exercising.

Priced at US$300 per pair, though, the benefits of Nurvy Run don’t come cheap, particularly if you jog just occasionally. For those serious about running, though, these insoles and you could soon become fast friends.

Bartending 101 with the Barsys 2.0+ Home Automated Cocktail Maker

With current circumstances ensuring that a visit to nightlife hotspots like Lan Kwai Fong or Soho being pretty much out of the question, what’s a discerning cocktail lover to do? Well, perhaps giving the new Barsys 2.0+ Home Automated Cocktail Maker a spin might help you while away a few evenings.

The core tenet of this smart home device is to serve up a perfectly-made tipple in less than 20 seconds – regardless of the user’s experience – thanks to an easy-to-use system. Simply add the ingredients for your preferred drink, then connect to the device via Wi-Fi through the companion app. There, you’ll discover a whole host of recipes to choose from – or you can even customise one to suit your mood – with your chosen cocktail ready to go in less than half a minute. It even comes equipped with a spill-free design, ensuring you can clean up afterwards in an equally speedy fashion.

At US$979, the Barsys 2.0+ Home Automated Cocktail Maker may not be the cheapest of smart home gadgets. However, if you’re a fan of an occasion sundowner or like to host parties at home, this is one high-tech toy that is sure to come in handy.

Cup Winner: Technology teas up with the Lify Smart Herbal Brewer

Ever since Shen Hung, a rightly-esteemed Chinese emperor, accidentally brewed the world’s first cup of tea some 4,000 years ago, this wholesome beverage has become internationally-renowned as the perfect liquid pick-me-up when starting the day or pottering off to bed.

Amid the chaos of contemporary life, however, the tea-drinking ritual has, thankfully, been somewhat enhanced, ensuring a cuppa comes easily to hand at pretty much every minute of the day if so required. Indeed, one particularly well-thought-out kitchen appliance – the Lify Smart Herbal Brewer (think Nespresso machine, but with tea leaves replacing coffee beans) – has even done away with the need to check water temperature or to verify whether your tea has reached that ideal steeping point.

Instead, the machine – developed by the brainy brew boffins at Hong Kong’s very own Lify Wellness – just requires you to add water and a specially designed tea sachet and you can be sipping truly top tea in less than a minute. What’s more, the top-flight tea technicians behind this HK$2,999 device have even developed customised herbal remedies that supposedly cater to all your wellness needs. Now if only they’d turn their attention to toasters, the digital breakfast revolution would be complete…

Eliminate bacteria and allergens with high-performance Laurastar ironing systems

With the rampant rage of Covid-19 continuing unchecked, it’s more important than ever to ensure your home is spotless and devoid of any unwanted pollutants and allergens, particularly within the sartorial sphere. To combat this garment-related issue, though, Swiss luxury steam iron brand Laurastar has produced a plethora of cutting-edge, user-friendly ironing solutions to not only ensure you look your best, but that your apparel remain entirely allergen and bacteria-free.

First launched in Switzerland in 1980, the sleek, innovative designs spawned by Laurastar has seen it expand across the globe, latterly arriving in Hong Kong last year. Across the decades, it has focused on eliminating harmful materials that coat our clothes – an important battle as our garments are intimately in contact with our skin.

Among its latest creations is the LIFT PLUS Pinky Pop (HK$7,980), a precision-engineered mchine boasting Dry Microfine Steam (DFS) technology that’s been proven to kill 99.999% of bacteria, 100% of mites and 99.9% of the harmful pathogen candida albican. In layman’s terms, this means that it naturally and effectively purifies textiles without the need for any chemicals.

Another top draw is the HK$35,800 Smart U ironing system. Fitted with the latest in home appliance technology, it offers a plethora of features to optimise your ironing, ranging from the Sensteam technology, which senses the movements of the iron and deploys steam automatically, to the companion mobile app, where the Smart U proffers step-by-step guidelines to handle any type of fabric.

Laurastar brand ambassador and haute couture designer Dorian Ho

Speaking of the many benefits served up by the luxury ironing solutions company, brand ambassador and renowned haute couture designer Dorian Ho said: “Both the Laurastar Smart U and the Laurastar Lift series feature user-friendly designs and an extensive suite of functions,” adding that “Laurastar’s vision of beauty speaks very closely to my own taste and sensibility, and that’s what led to our collaborations.”

Samsung Galaxy Z Flip phone gets the Thom Browne treatment

In the weeks since the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip phone was launched, this innovative foldable mobile device has charmed tech heads and everyday users alike. Lauded as being innovative to the max, the Galaxy Z Flip utilises a first-of-its-kind foldable glass that allows the entire gadget to fold up into roughly the size of a powder compact.

Launched on Valentine’s Day and available in Mirror Purple or Mirror Black, Samsung has crammed countless smart features into this tiny package. Take, for instance, its Flex Mode, which automatically splits the phone’s display into two four-inch screens when free-standing to allow greater flexibility and efficiency when consuming media. Its self-standing ability also comes in handy when it comes to taking photos – particularly when taking group shots – or videos, hand-free and tripod-free.

Despite barely being on the market for a few weeks, though, the South Korean electronics giant has already pulled back the curtain on a very special limited-edition release of the phone to be distributed exclusively via Hong Kong’s Lane Crawford stores – the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip Thom Browne Edition.

Designed in partnership with New York-based fashion brand Thom Browne, this limited-release design features the sartorial label’s signature colours on a pebble-gray exterior, and even comes with custom-designed Galaxy Buds+ and Galaxy Watch Active2.

The Samsung Galaxy Z Flip is available for HK$11,998, while the limited-edition Thom Browne version is priced at HK$20,998.

Samsung launches its new frameless television – Q950TS TV

It’s 2020, and we can say one thing for sure – the latest cutting-edge innovations of the world’s leading technology companies are more akin to futuristic gadgets than ever before. Just one such example is South Korean electronic conglomerate Samsung‘s latest QLED 8K flagship model, the Q950TS TV.

Unveiled before an eager crowd at CES 2020, the annual electronic product showcase in Las Vegas, the Q950TS QLED 8K television is apparently as close to frameless as makes no difference. With a screen-to-body ratio of almost 99 percent – the largest to date and a four-percent increase from the previous record-holder – the enlarged screen acreage allows for an even more pristine viewing experience. In fact, the frame is not even visible when you stand a bit far away from the TV set, and given that it has a depth of just 15mm, the Q950TS gives a luxurious projector-like feel when mounted on the wall.

Fitted with a Full Array Local Dimming backlight that adjusts lighting for optimal viewing conditions, the Q950TS is also Samsung’s first-ever model to feature a deep-learning AI upscaling that purportedly enhances screen quality even further. The newly redesigned smart user experience also provides buyers with smart features like Tap View, Digital Butler and Samsung Health as well as improved voice recognition for better ease-of-use. What’s more, it comes fitted with a top-of-the-line surround-sound audio system – it’s the first model to feature speakers on all the sides and subwoofers on the back – ensuring that this innovative new QLED 8K television experience is unlike anything you’ll have experienced to date.

Sleep Tight

There’s no question that good beds promote good sleep, and lots of it. But, in the case of one innovative new model that’s about to debut – the HiBed Canopy Smart Bed – that’s definitely not the only thing it does by a long shot.

Indeed, if the promotional literature is to be believed, it affords users a one-stop solution for your holistic health, wellness and entertainment needs. To break that down, it comes fitted with health tracking technology that monitors your sleep without the need for any wearable devices, and offers tips on how to increase your daily productivity. The cocoon-like design is also fitted with a pull-out desk, reading lights and below-bed lights – perfect for those midnight trips to the bathroom.

What’s more, the canopied bed is also equipped with an entertainment system – thereby negating the need for a separate TV in your bedroom – from which you can watch the latest Netflix series or listen to your favourite tunes. Created by Hi-Interiors, an Italian start-up that sees itself as the “early explorers of the Internet of Furniture”, this high-tech bed truly does seem like an all-in-one design. Then again, for US$40,077, it had better be. hi-interiors.com

Effective and eco-friendly hand drying with Dyson Airblade 9kJ

We are all aware of the agony of waiting with their palms outstretched under an outdated hand dryer which leaves our hands feeling uncomfortably half-dry or half-wet. Nor do such machines fail to do their job, they also use up a lot of electricity in doing so. Now we can bid an unfond farewell to that discomfort, courtesy of the Dyson Airblade 9kJ hand dryer, said to be not only the quickest but also the most energy-saving hand dryer from Dyson’s Airblades stable, all thanks to its unique design Curved Blade and cutting-edge technology.

Apparently, the Dyson Airblade 9kJ hand dryer enables people to dry their hands as fast as 10 seconds and hygienically, while offering an alternative to single-use paper towels. Not only that, it’s also super-quiet and uses 53% less energy than the last-generation Airblade products.

As Chief Engineer Jake Dyson puts it: “From acoustics to its design, everything has been rethought [in the Dyson Airblade 9kJ] to deliver the best performance without any compromise on user experience or hygiene.”

Introducing: The groundbreaking Dyson Pure Cryptomic purifying fan heater

The electronic experts at Dyson are no strangers to crafting cutting-edge gadgets that address such varying issue as tangled tresses, dust mites and climate control, all to ensure your life is as seamless as possible. Now, in a bid to burnish its reputation further, it has just unveiled its all-new Dyson Pure Cryptomic.

Built as an all-in-one purifying fan heater, the Dyson Pure Cryptomic is fitted with three automatic sensors that measure the indoor air quality in real time. First, there are the lasers that detect ultrafine pollutant particles. Then, there’s a sensor that records relative humidity and temperature in its vicinity. But the most impressive of all is the VOC (Volatile Organic Compound) sensor that can track toxic particles like benzene, nitrogen dioxide and formaldehyde.

In today’s age of inside living, indoor pollutants are a serious cause for concern. Not only are outdoor toxins introduced when doors and windows are opened, but harmful VOCs can be produced by such innocuous everyday items as plants, domestic heating units and cleaning products. In particular, the Dyson Pure Cryptomic is looking to target one particularly harmful substance found in our daily lives – formaldehyde, a potential carcinogenic commonly found in homes and schoolrooms across the city.

To cleanse these pollutants, the cutting-edge device comes equipped with 9m of condensed and sealed borosilicate microfibres that can capture almost all ultrafine toxins such as bacteria, pollen and mould. It also features a unique catalytic coating that traps and eradicates formaldehyde, chemically transforming it into harmless water and carbon dioxide.

David Hill, Dyson’s Design Lead for Environmental Control, expounded: “Harnessing Dyson’s expertise in chemistry, sensing filtration and fluid dynamics, Dyson Pure Cryptomic machines are engineered to be the total air purification solution for your home – removing ultra-fine particles, odours, gases and destroying formaldehyde, continuously.”

The new HK$6,880 Dyson Pure Cryptomic is available in Hong Kong from 3 October. For more information, please visit: https://shop.dyson.hk