Well, anyone who knows me also knows that I am a bit of a gadget freak. If you
like gadgets, check out some of the following links:
Phillips
TSU6000 Pronto Learning Remote Control
Learns commands from other remote controls, you can arrange, create and customise buttons
on the touch screen. Comes with PC software which allows you to do it all from your
PC and then download it to your Pronto. Phillips also post operating system updates
on the web which you can download to your Pronto. This is the latest
colour version.
Siemens Gigaset
2420 2.4GHz Expandable
Telephone System
2.4GHz is the latest frequency standard in cordless telephone systems. It improves
on clarity, range and size over the lower frequencies. This telephone uses digital
spread spectrum technology (digitally encoded and broadcast over several different
frequencies to ensure privacy) and you can connect up to 8 handsets. You can
transfer and conference calls between any combination of handsets and it also has CallerID
on the base station and handsets.
Sony Playstation 2
The next generation of the Sony Playstation. Incorporates a DVD player. It has Dolby Digital and DTS
digital outputs which is cool but unfortunately is region4 only. I will be waiting
for a multi-region player or a mod-chip to de-regionalise it before I buy one.
Microsoft
XBox
This is Microsofts new entrant into the multi-billion dollar games console
business. This box is better spec'd than the PS2 (Better video card,
faster processor, etc) but its release date keeps being delayed so one would
think they are still having problems with it. November 2001 is the current
release date.
Handspring Visor
(Palmpilot)
Handspring are the guys who invented the Palmpilot for 3Com. They are
better priced and better spec'd than the 3Com palmpilots. The Visors all
have the ability to accept 'springboard' modules which are add on hardware
modules that can be anything from extra memory and game cartridges to GSM
cellphones, MP3 Players, cameras, GPS receivers. In fact if you buy one
now, they are giving away a phone module with it.
Rio
MP3 Car Stereo
A car stereo that contains two laptop hard drives, you can
pull it out of you car, hook it up to your PC, download your favourite MP3 files, classify
them and then chuck it back in your car. If you have it loaded up in your
car, you can drive around non stop for about six weeks and not hear the same song twice.
The 1020 hour version will sting you UK£1300K though.
Panasonic
LA-85 Portable DVD player
DVD player about the same size of a portable CD player, it
has a flip up lid which incorporates a widescreen LCD display and stereo speakers.
It also has DTS and Dolby Digital outputs on it which is cool.
X-10 Home Automation
X-10 is a protocol which lets devices communicate over
existing power lines to other devices. You can add a X-10 receiver to any electronic
device in you house such as lights, electric blankets, coffee maker, automated drapes,
etc. You can then add a transmitter and tell your electric blankets to switch on
from you living room or to dim all your house lights at once. You can get IR, RF,
voice transmitters too ("computer, turn coffee maker on tomorrow at 7:00am").
You can also get a telephone transmitter and/or web interface so you can ring up
and turn your coffee maker on or do it via the web. X-10 is also very cool for
security, for example, if back yard sensor is triggered, turn all lights on, turn radio
on, take a photo from the back yard cam and EMail to me. If I see my mum in the
photo, I could deactivate the alarm and open the back door lock via the web or a
telephone.
