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Shaun Parker asked:


Ah gadgets, I love them, take something that can be done in a number of ways, find the most pointless way of doing it and there you have the making of a good gadget. Why for example would you want to open a bottle of wine with a bottle opener that will cost you 2pounds when you can also do it with one that costs 50 times as much, or maybe one that’s built into your sandal or belt buckle.

But gadgets aren’t just about helping you get your bottle of wine open. They come in all shapes and sizes and some would say that the term covers the entire consumer electronics field. I am a gadget lover, ie to love all things gadgety.

Here are some of my more favourite pointless gadgets at the moment.

Glow Tap

This little gizmo fits onto taps and has an internal switch that lights up a set of LEDs when you turn on your tap transforming the stream of water into a waterfall of light. Rather than just as aesthetic effect, there’s a temperature sensor within the unit that can tell whether the water is cold or hot, and changes the colour of the light accordingly.Complete with a set of universal adaptors for most size taps, the glow flow tap is available now for 14.99 pounds.

Moixa USBCELL batteries

The USBCELL as an environmentally-friendly alternative to normal AA batteries. The top of one side flips up to reveal a USB connector, and the battery simply plugs into an open port. It takes five hours to charge one of the cells if it was fully discharged; each battery has a capacity of 1300mAH. The USBCELL cost around 12.99 pounds for two AA batteries.

Ion iED05 USB drum kit

Aimed at both beginners and experienced drummers, the Ion iED05 drum kit is a digital set-up that connects to your PC via USB. All you have to do is simply connect the adjustable drum kit to your USB port and you will have access to over 200 drum sounds that will work with the velocity-sensitive drum pads and cymbals, which react accurately to every hit. The kit even includes video tutorial software and a drumming game to allow you to play along to music to improve your performance. The Ion iED05 costs 129.99 pounds.

Pleo

Pleo is the Robotic Camarasaurus Dinosaur from the co-creator of the Furby. The one-week old infant Camarasaurus from the late Jurassic period created by UGOBE (You Go Be) is an autonomous Life Form that advances through life stages and develops a unique personality through user interaction. Like Sony’s Aibo, if you treat him well and he’ll become friendly and outgoing, treat him badly and he’ll become timid or angry. Initially cautious, Pleo will walk around slowly to absorb his surroundings but may cry when frightened or scared. He will stretch when waking up and he may even stomp his foot if he gets angry. Man’s best friend had better watch out.

Star Trek “Communicator”

Flip up the grill, and you’ll be greeted with the lights and sounds Star Trek fans have come to know and love. As an added bonus, this replica is complete with voice clips from the actual series pre-loaded. Oh, what japes you’ll have listening to Spock ask you if you want an armed party beamed down, and just think of the thrills as you call the Enterprise and hear: “Bridge here, Captain”!



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