Featured Hotels Destinations Move Work Events Videos
Gadgets

Good buys

If you are feeling a little hollow as the dust settles on the Christmas period, maybe another bout of frantic purchasing is in order. Get the new year off to a good start with this bundle of techno-travel gadgets

Comments  

Netgear Skype Wi-Fi phone
Finally internet calls get up from the PC and start leaping around the house. If you can get over the slightly tacky stylings, the freedom to roam the house as you take advantage of the wonders of VoIP makes up for it.
Netgear’s Skype WiFi Phone is the world’s first wireless Internet phone that can make free calls to other Skype users anywhere in the world, anytime you have WiFi access, without a PC. Up to 200 contacts are shown right on the phone’s colour display so you will know exactly who is online. You will also be more available for your friends to call, because you no longer have to be on your PC to be connected. You can even make calls to ordinary phones using SkypeOut for just pennies a minute and no monthly fees.
from £150.00

Sony camera
Lineage doesn’t always count for much in gadget-land, but cameras are a different matter. Making a box that takes decent photos seems to be a skill few companies can master, especially with any consistency. That’s why Nikon and Canon are still at the top of the tree. However, the T30 represnts Sony’s attempt to reach straight for the upper branches. Rolling into town in the wake of the T7 and T9, two of the finest compact snappers of 2005, it packs even more power than those illustrious predecessors. Look round the back and tell us you don’t get a little clammy over that new 3in display. The sensor has been upped to 7.2megapixels as well, and goes to a supersensitive ISO 1000 for shooting in low light. The casing is aluminium – even though it feels more like solid plastic – and you can’t complain about the sleek styling. It’s in use, though, that this finely honed image-taker leaves the others in the blocks; the sensible-shoes lens cover acts as an on/off switch when slid up or down, and popping it down results in almost instant start-up. Shutter lag also seems non-existent – the autofocus locks on in an instant, even in dark rooms where flash might be needed.

Nokia N93 phone
If you’re looking for that sleek phone that won’t ruin the line of your suit skip this bulky beauty. If you’re looking for the killer combo of a phone, camera and camcorder you won’t do better than this though, with sharp images and all the usual telephony gubbins along with Nokia’s web browser, this is a tidy package. As far as video recording and picture quality go, this model is best on the market. Not only that, but if work on the go is a must the pre-installed software can work with office documents, including QuickOffice, one of the best applications for Symbian and there’s also a PDF-file reader.

Taxi Hailer
As the winter months ensure that we spend increasingly large bookends of the day shrouded in darkness, it is pleasing to know that somebody out there has spared a thought for those of us stranded on the pavement, flapping our arms in vain to be seen by passing taxis. The Taxi Hailer is a convenient credit card-sized super bright flashing light.  Designed by London Taxi Driver Tony Brady, it is easily spotted by taxi drivers negotiating their way through crowded streets.  The hope is that this will revolutionise the frustrating cab-hailing process; preventing people from throwing themselves into the path of oncoming traffic to stop a taxi and giving a sense of security to lone travellers late at night. Whether you can get the thing out of your pocket and flashing in time to catch the fickle eye of a passing cabbie, is another matter.  
£9.99.

Bopit
For those who have long craved to play the ridiculously addictive toy but feared they would look stupid with the garish lights and plastic casing can breath a sigh of relief. There’s a new executive Bop-It in town – introducing Bop-It Extreme 2. Not content with updating its look Extreme have upped the gaming ante with new music and hidden beats to unlock. Choose between a pop, rock, Latin or R&B soundtrack to bop it to, and the longer you play, the more the beats evolve and change. And if you don’t want your fellow passengers to kill you? You can Bop-It solo and hone your skills and coordination in silence thanks to the handy headphone jack.
£24.95

Griffin iPod Accessories
As if our little white friend wasn’t perfect already, there are myriad accessories to the music trapped within the white prison to your car stereo, home HiFi or anything else with an FM receiver. No wires, no hassle and it can get radio for you as well. The PowerJolt will bring your beloved back to life if you’re out and about, serving as in-car charger you can listen to your tunes while it does its magic. The iTalkPro boasts twin internal microphones for recording in CD-quality stereo, ideal for all your dictating need. Not only that, but the iTalkPro also allows you to record off other audio devices straight into your iPod by connecting it to anything with a headphone socket and pressing record.

Current issue