Gadget Greed

HANDLING this incy wincy computer for the first time is like feeling the future. It’s just so tiny, cute and perfectly formed.

Given its size, it’s hard to believe this baby PC runs Windows Vista Business and operates like a regular computer. It’s like being told an infant can code HTML in Notepad, recite Shakespeare and change its own nappy.

But, like that analogy, this computer is not a bad idea.

The LifeBook U1010 3.5G weighs just 630g, making it the smallest laptop in the world, according to Fujitsu. It is also the smallest tablet PC in the world, as you can fold its screen around and back on to its keyboard to make it compact as well as lightweight. Its 5.6in touchscreen then provides all the navigation you need, which saves a lot of fiddling about.

All the key Vista features are on board this PC, including desktop “gadgets”, and it also features the most popular Microsoft applications if only for a trial period (hello Microsoft Office 2007).

Surfing the internet is dead simple thanks to wi-fi connectivity and the ability to add a 3.5G/HSDPA SIM card near its battery and surf the net via the phone network.

This PC also comes with a 0.3-megapixel webcam, onscreen handwriting recognition, fingerprint scanner (love that), two LEDs that light the keyboard when you need it, 40GB hard drive, and slots for SD and CompactFlash memory cards.

It’s not perfect though. The U1010’s keyboard is so small you’d need infant fingers to work it well on the first go, and buttons have been moved around (using it does get easier with time).

It also has just an 800MHz Intel A110 processor and 1GB RAM on board, so it can be a bit slow, and its battery seems to drain disappointingly quickly if you use a wi-fi connection.

It’s just so small and pretty though. Like Kylie Minogue.

Greed good: Small enough to carry everywhere, handy touchscreen, lots o’ features.
Greed bad: Poor battery life, slow processor, tiny keyboard.

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WANT an iPhone but can’t handle: (a) downgrading to a 2G handset; (b) being a massive mugger magnet; (c) scraping ear wax off your touchscreen?

The iPod Touch is the answer to this dilemma. What’s more, it’s also the best iPod ever made (Steve Jobs wasn’t exaggerating for once).

It’s got all the apps of old-school iPods, but with added wireless internet coolness, so you can basically run your life and indulge your eBay addiction with one gadget.

Internet-wise, it’s got your web surfing and email needs covered, and it comes with widgets for weather, stocks and Google Maps (adding your own within the browser is reasonably easy too).

Its notes, calendar, contacts and calculator are easy to use, thanks to that handy touchscreen, and an onscreen keyboard that predicts your input (US spelling is rife though).

Videos also play in widescreen format, which kicks in for other apps when you tip the gadget to the side, and there’s a wireless iTunes Store to buy from on the go in case you want to donate more money to Apple.

But it’s the touchscreen that makes the gadget sing. A pinching movement lets you zoom in and out on web pages, photos and more, and double-tapping on the screen does the same.

But you do pay for this touching fun. The 32GB iPod Touch costs more than its rivals, even though they store more stuff. It’s also a fingerprint magnet (front and back), the battery drains fast when on wi-fi, and if you don’t clear the cache once in a while things become very slow indeed.

Gadget good: Best iPod yet, enabling your net addiction, ruling your music organising your social life.
Gadget bad: Pricey fun, with limited capacity and battery life.

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MOST home cinematographers treat their video cameras like another family member, cooing and coddling them and protecting them from harm.

But Panasonic’s new baby requires no such treatment.

The Panasonic SW20 camcorder is designed for rough treatment. It’s shockproof to 1.2m (this was so much fun to test) and waterproof to 1.5m. Yes, you read that right. Waterproof.

You can strap this video camera to your wrist, strap a body board to the other, and dash out into the sea, camera rolling. This truly beats covering an existing camcorder in an unwieldy plastic case or zooming in from the shore.

Technically, you’re only supposed to keep it underwater for up to 30 minutes, and you risk making it a paperweight if you dive below 1.5m or open its battery/SD memory card compartment with wet hands.

The SW20 is also exceedingly cute, with retro styling and pockmarked rubber casing for easy grip underwater.

Downsides? There are a few. The video it captures is standard definition, and its screen is reflective and a reasonably poor resolution. It’s not very well suited to making videos on dry land, despite its snorkelling skills.

Gadget good: One of the cheapest underwater cameras around, compact size, perfect for beach holidays.
Gadget bad: Footage isn’t fantastic on dry land, average screen.

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If you paid $2099 for a mobile phone, what would you expect it to do? Make calls on your behalf? Automatically hang up on your exes?

Personally, I’d hope it could convince Keanu Reeves to call.

Price aside, Nokia’s latest luxury phone is pretty darn good lookin’. The Nokia 8800 Sapphire Arte has a whopping great man-made sapphire in the middle of its face, leather panels back and front, and its metal and glass body weighs a tonne in phone terms (150g).

And its innards are a lot sharper since Nokia’s last luxury release. Its camera is now 3.2-megapixels strong, its keyboard is bigger, its screen is better, and it has 1GB of onboard storage.

It’s also got gimmicks. Turn it over during a call, and you’ll silence its ringtone (love that). Tap its screen twice and a cute analogue clock appears. An ambient light sensor makes sure the screen isn’t too bright for your eyes.

Designer animated wallpapers and ringtones reinforce the phone’s exclusive and expensive reputation.

But should you buy it? Only if you’ve got money to spare and need a people magnet.

The camera’s not great, it doesn’t have wi-fi, there’s no GPS, the memory’s not expandable, and you have to fish through menus to find anything (no external buttons).

Still, this phone is seriously attractive. And it comes with a matching Bluetooth headset, leather pouch and desk stand that glows as your phone charges.

Gadget good: This phone is truly sophisticated. It’ll make you the envy of most.
Gadget bad: Mid-range features in a top-of-the-range phone.

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How much do I love this PC? So much my husband should be jealous. Seriously.

Thee Eee PC has some very low specs, it comes without an optical drive, and it looks like a toy. But what other laptop can you buy for a mere $500 and carry around in your handbag/manbag/backpack like a hardcover book?

In fact, you can even take this baby through airport security without taking it out of your bag (on Virgin Blue, anyway - Qantas are all finnickity).

Those low specs include a mere 4GB of storage, 512MB RAM, and a made-to-order Linux operating system. However, the operating system feels just like Windows, its wi-fi works superbly (wi-fi 802.11b/g), and the whole computer system boots in 20 seconds.

Plus, you can easily boost its memory with an SDHC card or a USB stick, its memory is flash-based so it’s quite rugged, it has a built-in webcam, its battery lasts for 3 hours, and it weighs less than a kilogram (92g). It also comes with more than 40 open-source programs that fill the role of the most frequently used Windows apps (though you can get a Windows Eee PC model if you really must).

The Eee PC certainly won’t fill the role of your sole computer, but for travellers, geeky types and gadgeteers who love to show off in public, this ASUS creation is a beautiful and useful toy.

UPDATE: The 4G model now comes in pale pink at no extra cost. If only I could have waited…

Greed good: Super-cheap, lightweight, ultra-handy laptop.
Greed bad: Not a fully fledged computer, small screen.

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Nokia’s high-falutin’ N95 is awesome, don’t get me wrong. Five-megapixel photos, GPS navigation, wi-fi connectivity, crisp screen: what’s not to like?

Well, if you were being harsh, the camera takes a bit too long to load, and if you’re not within reach of a power point at least once a day it’s a bit of a paperweight.

Enter the N95 8GB. I’m not necessarily a fan of gadget revisions. It’s like admitting that you didn’t get it right the first time, but you’ve done it this time, honest. The N95 8GB has changed my mind on the topic.

Nokia’s 8GB version is inherently superior and worth an upgrade. Its camera starts a full 2 seconds faster than the silver model, the battery life is superb (two days or more with a generous serve of talking), the screen is substantially larger, and it doesn’t rattle a little like the old model.

Plus, and I know this is superficial, but it looks so much more sophisticated! It’s amazing what a coat of black paint will do, especially once you smooth away some unnecessary edges.

Again, if you were to be picky, its generous 8GB storage allowance is keen, but it doesn’t let you add any extra via a memory card slot. Also, some might not like the removal of the camera lens cap.

Still, this phone kicks the butt of all comers. Love it.

Greed good: Faster, more efficient, fully loaded and pretty to boot.
Gadget bad: High price ($1349 RRP), slightly bulky, no memory card slot.

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Who doesn’t love gadgets?

Luddites, fuddy duddies and other people who aren’t worth knowing.

This blog is devoted to gizmos and electronics that make you go “aaaaah” and, suddenly, “I want one!”

These gadgets might be mobile phones, or headphones, or tellys, or games consoles, or little bracelets that vibrate when someone wants to talk to you.

They might be on the cusp of release, or recently played with by moi, but you’ll find them here, reviewed in sharp, short and honest terms.

Don’t agree with my assessment? Tell me so. I can take it. And everyone should be talking about gadgets anyway.

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