Sub-£200g adgets
Whether you want to upgrade your work, play, health or home security, you don’t have to spend a fortune…
From speakers to smart doorbells, coffee makers to cardio scales, here’s some top tech that won’t cost the earth
01 Revo SuperSignal
Revo is renowned for making top- quality, vintage-style DAB/ DAB+ radios and streaming systems, and this is the baby of the range. The wood and aluminium SuperSignal eschews some of the clever features of its bigger brothers, instead opting for the simplicity of Bluetooth AptX, so you can easily stream from your phone. £179.95, revo.co.uk
If you only have £20…
Turn your smartphone into a radio using the Gear4 Espresso portable Bluetooth speaker – then just download TuneIn Radio (free) and stream your favourite stations to it. £14.99, gear4.com
02 Nerf N-Strike Elite TerraScout Drone Blaster
Hate your neighbour’s drone hovering over your garden? Then shoot that sucker out of the sky with the Drone Blaster, a toy tank with a gun attached, that can be remote- controlled via a joystick. A screen and live video feed will show your neighbour’s face when the aerial culprit comes crashing to earth. $200 (£150), nerf.com
If you only have £20…
Casually fly the Hubsan Q4 Nano drone into its path; a sort of tech sacrificial lamb, if you will. Your neyb will never know. £14.99, hubsan.com
03 WowWee CHiP
While we wait for robots that can deliver beer to us as we watch VR footy on the telly, the WowWee CHiP will fill in as your AI buddy. This pooch ’bot will respond to your commands, whether that’s by touch, gestures or your voice, and in return will offer you loyalty without the wet dog smell or urinating on your rug. $199 (£149), wowwee.com/chip
If you only have £20…
Want a real dog without the commitment? Sign up to a dogsitting site. You’ll still have to clean up the crap, though. £Free, barkingmad.uk.com
04 Wileyfox Spark+
These days, you don’t need to sell a kidney to get a top phone. The Spark+ offers luxury handset kicks without the cost, with an impressive five-inch screen, oodles of power and gorgeous looks. You also get the latest version of Android – Marshmallow – running on the super-secure and customisable Cyanogen platform. £114.99, wileyfox.com
If you only have £20…
If your current handset is fine but you fancy a refresh, download Nova Launcher: a snazzy Home-screen replacement. £3.99, Google Play
05 Mission LX-2
Luxury lounge speakers tend to run into the thousands of pounds, rather than a couple of hundred, but British loudspeaker bods Mission have come up with the sensibly priced LX-2s: a pair with impressive sound quality, thanks to well-matched components, and subtle looks that would suit any space in the home. £199.95, mission.co.uk
If you only have £20…
Polish your current system with better speaker placement – the Cambridge Audio blog has an excellent guide on how to do it. £Free, cambridgeaudio.com
06 Ring Video Doorbell
Keep tabs on your front door from a distance with this handy gadget. It live-streams highdefinition video straight to your phone whenever someone rings the doorbell or steps within range of the motion detector. You can then converse with them while they post your mail or prepare to break in through the back entrance. £159, ring.com
If you only have £20…
Hook an old phone to the Manything app and pop it in a window. If there’s motion, it’ll record video to your own phone. From £Free, manything.com
08 Samsung Gear IconX
So you’ve heard of wearables, but what about hearables: in- ear buds packing smart features? Boasting a secure fit and no wires to garrote you while you work up a sweat, the IconXs offer voice- guided activity tracking (speed, heart rate and more). But here’s the kicker – you don’t need to take your weighty phone with you. £199, samsung.com
If you only have £20…
Fancy a simple band-style tracker? Jawbone’s UP Move looks good, and offers waterproofing and tracking features aplenty. £ 19.95, jawbone.com
07 Sengled Pulse Flex
This nifty speaker and smart-lightbulb combination kills two tech birds with one stone. With a wireless JBL speaker built in, you can stream your tunes and adjust your lighting wherever the bulb is installed, using your phone, making it easy to create a multi-room sound and light system around the house. £99, sengled.com
If you only have £20…
With the Easybulb and its app, you can make your lights dance while your phone plays music over a sound system. £11.20, easybulb.com
09 Netatmo Smart Thermostat
The Philippe Starck- designed Smart Thermostat boasts some trick features, like the ability to schedule the day’s heating to your routine, and Auto-Adapt, which adjusts the temperature based on your home’s level of insulation and what’s happening outside. Naturally, you can do all of this via the smartphone app. £149, netatmo.com
If you only have £20…
Try a basic dial thermo, like the Honeywell T6360. You’ll have to twirl the dial now and again, but how hard is that? £ 18.95, honeywelluk.com
10 B&O Beoplay H5
B&O’s brand-new wireless earphones will have you scrambling for your wallet. With Bluetooth on board, there are no wires to yank at your pocket, and – cool feature alert – built-in magnets mean you can snap the buds together for safekeeping. AptX keeps streaming quality sweet, while five hours of battery life is enough for all- day tunes.
If you only have £20…
£199, beoplay.com
If your headphones have a detachable audio cable, you can make them wireless using a simple Inateck Bluetooth transmitter/receiver. Beware, though.– you may look like a bit of a plonker. £20, amazon.co.uk