A lot of gadgets can multitask in the silicon age. But thereare still others that do the same and yet are different. You could even saythey suffer from a psychological problem for they live dual lives. Theyfunction like what they were manufactured for. And then they boast anadditional skill that none from their families have. For an end consumer, thesegadgets eliminate the need of the second device. Their ability to change fromone device to another makes them our
Bond Gadgets.
LG LSM 100
This is a traditional mouse that eliminates the need of astandalone scanner. The mouse comes with a software for scanning documents andpictures. When launched, the program activates the scanner at the bottom.Capable of scanning a document as big as A3 one, the mouse enables viewing thescan simultaneously and even gives access to basic editing. A cool, hybridgadget for business professionals on the move.
Price: Rs 3,500
CAPTURE AND PROJECT
Nikon's S1200pj is a point-and-shoot digital camera equippedwith a 14.1 MP sensor and 5x optical zoom. What sets it apart, however, is itsbuilt-in Pico projector with 20 lumens brightness and a contrast ration of 200:1.Similarly, Sony has come up with a camcorder with a built-in projector. ThePJ50E has a CMOS sensor with 220 GB hard disk drive with projection of up to 60inch diagonally. But unlike the Nikon camera, this camcorder is fairly costly.
Prices: Sony PJ50E: Rs 59,990; Nikon S1200pj: Rs 14,950
VICTORINOX SWISS KNIFEWondering what is Victorinox's fabled Swiss Knife doing inthis list? The company has smartly added a flash drive along with a flash lightto its fully equipped multi-function knife. The Secure 32 is a 32 GB pen drivewith fingerprint and password protection and a bright LED torch. The companyhas another knife called Presentation Master Flight 32GB that is equipped witha pen drive, laser and
Bluetooth.
Price: Rs 6,265 onward
SONY ERICSSON PLAY
Last year, Sony Ericsson took the wraps off its gamingsmartphone. The top panel is like any other touch Android smartphone's.However, second panel hidden beneath had gaming controls instead of a keypad.It has a few games pre-loaded, but more can be downloaded from AndroidMarketplace. SPECS: 4-inch display; 5 MP camera; Android v2.3; 512 MB RAM, 400MB RAM expandable to 32 GB; 175 gm; 1500 mAh battery.
Price: Rs 22,000
ASUS EEE PAD TRANSFORMER
The Transformer is a 10-inch touch tablet running on AndroidHoneycomb. It comes accompanied by a keyboard dock. Once the tablet is yoked tothe dock, it instantly turns into a laptop. Scoring high on functionality, theTransformer has a couple of USB ports and an extended battery backup. This isavailable in two versions-Wi-Fi only and Wi-Fi with 3G. SPECS: 10.1-inchdisplay; Keyboard dock; Combined of 1.3 kg; Android Honeycomb; 2 USB ports, 1HDMI mini connector; 16 GB onboard memory, expandable; Wi-Fi, Bluetooth; 5 MPcamera
Price: Rs 32,999 (Wi-Fi), Rs 43,000 (Wi-Fi + 3G)
PORTRONICS EMERGENCY CHARGER
This is a sleek compact charger with a built-in LED torch.Operating on Li-ion batteries, it quickly charges a smartphone, iPod or a PSP.The emergency charger has a USB port and is accompanied with a set of jackscompatible with different devices. So, next time you forget your charger, youcan rely on your new flashlight. SPECS: 2200mAh battery; 90 gm; 4-stage chargeindication level; LED torch.
Price: 1,100
PHILIPS COOLING PAD
Cooling pads can be clunky platforms that protect your kneesfrom the heat generated by laptops. In addition to this, the Philips Notebookcushion speaker pumps up the volume of the notebook (of course, it uses up aUSB connection too). The Notebook sleeve, on the other hand, protects againstheat and doubles up as a useful protective cover for carrying the machine.
Price: 1,999 onward
BLUETOOTH ENABLED PND
A Bluetooth-enabled personal navigation device can be mightyuseful. Firstly, it guides you across unknown terrain throughout the country.Then, you can pair it with a phone over Bluetooth and turn it into a carspeaker. MapmyIndia, SatGuide and TomTom have these easy-to-use offerings. TheS550 from MapmyIndia is priced at Rs 16,990. The SatGuide 5.0 Navi costs Rs10,990.
Price: Rs 10,990 onward
DIVA iPOD LIGHT
This is a great combination of a tablet lamp and a hiddenspeaker. The 4.5 W LED lamp is great for reading books, while the FM radio cansoothe your senses. It can also be connected to an MP3 player or CD player viathe auxiliary port. The retractable docking station drawer can hold aniPod/iPhone and the digital screen displays time and other music features. Thisis sourced in Indiaby Light Labs.
Price on request
STUFF FROM ABROAD
Sony DEV-5 binoculars
A binoculars or a camera? The Sony DEV 5 is a combination ofboth, capable of capturing still images and video recording at 1080p resolutionin both 2D as well as 3D. It even has a CMOS sensor, optical image stabiliser,auto focus and a 20x optical zoom. The binocular has a built-in GPS receiverthat allows it to geo-tag videos and photos automatically.
Price: $1,999.99, store.sony.com
HP Photosmart eStation
Yet to come to the Indian market, this is an all-in-oneprinter from HP that combines a full 7-inch colour tablet with the printer.Acting as a touch controller for the printer, the tablet can be removed fromthe dock and used for browsing the web, uploading status on Facebook oraccessing Picasa albums for photo printing. It even comes with preinstalledapps for business and entertainment. The tablet can be used for remote printingas well.
Price: $399, shopping.hp.com
Zumreed X2 Hybrid headphone
Available abroad, this is a headphone that bundles up as aspeaker. This noise cancellation headphone has a switch that, when turned on,transforms the outer ear cups of the headphones into speakers. The ear cups canbe rotated and the headphone can be placed on a flat surface while in thespeaker mode. For using it as the speaker, you need to charge it using a USBcable. A one-hour charge gives it enough juice for four hours of musicplayback.
Price: 120 pounds, red5.co.uk
Courtesy: Gadgets and Gizmos
