Headphones have become essential for workplace survival, offering a polite defence against the colleague who narrates every thought, the unstoppable yapper on a sales call, or the person who believes lunch should be unwrapped as loudly as possible. The best pairs let you concentrate without having to feign a meeting or master the dark art of the pointed glare. Slip these sleek Bose on, and the world recedes, replaced by premium audio delivered through distinct listening modes: Quiet, Aware and Immersive. A new Cinema option lends better surround sound, giving dialogue extra weight and blockbusters more bombast, even on the move. Behind the scenes, the CustomTune technology adapts noise cancellation to the unique contours of your ears, subtly recalibrating the experience so music feels fuller, richer and more immediate every time. (bose.com)
GARMIN FORERUNNER 970
If you find yourself relying on guesswork, vague effort, or assuming a quick session in your condo gym is enough, the Forerunner offers a solution. Externally, it stays close to the familiar 47mm case of its predecessor, but the upgrade is immediately apparent in the bright and crisp 1.4 inch OLED display, now protected by sapphire glass and framed with a titanium bezel. It is tougher, clearer and far more legible when training stretches into late evenings. Under the hood, refined triathlon analytics bring greater clarity to pacing, recovery and training load. Refreshed software also improves day-to-day usability with offline voice control, smoother notifications, on-wrist calls, payments and music. For those who prefer a more structured daily regimen or are gearing up for Hyrox, a standout feature combines HRV status, recent exercise history and VO₂ max to show you are working out productively, peaking or pushing too hard. (garmin.com.sg)
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PAGEBOUND
Although compressing entire libraries into a slab of glass can sound faintly depressing, even if no actual books are harmed, the right platform can bring order to the sprawl and rein in the slow creep of tsundoku, the habit of buying books faster than you can ever read them. Founded by Lucy Zhao and Jennifer Dobak, Pagebound positions itself as pro-indie and firmly anti-AI, billing its ethos as “if Goodreads and Reddit had a baby”. A playful nod to Y2K internet culture runs through the design, with Reddit-style upvoting, half-star ratings and sub-scores adding texture to reviews. Championing overlooked voices, the founders regularly spotlight independent writers and host online spaces where bibliophiles can compare notes and swap recommendations. It also keeps an organised record of your habits, translating reading history into pleasing graphs by genre, mood and volume. (pagebound.co)
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FOREST
Working from home can feel like a minefield, especially when pets, games and cosy couches are all vying for your attention. Forest, a watchdog that rewards good behaviour with karma points, keeps the temptation at bay. The premise is simple: Plant a seed, set a timer and — as long as you stay on task — watch it grow into a tree. Wander off to the kitchen for a snack or stray into another browser mid-session, and your leafy companion withers. Each successful session earns you virtual coins, which can be spent on an ever-expanding arboretum of trees, mushrooms and other interesting flora. Rack up about 2,500 coins, and Forest converts your discipline into a real-world tree, planted through its reforestation partners. A new Time Guard feature surveils your phone habits, locking apps most likely to derail you. Meanwhile, the app’s Plus version offers richer stats and deeper insights, helping your digital garden thrive. (forestapp.cc)
GRANOLA
How much difference can there really be between the dozens of note-taking apps out there? Quite a lot, Granola argues, especially during crunch time. This discreet assistant transcribes discussions quietly in the background, working alongside your own scribbles rather than attempting a grand (and occasionally questionable) summary favoured by most AI-powered gizmos. Used on a Mac, Granola connects to your calendar and captures system audio directly. You can type as much or as little as you like during the meeting, before letting the AI tidy things up afterwards — filling gaps, fixing typos and adding context from the transcript. Computer-generated notes appear in grey and link directly back to the summary, making it easy to check accuracy or revisit what was actually said. Support for Zoom, Google Meet, Teams, Slack and WebEx rounds out a tool that makes meetings marginally less painful. (granola.ai)
SUN DAY
We already keep tabs on vitamins A, B and C, so it is only a matter of time before vitamin D comes under scrutiny. Developed by Twitter co-founder Jack Dorsey, Sun Day homes in on something most of us routinely misjudge: our true exposure to sunlight. Open the app, and it delivers the UV index for your location, alongside cloud cover and sunrise and sunset times. Choose from six skin types, factor in what you are wearing, and it calculates a safe window outdoors, complete with cues for when added protection is needed, like slapping on a wide-brimmed hat. Time outside is crucial for building stronger bones and teeth, but moderation matters, particularly in Malaysia, where clear skies are common enough to be taken for granted, yet the intensity remains easy to underestimate.
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SAMSUNG RING
Ever since fitness wearables muscled their way into everyone’s wardrobe a decade ago, brands have been selling more of them in a single quarter than the Swiss watch industry manages in an entire year. Still, ubiquity is not the same as subtlety. If you want a low-key way to keep tabs on your vitals, Samsung’s AI-powered titanium ring makes a convincing claim. The minimalist band houses three sensors: optical heart rate, accelerometer, and skin temperature. These track activity, flag fatigue, analyse sleep quality, and even predict fertile windows using menstrual cycle data. There is a neat bit of theatre, too. A Double Pinch gesture lets you silence alarms or trigger your phone’s camera when it is out of reach. At just 7mm wide and 2.6mm thick, it presents your health profile far more discreetly than a flashing billboard on your wrist. (samsung.com)
HEADSPACE
If meditation has ever struck you as a little hippy-dippy, Headspace has long offered a reassuringly grounded alternative, bolstered by the endorsement of actress Emma Watson. The app’s latest evolution is Ebb, an empathetic AI companion designed for moments when sitting cross-legged and counting breaths feels like too much effort. The digital avatar lets users talk things through out loud; nudges with gentle prompts when there is uncertainty about where to start — such as “Make me fall asleep” or “I need a pep talk”; and remembers past conversations for more thoughtful check-ins later. Built with clinical oversight rather than Silicon Valley bravado, it does not diagnose or therapise, but recommends programmes and advice proven in more than 70 peer-reviewed studies to improve your well-being. (headspace.com)
