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10 STEPS TO GADGET HEAVEN
(Evening Standard Via Thomson Dialog NewsEdge)THE next generation of home technology went on display this week as 2,300 firms jostled for attention with the very latest hi-tech gadgetry at the annual Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. The up-totheminute products and software reflect a trend for digital technology and an online lifestyle, with internet giants Google and Yahoo taking centre stage for the first time alongside stalwarts such as Sony and Microsoft. More than 130,000 visitors travelled to Nevada to check out the cutting edge in everything from MP3 players to televisions, electronic books to robotics. Here are the 10 best gadgets, with prices where available, likely to be appearing soon.
MIT Wind-Up Laptop This laptop can be charged by winding the yellow handle.
It has a tough case and will cost about GBP60. It was built by a team at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology with the aim of making them available to the millions of children in developing countries who would otherwise never get to use a computer.
Samsung SC-X210L The next generation in camcorders is this tiny two-piece system. Can be strapped to anything from your head to a rollerblade, while the mainframe slots into your pocket. You can run with it, ski with it - it's totally hands-free.
Failing that, you could always produce an interesting documentary by strapping it to your cat. Will cost in the region of GBP370.
Dell XPS 600 Renegade This is the ultimate PC for the serious gaming addict.
It will have to go some way to justify its garish, hand-painted case, but promises to be a breakthrough for gameplaying. It has four graphics cards - that's a whopping 2Gb of graphics memory - and comes with a Pentium 4 processor.
Revolutionary technology, so we're told by the experts.
But what else do you expect for GBP6,000?
Celestron SkyScout The Celestron SkyScout won the best innovation award at the show - some achievement - and will be a must for all stargazers. It can accurately identify and locate more than 6,000 objects in the night sky, including stars, planets and moons. It uses satellite GPS technology along with sensors to work out which part of the sky you're looking at. Available from April for about GBP230.
FUNKiT DJ If you value novelty more than practicality, you'll love the FUNKiT DJ from KNG America.
Slot your iPod into the dock and the robot will bop as it plays your music, scratching the decks while keeping a steady hand on his headphones. And, of course, music comes out of the speakers.
Otherwise it would be a complete waste of money, wouldn't it?
It will be available in the US at about GBP60 later this year.
Plantronics Pulsar 590 Bluetooth Get rid of all those cables with these wireless headphones that can be used to listen to your iPod, TV or computer as well as a headset for your mobile phone. They are simple to switch from talking on the phone to using as high-fidelity headphones and seem a snip at GBP129.99. At least there will be no more fear of hanging yourself on the chin-up bar at the gym.
Microsoft Windows Vista Bill Gates gave a demonstration of Microsoft's next operating system, Vista, which aims to put Windows at the centre of everything we do. He explained how Vista could help run the home dictating how people control their media, listen to music, read the news and watch TV.
He said: "Consumers are getting more connected and software is at the centre of that."
No price details available yet.
H20 Waterproof iPod Case You can now take your favourite tunes underwater with this airtight housing.
Everyone from surfers and water skiers to divers and swimmers can strap on their H20 with an arm or waist band and listen to their favourite songs. You can even access the click wheel through the case, which is safe to a depth of 10ft.
Prices from GBP85 for case and headphones.
Sharp Two-Way LCD Screen This intriguing screen shows one image when looked at from the right, and another from the left. Although they could settle arguments in living rooms across the country, they are more likely to appear as public signs in places such as airports, where departures could be viewed from one side and arrivals from the other. No price details available yet.
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