Amazon is now delivering the second generation of its popular Echo device—the home assistant that has become one of the most talked about gadgets in Britain. But is it worth upgrading to the newer model? Will the old Echo still work?

In last weekend’s Sunday Times, style guru Toby Wiseman was asked by a male reader if it was ever acceptable to wear a smartwatch with a suit.  The answer was: not three years ago, but these days, yes. What surprised me wasn’t the answer, but range of available smartwatches that would actually look good with a suit. Around our offices, techy-looking smartwatches are cool, but clearly that is not the case everywhere. 

Google’s Chrome browser is our favourite, and not only because we have a plug-in for it that allows you to click-to-call straight from your browser screen. It is reliable, efficient and works beautifully on PCs as well as Macs.  Plus it has a huge ecosystem of extensions that make it even more powerful. The following are 10 of our favourite Chrome extensions—all of which are free.

Business jargon has reached a whole new level.  You have probably noticed a few phrases popping up in emails and meetings that are simply bizarre.

Perhaps web pages are loading slowly, or maybe your signal keeps dropping out. No matter what the issue, one thing is for certain: slow Wi-Fi can make the most patient of us very cross. This is particularly true if you use Wi-Fi for business, and you need it to function properly to get work done. Or if you use a soft phone like Bria with your VoIP business phone system, a good Wi-Fi signal is essential.

Imagine waking up and putting an earbud in everyday, as routinely as you put on your watch. Then imagine going throughout the day, attending various meetings across the city, with your little earbud reminding you of what was said last time you were in that particular spot. It is still in concept stages, but we are excited about a new headphone technology that will create a “sound version of Google Maps”, with people able to replay conversations, music and ambient noise from their past.

Technology cannot replace real experiences, but it can provide a window into experiences that we wouldn’t otherwise have glimpsed. Our favourite new technology has nothing to do with office phones or VoIP business phone systems, but rather… earth!  Google Earth relaunched this week, with features that will help us all to explore new parts of our planet in an exciting amount of detail. And needless to say, we have spent hours exploring it and still aren’t bored.

Some people take great pride in their EQ, i.e. their ability to recognise emotions and discern between different feelings, both in themselves and others.  It is a powerful quality to have, and one that embodies to the very essence of being human. But is it possible that a device can detect human emotion better than humans themselves? Possibly, at least for some of us. New wearable tech developed by researchers at MIT can tell you how someone is feeling from the sound of their voice. 

This  year the largest technology show on earth unveiled some remarkable new gadgets. The CES 2017 (Consumer Electronics Show), which takes place in Las Vegas every January, showcased everything from a bluetooth headset that muffles your voice for privacy to a "smart" whistle that is capable of emailing your contacts. 

It is a New Year, bringing with it new resolutions, and of course—new technology!  But will 2017 be the year where the most interesting budding tech becomes mainstream? No one knows for sure, but we can make some educated predictions on which technology trends will dominate the landscape.