Editor’s letter

As I type this, my desk is littered with headphones, smartwatches, action cams, the latest round of smartphones – and a tin of beans

It’s all part of the research we do at T3 to cover the Hot 100 – your go-to list of the greatest tech, gear, gadgets and people that are igniting the world of tech. Over the last 12 months we’ve seen the start of a seismic shift in tech to rival the smartphone revolution, and keeping the list contained was tough going.

Which got me thinking about the tech I’ve used and lived with over the last year – and the gear that I’m really excited for. VR, obviously, in both senses. LG’s new modular G5 is also on my hit list (see if you can spot it in the list starting on page 28), though it reminds me a little of Microsoft’s slightly lumpy method of courting customers with the Xbox 360. Microsoft carved off bits of the console and sold them piecemeal as accessories - a WiFi adaptor here, a high-def player there, a camera elsewhere. It seemed odd at first, but the Xbox 360 became the Redmond company’s cornerstone in the gaming scene, a success no matter how you look at it. Maybe LG’s onto a winner with a similar strategy.

This last year has seen wearables and fitness tech take off, too. T3 readers seem like a fit bunch, and our feature on the best fitness trackers on page 54 explores three of the best going. They offer insights you’d otherwise need a professional for, and the next round of fitness tech really needs to explore our wellbeing before the fact, rather than offering feedback. That’s something that’s on my hit-list for 2017.

As for the tin of beans? That’s part of my lunch. Keep your hands off.

Enjoy the issue.