With more and more people ditching bulky CD collections in favour of the music on their computers or MP3 players, the popularity of the traditional Hi Fi is being overtaken by new music gadgets.
If you’ve got money to spare, a killer multi-room music system can be acheived with media streamers by the likes of Sonos and Philips. A more practical solution (and simpler to set up) solution is iPod speakers: just plug your MP3 player in or slot it in the dock, and press play. Another advantage of these devices is their flexibility: friends or family just need to plug in their MP3 players and suddenly you can listen to a whole new range of music.
If you just want something small enough to fit in a student room and cheaper than a round of drinks, take a look at the Logic 3 iStation Traveller, from £10. This battery powered speaker is light on features, but has surprisingly good sound quality for its size, according to reviews. An average rating of 8.6/10 indicates owners were pretty happy with this pocket-szied device.
If your loan can stretch a little further, consider the Gear4 HouseParty, with nearly 4 times the wattage and a rating of 8.9/10 overall, which costs from £50 upwards.
Style-conscious
Most ipod docks follow a well-worn design track, mainly variations on a theme set by Bose’s classic devices. Of the few to diverge from this pattern, the Gear4 Blackbox does so with most aplomb.
The Blackbox is a sleek, piano-black cube, with a red LED clock face showing through the surface and a dock on the top. Very well-rated for design, it falls down a little on sound quality and ease of use, but still makes a drop dead gorgeous kitchen or bedroom clock/dock.
Audiophile
There’s a bit of a caveat with this category, as any audiophile worth his/her salt will tell you that trying to get great quality music from compressed audio files (like MP3s) is about as likely as.
Having said this, if you just want to get the best sound you can from your MP3 Player, you should look at the Logic 3 Valve80. This classy-looking amplifier/speaker set recharges you iPod while it plays, and comes with a remote that allows you to navigate through your iPod music library. The sound quality garners high praise from owners, scoring 9.0/10. Drawbacks include being on the large size and quite pricey, starting from £277.
If you’re serious about sound quality and happy spending a little more in pursuit of it, you could do little better than combining a Fatman iTube with a pair of high quality Hi Fi speakers.
Across the country, freshers are packing up textbooks, gap year souvenirs and enough clothes so they won’t have to do any laundry til Christmas. If you - or your son or daughter - is in this situation, be sure to leave enough room in the car for the electronic kit that’s indispensible to student life. You’ll need a laptop and a kettle, of course, but it’s the other stuff that will really make your time at Uni.
Here is our list of the top 5 gadgets you can’t do without:
There isn’t enough room in most halls of residence for a big hi-fi system, but a set of iPod speakers will fit in perfectly. An added advantage is that any visitors can plug in their mp3 player, and most ipod speakers are small enough to move around - perfect for parties.
There are options to suit any budget, but the pick of the crop are the Sony SRSGU10P, from £55, rated at 9.6/10 by people who actually own it, and the top-of-the-range Bose SoundDock, rated 9.2/10 and costing £128 upwards.
Whether it’s for recording your best memories or working out what you did last night, a digital camera is essential. Ideal student cameras are small enough to fit in a pocket, with a flash and good battery life. Remember that megapixel count isn’t everything - see our Digital Cameras Buyers’ Guide for an in-depth guide to getting the best camera for you.
It’s very important not to overwork yourself during your first few weeks at Uni - or for the rest of the time. The energetic games are almost as good as going to the gym (especially if you get the Wii Fit as well) and will come in handy breaking the ice with your neighbours in halls.
As surprising as it seems, students are required to do some work. Make this part of student life as painfree as possible with a large-capacity USB stick - 2GB should be enough for all your notes and essays. Not only can you keep all your work to hand, but this also acts as a back-up if anything ever happens to your computer. Keep your work doubly-safe by backing it up online with a free service like Google Docs or Dropbox.
Insurance
Once you’ve bought the gadgets you want to take to uni, be sure that you’ll still be able to bring them home by buying some insurance. Student accommodation is frequently a target for opportunistic burglars - and most students don’t have enough available money to replace a broken laptop or a lost mp3 player. The National Union of Students recommendsEndsleigh Insurance, whose special students contents insurance covers laptops, phones and other gadgets as well as everything from your bike to your winter coat. It even covers your possessions on the journey to Uni and when you leave them in your student accommodation over the holidays.
The only problem with buying yourself a great new gadget, or fitting out your kitchen with up-to-the minute appliances is what to do with the things they replace. Disposing of old electricals can be a bit of a headache and they often end up gathering dust at the back of a cupboard or in the attic.
At the moment, over 75% of old electricals end up in landfills, polluting the soil. Every year Britain produces enough electrical waste to fill Wembley Stadium 6 times over. And this mountain of junk is growing - Britain produces 5% more electrical waste every year.
The irony is that over 85% of the materials that make up electrical goods are recyclable, and recycling them has never been easier. Here’s our quick guide to the right way to get rid of old TVs, kitchen appliances, gadgets and mobile phones.
What can I recycle?
If your product has a plug or a battery it can probably be recycled. Double check by looking for the crossed-out wheely bin symbol somewhere on the product case or manual.
It’s time for another installment in our What to buy series. We looked at What to buy Dads last week and this week it’s the turn of another tricky customer…the teenage boy.
If you need inspiration, just take a look at these:
For the music lover - Everyone loves music. Get them an MP3 player and they can take music with them wherever they go. The top rated MP3 player on Reevoo at the moment is the 8GB iPod Touch. It’s currently around £100. If you were looking to spend a little less than that, the second highest rated player is the £70 Sony NWZA816 4GB. And for a complete bargain buy, grab some CDs. Prices start from as little at £2.
For the gamer - Why not go for a games console like the PlayStation 3 (£289)? If they already have a console, they might like a gaming chair (£100). It’s comfortable for extended gaming sessions and you can feel the action through it. It can also be used to listen to music and watch films. There are also lots of console accessories, like this PS3 charging station for £15. For smaller gifts, you could go for a video game (prices start at £2).
For Mr Sociable - A mobile phone so that they can keep in contact with all their mates. For a phone packed full of features, how about the Nokia N95 or N96? Or for a more classy option, how about the Samsung Tocco or the new iPhone? (All phone prices vary according to contract)
For the sporty ones - Some tickets to a football or rugby match will make a great gift. For something more original, why not try this Garmin Forerunner 405 (£169) GPS-enabled sport watch, which tracks your training and sends the data to your computer or for trips to the coast this fishing starter kit (£32)?
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!
I think we can now officially say it’s summer, so to celebrate, I’ve picked out a few summer essentials to help you make the most of the weather before it’s too late.
You can’t enjoy summer without a lovely fruit juice at your side so I’ve checked out which juicer shoppers consider the best. At the moment, the Philips HR1861 is top with 8.6/10. It’s a 2 litre stainless steel super machine that pulverises whole fruit into juice in seconds. Shoppers hardly have a bad word to say about it. Check out the juicer reviews to see for yourselves.
As gadgets are always on my mind, I feel the need to insert a gadget I saw the other week that would be a perfect accompaniment to this juicer. Unfortunately, I can’t find the exact equivalent in the UK but for all of our US readers, you shouldn’t have a problem finding one. It’s a radio controlled drinks and snack holder for the pool. Summer can be a hot and sweaty business so don’t exert yourself, deliver snacks to friends in the pool without even having to move from your chair, or get snacks delivered to you on your lilo without having to get wet. For those of us in the UK, here’s an equivalent snack and drinks float that’s unfortunately not radio-controlled but it’s still pretty cool. All for £19.95.
If you don’t have a pool, how about one of these. It’s a 15 foot pool that can be put anywhere and it comes complete with a cover, ladder, pump and ground cloth. It’s £170 but surely it’s worth it for 3 days of sunshine a year?
And you’re going to need something to chill those drinks in. One of the best rated mini fridges is the Woolworths Micro Chiller. It’s a bargain at £14.
You’ll also be needing somewhere to sit, so how about this eight piece garden furniture set? It’s £199.99 and at the moment, it comes with a free sun lounger, worth £29.99.
And finally, no self-respecting sun worshipper can do so without some tunes. We featured the wireless outdoor iPod speaker a few weeks ago and I think it would be the perfect addition here. The speaker comes with a small transmitter that you plug your iPod
into. You can then apparently wander up to 240 feet away from the
speaker and still enjoy your favourite tunes. Perfect for the garden and wire free.
Some summer selections there. Here’s hoping we get some summer to enjoy them…
If you’ve succumbed to the iPod craze you’re either blissfully happy living in the land of the follower or you’re trying desperately to make it that little bit different to so that you can feel better about copying millions of other like-minded shoppers. There are plenty of things you can do to set you and your iPod apart from the crowd. We’re going to start off looking at iPod docks (but for those of you that don’t have an iPod, most of these will still work wonders on the other MP3 players out there too).
iPod docks are a necessity in any self-respecting trendsetter’s pad but how can you make yours unique? Well the guys over at the Japan Trend Shop have one idea (see above). The Zumreed Drop Speaker looks different and can be transported anywhere, including the bathroom as your iPod is tucked up nice and safe in the acrylic container. These come from overseas and are priced at $79 but they deliver to the UK. There’s a pretty good exchange rate at the moment so you could pick yourself up a bargain.
You may think I’ve gone slightly crazy with this next dock but I’m not the only one. They’re continually sold out so you have to get in there quick (may be something to do with the fact that they’re only £12.99 and they have some pretty good reviews). They’re called iPals and they’re an interesting way to house your iPod or any other MP3 player. They’ve got two speakers in their ‘ears’ which can be bent and rotated for maximum listening pleasure and they come in different colours and patterns.
If those two are a little too ‘out there’ for you, how about the stylish JBL Radial dock? It’s sleek and classy and has a stereo mini jack connection so that you can listen to most other MP3 players too. It’s £169.99 at the moment.
If retro’s your thing, maybe this iPod alarm clock that plays your favourite tunes to get you out of bed will interest you? It charges your iPod while you’re asleep and saves you from unwanted morning crooners. At £39.99, I think that’s a bargain.
At the opposite end of the scale, this next dock comes in at $1299.99! But it is a dock with a difference. The Miuro Robot can either hold your iPod inside it or just transfer everything from iTunes. It’s remote-controlled so you can press a button on the remote and your Miuro Robot will find you and bring all of your music with it . You can also control it with a joystick – much more fun. You may have already heard of it but if not, here’s a video so that you can see it in action. These guys also ship worldwide, should you be interested…
Always on the lookout for things that will make your lives a little simpler, I was looking through the products on Reevoo and I came across what looked like the perfect summer accessory – The wireless outdoor iPod speaker.
The speaker comes with a small transmitter that you plug your iPod into. You can then apparently wander up to 240 feet away from the speaker and still enjoy your favourite tunes.
Luckily for those of us in the UK, the gadget is splash proof so there’s no need to worry if you get caught out by a passing spot of rain…although, going by the weekend, it may be an idea to invest in a plastic cover or just practice sprinting.
You can either place the speaker on its flat base or you can use the handy garden spike. It runs on batteries and claims to have 6 hours of life in it. The detachable base also acts as a charging unit.
It sounds great on paper but I have to say that when you read the speaker reviews, they are pretty mixed. Andrew from Birmingham says that the device runs down after 3 minutes, whereas another reviewer says that it “Enables ipod etc to be used all over the house and in the garden - regardless of where its base/charger is”. The outdoor iPod speaker gets 7.2/10 and is recommended by 72% of people. It’s currently £49.99 so check out the reviews for yourself first, before you buy.
It’s official. Women may like to spend money on expensive handbags and shoes but when it comes to the living room, boys shell out the most cash.
According to the latest research from Reevoo, kitting out a bachelor pad with huge plasma TVs, top of the range laptops, games consoles, high-end stereos and other gadgets puts the bill up to £4,678.97.
Reevoo looked at the highest rated products with over 30 reviews to compile the research. According to shoppers, the best wide screen plasma HD ready TV is the Panasonic TH50PZ70B which can be nicely accompanied by the top DVD recorder, the Sony RDR-HX510. Just these two cost over £1,500.
Every man’s need and desire to put as little effort into living as possible has been accounted for. There’s the Proline TTR 65 P mini beer fridge which can be plugged in right next to your sofa so that cold beer is only a short stretch away, the Hewlett Packard Pavilion DV9605 laptop, so you can check up on your stocks and shares while you’re watching the footie and an Xbox 360 Elite for when you run out of DVDs.
With more and more people ditching bulky CD collections in favour of the music on their computers or MP3 players, the popularity of the traditional Hi Fi is being overtaken by new music gadgets.
Style-conscious
perfect accompaniment to this juicer. Unfortunately, I can’t find the exact equivalent in the UK but for all of our US readers, you shouldn’t have a problem finding one. It’s a 
If you don’t have a pool, how about one of these. It’s a 
You’ll also be needing somewhere to sit, so how about this 
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