A laptop like no other, a set of speaker like you've never seen before, and a dream drone
The laptop I've been waiting for isn't even really a laptop, the speakers I want I could never afford, and the video-capable quadcopter I want is for professionals. All seems perfectly fair.
Microsoft Surface Book
Let me start with a little context. I love desktops. Given the choice, I'll always use a desktop PC over and above anything else. It's what I use in the office and it's what I use at home the vast majority of the time. Don't get me wrong, I have several laptops and tablets; and they have a time and a place, but if I want to do anything useful, I'll head to my desktop every single time.
Part of the reason for this preference is the power that desktops offer. My main machine is built around an aging, but still powerful, Intel Core i7-3820, with 16GB of RAM, a decent-enough graphics card in the shape of a Radeon 7970 (it's not exactly up to date, but that means I don't want to have to keep unseating it for testing elsewhere) all hooked up to a Samsung SyncMaster 345T display. This is where I play games, edit videos, and mess around with photos.
Neither this machine, nor my home one, is going to challenge the Maximum PC Dream Machine 2015, but they're both capable, and fulfill my needs admirably. Apart from in one obvious area—they're not portable. When I'm out at events, in meetings or traveling, these machines are useless to me. I could VPN in, but really, that's far more hassle than it's worth.
Of course, there are plenty of powerful laptops I could grab (and I've bought a few in my time), but I have a problem with pretty much all of them—they're either too big, too heavy, or too noisy. The more gaming-oriented machines tend to look a little juvenile, too. I've always wanted a machine that is capable of gaming, but is so subtle, you wouldn't know it. I love sleek machines. Thin and lights are the right size and weight, but all too often come up wanting in the performance stakes.
The Microsoft Surface Book is pretty much my ideal portable machine. It's svelte, stylish, and powerful. Surprisingly powerful. The fact that you can rip the keyboard off when you're in confined (or more relaxed) areas certainly appeals as well. Admittedly, the model I lust after the most is the utterly tricked-out version—Intel Core i7, Nvidia GPU, and 1TB SSD thank you very much, but if push came to shove, I could settle for a less capable model. As long as it still had discrete graphics.
There are plenty of reasons to like the Surface Book, but the screen is probably the main one. The 13.5-inch PixelSense screen is gorgeous—offering up a display to make your Retina-owning companions jealous. With a native resolution of 3000x2000 pixels, this tiny laptop/tablet is going to be great for Photoshop and video work, and at just 3.3lbs, it's easy to hold in your hand, too.
If there's a problem with the Surface Book, it's the price. While it starts at a fairly reasonable $1,499, the version I'm pining after more than doubles that to $3,199. That's almost Apple pricing right there. The thing is, for once it looks like it's going to be worth paying over the odds for. Impressive—especially given I haven't been impressed with any of Microsoft's Surface offerings until now.
What I can do with the Microsoft Surface Book, that I couldn't do before?
I haven't had a portable machine that I can rely on for real power for a few years now—time is a particularly cruel mistress when it comes to technology. So the fact that I will be able to do proper work (and play proper games) once again when out and about, will make a huge difference to what I do and where I do it. Whether that's editing video while flying my quadcopter, or even just tapping away in tablet mode when enjoying a film. I hate to use the hyperbole, but the Surface Book really could be a game changer.
Bang & Olufsen BeoLab 90
If my love for the Surface Book hasn't given the game away already, I value aesthetics highly. Possibly a little too highly. Maybe it's my engineering background, but I can be turned off by a piece of tech purely because of its looks. Which I realize is a bit odd when it comes to something that is defined mainly by how it sounds. But let's face it, a decent set of speakers is often in your face, so aesthetics definitely are important. It's part of the reason the likes of Bower & Wilkins Nautilus have done so well—they not only sound great, but they look incredible, too. And the BeoLab 90 looks absolutely incredible. Honestly, I could just look at these for hours and hours.
But wait, what's this? Home theater speakers? Not a pair of really good speakers for my desktop? Well, no. Not when it comes to watching films and great TV. I watch movies in front of a screen that was designed for the purpose—a screen I can easily share with my family. I have a lovely Sony screen that I bought myself a few birthdays ago, and that's my LCD of choice.
I haven't managed to pony up the cash for a proper audio setup yet though, so I'm left with my televisions built in-speakers. Which are a bit lackluster, to be fair. Of course, at this point you're probably wondering why I'm not coveting a surround-sound setup. To be honest, I've never been impressed with them. I did have a surround sound set of speakers a few years back, but the amount of fiddling to set them up just before moving house, meant that they never made it out of the box again. At least until eBay turned them into something more worthwhile. The trailing wires were a bit of a problem with a young family, too.
To be fair, $40,000 is pretty steep even if you do want the best darn looking speaker the world has ever seen. That's per unit by the way, so you're looking at $80,000 for the pair. And I'll be honest, this is utter fantasy territory here, there's no way I can afford to splash so much cash on a pair of speakers, but what are we without our dreams? Although, if someone wants to make a cheap-but-just-as-beautiful version of these, I'm all ears… so to speak.
So, what does that amount of cash net you, apart from the stunning looks? The unique design isn't just for your eyeballs, it actually incorporates some incredible tech, too. The angular design enables the sound to be bounced around the room to produce a great sound stage no matter the shape of your room, or how many people are in it. Active Room Compensation calibration is the key here, as it can even take into account your furniture and furnishing.
The units weigh a stunning 300 pounds each and boast a total of 18 drivers. There are seven 30mm tweeters, seven 86mm midrange drivers, three 212mm woofers, and finally, a 260mm front woofer. The BeoLab 90's amplifiers can apparently deliver up to 8,200 watts per loudspeaker too—which is, totally terrifying.
What I can do with the BeoLab 90, that I couldn't do before?
Enjoy the full cinematic experience once again, without turning the house into a wire-filled death trap. The fact that I'll be able to define a sweet spot just for me, that takes into consideration my room is certainly intriguing, as is being able to change the soundscape depending on who is enjoying the film with me. I'm happy with the visuals, so getting the sound spot on seems only fair.
DJI Phantom 3 Professional
Quadcopters, in case you've been hiding under a moldy rock, are big news. They've been around for a little while now, but falling prices have meant that they're now within the grasp of everyone. Even moldy tech journalists. We're not talking simple dumb toys here, either. These days you can pick up the likes of the JJRC H12C for under $100, and fly seeing what the quadcopter can see by virtue of the live stream on your phone.
There are a few problems with these budget offerings though, and if you really want a device the truly breaks away from being a toy, then you'll be hankering after something along the lines of the DJI Phantom 3 Professional. Seriously, technolust barely begins to cover the yearning this quadcopter stirs in me. Even the $1,259 doesn't seem too outlandish. The three-axis stabilized gimbal makes me as giddy as a teenager, while the ability to record video at 4K sends me swooning. Throw in the fact that you can set it up to rise to a preset height and stay there recording with a touch of a button, and return to its point of origin.
What I can do with the DJI Phantom 3 Professional, that I couldn't do before?
While my budget H12C quadcopter is good fun, and great for trying out ideas, the main reason I bought it in was to see what it'd be like flying a quadcopter from the point of view of the drone itself. The Phantom 3 Professional would allow me to do that, but also try out plenty of video ideas that have been knocking around my head for a while.
And how does this all tie back into being an editor on Maximum PC? Well, I'm going to need somewhere to edit those 4K videos together, aren't I? In fact, I might need to budget in an upgrade or two while I'm at it. A decent 4K screen certainly wouldn't go amiss, for starters.
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