Transparent Speaker, £450 (small); £900 (large)
Transparent Speaker, £450 (small); £900 (large)

Transparently beautiful speakers

I have a ludicrous number of sound systems in my not enormous flat, both my own and product samples that come and go. I hit 11 hifis of various kinds at one point. I see this as perfectly reasonable. Each has its delights that I could, if asked to, go on and on, and on about.

I have to say, though, that almost nobody visiting shows even the slightest interest in any of my systems, other than, in the case of my children, by demanding I turn the speakers down. Parents used to ask children to lower the volume; now, at least in my family’s case, it’s the reverse. These millennials don’t even play music they like at a proper level. A lost, background-music generation. What’s music for if it’s not loud enough to immerse yourself in?

Only one audio system has ever gained the unprompted attention and approval of my guests – this admittedly striking, heavy-as-heck, glass-enclosed stereo machine from Stockholm: the Transparent Speaker. This is the small version, measuring 27cm x 20cm x 9.5cm and weighing in at 3kg. There’s also a bigger 11kg version. Two of either can be paired to create a credible two-point, wirelessly fed stereo.

So how do these supremely cool-looking devices sound? They sound OK. No, good. Perfectly good, powerful, neutral, clean, with no clever digital monkeying-around tricks. My point being that the Transparent Speaker is not made as a spoddy hifi-bloke piece, but as a thing of beauty. As the company’s own bumf says, “Our speakers are designed to be as much an interior-design object as a great-sounding piece of technology.” Accordingly, The Conran Shop and Mr Porter are the British stockists.

They are also, in a very Scandi twist, that rare thing: a sustainable audio product – each electronic element is designed to be replaceable as technology is developed (no commitment to which technology, but it’s a nice thought). And one that has gained some following among music performers – Britney Spears, will.i.am and Snoop Dogg are said to be among the brand fans. They are available in wood and steel finishes too.

Transparent Speaker, £450 (small), £900 (large), transparentspeaker.com

DoogeeS90 Pro, $400
DoogeeS90 Pro, $400

The next Apple is… Doogee?

I’m often asked which company will one day take over Apple’s crown as the consumer tech innovator-in-chief? I don’t know, but it’s likely to be Chinese and its founder is probably about 12 at the moment.

But an upstart Spanish/Chinese phone maker already here could be a contender. It has a slightly daft name – Doogee – and a track record of, within a few years, progressing from cheap jolly junk to some of the most sophisticated ruggedised smartphones available.

Doogee is so quick on the draw that by the time this, its flagship S90 Pro phone, arrived at my office, a better S95 was already out. When you read this, that too will doubtless be bettered. The S90 Pro, nonetheless, is amazing. Screen and (hefty) body are virtually unbreakable. Furthermore, it’s not only a richly featured Android, but it’s modular, meaning it comes with different backs that clunk on and off magnetically. One turns the S90 Pro into a walkie-talkie with a 10km range, ideal for off-grid adventurers. Others provide extra power, a night-vision camera and a gaming handset for nights in your tent in the wild. 

Doogee. You heard it here first.

DoogeeS90 Pro, $400, doogee.cc

Waterlock, £350, including installation; additional sensors, £25
Waterlock, £350, including installation; additional sensors, £25

The smart way to stop water damage

A water leak is the most democratic of perils. You can invest in anti-intruder security, fireproofing, sprinklers and alarms and significantly reduce your chances of theft or fire damage. But a burst pipe is a great leveller – as “comfortable” (my parents’ favourite word) as you may be, there is almost nothing you can do to stop a leak turning into a flood if you’re out of the house. Except now there’s Waterlock from a Cambridge company. It is at once the most boring and awesome smart home product I’ve come across. Its proposition is simple but extremely clever. When it detects water leaks – you can place satellite sensors in all the vulnerable spots in your home: under washing machines, cisterns, etc – it electronically shuts off the stopcock, hence the water supply, and informs you by text or email wherever you are, be that in bed or across the world, what’s up. Genius, imho.

Waterlock, £350, including installation; additional sensors, £25, geotogether.com/consumer

Facebook Portal, from £129
Facebook Portal, from £129

A video-calling camera that only has eyes for you

Facebook is not an uncreepy company, but even if you eschew its core social-media offering, I’ll bet most of you use one of its acquisitions: WhatsApp. And you have probably discovered WhatsApp video, introduced in 2016, whose near-magical compression makes it possible to make decent video calls on internet connections too flaky for Skype or FaceTime.

Facebook has now taken video calling to a new level with a group of products called Portal, which work with WhatsApp video as well as Facebook Messenger video. Portal doesn’t just leave the camera static and pointing in one direction. Using an AI program, it works out who is talking and pans and zooms like a TV cameraman to follow them if they move around the room. Quite uncanny. My choice of Portal product would be Portal TV, a device that clips unobtrusively onto the top of your TV, still performing its in-house camera-guy trick, so it truly feels like the parties you’re talking with are in the same room.

Facebook Portal, from £129, portal.facebook.com

@TheFutureCritic

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