Decide what to buy

Possibly the strangest gadget ever. It’s got a rating of 9.1/10 on Reevoo from a whopping 67 reviews and everyone raves about it. But what is it??

It’s a Zoundz. An “Interactive Fusion Of Light And Sound”. Well there you go then.

For those of you who are still none the wiser, it’s a base unit that comes with a variety of figures. Each figure, when placed on the unit in different positions, plays a different beat or riff – so you can create your own classic tunes.

You can then use your tunes to wake you up by using its alarm function or you can play your iPod through its built-in speakers. It’ll even give you a nice light show at the same time.

People really are quite literally raving about this thing. Here are some of the reviews:

“Quite simply the best present I have ever purchased for anyone ever!”
“it is simp[ly], the best fun you can have with your clothes on”
“Very cool addictive gadget - a must have”
“A very silly way for even the most ham-fisted numpty to make music”

There are more Zoundz reviews here, if you want to get caught up in the madness. You can pick one up for around £15 but funnily enough, they’re out of stock in both the Gadgetshop and Firebox and Amazon!

We’ll let you know when they’re back.

We all love our pets so this week’s Green Piece is concentrating on green products for pets.

First up, the not so nice subject of bagging up your dog’s mess when you’re out walking. Not everyone’s favourite job but you might as well be helping the planet while you do it. These “Dump It Onya” bags are 100% biodegradable and come in a refillable bag made from strong parachute material. There’s even room to keep some dog treats. They’re £8.95 for 100 in the UK or $10.95 for 25 in the US.

We’re also full of cat love here at DWTB, so we’ve found some herbal cat litter that is not only good for your cats, but also for the environment. It’s made from whole kernel corn and claims to have “amazing odour control properties combined with outstanding clumpability” – well what more could you want?! 3kg for £9.99 here in the UK and a close equivalent at $14.99 for 7lbs in the US.

We had to add some toys to the list so we’ve found these great dog toys which are designed to be recyclable and to create virtually no waste during the manufacturing process. Hucks are non-toxic and extremely durable. They also come in lots of different colours, they’re recommended for aggressive chewers, pullers, and fetchers and they’re dishwasher safe. £7.99 over here and $8.50 in the US.

Eco-friendly pet products - check.

Did you think that moving text and photos on magazine covers were only possible in Harry Potter? Well they’re so last month. Esquire magazine have already decided to mark their 75th anniversary edition (in October this year), by using E-ink.

The technology includes a tiny battery that has to last until the magazine is sold. It currently lasts for 90 days and will also power a moving Ford advert (Ford will be sponsoring the issue), inside the magazine.

The batteries won’t be the greenest things on Earth; they will have been made in China, assembled in Mexico, via Texas and then distributed in refrigerated trucks but I guess it was all about the novelty with them.

But it doesn’t end there. If you thought that was cool, they’ve also come up with moving mobile phone covers. The Hitachi W61H (above) has a load of moving images on its cover. Its 2.7 inch E-ink display switches between 96 different images when you receive a call or message or when you open it up. Japanese designer, SeKiYuRiO, designd the phone with a perfume bottle in mind. The Casio Model G’zOne, which also uses E-ink, will be released this summer.

All this moving business is great news for loads of other technology: we could see fridges that tell you what’s empty without you having to open them up, pictures of callers that flash up on mobile phone covers or cars which can display different designs. The possibilities are endless!

[Wired]

More treats from shoppers…

"lots of fun for everyone (well maybe not the neighbours!)" Karaoke Duets DVD

"the gary neville of tvs" LG 32LC46

"the touch screen can be quiet confusing after having a drink" LG KF600

"I think my grandson may have used it as a hammer. Perhaps it should have stood up to that kind of treatment" Motorola RAZR V3

"Shooting old ladies in the head does become tiresome" Grand Theft Auto IV XBOX 360

There are 15 days to go before the Beijing Olympic games and this year will be the first time we can watch them in HD in the UK. Pretty exciting stuff. For those of you who don’t know, HD is high-definition and it’s all about more pixels and much clearer pictures for our TV sets.  It makes watching sports events, wildlife programmes - well, anything really - way better.

We’ve looked at all the full HD TV reviews over on Reevoo to find the best ones. TVs are rated on their design, sound quality, image quality and value for money. People are then asked if they would recommend the TV set.

Here’s the top five:

1.    Sony Bravia KDL40X2000 - £999   
2.    Panasonic TX-32LZD80 - £724
3.    Samsung LE37A656A - £679
4.    Panasonic TH42PZ80 - £724
5.    Panasonic TH42PZ85B - £864

And here’s how we got there:

So top of the list was the Sony Bravia KDL40X2000 but interestingly, it lost out to the Panasonic TH42PZ80 for image quality and the Samsung LE37A656A for design.

If you’re looking for a top all-rounder, the Sony is obviously the one to go for but it’s also the most expensive. The Panasonic TH42PZ80 leads the pack for image quality, which should be one of the top considerations when buying an HD TV. It’s also over £200 cheaper and it’s been recommended by 96% of the people who bought it. This would be my choice.

If you’re not convinced about HD, there are lots of other TVs around. You can check out all of the  TV reviews over on Reevoo.

Unveiled at the British Motor Show this week was the waterproof, multi-use navigator from Garmin. The nüvi 500 is great news for cyclists, drivers, walkers, and folks in boats as it can customise itself to whichever form of travel you undertake.  It’s waterproof and built for adventure, providing turn-by-turn directions to get you when you want to be.

The different maps include TOPO for outdoor navigation and Blue Chart cartography for marine usage.  Boat fans can also add the optional BlueChart g2 Vision marine cartography, which will show them wrecks, port plans, inter tidal zones and other clever boaty things.

Walkers will also feel special as there’s a digital elevation map option, compass page and tracklog so that you can track where you’ve been - great for knowing who to blame when you get lost.

All the usual suspects are also onboard (sorry), such as Garmin’s “Where am I” feature, which tells you your exact coordinates, traffic avoidance and millions of points of interest.

You can also navigate by photos by using the “Connect Photos” option which will give you access to Google’s Panoramio.

This would be a great little device for people that want navigation for all their forms of travel.

The nüvi 500 has a 3.5 inch TFT screen, weighs 215g and has a battery life of 8 hours. It’s set to be released in the UK in September for £299.

We thought it was about time we carried on our rooms on a budget theme. This week, we’re looking at kitchens on a budget.

We’ve looked at everything you’d need for a kitchen – minus the cabinets themselves – and our budget kitchen comes in at £1114.

Obviously everybody’s kitchen will be different colours so we’ve gone for standard, yet sleek, black and stainless steel.

First up are the essentials, sink, oven, hob and fridge-freezer. 

We’ve gone for the attractive Astracast KO10RS sink. It’s £150, 98 cm wide and has a bowl size of 43 x 50 cm.

Everyone knows that if you want the best control over your cooking, the only way to go is gas. We’ve found this great stainless steel hob and oven pack from Baumatic. It’s £200 and has been rated 9.1/10 on Reevoo.

The top rated and best value for money fridge freezer we could find was the Indesit TA5S. It’s £240, has more fridge room than the large American-style fridges and it’s got some great reviews. Lots of owners are very impressed with its capacity, quality and value for money.

Ok, so far we’ve covered the essentials and we’re up to £590. Not bad for a fridge-freezer, oven, hob and sink?

Let’s move on to appliances.

The Breville JK123 kettle is simple to use and great value for money at £16. The matching Breville TT48 toaster is only £19. It has independent controls for each slice and a digital display.

This £51 Kenwood SJSS25 microwave has been rated 8.5/10 by the people who have bought it. Its capacity is 25 litres and it also has a grill function. One review reads “Easy to use, attractive, cost effective, efficient, fast, easy to wipe clean and maintain”.

For a dishwasher, we’ve gone for the Hotpoint FDL570. It’s £215 and it’s only 49 decibels so you won’t annoy the neighbours.

And finally, the washing machine. The A-rated Hotpoint WF321 is £223 and it has a larger than average load capacity of 6kg. Pam  from  Salisbury says “It is easy to use, not too noisy, nice big door and nice looking”.

So there you have it, a stylish kitchen for a little over £1000. Job done.

Today’s Green Piece looks at three products that will keep your house warm, save you energy and provide you with some veggies.

First up - Using your own waste to heat your house? Sound wrong? Well the Logmaker, despite the dodgy name, can be used to compress waste such as wood chippings, tea bags, olive stones and shredded junk mail and turn it all into a log for your fire. The logs will burn for between 10 minutes and an hour, depending on what you put in them. You can also add the remains of scented candles, cinnamon sticks, lavender or a few drops of scented oils to make your logs smell lovely too.

Not a bad use for all the things that normally end up in landfill sites. They’re currently £24.99 +p&p.

Talking of logs, this next product is a grow-your-own-mushroom log. It comes with spores inside it already. All you need to do is keep it moist in a shady spot to magically grow 2-3 harvests a year. Not only do you save money on mushrooms from the supermarket, you’ll also be saving the environment from the extra packaging and possible air miles. At £25, I think it’s a great investment.

Finally, there’s the Leaf Lamp. It’s made from 95% recyclable and 37% recycled materials and has a 100,000 hour life-span – that’s 100 times longer than normal lights. It also claims to use only 40% of the energy used with energy saving bulbs.

But this light doesn’t just save energy. It’s touch sensitive so you can touch it on and off and set and memorise your own intensity and warmth of light settings. Although this lamp is cool in more ways than one – the LEDs stay cool to allow further adjustment – it is £349. Bit steep for a lamp but when you way up life-span and energy-saving, it might just make it worth it.

Something to giggle about on this grey Friday…

"When I put it on the ground and sit on it, it doesn’t fly. I have tried all the magic words that I have ever heard of, and even made up some of my own, but without success. I even applied for permission to land at heathrow’s Terminal 5, but they said there was a blanket ban on them. Shall Icontact my M.P.?" Double 10.5 Tog Duvet

"Instructions could have been clearer (but I am a woman)" Caramel Blind

"They provide cute little rubber stoppers to stick on to stand-off posts so they don’t mark your wall. Hullo!! What about the many holes…in the wall?! Throw these away or feed them to the cat..!" B-Tech BT8422 Bracket

"After feeding with ‘baby food’ takes a lot of cleaning and you have to shake it! Not a good thing to show your toddler to do with a baby" Baby Born Boy With Magic Eyes

"Whoever designed the keypad wants his head boiling" Nokia N82

For those of you who enjoyed the boys’ BBQ tool belt, I thought I’d spread the tool love and find some stuff for the lasses too. I found some interesting tool kits for girls – unless you’re a boy and you like pink – which is cool.

From general tool kits to drill kits, they’re all pink, check them out:

This Rolson 25 Piece Pink Tool Kit is a bargain at £19.99. It includes all the basics like screwdrivers with 16 different sized bits, a wrench, a hammer, some pliers and more. It’s all packed up in a little pink carry case so that you can take it to the pub and impress all your friends.

For those of you who want to do a bit more damage, you can get your hands on this pink drill kit, complete with charger and safety specs for £34.99. Perfect for working out which walls are plasterboard and which aren’t…

And you’ll never be short of sockets with this pink 94 piece socket set. With flexible extensions, universal joints and quick grip handles, you’ll be laughing with change from a 50…only 1p, mind but there we go.

Three pink tool sets. Great as gifts or to keep for yourselves.