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Top 10 Geek Accessories – Jan 2013

1/21/2013 9:19:49 AM

Amazon Kindle Touch

Price: From $170

Verdict: Faster, crisper, with great online services and a useful touchscreen - this is the best Kindle yet

Ratings: 5/5

Amazon Kindle Touch

Amazon’s latest ebook reader has the most realistic looking screen we’ve seen, plus a responsive and intuitive touchscreen. The result? As you swipe between pages you might as well be flicking through a real book. But then you wouldn’t be able to input text with the on screen keyboard, mark passages with your finger, or get dictionary definitions with a tap. The touch interface also makes the outstanding Kindle store easier than ever to navigate, and books are still delivered in seconds over Wi-Fi or the optional free 3G unit. Shame you can’t surf the web over 3G any more though.

Motorola MOTOACTV

Price: $305

Ratings: 5/5

Motorola MOTOACTV

Motorola MOTOACTV

This touchscreen GPS tracker and MP3 player learns which songs make you move faster. Pair it up with Moto's now on sale SF600 Bluetooth headphones (US$160) and it'll cleverly route calls from your Android smartphone mid workout. Not bad for a watch.

iRobot Roomba 770

Price: $520

Ratings: 5/5

iRobot Roomba 770

Fast, efficient and powerful, this little robot vacuum cleaner is everything we fleshy humans aren't. Clever algorithms guide it across your room, its brush delves into the trickiest of corners and it even charges itself. Fair warning: may petrify cats.

ION Discover Guitar USB

Price: $160

Ratings: 5/5

ION Discover Guitar USB

You might not want to headline a festival with it, but this USB plug-and-play guitar is the perfect package for rock rookies. Video tutorials, bundled effects software and the ability to record directly to GarageBand will have you shredding like a pro in no time.

Parrot AR.Drone 2.0

Price: $440

Ratings: 5/5

Parrot AR.Drone 2.0

The second-generation of this app-controlled quadricopter boasts a 720p camera, easier control and best of all the ability to do flips. No one needs an AR.Drone 2.0, but every gadget fan should want one. Budget extra for a spare battery, though.

Synology DS212J

Price: $235

Ratings: 5/5

Synology DS212J

Slot two hard drives into this little white NAS box and you can back up your precious data and stream it via DLNA to TVs, consoles, tablets or phones. It's also a print, FTP, mail and iTunes server, with iOS and Android apps. Energy efficiency is a nice green bonus.

Wacom Inkling

Price: $210

Ratings: 5/5

Wacom Inkling

Wacom’s Hi-Tech doodler writes like an ordinary (albeit slightly chunky) ballpoint pen, but you wouldn’t want to chew on it. Its clever insides track each pen stroke before transferring and converting your sketches to layer-separable digital versions. Neat.

Sennheiser X320

Price: $175

Price: 5/5

Sennheiser X320

These comfy gaming cans with a noise cancelling mic, bass boost and separate volume controls for in game and voice channels are aimed squarely at Xbox 360 users. Check out the new U 320s, which will play nicely with your PS3, PC and Mac to boot (see right).

HP Envy 110

Price: $246

Ratings: 5/5

HP Envy 110

Packing all the basics as well as wireless printing and AirPrint for easy use with iDevices, this whisper quiet printer performs as smoothly as its metal and glass chassis might suggest. Did we mention it has its own email address for printing photos? Oh, we just did.

Sphero Robotic Ball

Price: $160

Ratings: 4/5

Sphero Robotic Ball

This smartphone controlled robotic ball doesn't need to exist, but it’s tough waterproof shell, LED lights and NASA pedigree make us glad it does. With various compatible apps and a thumbs up from President Obama, this is the ultimate spherical accessory.

Instant expert

In a world flooded with elite snipers and master fraggers, you should take every little advantage you can on the virtual battlefield. Sennheiser is more than happy to help with its update to the X320 gaming headset the Sennheiser U 320. (US$175, sennheiser.com). These new boys feature the same noise cancelling microphone as their elder XBox360 focused siblings, spacious detailed sound and a bass boost mode designed to allow you to enjoy truly ear watering explosions. The U 320s also have a tone switch to help you monitor the volume of your own voice a godsend for your other half, no doubt. Throw in Xbox 360, PS3 and PC/Mac compatibility and you have the equivalent of an auditory Swiss Army Knife that'll provide plenty of boom.

What to look for

Fun times

From sleek designs and clever tricks to sheer silly fun, one way or another gadgets should get your tech senses tingling. If you're not enjoying yourself, what's the point?

Ease of use

If you need a 96-page manual, you (or they) are doing it wrong. Gadgets exist to enhance our lives and make things easier, so look for tech that's a doddle to set up, simple to use and easy to maintain.

Looks that kill

A gadget should be more than just a pretty face but if your shiny new toy will be prominently on display, then go for something that oozes just a little bit of style.

Tech friendly

Look for compatibility with as much existing gear as possible. If you're running a Mac, make sure software is available. OS support, cable sharing and upgradeability will all make life easier in the long run which decreases the likelihood you'll end up chucking your tech away.

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