Life & Technology

Clip courtesy of the The Today Show

As you’ll see, had a lot of fun on the Today Show this morning with a range of gadgets that Karl found interesting. You could tell he was excited but the Star Wars Wii attachment, which turns the Wii remote into a light sabre (and is used for the Wii Star Wars games). You can battle friends using the remote and it comes in at a cost of $39.95. It is available at JB Hi Fi, K-Mart and Big W stores.

We also talked again about the dual LCD camera from Samsung. I really like this product, which is why it has appeared on several shows and the radio. As well as a display at the back of the camera, there is a smaller LCD display at the front where you look at the picture being taken. The smaller one at the front is so the person who is having their picture taken can also see what they look like. It is designed for people who are into social networking and like putting up pictures. The front LCD can also run little cartoons so kids will smile when having their photo taken. It comes at a cost of $449.

Remember the days of the whistling key finder? Now wireless technology has gone a step forward with the new wireless key finder. Add a tag to your key-ring then leave the mother unit by your phone so you won’t lose it. You press a button on the mother unit to find your keys and the signal goes through walls, cushions, sofa’s etc. It has a distance of up to 30 metres and price of $64.95.

Finally there are a set of camera binoculars that you can get from dealsdirect for about $50. They can be used at the footie or cricket, however the camera is only 1.3 megapixels, so you can’t expect high quality. Still, and interesting gadget whereby the technology will increase over the next few years so you will probably have higher resolutions at a later date.

Clip courtesy of the A Current Affair

Below are my selections of Christmas shopping websites where you can buy presents during the festive season.

www.lasoo.com.au
Lasoo allows you to compare similar products and see what they are priced at. i.e., If you are after a juicer, it will take you to the juicing page and show you the cost of others juicers in a similar price range. You can search by category, brand or retailer. Although in most cases you won’t be able to purchase these products online, it allows you to see what store has what item and which store has the most competitive price.

www.dealsdirect.com.au
Takes excess stock from stores around the country and sells them online. Items are usually a lot cheaper than they are in the store. There are reader reviews and star ratings that gives you an idea of what a product is like. There is a wide selection of categories to chose from. The site has a clearance bin section where items are significantly reduced.

www.topbuy.com.au
More like a department store online. Top brands including Acer, Nokia, Blackberry, etc. Do be careful with warranties – check them out. They have ‘steal’ of the day – name product that can be purchased at particularly good price. Prices are usually lower than retail.

www.iwishiwish.com.au
This website offers service based gift ideas – e.g. a cleaner, personal trainer or personal chef to your home. iWish iWish provides approximately 80 unique gift packages available in destinations throughout Australia, making it the perfect site to do your Christmas shopping for the entire family. Services such as a beauty spa pack, a house clean or a romantic dinner are unquestionably popular gifts for busy mothers. There are great new ideas for Dad too, with a garden tidy, a fresh BBQ party pack and a garage de-clutter. Other services for the family range from dog walking, a concierge service, or a personal chef catering for a diverse array of interests and lifestyles.