Nokia 3310
Hardware
Modern smartphones may be technological marvels but they are certainly not built to last; you can’t spill a beer on an iPhone or drop a Google Pixel on the pavement and expect them to work. In light of this, it’s hardly surprising that the biggest buzz during the Mobile World Congress wasn’t around new smartphones but the return of the 17-year-old Nokia 3310. While this updated version of the legendarily durable phone won’t win any innovation awards, it suggests that some people would be quite happy with going back to a simpler time when a phone only enabled you to talk, text and play Snake II. And Nokia isn’t the only tech firm eyeing the feature phone market: Lenovo is apparently also planning to re-release a new version of Motorola’s Razr phone later this year. Being dumb is apparently the new black.
Piaggio Gita
Hardware
If all the talk about flying drones has made you think that the future of deliveries is airborne, then this freshly announced robot should make you reconsider. Developed by Piaggio Fast Forward, a subsidiary of the Vespa-manufacturer Piaggio, the Gita won’t take to the skies any time soon. Instead, the BB8-like robot can follow you around and automatically avoid obstacles whilst carrying up to 18kg of cargo. As an added bonus, once you’ve taken it somewhere, Gita remembers the route and can follow it independently. An added security benefit is that Gita has cameras on each side and a fingerprint lock. In other words, you don’t have to worry about anyone stealing your business plans or the blueprints to Starkiller Base when Gita becomes available to buy in 2018.
Sony Xperia XZ Premium
Hardware
Whenever a new smartphone hits the markets, reviewers obsess over two things: the screen and the camera. And it’s safe to say that the new Sony Xperia XZ Premium absolutely nails those two aspects. Borrowing a trick or two from Sony’s Bravia TVs, the Xperia XZ Premium is the world’s first phone with a 4K HDR screen, providing users with a crisp high-definition resolution that gives most of the competition a run for their money. The same thing goes for the camera, which allows the user to record slow-motion videos of up to 960 frames per second. So it’s no wonder why Xperia XZ Premium took home the gong for best new smartphone at the Global Mobile Awards last week.
FitBit Alta HR
Hardware
Becoming an entrepreneur is no excuse to slack off at the gym. In fact, it’s a reason to pump even more iron as multiple studies have proven that exercise can give people a power boost. If you’re looking to get fitter, then tracking your health is a good way to start and fortunately for you FitBit has just released the world’s slimmest wearable heart-monitor. The Alta HR automatically detects when you work out, how many steps you’ve taken and will even remind to you to exercise. The new feature Sleep Stages also enables users to track how long they spend in spend in light, deep and REM sleep cycles. The £130 combined wristwatch and fitness tracker is available to pre-order now and will be available early next month.
Fire
Lifestyle
The current zeitgeist is certainly characterised with the lines between the organic and technological realms becoming blurred. Few developers embody this like The Unseen, the fashion tech company famous for creating clothes that changes colour depending on its environment. Now the startup has applied the same concept to hair dye. The carbon-based molecules in the dye react when the temperature fluctuates, making the hair go from black to burning red, from silver to blue, from blue to white, from white to black or from black to yellow. The dye lasts for a few washes. While Fire is not yet available for commercial use, The Unseen is currently looking for commercial partners to bring the product to market as soon as possible, much to the joy of Nymphadora Tonks cosplayers everywhere. 
