A Year in Gadgets
Yes, I am a waste of space and time. I have spent my wages on electronic trinkets, none of which have filled the gaping void I call my soul. And yet... and yet! All have brought me some modicom of joy, so, let me share with you some of the more recent ones.
1) Sony Smartwatch 3 -- 7/10
Who needs a smartwatch? The answer, is precisely nobody. My response was even more negative after a week of owning one, but little by little, trickling updates and innovations have made this one more useful.
I can tick off items on my shopping list just by raising my wrist. I fastforward songs and pause Netflix videos without a remote control or phone in sight. I can tell the time... In addition, this smartwatch has its own GPS, it can connect to my wifi and it has no fear of water.
But do these benefits make up for having to charge the thing every two days? Is it worth €200? Probably not.
2) Nexus 6 Smartphone/Phablet -- 8/10
My eyes! My eyes! Slowly the orbs that kept me so entertained during my youth have begun a betrayal that will only worsen as I age. So, I find I need a larger screen. The Nexus 6 is that screen and it runs on pure Android. Hurrah!
It *is* heavy, though. It *is* big enough that people have likened it to a shovel. But it's either that or wear glasses every time I take my phone out of my pocket.
3) Google Chromecast -- 8/10
This is a simple little device that allows me to fling photos, videos, games etc. up onto my TV screen. I pretty much only use it for Netflix these days, but it works easily and it works well. It cost very little and never needs a hardware upgrade.
4) LG MusicFlow H5 -- 9/10
This is nothing but a high quality wi-fi connected speaker. I pick out music or podcasts or a radio station on my phone; I press play, and there you have it -- the room fills up with enough sound to shake the walls and draw complaints from the next village over.
You might think this is no different from a Sonos, but you'd be wrong, because LG's MusicFlow uses "Google Cast" technology. This means that control of the listening experience lies with the app. on my phone rather than with the speaker itself.
As a result, and unlike the Sonos, there's no nuclear physicist grade meddling needed to get podcasts to work and to synchronise with each other.
It means I can listen to half a song or a playlist in my frontroom, before hopping into my car to listen to the other half over Bluetooth.
5) Forthcoming Gadgets -- 10/10
Future gadgets are always, always the best!
1) Sony Smartwatch 3 -- 7/10
Who needs a smartwatch? The answer, is precisely nobody. My response was even more negative after a week of owning one, but little by little, trickling updates and innovations have made this one more useful.
I can tick off items on my shopping list just by raising my wrist. I fastforward songs and pause Netflix videos without a remote control or phone in sight. I can tell the time... In addition, this smartwatch has its own GPS, it can connect to my wifi and it has no fear of water.
But do these benefits make up for having to charge the thing every two days? Is it worth €200? Probably not.
2) Nexus 6 Smartphone/Phablet -- 8/10
My eyes! My eyes! Slowly the orbs that kept me so entertained during my youth have begun a betrayal that will only worsen as I age. So, I find I need a larger screen. The Nexus 6 is that screen and it runs on pure Android. Hurrah!
It *is* heavy, though. It *is* big enough that people have likened it to a shovel. But it's either that or wear glasses every time I take my phone out of my pocket.
3) Google Chromecast -- 8/10
This is a simple little device that allows me to fling photos, videos, games etc. up onto my TV screen. I pretty much only use it for Netflix these days, but it works easily and it works well. It cost very little and never needs a hardware upgrade.
4) LG MusicFlow H5 -- 9/10
This is nothing but a high quality wi-fi connected speaker. I pick out music or podcasts or a radio station on my phone; I press play, and there you have it -- the room fills up with enough sound to shake the walls and draw complaints from the next village over.
You might think this is no different from a Sonos, but you'd be wrong, because LG's MusicFlow uses "Google Cast" technology. This means that control of the listening experience lies with the app. on my phone rather than with the speaker itself.
As a result, and unlike the Sonos, there's no nuclear physicist grade meddling needed to get podcasts to work and to synchronise with each other.
It means I can listen to half a song or a playlist in my frontroom, before hopping into my car to listen to the other half over Bluetooth.
5) Forthcoming Gadgets -- 10/10
Future gadgets are always, always the best!
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