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Gadget and accessory round-up Words Ashley Norris
N93 is the latest in Nokia’s series of high-end N phones. It’s a big, burly handset packed with features: 3G connection (as well as Wi-Fi), 3.2 megapixel camera, a music player, FM radio and more. Its headline facility is a camcorder that grabs footage at 30 frames per second. It isn’t quite DVD quality, as Nokia claims, but the footage looks pretty good both on the device’s high quality screen and on a TV.
The N93 is versatile with a screen that twists round, enabling the user to position it like a mini-laptop – great for video viewing and web-surfing. However, the main user buttons are sideways-up in this format, which makes it tricky to input website addresses. The only other key weakness is the slightly limited on-board storage of 80Mb, but this can be increased with a mini-SD card. N93 is probably perhaps the best Nokia N series phone to date. Costs €400. www.nokia.com
iPod speaker systems have been around for a few years now. The i-Station series is a bestseller, largely because the models deliver solid performance and aren’t too expensive. i-Station 3 is the latest, designed primarily for travellers who need a small portable system. Like other i-Stations, this version has a cool set of core features. Plonk your iPod into the dock and it automatically starts charging the device – so you can leave those power cables at home. The speakers themselves are not especially powerful but they generate enough sound to fill a standard-sized hotel room. The i-Station 3 is the ideal travelling companion as it can also be powered by batteries. The device is portable enough to slip unobtrusively into a suitcase, so if you travel frequently and want music on the go, it’s well worth considering. Costs €45 www.logic3.com
Mobile phone manufacturer Motorola and sunglasses designer Oakley have been working together for a couple of years now. Their latest creation is the O ROKR, sunglasses which incorporate Bluetooth in the shades themselves. As well as being able to receive calls with the glasses, the user can listen to music stored on their phone. For a further €40 owners can add an adaptor which allows the O ROKR to work with iPods too. The device delivers good-quality music and had no problems answering a call when it came through. However, there are a few weaknesses with the design. They won’t suit everyone, they’re quite heavy and bulky and frankly made this reviewer look rather stupid. Also, the tiny buttons situated on top of the frames are difficult to use. Still, if you dig the design and have €300 burning a hole in your pocket, the O ROKRs are worth a punt. Costs €300. www.motorola.com
Ever been stuck in a foreign city fruitlessly searching for a Wi-fi hot spot? 3G cards from mobile phone networks such as Vodafone, T-Mobile and Orange offer a solution. These cards fit in the PCMCIA slot of your laptop and enable you to surf the web, check email and send text messages without using Wi-Fi. The new HSDPA (high-speed data-packet access) networks, being rolled out across Europe, enable users to access the web at super-fast speeds of up to 1.8 Mbps. The Vodafone HSDPA card is one of the first to go on sale and can download files at lightning speeds. If there is no HSDPA signal present it defaults to a 3G signal and then to GPRS, so you should be able to get online almost anywhere in Europe. Check with your local network about data tariff rates. Price dependent on network. www.vodafone.com
If you’ve ever used Skype – a way of chatting to people through your PC – you’ll know the big drawback is that unless you’re prepared to accessorise, you have to talk to people using your PC’s microphone and speakers. Enter the Polycom Communicator, one of the many Skype-approved accessories currently available. This is a portable Skype-enabled speakerphone. Small and light, it’s easy to move around, especially with the neat soft case provided. The device plugs directly into your PC’s USB socket and should work immediately, although a firmware-update download may be required. Once plugged in, you can bring up the Skype software on your computer, adjust the volume, mute and terminate a call using the four buttons. Call clarity is fine, and although there is a delay, it’s very slight. The speakers are best suited to occasional listening to music rather than permanent use. Overall, a good buy if you use Skype frequently. Costs €160. www.polycom.com
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