Gadgets, eh. What will they think of
next? In my mid thirties I do my best to keep up – but this is more for
necessity than to look hip. But then again ‘hip’ is no longer a groovy
word is it? And neither is groovy! I think I’ll stop trying…
I speak as someone who grew up in the
eighties, using a BBC computer with an amazing 32k memory! It was loaded
with software by a cassette or floppy disk; the only mouse to be seen
was perhaps scuttling around my feet under the desk inside my ancient
Hogwarts-style school…far from palm-sized handy smartphones, tablets that we have today.
Fast-forward 30 years, and what has
technology brought us? Here are a few gadgets from The Consumer
Electronics Show 2013 that have caught my attention:
MX-1 retro point-and-shoot from Pentax
I remember the days of dial phones and
good old fashioned film cameras. Now I want our old cameras back! Good
news: The MX-1 is just that – but without film. It has a fast
f/1.8-f/2.5 lens for low-light shooting and a 12 megapixel CMOS sensor.
What’s more, it has a retro, 1980s-style body. It’s a hit with me – I’m
sold!
The Trakdot from Globaltrac
Losing your luggage is always a very
annoying experience. That’s why Globaltrac has developed its diminutive
GSM-powered device, Trakdot, which can be placed in your baggage. The
device tracks where luggage is in the world if, for example, you fly to
New York and your baggage travels to Sydney. It’s handy knowing where
your luggage is – yet there’s still the hassle of getting it back. All
we need now is to invent intelligent luggage that can book itself on the
next flight back home.
Vuzix – M100 glasses
Smart glasses? Hang-on. I’ve only just
gotten used to my smartphone! In a bid to beat Google’s Project Glass,
Vuzix’s M100 smartglasses are actually wearable computers. The headset,
powered by Android, sits just under the eye and is controlled by a
Bluetooth from a smartphone app. Unsure what the aim is here. X-ray
vision or ice-melting sight perhaps? Sounds really fun though!
FitBit’s Flex Wireless Activity Sleep Wristband
My memory of having my fitness monitored
when I was young was having the PE teacher bark at me like a drill
instructor. Today it appears manufacturers are hell-bent on appealing to
our own conscience to keep ourselves fit. The Flex Wireless Activity
Sleep
Wristband does the lot: it tracks the steps you’ve taken; distance
covered; calories burned and even your sleep quality – all from the
comfort of an iPhone or Android.
Flexible e-paper tablets
I grew up and graduated on PC monitors
at least a foot cubed. Nowadays, ‘the slimmer the better’ is on the lips
of many. Researchers at Canada’s Queen’s University have created a
10.7-inch flexible e-ink display, known as the PaperTab. On paper (I
couldn’t resist the pun) and in reality the device is about as thin as
can be. Bend and earmark the page to navigate, as opposed to swiping
like most devices.
ThinkPad Helix from Lenovo
When is a laptop not a laptop? Answer:
When it has a detachable screen? Tablets and laptops continue to join
forces in interesting ways. The ThinkPad Helix from Lenovo, a Windows 8
notebook, allows you to snap off the screen to use as a tablet.
So, what do you think? This is what they
did think of next. Whether you consider them gainful gadgets or useful
articles, one way to spread the cost could by using a credit card (17.9% APR variable, subject to change).
As far as age and technology are
concerned, I’m still waiting for someone to invent a time machine so I
can go back in time and play games consoles without my kids beating me….
Anyone have a DeLorean?
This guest post was written by Andy
Moore on behalf of Money Matters, the Sainsbury’s Bank blog. Though it
may include tips and information, it does not constitute advice and
should not be used as a basis for any financial decisions. Sainsbury’s
Bank accepts no responsibility for the opinions and views of external
contributors and the content of external websites included within this
post. All information in this post was correct at date of publication.
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