Hot Stuff Gadgets – October
Posted on 28. Oct, 2009 by admin in Hot Stuff Gadget Review
Every month the editors of Stuff magazine choose the latest pretty, shiny gadgets for you.
Apple iPod Nano 5G
Camcorder-cum-ipod
from R2 000 / www.apple.co.za
“Who wants a camera on a mobile phone?” everybody cried the first time they caught sight of a snapper-sporting blower back in the early noughties. Less than a decade later and a camera-less mobile is about as welcome as a Blu-ray player at an HD DVD fan club meeting. How times change. So who needs a Flip-style video camera on their MP3 player? Who needs a bigger 5.5cm screen, built-in speaker and a voice recorder? Who needs an FM radio (with live pausing) and a pedometer? Nobody. But in six months you might wonder how you ever managed without them.
The iPod Nano 5G doesn’t feel much different from its predecessor, but there are a lot more goodies packed inside. The tiny video camera is no match for the likes of a Vado HD, as it only grabs VGA footage, but the joy of the convergence is convenience. The lens itself is slightly awkwardly placed for portrait shots, but landscape shooting makes the most of the new bigger screen anyway. Plug the Nano 5G into your Mac or PC and you can sling your videos on to YouTube with one click. Nice.
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Samsung Pixon12 12 of the best R7 500 / www.zastore.co.za The quest to cram more megapixels into mobiles has the whiff of an old-fashioned arms race. However, this is one cold war that’s rapidly hotting up. Since Sony Ericsson announced the 12MP Satio, Samsung has fired back with the Pixon12. It also packs a dozen megapixels, coupling them with a 3.1in (7.6cm) AMOLED touchscreen, a 28mm lens and a xenon flash. Video comes in a threatening 720×480, 30fps format. But, there’s no use having an evil payload of images and videos if you can’t deliver them: Samsung’s Share Pix along with Wi-Fi and HSDPA see to that, firing them straight to the likes of Facebook, Flickr, Picasa, and Photobucket. |
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Ferrari 458 Italia The successor to a legend Rtba (due mid 2010) / www.ferrari.co.za True legends know when to call it a day. They have a built-in doomsday clock that ticks down until it’s time to jack it in and let the new breed step up to the plate. It’s a talent the wheezing dad-rock peddlers of the Rolling Stones lack, but Ferrari has in spades. This is the 458 Italia, the successor to its legendary F430. Those curves, those massive brakes – and that engine… It’s a 4.5-litre V8 that produces 562bhp, will scream its way up to 100 km/h in 3.4 seconds and not stop pushing until way over 320km/h. |
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Nikon S1000pj World’s first Pico-packing cam R5 700 / www.nikon.co.za Is there anything more torturous than other people’s holiday snaps? Who wants to sit through endless shots of Uncle Gerry with his top off eating a Cornetto in Knysna? You will, if they’re being shown to you on a 12MP Nikon S1000pj – the first compact camera to come with a built-in pico projector. Hit the button and it’ll beam the snaps and hi-def videos held within onto a wall at a size of up to 40in. Great, unless all you’ve got to look at is Gerry. |
The Beatles: Rock Band Rock on R590 / www.thebeatlesrockband.com We have been waiting for The Beatles to move into the 21st century for a while now and The Beatles: Rock Band brings them there with a vengeance. Expect a massive revival in interest in the greatest band ever from children whose parents weren’t alive when the Fab Four were together. Downloadable content means that you can add to the selection of tunes that ship with the game. If you don’t have a guitar and drums already the Limited Edition ships with some cool Beatles-themed kit. You also need to invest in some extra microphones to harmonise properly. |
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Batman’s other phone Nokia X6 Rtba / www.nokia.co.za Nokia’s first touchscreen phone appeared in the last Batman flick as a crime-busting accessory, but failed to live up to expectations. The X6 is a damn decent second attempt at a top-end multimedia phone to rival, dare we say it, the iPhone. If you’re going to lay claim to the multimedia crown, you’ve got to have the brawn to back it up. The X6 has boosted its built-in storage capacity to a generous 32GB, and has the all-important 3.5mm jack for your own headphones. It Comes With Music, so you can download music directly via HSDPA or Wi-Fi, has a 5MP camera and a 16:9, widescreen format 7.6 cm screen. |
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