I'm a huge fan of browsing the New in section of IKEA's website and discovering all the things I didn't know I needed. That said, it's been a fairly lacklustre month for new finds, mostly due to the retailer's huge Christmas lighting launch, but one recent addition has finally caught my eye.

The IKEA Solskur LED table lamp actually launched back in 2020, but it's making a comeback in a fresh blue colourway designed by Malin Gyllensvaan. The new version has a light blue finish, a nickel-plated knob on top and a bell-shaped design with cutouts inspired by the natural world of the Himalayas.

You can now buy it from IKEA's website or in store for just £19, making it £6 cheaper than the original white version. It's also available in the US for $39.99.

Although the Solskur technically sits in IKEA's kids' section, I think it would look lovely in pretty much any room. Its soft blue colour and decorative cutouts make it a great option if you want to create a space that feels fresh but still cosy, whether that's a bedside table or a reading nook.

It's worth knowing that the LED bulb is included, but you can replace it when needed. The lamp also has a low-voltage design and no sharp edges or hot surfaces, making it a safe option if you'd prefer to have it in your child's bedroom.

British adventure brand Shackleton's latest launch takes the company into an entirely new category.

The new Palmer Softshell Hiking Trousers are the company's first-ever technical softshell legwear, and are said to offer the durability and freedom of movement needed for demanding mountain adventures without looking out of place back in civilisation.

According to Shackleton, the idea came directly from customers, who requested versatile hiking trousers through the brand's regular surveys.

Named after Palmer Land, a mountainous region of the Antarctic Peninsula, the Palmer follow Shackleton's established philosophy of creating technical outdoor clothing that doesn't necessarily look like traditional expedition gear.

And judging by the specifications, there's considerably more going on here than the understated appearance might suggest.

Built for movement, whatever the weather

The Palmer trousers use a double-weave softshell fabric made from 88% nylon and 12% spandex, and provide four-way stretch for unrestricted movement when scrambling or tackling steep terrain.

A gusseted crotch and elasticated rear waistband further improve mobility, while adjustable hems, reinforced ankle scuff guards and concealed boot hooks help keep everything in place when the going gets rough.

One particularly interesting detail is the integrated Fidlock magnetic buckle, which should make fastening and adjusting the trousers considerably easier than a traditional belt.

Providing UPF 50+ sun protection, the Palmer trousers have five external pockets, including a thigh pocket with an internal mesh compartment and a concealed loop for securing valuables.

Despite their relatively streamlined appearance, they feature concealed zipped mesh vents on the legs to let you dump excess heat during strenuous activity.

Shackleton quotes a RET breathability rating of 2.23, which is exceptionally low. RET measures a fabric's resistance to water vapour transmission, meaning lower numbers generally indicate better breathability.

The fabric itself is coated with PFC-free C0 durable water-repellent treatment to help shed light rain and moisture.

From summer hikes to winter expeditions

Perhaps the most ambitious claim concerns the trousers' versatility across different temperatures.

Shackleton says the Palmer trousers are comfortable up to 25°C, and that pairing them with suitable thermal base layers could make them usable in conditions as cold as -20°C.

Naturally, comfort at either extreme will depend on activity levels and weather conditions, but the breathable fabric and adjustable ventilation suggest they're meant for year-round use.

At 510g, they're not exactly ultralight, although the additional weight is understandable given the reinforced construction and extensive feature set.

The Palmer Softshell Hiking Trousers are available now at Shackleton for £195 / $295 / €270 / AU$390.

They're currently offered in black only.

I have a soft spot for gadgets that do one thing well, and the Pieni III has already caught my eye. It's a tiny digital camera from Japanese brand Kenko Tokina that looks like a miniature old-school film camera, weighs just 18g and is small enough to wear around your neck.

Available in four colours – Soda, Strawberry, Milk and Black – it looks more like a cute accessory than a serious bit of camera kit. But it does take photos and record video with sound, so it's more than just a pretty little trinket.

The clever bit is that there's no screen or viewfinder. You point it roughly at whatever catches your eye, press the shutter and trust your instincts. You'll only discover how the picture turned out when you transfer it to your phone or computer. That means wonky framing and unexpected details are part of the fun.

Lo-fi photos and a few clever extras

The Pieni III isn't going to replace your smartphone camera. Its tiny 0.32-megapixel sensor produces low-detail images, saved at 1440 x 960 pixels through digital interpolation. The results have a soft, grainy, early-digital look that's a big part of the appeal.

It can also shoot video with audio at 720 x 480 resolution and 30 frames per second. There's a magnet built into the back, too, letting you attach it to compatible metal surfaces for hands-free recording. A neck strap comes in the box, while USB-C handles charging and lets you transfer files directly to a compatible smartphone using the supplied cable.

You'll need to buy a microSDHC card separately, and the camera supports cards from 4GB to 32GB. The Pieni III launched in Japan on 9 October for ¥6,600 (around £33), although UK availability and pricing aren't confirmed.

For a camera that's more about capturing the feeling of a moment than producing a technically perfect image, I can see the appeal. And at just 18g, I'd happily keep this on me for those little moments that usually pass by without a picture.

I'm all for finding ways to spend less time staring at a screen, but I'm not entirely convinced that building an entirely new phone is the answer. That's the idea behind ADHD ONE, a gloriously chunky handset from Cologne-based designer Kevin Noki that looks like it's escaped from the 1980s.

The name stands for Anti Distraction Handset Device, and its purpose is pretty straightforward. Rather than replacing your smartphone, it connects to an iPhone over Bluetooth, allowing you to make and receive calls while leaving your actual phone tucked away in a drawer or another room.

It has a physical 19-key keypad, a small OLED display, a microphone and a speaker, but none of the apps, social media feeds or notifications that make modern phones so difficult to put down. You can also use your iPhone's Do Not Disturb settings to decide which contacts are allowed to get through.

There is, of course, a catch. ADHD ONE has no independent mobile connection, so your iPhone still needs to be nearby and within Bluetooth range. It's less a replacement for your phone than a way to make calls without having the usual distractions within reach.

3D-print your own retro handset

The ADHD ONE s that is not just a retro-looking shell around a modern phone. Noki has designed the handset from scratch, using Autodesk Fusion to create the enclosure before 3D-printing its components.

Inside, a Raspberry Pi Pico handles the device's functions, while a Bluetooth module takes care of call audio. There's also a rechargeable battery, charging controller and custom circuit board, all packed into that wonderfully oversized housing.

The design comes with a few customisation options, too. You can choose between three speaker grille styles and three antenna designs, including the sort of oversized aerial that makes the whole thing look like a prop from an old action film. There's even an alternative housing without an antenna, although that feels like missing half the fun.

If you fancy making one yourself, Noki sells the digital build files for €29.99 (around £26). The package includes the 3D-printable STL files, firmware, circuit board manufacturing files, a parts list and a quick-start guide. You'll need to source the electronic components and do the assembly yourself, though, and the files are licensed for personal use.

So, is this a clever way to cut down on smartphone distractions or an elaborate solution to a problem that could be solved by putting your phone in another room? Honestly, probably a bit of both.

Some watches instantly transport you back in time, and Timex's latest release is one of them.

The new Timex 1978 Day Date Fumé Reissue looks like something my grandad would have worn, with a golden case, brown leather strap and a wonderfully smoky dial that practically screams 1970s sophistication.

My grandfather actually owned a similar-looking watch (though his wasn't a Timex), which makes this reissue particularly endearing to me.

The new model is based on a design from Timex's archives, originally released in 1978, and stays remarkably faithful to the aesthetic of the period.

The 1970s called, and I'm picking up

The most striking feature is undoubtedly the fumé dial, which transitions from a warm brown centre to a darker, almost chocolate-coloured perimeter.

The smoky gradient with the light, which lends the otherwise understated watch plenty of visual depth.

Applied gold-tone hour markers and matching hands complement the polished case, while a traditional day-date window at 3 o'clock completes the retro look.

There's even an old-school Q Timex logo beneath the 12 o'clock position, a subtle nod to the brand's quartz-powered watches from the 1970s.

The case, which measures 37mm across, with a 42mm lug-to-lug distance, makes the Timex 1978 Day Date Fumé Reissue considerably more compact than many contemporary models.

Its softly contoured, almost cushion-shaped silhouette is another unmistakable throwback to the decade that inspired it.

Interestingly, the watch is 13.5mm thick, so it's not quite as slender as its relatively modest diameter might suggest.

Timex has also opted for an acrylic crystal rather than sapphire, which is more susceptible to scratches but helps preserve the warm, slightly rounded appearance of vintage watches.

Old-school looks, everyday practicality

The Timex 1978 Day Date Fumé Reissue runs on a battery-powered quartz movement, which is entirely appropriate given that the original design emerged during the quartz revolution.

The watch also offers 50 metres of water resistance, though I doubt anyone would want to get the handsome leather strap wet.

Speaking of which, the brown crocodile-grain strap is made from natural leather and features quick-release spring bars.

The Timex 1978 Day Date Fumé Reissue is available now at Timex UK for £180, with US and European prices set at $219 and €209, respectively. AU price and availability TBC.

I'm love getting away from it all, but I'm not sure I could spend £150,000 doing it. That's the asking price for the Roamer X, a seriously luxurious off-road camper that promises to take you far beyond the usual campsite without giving up the comforts of home.

Developed by American outfit ROA Off-Road in collaboration with Pause, the 27-foot trailer has a living room with leather recliners, an electric fireplace and a ceiling-mounted projector that beams films onto a retractable screen. There's a fully equipped kitchen, a proper shower and a private bedroom with the choice of a king-size bed or two singles.

It's designed for all-season adventures, too, with a 34,000-BTU heating system and dual air-conditioning units. So, whether you're parked up in the desert or somewhere considerably colder, the idea is that you can stay comfortable without needing a mains hookup.

There's a growing range of camping trailers for electric car owners, but the challenge remains the same, adding useful space without making every journey a battle against reduced range.

A compact camper with a carefully considered aerodynamic profile is one way to tackle that problem. It won't eliminate the extra energy needed to tow a trailer, but the design philosophy works for drivers who want to take their EV further afield.

This is very much a design phase creation currently. If you've invested in an electric car and want to spend more time outdoors, a camper designed around the realities of EV ownership sounds like a great starting point.

I spend enough time staring at screens as it is, so a wearable that reminds me to take a break without adding another screen to my life sounds very appealing. That's the idea behind Arc, a silver bracelet from Belgian design studio Futurewave that gives your wrist a gentle vibration when you've spent too long on your phone.

Arc has you use a portal on your phone to select the apps you want to monitor and set a time limit, like 30 minutes of uninterrupted use. Once you hit that threshold, the bracelet delivers a discreet pulse. Keep scrolling and it'll give you one more nudge before falling silent and starting a new interval.

There's no display, no audible alarm and no running tally of your screen time to make you feel guilty. Futurewave says the system doesn't store usage history or require an account or subscription, either. It's a simple reminder to break the spell of the endless scroll, rather than another app demanding your attention.

Smart tech hidden inside a sculptural silver bracelet

What makes Arc great is that it doesn't look like a fitness tracker or another bit of tech strapped to your wrist. Its open, rounded form takes inspiration from the ancient torc, a type of metal ornament worn around the neck or wrist, with an organic shape that draws on everything from rib cages to seed pods.

The bracelet is designed to be cast in Argentium silver, an alloy chosen for its premium finish. Inside, a piezoelectric element produces the vibrations, while a low-power microcontroller handles the Bluetooth connection to your phone. A curved 25mAh battery and flexible circuit board are tucked away within the sculptural design, keeping the technology out of sight.

Futurewave wants Arc to remain a piece of jewellery in its own right, even if the electronics eventually stop working. So, unlike a smartwatch that becomes obsolete when its software or battery gives up, the bracelet could still have a life as a piece of silver jewellery.

There's just one catch, Arc is currently a concept, developed through 3D-printed studies and prototypes, with no confirmed price or release date. That means you can't buy one just yet. But if Futurewave brings it to market, I'd for one be very interested.

Ever wished your car had another cupholder, a better way to organise the centre console or somewhere more useful to stash your odds and ends? Skoda reckons you could make the solution yourself, provided you have access to a 3D printer.

The Czech carmaker has launched a collection of downloadable designs for its Simply Clever accessories, available free from Printables. Designed by Skoda's own engineers and designers, the files cover everything from cupholders and phone mounts to coin boxes, cable organisers and hooks for seat-back pockets.

The designs work with a range of current and discontinued models, and many slot into existing storage spaces without requiring any modifications to the car. That means you can add a little extra practicality without waiting for an official accessory to become available.

You'll still need a 3D printer and the right filament, of course, but the designs themselves cost nothing to download. Skoda says the move should also help owners avoid the waiting times associated with conventional accessories.

New designs for the Peaq and Epiq

There are also some more specific additions for Skoda's upcoming electric models, the Peaq and Epiq. These include cupholder covers, a larger storage tray and a lower centre console organiser, developed in response to customer suggestions.

One useful option is a clip-on cupholder for the Peaq's foldable table, which can be printed in different sizes to accommodate different cups. There's even a design for the Fabia that appears intended to hold a takeaway carton of food and a dip – although it's probably best saved for when you're parked.

Skoda is encouraging owners to share feedback through Printables, with suggestions helping to shape future designs. More adventurous 3D-printing enthusiasts can also adapt existing files to suit their needs.

There is one important caveat: car interiors can get seriously hot when parked in the sun. Skoda recommends using heat-resistant printing materials to reduce the risk of accessories warping in the cabin.

While downloadable car accessories aren't entirely new, Skoda says it's the first carmaker to offer them through a dedicated platform. If the idea catches on, being able to print a missing cupholder or a handy storage insert could become another way to make your car work a little better for you.

If you've been eyeing up the Dyson Airwrap but can't justify spending hundreds on a hair styler, Aldi has a much cheaper alternative arriving in stores tomorrow. The Ambiano Styling Barrel costs just £17.99 and comes with three attachments – a smooth brush, volumising brush and diffuser.

We've seen Aldi take on Dyson in other areas recently too, including with its Ambiano bladeless fan heater, which offers an alternative to the Dyson Hot+Cool HF1. The Styling Barrel also arrives ahead of Christmas, making it one to consider if you're looking for a gift for someone who enjoys styling their hair.

The Ambiano Styling Barrel also comes in Black, Berry or Champagne. It'll be available in Aldi stores from tomorrow, Sunday 25th October.

In terms of specs, it has a power output of 1,000-1,200W, compared with the Dyson Airwrap i.d.'s 1,300W. It also has two heat settings, two speed settings and a cool-shot function to help set your style.

Of course, the two aren't directly comparable, and I'd be cautious about expecting Dyson-level results from a £17.99 tool. However, if you want a multi-attachment styler without spending hundreds, Aldi's latest offering could be a great option.

Arc'teryx is no stranger to making unusual outdoor gear, but its latest winter footwear might be one of the strangest products the Canadian brand has released in recent memory.

The new Arc'teryx Postour Boot looks like it was designed for Arctic expeditions, although its most interesting feature has surprisingly little to do with surviving extreme conditions.

That's because these oversized, GORE-TEX-lined winter boots have a removable slipper hidden inside, letting you transition from trudging through deep snow to lounging around the chalet without having to change your footwear entirely.

Yes, Arc'teryx has essentially invented a £280 boot that doubles as a pair of slippers, and I can't decide whether it's completely ridiculous or genuinely brilliant. On second thought, it's the latter.

Two shoes for the price of one

To be fair to Arc'teryx, there's considerably more going on here than a gimmicky two-in-one design.

The Postour is a recovery boot that helps your feet recover after long ski days and/or exploring snowy environments.

The outer boot features GORE-TEX Invisible Fit waterproofing, while the tall, flexible collar cinches shut like a climbing chalk bag to keep snow out.

The Vibram Arctic Grip outsole provides plenty of traction on icy surfaces, with an aggressive lug pattern for navigating snow and softer terrain.

Extended rubber reinforcement wraps around the lower section of the boot to protect against abrasion and impacts, while insulation helps keep your feet warm when temperatures drop.

Things get considerably more exciting when indoors.

You simply pull out the insulated inner shoe, which has its own grippy TPU outsole and can be worn on its own.

It's essentially a cosy house slipper that doubles as the inner lining of a fully waterproof winter boot.

The removable design also makes a surprising amount of sense for anyone spending time in mountain huts, ski chalets or winter camps, where switching between outdoor protection and indoor comfort is part of the daily routine.

Ridiculous or revolutionary?

Of course, there's no getting around the Postour's appearance. The internet seems torn between astonishment and revolt over the boots' towering fabric upper, chunky rubber base and minimalist styling.

Many suggest that it looks more like something an astronaut might wear on a particularly cold planet than conventional après-ski footwear.

At 786g per boot, it's hardly lightweight either, though that's less of a concern for footwear designed for warmth and recovery.

And while the idea of paying £280 for boots that turn into slippers might sound extravagant, the combination of GORE-TEX waterproofing, Vibram traction and insulated construction suggests Arc'teryx hasn't compromised on the technical details.

Personally, I love seeing outdoor brands experiment with unconventional designs, especially when there's a practical idea lurking beneath the slightly absurd exterior.

The Postour Boot is available now for £280 in the UK, in men's and women's versions, directly from Arc'teryx.

It might not be the winter footwear everyone needs, but it's certainly one of the more entertaining ways to keep your feet warm this season.

If there's one guy who knows a thing or two about training for the long game, it's physician, bestselling author, and pioneer in functional medicine, Dr Mark Hyman.

The 66-year-old longevity expert and founder and senior adviser of the Cleveland Clinic Center for Functional Medicine says he's fitter than he's ever been in his life. And he's more than happy to share his secrets.

“Your body is actually the single most sophisticated thing you'll ever own," says Hyman, who didn't start strength training until he was 59. "Now I'm 66 and stronger than I was in my 40s," he explains. What's his secret?

Why strength training matters in your 60s

"Muscle is the organ of longevity. It controls your blood sugar, protects your bones, fuels your metabolism, and keeps you independent as you age," explains Hyman. "After 30, we lose muscle every decade unless we fight for it."

He’s not wrong. As we get older, we naturally lose muscle mass and strength, which can affect everything from our balance and mobility to how easily we manage everyday activities.

But here's the good news. It's never too late to start strength training, and our muscles can respond to exercise well into later life.

In fact, Hyman believes you might notice some benefits sooner than you think. "In as little as 10 days, you can start to feel the difference in your energy, sleep and mood," he says.

Of course, building muscle takes time, but it's encouraging to know that even small changes to your routine can move you in the right direction.

The workout

Hyman explains that these six moves will help you stay "strong enough to hike mountains, travel the world, carry your own bags and keep doing things you love for decades to come."

And isn't that what training for longevity should really be about? Not just looking strong, but being strong enough to enjoy life, whatever your age.

His six exercises involve core work, upper-body strength, grip endurance and rotational movement. Here's how to do them.

1. Mountain climbers

"This move combines strength and cardiovascular work," says Hyman. "Exercises that challenge multiple systems at once improve metabolic health, balance and resilience."

Start in a high plank position, with your hands directly beneath your shoulders and your body forming a straight line from your head to your heels.

Keeping your core engaged, drive one knee towards your chest, then return it to the starting position. Repeat on the opposite side, alternating legs in a controlled, running-like movement.

No gym? No problem. This move can be done anywhere.

2. Rotational cable press

"Most injuries happen during twisting, reaching, or changing direction," says Hyman. "Training rotation helps maintain real-world movement capacity and protects the spine."

Stand in front of a cable machine with the handle at knee height. Hold the handle, then rotate through your torso as you press your arm forwards and slightly across your body. Return slowly to the starting position before repeating. Switch sides to work both directions.

No gym? Secure a resistance band around a sturdy object and use the band instead.

3. Single-arm rotational cable row

"A strong back supports spinal health, posture and shoulder function," says Hyman. "All of which tend to decline with age."

Set the cable machine around waist height and hold the handle with one hand. Step back to create tension in the cable, keeping your knees slightly bent. Allow your torso to rotate gently towards the machine, then pull the handle towards your ribs as you rotate back. Keep the movement controlled rather than using momentum.

No gym? Secure a resistance band around a sturdy object and use the band instead.

4. Dead hang

"Grip strength is one of the most studied predictors of healthy aging and overall mortality," says Hyman. "Hanging also helps maintain shoulder range of motion."

Grip a pull-up bar with both hands, roughly shoulder-width apart, and allow your body to hang beneath it. Keep your shoulders controlled and your core lightly engaged, avoiding excessive swinging. Hold for as long as you can comfortably maintain your grip and position.

If a full dead hang feels too challenging, keep your feet supported on a box or the floor to reduce the load.

No gym? Find a playground with some monkey bars, or invest in a door frame bar.

5. Lat pulldown

"Strong pulling muscles support posture, shoulder health and the ability to lift and carry objects throughout life," says Hyman.

Sit at a lat pulldown machine with your thighs secured beneath the pads. Grip the bar slightly wider than shoulder-width apart and keep your chest lifted. Pull the bar down towards your upper chest, driving your elbows towards your sides. Slowly extend your arms to return to the starting position.

Avoid leaning too far backwards or using momentum to pull the weight down.

No gym? Secure a resistance band around a sturdy object. Making sure the band is securely anchored overhead, pull the handles of the band from above your head down towards your ribs. Control the band on the way up, and back on the way down.

6. Alternating dumbbell chest press

"Resistance training helps preserve muscle and bone, two key factors in preventing frailty," says Hyman.

Lie on a flat bench holding a dumbbell in each hand, with your arms extended above your chest. Keeping one arm steady, lower the opposite dumbbell towards your chest by bending your elbow. Press it back up, then repeat on the other side.

Alternate arms throughout, keeping your feet planted and your torso stable.

No gym? Use heavy water bottles and lie on your back with your knees bent. Or invest in a pair of adjustable dumbbells, which take up very little room and adapt to your progress.

How often should you do the workout?

"Every workout is an investment in my future self," says Hyman. His aim is to perform these moves three to four times a week, alongside walking every day.

If you're new to strength training, start with fewer sessions and build up gradually, allowing your muscles time to recover. Choose a manageable level of resistance, concentrate on your technique and increase the challenge as you become more confident and resilient.

And that's perhaps the biggest takeaway from Hyman's approach. Strength training isn't just about what you can lift today. It's about making sure your body is capable of doing everything you love tomorrow – and for decades to come. It's never too late to start, because, yes, training takes effort – yet “frailty takes everything.”

Strava might still be best known for helping runners and cyclists track their workouts, but the fitness platform has spent the last few years building a fully fledged outdoor navigation app.

(Not to mention all the strength training stuff, but that's another story.)

Its latest update, announced on 22 October, takes that ambition another step forward by introducing smarter route searches, improved offline mapping and community-powered recommendations, with hands-free turn-by-turn navigation also on the horizon.

For hikers, in particular, the changes could make Strava a more compelling alternative to dedicated outdoor apps such as AllTrails and Komoot, especially for those already paying for a Strava subscription.

Finding your next adventure just got easier

One of the biggest improvements puts Strava's LLM to good use by letting you look for routes and points of interest using natural language.

Strava has also expanded its library of recommended routes, while redesigned route cards now provide additional context through photographs and activity data contributed by the platform's community of more than 200 million users.

The idea is to make choosing a route less of a guessing game, particularly when exploring unfamiliar areas.

Further improvements are on the way, too, including community-generated descriptions and tags that highlight interesting features along routes, such as waterfalls and notable trees.

Strava says these insights will be informed by aggregated activity data from its users, potentially making the information more relevant to the routes people actually explore.

No signal? No problem

Perhaps more importantly for outdoor enthusiasts, Strava is improving how its app behaves when mobile reception disappears.

Saved routes will now appear directly on the home screen when offline, and you can start and record activities offline, with your workouts automatically uploaded once connectivity returns.

Strava has confirmed that subscribers will soon be able to access hands-free, turn-by-turn audio navigation when following routes on hikes, walks and runs.

According to the company, you will receive spoken directions telling you when to turn, bringing the experience closer to that offered by dedicated navigation apps.

Strava also plans to introduce improved route discovery through its website.

Strava's outdoor ambitions are becoming impossible to ignore

These updates are the latest in a series of improvements that have gradually transformed Strava's outdoor credentials.

The company acquired specialist outdoor mapping platform FATMAP in 2023, subsequently integrating elements of its advanced terrain visualisation technology into Strava's mapping experience.

Since then, the platform has continued expanding its route planning, trail discovery and navigation capabilities, increasingly catering to hikers and outdoor adventurers alongside its traditional running and cycling audience.

Of course, dedicated hiking apps still have their advantages, and Strava isn't necessarily ready to replace every specialist navigation tool.

Nevertheless, with smarter route discovery, improved offline functionality and spoken navigation on the way, Strava is making an increasingly convincing argument that the app you already use to track your workouts could also help you find your next adventure.

You can sign up for Strava for free.

Unless you've been living under a rock, you'll know that Apple's anticipated folding phone – the iPhone Duo – is now seeing its first reviews, with the official launch date having finally arrived.

That's seen a series of comparisons to the other folding phone of the moment, the Galaxy Z Fold 8. Both have a similar passport-style design, but there are number of differences.

Looking to close the gap, there's now an app for the Galaxy Z Fold 8 that mimics one of the features that the Apple devices offers – tent mode.

This comes courtesy of an app called Foldy (via 9to5Google) that aims to give you the same sort of standby functions that Apple is known for. For whatever reason, Samsung doesn't really go in for this sort of standby functionality, but Apple seems to think you'll be using your phone as a bedside clock.

That's what Foldy offers: customisable screens, so you can have your phone standing next to you showing various details at a glance.

Is that copying? Not really: Samsung has carried the folding phone segment since 2019, with only really Huawei offering any competition. During that time the Korean firm has refined the hardware, expanded screens, reduced creases and optimised Android use on these phones.

Apple has had the benefit of learning from its rivals, before coming in with a fresh take. It was to be expected that Samsung would develop its own folding devices in response, even if it's the developer community that got there first.

There are a couple of takeaways in early comparisons of these devices: Apple's keyboard is a lot more compact, giving more screen space for typing than Samsung typically does. However, Apple's persistent controls down the right-hand edge mean apps can't be as wide as Samsung offers.

Samsung's device remains thinner and lighter, but Apple's hinge allows more precise positioning.

Then you have the display, which is dividing opinion. The matte finish works wonders for cutting out reflections and ensuring daylight visibility, but it's less contrasty and can look a little softer compared to Samsung's display when out of direct light.

In short, there's enough of a difference here for everyone to get the experience that they want. What I am hoping for, however, is that some of the optimisation that app developers do for iPhone Duo will also benefit the Galaxy Z Fold 8 – especially with that fancy Netflix app.

Resideo Technologies has announced plans to update its Honeywell Home smart thermostats to support Apple's new Adaptive Temperature Control and Clean Energy Guidance features. This means users won't need to replace their existing thermostat or pay for a professional installation to get them, as the features will arrive through a software update.

Honeywell Home isn't the first smart home brand to announce support, with Aqara doing the same thing back in April with its W200 smart thermostat. Still, the timing is interesting, coming just days after Apple's new HomeView launch. HomeView is set to become one of the main ways to access and control Apple's latest smart home features, making wider thermostat compatibility all the more useful.

The update is expected to arrive in the first quarter of 2027, and will be available on the Honeywell Home ElitePRO, X7S and X8S smart thermostats.

Honeywell Home thermostats already work with several smart home platforms, including Apple Home, Google Home, Amazon Alexa, Home Assistant and Samsung SmartThings, and are Matter-certified. Bringing Apple's latest Home features to thermostats already installed in people's homes is a good example of how software updates can add new functionality without making existing hardware feel outdated.

Compatible Aqara smart home devices are also now available through Apple's online and physical stores, so whether Honeywell Home products will follow suit remains to be seen, but it's another development worth watching as Apple's smart home ecosystem expands.

Samsung could be preparing to launch the successor to the Galaxy Fit 3, which we'd expect to be called the Galaxy Fit 4. That name might be predictable, but the design could be predictable too.

Thanks to a trio of videos that have landed at Android Authority we get to take a look at what's claimed to be the Galaxy Fit 4 in three colours – black, white and light blue.

From the outside, there don't appear to be any changes to the design, and with no official details from Samsung it's difficult to verify exactly what the changes might be to this affordable fitness tracker.

The Samsung Galaxy Fit series is designed for affordability (it's £54 in the UK), providing fitness tracking functions with a compact screen, but costing a lot less than Samsung's Galaxy Watch models. It's lightweight, offers tracking for daily steps and sleep, while also offering assisted GPS – ie., it needs a connected phone for accuracy.

The Galaxy Fit 3 was announced in early 2024, but this isn't a device that Samsung has regularly updated. The Galaxy Fit 2 was announced in 2020, so there's not really a launch pattern to stick to.

That might see the Galaxy Fit 4 appearing in 2027 – and the only pattern in this family of devices is that most of them have been announced in February. The eagle-eyed will notice that the screen shows the date of 25 January. Some manufacturers put the launch date on their official images – but again, not always.

Previously, leaks have identified a device with the model number SM-R391, with BLE support, but that's about all.

That leaves us with very little information about what to expect from the Samsung Galaxy Fit 4. It's a device that doesn't fit into the current screen-less tracker trend, potentially aiming to offer a slim and light device with a screen for a lower price.

This is a device that Samsung's likely to launch without too much fanfare, so expect it to just appear rather than get stage time at an upcoming Galaxy Unpacked event.

If you are an aficionado when it comes to listening to your favourite music cuts, you might want to consider upgrading your headphones. And if you really care about getting the best performance you might also want to consider Audio-Technica's new flagship closed-back pair.

The Audio-Technica ATH-AWX7000 headphones are a high-end option with a supreme level of design detail. Crafted using premium Japanese materials, including Kiso cypress wood and Echizen lacquer, they are also the first in the brand's range to use its new, proprietary True Closed-back Acoustic (TCbA) design.

This has been developed to take advantage of the air pressure generated in the enclosed earcups to deliver greater transparency across the mid and high frequencies, while also providing a wider dynamic range.

There are also two Audio-Technica technologies applied in each ear to maximise sound performance – a Hybrid Matrix Diaphragm (HMD) and High-Concentricity X Dynamic Transducer (HXDT) technology.

The HMD uses thin films of different materials bonded into one diaphragm that moves as a single unit. While HXDT is a manufacturing process that ensures the baffle, magnet, voice coil and diaphragm are perfectly aligned.

The company claims that this enables "exceptionally precise diaphragm movement, revealing subtle details even within complex and familiar recordings".

The earpads are made from soft leather, while the frame is a lightweight magnesium construction. This is matched with aluminium sliders and, of course, the rare Japanese wood finish on the exterior of each cup.

You get a 2.5-metre balance cable with Neutrik XLR connectors in the box, along with a 3-metre unbalanced cable ending with a 6.3 mm stereo plug.

There is also a professional studio-standard, hardcore carry case included for transportation. This is a premium, luxury product so is treated as such.

The Audio-Technica ATH-AWX7000 headphones are available from today, 23 October, priced at £3,299 / €3,799. It debuted during the Paris Audio Video Show which is currently taking place.

We awaiting US availability and pricing.

Breitling has launched two new chronograph watches to its Navitimer range, bringing the spirit of the 1960s Twin Jet Navitimer to its core collection. Both new Navitimer timepieces feature the 60s era Twin Jet logo, chronograph counters, and oversized cases.

The original Navitimer was developed back in 1952 for pilots and aviators, and has since become a big part of Breitling’s watch line-up and history. As a pilot watch, the Navitimer has been used by actual pilots, and in 1962, it was adapted for space flight for NASA astronaut, Scott Carpenter.

For Carpenter’s Mercury Atlas 7 orbital flight, Breitling developed the Navitimer Cosmonaute which had a 24-hour display, and became the first Swiss wristwatch to go to space. Now, you can actually buy your own version of the original watch with the new Breitling Navitimer B02 Chronograph 41 Cosmonaute.

Measuring 41mm, the Breitling Navitimer B02 Chronograph 41 Cosmonaute has a stainless steel case which is lightly scalloped. It has an oversized crown and two chronograph pushers on the right side, which frames the black and white reverse panda dial.

At first glance, the dial of the Breitling Navitimer B02 Chronograph 41 Cosmonaute looks quite complicated, and it’s certainly got a lot going on. The white minute track wraps around the black dial, and leads down to three white chronograph subdials. A date window sits at six o’clock and is integrated into the lower subdial.

The numbers on the Breitling Navitimer B02 Chronograph 41 Cosmonaute are marked in twos – so 12 o’clock is actually at six, while 24 is at 12. Just underneath the 24 hour is the Twin Jet logo, and the numbers, and hour and minute hands are set with Super-LumiNova.

The Breitling Navitimer B02 Chronograph 41 Cosmonaute is powered by the Breitling Manufacture Calibre B02 movement, used exclusively for the Cosmonaute. It gives the watch 70 hours of power. The watch is finished with either a stainless steel bracelet or brown calfskin leather strap. The former is priced at £8,150 while the latter is £7,950.

The second – and slightly more laidback – model is the Breitling Navitimer B09 Chronograph 41. It has similar features as the B02, like its 41mm stainless steel case, bracelet and straps, and chronograph subdials, although it comes with more options – you can choose a black or blue dial.

Unlike the B02, the Breitling Navitimer B09 Chronograph 41 is a 12-hour watch, so the numbers are where they should be, and there’s no date window. It’s also slightly slimmer, and is powered by the Breitling Manufacture Calibre B09 movement which comes with a 70 hour power reserve. With the leather strap, it costs £6,200 while the bracelet version is £6,500.

Yesterday's announcement about BioWare's closure has been followed with a leaked trailer for the Mass Effect game it was working on at the time.

Now confirmed as genuine, the trailer shows pre-production footage of Mass Effect Universe – the fifth entry in the hugely popular sci-fi RPG franchise. And considering its spy thriller themes, it also underlines exactly what we'll be missing.

After it was originally posted on Reddit, renowned industry expert Jason Schreier confirmed its validity: "Can confirm that this is a real trailer of the Mass Effect game that BioWare was developing up until its closure yesterday," he wrote on Bluesky.

The trailer shows a new lead character with a bit of backstory. There seem to be some returning favourites too. It starts by detailing that the footage is all taken from in-game, using pre-production assets.

Bar any further leaks that appear over the coming days and weeks, this could be the last we see of Mass Effect in the games-sphere. It was announced yesterday that EA had closed the much-loved role-playing specialist BioWare, leaving its staff facing unemployment and its IPs – including Dragon Age, as well as Mass Effect – in limbo.

It has naturally caused an outcry in the gaming community. Canadian studio BioWare has been responsible for some of the best RPGs in gaming history, including Baldur's Gate 1 and 2, Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic, Neverwinter Nights, and of course, the Dragon Age and Mass Effect series.

It is cited as having influenced The Witcher games and many more besides. It will be sorely missed.

One tiny bit of solace is that Amazon is reportedly ploughing ahead with its Mass Effect TV series. And hopefully, something will emerge from the developer's obviously talented team elsewhere.

Either way, let's just hope all those impacted manage to find further employment soon.

Barefoot footwear has come a long way from its running-focused origins, with minimalist shoes increasingly finding their way into everyday wardrobes and outdoor adventures.

Vivobarefoot is taking that evolution a step further through a collaboration with Japanese outdoor collective Moonlight Gear.

From Asphalt to Powder explores the unlikely connection between street skating and snowsurfing, with a minimalist suede sneaker for urban adventures and a waterproof, insulated boot for colder conditions.

Although the two shoes couldn't look more different, both follow Vivobarefoot's familiar approach to footwear, prioritising flexibility and natural foot movement.

A little Japanese outdoor magic

Moonlight Gear (MLG) may not be widely recognisable outside Japan, but the outdoor retailer and collective has developed a following through its experimental approach to lightweight equipment and adventure.

The new collaboration follows that philosophy closely, which sees MLG's community building skateboards and snowsurf boards by hand before taking them onto the streets and into Japan's snow-covered mountains.

And while the two shoes might sound like a weird mix, it's worth remembering that both activities rely on balance, precision and an intimate understanding of the surface beneath your feet.

(Even if one involves concrete and the other untouched snow.)

It's an interesting way to position barefoot footwear beyond its usual association with running and natural walking, particularly as minimalist shoes continue to find audiences in fashion and outdoor circles.

Two shoes, two very different personalities

The more understated of the two models is the Gobi Sneaker Skate MLG, a low-profile skate-inspired shoe featuring a Wild Hide suede upper and a natural-rubber outsole.

Its wide, foot-shaped design and flexible construction let the foot move naturally, while the thin sole provides ground feedback that could appeal to skateboarders looking for better board feel.

The shoes feature a cork insole for moisture management and a repair tab to help extend their lifespan.

The black suede upper and contrasting gum sole give the Gobi a classic skate shoe look, which might make it more appealing for people who aren't necessarily looking for something that screams barefoot footwear.

At the opposite end of the spectrum is the Tracker Pioneer WP, a tall, insulated waterproof boot with a distinctly technical appearance.

Designed for cold and wet conditions, it features a flexible barefoot construction, a high-traction outsole and a bungee-lacing system for quick adjustments.

The generously padded upper and wraparound lacing give it an almost futuristic appearance, although its underlying design philosophy remains firmly rooted in Vivobarefoot's minimalist approach.

For the Moonlight Gear team, the Tracker Pioneer WP serves as a companion for snowsurfing adventures, including hiking into the mountains with their handmade boards in search of fresh powder.

The Gobi Sneaker Skate MLG is available in men's and women's versions for £150 / $170 / €160, while the Tracker Pioneer WP costs £200 / $270 / €220 and comes in Dark Shadow, Eclipse and Mole colour options.

AU price and availability TBC.

Sony's not making any new 4K Blu-ray players moving forward, it's being reported, in a move that confirms its likely plans for a disc-less PlayStation 6 aren't the limit of its thoughts on the future of physical media.

The reports come out of the Japanese media, as picked up by Push Square, and are backed up by the fact that Sony's UBP-X700/K player is out of stock, with no word at all about any more stock coming in.

Sony hasn't made any comment yet, but given its quiet approach to the unpopular decision to end physical production of game discs for PlayStation, I wouldn't hold your breath for any statement.

The move will rightly worry those of us who are fans of physical media, not because Sony had so huge a presence in the 4K Blu-ray player market (which is rightly dominated by Panasonic), but more because it's a sign of the way the wind is blowing. If Panasonic were to now pull back from its players, things would be even more worrying.

Sony announced earlier this year that it would end physical production of game discs starting in January 2028, and it's hard not to see this as part of the same broad strategy. It's seemingly trying to get ahead of the curve on the slow decline of physical ownership, but that feels a bit like jumping the gun from where we're standing. The move also means a disc-less base PS6 is all but guaranteed at this point.

I have a 4K Blu-ray player attached to my TV, in the form of the Panasonic DP-UB820, and I wouldn't trade it for anything (except perhaps the ultra-premium DP-UB9000). Its picture quality, codec support, and sound are all pretty stunning, but in some ways they're beside the point.

The real reason I've fallen in love with 4K Blu-rays is that I actually own the films in question, with no asterisks. We've all seen stories of de-listed movies that people thought they owned digitally, and I've got no interest in being shafted the same way.

Two years ago, though, I would have thought we had a good long while before discs were under threat like this. Given that Sony also happens to manufacture a heap of discs itself still, including for the likes of the Walt Disney Company, I'm starting to feel a little shakier about the future of the whole market.

For now, I'll take comfort in the fact that millions of people have a UHD player in their living room in the form of a PlayStation 5. Whether they really appreciate it for that part of its arsenal is anyone's guess, though.

Carl Friedrik has teamed up with Atlassian Williams F1 Team on a new limited edition travel collection. The new Grove collection is made up of four luggage essentials, and are inspired by the golden area of Formula 1.

I’ve covered style and travel on T3 for a while now, and I don’t think I’ve ever seen so many Formula 1 collaborations in one year. From watches to blenders, 2026 has been full of racing-inspired products paying tribute to the global competition, and Carl Friedrik is the latest brand to jump on board.

The Grove collection has been designed by Carl Friedrik in partnership with Atlassian Williams F1 Team to celebrate the team’s racing heritage. The four pieces – including a backpack, weekender bag, passport holder and luggage tag – are made from luxury supple grained leather, and have racing-inspired logos and details.

The main colour of the collection is chestnut brown, but the bags have a uniquely sporty look, thanks to the two diagonal racing stripes that run down the length of each accessory. They also feature the ‘Forward W’ logo that was first introduced in 1977 by Frank Williams, and is a subtle nod to the collaboration between the two brands.

I just got back from holiday, and wish I’d had the Grove Weekender bag as my carry-on luggage. It’s a spacious bag with 33-litres of space inside, and lots of interior pockets for your passport, cards and other travel essentials. There’s also a ‘hidden’ exterior pocket for quick access, and you can slip it onto the handle of your suitcase with its rear panel.

A more everyday option, the Groove Backpack also has a lot of pockets, including a large exterior window pocket. It also has a 15-litre capacity and can fit a 16-inch laptop. I use my Carl Friedrik Day-to-Day Backpack as my office bag, and couldn’t recommend it more. It’s easily the most comfortable backpack I’ve worn with its padded back and shoulders, which the new Grove Backpack also has.

The last two travel accessories in the Grove collection are the Grove Passport Sleeve and Grove Luggage Tag. They’re pretty self-explanatory, and would make a great gift for Formula 1 fans and those on a tight budget.

Speaking of budget, the Carl Friedrik X Atlassian Williams F1 Team Grove collection is not cheap by any means. The Luggage Tag is £65, while the Passport Sleeve is £125. Getting even higher, the Backpack is £795 and the Weekender Bag is a whopping £945 – yikes!

Each piece is limited to 80 pieces each and available to buy now at Carl Friedrik. It may take me a while to save up for a bag, but it is a really beautiful collection, and a great homage to Formula 1.

Few endurance athletes have pushed the limits of human performance quite like Kilian Jornet, whose extraordinary mountain-running exploits have made him a legend in the outdoor world.

While his training methods are undoubtedly more demanding than those of the average runner, one piece of recovery technology has apparently remained constant throughout much of his career.

That technology comes from Compex, which has announced its new Ultimate EMS range alongside a renewed partnership with Jornet, who has used the brand's electrical muscle stimulation devices since 2006.

The new generation introduces wireless stimulation pods, smartphone-based controls and upgraded muscle-scanning technology, all designed to make EMS easier to incorporate into training and recovery routines.

A smarter way to stimulate your muscles

Electrical muscle stimulation, or EMS, uses electrical impulses delivered through electrodes placed on the skin to trigger muscle contractions.

The technology is commonly associated with physiotherapy and rehabilitation, though athletes also use it for muscle activation, strength conditioning and recovery.

Compex has been developing EMS devices for decades, but the new Ultimate range marks a shift towards a more connected, portable experience.

The biggest change is the app-driven interface, which allows users to control their sessions from an iOS or Android smartphone.

The app offers structured training plans, as well as personalised goals and guidance on electrode placement.

Compex says its expandable catalogue of programmes covers everything from strength and endurance to massage and recovery.

The company has upgraded its Muscle Intelligence technology to MI 2.0, which the company claims delivers faster, more accurate muscle scanning and more responsive automatic intensity adjustments.

The wireless pods now use magnetic electrode connections for quicker setup, while a 15-minute charge provides enough power for a recovery session. Battery life is rated at up to five hours.

Good enough for one of the world's greatest endurance athletes?

Jornet's relationship with Compex stretches back almost two decades, having first used one of the company's devices following an injury in 2006.

Since then, he says EMS has become part of his wider approach to rehabilitation, strength training and recovery.

"The first time I used a Compex was after an injury in 2006, and since then it has been part of my routine in many different situations," Jornet explains.

"What I find particularly valuable is its ability to help activate muscles and support neuromuscular function without adding unnecessary mechanical load."

Of course, EMS isn't a shortcut to improved fitness, and the evidence supporting its various applications differs depending on the intended outcome.

It's best considered a supplementary tool rather than a replacement for conventional training and recovery practices.

Nevertheless, the new Ultimate range looks like a significant usability upgrade for athletes who already incorporate muscle stimulation into their routines.

The Compex Ultimate will cost £850 in the UK, with the official launch currently expected around mid-November 2026. The exact release date has yet to be confirmed.

Amazon has rebranded Kindle Unlimited, its subscription service that gives access to "millions" of eBooks for one monthly fee. And it's added an additional perk for the same price – but not in every country, as yet.

Now called Kindle+ (because every service is adopting the "plus" suffix these days), the platform continues to offer books, comic books, and magazines for just $11.99 in the US, but it now also includes "thousands of audiobooks".

Sadly, that's not the case for British readers. The name has changed to Kindle+ in the UK, too, but the audiobooks are currently excluded.

So for £9.49 per month, you still get access to a vast library of eBooks and magazines, but only to read yourself. You'll still need a separate Audible subscription to listen to audiobooks from Amazon.

Another restriction that remains after the transition is that you are still limited to lending just 20 titles at a time, but I've personally never found that an issue. Even with family sharing, that's a decent amount of books and magazines to read. You can then easily replace any that have been finished or forgotten about.

There's a deal on Kindle+ for new subscribers too, with 30-days free before the payments start. Alternatively, you can pay just £3.99 in the UK for two-month access at the beginning of your subscription.

You'll notice that Amazon has purged the "Kindle Unlimited" name from its entire website in your region, replacing it with the Kindle+ branding. And you can filter titles to those available with the service by just hitting the Kindle+ tag on the Kindle eBook store page.

Hopefully, select audiobooks will start to be available in other territories as well soon, as Amazon told The Verge that it plans to expand availability to other markets "over time".

Victorinox has been on something of a limited-edition roll lately, and its latest release might also be one of its cutest designs this year.

The Synergy Winter Magic Limited Edition 2026 transforms the Swiss manufacturer's practical nine-function pocket knife into a miniature winter wonderland, complete with a starry night sky, snow-covered house and a tiny silver key.

Limited to just 15,000 pieces worldwide, the seasonal release is clearly positioned as a collector's item, though it still offers plenty of everyday functionality beneath its festive exterior to entice EDC fans, too.

A winter wonderland in your pocket

The most striking feature is undoubtedly the knife's blue Alox aluminium scales, which feature an intricate illustration inspired by the stillness of a winter night.

Look closely, and you'll spot a little house surrounded by snow, a trail of footprints leading towards its front door and a wisp of smoke rising from the chimney into the star-filled sky.

It's a charming departure from Victorinox's typically understated designs, and the attention to detail extends to the detachable key-shaped charm hanging from the knife's key ring.

The hypoallergenic charm represents the key to the house depicted on the handle and can even be worn separately as a piece of jewellery.

Victorinox has also created a matching presentation box featuring the same wintry artwork, making the whole package feel more like a collectable than an ordinary everyday carry accessory.

Nine tools, one magical package

The Winter Magic is based on Victorinox's relatively new Synergy platform.

It features nine functions, including a large blade, box opener, bottle opener, 3mm and 7mm screwdrivers, wire stripper, nail file, nail cleaner and key ring.

The Synergy has a more contemporary silhouette, with a longer, slimmer profile and textured aluminium scales.

Measuring 93mm long, 23mm wide and 12mm thick, the limited edition weighs 79g, making it compact enough to carry in a pocket or everyday bag.

Interestingly, the company has opted for solid decorative scales instead of the cut-out design found on the standard Synergy, which gives this version a cleaner appearance.

The knife is manufactured in Switzerland, as you'd expect from Victorinox, and retains the practical versatility that has made the brand's pocket tools so popular.

The Victorinox Synergy Winter Magic Limited Edition 2026 is available now at Victorinox UK, Victorinox US and Victorinox EU, priced at £75 / $85 / €75. AU price and availability TBC.

With production capped at 15,000 pieces worldwide and a comparatively affordable price point, it could make a particularly appealing Christmas gift for Swiss Army Knife enthusiasts (provided you can resist keeping it for yourself).

Retro-inspired outdoor clothing is having something of a moment, with brands increasingly looking to their archives for inspiration.

Now, Swedish outdoor specialist Fjällräven is joining the party with a 3-piece capsule that looks delightfully vintage in all the right ways.

The Expedition Block Collection reimagines the brand's classic Expedition Down Lite Jacket with bold colour-blocked designs inspired by nature.

It brings a distinctly vintage aesthetic to a silhouette that can trace its roots back more than five decades.

Even though I have no qualms with how the brand's modern pieces look, the new range is a welcome departure from the more understated colours traditionally associated with Fjällräven.

On top of that, it's nice to see another major outdoor brand embracing its heritage as retro-inspired clothing continues to grow in popularity.

A 1970s classic gets a colourful update

The original Expedition Down Jacket was introduced in 1974, designed by Fjällräven founder Åke Nordin to provide serious insulation in the harsh Scandinavian winter.

More than 50 years later, its oversized profile, substantial hood and distinctive horizontal baffles remain instantly recognisable.

Fjällräven has focused on colour, introducing contrasting panels and unexpected combinations that recall the style of outdoor clothing catalogues from the 1970s or 1980s.

"For the Expedition Series, which has such history, colour blocking feels like a fresh approach," explains Fjällräven designer Samuel Stadell.

According to Stadell, the design team initially explored around 30 colourways before narrowing the collection down to five, with the final combinations drawing inspiration from natural landscapes.

Old-school looks, modern insulation

The Expedition Down Lite Jacket is a less bulky interpretation of the original Expedition Down Jacket designed for cold-weather adventures.

It uses down insulation arranged in sewn-through channels, with synthetic padding around the shoulders to help resist moisture and wear in areas particularly exposed to the elements.

The jacket also features an adjustable hood and hem, a two-way front zip, as well as three internal pockets.

The collection includes men's and women's versions of the jacket, alongside the limited-edition 1960 Leather Logo Hat, a two-layer lambswool beanie finished with a leather Fjällräven logo.

The Expedition Block collection launches today, 23 October 2026, and is available at Fjällräven UK and Fjällräven EU.

Both the men's and women's Expedition Down Lite Color Blocked Jackets are £550 / €550, while the 1960 Leather Logo Hat costs £60 / €64.95. US and AU prices and availability TBC.

Therabody has expanded its best massage gun range with two new devices designed to help ease everyday tension and support at-home relief. The new ThermFace Massage is a facial massage device that comes with four specialised attachments, whilst the ThermNeck & Upper Back is a wearable designed to tackle modern-day neck and shoulder tension.

The launches arrive at the same time as the brand’s new SkinSpa system and Neck & Chest LED device, expanding its skincare lineup with more options for different routines and skin concerns.

The ThermFace Massage costs £179, whilst the ThermNeck & Upper Back is priced at £299. Both are available now through Therabody’s online store and selected retailers, including Harrods, Selfridges, Space NK and John Lewis.

The ThermFace Massage is designed to provide at-home relief for jaw discomfort and tension across the face, neck and head, combining percussive therapy with heat. It comes with four attachments designed for delicate facial muscles, including a heated percussive attachment for a deeper massage experience.

Meanwhile, the ThermNeck & Upper Back goes beyond a standard neck massager, combining five therapies – kneading massage, far-infrared, heat and near-infrared LED light therapy, alongside two built-in Theraguns.

We’re currently reviewing the ThermFace Massage, so keep an eye out for our full thoughts coming soon.

Smart glasses seem to be everywhere at the moment, they're the hottest of trends both for the right reasons and the wrong reasons. But this innovative pair has a unique solution to the camera problem.

The INMO GO3 glasses include a camera, which can be used to feed AI in the usual way so it can identify what's around you, as well as capturing images. But it also comes with a physical shutter, so you can completely block it off.

Given the accusations being pointed at those wearing "pervert glasses", covering the camera completely might go some way to reassuring people that they aren't being filmed covertly.

Of course - just like notification lights - they'll have to be quite close and able to see that the camera is covered, which they might not be able to do.

Aside from this privacy feature, the INMO GO3 comes with a lightweight design, just 58g says 9to5Google, which is great for a set of glasses that include a display.

That's right, not only can these glasses provide those audible responses from Gemini or ChatGPT, but you can have information beamed into your eyes. There's no need to reach for your phone or glance at your smart watch, because you've got it right before your eyes.

Those displays are MicroLED with a peak brightness of 1,500 nits, so they should be good for use in daylight.

There are some unsurprising features here: translations are included (is it even AI if there's no translate function?), along with the display supporting turn-by-turn navigation.

But on the list of accessories there's a speaker, which can apparently use an AI clone of your voice to reply to people in different languages. That sounds great, but in a world where privacy is a huge concern, I'm not sure how many people are going to want their voice cloned by AI.

Equally, on the listing page for the INMO GO3 smart glasses, it says "The GO3 records every conversation, call, and meeting automatically, then transcribes and summarizes it the moment you are done," which again, sounds like it could raise some privacy concerns.

There's an interesting battery feature, however. The battery plugs into the end of the arm and thanks to a charging case, can be hot swapped for a new one when it runs down. That's should make sure that your smart glasses keep going as long as you do.

The INMO GO3 smart glasses are available now, currently priced at $509.

The Rings of Power has been a bit of a conundrum on Prime Video since it launched as the streamer's biggest show ever. The budget attached is frankly outrageous, and the first two seasons of the series definitely had their moments, but struggled to really hold down a tone, let alone build to build a massive fanbase.

Now the third season is extremely imminent, arriving on 11 November, and Prime Video is trying to build the hype. Unsurprisingly, it's just released a trailer that pushes back on some of the criticisms of previous seasons, and which really dials in on the most epic and conflict-filled parts of the show.

With Sauron now fully unveiled after nearly two seasons of subterfuge, he's making big moves, and the forging of the One Ring is now right on the cusp of happening. In fact, you can see multiple glimpses of that process in this trailer, and even a look at the Ring itself. That's exciting for Tolkien fans, to be sure.

What might be more exciting is the promise of some proper, massive battles. The show has so far had some pretty entertaining fight scenes, but has largely held back from massive battles, of the sort that became so beloved in Peter Jackson's movies. That's partly because it couldn't rush into battles without setting up why they were happening, of course.

Well, this time it seems we'll get the major confrontations that fans have been clamouring for, as the forces of elves, men and dwarves start to forge the alliances that they'll need if they're to take on Sauron successfully. Meanwhile, Gandalf's pottering around with his own missions, trying to help it all come together, and Galadriel's still have visions of her dalliance with Sauron – awkward.

Despite being as big a fan of The Lord of the Rings as you could hope to find, I've not fallen in love with The Rings of Power at all, and I'm not even caught up enough to watch this season without going back. I'll be waiting for the first reactions to come out before deciding whether to change that – will you?

Écoute Audio is back with a new pair of valve-toting over-ears that are more akin to strapping a hi-fi system to your head than conventional headphones.

The Écoute TH2 are a wireless pair that uses genuine valve pre-amplification, along with a DAC and separate left and right-channel amps for a fully discrete, dual-mono signal path from end to end.

This results in headphones with more character and old-school musicality than most. You can even see the Nutube 6P1 valve through a display window in the left ear cup, to leave onlookers in no doubt that you're wearing something quite different.

Also on-board are dual 40mm titanium-coated Mylar drivers – one for each ear. These ensure clarity and precision is maintained, even with the unique tonal presentation of a valve-based system.

Écoute has also tweaked the design a little since the TH1 headphones, with a new resonance chamber format that delivers punchier bass than before. There is also enhanced shielding to ensure the valve is better isolated from radio frequency interference.

In terms of connectivity, the Écoute TH2 pair carry Bluetooth 5.3 with LDAC and AAC wireless support, you also get a USB-C port to connect to a compatible source. This is compatible with Hi-Res Audio transmission up to 32-bit / 384 kHz.

An analogue 3.5mm port is available for good measure.

In terms of other specifications, the headphones feature hybrid ANC tech to block out ambient noise, have a built-in microphone for voice calling and phone assistant compatibility, plus a 1,600mAh battery that provides up to 20 hours of playback time.

They come in three colourways – charcoal, gunmetal and nickel, with fabric and leather trim options. Pricing starts at £999 in the UK, which is for the fabric trim. The leather version will set you back £1,099.

If you've long been dreaming of a phone with a huge battery, then things have slowly been moving in your favour. The launch of the Honor Win2 gaming phone, with a 10,100mAh battery could be of interest.

It's a huge battery that joins huge spec, including a 10,000 nit peak brightness display with 185Hz refresh rate, a 200-megapixel main camera and IP ratings up to 69K, with the details shared by 9to5Google.

To make sure that huge battery doesn't take an age to charge, there's 100W wired and 80W wireless charging. The bad news is that the Win models often don't launch outside China – and this phone might face regulatory problems too.

For those paying attention, phones in China often launch with a higher battery capacity than global partners and that often comes down to regulation. The European Union has plenty of rules on battery size, as well as transport restrictions.

As T3's Tech Editor Mike Lowe found out when checking out the global version of the Vivo X500 Pro Max, such restrictions mean that the battery capacities of devices in Europe are lowered to meet regulations.

In this case, the 8,000mAh battery of the Chinese Vivo is reduced to 6,750mAh, reportedly a reflection of transport restrictions in Austria where the device will be sold.

The EU rules set a transport limit on single cells in smartphones. That limit is 20Wh, which is about 5,200-5,400mAh in a single cell. Manufacturers often get around this by using multiple cells in a device. This not only meets the restrictions, but also allows for better thermal control while charging.

So there are considerations for devices that come to the EU – and by extension the UK which uses the same regulation framework. It's not just a case of changing the software and keeping the hardware that China uses.

While you might damn EU rules, there is a consumer-leaning benefit coming into force too, which has seen a change in many devices. From 18 February 2027, devices like smartphones must have a user-replaceable battery, able to be accessed without specialist tools – while spare cells need to be sold for five years after the launch of a phone.

There's an exemption though, which comes in the form of a performance guarantee as part of the EU's ecodesign rules. If a device retains 83% of its rated capacity after 500 charge cycles – and at least 80% after 1,000 charge cycles – then the replacement requirement doesn't have to be met. For these devices, they must also be at least IP67 rated, meaning that many major smartphone brands are already compliant.

This is all about making sure that batteries in devices are safe in transit – limiting "thermal runaway" where a combusting cell fuels itself and basically burns out of control – while also ensuring that the battery in your phone lasts for a long time to reduce the rate of redundancy in electronic devices.

So, if you don't get phones with huge batteries and you're envious of those devices in China, then at least you know there are reasons why.

Oura has spent the last few years steadily transforming its smart ring from a sleep and recovery tracker into a more rounded health and fitness wearable.

Its latest update continues that evolution by introducing two features to help you understand not just how much you exercise, but how those workouts affect your cardiovascular fitness.

The new Cardio Effort and updated VO₂ max features bring more sophisticated exercise analysis to the Oura app, including personalised weekly training-load assessments and automatic cardiovascular fitness estimates based on GPS-enabled workouts.

Training harder isn't always training smarter

Cardio Effort measures the cardiovascular demands of individual workouts and accumulates those scores into a weekly total.

The feature considers both exercise duration and intensity; a short, demanding workout can contribute as much effort as a longer, low-intensity session.

The system uses Training Impulse (TRIMP), an established exercise physiology framework that estimates the internal cardiovascular load associated with exercise.

Individual workout scores contribute towards five weekly effort categories: Light, Fair, Maintaining, Building and Reaching.

These ranges are personalised using your recent activity patterns to help you understand whether your current exercise routine is sufficient to maintain fitness, potentially improve it or place unusually high demands on your body.

It's not quite the same as Garmin's comprehensive Training Status or Training Readiness systems, but it represents another step towards connecting Oura's established recovery insights with the activities that influence them.

No more walking tests

The second upgrade concerns VO₂ max, one of the most widely used indicators of cardiovascular fitness.

Previously available through Oura's Cardio Capacity feature, the metric traditionally required users to complete a dedicated six-minute walking test to generate an estimate.

(In my experience, it was wildly unreliable.)

The updated system removes that requirement by automatically estimating VO₂ max from qualifying GPS-enabled workouts.

After five eligible activities, you receive an initial estimate, expressed in millilitres of oxygen per kilogram of body weight per minute (ml/kg/min).

The Oura app then assigns a fitness category from Low to Peak, and displays historical trends, highlighting any changes.

You can also manually record VO₂ max results from lab testing or other devices, but these measurements won't influence Oura's own estimate or fitness rating.

Cardio Effort will be available on Oura Ring Gen 3 and newer models, while the updated VO₂ Max experience is launching through Oura Labs for the same generations.

Oura has not yet provided a specific wider rollout date for the VO₂ Max feature.

Wireless microphones aren't exactly the most exciting gadgets to look at, but Insta360 has been doing its best to change that.

The company's latest wireless microphone, simply called the Insta360 Mic, looks more like a tiny smartwatch than a traditional recording accessory, thanks to its circular, customisable E-Ink display.

It's not the first Insta360 microphone to feature the colourful screen, but the new model brings much of the flagship Mic Pro's functionality to a more accessible price point, with a few surprises of its own.

Positioned between the premium Mic Pro and entry-level Mic Air, the new Mic completes Insta360's three-tier wireless microphone lineup.

And while it might look almost identical to its more expensive sibling, its most interesting feature is tucked away inside.

Small screen, big personality

Like the Mic Pro, the new Insta360 Mic features a 1.22-inch, six-colour E-Ink display that can be customised with images, logos, emojis and even pictures of your pets.

The new transmitter is nearly the same size as the Mic Pro and weighs just 19.4g, compared to the flagship's 19.7g.

Unlike the Mic Pro, which has 32GB of fixed onboard storage, the new Mic lets you use your own memory cards for internal recording, including 32-bit float audio.

You also get AI-powered noise cancellation, automatic gain control and three voice presets: Regular, Rich and Bright.

There are some compromises, though. The Mic Pro features a three-microphone array with four selectable pickup patterns, whereas the new model uses a single omnidirectional microphone.

The cheaper model has more stamina

Interestingly, the new Mic actually outperforms its flagship sibling when it comes to battery life (maybe thanks to its simpler pickup pattern).

Insta360 claims up to 13 hours of recording per transmitter, compared to 10 hours for the Mic Pro. With the charging case, that figure rises to 34 hours, four hours more than the flagship.

Wireless transmission range remains unchanged at up to 400 metres, and the system supports up to four transmitters connected to a single receiver.

The Mic also supports Insta360 Direct Connect, which lets compatible cameras, including the Insta360 X5, Insta360 X6, Insta360 GO Ultra and Insta360 Ace Pro 2, receive audio directly over Bluetooth without a separate receiver.

(Sadly, the more affordable Insta360 X4 Air isn't listed among the cameras supporting Direct Connect.)

The new transmitters are compatible with the Mic Pro system, allowing creators to mix and match microphones without replacing their existing equipment.

The Insta360 Mic launches globally today, 22 October 2026, with prices starting at £75 / $79.99 / €85 / AU$129 for a standalone transmitter.

The single-transmitter and receiver bundle costs £129 / $139.99 / €149 / AU$229, while the two-transmitter kit with receiver is priced at £229 / $249.99 / €269 / AU$399.

The new microphone is available through Insta360, Amazon and authorised retailers.

Grado Labs is renowned for its audiophilic attention to detail when producing headphones and turntable cartridges, and its Signature line sits at the top of the tree.

The Signature wired headphones are usually priced from around the £1,000 / $1,000 mark though, so haven't been truly accessible... until now.

The Grado Signature S150 are its most affordable pair in this range yet. Priced at just £295 / $295, they maintain the brand's quality standards, yet in a more presentable form.

You get Grado's proprietary 44mm S driver in each ear, which utilises the same paper-composite diaphragm design used for the 52mm drivers in the S950 and HP100 SE flagships – and those run into the thousands.

This ensures the S150 open-back headphones exhibit similar clarity and precision, with natural presentation of the original source material. There is also a clean handling of bass, with more balanced delivery than, say, many closed-back equivalants.

The Grado Signature S150 pair also feature the company's detachable cable system and a new Signature Bronze cable in the box. This connects to each ear through a 3.5mm jack for true stereo spacing, with another at the end for device use. A 6.3mm adapter can also be found in the box for connection to a music system at the other end.

The headphones weigh just 220g and a padded leather strap is provided for comfort over long listening sessions. Grado's F cushions are provided for each ear.

Audio specifications include a frequency response of 16Hz to 34kHz, nominal impedance of 38ohms, THD of 0.3% @100dB, and SPL (1mW) of 104 dB.

The Grado Signature S150 headphones are available to pre-order for £295 / $295 from select independent retailers and Grado's own website. There you can also find out more about the Signature range, including the high-end models further up the food chain.

Your Tado smart thermostat is getting even smarter and more customisable, thanks to these new app software updates. The upgrades build on Tado’s existing AI and smart heating capabilities for its standard and X thermostats, and as someone who’s currently shivering in their home, these updates couldn’t have come at a better time.

The main upgrade to the Tado app is its Open Window Detection. For Tado X customers, Open Window Detection now uses an AI-powered algorithm to learn more about the different rooms in your house to make its detection more reliable and precise.

The existing Open Window Detection feature already understands changes in your room, like drops in humidity, but this AI upgrade means it will not only recognise this sensitivity, but it’ll also learn the room’s normal patterns and habits. This should allow your thermostat to better recognise when a shift in the room is due to an open window, so it can automatically pause your heating to avoid unnecessary usage.

Another update for Tado X users, Tado has updated its Air Comfort feature with a new room-level index. With this feature, your thermostat and Tado app reads humidity levels and classifies them into Low, Elevated or High categories across multiple rooms – although each room will need a smart thermostat in it.

Being able to see the different temperatures and humidity levels in each room gives you more control over your heating. It also means you can monitor your home’s Mold Index so you can take action before mould and damp can develop.

Aside from feature updates, the app’s home screen has also had a makeover. It’s now customisable, so you can reorder and hide tiles, prioritise rooms and controls, and just generally make it more personal to you, and easier to use.

The Tado app will also introduce heating Boost to Apple Live activities. Across Apple Watch and Mac, you can now see when Boost is active from the iPhone Dynamic Island and Lock Screen.

These Tado app updates will be rolling out over the next month in stages. The home screen update is available to all Tado customers, while Apple Live Activities is exclusively to Tado X users. Open Window Detection and Mold Index is available through AI Assist which is behind a subscription paywall.

The Reolink OMVI 2i Ultra is now available to buy after making its debut at IFA 2026, where it picked up 12 awards, including one from us. It joins Reolink's OMVI Series, bringing the range's dual-view setup to a completely wire-free security camera.

Pricing wasn't announced at the time, although we expected it to arrive somewhere between £170 and £220 (around $230-$300). It's now been confirmed at £199.99/$229.99, which seems pretty reasonable for a camera this advanced.

You can buy it now from Amazon or Reolink's online store, where it's currently available with 10% off as part of a launch offer. The kit includes the camera itself and a 6W solar panel, which Reolink claims can keep the camera running on just 30 minutes of sunlight per day.

The OMVI 2i Ultra combines an 8MP wide-angle camera with a 5MP pan-and-tilt camera, letting you monitor the wider scene whilst tracking movement elsewhere at the same time. Reolink's SyncTrack technology also allows the lower camera to continue following a detected person or object after they move out of the wide-angle camera's view.

As mentioned, it's completely wire-free, thanks to a detachable 10,000mAh battery that Reolink claims can last up to six months, based on five minutes of recording per day.

We'll be putting the OMVI 2i Ultra to the test in the coming weeks, so keep an eye out for our full review soon.

Blink has launched five new security cameras to its smart security line-up, including 4K and 2K models for the UK and US market. The releases include Blink’s first-ever 4K wired security camera for indoor and outdoor use, that Blink Mini fans will definitely be excited about.

While there are five Blink cameras up for grabs, only two are currently available in the UK, while all five are available in the US. As is often the case with Blink, we can (hopefully) expect the other US models to launch in the UK at some point, but it’s unclear when at this moment.

So, starting off with the UK options, the Blink Mini 4K+ builds upon the success of the original and second generation Blink Mini, and expands its usability and camera quality. Now with 4K video, the Blink Mini 4K+ has Blink’s highest resolution yet, and it can be used both indoors and outdoors.

The Blink Mini 4K+ is slightly bigger than its previous Mini models but it’s still extremely compact, and easy to install. It’s a plug-in camera, so you’ll still need an outlet, and to mount and use it outside, you’ll need a weather-resistant power adapter which is sold separately. It also has dual-band Wi-Fi 6 for fast connections and streaming.

In terms of coverage, the Blink Mini 4K+ has 115-degree horizontal views and 10x enhanced zoom so you won’t miss anything. It has true colour night vision in low light which switches to black and white when it gets dark, and it even has a built-in siren to scare off intruders.

Other features include two-way audio, noise cancellation, and smart detection. The Blink Mini 4K+ is priced at £69.99 / $79.99, in keeping with the brand’s affordable price tags.

Next is the Blink Mini Pan-Tilt 2K+. Another first for Blink, the Blink Mini Pan-Tilt 2K+ (£44.99 / $49.99) is the brand’s first indoor and outdoor pan-tilt zoom camera. Like the previous launch, this camera is also a plug-in, and looks more similar to the original Mini, except slightly longer – and with more advanced features.

The Blink Mini Pan-Tilt 2K+ has 2K resolution, colour night vision, and motion detection. For coverage, the Blink Mini Pan-Tilt 2K+ pans by 360 degrees, and tilts by 115 degrees. Not only is it extremely flexible, but it can follow people or pets around the room or outside your home.

As mentioned, these two cameras are available to pre-order now in the UK and the US, with shipping expected from 27th October. If you’re based in the US, you have three more options to choose from, and they’re all designed for outdoors.

Starting with the more affordable model, the Blink Spotlight Cam 2K+ ($109.99) is yet another first for Blink, as its first battery-powered spotlight camera. It has 2K video resolution and built-in illumination so you can see every detail, even in the dark. It’s completely wire-free and its spotlight activates when it detects motion.

A new generation of Blink’s popular Outdoor model, the Blink Outdoor 2K XR+ ($149.99) is another 2K option and 115-degree field of view. For extended range, it can be paired with Blink’s Sync Module XR+ to reach up to 800 feet away, making it ideal for big properties and outdoor areas.

Speaking of outdoor, the Blink Frontier XR+ ($199.99) is the brand’s farthest-reaching camera to date. It’s designed as a trail camera for remote locations, and with the Sync Module XR+, it can reach up to 7,000 feet of coverage. It also comes in black or camo colours to blend into its surroundings.

RPG fans and gamers in general are reeling today over the news that beloved studio BioWare is being closed down by Electronic Arts. The Mass Effect sequel it had in development has also been cancelled.

However, fans of the franchise might take some solace in the fact that a forthcoming Mass Effect TV series seems to be still on the cards.

According to IGN, Amazon is pressing ahead with its planned Mass Effect adaptation for Prime Video. It writes that the creative team assigned to the project are still on board, including former Marvel Studios boss Ari Arad and the writer of Mindhunter and Star Trek Beyond, Doug Jung, plus the writer of Fast & Furious 9, Daniel Casey.

Officially announced a couple of years ago, the show will feature the deep lore and universe built by BioWare but tell its own stories. That could be something fans can now look forward to, considering the game series looks to be over.

As a fan of the Mass Effect series myself (and BioWare's RPGs generally) I was thrilled to learn a fifth instalment was in the works. I too gushed at the teaser trailer posted five years ago.

I am therefore also shocked and bemused by the closure of the studio, and primarily hope that every staff member involved is treated fairly, reasonably and find opportunities elsewhere quickly.

On top of this, I also hope that some of them manage to form a new studio from the ashes, to work on equally ambitious role-playing concepts (I loved my playthrough of Dragon Age: The Veilguard).

I also hope the new owners of EA sell the rights to the Mass Effect franchise, either to this new company or another publisher that understands its worth. Maybe even Amazon, which is the custodian of Tomb Raider these days too.

Whatever happens, I will be eagerly awaiting the new TV series hitting streaming sometime in the future, and hope that it'll show EA exactly what it's missing.

Military-inspired watches are everywhere these days, but there's a big difference between a timepiece that looks ready for action and one that's actually designed for it.

Canadian watchmaker Marathon has been supplying timepieces to military and government organisations for decades, and its latest release gives one of its best-known professional dive watches a major upgrade.

The Titanium GSAR Type II is a lighter, more wearable version of an already formidable tool watch, complete with a titanium case, an upgraded automatic movement and illumination that doesn't rely on sunlight or batteries.

A lighter take on a military classic

The GSAR (short for Government Search and Rescue) was originally developed for Canadian Armed Forces search-and-rescue technicians.

Its rugged construction and no-nonsense design have since made it a favourite among military personnel and watch enthusiasts alike.

The new Type II retains the familiar 41mm case diameter and 13.5mm thickness, but swaps stainless steel for Grade 5 titanium.

According to Marathon, the material offers roughly twice the tensile strength of stainless steel and improved corrosion resistance.

The watch retains its oversized screw-down crown, grippy unidirectional diving bezel and scratch-resistant sapphire crystal. Water resistance is rated at 300 metres.

A watch that doesn't need the sun to shine

For illumination, Marathon uses tritium gas tubes that glow continuously without needing an external light source.

Green tubes illuminate the hands and most hour markers, while an orange tube at 12 o'clock makes it easier to orient the dial in darkness.

The watch also features Marathon's MaraGlo luminous material, while the Type II dial includes a secondary 24-hour scale for military timekeeping.

The new watch also includes updated typography, a black date wheel and the letters 'Ti' highlighted in red within the word 'AUTOMATIC', referencing titanium's chemical symbol.

Inside, Marathon has fitted a Sellita SW200-2 Top Grade automatic movement with an Incabloc shock absorber.

The Titanium GSAR Type II offers a 65-hour power reserve, a welcome improvement over the previous movement's roughly 41-hour reserve.

The Marathon Titanium GSAR Type II will be available to order from 17 November 2026, priced at £2,475 in the UK and $2,750 in the US.

It comes with a black FKM rubber strap and titanium hardware, with no matching titanium bracelet currently offered.

[via GearPatrol]

Govee has unveiled the second generation of its popular outdoor deck lights, bringing brighter illumination and improved water resistance. Both versions remain Matter-compatible, so they can integrate with a range of smart home setups.

The Govee Outdoor Deck Lights 2 consist of individual smart lights designed to be mounted on walls or fences, adding colour to outdoor spaces whilst providing practical lighting. They're available in packs of 10 or 20, and now carry an IP67 rating, up from IP65 on the previous generation.

For now, the lights are exclusive to the US, priced at $119.99 for the 10-pack and $239.98 for the 20-pack. We're expecting them to arrive in the UK and Europe in the future, and we'll update you when we know more.

The Outdoor Deck Lights 2 use 16-bit IC chips to produce more than 16 million colours. Each RGBWIC light can be controlled independently through the Govee Home app, where you'll find more than 100 preset scenes, including effects that sync with music.

The new lights apparently deliver up to 1,500 lumens of total luminous flux, with around 1,350 lumens of useful luminous flux. They also support voice control through assistants such as Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant.

When Apple unveiled the iPhone Duo in its September presentation, it also mentioned that Apple Pencil support would be coming "later this year". Well, now it looks like we'll have it before many customers even have their new foldable devices.

The full rollout of iOS 27.2 is reportedly due "next week" and it'll include the ability to use an Apple Pencil on the Duo's internal display.

There is one catch, however – the iPhone Duo will only support one specific model of the Pencil, and it might not be the one you own already.

It was revealed that the iPhone Duo will only work with the Apple Pencil (USB-C). There will be no support for the Pencil Pro, which might bonkers considering the target market for the Duo and its price point. However, the Pencil Pro requires magnetic charging, which can only be done on the side of a supported iPad.

At least the Apple Pencil (USB-C) is reasonably priced. It's currently £79 on Amazon UK and actually has $10 off right now on Amazon US, making it just $69. You might find other deals come Black Friday at the end of November.

As for the iOS 27.2 rollout, that's likely to happen before many have even got their hands on an iPhone Duo. I ordered mine from Apple one or two minutes after the pre-orders started last week and was still bumped by a couple of weeks – so it's coming early November.

Others will have to wait anywhere up to January next year for theirs. You might be able to get one from a physical Apple Store this Friday (23 October), but there's no guarantee.

And so, by the time you actually have one in your hands, it's highly possible that Pencil support will already be applied. You might find that many third-party app updates have arrived too, to address the numerous optimisation complaints early reviews have highlighted.

Grind has launched its new advent calendars for Christmas 2026. Catering for pod, grounds and whole bean coffee lovers, Grind’s new coffee advent calendars offer multiple blends in colourful 12-door packages – and you won’t believe the price.

Grind is definitely celebrating Christmas early this year, as the brand has launched its full Christmas collection, including bundles and its flavour of the season – chocolate orange. I’m not a pod coffee drinker, but I have to say that the standout from the range has to be the Grind Coffee Pod Advent Calendar.

Featuring a colourful Christmas store front design, the Grind Coffee Pod Advent Calendar includes 26 home-compostable pods and 17 different blends. The eagle-eyed of you will have noticed that 26 pods would take you to Boxing Day, but there’s actually a ‘bonus’ pod when you open the 25th door.

Perfect for pod coffee machine users – including Nespresso owners as Grind pods are compatible with Nespresso machines – the Grind Coffee Pod Advent Calendar has lots of festive and classic flavours to enjoy. Without listing the entire contents and ruining the surprise, you can expect to find house, light and dark blends, and flavoured pods, like vanilla, pumpkin spice and pistachio.

The Grind Coffee Pod Advent Calendar also features Grind’s Christmas Blend which is a limited edition, festive coffee from Guatemala. This flavour is also available on Grind’s other 2026 advent calendars.

The other Grind advent calendars include options for ground coffee and whole bean coffee. Instead of 25 days, these calendars are only 12 days and include 12 single-origin coffees.

The Ground Coffee Advent Calendar and Whole Bean Coffee Advent Calendar both come with 18g daily sachets of grounds or beans. The coffee is sustainably sourced from places around the world, including Guatemala, Brazil, Kenya, and more, and are roasted in London.

Alternative advent calendars – a.k.a options that aren’t chocolate! – typically tend to be quite expensive, so I was imagining the Grind advent calendars to be pricey. However, all options are available for £29.95, making them incredibly affordable and a nice early Christmas gift for yourself or a fellow coffee lover.

Check out our UK advent calendar round-up for more festive alternatives.

Casio has unveiled the new G-SHOCK 2500 Series, a collection of nine fully analogue watches that reimagine the design of the original DW-5000C from 1983.

And while G-SHOCK launches new watches almost weekly these days, this one feels particularly exciting, not least because the most affordable model includes virtually all the technology found in its more expensive siblings.

The collection takes inspiration from the original G-SHOCK's octagonal case and protective button guards, but replaces the familiar digital display with a minimalist analogue dial.

It shares an obvious family resemblance to the hugely popular GA-2100, better known as the CasiOak, though the 2500 Series takes a different approach to displaying information.

More than just a pretty face

The headline innovation is the newly developed Multi-Mission Date, a fan-shaped display at 3 o'clock.

It can show several types of information, including the date, elapsed stopwatch minutes and calendar settings.

It's paired with a small seconds sub-dial at 9 o'clock, creating what Casio calls a "two-eye layout."

The new movement features a magnetic shock-release minute hand that stays in place magnetically.

According to Casio, this lets the hand absorb and dissipate impacts while maintaining accurate positioning.

Curiously, the second hand can be put to sleep, allowing you to stop the small seconds hand when it's not needed to conserve battery life.

Best of all, all nine watches include the Multi-Mission Date, magnetic shock-release mechanism, stopwatch with 30-minute counter, LED illumination and fully automatic calendar.

They also offer approximately two years of battery life, 200-metre water resistance and, of course, shock-resistant construction.

Three styles, one clever movement

The entry-level GAC-2500 features a lightweight resin case and strap, with a sculpted dial and raised hour markers. It's available in black, white, yellow and dark green, and weighs just 47g.

The GMC-2500 steps things up with a metal-clad bezel, brass dial and textured resin strap, available in black, silver and gold finishes.

Finally, the GMC-2500D pairs the metal-clad construction with a matching metal bracelet, giving the watch a more traditional, premium appearance.

Despite their different materials, all three families share the same core functionality.

The new design is also relatively compact by G-SHOCK standards, with the resin model measuring 46.7 × 44.5 × 12.7mm.

It's not quite as slim as the GA-2100, but the smaller overall footprint should make it an appealing everyday option.

The G-SHOCK 2500 Series launches in the UK on 7 November 2026.

The resin GAC-2500 models cost £110, while the metal-clad GMC-2500 starts at £230, and the gold version tops out at £250.

The full-metal-bracelet GMC-2500D sits at the top of the collection, priced at £300.

Since every version shares the same clever movement and essential functionality, the £110 resin model looks like particularly good value.

I wouldn't be surprised if the first batch sold out on launch.

For more info, head over to G-SHOCK.

Jason Statham has never necessarily been the most sophisticated of performers, when it comes to emotional range and depth, but that hasn't stopped him from carving out one heck of a career, and fanbase. It's pretty remarkable that, at the age of 59, his star might be at its highest, after a series of B movies that have done bafflingly well with audiences in recent years.

Of those B movies, perhaps none has been quite the buzzy hit that The Beekeeper turned into when it arrived in in 2024, and Amazon clearly paid attention to that fact. It's snapped up the sequel in a deal with Miramax, which means The Beekeeper 2 will almost certainly come to Prime Video after its cinema release on 15 January 2027.

That's a particularly interesting turn of events given that you can't actually watch The Beekeeper on Prime Video right now – its UK streaming homes are elsewhere. The easiest route is a Cinema pass on Now, in my view, where it's included in the membership, as every other option involves paying to rent or buy the movie.

About that sequel, though. This time around it looks like Adam Clay (Statham) is going to find the deck stacked against him even more than last time. Having been burned by his former associates, the ex-assassin is cleaning house, going after everyone who tried to put him in the ground. In true Statham style, that's going to involve some bloody (and fiery) kills.

We see at least one fight involving a flamethrower that ends terribly for the non-Statham participant, so don't be surprised if there are far more inventive deaths in the full movie when it arrives. This is also just a teaser trailer, so I'd expect to see a bit more detail in the coming months before the movie's out.

It's fun to see Pom Klementieff popping up in what looks like a villainous role, though. She was a shining light in the two most recent Mission Impossible films, despite being given a pretty slim amount of screentime, so here's hoping she can keep showing her worth as a character actor in this sort of silly fun flick.

Leica and Formula One have just announced a partnership, and to celebrate the coming together Leica has launched the Leica Q3 43 Formula 1 Edition. It's a bit of a mouthful, and a whole lot of camera.

The pairing makes a lot of sense, as both brands draw on long history, pursue the highest levels of performance, and both are the play things of the rich and famous.

Based on the Leica Q3 43, there are special touches to draw this camera closer to its racing partner, including carbon fibre elements, the F1 logo on the lens cap and top plate, as well as Microvelour covering, the sort you might find on the steering wheel of a racing car.

Leica is no stranger to subdued colours and subtle logos, but the red and black theme continues in the Leica Q3 45 Formula 1 Edition, with the big addition being the carbon fibre handgrip and thumb rest, for increased one-handed control. It looks like these elements are removable, however.

Carbon fibre isn't a common material for cameras, but Leica's application on this special edition of the Q3 43 adds something unique. It looks sensational, while the additional F1 logos aren't too garish.

One thing that F1 and this Leica camera don't have in common is weight saving: the usual Leica Q3 43 weighs 772g (with battery) and we're not told what the new weight is, but it's still a hefty camera.

The 43 in the name refers to the 43mm lens, it has nothing to do with Franco Colapinto who has driver number 43 in F1. There's a full-frame sensor, offering 60, 36 or 18-megapixel shots, with the lens carrying an f/2.0 maximum aperture.

There's also a Leica Formula 1 look, accessed through the Leica FOTOS app and only available on this model. It offers richer saturation and higher contrast, exactly the sort of rendering you'd expect around motorsports. Once that look is set, it will be visible through the viewfinder so you can see what the result will be once you press the shutter button.

Otherwise, this is much the same as the existing Leica Q3, but brings with it a jump from £5,900 for the original to £7,300 for the F1 Edition.

That's quite a price bump to celebrate the partnership, but this was never going to be a cheap camera.

Apple CarPlay users who prefer Google Maps for navigation over Apple Maps or their in-car system are in for treat. A new update is rolling out now that brings the Gemini conversational driving experience to the app.

That means drivers using CarPlay can speak to Google Maps in more natural ways – such as as it about local landmarks using normal speech and language, or even just request routes that avoid traffic or toll roads.

Some examples given to us by Google include:

• "What park is famous for gorgeous views overlooking the city?"
• "I want to go at a time when it’s not too busy and the weather will stay nice. Is now a good time?"
• "Start navigating me there but make sure to avoid toll roads."

The conversation can roll on too, so you can ask follow-up questions. Say for example you've found your route but want to know the weather for the area you are visiting, you can simple ask something like: "Is it going to rain when we arrive?"

You can also use Gemini to report traffic disruptions to help other drivers, without having to tap the screen.

US CarPlay drivers will already see the Gemini icon appearing on their in-car display when Google Maps is opened (as long as the app is updated on your iPhone). It is also rolling out globally, although we don't yet have a full timeframe for arrival in the UK and Europe.

Smarter cars

The Google Maps rollout follows the expansion of Gemini in Android Auto and Android Automotive cars, which has also been recently announced.

This is different though. Rather than restricted to one app, the new Gemini feature extends Personal Intelligence throughout the Android Auto experience, allowing AI to use each driver's own data to help with tasks.

For example, if you ask it to take you to a restaurant with your favourite type of food, Gemini could suggest a local venue based on previous choices on delivery apps.

The Google Maps update doesn't go into quite as much depth, but then it also doesn't throw up as many privacy concerns either.

Baseus has launched a solar-powered outdoor security camera with a motorised spotlight that locks onto a detected person and follows them as they move around a property. That makes the PrimeSentinel U2 Pro Outdoor 3K Dual Camera the first security camera to feature a dedicated target-tracking spotlight beam.

The U2 Pro combines two passive infrared (PIR) sensors with AI recognition to track people. According to Baseus, the spotlight can follow someone moving at up to 1.8 metres per second – roughly a light jog – at distances of three to eight metres.

It costs $269.99 in the US and €269.99 in Europe, and is available through Amazon. UK availability has yet to be confirmed, but a price of around £269.99 seems plausible if it launches here at a similar price point.

The U2 Pro projects a sharply defined beam of light onto detected people, following them as they move to signal they've been spotted and help capture clearer night-time footage. It features two 3K cameras – a fixed 130-degree camera with 8x digital zoom, and a second camera that pans 360 degrees, tilts and zooms to cover the wider property. Full-colour night vision and AI detection can distinguish between people, pets and vehicles.

Recordings are triggered by motion and saved to a microSD card of up to 512GB, with AES and RSA encryption. Whilst cloud video storage requires no separate subscription, cloud-based AI analysis and detection summaries do. Owners can also review footage remotely, talk to visitors through the built-in speaker and microphone, and stream live video to compatible Amazon Alexa and Google Home displays.

Football Manager 27 will be officially available across multiple platforms from 10 November 2026, but you can actually play it for free from next week.

Sega and Sports Interactive are releasing a Launch Preview version of the game to play on PC or Mac from Thursday 29 October until 3 November. It'll cost absolutely nothing to download and enjoy, with all game modes available.

Should you then want to continue your management journey, you can buy the full game with 10% off. Considering the retail price is £49.99 / $59.99 / €59.99, that's a great deal.

What's more, if you do purchase the game the trial period will be extended until the full release day. And your saved games will transfer over, so you can continue your career.

If you have Xbox Game Pass Ultimate or PC Game Pass, you can even continue your FM27 campaign at no extra cost, as it will be available on the platform as a day one release.

Alternatively, you can download the Launch Preview from Steam, Epic Games Store, or the Microsoft Store, where you can also purchase the full game after.

Football Manager 27 features a tweaked interface this year, with fewer clicks needed to get to important information. There are new tactical features and training options, including a better integration of how your tactics affect player behaviour during matches.

They can even misunderstand your instructions depending on their skill levels and the complexity of your tactics.

The match engine has been enhanced too, with improved visuals of the crowd and other stadium elements.

The game will also release for Xbox consoles and PS5, as well as mobile via Netflix (FM27 Mobile) and Apple Arcade (FM27 Touch). As with the console version on Xbox Game Pass, you'll need a related subscription to play them at no extra cost.

Xbox Game Pass members are getting a selection of great games added next week, as we build up to Halloween. And while one of those is the superb Final Fantasy VII Remake Intergrade, I'm actually more excited by the inclusion of another remastered classic.

I played Plants vs. Zombies for many hours – days even – when it first released many moons ago. It was my Candy Crush on iPhone. So I've been looking to get my hands on Plants vs. Zombies: Replanted on Xbox for a while. Now, thanks to Xbox Game Pass Ultimate, I won't even have to pay extra for it.

The tower defence game, which sees you plant different categories of lethal plants to fight off waves of the undead, was remastered with HD graphics and extra content last year. Now it's coming to the service in time for the spooky season.

As part of EA Play, it'll be available on 29 October for Xbox Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass subscribers only. However, there will also be several games arriving on the platform soon for Premium members too.

That includes Final Fantasy VII Remake Intergrade, the truly stunning, from-the-ground-up remake of one of the best JRPGs ever made (well the first part of it anyway). The start of the trilogy reintroduces us to the characters we all fell in love with almost 30 years ago.

It'll be available for Ultimate, Premium and PC Game Pass subscribers from 29 October, too. However, you will need an Xbox Series X/S, PC or access to Xbox Cloud Gaming to play it.

Other games coming soon include Sandustry, which arrived on Game Pass today (21 October), Dodo Duckie (coming 22 October), Scramble Knights Online (26 October), and The Séance of Blake Manor (27 October).

Also coming next week – on 29 October – are Mouthwashing, and Terrible Lizards. And the first confirmed game for next month is Pit of Goblin, which will arrive on 3 November.

SwitchBot has launched its first-ever outdoor smart lights, featuring native Matter over Wi-Fi support, and up to 16 million colour options. Easy to install and designed for year-round use, the SwitchBot Permanent Outdoor Lights could not have arrived at a better time with Halloween and Christmas fast approaching.

Measuring 30 metres, the SwitchBot Permanent Outdoor Lights includes 72 LEDs across six 5 metre segments. They can be used on any outdoor area you can think of, including your home’s eaves, balconies, garages, patios and outdoor walkways, and can be secured to wood and metal surfaces using adhesive tape and screws.

The most exciting feature of the SwitchBot Permanent Outdoor Lights has to be its colour options. With an RGBIC+WW design, the SwitchBot Permanent Outdoor Lights combines RGB colours, warm-white and cool-white lights, and there’s a massive 16 million colour options for you to choose from – almost too many if you will!

The colours on offer include multi-colour arrangements, gradients, patterns and flowing effects, so you can customise your lights or pick a pre-made illumination. This makes the SwitchBot Permanent Outdoor Lights great for seasonal holidays, like Christmas and Halloween, but you can also keep things plain and simple throughout the rest of the year.

Each LED light has up to 40 lumens with a total brightness of 2,600 lumen across the entire 30 metre strip. Users can adjust the colour temperature from 2700K to 6500K, and dim the lights using the SwitchBot app. The app also unlocks remote control, colour, temperature and brightness adjustments, timers, schedules, and scenes.

Aside from the SwitchBot app, the SwitchBot Permanent Outdoor Lights are compatible with Matter over Wi-Fi support so you can connect them to your smart home ecosystem. You won’t need a hub for this, but a Matter controller is required.

The SwitchBot Permanent Outdoor Lights are also compatible with Alexa, Google Home, Apple Home and Samsung SmartThings, and you can use voice assistants to control your lights.

The SwitchBot Permanent Outdoor Lights are available to buy now for £199.99 / $239.99 at SwitchBot and Amazon.