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28 29 GADGET inspect r Each month we bring you the latest from the world of gadgets. Our resident Gadget Inspector, Nick Horner, will take a look at all things technological and give his view on the weird and the wonderful gizmos that are becoming an increasing part of everyday life. This month – gadgets on the go Any gadget lover going on their summer holidays in the coming months will want to make sure they can power up their devices while abroad. But as soon as you leave British shores, the first item you will need to accompany your chargers is an adapter. And the Skross World Adapter Pro + USB is the Rolls Royce choice. It has three parts – a central slider system, which can create six plug configurations enough to re-juice gad- gets in 150 countries worldwide and is about half the size of a standard drinks can – and two interchangeable heads, one with a top that accepts different plugs from dozens of countries including the UK’s and a dual USB attachment. The Swiss-designed adapter has a dual USB attachment enabling simultaneous charging of phones, cameras, portable games machines and tablets, including the power-hungry ‘New iPad’. Usefully the two interchangeable tops con- nect to the main section via a European plug attachment, meaning you can use both inde- pendently in a socket on the Costas or Algarve. Pros: • Configurations for more than 150 countries. • Dual USB can charge two devices at once. • Ingenious European plug attachments allow you to charge three gadgets on the continent. Cons: • Some devices were slow to charge. • The adapter is bulky. Verdict: The Skross World Adapter Pro + USB provides a multitude of solutions for travellers wanting to charge gadgets abroad. RRP Euro 47.95. www.skross.com (available in UK from September). GADGET OF THE MONTH – ASUS TRANSFORMER 300 AYEGEAR VEST Although gadgets are becoming more portable, carrying them safely and securely to sunnier climes can be a concern for tech-savvy trav- ellers. AyeGear (an “aye” instead of an “i” to express the company’s Scottish heritage) has come up with an ingenious sleeveless jacket capable of carrying a number of devices. The AyeGear Vest is an 18-pocket water res- istant jacket made from poly-cotton. It can house a laptop (such as a Macbook Air 11”) in a large pocket at the rear, a tablet (an iPad, with a case), a smartphone, which can be operated within the jacket on either side, with a clear touch- screen-friendly cover and numerous places for a variety of items including the all important travel documents. The jacket has five external pockets, six internal ones and seven more spaces for items like pens, coins and headphones. Pros: • An easy, safe way of carrying multiple gadgets, neatly hiding them from prying eyes. Cons: • You need to order a size larger than normal to ensure a good fit. • It only comes in black. Verdict: Gadget lovers looking to take their technological hoard on holiday will love the Tardis-like AyeGear Vest which can carry everything bar the kitchen sink. RRP £69.99 www.ayegear.com. With MP3 players, mobile phones and tablets able to house a fair chunk of your music col- lection, it is handy when on your travels to be able to share your playlists with others when you reach your destination. Travel speakers though can often prove tinny and also become a tangle of cables en route. But not the Damson Cisor BT5, a portable speaker which can be con- nected wirelessly to Bluetooth-enabled devices and via a 3.5mm jack to other players. The Cisor is made from a single piece of alu- minium and feels solid in the hand. Its base is slightly tacky (but won’t leave a mark) and works by resonating against a solid surface, a table, kitchen sideboard or a window (with the help of a suction cup RRP £9) and turning that object into a giant speaker giving a 360 degree sound. Glass seemed to work best but the more solid and wide the surface the better the sound. The Cisor charges via USB and offers four hours playback with Bluetooth and nine hours if con- nected via a cable to the source. Pros: • A pocketable speaker that can create a near room-filling five watt sound, surface permitting. • Bluetooth allows remote volume control. Cons: • Without a decent surface to hand, the speaker is limited and the suction cup is a must. • £99.95 RRP isn’t cheap. Verdict: For music lovers wanting to hear their tunes everywhere, the Cisor offers a handy solution to the usual tinny travel speaker but at a price. www.damsonaudio.com. DAMSON CISOR Gadgets are now ever more powerful, able to carry out a number of tasks with one limit on their effectiveness; battery life. That's where the Veho Pebble Mini and Pro provide a boost. Both have a tactile plastic exterior, a useful USB port for charging a number of gizmos and neo- prene cases to protect the device and hold cables and tips.The Mini has a 3,000Mah battery, about twice the capacity of the latest iPhone’s. It is the size of a chunky (1.4cm deep) credit card, weighs 84g, charges via USB and has tips for Apple devices and mini and micro USB adapters. It charged an iPhone 4 almost one and a half times but can not juice an iPad. The Pro takes the concept further, with a huge 13,200Mah battery, albeit it weighs 396g and is about half the size of a ten-inch tablet. It is mains charged, has five phone adapter heads, tips for netbooks and laptops, although not Apple Mac- books. It charged an iPhone almost six times, an iPad more than once but the New iPad just half. Pros: • Versatile battery packs charge lots of gizmos. • Mini is an ideal night out or overnight charger. • Pro is great for long haul flights or festivals. Cons: • Both the Mini and Pro take a while to charge (Mini took over five hours, the Pro longer). • Mini review unit was temperamental to charge but a second unit was OK. Verdict: The Pebble Pro and Mini provide a sleek source of power on-the-go for gadget users. RRP Pro £99.95, Mini £34.95 (both are half that online). www.veho-uk.com. PEBBLE PRO AND MINI W hen heading away on holiday these days books, games, CDs, DVDs, a means of getting online and somewhere to store your precious photos can all be done with one device. Tablet computers provide all of this in an easily transportable device. Asus has taken this concept one step further with its Transformer series, combining a tablet and keyboard dock to create a compelling package. The latest incarnation is the Pad TF300T, a budget tablet-come-netbook. It has a 10.1” lightweight tablet (635g) that docks with a keyboard (546g), which when combined provides an amazing 15 hours battery life. The keyboard, although not full size, is easy to use. This review was typed on it with ease, although the Gadget Inspector found it flexed a little and the small trackpad was of limited benefit. It is certainly not a main laptop replacement. As well as extending battery life, the keyboard also protects the screen. The tablet has a handy 1.2 megapixel front-facing camera for video calls and an eight megapixel rear-facing camera, which records 1080p HD video, although the device’s size limits its use. The Transformer runs Google’s latest Android operating system – Ice Cream Sandwich – and is swift in zipping between different tasks and applications. A variety of apps are available in the Google Play store which is catching but not yet matching Apple’s App Store. The Transformer 300’s screen is eminently watchable at 1280 x 800 resolution. It does not reach the pin-sharp crispness of the new iPad’s but text and images are clearer than those on an iPad 2. The supplied speaker is more than acceptable although the sound does become tinny at higher volumes and won’t satisfy an audiophile. The Transformer 300 has another trick Apple’s iPads cannot match as the standard storage of 16MBs can be boosted by up to 64MB with an additional micro-SD card. The Asus also has a USB port where storage, cameras or card adapters can be inserted. Pros: • Excellent tablet that’s easy to use with a ten-hour battery life. • Keyboard dock adds a five-hour battery and screen protection. • The 1.2Ghz quad-core processor speeds through tasks. Cons • Compromises have been made with the keyboard and screen. • The trackpad is a little small hindering use for long periods. Verdict: The Transformer Pad 300 is a value tablet-turned-netbook striking a balance between form and function and is a compelling contender for those willing to make small sacrifices. It comes in blue at launch with red and white to follow. RRP £399. uk.asus.com. 8/10 8/10 9/10 8/10 SKROSS WORLD ADAPTER PRO + USB 8/10 GADGETS | Journal Desirably Different Kitchens Visit our beautiful & Different Showroom: 54-56 Thornhill Road, Streetly, West Midlands B74 3EN • Kitchens • Bedrooms • Home Studies • Media Rooms • Bookcases • Panelling • Fitted Bathrooms • Occasional Furniture and all other aspects of bespoke furniture For a FREE design call 0121 353 4999 Visit our website: www.kitchensbybroadway.co.uk www.kitchensbybroadway.co.uk BROADWA YKITCHENS
