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
In numbers: PKK’s money network in Europe
Germany: PKK collectors typically bring in $18 million in cash a year – amount has trebled since 2010
Revolutionary tax: Investigators say about $2 million a year raised from ‘tax collection’ around Marseille
Extortion: Gunman convicted in 2023 of demanding $10,000 from Kurdish businessman in Stockholm
Drug trade: PKK income claimed by Turkish anti-drugs force in 2024 to be as high as $500 million a year
Denmark: PKK one of two terrorist groups along with Iranian separatists ASMLA to raise “two-digit million amounts”
Contributions: Hundreds of euros expected from typical Kurdish families and thousands from business owners
TV channel: Kurdish Roj TV accounts frozen and went bankrupt after Denmark fined it more than $1 million over PKK links in 2013
Teams
Punjabi Legends Owners: Inzamam-ul-Haq and Intizar-ul-Haq; Key player: Misbah-ul-Haq
Pakhtoons Owners: Habib Khan and Tajuddin Khan; Key player: Shahid Afridi
Maratha Arabians Owners: Sohail Khan, Ali Tumbi, Parvez Khan; Key player: Virender Sehwag
Bangla Tigers Owners: Shirajuddin Alam, Yasin Choudhary, Neelesh Bhatnager, Anis and Rizwan Sajan; Key player: TBC
Colombo Lions Owners: Sri Lanka Cricket; Key player: TBC
Kerala Kings Owners: Hussain Adam Ali and Shafi Ul Mulk; Key player: Eoin Morgan
Venue Sharjah Cricket Stadium
Format 10 overs per side, matches last for 90 minutes
Timeline October 25: Around 120 players to be entered into a draft, to be held in Dubai; December 21: Matches start; December 24: Finals
The specs
- Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
- Power: 640hp
- Torque: 760nm
- On sale: 2026
- Price: Not announced yet
How to help
Donate towards food and a flight by transferring money to this registered charity's account.
Account name: Dar Al Ber Society
Account Number: 11 530 734
IBAN: AE 9805 000 000 000 11 530 734
Bank Name: Abu Dhabi Islamic Bank
To ensure that your contribution reaches these people, please send the copy of deposit/transfer receipt to: juhi.khan@daralber.ae
Our family matters legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
Electric scooters: some rules to remember
- Riders must be 14-years-old or over
- Wear a protective helmet
- Park the electric scooter in designated parking lots (if any)
- Do not leave electric scooter in locations that obstruct traffic or pedestrians
- Solo riders only, no passengers allowed
- Do not drive outside designated lanes
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Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.
Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.
“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.
“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.
Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.
From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.
Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.
BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.
Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.
Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.
“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.
“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.
“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”
The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”
Smart words at Make Smart Cool
Make Smart Cool is not your usual festival. Dubbed “edutainment” by organisers Najahi Events, Make Smart Cool aims to inspire its youthful target audience through a mix of interactive presentation by social media influencers and a concert finale featuring Example with DJ Wire. Here are some of the speakers sharing their inspiration and experiences on the night.
Prince Ea
With his social media videos accumulating more half a billion views, the American motivational speaker is hot on the college circuit in the US, with talks that focus on the many ways to generate passion and motivation when it comes to learning.
Khalid Al Ameri
The Emirati columnist and presenter is much loved by local youth, with writings and presentations about education, entrepreneurship and family balance. His lectures on career and personal development are sought after by the education and business sector.
Ben Ouattara
Born to an Ivorian father and German mother, the Dubai-based fitness instructor and motivational speaker is all about conquering fears and insecurities. His talk focuses on the need to gain emotional and physical fitness when facing life’s challenges. As well managing his film production company, Ouattara is one of the official ambassadors of Dubai Expo2020.
GAC GS8 Specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 248hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 400Nm at 1,750-4,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 9.1L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh149,900
