I'm wondering whether there's many on here with a love for the gadget? I'm not one of those people that queues all night up outside the Apple Store for the latest iPhone or whatever, but I do like anything that's innovative, interesting, fun or useful. So, if anybody interested in contributing, I'd like to know what are the latest 'must have' gadgets as far as you're concerned. I'm not talking about the latest computer games consoles or games themselves because they've been done many time on threads on here before. As a starter for ten, I bought a Fitbit Flex (http://www.fitbit.com/uk/flex) back in May, just because it was on a special offer at the time. There are apparently many similar products on the market and I cannot comment on which is best, but I'm enjoying the additional motivation that the Flex has given me to exercise more. Being a bit of a geek for statistics I also love the dashboard, it's ability to log all kinds of performance data as well as blood pressure, heart rate and weight. I ended up buying the scales too (http://www.fitbit.com/uk/aria) which integrate weight and body fat % wirelessly to my dashboard. Of course, there are flaws with the Fitbit product, such as a casual swing of the arm registering as a step, plus the inaccuracies of the calorie burn assumptions, body fat % calculation etc. But, having accepted the device(s) for what it is (they are), i still find it a great motivating tool for being more active. I would be very interested in recommendations for other fun or useful innovative gadgets if anybody cares to share their experiences.
I'm getting the impression Ubes that you are aiming to live for a very long time. I too like gadgets, the chief among them being the iPad. I maxed mine out on work related tools in an effort to avoid dragging a laptop around the world, but sadly it still has limitations in this area and is essentially a toy. But I was chuffed to hear from out IT guys that as a fundamentally tech illiterate 53 year old I have pushed them further than any of my company's 36,000 employees in trying to make the iPad a genuine work machine. A couple of Apps they have put together because of my requests and I am the only user..... Current favourite is a Sonos wireless speaker, on to which you can stream songs/radio and TV/DVD soundtracks. It is aesthetically pleasing - small and discreet - and, for my unrefined ear, the sound is excellent and sufficiently LOUD for a biggish room. May not satisfy the purists though, especially those who don't like digital music. At the other end of the scale I think I am one of a diminishing group who still likes to wear a simple watch - uncluttered face, just the numbers and hands. I do like them very light and slim though and Skagen produce beautiful featherweight wafer thin watches at a reasonable price (about £100). But with smartphones watches seem to be being made redundant. My kids have never worn them, and increasing numbers of my colleagues just refer to their phones.
I'm not sure about trying to live for a long time, Stan. Us Ubers have a habit of going out with a bang before our time, so I suspect I'll wear myself out before I'm seventy. The fitness thing is just something I derive pleasure from and sprang from hitting 18st 4lbs and a 40" waist when I was 37. I resolved then to do something about it so that I could enjoy quality time with my children as they grew up. Ironically, they just want to sit around all day watching 'The Simpsons" and playing on the Xbox. Thanks for the heads up on the watch and speakers. I'm thinking about getting a GPS watch, so wonder if anybody has any experience of these?
Good news for us watch lovers then Stan. I can recommend the Christopher Ward range http://www.christopherward.co.uk/mobile/ who offer swiss quality at a fraction of the cost of the big name swiss brands.
I have a horrible watch habit too. I like complicated watches. Gruebel Forsey and Christophe Claret make stunning pieces. Unfortunately, I cannot get to, nor could ever justify, no matter how much I had, the £250,000 starting prices. As items of amazing micro engineering, they are worth a google, as are the strange German Urwerk watches.
There are some very nice watches in there Wubba. I could only ever stretch to the very lower end of the scale even for those though - watches tend to be disposable for me as I damage them quickly (just clumsy) so it's unwise to invest too heavily. I have a drawer full of broken watches (mechanisms, straps, faces all damaged somehow or another) which would cost almost as much to repair as to replace with new. Likewise I appreciate a top quality pen, but cannot be trusted with them. I lost a string of lovely Mont Blanc and Cross pens (all gifts) in the '90's and had to call a halt to their acquisition. I don't deserve nice things because I don't look after them.
Being a Chef my favourite bit of kit is a Thermomix. I have them both at work & home. Essentially a powerful blender that cooks, steams, poaches, boils & stews. Has built in scales, timer & temp settings. Doesn't sound that glamorous but if you like to cook & have around a grand to spend, you wouldn't be disappointed.
How big is it mate? My daughter is a budding chef, and I like the idea of her making our dinner every night over the summer. But I don't want another big rarely used machine cluttering up the kitchen....
I am quite tempted to get one of these if only to drive the dog mad... http://www.menkind.co.uk/orbotix-sphero
I can't explain it but I've always had a hankering for a decent Tag Heuer watch, but have been able to justify spending four figures on a watch. I got one of those earthenware money pots - you know, the kind where you have to either smash it open when full, or carefully drill into it - to deposit £1 and £2 coins only, in the hope that someday it'll be maxed out and I can treat myself. The trouble is, I know that when that day comes, (1) there'll be something more pressing with which to use these funds, and (2) owning won't be the same as wanting. In the meantime I'll make do with my stock of useless fakes.
Uber i treated myself to a Monaco a few years ago. Second hand not massively expensive and still worth roughly what i paid for it.
Good point about owning not the same as wanting. In 1978 I bought an Omega Military watch that was almost 40 years old, I had it serviced by a local jeweller who said the watch would be as good in 100 years as it was when new if regularly serviced. I sold it a few years later for about £30 which was a bit more than I paid for it, a good version now of that watch would be worth at least £2,500. I now have my late father's watch, a standard Swiss automatic movement, which he bought when I was four years old in 1958. It still keeps good time and regardless of it's value is priceless to me...
That is a very tempting toy. Unfortunately our dog, despite being small, has the ability to destroy anything, of any material, very quickly. Even stuff badged as 'indestructible' and 'super durable'. Staying at the farm where he was born when we were on holiday recently, he stripped the rubber off the walls of his pen in less than 2 hours. Thankfully he is usually self controlled enough to only regard stuff at floor level as fair game (though he did destroy a TV remote left on a sofa once) which is exactly where sphero would live.....
Ditto, I have my Grandfathers watch, which is over 40 years old, similar standard Swiss automatic movement, always keeps perfect time, and reminds me of wonderful childhood memories. What more could I want.
Exactly. I think modern quartz watches are soulless despite their accuracy. Sums up our throwaway society these days...
