HOLIDAY

Escape the grind and live the dream...

1/ PLANTRONICS BACKBEAT PRO

AN ABSOLUTELY OUTSTANDING PAIR OF NOISECANCELLING BLUETOOTH CANS THAT ARE PERFECT FOR DROWNING OUT THE DRONE OF AEROPLANE ENGINES OR THE SCREAMING OF BRATS IN THE NEXT HOTEL ROOM. THEY’RE A LITTLE CHUNKY, BUT AS USER FRIENDLY AS BLUETOOTH HEADPHONES GET.

$349, PLANTRONICS.COM.AU

2/ KINDLE PAPERWHITE

A HOLIDAY READ IS A GREAT WAY TO RELAX, BUT BOOKS ARE HEAVY AND TAKE UP PRECIOUS SPACE IN YOUR LUGGAGE. SAVE YOURSELF THE EXTRA WEIGHT BY PACKING ONE OF AMAZON’S WORLD-DOMINATING E-READERS AND YOU’LL NEVER BE WITHOUT A BOOK.

US$139, AMAZON.COM

3/ SONY CYBER-SHOT DSC-RX100M3

IF YOU WANT TO TAKE BETTER HOLIDAY SNAPS THAN YOUR PHONE CAN DELIVER, BUT THE THOUGHT OF LUGGING A DSLR AROUND MAKES YOUR BACK TWINGE IN ANTICIPATION, SONY’S STYLISH, ALUMINIUM-CLAD SNAPPER COMBINES HIGH-QUALITY IMAGERY AND PORTABILITY IN ONE SLICK PACKAGE.

$1,099, SONY.COM.

4/ APPLE IPHONE 6

SOMETIMES YOU DON’T WANT TO BE FUMBLING AROUND WITH A CAMERA, MISSING THE PERFECT HOLIDAY SNAP IN THE PROCESS. APPLE’S CURRENT FLAGSHIP DELIVERS EXCELLENT SHOTS WITHOUT A FUSS. JUST DON’T USE APPLE MAPS IF YOU GET LOST.

FROM $869, APPLE.COM/AU

5/ MICROSOFT SURFACE PRO 3

IF YOU MUST TAKE YOUR WORK WITH YOU, AT LEAST THE SURFACE PRO 3 CAN DOUBLE AS A FUN TABLET FOR THE YOUNGINS ONCE YOU’RE FINISHED. MICROSOFT’S LATEST HAS ALL THE POWER AND PORTABILITY YOU NEED TO GET THE JOB DONE QUICKLY, LEAVING YOU FREE TO HIT THE BEACH.

FROM $979, MICROSOFTSTORE.COM/AU

6/ NEW NINTENDO 3DS XL

NINTENDO HAS FINALLY ADDED A SECOND CONTROL STICK TO ITS ALL-CONQUERING HANDHELD, MAKING AN ALREADY ESSENTIAL PIECE OF GAMING KIT EVEN MORE SO. A PERFECT DISTRACTION FOR WHEN YOU NEED THE KIDS TO KEEP QUIET, OR WANT A LITTLE ONE-ON-ONE TIME WITH A CERTAIN MOUSTACHIOED PLUMBER.

$249, NINTENDO.COM.AU