July Gadgets

This column will be about the amazing world of interesting and unusual technological novelties. They're commonly called by the fashionable word - gadgets. So what exactly are gadgets? Wikipedia answers this question thus: "A gadget (from the French gadget - an amusing toy, a gizmo, a technical novelty, a contrivance) is a technical device (including one with digital technology) possessing heightened functionality but limited capabilities (specialisation)". At one time gadgets meant mobile phones and PDAs, but today the term covers almost all technological novelties that stand out for their unique properties.

"Your safety can be part of your style," claims the American company Taser International (www.taser.com→), which is a manufacturer of weapons. And as proof, a super-novelty comes into the world - the musical stun gun Taser C12. Indeed, a means of self-defence can be not only useful but also fashionable! Built into the Taser C12 is an MP3 player with 1GB of memory. This stylish gadget will provide both a way to listen to your favourite music and reliable protection on the road. The maximum range is 4.5 m. A high-voltage discharge will knock an attacker unconscious for a good while and give you the chance to get away. One set of batteries is enough for 50 uses. The manufacturer believes that the main consumer audience for the musical stun gun is young women, so, besides heightened functionality, it also plays the role of an accessory. The Taser C12 comes in nine different designer colours.

An interesting musical gadget has been released by Sony (www.sony.com→). It's a small, cute robotic player with the brand name Rolly. Despite its modest size and light weight, the device produces surprisingly clean sound. Rolly has six parts that move in time with the music. Adding to the impression is a variety of colours (around 700) that change while a melody plays. Rolly plays MP3s, has 1GB of built-in memory, and is equipped with a wired USB port and Bluetooth. A digital amplifier for high sound quality is one more technology by which Rolly reproduces powerful sound. It will whirl about the house in a dance, delivering the pleasure of watching and listening to your favourite songs. The device can dance on its own or according to a pre-loaded program, so special software is included in the set. It's also interesting that the wonder-player has no display, and is controlled by two buttons: power on and play. Rolly shares your taste in music, and it can prove it.

The MP4 Watch, presented by the company Chinavasion (www.chinavasion.com→), will make a wonderful addition to your fashionable look. Stylish, made entirely of steel, it will win you over with its functionality. First of all, one's attention is drawn to the amount of built-in memory - 8 GB! The watch allows you to view video at a resolution of 160x128 on a 1.8-inch display. The interface supports several languages. The watch has an MP3 player and a voice recorder. You can view photographs and pictures in JPEG and BMP format while simultaneously listening to your favourite music. The set includes a user manual, as well as headphones and a USB cable. You can buy the novelty on the Chinavasion website for $85.

This absolutely unique mini-fridge CoolTone (www.cooltone.biz→) differs from all the other small fridges on the market in that, besides its cooling function, it carries within it the function of a music player, a radio and an alarm clock. Many manufacturers have already surprised us with fridge design. But gadgets like this we haven't seen before! It will make a justified purchase for people who love throwing parties. Not much will fit in such a fridge, but it will certainly manage to chill your drinks! Dimensions: height 60 cm, width 37 cm, depth 38 cm. The fridge weighs 12 kg and takes up far less space than a single ordinary tape recorder would. Besides the built-in CD player, the gadget-fridge has a special dock for an iPod, so there's the option of listening to music directly from the player. It's produced in a variety of colours. The price, listed on the official website www.cooltone.biz→, is $129.99.

At first glance the table shown in the photograph looks like an ordinary dining table with a single twist, consisting in the modesty of its snow-white colour. But a single press of a button turns it into an incredible LED table for playing ping-pong! Wow! The Pong Table, together with its kindred spirit the Roulette Table, was first presented in London at the "Rabih Hage" Gallery in the autumn of 2006. Their creator is one of the most cutting-edge designers of our time, Moritz Waldemeyer (www.waldemeyer.com→). His works combine high technology, art, fashion and design. The tables are constructed from Corian DuPont. Corian is an original, beautiful and very practical material, invented by the DuPont company (www.dupont.com→) in the mid-60s. Built into the surface of the Pong Table are 2500 LEDs and two touch control panels for the user's interaction with the system. The game is programmed into a built-in microchip, which controls the LED matrix so that the ball can move along the entire length of the table.

The Roulette Table works together with a lamp, which must be positioned above the table. It serves as a symbolic roulette wheel. The playing field is a glowing grid. When the game begins, the LEDs blink as if the roulette wheel were spinning. This creates the atmosphere of a real casino! Moritz Waldemeyer's tables can rightly be called gadgets. They are genuinely functional, since they combine the properties both of a dining table and of entertainment. There's only one drawback: only one game is programmed into each of the tables. But their appearance during play is an amazing sight! Buy one of these tables, and your home will always be at the centre of every party. Let's hope that in the near future these ultra-fashionable tables can be bought here too.