Gadgets roundup

Personal choice

The Google Glass must be at the forefront of any new developments in the mobile space.

The month’s top buys

We look at the Samsung NX300 camera, PocketWiFi, Kindle Paperwhite 2nd gen, and Bowers and Wilkins P7 headphones.

Sean Bacher

The month’s top five buys

We look at the Nokia Lumia 925, the Lenovo S5000 tablet and HP Envy Recline, among others.

Sean Bacher, Tamsin Oxford

The month’s top four buys

Among them the Huawei Ascend P6 and Monster Victory headphones.

Sean Bacher, Liron Segev

The month’s top six buys

We showcase an HD TV, an ultrabook, a projector, a PC, a docking station, and a mobile keyboard.

Gadgets roundup

Sean Bacher

First impressions last

In Walter Isaacson’s Steve Jobs: A Biography, Jobs is quoted as saying that a relationship begins to form between a customer and product the second the customer starts opening the box.

Gadgets roundup

Sean Bacher

Beauty, but at a price

Looking at the Lenovo Ideacentre A720 All-In-One, you would be forgiven for thinking it’s something created by one of the designers at Apple. Its ultra-thin base, coupled with the beautiful chrome hinge connecting to the touch-screen, really is extraordinary. That is, it’s extraordinary for a PC manufacturer that until now made notebooks and desktops that functioned well but looked pretty boring. It really is a computer that doesn’t need to be hidden away in a gloomy study, but is beautiful enough to become the centrepiece of a modern lounge or dining room. But it costs a small fortune and will only be bought by a few. Let’s hope Lenovo and other PC manufacturers continue the trend of making beautiful and functional PCs, while also ensuring they’re more affordable.

Sean Bacher

HP shows clever usage of power

At this year’s HP Influencer Summit held in Shanghai, China, it was clear that HP meant business in the consumer space. Although there was no mention of tablets, the company has made some real headway with its ultrabooks, printers and all-in-one devices. Two products that stood out from the rest were the Officejet 150 Mobile All-In-One printer, and HP t410 AIO Smart Zero Client. Both these devices show how power can be used more effectively and efficiently, and also give us a glimpse of what can be expected in the future.

Sean Bacher

Smart devices will control our world

When looking at products like the Griffin RC Helicopter (below), it is amazing how imaginative some companies are. Yes, the iPhone is an innovative device all on its own, but the way Griffin has taken that technology and added to it, to where the phone is controlling a physical object, in this case a helicopter, is mind-blowing. It opens up a new avenue in terms of what a smartphone is capable of. Just think: in the future, the smartphone could control a car and house alarm system, an electric gate or garage door. It is becoming more evident every day that we will use the smartphone or a similar device to control our world.

Gadgets roundup

Sean Bacher

Big changes in South Africa

It looks like Nokia and Sony are starting to make waves in the South African market: Nokia with its first-ever Windows Phone 7.5 smartphone, and Sony with the PlayStation Vita, a portable gaming console bound to have gaming enthusiasts drooling. And it looks like Apple needs to up its Ultrabook game as more companies start offering attractive Windows-based Ultrabooks at much cheaper prices.

Sean Bacher