technology production sports cars. I think it’s about sense. A lady in the ticket office at the eighty grand or something stupid. As a train station the other day was telling me rule, eco stuff is unsexy, but the Tesla is a how much she loves Suzi, because she’s playboy’s eco toy. there to represent the girls. She broadens What buying tips would you give to the audience. She makes it OK for mum the non-tech-minded? to watch as well as dad. Do your research but specifically read And isn’t the all-blokey idea a bit Gadgets to kill for customer reviews, ideally online. outdated in any case? Thinking of buying a new TV, phone or music player? Read this first. ’s Customers have no agenda. They’ll give Yes, you feel like a bit of a Luddite if an honest verdict in a way that longer you still cling to those ideas. A lot of Suzi Perry and Jason Bradbury are your guides to this year’s hottest technology reviews often fail to manage. technologies out there now are designed What would you say each member by women, conceived by women, used obody labels you a geek these at it in-depth. At first, 3G was all about success just yet, but the idea is so of The Gadget Show team – yourself, by women. days if you carry a mobile phone, video-to-video chatting, people talking unusual. Elsewhere, the real big thing Suzi Perry, Jon Bentley and Finally, you seem to like blowing an iPod or a digital camera. No The Gadget face-to-face by mobile, but that just will be the second version of the newcomer – brings to things up on the show? Any particular longer the exclusive preserve of Show, Five, didn’t catch on. As a geek, I knew Amazon Kindle, a portable electronic the programme? reason, or is it just for a giggle? Nthe nerdy, gizmos are now a part of our instantly the technology was really all reader you can download books to. This We all contribute something different. It depends what we’re testing. If it’s a Monday everyday lives. about data, connecting people on their new version is out in the States but, Jon is the consumer tester, Suzi is the Panasonic Toughbook, for example – But what have been the biggest hits BlackBerries for example. That’s where unfortunately, the technology to let it glamour, I’m the geek and Ortis is the the laptop that famously took an AK47 – and the greatest flops? And where it’s been such a hit. work properly over here – to let it youth. It’s a good balance. round and saved a marine – then I think will this dazzling, dizzying world of And what’s been the biggest flop? download so effortlessly, over the air, Doesn’t Suzi also help remind us that it’s a perfectly valid way to test it. But, technology take us next? This might surprise you, but in some without having to connect it to your gadgets these days aren’t just for yes, sometimes we’ll blow things up With Suzi Perry and The Gadget Show respects I’d say WiFi has failed. The computer – isn’t in place yet. geeky blokes? because it’s just hilariously good fun! team back on Five for a new run, Mike technology is brilliant, and it’s great in What fun gadget would you Yes, she plays an important role in that Mike Ward Ward gets the latest hi-tech lowdown the home, but as a means of connecting recommend for those of us on a very from co-host Jason Bradbury. city centres and enabling people to enjoy tight budget? In Britain, the cyber culture anywhere it hasn’t worked. There’s one the kids will love. It’s called Jason suggests What’s the most exciting thing story of the year Not in the way it’s worked in, say, San Bladestar, by a company called five ways to you’ve played with in the new series? will be 3D TV. I Francisco. The government here have WowWee. It’s like a little miniature WHATEVER NEXT? upgrade in 2009 I love the latest software that lets you don’t think it’ll enabled large corporations to make helicopter-style thing but it emits an make your own Hollywood-style movies money out of it when actually what they infra-red beam, so if you put your hand Cameras on your laptop. You can sit in a café and be a commercial should have done is made it free for the next to it it’ll force it away from you. You I’d recommend waiting for the new wave of very large recreate a sequence from Jaws that’s not success just people of Britain to become more can have two friends at either end of a megapixel camera phones that’ll be coming out soon. far off the real thing – even though it’s yet, though. productive, possibly paid for by room, and they both put their hands up We’re talking about mobile phones that’ll be able to take 12 really just me in a swimming pool with a Elsewhere, advertising. Places like Seoul in South and use the force to move it between the megapixel pictures, which is more than most ordinary digital cameras offer right now. shark fin on my back! the real big Korea are streets ahead. two of them. It’s like playing ball with a What will we be hearing a lot about Is making something effortless for helicopter. It’s about £20. this year? thing will be non-tech-minded people a key factor Do we really need all this stuff? Televisions There’s the Flip, a low-cost video camera the second in its success? “Use” and “need” are never arguments The credit crunch is great for (see Page 4) that makes it really easy version of the Absolutely. Sky+, for example, is the a gadget geek has to justify. We getting a bigger LCD screen at a to upload your videos to sites such as Amazon Kindle, quintessential hard disc-recording constantly come up against this – you great price. Better still is OLED YouTube. Just plug it in and it does all a portable device. Absolute genius. And no other know, “What can I use it for? What TV (Organic Light Emitting the work for you. Brilliant. We’ll also manufacturer has come close to the do I need it for?” Who cares? It’s just Diode) where the picture is electronic mind-boggling. But they don’t hear a lot more about Twitter. You post reader you iPhone’s gorgeous touchscreen. great fun. short messages, telling people what What else is easy for the gadget- But you must occasionally come really exist yet in a format that’s much use to most people. you’re doing right now. It fits somewhere can download phobe to get to grips with? across technology you know is between e-mail and blogging. It’s just books to There’s Sonos, a way of piping audio pointless? Games about putting something out there and around your house. It’s really easy to set How about the tandem? That’s what There’s the new Nintendo DSi (left). allowing others to comment on it. It’s JASON BRADBURY up and it doesn’t interfere if you have I’d call pointless! A bicycle built for It’s got two cameras on it, and as the about the sheer pleasure of networking. other WiFi stuff. Also, the Nintendo Wii, two people! Just get two bikes and go year moves on we’ll see games that make full use of what Just chatting or thinking aloud. the X-Box 360 and the PS3 are great your own way, forge your own path these cameras can do. That should be really interesting. You’ve shown us no end of stuff on examples of technology that’s blissfully through life, you know? The Gadget Show over the years. simple to use. Any piece of fancy kit you’ve Music What’s become the biggest success? What will be this year’s next big lusted after that’s been beyond Change the way you play your music at home. Don’t settle Mobile phone 3G technology, which thing? your budget? for iTunes or CDs. Try Spotify, a huge library of online music lets people send lots of data over the air. In Britain, the story of the year from a Maybe the Tesla. It’s an electric sports that you can stream to your computer, or Last.fm, which is Suzi Perry and Jason like your own personally designed, web-based radio station. It didn’t exist when we started the show. technology point of view will be 3D TV. car built around a Lotus chassis and it’s Bradbury host The Gadget

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