© Brita

There’s quite a fad just now for filtering your tap water. It started off with filter jugs for cold water, and has now moved on to kettles with filter elements.

Electric kettles like the Brita filter kettle promise purer water by passing it through a replaceable filter, though studies by bodies such as the Foundation for Water Research indicate that there’s not much measurable benefit in this.

As with most new inventions, there are as many people passionately committed to the health qualities of filter kettles like the Brita as there are people who dismiss them as unproven.
I must admit I’m in the latter camp, and can see nothing to justify the higher price of filter kettles and the ongoing expense of replacement filters.

That said, the Brita filter kettle is a fine looking electric kettle with a stylish design; and when shopping for electrical gadgets and appliances, good design is always something I appreciate. So for pure design and eye appeal, I wouldn’t mind one of these in my kitchen. But the need to buy replacement filters – that to my mind don’t achieve much - means that the Brita filter kettle won’t be at the top of my list of Christmas gift ideas.

Rob

Rated: from 208 votes

Google’s G1 phone was eagerly awaited as a reply to Apple’s iPhone. But product reviews have been mixed to say the least. There’s a lot of praise for its Linux-based open-source approach to the software, which is a pleasant change from the secretive way some manufacturers behave with their operating systems.

But little niggles like the lack of a headphone jack or even video capture have made sure that the Google phone gets rated below the iPhone by most reviewers. And in the past few weeks there’s been news of a security flaw on the phone that can open up your personal details to hackers. Read about it in this article. Not very reassuring for those who queued overnight to be the first to own this glitzy gadget.

The Google phone struggles to make the usual marriage of small size with big functions, and some unkind product reviews have even called it “a brick”. At any rate both that and the iPhone are bigger than I’m prepared to carry around with me.

There may be many happy owners of the G1 phone out there, and many others with it high on their Christmas gift list, but the conclusion reached by your shopping blog after reviewing the evidence is everyone else may be as well to wait and see what the G2 phone brings. The first version of any new product is always experimental, and you tend to find that version 2 is so much better that it’s worth the wait.

I’d love to hear from any satisfied G1 owners who think I’m wrong.

Rob

Rated: from 212 votes

professional DJ midi controller Xone 1D © Allen & Heath

I’m talking about a mixer in the best possible sense, of course, since Allen & Heath are world famous as the makers of the very finest sound mixing equipment.

In the good old days, stars such as the Beatles and Elvis thought themselves lucky if they recorded on to more than a single track at a time, and four tracks to mix was nearly state of the art. And if you hired a DJ, he played strange black things called vinyl records on a turntable.

Now, the sky’s the limit. Even bands recording in their bedrooms expect multi-channel mixing desks, and no DJ would consider a gig without an Allen Heath Xone 1D MIDI controller to drive his mixing desk.

Allen and Heath design mixing equipment for every size of gig and situation, and are just as accessible to the dedicated amateur as to the pro band on tour. They started in the 1970s building rigs by hand for the likes of Pink Floyd and have since grown to world class stature.

Product reviews rate them at the top of their class and they regularly win prestigious awards. Allen Heath mixers aren’t the gadgets that everybody wants in their Christmas stocking of course, but for somebody who’s serious about their music, it could be a great gift idea.

But all this talk of Floyd, gigs and music gives me an idea. Now where did I put my Fender Stratocaster?

Rob

By the way, did anybody see that great BBC TV series on the Story of the Guitar? It features the origins of the Fender Stratocaster which is THE classic electric guitar; and good old Les Paul one of the electric guitar’s elder statesmen, still gigging at the age of 93.

Rated: from 267 votes

Satellite pro A200 © Toshiba

With Christmas coming and everybody searching shopping blogs for gadgets and products reviews, laptop computers are likely to be on many lists of gift ideas. But not mine.

If there’s one thing I can’t stand it’s laptop computers. Finding a surface to balance the thing on, or even worse, putting it on your knee. Finding the lead won’t reach to the power point. Adjusting the screen so you can see it without reflections. And worst of all trying to type on that ridiculous little keyboard or point with the little mouse substitute.

Give me a good old desktop PC with a full size cordless keyboard and mouse, and that will do me just fine!

I do know though that I’m in a minority, with the style and sexiness of the laptop pc winning over many people. When did you last see anybody on Silent Witness or Wire in the Blood using a desktop PC? Desktop PCs are reserved for that boring bloke Malcolm on Spooks that nobody ever hits on.

My mate Jim knows a fair bit about laptops and he’s got a Toshiba satellite laptop computer on his Christmas gift list. There’s a model in the Toshiba satellite range for every user from the casual home surfer to the serious business laptop user.

Dual core processors and hard disks of 250Gigabytes are on offer, so the Toshiba satellite is not to be sniffed at when it comes to real power and storage ability. And the case design is certainly on the cool side of stylish, with graceful curves and sweeping edges.

This shopping blog won’t be recommending the Toshiba satellite laptop, of course, since I write it and my mate Jim doesn’t. But I can safely say that if he did, then it would!

Rob

Rated: from 256 votes

© LG

Remember the days when a 15 inch flat screen monitor was to die for? Everybody had those huge clunky CRT computer monitors on their desks and you wished you could afford the hundreds of pounds to buy that great little 15 inch flat thin screen.

Since then, flat panels have come a long way. Sizes and quality have shot upwards; prices have plummeted. It all happened so quickly you may not have noticed, but if your computer monitor is anything less than 22 inch, you should have a look at upgrading. 22 inch is fast becoming the norm, and prices are rock bottom.
A favourite of mine at the moment is the LG W2242S, a 22″ TFT monitor with a fabulous resolution of 1680×1050 and a quick response time of only 5ms, ideal for online gamers. At less than £130, this monitor is a bargain and should be at the top of your Christmas gift list. At this price, you could add it to your Christmas gift list and still leave the digital camera and Black and Decker there as well!
Product reviews all rave about the amazing quality and value for money, so I can see Santa bringing an awful lot of LG monitors as Christmas presents this year.
Rob

Rated: from 261 votes

© Canon

By the time Christmas comes, you’ll all be up to here with product reviews, shopping tips and gift ideas. So this shopping blog is getting in early by recommending a fabulous Canon camcorder as the ideal Christmas gift for the man (or woman) who has everything.

You may not have considered a camcorder but just have a look at the latest that Canon has to offer in their camcorder range.

At the bottom end in price, though not lacking in features, comes the tiny Canon MD205 mini. Weighing in at only 380 grams, it boasts a true widescreen capability, large LCD viewfinder and the choice of manual or automatic controls, for well under £150.

At the higher end, but still giving change from £1000, you’ll be delighted by the HF10 High Definition camcorder. With most TVs these days being HD ready, just plug this Canon Camcorder into your large screen TV to show your precious videos in amazing High Definition detail in your own home.

Or there’s a whole host of models in between, powered by rechargeable battery and AC adapter, to suit every taste and every pocket. So don’t disappoint your loved one this Christmas, look in now on the great range of Canon camcorders.

Rob

Rated: from 300 votes

© Shopzilla

The world is divided into two types of people: those who like wall clocks and those who don’t.

Myself, I love a classy wall clock. That said, I’ve got friends who love gadgets and have all the latest electronics, but would rather die than have a wall clock in the house. I’m always losing watches though so the easiest way is just to glance up at the clock on the wall – you can’t lose a wall clock down the back of the sofa!

As I’m pretty busy most of the time and it’s essential to know what the time is wherever I am in the house, so there’s one in just about every room, but I make sure that as well as being functional they’re stylish and add to the décor.

The wall clock in my lounge chose last Friday to pack in, so after changing the battery (no joy) and willing it to start again like Uri Gellar (even less joy), I checked out a few product reviews before I went shopping.

I settled on a great pendulum model from John Lewis to replace it. They call it the Deco Pendulum clock, and it’s a combination of retro deco and ultra modern, sleek and silvery in a sparkling glass cover.

It’s battery powered of course, so you don’t get the annoying “tick tock” that’s a constant reminder of how quickly time is passing and how little you’ve done. Or maybe that’s just me?

It’s a great wall clock and it sets my fireplace off a treat, though I don’t expect many compliments from my mates.

Rob

Rated: from 255 votes

© BT

If you’re in the market for a digital cordless phone, you might want to look at the BT Reveal Designer phone whose details passed across my desk this morning.

For a digital cordless phone, it certainly has eye appeal and with this smart gleaming black design, BT is clearly making an effort to lure back those of us who use mainly mobile phones. Sitting on your desk or table, the BT Reveal will attract admiring glances from all who pass by and be a sure topic for conversation.

At £130 or so, this phone is by no means cheap, but it’s stacked with facilities. So if you ask a lot of your digital phone or just like gadgets, the Reveal could be the one for you.

There’s a digital answering machine included with a 20 minute capacity for messages, and a neat little touch is the ability to plug in your mobile’s SIM card and transfer your contacts. There’s nothing worse than having to laboriously key into your new phone all the contacts from your old one, so this feature will be very welcome.

Add to that SMS text messaging, the ability to produce polyphonic ringtones, and a huge contact list of 255 numbers, and you’ll find that the BT Reveal designer digital cordless phone takes some beating.

Rob

Rated: from 338 votes

© Sony

With wide screen TVs, flats LCD screens are almost becoming the norm, and look like sending the big old cathode ray beasts the same way as the old computer monitors that took up the whole desk. Can you even buy those old TVs any more even if you wanted to?
Anyway, my best buy for a wide screen TV isn’t original or shocking, but it’s a brilliant big name TV – it’s the Sony Bravia, and believe it or not, this is one of the few occasions when a cool product is actually a good product.

You’ve seen the adverts – the bouncing balls in San Francisco, the paint exploding on tower blocks and most recently the colourful rabbits in New York. I always thought that this was going to be a triumph of advertising over quality – how wrong I was.

I bought my first Bravia in the 2007 and I was blown away by the colours - realistic black, lifelike depth and detail, and vibrant colours that have become synonymous with the Bravia brand. It’s a supercool and effective brand, but that’s when I discovered the drawback of the Sony Bravia – someone broke in pinched it – and it’s not light either!

Of course I replaced it with a new Bravia, but was interested to learn about the BRAVIA ZX1 that was in the press in early September. It’s stylish, it’s got the amazing colour of other Bravia wide screen TVs and it measures just 9.9mm at its slimmest section. They keep banging out new models, but they have the same great pictures. Once you’ve had a Bravia you won’t go back – unless someone steals it.

Rob

Rated: from 367 votes

© Asus

New laptops are flooding on to the market every week, and each new model offers more and more power and facilities for less and less cash. Asus with its Eee PC 1000H is following the trend, but in a different direction.

Manufacturers have been striving to produce basic laptops at basic prices (christened “netbooks”), intended to be carried around and used as a workhorse for simple but essential tasks such as WP, spreadsheets or surfing where the demands on the processor are minimal.

Asus with the latest Eee offers a bright 10 inch screen at 1024 x 600 resolution, 80GB hard disk and 1.6GHz Intel atom processor for only £350. It comes with Bluetooth, and Ethernet adaptor, webcam, built-in card reader and Windows XP, though a Linux version is also available. Naturally, it has Wifi built in.

The keyboard is excellent for a machine of its size, and there are 3 USB ports for plugging in a full-size mouse or even extra storage in the form of an external hard disk drive.

Battery life is outstanding on this laptop. UK users will not need the AC adaptor plugged in till after 5 or 6 hours of normal use.
Rated highly by the computer press in their product reviews, this small laptop – or netbook - is well worth a look.

Rob

Rated: from 290 votes