5 Cool upcoming gadgets : Best tech gadgets coming in 2021

Transparent speakers

 

Apart from public toilets, there are few things in life that aren’t made better by being see-through. Case in point, this speaker that replaces its housing with tempered glass.

Its creator, the Swedish design studio Transparent, says that its speakers use durable, recyclable materials. Each of the devices can be used alone as a Bluetooth speaker, paired together as a stereo sound system, or plugged into existing audio equipment.

It’s upgradeable too, with a compartment at the rear that can hold and power various modules – a voice assistant, for example, or new wireless tech.

£775, transpa.rent, buy now from The Conran Shop or Ssense.com

Xiaomi Mi Air Charge

It’s early days, but Xiaomi has shown off a demo of a product it’s planning to put on sale this year. It’s called Mi Air Charge technology, and it uses 144 micro-antennae to transfer energy to your phone via a narrow wave beam.

According to Xiaomi’s demo, you’d be able to walk into a room and your phone would start charging, even if an object was in the way. Eventually, Xiaomi says it could be used to charge multiple devices at once in the room it’s sat in.

It’s tech we’ve seen presented at conferences before, but never so close to an actual final product.

£TBC, mi.com

Carol exercise bike

Get fit and healthy in 26 minutes a week.” That’s the bold claim made by the creators of this exercise bike, which combines high-intensity training with an algorithm that learns your fitness level and creates a training regime.

The bike is built on the idea that energetic bursts of exercise are effective at making you healthier. Research seems to support this idea, with several studies showing that periods of high-energy activity interspersed with more sedate intervals seem to push your body out of its comfort zone, improving heart health, lung capacity, fat-burning potential and more.

If you’re serious about training, the bike plugs into the growing market of online classes, including Peloton Digital and Apple Fitness+.

£2,995, carolfitai.com, buy now from Carol

Vaonis Vespera smart telescope

The notion of a telescope without an eyepiece to look through could inspire a few strongly worded letters from our readers, but we can’t help but lust after this beautiful new telescope from Italian company Vaonis (even if it does cost around £1,300).

The Vespera takes the work out of stargazing. The scope takes the images hitting its sensors and sends a live-view to your smartphone or tablet via Wi-Fi. This means you can set up the telescope outside (it has a four-hour battery life), jump under the covers and tour the Universe.

The app presents a list of cosmic points of interest to point the telescope towards, like the birth of a star, and the motors and GPS aboard the telescope point the lens in the right direction. From there you can watch the view live, take stacks of photos to reveal more detail and share what you’re seeing with friends.

You can even schedule observations if you want to capture something while you’re asleep. Right now you’ll have to wait til 2022 to get your hands on a ‘scope, but it’s bigger sibling, the Stellina, is on sale now.

€1499 (£1327), Vaonis.com, on sale in 2022

Oral B IO toothbrush

Ok, let’s be honest, we’re not totally sold on the idea of a gadget that winks and smiles at you when you put it in your mouth.

That aside, this toothbrush is crammed with an almost implausible amount of tech. Sensors inside will track the brush’s movement as you clean your teeth and map out areas you’ve missed.

There are separate modes depending on your mood, like “Intense Clean” after a particularly sweary day or something gentler for those with sensitive gums. A new pressure sensor inside will also warn you if you’re brushing technique starts to verge into self-flagellation.

£250, OralB.co.uk, buy now from Amazon UK or Boots.com