Top 5 gadgets out in July

If you’ve ever spent a night at a music festival expectantly slumped over a portable BBQ, desperately fanning flames with a rolled-up copy of the programme, I have a gizmo for you. Small yet perfectly formed, this pretty little grill trumps its bucket-style rivals thanks to a built-in battery-powered fan. Charcoal gets hot enough to receive your meaty offerings within five minutes, while the fan reduces smoke inhalation. The resultant meal may not score highly on smoky flavour, but it also doesn’t get burnt—a definite plus.

The public generally refer to all eReaders as Kindles, such is Amazon’s dominance in the sector. But there are some quality competitors out there worthy of consideration, not least Canada’s Kobo. This latest model has an admittedly characterless plastic chassis, but is a pleasure to read, with a responsive touch screen, easy-to-see no-glare display, lightweight case and long-lasting battery. Set-up is straightforward and there’s a library of 4.7 million books to choose from, which should see you through the summer holidays.

Well, hey there, good lookin’, fancy joining me in the shower? This dust-proof Bluetooth speaker is intended for camping and picnics, but is so aesthetically alluring and sonically powerful (and, most importantly, completely waterproof) that I’ve adopted it as my bathroom sound system too. And the battery lasts 40 hours, which is a lot of baths. It’s a little heavy to take on a mini-break, but is, by far, the best all-weather all-rounder I’ve tested.

The concept of this travel app is certainly sound: travel guides geared towards the season you’re visiting. But it’s not focused enough—it would be more useful to receive information targeted around the precise dates one is visiting a city, rather than the quarterly period. And, though it looks pretty, the emphasis on pictures rather than words results in frustratingly little content.

By accessing your co-ordinates and cross-referencing council data, this app enables you to file speedily a report of a pothole, graffiti-strewn wall, broken street light or noisy neighbour to the relevant local governmental authority—and it works offline. It’s informative and amusing to browse or update reports others in your community have filed too.

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