ALL THE BIGGEST STORIES FROM PLANET TECH
HOT FIVE #1
HEIR OF THE DOG
Ask a load of dog owners what they love about being idolised by their four-legged friend, and being greeted every day like areturning war hero is sure to come up at least once or twice. One of the worst things? The fact that they eventually die, leaving abig fluffy hole in your life. Sadly LG hasn’t come up with away to make dogs immortal, but its latest smart home gadget might be the best way to feel the joy without the pain.
This two-wheeled voice-controlled robot is powered by Qualcomm’s Robotics RB5 Platform, so it can recognise faces using its built-in camera and even analyse what kind of mood you’re in based on your facial expressions and tone of voice. It’s more than just asolo welcoming committee, though: it can provide transport updates, weather forecasts and calendar reminders before you leave the house in the morning; and while you’re out, it’ll patrol your gaff and ping your phone if it spots any open windows or notices that you’ve left the living-room lamp on.
Perhaps best of all, there’s no chance of it weeing all over the floor when you get back after along day at work. As hot as… awaft of rancid dog breath £tba /lg.com
HOT FIVE #2
PIC UP THE PIECES
The world of instant photography has changed alot since Polaroid invented it in the 1940s, but it’s never been easier than with Lego’s recreation of the classic OneStep. All you have to do is press the red button on the front and it’ll spit out one of the three perfectly exposed ‘photos’, which include aminifig portrait of the godfather of shakeable snaps, Polaroid co-founder Edwin HLand.
It works using asimple rubber-band mechanism that should give you something extra to get your fingers around when building it –and that’s not the only bit of the 516-piece set that works either: hold the viewfinder up to your eye and you’ll be able to see right through, while the exposure compensation dial can also be turned.
Based on the 1977 model that brought instant photography to the masses, it has adoor on the front that allows you to load your photo, with abuildable film pack for storing them. It might be more expensive than buying areal one on eBay, but at least it won’t cost you anything every time you press the shutter button.
As hot as… Edwin HLand’sprivate collection of scantily clad Polaroid selfies £70 /lego.com
HOT FIVE #3
THE KING OF BLOCK ’N’ ROLL
James Milner is afootballer with a reputation for being the most boring player in the Premier League; there’s even aTwitter account with nearly 650,000 followers that mocks him for it. But while J-Milnz might not have aTikTok-worthy goal celebration, and you don’t see him splashed all over the tabloids for his off-pitch antics, he’s quietly become one of the most succes
