At a Glance Expert’s Rating Our Verdict The Sonos One is the best smart speaker we’ve tested. It’s more expensive than rivals but really is worth the extra for a huge difference in sound quality – not forgetting about design and build, too. Alexa and Google Assistant voice control are great – although we’d like more Sonos-specific voice controls. Best Prices Today: Sonos One Smart speakers are a must-have gadget for most modern homes, but many don’t offer the kind of high-quality sound you might want for your home....

Sony has unveiled a raft of new gaming hardware, but hold your horses – this isn’t the PS VR2 , PS5 Pro , or whatever other upcoming gear you’ve got your heart set on. In fact, you won’t find the PlayStation logo anywhere. That’s because the new tech – a trio of gaming headphones and a pair of gaming monitors – mark the debut of a whole new PC-focused gaming brand: Inzone....

The internet was recently alight, discussing the streaming service Paramount Plus – but it was anything but good press. Star Trek: Discovery has been a staple entry on Netflix internationally since its debut in 2017 and fans expected season 4 to arrive on the platform at the tail end of this year, like clockwork. However, three days before the new season was set to launch, the official Star Trek Twitter account revealed that the show would be pulled from Netflix entirely and made exclusive to ViacomCBS’ own Paramount+ streaming platform....

At a Glance Expert’s Rating Our Verdict Super Mario Party is a welcome addition to the library of Switch titles, bringing with it plenty of new game modes and features to keep you entertained. Undoubtedly it will be best to get out at gatherings like Christmas but online play makes it less reliant on those situations. There’s loads of fun to be had, but we’re confused about the lack of boards in a board game....

At a Glance Our Verdict First things first: these are two outstanding portable computers. If you can afford it and it makes sense to you to carry only one device that is PC, tablet and laptop, the Surface Pro 3 is a truly stunning achievement. But if you need more of a ‘proper’ laptop and you can live without touchscreen and camera, head for the MacBook Air. Best Prices Today: Microsoft Surface Pro 3 Surface Pro 3 vs MacBook Air comparison: why compare a tablet and a laptop?...

At a Glance Our Verdict Whether you plump for the Surface Pro 3 or Nexus 10 really depends on what you intend to do with it. One makes a pretty good makeshift laptop, while the other is still one of the best tablets you can buy but is all but useless for getting work done. As a hybrid device with a large screen and good performance the Surface Pro 3 could prove its worth as a work laptop for many people, although it couldn’t meet my specific needs in this regard....

At a glance Expert’s Rating Pros A better CPU 1GB RAM DSM 7.2 Docker support Cons Minimal upgrades Accessory needed to fit 2.5in drives Only 1GbE LAN Our Verdict As an entry-level NAS, the DS223j has plenty going for it, but Synology needs to accept that buyers want 2.5GbE LAN. Best Prices Today: Synology DiskStation DS223j Synology releases new NAS infrequently these days, leaving over 2.5 years from when the DS220j appeared to the new DS223j....

Chinese company Tecno has launched its first ever foldable at MWC 2023, complete with claims of a crease that’s “almost invisible”. But from seeing the Phantom V Fold in person, it’s easy to understand why. You can still just about see where the 7.85in internal display folds in half, but it’s much less noticeable than other book-style foldables. The other big selling point of the device is its price. Starting at $1,099, it significantly undercuts rivals such as the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4 and Huawei Mate Xs 2 ....

At a glance Expert’s Rating Pros Can bend easily under furniture Comes with a neat docking station Intuitively adjusts the amount of suction needed Battery lasts for up to 1 hour 20 minutes in eco-mode Cons Comes in multiple parts you’ll have to put together Only lasts for up to five minutes in boost mode Average size 0.9L bin Our Verdict Bending under low furniture, twisting around tight spots and manoeuvring easily so you don’t have to, Tefal’s X-Force Flex 15....

At a Glance Expert’s Rating Our Verdict Best Prices Today: Tesco Hudl You could say that the majority of people looking to buy a tablet want an iPad , but at the same time the majority of people can’t justify spending £399 or more on one. The next step taken is to find out what is the best tablet they can afford. At £119 the, Tesco Hudl is high up on the list of affordable tablets, but is it any good?...

If you want to start streaming your games online or record your gameplay footage to create YouTube videos of your exploits, you’ll probably need a capture card. These nifty little devices take on some of the processing work of streaming and recording gameplay footage, so that your main device – whether that’s a console or gaming PC – is free to devote all its power to running the game as smoothly as possible....

Depending on who you ask, game streaming may be the future of videogames. Streaming services like Nvidia GeForce Now and Xbox Cloud Gaming let gamers play games from wherever they are, on any device, without having to worry about a bulky console or expensive gaming PC. The challenge is that current gaming services vary in style a lot. Some let you play games you already own, some require you to buy them again....

A lot of headphones come with active noise cancelling (or cancellation) but with transparency modes, hybrid ANC and other complex terms, buying a pair can be difficult – especially when it appears that you can either spend under $50/£50 or over $500/£500. Our chart and buying guide will help you choose the right pair. Headphones come in all manner of shapes, sizes and types and although noise cancelling used to be fairly rare, it’s now widely available with lots of choices....

The Oculus Quest 2 – well, technically the Meta Quest 2 now, but that’s semantics, is probably the best virtual reality headset in years thanks to a winning combo of portability, power, and price. Even better, since it’s a standalone headset you don’t need an expensive gaming PC or console to power the VR – the Quest 2 just works, which makes it a perfect first VR purchase. The catch is that Quest 2 headset got a $100/£100 price hike in July 2022, making it more expensive than ever, and though Meta was running a money-off bundle near the end of 2022, that has now ended....

Not all smart tech needs to be born smart. A smart plug can transform anything into a smart device that you can control from your phone. Buy one of these and you can integrate any plug-in appliance into your smart home system. This means you could switch on a vintage lamp with a voice command. It can also act as a safety net: plug in your hair straighteners or crockpot via a smart plug and you can switch them off remotely, giving you peace of mind if you’re out later than expected, or simply can’t remember whether you left them on....

Even the highest-capacity power banks eventually run out of charge, and then you’re stuck until you next reach mains power. Unless, you buy a solar charger. Harnessing power from the sun’s rays, solar chargers are a useful backup to plugging into a power point. While we haven’t quite reached a level of solar to electric conversion efficiency that can let us wave goodbye to using power mains altogether, these nifty solar chargers should get you through those dreaded “critical battery level” moments, so you can move on to more important things (like reading Tech Advisor articles, of course)....

Many people use a VPN to watch TV shows and movies which aren’t available in their country. But VPNs offer other benefits too, such as better privacy online and extra security while using public Wi-Fi networks. Whatever you do, don’t pay for a VPN on a rolling monthly basis, as that’s the most expensive way. Instead, pick one of the deals below. You’ll have to pay for an entire 2-, 3-, or 5-year subscription up front in most cases, but when each month works out as little as 80p ($1), it’s still very affordable....

Since it began life, the Google Pixel series has changed significantly, becoming a major player in the smartphone market. From the original Pixel to the recently unveiled Pixel 9 lineup , Google’s phones have continually pushed the boundaries of innovation, software integration and camera technology. Google launched its Pixel range of smartphones back in 2016 and since then they’ve gone on to become a firm favourite for Android fans. Renowned for their excellent cameras, Pixel phones have offered the simple, uncluttered version of Android that Google always intended, prioritising user experience....

Vlogging sites like TikTok and YouTube are a modern phenomenon. They’re quickly breaking down the dominance of traditional broadcasting giants and putting the power back in the hands of creators, no matter their age or location. For many aspiring artists, it’s a very real career path that not only offers the chance to make a great living, but also spend their time doing what they love – creating fantastic original content....

The effects of ray-tracing tech can be hard to point out in games like Control, Battlefield 5 and Metro Exodus where the lighting effects are more nuanced, but the same can’t be said for Minecraft RTX, offering the biggest transformation of any game on the market right now. It’s about as close as we’re going to get to the failed Super Duper Graphics Update that Microsoft canned back in 2019, although this beta update is exclusive to those that own a recent Nvidia RTX-series card....