Amazon Kindle Touch
Price: From $170
Verdict: Faster, crisper, with great online
services and a useful touchscreen - this is the best Kindle yet
Ratings: 5/5
Amazon’s latest ebook reader has the most
realistic looking screen we’ve seen, plus a responsive and intuitive
touchscreen. The result? As you swipe between pages you might as well be
flicking through a real book. But then you wouldn’t be able to input text with
the on screen keyboard, mark passages with your finger, or get dictionary
definitions with a tap. The touch interface also makes the outstanding Kindle
store easier than ever to navigate, and books are still delivered in seconds
over Wi-Fi or the optional free 3G unit. Shame you can’t surf the web over 3G
any more though.
Motorola MOTOACTV
Price: $305
Ratings: 5/5
Motorola
MOTOACTV
This touchscreen GPS tracker and MP3 player
learns which songs make you move faster. Pair it up with Moto's now on sale
SF600 Bluetooth headphones (US$160) and it'll cleverly route calls from your
Android smartphone mid workout. Not bad for a watch.
iRobot Roomba 770
Price: $520
Ratings: 5/5
Fast, efficient and powerful, this little
robot vacuum cleaner is everything we fleshy humans aren't. Clever algorithms
guide it across your room, its brush delves into the trickiest of corners and
it even charges itself. Fair warning: may petrify cats.
ION Discover Guitar USB
Price: $160
Ratings: 5/5
You might not want to headline a festival
with it, but this USB plug-and-play guitar is the perfect package for rock
rookies. Video tutorials, bundled effects software and the ability to record
directly to GarageBand will have you shredding like a pro in no time.
Parrot AR.Drone 2.0
Price: $440
Ratings: 5/5
The second-generation of this
app-controlled quadricopter boasts a 720p camera, easier control and best of
all the ability to do flips. No one needs an AR.Drone 2.0, but every gadget fan
should want one. Budget extra for a spare battery, though.
Synology DS212J
Price: $235
Ratings: 5/5
Slot two hard drives into this little white
NAS box and you can back up your precious data and stream it via DLNA to TVs,
consoles, tablets or phones. It's also a print, FTP, mail and iTunes server,
with iOS and Android apps. Energy efficiency is a nice green bonus.
Wacom Inkling
Price: $210
Ratings: 5/5
Wacom’s Hi-Tech doodler writes like an
ordinary (albeit slightly chunky) ballpoint pen, but you wouldn’t want to chew
on it. Its clever insides track each pen stroke before transferring and
converting your sketches to layer-separable digital versions. Neat.
Sennheiser X320
Price: $175
Price: 5/5
These comfy gaming cans with a noise
cancelling mic, bass boost and separate volume controls for in game and voice
channels are aimed squarely at Xbox 360 users. Check out the new U 320s, which
will play nicely with your PS3, PC and Mac to boot (see right).
HP Envy 110
Price: $246
Ratings: 5/5
Packing all the basics as well as wireless
printing and AirPrint for easy use with iDevices, this whisper quiet printer
performs as smoothly as its metal and glass chassis might suggest. Did we
mention it has its own email address for printing photos? Oh, we just did.
Sphero Robotic Ball
Price: $160
Ratings: 4/5
This smartphone controlled robotic ball
doesn't need to exist, but it’s tough waterproof shell, LED lights and NASA
pedigree make us glad it does. With various compatible apps and a thumbs up
from President Obama, this is the ultimate spherical accessory.
Instant expert
In a world flooded with elite snipers and
master fraggers, you should take every little advantage you can on the virtual
battlefield. Sennheiser is more than happy to help with its update to the X320
gaming headset the Sennheiser U 320. (US$175, sennheiser.com). These new boys
feature the same noise cancelling microphone as their elder XBox360 focused
siblings, spacious detailed sound and a bass boost mode designed to allow you
to enjoy truly ear watering explosions. The U 320s also have a tone switch to
help you monitor the volume of your own voice a godsend for your other half, no
doubt. Throw in Xbox 360, PS3 and PC/Mac compatibility and you have the
equivalent of an auditory Swiss Army Knife that'll provide plenty of boom.
What to look for
Fun times
From sleek designs and clever tricks to
sheer silly fun, one way or another gadgets should get your tech senses
tingling. If you're not enjoying yourself, what's the point?
Ease of use
If you need a 96-page manual, you (or they)
are doing it wrong. Gadgets exist to enhance our lives and make things easier,
so look for tech that's a doddle to set up, simple to use and easy to maintain.
Looks that kill
A gadget should be more than just a pretty
face but if your shiny new toy will be prominently on display, then go for
something that oozes just a little bit of style.
Tech friendly
Look for compatibility with as much
existing gear as possible. If you're running a Mac, make sure software is
available. OS support, cable sharing and upgradeability will all make life
easier in the long run which decreases the likelihood you'll end up chucking
your tech away.
