Gadgets & Gizmos: April 2012
Microcomputer, micro-priced
Imagine having a portable credit card-sized computer capable of plugging into a TV. Now imagine it only costs US$25 (RMB 158). It’s not science fiction, it’s Raspberry Pi. Founded in 2006, in the UK as a charity to help “kids all over the world learn programming”, the organisation’s latest toy, Model B has 256MB RAM, 2 USB ports, an Ethernet port as well as a built-in SD card and both HDMI and RCA video/audio support. It’s a product sure to let everyone “take a byte” out of the micro-computing revolution.
Price: RMB 158. Web: www.raspberrypi.org
Radio (Shower) Head
Shower radios aren’t a new fad, but a shower radio powered by the shower itself is. The H₂0 Shower Radio uses the flow of the water as it travels to the showerhead to power an FM radio. Just screw it into your shower faucet, and off you go; now you can do your best rendition of Lady Gaga in private – green and guilt-free.
Price: RMB 248. Web: www.waterpowerradio.com
Pad Launch
After months of rumours, the world’s premier technology company Apple finally launched their latest iPad product last month. Eschewing a penchant for number suffixes, Apple has settled for dubbing its newest product the “n
ew iPad”. The new ’Pad comes complete with an astonishing 2,048 x 1,536 resolution display, voice dictation (no Siri!), as well as updates to a variety of in-phone applications. Unfortunately, you’ll have to go to Hong Kong to buy one, the release date in China is yet to be confirmed.
Price: RMB 3,152. Web: www.apple.com
Extra Toppings
No matter how you slice it, the idea of grilling up your own pizza at home is a good one. Although short of investing thousands in a wood-fired grill, this idea has remained but a pie in the sky – until now. The Kettlepizza fits on top of a simple kettle charcoal grill to let you make your own crusty creations. And with its built-in thermometre, it’s a gadget that’s more than just half-baked.
Price: RMB 821. Web: www.kettlepizza.com
Ex-card-li
bur
Interested in taking pictures of sharks in the briny deep? Snapping shots at the South Pole in the dead of winter? Documenting your tour of a magnet factory? All these are possibilities now with the Samsung 8GB SD Card MB-SP8GA. Water proof, shock proof and magnet proof, throwing one of these trusty cards in your camera when out on a snapping session will ensure that all of your images stay safe.
Price: RMB 189. Web: www.samsung.com
Photography’s New Focus
Traditionally one of the most difficult and essential parts of photography has been deciding how to focus a shot – no longer. The Lytro camera allows you to take pictures that capture an entire field of light, not just a single plane like conventional cameras. The result is that you can focus and refocus your pictures after you take them. It’s like looking at a scene all over again with your own eyes.
Price: RMB 399. Web: www.lytro.com
Balancing Act
Focus Designs’ SBU (Self Balancing Unicycle) aims to take unicycles out of the circus sideshow and put them on the streets. Whilst learning to ride this particular contraption takes some practice, the battery powered balancing system makes riding an SBU easier than your average unicycle. It also allows the SBU to travel up to 15 miles (25km) per hour and up to 10 miles (16km) per charge. Ladies and gentlemen, start balancing!
Price: RMB 11,336. Web: www.focusdesigns.com
APP OF THE MONTH:
Drop Out
With Angry Birds has come a wave of ‘physics’ games where gamers use their intuitive knowledge of trajectories to whack cute objects with even cuter projectiles. Drop Out is the genre’s newest, substituting space-aged, anthropomorphic furry blocks for birds. However, the app proves more challenging, measuring the velocity of shots by how quickly the player swipes. Fans will undoubtedly drop everything as they attempt to master it.
Price: RMB 6. Available online at the Apple App store (http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/the-drop-out/id489900074?mt=8).
