RADIO DAZE

Revo Pico Wi-Fi internet radio £150 www.revo.co.uk 01555 666 161

Why restrict yourself to UK digital radio stations when the wi-fi enabled Revo radio instantly opens up your kitchen or conservatory to exotic internet-based stations from around the world? All you need is broadband and an ordinary wi-fi router. Whenever you switch the Revo on, it uses your broadband connection to download an up-to-date list of more than 5,000 internet stations, organised either by type or country. If your PC (or Mac) is on, the Revo can also play music stored on the computer’s hard drive. In tests it proved easy to set up and operate. It’s well made and the sound quality was impressive given the modest speaker size. The Pico Wi-Fi has a built-in rechargable battery that it is claimed will last six hours between charges, and is supplied with a 3.5mm jack to connect an MP3 player. This is an innovative, versatile gadget rivalled only by a similar model from Acoustic Energy (see tinyurl.com/ydzvva). A stand-out product.

BRING ME SUNSHINE
Oregon Scientific BA900 Crystal Weather Station £130 www.oregonscientific.co.uk 0845 601 3964

Those among us who have an unbridled interest in both the weather and high-tech, gadget-laden interior design may find this quirky soothsaying device to be a ray of sunshine. The admittedly pricey Crystal Weather Station is essentially a posh barometer set in an attractive crystalline block. It detects variations in air pressure and indicates how these may affect local weather conditions by illuminating one of three icons, representing sun, rain or cloud, within the crystal block. The Oregon Scientific BA900 also displays the time, and this is claimed always to be accurate as it automatically synchronises with the atomic clock in Rugby. As if that weren’t enough, the Weather Station can measure room temperature and will switch from displaying the current time to showing the room temperature if you wave your hand near its built-in motion sensor. Now really, just how cool is that?

SNAP TO IT
Zink integrated digital camera/printer £TBA www.zink.com 001 866 322 5599

The humble Polaroid camera that emitted an instant hard copy of a photo was a stalwart for generations of party-goers. However, Polaroids were bulky and the snaps were only of modest quality compared with current standards. But this new groundbreaking gizmo could change the picture. Zink has developed a printer technology so small that it fits into a compact-sized digital camera. It relies on dye crystals embedded in special sheets of blank 2in x 3in Zink paper, which are activated by heat as the paper passes through the device. The maker claims that it will take pictures in the conventional manner as an ordinary 7Mp digital camera (it even has a 3x zoom), which are stored on an S-type memory card. You then review the snaps on an integrated 2in colour screen before printing out those you choose to be the best. The Zink digital camera/printer combination is due to go on sale towards the end of this year.

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