Original URL: http://www.reghardware.com/2007/06/22/summer_kit_round-up/
Here comes the summer - holiday kit on test
The gadgets you shouldn't leave home without
Round-up Packing your bags for the annual sojourn overseas is getting more complicated every year, as the lines of what is and isn't essential gadgetry blur ever further. Which is why we've rounded up some of the tastiest travelling technology currently on offer. Something for everyone, in fact...
Sony CDX-HDR70MW MP3/CD player
Tougher than old boots yet sleeker than any Jimmy Choos, Sony's latest marine audio gadget takes the company's superb in-car AV knowhow and transfers it from dashboard to deck.
The CDX-HR70MW head unit certainly looks the part, decked out as it is with big boaty round dials, a distinctly nautical screen and chunky, well-lit buttonry. And as you'd expect from a boat-based unit, it's built to withstand whatever Poseidon deems necessary to throw at it. Salt and UV resistant with a splash-proof fascia, it's sealed to IPx5 standards and is supplied with a natty plastic cover for weathering the white squall.
Sonically, it's a CD player that can also handle data discs containing MP3, WMA, AAC and ATRAC tracks. With two pre-amp outputs you can expand the system with added amplifiers, there's an on-board three-band equaliser and the display is specifically designed for high visibility in even the brightest conditions.
Released at the same time, Sony has also designed a range of high-end speaker rigs to complement the HDR70MW. The XS-MP1610W features a two-way design with separate tweeters; the XS-L100P5M is a 10in marine sub-woofer with 800W peak power; and the XM-604M4/3 offers a 600W peak power rating and is rust and UV resistant. Mix and match as you see fit and unfettered fun in the big blue awaits.
Sony CDX-HDR70MW MP3/CD player
Don’t ride the ocean waves, dance over them...
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| Price | £175 |
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| More info | Sony's CDX-HR70MW page [1] |
Olympus Mju 770SW
The diminutive dimensions of Olympus' 770SW belie the truth that this is in fact the hardest digicam ever created. For that slick steel livery ensures this boy is waterproof to a whopping 10m - adios cumbersome water housings - shockproof to falls of 1.5m, freeze-proof to -10°C and crush-proof to a weight of 100kg. So you can take it pretty much anywhere you can survive. And would still want to take pictures.
What this means is that for anyone who likes to get extreme in their holidays, they now have the tool for capturing their craziness. If you're a little more Ian McCaskill than Indiana Jones and are more interested in the sun and sights, the Olympus is equally at home. General knocks, seawater and sand pose no problems.
Don't break out the sunscreen yet, though, as there are some niggles. The 7.1-megapixel sensor takes decent but not great pictures when compared to some similarly priced rivals, largely thanks to noise creeping into shot at higher ISO ratings. The features list is a little thin. There are 24 scene selections, however, including suitably sporty options like underwater macro, underwater snapshot and two wide-angle modes.
But this is all really missing the point, because this camera can take pictures every bit good enough for your family album, and it won't come back from your holiday any the worse for wear. Unlike you if you plan to test it to the full.
Olympus Mju 770SW
Go hard or go home, the 770SW is ready. Are you?
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| Price | £240 |
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| More info | Olympus' Mju 770SW page [2] |
Joby Gorillapod
So you've got your shiny new compact camera and you're prepped and ready for a little holiday rough and tumble photo action, in which case the Gorillapod is an essential accessory.
Laughing in the inflexible face of your common or garden tripod, this little monkey (sorry) features three ultra-bendy legs that can flexy, grip and generally stick like glue to most any uneven surface. Be it rock, sand, branch, tussock or stuffed animal you're shooting from, the Gorillapod will offer a stable and rigid mount for your camera, with a universal screw attachment for fixing the two together.
A unique way to get innovative and just plain odd angles for taking your snaps, the Gorillapod is also blindingly cheap, extremely sturdy and folds up very small, so is a perfect fit for your camera bag.
Sling Media Slingbox
We love the Slingbox because it's a travel gadget that you never have to take away with you. Looking like a giant silver-wrapped slab of gold bullion, the Slingbox lets you watch your home TV anywhere in the world via your laptop and a broadband connection. Just plug it in to your TV - it's got its own Freeview receiver - load the PC or Mac software and as long as you have a computer and an internet speed of at least 256Kbps you've got all the UK's digital channels wherever you may be.
Heck, it's also got inputs and remote control attachments for other picture sources, so you can even hook up your Sky+ box too. Not only can you change satellite channel, but you can also access the hard disk and everything you have saved, or record something from the Sky EPG.
The Slingplayer software pulling down the TV stream does an excellent job of keeping things on the smooth and steady. On top of this you can pause, rewind and fast forward as well as access interactive features by hitting the red button using the virtual on-screen remote control.
Sling Media Slingbox
Slingbox says goodbye to BBC World forever...
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| Price | £180 |
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| More info | The Sling Media website [4] |
Sony Vaio TZ
Absolutely essential if only so you can take advantage of your Sling Media Slingbox, a decent laptop is your lifeline back to the real world when travelling. Sony's latest, the TZ - reviewed in depth here [5] - is an update of its popular TX range and aims to combine functionality and style with robustness and portability. Which, typically, it has done in spades.
Weighing in at a sprightly 1.19kg it shouldn't be heavy enough to elicit extra fees at the airport, and thanks to the carbon-fibre casing will withstand the inevitable knocks from surly baggage staff. If they're having a particularly bad day, the TZ sports a motion detection to protect your precious files in case it's dropped. Security is dealt with by Trusted Platform Module (TPM) hardware encryption and fingerprint recognition.
From a style point of view, the TZ is just lovely. Offered in a variety of colours - black, platinum sand and carbon fibre - it's supremely minimalist in looks and features a keyboard design apparently inspired by the "submerged stones of a Japanese water garden".
Onto the essentials then, and the TZ is powered by the latest Intel Core 2 Duo Ultra-Low Voltage CPU (helping battery life) with hard disk capacities of 80GB or 100GB, and 2GB of DDR2 memory. Multimedia apps are a breeze with dedicated AV control keys and an Instant On function that accesses CDs and DVDs without having to boot up Windows, so films will flicker into glorious Technicolor on the 11.1in X-Black LCD screen. Which, handily, is also great for watching your home TV on once you've hooked up to your Slingbox.
Sony VAIO TZ
Keep an eye on the real world with Sony's new portable pal...
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| Price | £1749 |
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| More info | Sony's Vaio TZ website [6] |
Archos 704 Wi-Fi
Archos has led the way for some time now in the portable media player stakes, developing a comprehensive range of capable and cool players successfully tailored to different target audiences. Of them all though, the new 704 Wi-Fi stands out as a really cracking combination of technologies.
Donning the mantle of convergence, not only is it a 40GB or 80GB storage device that can hold around 100 films, it's also a wireless internet tablet replete with very slick 7in touchscreen. Its functionality both at home and abroad is impressive. Alongside all the expected features like direct recording from your TV with the optional DVR Station, music storage and playback, and photo viewer, you can watch films piped from your 704 to your TV in near DVD quality.
Which isn't to say they look bad on the Archos' own 800 x 400 screen because they don't, but if you've got a telly handy it seems churlish not to use it. Everything is controlled via the resplendent touchscreen, which makes jobs like surfing the net a far more flexible and enjoyable experience. One word of warning: if you, like Homer Simpson, inherited stubby or podgy fingers then stick to the stylus for navigating your way around. You won't need to carry a can of Mr Sheen to polish off those fingerprints either.
Sound quality is surprisingly good for such a slimline device, but as always we heartily recommend a good set of in-ear headphones to give the experience some oomph and save your fellow holidaymakers from your film and music tastes.
The 704 Wi-Fi is one of those gadgets that, as soon as you pick up and feel the reassuring quality and weight of it, you just have to have. A brilliant alternative to a laptop.
Archos 704 Wi-Fi
The latest wireless multimedia marvel from Archos...
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| Price | £280 |
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| More info | Archos' Wi-Fi 704 page [7] |
Nintendo DS Lite
Ahh, the pure pleasure of gaming. And if you want pure, then Nintendo's diminutive DS Lite is the volcanic filtered pure of the gaming world. None of your PSP media applications or phone/PDA crossovers here - this is all about fun.
With a design undeniably inspired by the iPod, the DS Lite is amazingly compact and yet very ergonomically sound in use. Its clamshell design hides two screens, one your traditional viewing panel and the other a stylus/finger-controlled touchpanel that invites you to get interactive like no other gaming gadget before it, emulated now only by Nintendo's own Wii.
Manual controls are taken care of by a tactile and well-laid out set of controls - a cross pad on the left and Nintendo's standard A, B, X and Y button arrangement on the right. The screens come with four brightness settings and are both excellent and easily viewable in daylight, though playing on the beach may be stretching things a little.
One of the best things about the DS though is that it's sold region-free and with multiple language support. So with the exchange rates as they currently are, you can pick one up abroad for close to half of the already cheap asking price. One holiday gadget that might be best picked up once you've arrived then.
Nintendo DS Lite
No journey is too long with the DS Lite...
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| Price | £95 |
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| More info | Nintendo's DS Lite website [8] |
Solio charger
One of the big issues with modern travel and holidays is the impact we are having on the environment as we jet all over and gorge ourselves on the niceties of neighbouring countries. And if you're anything like us, you've got an arsenal of gadgetry to tide you over, all of it thirsty for power and in constant need of charging.
The Solio is a slick little solar-power charger to beat the battery drain. Folding up into a compact package for easy portability, you can pre-charge the Solio using the mains, but this defeats the object and certainly negates the enviro angle.
To minimise your carbon footprint and massage your conscience, the Solio unfurls into a flat three-tier device with each propeller-shaped surface bedecked in water and weatherproof photosensitive solar cells. There's a very handy suction thing bundled in the box, which is great for attaching the Solio to a window and charging it out of harm's way.
Bold claims by the manufacturers of an eight-hour sunshine stint to gain a full charge may be a little on the aspirational side unless you're holidaying on the surface of the Sun, but there's enough juice to save you should your precious iPod or phone die en route, or on the beach. There are plenty of other portable chargers now coming onto the market, but we like the Solio's quirky cool design aesthetic and green credentials. Plus it's built out of recycled and recyclable materials.
Casio G-Shock
Casio boldly - and, it has to be said, slightly tenuously - claims that thanks to the new additions to its G-Shock range, it is now cool to be square. And while we're all for a spot of Geek Chic, we considered that the famous watchmaker may have been stretching things a little.
But all doubts were swept away entirely when we clapped our eyes on one, because it looks absolutely superb - a conservative interpretation of bling if you like, especially if you opt for the gold version also being released alongside a swathe of other colours.
The perfect companion for any holiday action, the G-Shock's wrist strap is stainless steel and curves into the display seamlessly. The analogue watch face is complemented both functionally and aesthetically by digital dual dials that display extra information.
The G-Shock is waterproof to 200m so can handle any Scuba diving or watersports with aplomb, is shock and vibration proof, and also sports LED illuminator lights so you can see everything no matter where you are. There are also world times, stopwatch, countdown timer, five alarms and the ubiquitous snooze function so you don't miss your flight. Fully featured, stylish and obscenely cheap in the face of some seriously designer competitors, we reckon the G-Shock has it all.
Casio G-Shock
Casio proves that it is indeed hip to be square...
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| Price | £130 |
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| More info | Casio's G-Shock website [10] |
Cayago VX2 Seabob
If you're headed to a balmy beach resort and want to liven up your stay, the Seabob is just what you need. Whether you want to cruise along the water's surface without effort or dive below it and get taken for a ride, the Seabob water bobsleigh can accommodate your needs nicely.
Powered by an environmentally friendly electric jetstream system that runs totally emission free to a restricted five horse-power, getting in control is as simple as jumping in at the deep end and taking it by the joystick-style handles. Steering is all down to shifting body weight left and right and once you've mastered the basics getting up to the 20kph top speed on the surface, you can push the nose down and dive to an ear-popping 40 metres.
Two things really limit the Seabob's appeal: its weight on land - it's a spine-crippingly heavy 63kg - and thus expensive to transport, and its price. Seven and a half grand is a lot of money for a plaything, but if you've got some to spare then this has to be the ultimate summer boy's toy.
Cayago VX2 Seabob
Jump in at the deep end with a little watersports action...
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| Price | £7500 |
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| More info | The Seabob page on Harrod's website [11] |
Verdict
Different holidays will bring with them different gadget requirements. Which means no top ten is likely to be definitive for everyone, hence the variety on offer here. Us? Well, we'll be taking in the sun, sea and surf this year and so Olympus' brilliant 770SW accompanied by the Gorillapod would be top of our list. Closely followed, that is, by the Sony laptop and Sling Media Slingbox so we never miss another episode of Malcolm in the Middle.
Links
- http://www.sony.co.uk/view/ShowProduct.action?product=CDX-HR70MW
- http://www.olympus.co.uk/consumer/29_mju_770_SW.htm
- http://www.joby.com/products/gorillapod/original/
- http://www.slingmedia.com
- http://www.reghardware.co.uk/2007/05/29/sony_vaio_tz_launch/
- http://vaio.sony.co.uk/view/ShowProductCategory.action?site=voe_en_GB_cons&category=VN+TZ+Series
- http://www.archos.com/products/video/archos_704wifi/index.html?country=global&lang=en
- http://ms.nintendo-europe.com/dslite/
- http://www.solio.com/v2/
- http://www.casio.co.uk/Products/Watches/G-Shock/
- http://www.harrods.com/Cultures/en-GB/Products/ProductDetail.htm/CS_ProductID/SEA02V%28HarrodsComCatalog%29/CS_Category/Sports_SeabobLP%28HarrodsComCatalog%29/CS_Catalog/HarrodsComCatalogGB