Plug in, Turn on, Geek out & Hit play
International editor Adrian Bridgwater and Lauren McGregor spin around the best gadgets available to consumers this season.
From the seriously weird to the seriously fun – there’s something out there for everyone!
Adrian Bridgwater & Lauren McGregor
Nobody likes getting out of bed – so why not do it with a bang and a whizz… and start your day off with some fun? This new infuriatingly effective Flying Alarm Clock is available from popular gadget websites such as Amazon and Firebox and it’s sure to leave its mark on you!
STAR TREK RED ALERT
So what makes the Flying Alarm Clock so get-out-of-beddingly effective, then? Well, as its name suggests this digital clock actually flies. No, really. A propeller-driven module spins off the base unit every time the shrill alarm (think of the Star Trek red alert siren) goes off.
The catch is, the noisy alarm won’t turn off until you retrieve the propeller and replace it on the base. Which means you have to get out of bed and search for it. How ingeniously irritating is that?
So here’s the real problem, you’ll actually have to be alert when you wake up so that you can find and retrieve the ‘copter top’ – this means no more stumbling across the room in zombified-autopilot mode like you do when you try the old put-the-alarm-clock-over-there-under-a-cushion ploy, because the pesky propeller can land anywhere. Aargh!
THE MAGIC WAND REMOTE CONTROL
If you are a bit of a Harry Potter fan and fancy yourself as the next Wizard in your neighbourhood then you’ll love this new Magic Wand Remote Control. How it works is really utterly astounding; this gizmo looks like the kind of thing you might find in the hands of Gandalf the wizard from the Lord of the Rings. The difference is you use it to control your television, digibox/program-selector, stereo or any other infra-red device via various Wizard-ish gestures. Simply swish, whirl and flick to change channels, adjust volume and much more.
“This gizmo looks like the kind of thing you might find in a Harry Potter film or perhaps even in the hands of Gandalf the wizard from the Lord of the Rings movies.”
WARD OFF RIVAL WIZARDS
Totally button-free, the Wand can ‘learn’ up to 13 infrared codes from your existing remote(s) and fling them into the ether when you perform one of 13 predefined gestures. It’s a kind of magic. You can assign various functions to various moves: flicks to turn on and off; spins to control volume; big swishes to mute and so on.
You’ll be flicking just for the fun of it. Better still, rival ‘wizards’ will be unable to mess with the television or other unit unless you show them your moves.
To add to its supernatural nature, the Wand also features a ‘heartbeat’ in the form of various pulses that confirm gesture recognition and tell you when the batteries are low. It even goes into sleep mode after 60 seconds of inactivity and ‘wakes’ when you pick it up.
USB MICROSCOPE
Have you ever wondered what a cookie crumb looks like up close? Or if you’re a really creepy kind of person, how about a toenail clipping? If you have then you need the amazing USB Microscope.
This funky looking USB-powered instrument lets you zoom in (from 20x to 200x) on any object you feel that you have an unnaturally unhealthy interest in.
Thanks to its accompanying software you can record your findings as photos and videos on your PC – that way you can bring all your friends round to witness what kind of weird stuff you’ve been cross examining!
You can hold it like a pen or pop it on its little desktop stand. It even boasts an internal white LED to illuminate objects to the max. You’ll never be bored at your desk again – we guarantee it!
If by any chance you do get tired of examining cookie crumbs, mouldy lumps of cheese, egg stains and flakes of dandruff, you can always don a white coat and grab a few bugs and insects and try and really learn something useful!
PEBBLE POWER
There’s really no excuse for running out of power on your favourite mobile device these days – we all like to stay online, connected and generally powered up pretty much all of the time right now. But power sockets don’t grow on trees do they? So thankfully the Pebble Portable Charger is on hand for us.
This emergency juicer-upper is a serious bit of kit for anyone who owns an iPhone/iPod, Flip, Muvi Atom or any other USB-friendly gizmo. So that means most of us these days right!?
Despite its tiny dimensions, the rubbery-feel Pebble houses a meaty 5000mA battery. So now a little maths: the iPhone 3G’s battery is 1200mA, which means the Pebble holds sufficient juice to charge it four times over!
USB powered, this travelling companion even features a handy charge indicator so you can see how much power you have left. You just might find that you can’t work out how you ever lived without one!
MP3 OVERBORARD!
So we all love our MP3 players don’t we? In fact, we all love our digital cameras and various other smartphone type devices don’t we? But the problem with MP3 players and digital cameras is that they hate water. Well we assume they do because they have a habit of short-circuiting the second they hit the old wet stuff.
Now this is a real pain for those of us that like to get out and about where there is a chance of coming into contact with some water from the skies or even the seas (or a swimming pool or the bath even!) – so that’s why we’ve been on the lookout for a way to keep your cameras, MP3 players and various other fun gadgets dry.
Step forward Overboard Waterproof Cases. These impact resistant, heavy duty PVC cases will keep your gadgets 100% dry. Thanks to transparent front and rear windows they allow full access to all the relevant controls when sealed. This means you can take pics in the pool, snaps on the slopes and listen to your music in countless watery scenarios. Go for the MP3 Case and you can listen and splosh simultaneously via the included fully waterproof headphones. Yes, really!
MAKING MUVI MOVIES WITH A MICRO CAMCORDER
Remember when camcorders were bigger than wheelbarrows and heavier than anvils? Well thankfully that day is long gone – and now we have the Muvi Micro Camcorder to really take things to another level.
Impossibly small, this ludicrously small movie cam is set to redefine the genre. One button does the lot. Moreover, at only 2” x 0¾” x 0¾”, it’s the smallest camcorder in the world. You can even wear it around your neck and use it as a webcam. Try doing that with your old tape-munching camcorder. Actually, don’t. You’ll hurt yourself and break your computer. Muvi records in VGA quality (640×480) equivalent to the best selling Mino and Ultra by Flip.
Videos are stored on the included 2GB Micro SD card, but for those of you who prefer real epics the Muvi can handle cards up to 8GB.
Wannabe movie moguls with a penchant for boxing gloves can rest easy because the Muvi has a special VOX mode that lets you start/stop recording using your voice (or any other noise over 65 decibels). “Annnnd….action!” It’s ideal for those moments when your hands aren’t to…erm, hand, or you feel like going on a Christian Bale style rant.
Speaking of action, this sleek miracle of miniaturisation is encased in a tough metal shell. Finally, the boffins behind the Muvi have created an Extreme Sports Pack. This smart collection of brackets, clips and straps allows all you to attach the camera to almost anything. Even your bike helmet.
THE TABLET WARS
One gadget on many of our sales wish lists this year has got to be a tablet device. Apple’s iPad stormed the shops earlier in the year and got us salivating for more. Although the iPad is a beauty, there are some features missed off its tech spec that we are hoping to see from other devices. Things like a front/back facing camera, Flash support, expandable memory and HDMI port USB support; well as if our desires were heard by the chaps over at Android, we bring you the WiFi and 3G enabled Apad A8. The Apad A8 brings you all of the features missed off the iPad and more…all without breaking the bank, coming in at under $300.
This device will fit into your working life seamlessly with 512MB onboard memory with the option to expand up to 16G expandable via the Micro SD reader slot. It also boasts integration of the Microsoft Office applications we love and use, including Word, Excel and PowerPoint, as well as a pretty neat PDF reader. It is not all work and no play for this device though, all our multimedia dreams work a treat on its huge 10.2 inch multi-touch screen running on a swift 1GHz processor. Whether it is films or gaming, the Apad’s accelerometer, duel speakers, HD video playback and 3D graphics acceleration make the experience a delight.
The Apad A8 also hosts lots of intergrated application such as MSN, Skype and GTalk so we can make all our friends jealous of our fab new tablet.
T-SHIRT
Not all of these geeky gadgets are for boys you know? Despite appearances – many of these devices go down very well with the fairer sex.
One product that is definitely not for the boys though is this stylish fitted T-shirt that features an electro-luminescent heart-shaped motif that flashes and pulsates in time with the music it ‘hears’.
How? A tiny battery pack is hidden in a pocket just inside the hem. This powers the gleaming, noise-sensitive LEDs within the heart. Rendering every other ‘look at me’ T-shirt utterly obsolete, the TQ Style Tee is the ultimate in club-wear. Simply flick the hidden ‘on’ switch & prepare to be gaped at.
PRICES & AVAILABILITY
As previously stated, all of these products are available online from sites such as eBay, Amazon and Firebox.com — prices (and offers) change daily, so simply Google some of the product names you’ve seen here to get the best deals.
