GADGET GURU’S MAGIC BOX

GaGu’s slumped, hunched, scrunched-up spine has been shouting at him, but your semi-folded gadget hero isn’t entirely sold on the Alexa-addled Giiro robot. It’s a little minion cyclops that goes on your desk, and combines with a floor mat in order to spot when you’re flopping about like a miserable teenager on a bus stop and give you specific guidance to fix your posture. GaGu hates being bossed around by electronics, especially those which look like the sort of footpunishing plastic thing that’s scattered all over GaGu Jr’s floor, so let’s see if Giiro passes its crowdfunding goal. Something that has been funded is Beeline’s new navigation circle the Moto (approx $195). It’s an update to the existing tech, but the white-on-black screen, and the option to pick between compass and explicit direction modes, makes this navigator a must for motorcyclists who want to know where they’re going.

Every Sunday night, Ol’ Guru gets together with some chums for board games. Don’t laugh! There are, contrary to popular belief, people beyond GaGu’s family who can stand his physical presence. Anyway, Apple’s ARKit has his gaming group all aflutter, what with its multi-player technology, and the potential for it to turn a board into something far more animated. Not entirely sure where it’s leading, though – while there’s a lot of potential, there’s little evidence (beyond Apple’s destructive block-smashing demo) of anything solid so far, and AR’s not exactly new. If it’s taken this long to get even this far, will game developers care enough to make it good, essential even, rather than just a gimmick?