Going haywire
Fed up of tripping over cables and never being able to find the right leads, James Fryer gives his life a wireless makeover.
The Imp
www.theimpradio.com
From Marconi’s original invention in 1896 to Trevor Baylis’s windup radio in 1994, the wireless has come a long way, baby. In recent years radio streaming over the Internet marked a new dawn and now, with the introduction of the Imp, things have just jumped up a notch on the airwaves. Forget Chris Fisher and enjoy a mammoth 2,500 free radio stations on offer as the Imp connects to your home Wi-Fi network and scours the net for stations, from Bangladeshi bhangra and Texas trance to Russian rock. You can even access the BBC’s full archive, including The Archers. And the Five Live station will have possibly the best coverage of the final World Cup games...
Motorola H5 Miniblue
www.motorola.com
One day in the perhaps not-so-distant future, we may have microchips planted in our bodies that will automatically deduct cash from our bank accounts when we walk out of a supermarket with the weekly shopping. The same chip might even allow us to make phone calls without the use of a mobile – receiving conversations and transmitting sounds to our brains. Taking us a scary step closer to these Demolition Man days is Motorola’s in-ear Bluetooth headset. It’s just 41 millimetres long and fits snugly inside the ear, transmitting clear sound and reducing outside noise. But the really amazing part – it picks up your voice through the ear canal – making Madonna-style headsets a thing of the past. Damn.
Netgear Wi-Fi Phone
www.netgear.com
Skype users love cutting out the middle man and using the web to make free calls to anywhere in the world. But this mobile phone takes the VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) a step further – you’ll no longer need a computer and headset to speak to your global network of cosmopolitan chums. Once you’re in a Wi-Fi area this device connects to the web and logs on to the Skype network. Just remember to take time differences into account as you get on the blower to share the good news.
Music System
www.logitech.com
High-speed broadband and huge hard drives mean you’re likely to have at least a few MP3s lurking on your home computer, if not a few hundred albums. But it’s frustrating only being able to entertain your new romantic interest in the study with sounds from the second-rate speakers that came bundled with your PC. A much smoother solution is to nab one of these new wireless music systems. Plug the transmitter into your computer’s USB port, the receiver into your stereo, and away you go – anywhere in the house, including Barry White’s true home, the boudoir...
Nabaztag
www.firebox.com
Nabaztag is the most revolutionary rabbit to hop into our homes since Bugs Bunny. It uses Wi-Fi to connect to the ‘Net then collects info and presents tidings in unique ways – a glowing yellow belly might mean it’s going to be sunny, a waggling ear means your stocks have fallen, while flashing lights to the sound of Rage Against The Machine’s Bullet in the Head says it’s time to wake up. Log on to www.nabaztag.com to send messages to your bunny at home – telling your flatmates not to touch your Cornflakes, for example. Fido had better learn new tricks quick.