Here’s what’s high on my gadget wish list (originally blogged on MyDL).

1. Med8r – a high definition multimedia player

This fantastic device will let me watch TV series properly on my big screen, which I can access via the network (it’s WiFi compatible too). I really want a solution where I can sit on my couch and dump stuff onto the drives without any effort. And that it supports HFS+ (native Mac file system) – this is actually the biggest selling point for me.

2. Airport Express

My wireless router at home just decided it won’t reach my bedroom anymore! If I sit at the doorway on the floor with my laptop, it works. If I move literally a few feet onto my bed, it’s out of range! Anyway, I tried another router (I will refrain from mentioning the brand) and it was crap! So, next option, is the best option. Ha. Apple’s Airport Express. They describe it as “powerful enough to run a home Wi-Fi network, yet small enough to take on the road.”

3. Solo Beats by Dr Dre

A few years ago I had the opportunity to test the first set of headphones in this range that was available in South Africa. I fell in love. The quality is excellent and you can tell. It’s high definition sound. What more do you want? (Apart from not wanting to go deaf). I don’t want it in any of the funky colors it’s available in, just black.

4. Beatbox by Dr Dre

Okay, do I need to say more? An iPod dock… by Dr Dre!

5. iPhone lens dial

This nifty little add on for an iPhone offers three optical quality coated glass lenses – wide angle, fisheye and telephoto. I like taking pics on my phone (I do miss optical zoom) but I think this is quite a fun addition to have (in your handbag, wherever you go).

Yesterday the Huawei (I have no idea how it’s pronounced) Ideos S7 Slim tablet launched locally.

It is a 7-inch tablet (I don’t know why, though – it’s too small for a tablet), runs Android 2.2 Froyo, lets you make video and voice calls (3G+WiFi), features Bluetooth 2.1, HD playback (720), HMDI out and has 2 cameras.

I was given a tablet because I was one of the first 25 guests to arrive. I switched it on today and was pleasantly surprised that there were loads of apps preinstalled: games like Angry Birds, Fruit Ninja, NFS Shift, Pinball, Super Snake & more; other apps like Twitter, Documents To Go, Navigation, RSS Reader and all Google related products. Saves you a lot of bandwidth if you had to download everything yourself.

I played a bit of Fruit Ninja but the experience isn’t anything like on the iPad – it’s not as responsive and the screen isn’t as fantastic. I haven’t done much else on it – I haven’t even removed the back cover to insert a SIM card. I’ll wait for the RICA/network issues to die down before getting another SIM card.

The last two images show a comparison to the iPad. The Huawei tablet is thin and long, not ideal if you are used to a more ‘regular’ sized screen. It could make a good e-reader substitute. The tablet is priced between R3,200 – R3,600 and is available from Vodacom or MTN. I think it might be a bit pricey for the target market and if you weigh the pros and cons with other tablets on the market.

Other news: I’ve created a separate Tumblr blog for my upcoming Taiwan trip. You can find it on http://taiwantravel.tumblr.com. I will post information leading up to the trip (if applicable) but I will be updating it while I am there. Please feel free to subscribe to it Thanks!

The Samsung Africa Forum was held in Nairobi, Kenya this year and I was invited to attend the press conference where Samsung announced its product lineup for the African region.

The event is fairly new; the first one was held in Johannesburg last year (which I couldn’t attend), but those who attended said it was a huge improvement compared to the first one.

The products announced and unveiled were cameras, printers, monitors, home appliances and entertainment, a solar powered notebook (exclusive to Africa – and has up to 15 hours of battery life), a range of Smart TVs, along with the Galaxy S II smartphone and the main attraction: the Galaxy Tab (10.1 and 8.9)

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South Africa will be getting the Galaxy Tab 10.1 in July at a cost of R 5,499 (16GB) and R 6,499 (32GB). The Galaxy Tab 8.9 will arrive about 4-6 weeks later at a cost of R 5,299 (16GB) and R6,299 (32GB). The Galaxy S II will be available in July at a cost of R6,699.

All products were exhibited at the Kenya International Conference Centre where we got to demo them. One of the products that impressed me was the interactive e-board for learning, which lets you can draw on the board with the e-board pen or your fingers.

Samsung also very strategically placed what it calls the ‘worlds largest Smart TV’ (75” LED TV) at the entrance of the exhibition, making you stop and stare. And possibly or most probably want. Like Kojo did.

Personally, I don’t buy into the whole ‘Smart TV’ idea, like 3D TV. I use my TV for TV/movies/games. It just feels weird browsing the Internet on your TV or playing with apps. In a living room. In a house with other people. Who may have other interests. Also, I have other devices that can do the same thing, so it’s not all that exciting. It does make a good platform to turn your kids into geeklets, though.

The trip was rounded-off with a gala dinner at the (world famous?) Carnivore restaurant. The highlight of the evening for me was winning a Samsung P580 business notebook. W00t!

I think what (not only Samsung) but most companies hosting events need to do as a priority, is offer the media free WiFi (password protected – linked to registration maybe). It would have made tweeting/blogging/publishing easier. Having said that, we managed to get #SamsungAfricaForum trending in Johannesburg.

Thank you Samsung, for hosting us comfortably in the middle of Africa.

– This blog post was written on the flight back from Nairobi to Johannesburg, over the Mozambique and Zimbabwe border.

When you pick up and switch on the Nintendo 3DS for the first time and look into the glasses-free 3D screen, it will be nothing short of amazing. You get the feeling that you cannot believe what you are seeing.

To the right of the 3D screen, which is the top of the two screens on the handheld console, you will see a 3D slider. This lets you adjust the intensity of the 3D to a level your eyes are most comfortable with. Like any other DS console, the bottom screen is a touchscreen.

Once the screen is suited to your eyes, the fun begins. As a first time user, you will be required to create a Mii, which is a digital avatar of yourself. You get to create one from scratch, or do it the fun way – let the 3D camera take a picture of yourself, which is then morphed into avatar version of your facial features, and is completely customizable.

Good: 3D without the glasses; AR games; intensity of 3D can be adjusted.
Bad: pricey; console has to be held in a certain position; may hurt your eyes.
Rating: 8/10
Price: R2800
Contact: Core Group – 011 535 9000

Originally published on My Digital Life.

Yesterday I played with the Samsung Galaxy Tab (it was not given to me for review). My husband’s client gave it to him to create apps for them.

Anyway, my first impression was that it looked nice and I did (apparently what everyone else did) and put the ‘massive’ device to my ear and said “so this is how you’d look when making phone calls?” It’s kinda funny when you picture people walking around with that thing against their ear whilst having a conversation. I also liked the screen, it is responsive.

I’ve used an Android phone before so I know that you require a Google account to access market place and several built-in Google apps. I logged in with one of my Google’s accounts and downloaded a few apps: Facebook for Android, Angry Birds, and Comics. I logged into Facebook, posted an update and played Angry Birds.

Then I realised I should logout of my account since everyone using the tablet at my husband’s office will have access to my email. It is not a straight-forward process, you have to reset the device to do so, and this process wipes everything you downloaded. Hmmm.

I then went into the Facebook application and what do you know, there isn’t a “logout” button. Why? WHY?!! Does nobody care about the user experience? Oh wait, don’t answer that…

Why is everything such a mission with Android? People think Android is synonymous with cool, because it’s open source. Yes, it may be cool for developers, but nobody took the time to work around making processes simple/one-click, the way Apple does. Of course I’m going to compare it, since Apple owns 95% of the tablet market.

It is small things like this that makes the whole experience better. Imagine if the App Store was tied to your email? This is Google’s biggest problem. They tie your Google account to all their offerings and I find it sneaky. But Google and privacy is another topic.

Manufacturers are focussing too much on hardware, and quick to offer the best ‘up-to-date’ product, and just dumping Android onto it. Because they don’t care about the user-experience. I don’t know if Apple has made me this way: where I expect everything to be simple, less-complicated and uncluttered.

The Samsung Galaxy Tab is priced at R5999 on kalahari.net, as a SALE price. Normal price is R7999. Thanks, but no thanks. Give me two entry-level iPads instead.

When it comes to peripherals, style is the last thing associated with it. The word itself sounds boring, right? But that has changed – with the Logitech Fantasy Collection.

If you want something a bit more stylish instead of a black or cream coloured mouse, then I recommend getting the Logitech M305 wireless mouse, in one of the many patterned/coloured options it is available in. I reviewed it for My Digital Life about two months ago (and almost didn’t want to give it back) but now have one of my own. You can read my full review here. It is by far the best mouse I’ve ever used and I’ve used loads in the last 15 fifteen years.

It has an ergonomic design, which means it’s made to fit naturally in your hand and after long periods of use, prevents strain. This is the main reason I love it – I can use it for hours and don’t end up with a ‘mouse hand’. It is slightly more than what you’d pay for a mouse – R279 – but it’s worth it. It also makes for a cool birthday present – for a guy, too

Yesterday I got to experience the Navigon GPS system first hand.

Let me start off by saying I usually stick to a brand that I think is best in its field. In this case, Garmin. I currently use a 5-year-old Garmin Nuvi 200, which is out-dated. Out-dated because I tried registering on the Garmin website but received an error, so I never bothered downloading a newer version of the map again.

Navigon invited me to a fun day, sort of like Amazing Race, where we were given clues and had to drive to the destination (Soccer City > Apartheid Museum > Botanical Gardens > Moyo – Zoo Lake > Wombles) using the Navigon GPS system.

Initially I took long to find a destination because the system was new to me – and quite advanced, compared to my entry level Garmin.

Once a destination has been found, you get an option of three different routes, colour-coded accordingly. The route that you choose most often – eg. shortest time – is what the device remembers about you when giving directions. I also found the directions to be more accurate. Instead of saying “turn left”, it says “turn left now”. I have missed turns in the past on my old GPS.

Another feature that I found handy, especially for me, is that the speed limit is always displayed on the map. (It may not be a killer feature, but if it’s not in front of me, I’m gonna get a ticket. Well, only when I’m rushing back from an event). There is a 2 second delay between the real time update as you cross over to zone with a different speed limit.

The GPS also has an “active lane assistant” feature which shows you which lane is best stick to – you don’t want to be on the far right on a 5-lane highway when your extreme left turn is approaching. The map highlights the lanes you should be in, so you can turn in time.

If you’re taking an extended journey and need to stop for food at some point, you are able to create a route within a route. You can do a local search for the nearest restaurant and add it on. Pretty cool. Once you’re done, navigation to your final destination will resume.

If you’re concerned about quality – Navigon is a German company, who follows standards set by BMW. Enough said. Right?

Hopefully I won’t be getting lost, missing turns or even have roads missing in my new Navigon 40 Premium, thanks to Nagivon.

More information on www.navigon.co.za

I was contacted by Ila Security (a company based in the UK) who are expanding their product range into South Africa via Woolworths, Foschini and Busby House.

They sent me one of their most popular / signature products from their range of fashionable security solutions for women, to review – the Ila Dusk personal alarm.

At first glance, it doesn’t look like a security product; it’s very stylish & sleek with a pretty butterfly design (the one I received), which sits on a keychain. It fits neatly in your palm and is lightweight, so attaching it to your car keys or your bag won’t weigh either down.

To activate it, you just pull the chain at the bottom, and it triggers a high-pitched sound (130 decibels). It lasts for 8-10 minutes, and you can deactivate it by pushing the chain back to it’s initial position.

Heading back to your car in a parking lot late at night, especially in South Africa, is slightly worrying for any female. Having something like the Ila Dusk on hand would make you feel a bit more safer, than nothing at all.

So if you’re looking for a security measure (ladies) or to give it as a gift (men), then check out the Ila Dusk personal alarm. You don’t have to be stylish to go for something like this.

The Asus Eee PC’s designer seashell edition from the Karim Rashid collection was created for women who appreciate aesthetics and are into designer gadgets. At just one inch thick and weighing 1.1kg, the netbook is encased in a techno-chic organic “digi-wave” rippling design, which comes in Hot Pink and Coffee Brown.

The netbook has a 10.1-inch frameless LED backlight screen, with a resolution of 1 024 x 600 pixels, which is ideal for a portable mobile work solution. Dimensions are 262mm (W) x 180mm (D) x 26.2mm (H). All models come with Windows 7 Starter edition.

What makes this netbook easy on the eye is that all the ports are neatly hidden in the chassis. To the left, you will find a VGA out, 1 x USB and a card reader (MMC/SD); to the right, a 1 x LAN, 2 x audio jacks (mic-in and headphone) and an additional USB, all conveniently tucked away. At the base is the mini VGA out cable. The stereo speakers are located at the bottom too, which might not have been the best idea, as sound is muffled.

Additionally, the netbook has a 1.3-megapixel camera, wireless LAN and Bluetooth. Connecting wirelessly to the internet and working with e-mail should yield about 3.5 hours. That’s only slightly better than the 900 series.

The keyboard is a decent size but the spaces between keys could have been eliminated for a more flowing feel. The unit has a matte finish, which is completely fingerprint-resistant – a definite plus.

The netbook ships with Intel’s second generation Atom N450 processor and when combined with Asus’ Super Hybrid Engine (SHE), which reduces energy consumption, battery life is extended. The battery is also removable, unlike the 1008HA model.

The 1008P Seashell Karim Rashid Eee PC is definitely not a netbook for the average student or for someone looking for a portable mobile work solution. It is more suited to a fashionista.

Written for Digital Life April / May 2010.

The following is my list of top 5 gadgets for 2009. Please note that this list has been drawn up from gadgets that I’ve had access to and played with.

5. Rubik’s 360

What I loved: the challenge, even though it took 40 mins to complete. Confession: I never completed the Rubik’s cube

4. iPod Nano (5th generation)

What I loved: video recording, FM radio.

3. HTC Magic

What I loved: the Google integration, slick UI, controlled data usage. By far, this is my favourite Android handset, beats the HTC Hero.

2. Beats by Dr Dre

What I loved: excellent sound quality. Once you try these out, you’d want to own it! Although, at R6 999 (Audiosure), you might think twice.

1. The new MacBook Pro 13″

What I love: what’s not to love? Okay, I’m biased with #1 because I bought one last month