1. Sony Xperia T
For your ears only
Price: TBA
Website: sony.com
We’re not allowed to tell you whose phone
this is, or which film he’ll be using it in. we’ll just say that he likes his
Martinis badly made and of all the gadgets he’s been given over the years, this
surely beats beats the inflatable ski jacket. Oh, but we can tell you that it
has a 4.6in Reality Display, a 1.5Ghz dual-core processor and a SMERSHing 13MP
camera that shoots beautiful 1080p video – handy for capturing secret documents
and so on. But we’re definitely not allowed to tell you any more… or we’d have
to kill you.
As hot as… a moon base full of attractive
women and no radiation shielding
Sony
Xperia T
WTF?
Whenever you see one of these QR codes, use
a smartphone app (such as QR Reader for iOS or Google Goggles for Android) to
scan it. You’ll be whisked to a website without a moment’s fiddly URL-typing
Boxing clever
Get a T by the end of 2012 and you’ll get
50GB of cloud-based storage from Box. With 16GB of onboard memory and a microSD
slot for adding more, you’ll have more space than the Tarids
The Exmor you know
The 13P Exmor R sensor is back-illuminated
for better low light skills. With noise reduction tech and magic such as HDR
and Sweep Panoramas, it should take on compact cams with ease.
Jelly belly ache
As with previous Xperia, Sony is determinedly
shipping the T with an out-of-date version of Android: Ice Cream Sandwich
rather than Jelly Bean. Still, it’ll be nicely skinned. *Seethe*
2. BMW C Evolution
Sparky super scooter
Price: TBA
Website: bmw-motorrad.co.uk
Electric vehicles are no longer just for
people with crazy hair who bang on about gigawatts. Still, it’s early days so
you might feel safer going with a big name for your first planet-saving bike.
Enter BMW’s C Evolution, based on existing BMW maxi-scooters, but with
650ccpetrol engines switched for a 46bhp electric motor that hits 74mph and
batteries with a 60-mile range and a three-hour charge time. It’s due late 2013
and won’t be cheap – a $16k – plus price tagis mooted – but should appeal to
sensible and mad barnets alike.
As hot as… a DeLorean at 88mph
BMW
C Evolution
3. Philips FWP3200 Mini Hi-Fi
Block-Rockin’ Beatbox
Price: $477
Website: Philip.com
Trouble getting the party started? You’re
not getting any younger, so maybe you need some kind of hoopla-helper – a disco
device, a knees-up-mother-browner, a carousal-arouser – like this compact
Philips sound-pounder. At 300W, this machine is loud, and that’s before
activating the distortion-free Max Sound feature. Its twin iPod docks on
turntables aren’t for scratching (though you can pretend), but crossfade
between them and let the dynamic lighting flash with the beat, and everyone
will think Tiesto just showed up
As hot as… spiking the party punch with
powdered Viagra
Philips
FWP3200 Mini Hi-Fi
4. Oculus Rift VR Headset
Crowdfunded life-dodger
Price: TBA
Website: oculusvr.com
Gaming is all about total immersion. It’s
about ignoring fleshspace events (spouse leaving; bailiffs arriving) and
focusing on the quest. Sure, it’s hard to concentrate with so many real-world
distractions around, but Kickstarter project Oculus Rift could fix that. It’s
the first truly feasible VR headset, with lag-free 3D motion-tracking and a 1100
field of view that renders the action frameless. Interest from Doom-smiths id
Software and Gears of War guys Epic means prospects look good. Just don’t
forget to pay your electricity bill…
As hot as… the Tomytronic 3DSky Attack
Oculus
Rift VR Headset
5. Lego 4x4 Crawler
Sports youbuildity vehicle
Price: $222.5
Website: lego.com
When we were a lad*, Lego was something you
bought in bin bags at car boot sales. You could use it to build a house or a
small wall or – if you had some spare rubber bands – a catapult. Then Lego
Technic arrived, and you could make a mini tractor. But these days you can take
a few Lego blocks and turn them into a proper, radio-controlled,
four-wheel-drive monster truck. It’s basically just a matter of time before you
can use Lego to construct artificial hearts, sentient robot or – if you have
some spare rubber bands – a full-size car boot from which to sell bin bags of
Lego
As hot as… freshly baked bricks, mmmmm
Lego
4x4 Crawler
