Hot Gadget December Reviews
Posted on 09. Dec, 2011 by Graham in Hot Stuff Gadget Review
Apple iPad 2
- Website: www.apple.com
- Price: From R4699
Apple’s second iPad is undoubtedly one of the most-desired gifts this holiday season, and for good reason. The already-excellent user interface of the iPad is now smoother and faster on the iPad 2 thanks to a faster processor and beefier graphics capabilities, and all the tweaks and improvements present in Apple’s iOS5 operating system come standard. If you’re still not sold on the concept, the fact that the iPad 2 will allow you to read books, play games, watch movies and listen to music on the go should help convince you. If you think all of that means a short battery life, guess again – the iPad 2 works hard for up to 9 hours, even with Wi-Fi active. As a gift for yourself or a loved one, there is no other gadget available today that will inspire as much love and appreciation as the iPad 2.
Beats by Dr. Dre Beatbox iPod Docking Station
This iPod docking station is made by Monster Audio in collaboration with famous Hip Hop artist Dr. Dre, and the sound it puts out is nothing short of incredible, especially considering the price. With its two dedicated 5.25-inch long-throw bass drivers and two 2-inch optimised high-frequency drivers, the Beatbox puts out amazingly detailed and textured sound, regardless of the genre of music being played. The bundled IR remote controls the docked iPod from a distance and the stylish body will look at home in any sophisticated home or office environment. If you don’t own an iPod, it even has an auxiliary connector that accepts input from any music player equipped with a 3.5mm jack. This is definitely one for aspiring audiophiles, and an amazing gift for music lovers. |
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Sony Ericsson Xperia Play
The Xperia Play is Sony Ericsson’s latest Android phone, but with a twist: it combines the beauty and power of the Xperia Smartphone range, with the controls of Sony’s PlayStation Portable handheld gaming console. It’s quite a chunky phone, but that’s because it slides open to reveal familiar-looking Sony PlayStation game controls beneath the main screen. When it’s opened, the phone launches an app that takes you to your installed games, and gives you the option to browse Sony’s online store for more. 3D graphics are incredible for such a small device, and games are silky smooth to play. The Xperia Play achieves a very difficult feat – it’s both a competent phone and a very good handheld gaming console, and is able to please both phone-lovers and gamers alike. |
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Samsung Series 9 Ultra-portable Notebook
Apple has the MacBook Air, and now Windows users have their own ultra-thin and lightweight notebook courtesy of Samsung. The company’s Series 9 13” notebook weighs in at a very pleasant 1.3kg and is only 15.7mm thick at its thinnest point. Despite such diminutive dimensions, it still manages to pack quite a punch on the hardware front with Intel’s Core i5-2537M processor, 4GB of RAM and a 128GB ultra-fast solid-state hard drive. It’s very fast, and easily able to keep up with chunkier notebooks, all the while conserving battery power. Samsung claims the Series 9’s 6-cell battery can last for up to 7 hours on a single charge, which is almost a full work day, so no skimping there, either. It might lack an optical drive, but the Series 9 is still a fantastic machine that will easily satisfy Windows fans looking for power and portability in their next work notebook. |
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Amazon Kindle 3G & Wi-Fi eReader
Book lovers the world over have been drawn to Amazon’s excellent Kindle eReader because of its amazing screen, superb battery life and the ease and convenience that it affords them when it comes to getting their next book fix. Now available in South Africa, it’s our local bookworms who get to experience the scintillating services offered by Amazon’s smash-hit gadget. This particular version has both Wi-Fi and 3G capabilities, so readers can connect to Amazon’s online bookstore and buy and download books from anywhere that has cellular coverage. If you know any avid readers, this device, even more so than the iPad 2, will bring a smile to their faces come Christmas morning. |
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