Compiled by
TOM KELLY
UWaterG2 Waterproof MP3The stamp-sized iPod Shuffle is certainly smaller than this, but I would like to see the state of it after you wear it for a dive-bomb into the deep end.
UWaterG2 (these guys aren’t big on the letter-spacing front) claims to be the smallest waterproof MP3 player on the market. And I’m not sure there’s much to argue about: weighing less than an ounce (21g), it’s about the size of an After Eight – the standard unit of measurement, don’t you know – and just a centimetre thin. So you can discreetly hide it in your swimsuit without looking like you’ve given yourself some class of a rectangular hernia. There’s an armband, too, for a more hygienic approach.
The twist and lock earphone jack completely seals it watertight and it’s certified to 3m immersion. So surfers, sailors and rain-sodden hillwalkers might all find one useful.
Downloading tracks isn’t quite as plug and play as with some devices, but once you’ve MP3 versions of your music library, you can simply drag them onto the UWaterG2 on a PC or a Mac.
Fully charged it’s said to give about six hours of playtime and the 2GB of memory will hold up to 600 tracks, depending on whether you’re a longer winded opera head or a three-minute popster.
Cost€42 , from gearedtobefit.com
Nikon Coolpix S1200pjThis is another iteration of Nikon's Coolpix range and yet another variation on their built-in projectors.
Each time, they bring something new to the pocket-plex, and this version’s main claim to fame is that not only will it project shots or clips that are on the actual camera or those from your computer, but also from an iPhone, iPod or iPad.
So now you can fire up that impromptu slide show or movie on an hotel room wall or the inside of a tent. Not sure whether friends and family might think that’s good news or not, but the travelling gadget lover will approve.
While hardly blazingly bright – how could it be given the size? – Nikon has still succeeded in boosting the output by 40 per cent and trebling the contrast, all making for clearer picture shows. It’ll throw up to a 150cm (60) image in ideal conditions, but as with virtually any projector, the ambient light dictates.
The camera part of the S1200pj is solid, with no real surprises, featuring all the expected bells and whistles for a quality compact digital.
But with the projector squeezed in there too, well it’s a neat package, if a pricey enough one in these early adopter days.
CostExpect €450 from good camera stores. Coming at the end of this month
ElliptiGO BicycleOther than recumbent bikes (where you pedal lying back on what looks like a bicycle that's been hit by a truck), there haven't been too many great changes in the fundamentals of the pushbike for almost a century and a half. Now there's the ElliptiGO.
It doesn’t really look much like a bike for starters. No pedals. No saddle. You make it move by pumping up and down the platforms like a cross-trainer in a gym. It was developed by an ex-runner who wanted the sort of movement an elliptical trainer allowed, but out on the open road. So he built one to do just that.
There are two versions: the new cheaper three-gear ElliptiGO 3C following the higher spec eight-gear 8S, launched previously. They boast the same upright stance, said to help avoid hunching-over back problems, as well as improving the line of sight.
It’s quite a workout as you might imagine, with speeds of up to 40 km/h (25mph) possible and it can handle up to 5 per cent inclines.
That’s not guaranteeing you’ll reach either of course, but you certainly won’t pass unnoticed on the road.
Cost8S model €2,399, from elliptigo.ie
- betweenideas.blogspot.com