PARTS CAN BE SWAPPED OUT AS NEW WIRELESS AND AUDIO TECH IS LAUNCHED

from £450 / transparentspeaker.com

Is that really a transparent speaker called Transparent Speaker?

Perhaps the Swedish makers were worried things would get lost in translation, but at least the name ensures you won’t confuse it with any opaque devices on your discoverable Bluetooth list. It also means we can concentrate on the more important things at play with this gorgeous creation, like the aluminium uniframe combined with tempered glass panels

I mean, it’s pretty clear what they’ve done here…

Yes, very good. But before you go thinking you can see through what looks like a pretty standard wireless speaker, there’s more to it than that. You see, the folks at Transparent Sound claim this device has been designed to become better over time, thanks to a modular system whereby components can be swapped out as new wireless and audio technologies become available. There’s also the ability to add plug-in upgrades like an Amazon Echo or a Sonos Connect.

Perhaps things aren’t quite so transparent after all.

Just stop. If this is right up your minimalist Scandi street, the 30W Small Transparent Speaker (with white cones and controls) is yours for £450 and the 100W Transparent Speaker twice its size (with black cones and controls) is £900. And if you don’t like the see-through aesthetic… well, firstly we appreciate you sticking with us this far down the article, and secondly your patience has been rewarded because the brand’s Uncrafted range swaps glass panels for wood, steel and stoneware editions from £1350. Lastly, we also like that every Transparent Sound speaker can be wall-mounted.

Hope I die before they get old

MARSHALL MAJOR III VOICE

How many Marshall amps do you think Pete Townshend smashed up in his rebellious prime? Sixty might be pushing it, but that’s how many hours of battery life the legendary brand is promising you’ll get from its new Major III Voice headphones. For context, that’s double what you’ll get from Sony’s class-leading WH-1000XM3s – if the claims hold up, that is. You get the same 40mm dynamic drivers as the standard Major IIIs, but the new cans – if you hadn’t already guessed – add voice control via Google Assistant. With a press and hold of the voice button you can tell it to play your favourite playlist, read your text messages or give you directions to the nearest amp repair shop.

£150 / marshall.com

Papaya and higher

ONEPLUS 7T PRO McLAREN EDITION

Good God, Formula 1 is boring, isn’t it? Still, we’ll tell you what isn’t boring: the latest McLaren Edition from OnePlus. We loved the 6T tie-in with the F1 team because, as well as some awesome styling, it debuted Warp Charge 30 tech offering a day’s power in 20 minutes. The new 7T Pro McLaren Edition doesn’t get first dibs this time – it shares Warp Charge 30T with the standard 7T Pro and to all intents and purposes it’s the same phone. But wait, there’s a chunky 12GB of RAM here for extra speed. Then there’s the car-seat Alcantara case, some customised McLaren software, plus the subtle papaya orange glow that illuminates the curved edges when you get a notification. Brrrm-brrrm indeed.

£799 / oneplus.com

WTF ARE ECHO FRAMES?

They look like… normal glasses?

They certainly do, but in a feat comparable to the genie’s miraculous occupation of a lamp, Alexa has managed to squeeze herself into these unassuming spectacles. They’re part of Amazon’s ongoing mission to put its voice assistant into every existing physical object – and when you think about it, it’s a bit of a surprise that the Frames were actually beaten to it by the Alexa toilet.

You’re worryingly infatuated with the Alexa toilet. So what do these things do, then?

Put simply, the Echo Frames are prescription-ready glasses that offer hands-free access to Alexa. There’s no camera or AR features – both of which tend to make wearables look like Star Trek props – to speak of here. Using them is much like using any Echo device you might have in your house: you can use voice commands to check your calendar, make phone calls and control compatible smart home devices, with the Frames wirelessly funnelling your requests through the Alexa app on your phone (Android-only at launch). If you get a notification or alert, you swipe the panel on the right temple to play the message.

But won’t everyone be able to hear my wife giving me a bollocking for forgetting to pick up milk?

Apparently not. Amazon says the Frames’ open-ear audio tech make use of four micro speakers that direct sound straight into your ears, rather than those of nosy passers-by. There are volume controls on board for when you’re in a noisy place. Meanwhile, a pair of beam-forming mics are designed to pick up your voice without requiring you to raise it. They can be turned off with the double tap of a button.

When can I get them?

The Echo Frames are currently US-only, but we’ll be surprised if it stays that way for long.