Christmas
is almost upon us and I know you are still running around looking for those
last-minute gifts. Where better to look than the world of technology. I have
compiled a few items that will have your inner geek drooling.
To
start with the future, I want to go back in time. Nintendo is one of the
largest video game companies and was founded way back in 1889. Obviously they
didn’t have video games in 1889 (Edison only invented the light bulb in 1879)
but they originally produced handmade playing cards. In 1985 they released the
Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) which became the best-selling gaming
console of its time. Nintendo have now released the NES Classic Edition where
you can enjoy 30 classic games including Super Mario Bros.; Donkey Kong; Legend
of Zelda and one of my arcade favourites, Pac-Man. Parents might even have a
chance of beating their kids on games they grew up on!
Virtual
Reality has been discussed ad infinitum but the headsets are now starting to
become reasonably priced at good quality. After extensive research, my son
splurged on the Sony Playstation VR headset and I can vouch for the sometimes
too realistic feel of the headset. With this you can be Spiderman or ride a
roller coaster or pilot a spaceship. Head movements can be used to control your
direction and the Playstation Move motion controllers put your hands into the
action. The minor issue is that you also need a PlayStation console.
With
cameras galore on our phones, printing photos seems so yesterday – but maybe
the concept is coming back. There is nothing like that little photo wall in
your bedroom or a great photo stuck on the fridge. HP have just released a
portable photo printer that will allow a Bluetooth connection from your phone
to print direct to the printer. Quick, easy and simple and the quality of the
photos is impressive for a small portable printer.
Noise-cancelling
headphones are not exactly brand new. I have been using a couple of different
versions from the creator of the category, Bose, for a few years now. Bose have
just released their latest version though. The Bose QuietComforst 3.5. All the
great features of the previous Bose noise-cancelling headphones with the added
benefit of Bluetooth. And let’s face it. Everything is better with Bluetooth.
If you know someone who spends too much time on an aircraft, this is the gift
that keeps giving.
I
explored Bluetooth standards in a previous article but one of the great
advances of Bluetooth since the invention of the concept has been the low power
consumption of the technology. You can now use a Tile – a small device about
the size of a 50-cent piece – to track any device you want to keep tabs on.
Keys, wallet, children (not sure on the legality of attaching one to your
child) or even, in the case of my daughter, teddy bears. You can track the
location with your smartphone or make the device emit a tone to track it down
precisely when you are nearby.
If
you want your techie family member to remember you every day (or in the case of
some techies, every week), the Bluetooth Showerhead Speaker is the one for you.
The waterproof speaker lets you stream music or podcasts from a phone nearby
and simply clips out of its magnetic holder to recharge or use in another room.
It takes singing in the shower to an entirely new level.
For
the last suggestion, I am going to go with traditional jewellery. Well, not
exactly traditional. This cocktail ring syncs with a phone to function as an
alert for texts; calls; calendar alerts and more. Vibrations and coloured
lights let you know to check your phone. There are four vibration patterns and
five colour options to distinguish the different options on your phone. And to
keep the price down, it has been made with cubic zirconia rather than the
normal Carbon allotrope.
That
should be enough to get the gift juices flowing but, as I am sure you know,
there are tens of thousands of Web sites just waiting to take your money for
geeky and gimmicky gadgets. Enjoy the creativity of the people who create these
items – and have a very Merry Christmas.
Mathew Dickerson