Nick's Naked Gadgets

Cheap portable digital radio - Technika DAB-108P Portable DAB/FM Radio

Some technologies take a long time to recover from early hype. Digital radio or Digital Audio Broadcasting (DAB) is a classic example. It was supposed to offer CD-quality sound. Unfortunately it often can’t even match FM radio.

The better the audio equipment, the more DAB’s shortcomings are revealed. Away from the living room hi-fi, however, there is an area where DAB should be prospering, that’s in the pocket. Portable music player sound quality isn’t that critical because the music’s usually in competition with trains, cars, buses and all the other sounds of the city.

There have been pocket DAB radios around for a while, but compared with MP3 players they seem bulky and expensive. The smallest pocket DAB radio was the size of a pack of cards, and that doesn’t compare well with devices such as the dainty iPod Nano.

Now this is changing. New DAB chips can be put into smaller and cheaper packages such as this Technika device from Tesco. An even tinier and slightly more stylish portable DAB player has also been launched by Goodmans although it’ll set you back an extra tenner. Both, incidentally, have FM radios built in as well.

Unfortunately they haven’t shaken off one DAB radio annoyance. Both use their headphones as an aerial. So if you find the supplied set uncomfortable or are dissatisfied with the sound quality you can’t do much about it as your spare pair of buds probably won’t work.

On the quality front, digital radio could be set for a resurgence, but perhaps not here. There is a new standard called, unsurprisingly, “DAB 2” which offers superior sound and the potential for more stations. But, because the UK was one of the first countries to adopt the original DAB standard, there are loads of old sets around that could be left behind by the new technology. So it could be a while before many British broadcasters start to invest in DAB 2.

Price: £34.97 Further information from tesco.com

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Nokia E71 smartphone - Apple's iPhone is not the only game in town

Thanks to the success of its publicity machine, aided and abetted by the world’s media, it would be easy to gain the impression that Apple was the biggest player in the world of mobile phones. But in comparison with the Nokia elephant Apple is a mere flea.

Look at the figures. As Apple was celebrating selling a million 3G iPhones over its launch weekend Nokia was announcing sales of 122 million handsets over the three months to June. That puts into perspective the target of 10 million iPhone sales by the end of the year.

The comparison is unfair in that Nokia sells dozens of different handsets whereas Apple has only one design, albeit one that’s very good for consumers of media. For anybody who wants to watch videos, surf the web or listen to music on the go the iPhone is hard to beat.

It’s not so good for responding to emails, texting or working on documents. That’s where the Nokia E71 really comes into its own, partly thanks to its full keyboard, but also because of the audience it’s designed for. The “E” in the name stands for “enterprise”.

Although it’s a business-oriented handset, the Nokia E71 isn’t all work and no play. One neat touch is a choice of “modes” which allows you to switch from business to pleasure with the appropriate functions pushed to the fore.

And the E71 has every function you could possibly desire from a smartphone including GPS, a 3.2 megapixel camera and a very full set of productivity software even including a document scanner. As ever with a Nokia all this is easily navigated through an intuitive menu system.

All this fits into a design which is slightly smaller than an iPhone. Nokia claims it’s the thinnest ever phone with a qwerty keyboard. Despite its pocket-loving size the quantity of metal used in its construction means it feels very solid.

This article was originally published in The Scotsman in August 2008

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Will anybody fall for the Hi-Fi Wi-Fi charms of the Creative Zen X-Fi?

 

Few manufacturers promote their MP3 players on the quality of their sound. Instead the selling points are weight, capacity, battery life, design and even their range of colours.

This seems a bit of an omission considering the main purpose of these devices is to listen to music.

It's uncharitable to suggest that most people buy MP3 players mainly as fashion accessories, although there may be more than a grain of truth in that. But how many of us would have the nerve to go into an electrical shop and ask to test a variety of players? Even if we did the results from a noisy showroom probably wouldn't tell us very beyond the way most players sound lousy.

So it's a brave move by Creative to focus on the audio quality of its Zen X-Fi series. These use technology to fill in the gaps from compressed music such as MP3s and to make the sound seem to come from outside your head. Some people will find this an improvement, partly depending on their taste in music. The problem is sound quality is so subjective.

That said, almost everybody will appreciate the quality of the earphones included with the device which are far better than you'll get with almost any other MP3 player.

The tiny device - smaller than a credit card and not much thicker - has some other tricks up its sleeve notably its wi-fi capability. This means you can stream music stored on your bedroom computer into the living room, listening through headphones or with the player plugged into a stereo.

Rather less useful, thanks to the lack of a keypad, is the instant messaging capability.

But the X-Fi does have a sharp, if diminutive, screen for watching movies, a voice recorder, an SD card slot and even a speaker to properly annoy fellow bus travellers. It may not be the most beautiful MP3 player on the market, but it does offer a lot of features for its price.

There are three models in the Creative Zen X-Fi range – 8GB, 16GB and 32GB. (NB: The 8GB model does not have wi-fi capability.) Prices are currently £79.05 for the 8GB version and £124.61for the 16GB model.

This article originally appeared in The Scotsman newspaper in August 2008

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Why I'd love a 3M MPro110 Micro Projector even though I really don't need one

If you want a device that perfectly sums up gadget envy the 3M MPro110 Micro Projector is it. As soon as I saw it I knew I wanted one. Then the sceptical journalist in me came out.

 So let’s look at how a gadget can induce lust. For a start it has to be tiny. All the best gadgets are portable miniaturised versions of items we already know if not love. Think of the iPod compared with the stereo system in your living room.

 Of course an iPod doesn’t output sound so you have to plug in headphones or speakers if you want to share your music. This is only part of the story. The latest iPods have video capabilities as long as you don’t mind watching movies on a screen smaller than a credit card.

 And that’s where this palm-sized projector comes in. It’s capable of displaying a 50-inch image, equalling the biggest flat screen tellies in your local electrical shop. Sadly it’s not high-definition nor does it have a sound source so you will need to plug in a pair of speakers. But it’s still a remarkable piece of kit for its size and expected price.

 It’s perfect for those times when you’ve got something on your laptop, iPod or even mobile phone that you’d like to show to a group of pals. Think about it. And this where the sceptical hack in me comes out.

 Pulling a projector out of your pocket is a cool trick. Once. But you can plug most video devices into a standard telly which is generally easier than finding a blank wall for your projector, iPod and speakers.

 Now if I was a travelling salesman killing customers by PowerPoint I might have a real use for this pocket projector. But the very thought of being in a job like that is more than enough to cool my technolust.

This article originally appeared in The Scotsman in September 2008

The 3M MPro110 Micro Projector is available from Amazon.

 

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Dell Inspiron 6400

Never did I think I’d ever see myself recommending a laptop as a main computer. Their portability used to be the only advantage they had over desktop PCs. They were highly priced, easily damaged and expensive to repair or upgrade.

Recently though, the price of laptops has fallen to the extent that they cost little more than a similarly specified desktop computer. More importantly, even a relatively inexpensive model such as this should be capable of taking advantage of all the multimedia capabilities of the Microsoft’s Windows Vista when it’s released at the end of January.

That means you’ll be able to store and play your music collection, record and play back television programmes, play spectacular games, edit movies and along with all the computer stuff you’re got used to. Vista’s entertainment functions are a massive improvement on XP.

The one thing I wouldn’t recommend this, or any laptop, for is as a principal work computer. The problem is the standard clamshell design puts the keyboard close to the screen so users are inevitably hunched up while they type. That’s a sure way to back problems.

A large number of manufacturers can provide a similarly capable laptop to this one. What you need to look for is a machine with a dual-core processor, at least 1GB of memory, a separate graphics card and a free upgrade to Windows Vista.

The advantage with Dell is you can choose the parts before the computer is made specifically for you. That means it can cope with the sort of use that you’ll put it to. So, for instance, if you’re an ardent games player or want to edit home movies, you can make sure it’s got plenty of memory and the most powerful processor available. The only thing to watch for is the spiralling price as you keep adding desirable features.

This article was first published in The Scotsman in January 2007

Interlink Rechargeable Bluetooth Laptop Remote Control

There used to be a huge price and performance difference between laptop and desktop PCs. It was really only worth buying a laptop if you were going to be spending time on the road and your computing needs were limited to word processing, email and simple spreadsheets.  

In the last couple of years, though, portable computers have fallen in price enough to be a viable alternative to a desktop as your main PC. At the same time they’ve increased in power to the point where you can even play videogames on some of them.

In fact, as a portable entertainment device a well-specified laptop is hard to beat. It’ll show DVD movies, store and play your entire music collection, display all your pictures, as well as doing all those wonderful things on the internet that you know you shouldn’t.

This can be a blessing if you’re working away from home. You’re knackered and all you really want to do is lie in your hotel bed and watch telly. That’s until you find the only English-language channels are CNN with its interminable 15-minute loop or Eurosport featuring repeats of the Hungarian rowing championship. The exorbitant pay-per-view choice is between a Chuck Norris action movie, a Jennifer Aniston romantic comedy or tattooed lesbian porn in German,

But if you’ve remembered to bring a DVD with you then your entertainment problems are solved. You can watch that until you nod off. Well you could if you didn’t have to get out of bed to switch off your laptop.

But this nifty little device solves the problem for people with a recent laptop equipped with Bluetooth and an ExpressCard slot for recharging and storing the device. You might even be lucky enough to justify it on expenses because, as well as acting as an entertainment remote control, it can be used up to 30 feet away for PowerPoint demonstrations.There used to be a huge price and performance difference between laptop and desktop PCs. It was really only worth buying a laptop if you were going to be spending time on the road and your computing needs were limited to word processing, email and simple spreadsheets.  

In the last couple of years, though, portable computers have fallen in price enough to be a viable alternative to a desktop as your main PC. At the same time they’ve increased in power to the point where you can even play videogames on some of them.

In fact, as a portable entertainment device a well-specified laptop is hard to beat. It’ll show DVD movies, store and play your entire music collection, display all your pictures, as well as doing all those wonderful things on the internet that you know you shouldn’t.

This can be a blessing if you’re working away from home. You’re knackered and all you really want to do is lie in your hotel bed and watch telly. That’s until you find the only English-language channels are CNN with its interminable 15-minute loop or Eurosport featuring repeats of the Hungarian rowing championship. The exorbitant pay-per-view choice is between a Chuck Norris action movie, a Jennifer Aniston romantic comedy or tattooed lesbian porn in German,

But if you’ve remembered to bring a DVD with you then your entertainment problems are solved. You can watch that until you nod off. Well you could if you didn’t have to get out of bed to switch off your laptop.

But this nifty little device solves the problem for people with a recent laptop equipped with Bluetooth and an ExpressCard slot for recharging and storing the device. You might even be lucky enough to justify it on expenses because, as well as acting as an entertainment remote control, it can be used up to 30 feet away for PowerPoint demonstrations.

This article was originally published in September 2006

BlackBerry 8700g

Some gadgets exert such a powerful hold that their owners feel they cannot live without them. This is one of those devices. So addictive is the BlackBerry that it’s become known as the “CrackBerry” among its devotees.

 

In reality it’s not so much the BlackBerry they’re hooked on as the email it delivers. It’s more pipe than drug. But for people who really believe they cannot survive without having access to their inboxes any time, any place, anywhere, there really is no better device than the BlackBerry.

 

Beyond status, there are two elements that make the BlackBerry overwhelmingly popular with business executives. First there’s the “push technology” that ensures emails instantly appear on the device without the user having to log on. Then there’s the unusual design. The keyboard along the bottom allows users to type with their thumbs. It’s possible to achieve quite high speeds with practice, although some addicts do end up with a painful condition known as “BlackBerry thumb”.

 

This new model continues with the same basic design as before, but with some real improvements. Most obvious is the screen which is sharper and light sensitive, adjusting its brightness according to its surroundings.

 

It’s also more powerful than its predecessors, contains twice as much memory and is better at web browsing. The new BlackBerry has also had its microphone and speaker moved to positions that make it easier to use the device as a mobile phone.

 

This, however, is a device that really does one thing, and one thing only, supremely well and that’s email. It doesn’t have a camera, play MP3s or fancy ringtones. And even with the improved design using it as a phone looks less than elegant. But the latest enhancements should ensure that amongst the business community at least you won’t see the BlackBerry crumble.

 

This article was originally published in February 2006

 

 

 

 

 

Slingbox

 

There are times when I almost envy people who have to commute to work. You see the coolness of gadgets is normally defined by their size. The smaller the better. I love the idea of tiny phones or music players, but, working from home, they’re really not much use to me. Not only that, I have nobody to show off to with these miracles of miniaturisation.   

 

    And if ever there was a gadget that deserves to be shown off it’s the Slingbox, although it’s the results rather than chocolate-bar-shaped device that will impress. The idea is you plug all your telly-related devices into this little box of tricks. That could include a satellite, cable or digital Freeview decoder, a DVD player and a video recorder. Then you attach it to a broadband internet connection.

 

    Now, anything you could view on your home television you can watch onany internet-connected computer or mobile phone. You can switch between devices, change channels and even set or fast-forward recordings. 

 

    Imagine the scene at work: “Oops I forgot to set the video recorder for Desperate Footballers. Oh well, I’ll do it now.” Gasps of amazement as you set the recorder and quickly flick through the channels using only a desktop computer. 

 

    Actually, once you’ve impressed your colleagues I do wonder how often anybody wants to watch their home telly on a computer somewhere else. There are, however, a number of companies that think there’s a market for this technology. 

 

    Sony is launching LocationFree which is more expensive, but has the big advantage of being wireless.  The Slingbox uses cables to connect to entertainment devices and the internet. LocationFree is also designed to work with Sony’s extremely successful portable PSP games console.

 

    Maybe these companies are right and there is a big market for this technology. But, on reflection, I’m glad I can just walk along the corridor to watch the telly in my living room.

           This article was first published in June 2006       

     

     

     

Iliad eReader

A revolution should look more exciting than this. But, this is the first tentative European use of a technology that should do for newspapers, books and magazines what the iPod has done for CDs.
 
Although for years it’s been technically feasible to store millions of pages of documents in a pocket-sized device, nobody has created a screen that’s as easy to read as paper. Finally, that is about to change.
 
Scheduled to appear this April, the Iliadis the first device to use “e-ink” which has huge advantages over existing screen technology. Battery life is longer, text is easier to read and it’s as easy to view in bright sunlight as indoors.
 
Most benefits come because each of the dots or “pixels” that make up the text and graphics on an e-ink screen stays set until it’s changed. Conventional screens flicker or “refresh” at least tens of times a second. They also require backlighting.
 
The Iliad’s reflective screen helps ensure it only needs to be recharged once a week if it’s used for three hours a day. That doesn’t mean it requires a heavy battery pack, at 390 grammes it weighs much less than any tablet PC.
 
With its 8.1 inch monochrome touch-sensitive screen the aim of the Iliad is to replace paper books, manuals and notepads. Users can annotate documents appearing on its screen then send, receive and store information using its built-in memory, card-reader and wi-fi capabilities.
 
A price has yet to be announced by the spin-off from electronics giant Philips which is making the device, but it won’t be cheap. First customers are likely to be businesses that will pay for the advantage of being able to, for instance, provide technicians with instantly updated manuals.
 
As the cost of e-paper technology falls consumer-oriented devices will appear. Book, newspaper and magazine publishers will then face the same copyright challenges as the record and film industry. Who will pay for a book they can download free from the internet?
 
 

The Iliad from Amazon