Posts tagged gadgets
Got what it takes to be a Gadget Presenter?
3I’ve been approached by Channel 4 to put this out to my readers who may be interested in a gadget and technology presenting role.
Channel 4 Seeks New Presenter For Future Family Series In Partnership With E.ON
Channel 4 is looking for someone with a passion for technology and gadgets to join the presenting team for Future Family, a major new documentary series in partnership with E.ON.
The new five-part TV and web-based series will follow an average family as their lives are transformed using futuristic technology and gadgets.
Featuring the latest environmental and energy-saving technology, Future Family will look at how new developments could change the way we live, from how we work and play, to relaxation, how we power and heat our homes, as well as eating and staying healthy.
As part of the presenting team, the new talent will be given the opportunity to front the Future Familyseries of web videos, in which they will help demystify the technology featured in the show.
The online series will showcase fantastic and futuristic inventions and practical how-to videos offering advice on saving and generating energy in your home. It will also offer the audience the opportunity to submit their own inventions. Further details will be announced closer to launch date.
Do you have what it takes?
The new presenter can be of any age, male or female, but should have a genuine passion for technology. They will be engaging and have the ability to speak about the latest gadgets and energy saving inventions with credibility.
How to enter
For an opportunity to become the show’s resident technology expert, email futurefamily@twofour.co.uk or visit http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fwnWQaFuhKk
Applications close on 30th May 2011.
Applicants will receive an email requesting that they complete a short application form and provide a link to a one minute video clip of themselves talking about a piece of technology that interests them.
Should they be successful, applicants will be contacted by the production team to discuss the series in more detail. A screen test will be required as part of the final selection process.
Future Family will air on Channel 4 this autumn and will be Channel 4’s first peak-time Advertiser Funded Programme.
For more information please contact:
Paul McCormick on 0207 009 3107 or paul.mccormick@3-monkeys.co.uk
Cara Ponton on 02476 181 303 or cara.ponton@eonergy.com
Matthew Robinson on 0121 777 4277 or matthew@mrtvpr.co.uk
A Very Techy 2010
5Compared to 2009, 2010 has been jam packed with gadget buying for me. I think one of the only gadgets I purchased last year was the Magic Mouse, so this year has been a real treat. Here’s a little look back over the past 12 months and my thoughts on the gadgets that found a home at Fruit Bytes HQ.
Apple TV 1st Gen, 140GB
For quite a while I’d to’d and fro’d on the idea of getting an Apple TV, then in February I finally gave in and bought one. I must be perfectly honest and say that it wasn’t a blow-away purchase in the beginning as my plans to copy my DVD’s to the hard drive didn’t materialise mostly due to the tedious process involved. I’d also planned on purchasing movies and TV shows digitally rather than physically, but the difference in price between the two formats is still a huge factor for me. iTunes still tends to be three times and more costly for TV shows compared to DVD. I am only now warming to my Apple TV and have purchased a couple of movies recently. One contributing factor for that has been the lack of delivery in the UK due to the snowfall we’ve had since the end of November, so it’s been very convenient to just sit back and hit BUY in iTunes. So easy…too easy 
[rating:3.5/5]
Apple iPad WiFi 32GB
As I wrote here, myself and the iPad just didn’t get on. I look back now, several weeks after selling it and feel no warmth or affection for this device at all. I’d even go so far as to say it’s the most disappointing Apple purchase I have ever made in the 5 years I have been ‘A Mac’. I’m sure iPad v2, reportedly coming very soon, will be more appealing to others but I cannot see myself ever wanting to purchase an iPad again.
[rating:2/5]
Apple iPhone 4, 32GB
From day one this has been one of the best purchases of 2010. iPhone truly is the gift that keeps on giving. I love the improved camera on this which has totally wiped out any need I have for a separate digital camera. I love the speed of it and that beautiful Retina Display which just knocks me out everytime I pick it up. It’s hard to see how Apple can improve on this next year, other than a better quality front camera and more storage for those who need it.
[rating:5/5]
Apple Magic Trackpad
This was very much an impulse buy and I didn’t expect to enjoy using it quite as much as I do. When using the trackpad of my PowerBook G4, I always used to get wrist pain and generally found it uncomfortable to use. So before the Trackpad arrived I was asking myself “Why did you buy this, then?”. I was most surprised to find that it felt completely natural and the gestures make it much more comfortable and easier to use than a standard mouse. Infact I don’t think I could go back to a mouse again after using this.
[rating:5/5]
Apple MacBook Air 11.6″, 64GB
After selling my iPad, I quickly ran out and bought one of these in early November. And I’m so glad I did. This along with my iPhone 4 are joint ‘best purchases of 2010′. It is the perfect machine for me and I find myself using it far more than my iMac thesedays. The battery life is pretty good, it’s a super fast and cool machine and I *still* have not heard the fans in this. I’m pretty sure mine was shipped without them! When the Mac App Store launches in January then the Air will probably become my primary machine even more. I love typing on it, it makes me more productive when writing and it’s just an all round pleasure in every way.
[rating:5/5]
Nintendo Wii (black) with Mario Kart Bundle
Just over a week ago I bought the Nintendo Wii with Mario Kart, steering wheel, Motion Plus controller and Wii Sports after months of “will I, won’t I?”. I’m so glad I did. For fun it’s amazing, for exercise it’s even more amazing-er! I loved playing Mario Kart on Nintendo DS, but playing on the Wii is even more enjoyable and can play online against my friends which is the most fun of all. Amazon had a great bundle price of just £149 recently so I took the opportunity to purchase then. Wii Sports is also a very fun packed game, especially Tennis and Bowling – and some laughs have been had when competing with friends and family – and that’s even before Christmas arrives.
[rating:4.5/5]
HP Photosmart Plus All-in-One Printer
I bought this from PC World for £79.99 around a month ago, just before iOS 4.2.1 with AirPrint was released, safe in the knowledge that this printer was going to be compatible with this new iOS feature. I did have a couple of teething troubles setting this up. After installing the cartridges it kept returning a print head error which was only resolved after several attempts at cleaning them. Wasn’t the ‘works straight outta the box’ that I’m so used to in gadgets I buy, so this will be reflected in my rating. However, aside from that I’m extremely pleased in the quality of the prints and the features this has, especially ePrint and AirPrint. I’ve had my iPhone photos on my phone for just too long, so it’s nice to be able to bring them to life by printing them out and sharing with people.
[rating: 3/5]
I think that concludes my Very Techy 2010 list. I hope 2011 is just as exciting and gadget-filled as this year has been!
Girly Gadgets
7Being a girl and being into gadgets sometimes throws up images, for some people, of being into gadgets that look girly like pink cameras and pink mobile phones with fluffy charms hanging off them. That couldn’t be further from the truth, for me at least.
I remember a couple of years ago I was looking around for a new mobile phone. While I was on the o2 website I saw a pink Samsung phone which was totally designed for women. It had all kinds of calculators which would let you know when you were at your most fertile, what colour shoes would go with your new bag, when you had PMS*, whether you are pregnant and even tell you you’re overweight*! I couldn’t help but laugh at this silly device which wanted just too much information on my bodily functions but worse than that has the gall to tell me I’m fat. I think it also made phone calls but that was neglected to be mentioned in the long list of everything else it wanted to do for you.
I love gadgets, but I also like gadgets to look professional – black or silver is my choice always. I have a silver mobile phone (soon to be a black iPhone when o2 online get them back in stock) and black digital camera which looks very professional. No overly pink and girly gadgets in my home. My body clock is also my own business, not my phones! I also don’t want an app for my iPod which tells me…
…how long your periods really last, how much exercise are you getting, etc. No matter what your stage in life, Lady Biz is something every woman can use. Lady Biz keeps track of the following items: Breast tenderness, Cramps, Exercise, Intercourse, Notes, OB/GYN checkup, Period, Pregnancy test, Sick, Sleep, Stress, Waking temperature, Vitamins, Weight.
Would anyone really pay £8.99, for that? I think I’ll stick to the tried and tested method of a (free) calendar, although I really don’t think it’s necessary to become obsessed with everything including Waking temperature??
Any other female geeks out there into the professional look rather than the often cheap and tacky look of everything PINK and FLUFFY as soon as a girls gadget is mentioned?
* My husband will do that for free!
You can’t touch this!
6I had to chuckle when reading this article on TUAW last night which says Mac users are less likely to let friends try out their new gadgets than users of other platforms. The TUAW folk said they let others play with their toys but I have to admit that I am a little bit on the “stingy” side where my techy stuff is concerned…but not exclusive to my Macs either it has to be said. In the TUAW poll I voted “They can try it out for a few minutes while I supervise” – and it looks like 69% of people who voted agree with me.
I don’t mind anyone touching the iMac G3…well, as long as they’re over 18 and have washed their hands 
I frequently let family members/friends use the G3 to browse the net and check their e-mails, but I always stand guard over my iMac and even my PowerBook. My other half sometimes uses my iMac for a quick net look-up if he doesn’t have time to boot up his laptop and I am cool with that, although I have been known to ask “Are your hands clean?”. I guess part of this ‘don’t touch my stuff’ comes from when my Brothers children grabbed my (then brand-new) SONY Cybershot camera and promptly covered the LCD screen in sticky fingerprints which wouldn’t totally wipe off. I was not happy and eversince then I have kept my cameras at arms length, allowing them to look and not touch. That’s how it should be with kids anyway, along with the “seen and not heard thing”…but even the seen thing is taking it a bit too far. I’m a fun Auntie really
But yeah, trying out my gadgets while supervised sounds about right to me. I’m a clean person (not in an overly freaky way) but I like to keep things in good condition and free from grubby fingerprints. Yeah, I’m never going to let that one go…
Six gadgets in Six months
2Since we’re now halfway through the year, I’d like to reflect on the gadgets that have entered my lair over the past 6 months and more importantly discover whether some were just novelties or worth every penny…and perhaps it’ll help others make a decision on whether they should buy.
Apple PowerBook G4 – I bought this from eBay for less than £300 in January. This was bought to take to the studio with me a few times a week, aswell as a ‘bed browsing’ machine. I have used it pretty much everyday since I bought it and it hasn’t let me down. Well worth the (low) price, runs Leopard fine and still such an attractive machine.
Fuji S5700 7MP Digital Camera – Superb camera. It’s easy to use, lots of functions and still lots to learn which is just the way I like it. I paid £104 for this and it’s been worth every penny – using just about every single day. I also bought a couple of extra lenses from eBay for it – a wide angle and a macro.
Aiptek AHD200 High Definition Digital Camcorder – I don’t use this everyday but I guess nobody would expect me to. For a high definition camera the price was amazing, at less than £110. Fantastic video quality as you can see over at my Vimeo page. I still want to create some ‘creative’ videos and now that summer is here (well, on a day like today you wouldn’t think so) I should be able to capture some more.
LOMO Fisheye Camera – I bought this (£22) with the absolute intention of it being a novelty, so it has totally lived up to that. I have taken one roll of film with it which didn’t turn out great, but since I took random shots in 3 days then I didn’t really expect them to. I have used about half a roll of the second film so I suppose I should use up the other half of the film and get it developed to see if there’s much improvement. I don’t regret buying it as I didn’t have huge expectations and film/developing is dirt cheap.
Wacom Bamboo Graphics Tablet – After doing some graphics work and photo-editing/touching up which was proving fiddly with my Mighty Mouse, I decided to buy the Wacom Bamboo (£59). I wasn’t sure whether this would replace my MM altogether but after a few days it felt completely natural and I used it solid in place of my mouse for 3 weeks. Then one day I just felt like giving my hand a rest so I plugged my mouse back in and have used this eversince. I haven’t had any fiddly graphics work to do in recent weeks but that doesn’t mean I won’t have in the coming ones. It’s on the other desk beside me and can easily be plugged into my USB hub when I need to use it. After the first day of using the pen on the graphics tablet my underarm and arm muscles felt quite tense and sore. That’s because my arm was getting more of a workout than it does with the mouse as my hand was moving around a lot more. After a couple of days I got used to it and had no more tense muscles.
Elgato EyeTV – I’ve had this for a couple of weeks and have found myself recording far more TV shows than I ordinarily would. It’s great to be able to watch live TV at the computer and record my favourite shows, then burn to disc. I have only burned about 5 DVD’s so far as it does take rather a long time for the export process, then burning in iDVD…and that’s just a 30 minute show. If I had Apple TV then I wouldn’t need to use DVD’s, I’d just pop them into my iTunes library and view on my TV screen. I can also stream my recordings via wi-fi to my iPod touch which is very cool.
So, what for the next 6 months? I have a back catalogue in my head, hopefully I’ll get around to buying them.
I’d like Apple TV, for the reason mentioned above but also for the upcoming iTunes Movie Rentals in the UK. Definitely keeping one eye on that.
Time Capsule. Not something I want/need immediately, but it would be nice for TC to handle all my Time Machine backups and I could then use my LaCie 320GB external hard drive exclusively for additional storage space…especially when I start stuffing up my internal HD with the things I record via EyeTV Of the people I know who have Time Capsule they absolutely swear by it.
Apple Cinema Display…as long as it’s refreshed and brought up to date with a similar look to the iMac – built-in iSight, black rim, alu and glass with the choice of Matte or Glossy screen. I’d go for the glossy to be in keeping with my iMac as I prefer glossy. Oh and it also needs to be reduced in price…significantly
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