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HEARING THE TRUE RECORDING Whereas most headphones are designed to optimise music, reference headphones (also called studio headphones) recreate the original recording exactly, so you can clearly hear any problems and imperfections. Great for podcasters and broadcasters, the Sennheiser HD 560S Reference Headphones are comfortable to wear, even for long periods. Perfect for ‘critical listening’ (reviewing!), they are a must for creators. They’re available from Sennheiser directly for £169.99. www.sennheiser.co.uk


BIG SOUND AND WATER RESISTANT The KYGO B9/800 Google Assistant Speaker is one of the best of its type I’ve ever used. It has a big 10W sound, reasonable battery life (around eight hours per charge) and it’s water resistant (IPX7) so you can use it in our weird British weather – heck, it even floats! Mine lives in the bathroom. It’s about £35 on Amazon. https://www.amazon.co.uk/ dp/B07KWC665D/


FREESAT BOX THAT’S 4K READY Like the Humax Aura we featured earlier this year, the Freesat 4K Recordable Set Top Box is UHD/4K ready, and offers streaming services alongside around 170 free TV and radio channels. The 500GB-2TB hard drive stores loads of recordings and, with a wealth of streaming services, it’s a proper one-stop shop. Prices start at £199.99 for the 500GB version


A DECENT DIGITAL NOTEBOOK I


’ve always preferred making notes by hand. It’s less fiddly, more versatile and lets you exercise your rusty shorthand. Despite the march of progress, I’ve never


found a genuine digital alternative – until now. The reMarkable 2 is the holy grail – the e-paper


surface (like a Kindle) feels like paper when you write, accurately captures your handwriting and doesn’t mistake your palm for the pen and leave marks all over your writing. There are a variety of pens, thicknesses and ink colours, and a myriad of paper templates, including lined, music staves, to-do lists and planners. You can wirelessly send your scribbles to the phone app for backup or to turn them into printed text,


which it does even if you write like a GP in a hurry. You can file your notes in virtual notebooks, and file multiple notebooks into subject folders, so you’re not flipping back and forth between lots of pages trying to find that vital bit you’re looking for. At £399, it’s not a modest investment, but to use one is to be convinced of its value – it’s one gorgeous gadget with the rare honour of getting into my everyday-carry list – it’s that good. A joy to use and a logical progression from analogue notebooks. www.remarkable.com


> Mini computer for writing on the go P


ocket-sized computers went out of fashion with the


rise of the tablet, but British manufacturer Planet is reinventing them – and they’re


a great way of writing and filing copy on the go. The Cosmo Communicator


can be a mobile phone, but opening the clamshell reveals a screen and a QWERTY


keyboard with full-sized keys. It runs Android out of the box but you can install other systems such as Sailfish and Ubuntu. It works with regular and eSIM, offers 128GB RAM with a


memory card slot, and there’s a 24MP camera. It’s too bulky to replace a phone but is far easier to type on. It retails at £721.20 but you can get 30 per cent off (£504.84) with the code COSMO30. store.planetcom.co.uk


Chris Merriman on technology for journalists


A SUBTLE SMARTWATCH W


of features in a case that looks and feels like a high-end watch. A second dial measures your steps and offers activity tracking, sleep tracking, ECG (heart rhythm), heart rate and SPO2


measurements (blood


oxygen), as well as alarms, stopwatch and phone notifications, and integrates with Withings Health Mate phone app.It is available in multiple colours and two sizes, and prices start from £208 (38mm) or £233 (42mm) depending on the strap. www.withings.com


theJournalist | 21


hen you ask people what they dislike about smartwatches, often it’s the fact that they don’t look like watches. Fortunately, French brand Withings has been churning


out hybrid watches for a decade – classic watches with all the smarts of a fitness tracker. The Scanwatch, its current flagship device, disguises a huge set


PLAN DAILY TASKS


Run your routine Tiimo is an app designed


primarily for people with ADHD but, even if you’re not one of them, this alternative


calendar can help you manage your time. It’s designed for recording your daily routines – the stuff too dull for your main diary that you may forget – anything from watering the plants


to sending your invoices. You can choose the frequency and length of each activity and


get notifications of how long you have left to complete each one. It’s available for iOS and Android, and priced on a sliding scale, which is a nice touch. www.tiimoapp.com


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