Hot Stuff Gadgets – July

Posted on 29. Jul, 2009 by admin in Hot Stuff Gadget Review

Every month the editors of Stuff magazine choose the latest pretty, shiny gadgets for you.

Sony HX1
R7 800
www.sony.co.za

Panoramic photos are tricky. The end result may be an arresting, breathtaking picture, but the clumsy process required to snap a widescreen wonder can be fiddly. That’s why Sony has developed a new Sweep Panorama mode, which automatically stitches together a series of high-speed images as you pan the camera lens across a super-wide subject. And should you want to focus in on a specific detail, the 9MP HX1 has 20x optical zoom, as well as 1080p hi-def video to capture any moving subjects.

 

Acer Aspire One 751h
R6 000
www.acer.co.za

The netbook market is now as congested as the trunk of a flu-stricken elephant. They can’t get smaller without seriously compromising usability, so one way to stand out is to go bigger. Acer’s 751h comes with an Intel Atom processor, 1GB RAM, a 160GB hard drive, a multi-card reader, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and HSDPA. There’s also an 11.6in (29.5cm), 1366×768-pixel display and claimed 8-hour battery life, but the clincher could be that combo of net connectivity and a jumbo hard drive.

 

eGo Portable drive
320GB (R1 300) and 500GB (R1 800)
www.iomega.co.za

The first generation of eGo drives reminded Stuff of sophisticated hip flasks, which may say more about our drinking habits than about the eGo. Sadly, the new incarnation – though more rugged and manly – has corners too rounded to serve that purpose. But Iomega has more than made up for that with a plethora of software and services that make the actual drive just the tip of the iceberg you’re buying. The eGo ships with a six-month licence for McAfee VirusScan Plus, 2GB of free storage on the MozyHome Online Backup service, and two backup packages. Maybe the next model will ship with a shot glass.

 

TomTom Go 630
R3 200

A great little package from TomTom. With its 4.3inch (10.1cm) widescreen and handy new twist-off mount, the 630’s natural competitor is Garmin’s excellent Nuvi 205W. Both offer extra features at entry-level prices, but we think the 630 wins its class, just because it offers decent hands-free Bluetooth, the killer app. And the twist-off mount is handy for slipping the 630 into your briefcase on business trips.

 

Nokia E75
R6 000

The best Nokia Communicator yet, and a compact, powerful messaging phone that is slim enough to get lost in a pocket. It’s still all about business, but with a 3.2MP camera, VGA video now at 30fps and N-Gage gaming support, there’s just a tad of crossover appeal to the E75.
The Communicator range has always enjoyed special status as the first smartphone. This incarnation cleverly advances the combination of keypads with a conventional alphanumeric outside and a slide-out Qwerty keypad for thumbing. Arguably the best combination of both must-have interfaces. Once the keyboard slides out, the interface swings sideways. This gives you more real estate on the 2.4in (6cm) QVGA display, and the soft keys remain in place with the relevant menu shortcuts. It’s a clever use of the screen – but are we justified in asking why it couldn’t be a touchscreen? The E75 does multimedia very well, and the standard 3.5mm headphone jack is a relief. You listening, Sony Ericsson?

 
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