Whether you are in the market for speakers that double as a design feature, a coffee machine that'll satisfy all your cravings, or a notebook that's digital but also old-school, here's our pick of the coolest gadgets around.
WH-XB910N headphones
Sony’s new WH-XB910N overhead wireless headphones promise club-like bass, as well as improved noise cancelling and comfort. A dedicated bass duct on the headphones' housing is complemented by increased air-tightness between the driver units and eardrums, to help elevate the listening experience.
Dual Noise Sensor technology results in enhanced noise cancelling, while Precise Voice Pickup Technology combines two built-in microphones with advanced audio signal processing, to make sure your voice is picked up clearly and precisely during hands-free calls.
The WH-XB910N headphones also use Adaptive Sound Control, which senses where you are and what you’re doing, adjusting the ambient sound settings accordingly. And with 30 hours of battery life, they are the perfect companion when you are on the road.
$249.99, www.sony.com
800 Series Diamond
Bowers & Wilkins has expanded it 800 Series Diamond range with seven additional speaker models, each available in a satin walnut finish for the first time. Also new is a rigid, cast aluminium top section – replacing the previous wooden design – which has a leather finish.
The speakers feature Solid Body Tweeter-on-Top housing, with an elongated tube-loading system to produce an even more open sound for high frequencies. The 801 D4 speaker has a downwards-firing Flowport, solid aluminium plinth and constrained layer steel damping.
A series of other technological tweaks “deliver unprecedented performance”, according to the company, which is calling the new 800 Series Diamond “the finest range of loudspeakers Bowers & Wilkins has ever created”.
$35,000 (801 D4), www.bowerswilkins.com
Rocketbook Core
If you find yourself harking back to the analogue age, but are conscious of your sustainability credentials, Rocketbook has you covered. The company has worked with experts to create digital notebooks that replicate the pen-and-paper experience.
Although it feels like a traditional notebook, the Rocketbook Core is endlessly reusable and connects to all of your favourite Cloud services, so all your notes will be saved. When you write using a pen from the brand’s Pilot Frixion line, your musings will stick to Core pages as if they were regular paper, but add a drop of water and you’ll have a blank page to start over with.
$34, www.getrocketbook.com
Nespresso Vertuo Next
Nespresso has unveiled its most versatile at-home coffee machine yet, the Vertuo Next. It is designed to make a range of long and short drinks, from a 40 millilitre espresso to the new 535ml “Carafe Pour-Over Style”.
Intelligent Centrifusion technology reads and recognises the coffee variety being brewed using barcode technology and automatically adjusts its extraction parameters – such as infusion time, water temperature and flow rate, rotational speed and cup length.
“Modern coffee drinkers no longer want to settle for one style, even at home. With this in mind, the Vertuo system has been designed to deliver a wide range of brewing styles and sizes – all topped off with Vertuo’s signature crema,” says Yassir Max Corpataux, Nespresso coffee ambassador for the Middle East and Africa.
In line with Nespresso’s sustainability ambitions, the Vertuo Next machine is made from 50 per cent recycled plastics, with 100 per cent of its packaging from recycled sources and it is 99.5 per cent recyclable.
$272, www.nespresso.com
AirFan by Haxon
The AirFan by Haxon is a bit of a multitasker. It combines 20 different functions, acting as a fan, heater, air purifier, speaker, light and clock, in one streamlined design, which can be controlled via Alexa or Google Assistant.
Its makers are particularly proud of the fact that the device’s dual motors, intake and purification features each have a dedicated blower, meaning that noise is kept to a minimum. The fan has 10 adjustable speeds, while the heater has ten different settings, and the device can be set up horizontally or vertically depending on the user’s needs.
The air purifying element includes a UV-C lamp, Hepa H13 Carbon Filters and an Ionizer to keep your space germ and allergen-free. The AirFan is currently gathering funding on Kickstarter and is ready for pre-order, with production due to start in April.
From $199, www.haxson.com
How green is the expo nursery?
Some 400,000 shrubs and 13,000 trees in the on-site nursery
An additional 450,000 shrubs and 4,000 trees to be delivered in the months leading up to the expo
Ghaf, date palm, acacia arabica, acacia tortilis, vitex or sage, techoma and the salvadora are just some heat tolerant native plants in the nursery
Approximately 340 species of shrubs and trees selected for diverse landscape
The nursery team works exclusively with organic fertilisers and pesticides
All shrubs and trees supplied by Dubai Municipality
Most sourced from farms, nurseries across the country
Plants and trees are re-potted when they arrive at nursery to give them room to grow
Some mature trees are in open areas or planted within the expo site
Green waste is recycled as compost
Treated sewage effluent supplied by Dubai Municipality is used to meet the majority of the nursery’s irrigation needs
Construction workforce peaked at 40,000 workers
About 65,000 people have signed up to volunteer
Main themes of expo is ‘Connecting Minds, Creating the Future’ and three subthemes of opportunity, mobility and sustainability.
Expo 2020 Dubai to open in October 2020 and run for six months
Managing the separation process
- Choose your nursery carefully in the first place
- Relax – and hopefully your child will follow suit
- Inform the staff in advance of your child’s likes and dislikes.
- If you need some extra time to talk to the teachers, make an appointment a few days in advance, rather than attempting to chat on your child’s first day
- The longer you stay, the more upset your child will become. As difficult as it is, walk away. Say a proper goodbye and reassure your child that you will be back
- Be patient. Your child might love it one day and hate it the next
- Stick at it. Don’t give up after the first day or week. It takes time for children to settle into a new routine.And, finally, don’t feel guilty.
More from Neighbourhood Watch:
Tickets
Tickets start at Dh100 for adults, while children can enter free on the opening day. For more information, visit www.mubadalawtc.com.
How the bonus system works
The two riders are among several riders in the UAE to receive the top payment of £10,000 under the Thank You Fund of £16 million (Dh80m), which was announced in conjunction with Deliveroo's £8 billion (Dh40bn) stock market listing earlier this year.
The £10,000 (Dh50,000) payment is made to those riders who have completed the highest number of orders in each market.
There are also riders who will receive payments of £1,000 (Dh5,000) and £500 (Dh2,500).
All riders who have worked with Deliveroo for at least one year and completed 2,000 orders will receive £200 (Dh1,000), the company said when it announced the scheme.
MIDWAY
Produced: Lionsgate Films, Shanghai Ryui Entertainment, Street Light Entertainment
Directed: Roland Emmerich
Cast: Ed Skrein, Woody Harrelson, Dennis Quaid, Aaron Eckhart, Luke Evans, Nick Jonas, Mandy Moore, Darren Criss
Rating: 3.5/5 stars
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The Melbourne Mercer Global Pension Index
The Melbourne Mercer Global Pension Index
Mazen Abukhater, principal and actuary at global consultancy Mercer, Middle East, says the company’s Melbourne Mercer Global Pension Index - which benchmarks 34 pension schemes across the globe to assess their adequacy, sustainability and integrity - included Saudi Arabia for the first time this year to offer a glimpse into the region.
The index highlighted fundamental issues for all 34 countries, such as a rapid ageing population and a low growth / low interest environment putting pressure on expected returns. It also highlighted the increasing popularity around the world of defined contribution schemes.
“Average life expectancy has been increasing by about three years every 10 years. Someone born in 1947 is expected to live until 85 whereas someone born in 2007 is expected to live to 103,” Mr Abukhater told the Mena Pensions Conference.
“Are our systems equipped to handle these kind of life expectancies in the future? If so many people retire at 60, they are going to be in retirement for 43 years – so we need to adapt our retirement age to our changing life expectancy.”
Saudi Arabia came in the middle of Mercer’s ranking with a score of 58.9. The report said the country's index could be raised by improving the minimum level of support for the poorest aged individuals and increasing the labour force participation rate at older ages as life expectancies rise.
Mr Abukhater said the challenges of an ageing population, increased life expectancy and some individuals relying solely on their government for financial support in their retirement years will put the system under strain.
“To relieve that pressure, governments need to consider whether it is time to switch to a defined contribution scheme so that individuals can supplement their own future with the help of government support,” he said.
Leaderboard
15 under: Paul Casey (ENG)
-14: Robert MacIntyre (SCO)
-13 Brandon Stone (SA)
-10 Laurie Canter (ENG) , Sergio Garcia (ESP)
-9 Kalle Samooja (FIN)
-8 Thomas Detry (BEL), Justin Harding (SA), Justin Rose (ENG)
EPL's youngest
- Ethan Nwaneri (Arsenal)
15 years, 181 days old
- Max Dowman (Arsenal)
15 years, 235 days old
- Jeremy Monga (Leicester)
15 years, 271 days old
- Harvey Elliott (Fulham)
16 years, 30 days old
- Matthew Briggs (Fulham)
16 years, 68 days old
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
