Gadgets Blog: Unusual Gift Ideas

Gadgets, gifts and novelties for all ages

	Robocopter Review March 7, 2008 on 3:54 pm \| In News \| No Comments Remote control helicopters are easily still one of the hottest gadgets about at the moment. It’s easy to see why, they are small, can be used indoors, they are cheap, and as long as they aren’t treated harshly they will last a long time. Also there is the fact that flying a remote control toy is much more fun, at least in my humble opinion, than driving a remote control car or similar around. The Robocopter is one of the more interesting and different looking remote control flying toys we’ve had arrive here at Gadgets Towers. Although also available as a more traditional helicopter, the Robocopter itself is modelled to look like a robot with a sort of ‘helicopter pack’ attached to its’ back, as shown in the picture below. I’ve been lucky enough to have a go with one of these and I must say I am impressed with how stable the flight is. There is very little erratic movement, unless of course you are erratic with the controls yourself. You do need a fairly open area, at least until you become more proficient, and due to the weight of the copter (only 12.5g) it’s indoor only. To give you an idea of how badly this is affected by any air movement I first tried using this in the office here at Gadgets Towers and was having problems maintaining control due to our air conditioning unit. The Robocopter also features a small sliding weight on the tail which controls the speed at which the copter travels forwards. The further forward the weight is the faster the copter goes. This is a great addition in the sense that the copter can be slowed down for novice pilots, and also so that you can be sure the trimmings are right at a slower more controlled velocity. The Robocopter is an easy to pilot flyer, and while it won’t be whizzing around or performing any advanced aerobatics it’s great as an introduction to flying toys, and is sure to turn a few heads with it’s unique look, whilst the adjustable speed makes sure it has a bit more longevity to the basic experience. Of course the Robocopter is available at Gadgets.co.uk Portable Guitar Hero Goodness is on its way! February 28, 2008 on 12:57 pm \| In News \| No Comments When I’m not hunched over my keyboard here at Gadgets Towers there is little I like more than to stand in front of the TV in my lounge with a small plastic guitar and pretend to be a rock star. Yep, I have been bitten by the Guitar Hero bug! I have happily whiled away days, if not weeks over the course of the three titles. Clicking away at the strum bar, moving my fingers at blurringly quick speeds across the fret buttons, and whammying the whammy bar. So when I was passed product information about a pocket sized portable version I was instantly salivating at the thought of being able to put to good use those hours wasted each week commuting. You get some sort of idea of scale of the item in the picture above, with the neck folding down to reduce it’s size even further (from 7 ¾” to 4” by 3”) for even greater portability. You can also see that although there is no strum bar, the game keeps the five fret buttons, and the idea is to hit the correct fret as the note reaches the bottom of the LCD screen. There is also a ‘Whammy Bar’ button which can be held down on the longer notes to amass more points. There are five different volume levels. So although you can’t turn it all the way up to 11, you can still give those annoying teenagers on the back of the bus a run for their money. The game consists of riffs from ten songs from Guitar Hero I and II. These songs being “Smoke on the Water”, “Rock this Town”, “Cherry Pie”, “Killer Queen”, “You’ve Got Another Thing Comin”, “Miserlou”, “Heart Shaped Box”, “Message in a Bottle”, “Jessica”, and “Surrender”. As you successfully complete the riffs the difficulty increases. More info on this and a review once we receive it. I’m just hoping now that this lives up to my expectations! Spring Fair and New Gadgets February 20, 2008 on 1:04 pm \| In News \| No Comments As you may or may not be aware a couple of weeks ago one of the big trade fairs of the year, the Spring Fair, was held at Birmingham’s NEC between 3rd and 7th February. I was lucky enough to be able to attend on the Tuesday. This was my first trade fair, my only previous experience being when I blagged a ticket to a Video Games Show a few years back merely as an interested party. Spring Fair was on a whole different scale using 16 of the halls in the NEC, I really wasn’t quite prepared for how massive it was. I also wasn’t expecting quite the range of goods that were on show either, and with that came the people from different companies also obviously attending, from the family groups presumably from smaller more specialist shops to buyers for the likes of Tesco. It was most certainly a beneficial experience getting to meet and talk to the various suppliers regarding their products, and see a lot of the ‘coming soon’ items working and ‘in the flesh’. I thought I’d share some of the items that I know we will be stocking here at Gadgets Towers that I am personally looking forward to: 1. First up the “Picco TandemZ Chinook Micro Remote Control Helicopter”. For me personally the Chinook is a very cool helicopter, so to be able to have a mini remote control version would be great! Although I saw these at the show and there were fully functional I haven’t yet been passed product information, but as soon as they arrive I feel I shall need to ensure I get to have a test of this particular flyer. 2. Then there were the “500XL Speakers”. These caught my eye due to the style they had chosen. It’s such a simple idea taking normal earbud style earphones and ‘blowing them up’ to make desktop speakers, but then I don’t believe anyone else has come up with them yet and it’s certainly something I’d have on my desktop. 3. The other item that caught my eye and made me think I’d like to see that on my wall was the Huge Wall Clock. Again I find it hard to believe it’s not something that anyone has come up with before, but they haven’t. Valentines day is done, onwards to Mothers Day! February 14, 2008 on 2:50 pm \| In News \| No Comments Right, as I started to write this post it was originally going to be about Valentines day, and possible slightly modern takes on some of the classic gifts. For example instead of flowers how about a Flu Fleur, or a Flip Flap. Realising about halfway through that I had probably somewhat missed the punch and the window of opportunity on this one somewhat I flicked forward a few pages in my diary and came to Mothers Day! I then sat wondering what sort of Gadgety take I could get for mothers day. I thought back to last year when I was trying to find something different for my own Mum, and after rejecting flowers, chocolates, ornament, cuddly toys, I decided finally upon a MoodBeam. Again this year I’m stuck for what to get, suffice to say there will be a card, but what else? Well there’s the ‘gift experience’ such as these. These days can work out quite pricey though so maybe through a bit of improvisation you could give your mum a bit of a pamper day at home, for example, some nice smelling bubbles in a hot bath (run by you obviously), some spa lights, a nice bottle of wine (or her favourite tipple), and a Limpet Bath Holder so she can soak in a soothing environment and relax. Not really my Mum’s thing though, so I racked my brains, and Google, a bit more. Mums love plants, so how about a Bonsai Trees Grow It Plant Starter Kit. At the current moment I’m not sure if we will actually get stock of these in time for Mothers day, but at least I have an idea now!!! Note - These Grow it kits are now available at Gadgets.co.uk The invasion of the USB Gadget has begun. February 6, 2008 on 2:30 pm \| In News \| 1 Comment Being as how in today’s world most of us spend about 8 hours a day (or maybe even more) sat at our desks slaving away at our PC’s it’s really no wonder the up-surge in ‘USB Powered’ gadgets available. Ranging from things that are quite useful (such as USB Fridges), to items whose sole aim is obviously to distract from that deadline that is looming ever closer (such as USB Remote Controlled Cars and Missile Rocket Launchers!) Whatever their purpose desks all over are becoming more colourful, noisy, and cluttered with small devices. I believe in some offices it actually gets quite competitive with everyone wanting the most novel, new, funky gadget on their desktop. With it’s charging capability negating the need for batteries it’s certainly an attractive ‘format’ for manufacturers’ and consumers alike. The low cost of a lot of the items ensures they tend to be great novelty items, ideal for ‘secret Santa’ gifts round the workplace at Christmas. Alternatively some of the more useful and better quality items are also suited to be more costly presents for friends and family. With the ever increasing number of incarnations of these gadgets gradually appearing surely it can’t be long before USB gadgets, as they are now, will come to the end of the line and evolve into something else. The question is just where the USB gizmo could progress to from here? Well with the widespread appearance of Wireless USB not too far over the horizon, this would eliminate the current problem of trailing wires. On the other hand it surely would negate the advantage of these articles not requiring batteries or an external power supply, which is a benefit some of the more ‘novel’ items rely on to make them attractive to the consumer. Therefore until some clever soul comes up with some new and innovative way of evolving the humble USB gadget it would appear that it will continue its existence pretty much as-is. Will 2008 be the year of the “Green Gadget”? January 23, 2008 on 2:29 pm \| In News \| No Comments Day by day and week by week the big Green issue seems to become slowly more and more prominent. Be it a high profile multi-national conference with world leaders discussing how they intend to reduce their emissions (Would less Baked Beans be a good start?), or just a leaflet through the door advising you of the local councils latest measure to get us all to recycle it’s definitely something which is becoming more and more ensconced into the general publics consciousness. There are already various “Green” Gadgets out there, but could 2008 see the amount of these increase as the potential for profit in this area is gradually realised? There is already an abundance of “Wind-up” products out there be they torches, radios, or any other incarnation. Numerous Solar Powered items such as Mobile Phone Chargers, lights, and laptop bags which double as batteries. Recycled clothing which is not as revolting as it may sound upon the first mention, merely clothing being produced from items such as recycled plastic bottles and the like. Admittedly there are still a lot of sceptical people out there who will not purchase high-end items as they see them as ineffectual or pointless and a frivolous expense which is too small scale to actually do any good. While maybe even as recently as last year this would have been the case this category of products is rapidly becoming more reliable, efficient, and altogether more mainstream. I for one was at a couple of music festivals and saw a noticeable amount of solar powered phone chargers scattered around, as well as wind up torches and radios being used in the evenings. While this is still a developing area for gadgets it is one that is moving in the right direction and becoming more accessible, affordable, and acceptable to the populace as a whole. In my opinion 2008 could certainly be the year that we see some huge strides in this area. Christmas Survival Tips December 13, 2007 on 4:58 pm \| In News \| No Comments The goose is well on it’s way to obesity and if you are reading this you have survived the frenzy that is Christmas Shopping on the local High Street, or for the more daring the local shopping centre. You’ve got your Christmas presents home managing (hopefully) to avoid any major injuries. You’ve wrapped them and written all your cards with a minimum of paper cuts and blood stains. You’ve done a majority of your food supply shopping, and have enough stockpiled to feed a small third world nation for the whole of next year. You’ve laid the ground-work, put in the hard yards, but now comes the part that really requires some work at surviving. At some point over the week or so involving Christmas and New Year, you will need to spend time with the family. Now don’t get me wrong, I love my family to bits, as I’m sure we all do, but in our household we spend from Christmas Eve until the New Year in one house. We aren’t the largest family, there are 7 of us, but understandably at this incredibly stressful time of year tempers do flare, and people do get under each others feet. With this in mind I am going to share what I can to help navigate this perilous period. The first and most important of these I feel is practising your “That’s a really thoughtful gift!” look beforehand, and coming up with a few phrases to exclaim how “great” the present is. The fact is we are all going to get at least one present we will find it hard to get excited about be it socks, hankies, pants, or a dodgy scarf knitted by Aunt Muriel, but it is dealing with this situation successfully that will determine your likelihood of surviving. Practising in the mirror helps so that you can see your face when doing so, and having more than one “Oh that’s brilliant, just my colour!” sort of phrase avoids repetition, that in the early stages of the day may still be noticed. After all they have put thought and effort into getting your present, you can do likewise to at least pretend you like it. If someone else hasn’t perfected tip No 1, don’t take it personally. If they didn’t tell you they didn’t want a new handle for their broom, or a ’funny’ novelty item what can you do!? I have fallen foul of this one myself, but whatever you do, NEVER, pester Mum, or whoever is in the kitchen preparing the banquet that is Christmas dinner! It will not be appreciated. It’s probably cold outside, so the heating will be on, as will every cooking appliance in the kitchen. Consequently it will be hotter than hell in there. So you making a snide remark about lunch being late is not going to go down too well. If you intend to give gifts that require batteries remember, THEY ARE NOT INCLUDED! Or at least not normally, so buy some to ensure the recipient can use their present. Inability to do so causes great frustration, especially in children. Lastly, and most important is to have fun and not take the whole thing too seriously. Enjoy spending time with those family members you maybe don’t see too much of. Eat, drink, and be merry, whilst of course ensuring that all these are done responsibly! Some Christmas Gift Ideas November 29, 2007 on 4:33 pm \| In News \| No Comments The festive season is just about upon us (although if you’ve been shopping at all since September you’d probably say it’s been with us for quite some time!) and Christmas is looming ever closer. Of course with Christmas lurking like a big scary bear behind a big tree that looks further away than it actually is, those of us who didn’t do our preparatory shopping in January/February (Yes, we all know one of those sorts of people!) are pretty much left running around trying to make sure we get all the gifts we need and that we put an appropriate amount of thought into them. At this point I could reel off a list of ‘THE’ gifts to get this Christmas, but I will refrain as I’d presumably just add to the stress of not being able to find a Nintendo Wii in the shops for love nor money! Instead I will suggest some of the smaller ‘stocking filler’ items. After extensive research (OK the boss caught me doing my Christmas shopping at work) I have managed to find the following great items below…. I really like this paperclip holder from Mocha. It‘s the sort of gadget I‘d happily have on my desk. It looks pretty cool in my opinion as well as it actually serving a purpose. These “Unazukin” have also caught my eye. They give a new and very cute take on the “Magic 8 Ball” and are available from Firebox. Or on a more festive theme the USB Snowman. Just the ticket to bring a bit of festive cheer to any computer area. This particular fellow is available at Gadgets.co.uk Or is there someone you don’t like too much and you really want them to get message this year? If so you could do worse than getting someone some specially packaged ‘Christmas Coal’, a great gift idea. Although surely if you don’t like them that much going to the effort of buying them a piece in a nice tin wouldn’t show your true dislike, so how about just ‘borrowing’ a bit from someone who still has an open fire, and wrapping it in some newspaper (preferably the kind that gets the ink over you when you handle it!) Mini Remote Control Battle Helicopters Review November 15, 2007 on 12:47 pm \| In News \| No Comments When the “Sky Challenger Mini Remote Control Battle Helicopters” arrived at Gadgets Towers we couldn’t wait to break them open and start having a go. I will admit at first I was a bit disappointed. After reading the manufacturers’ blurb about how easy the helicopters are to fly, and fancying myself as a bit of a crack pilot I was rather upset at seeing my particular helicopter bouncing off of walls, chairs, and settling on the floor in, what would have been in reality, fiery death. Luckily these little flying machines are suitably tough so as to be able to keep going after this sort of minor mishap. However 10-15 minutes in having realised I was not so much Goose from Top-gun but more Maureen from Driving School, I was able to assert a lot more control over the Helicopter. Keeping it pretty steady and mostly avoiding the various obstacles we have scattered around the office, my main entertainment at this point came from ‘buzzing’ the other inhabitants of the office. The real selling point of these particular remote control helicopters is the fact that they are equipped with infra-red lasers and receivers, so you can actually shoot each other. When you manage to hit the other helicopter their rotors will stop working for a few seconds, sending their helicopter plummeting towards the ground , and certain doom! All in all these neat little gadgets kept us entertained for a whole afternoon, and would have done more so had we not been ‘tactfully’ reminded by the boss that we aren’t being paid to play with toys. (Spoilsport!) Welcome to The Gadgets Blog! November 13, 2007 on 4:00 pm \| In News \| No Comments Hi! We are delighted to welcome you to the Gadgets Blog. We look forward to you joining us in our corner of cyberspace where we will be look into the world of gadgets and gizmos. From this Blog we will bring you our reviews and thoughts on the items and issues that catch our eye in the ever expanding field of gadgets, gifts and novelties. We will endeavour to use all our expertise in the field to provide impartial reviews of products and inform you as to how great (or otherwise) things may be. Whilst we intend to be honest and up-front about how we feel about the items we will base our opinions on our own experiences and not level unfounded criticism for the sake of it. We also welcome any comments or suggestions that you would like to provide. Most of the products we will feature on this Blog will be available at our sister site Gadgets.co.uk where we feature a wide range of goods that are suitable as presents for a variety of recipients, or just that something you want for yourself.	Pages: About us Categories: News (rss) (20) Archives: May 2008 (3) April 2008 (4) March 2008 (4) February 2008 (4) January 2008 (1) December 2007 (1) November 2007 (3) BlogRoll Gadgets.co.uk - Gifts & presents Meta: Login XFN WP RSS XML Feed
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