Three festive fiddles.
In our previous
Stocking Fillers feature we looked at the latest toys that will
definitely be making an appearance on a few Christmas lists. This
time round we're scanning the world of gadgets and novelties to give
you a few ideas for what to get so-and-so this chrimbo.
Spaceman USB Light
For those who need a little extra light on their laptop
keyboards (and who enjoy being reminded of humanity's race to conquer
the cosmos) we suggest this.
Just like the Bright Idea Lamp
featured in our Desktop Gadget special, this plucky astronaut plugs
directly into a USB port and can be positioned via the bendy metal
cord. To activate the light simply flip up his helmet visor and, hey
presto, interstellar LED light!
Unlike the Bright Idea we can't see this being used as actual lamp away from your laptop, but the light is bright and focused and the option to switch it off while still plugged in is a big advantage.
Plus, look at him floating in space. Bless his little astro-socks.
£9.99
Visit www.amazon.co.uk
Mighty Boom Ball
Sure, your new phone might have built-in speakers designed by some over-paid, over-rated rap star - but lets face it, without an external amp you're never going to, and we quote, "get da party started".
The Mighty Boom Ball is the answer
every teenager with an empty can of coke who wants to annoy the other
people on the bus has been waiting for. This tiny (about the size of
a gobstopper) vibration speaker sticks to any object with a void or
hollow space and amplifies music far louder than your phone could
ever manage alone.
A clever idea, especially considering the key chain friendly size, and one we found actually lived up to expectations. It's a lot of fun finding things to attach the Mighty Boom Ball to, and we discovered that an empty plastic milk bottle was pretty melodious.
£15
Visit www.mightyboomball.com
Olloclip 4-in-1 iPhone Lens
This Christmas what every iPhone user needs is the ability to take both fish-eye shots of their decorated living room and close ups of the plum pudding. If you know (or, indeed, are) a fan of iPhone photography then definitely get them this.
This clever little gadg started out life on
Kickstarter, and after playing around with it we can see why it was
so popular to fund. It simply clips onto the corner of your iPhone
(various versions available) and offers the budding David Bailey the
choice of four different lenses.
There is a near-180 degree fish-eye lens, a wide angle lens, a 15x macro lens with a 12mm focus distance, and also a 10x version with 18mm focus distance. So both zoomy-out and zoomy-in photos are able to be taken, for those that don't speak the jargon.
We really loved Olloclip 4-in-1, especially the included cary case which meant we could chuck it in our bags and not worry about it getting scratched up before we needed it.
Pretty good for snapping flying reindeer photos as well.
£69.99
Visit www.olloclip.com
So there we go; a few helpful hints that will hopefully point you in the right direction this Christmas. Oh, and guys... maybe this year don't leave the shopping until Christmas Eve. Just a suggestion.
Unlike the Bright Idea we can't see this being used as actual lamp away from your laptop, but the light is bright and focused and the option to switch it off while still plugged in is a big advantage.
Plus, look at him floating in space. Bless his little astro-socks.
£9.99
Visit www.amazon.co.uk
Mighty Boom Ball
Sure, your new phone might have built-in speakers designed by some over-paid, over-rated rap star - but lets face it, without an external amp you're never going to, and we quote, "get da party started".
A clever idea, especially considering the key chain friendly size, and one we found actually lived up to expectations. It's a lot of fun finding things to attach the Mighty Boom Ball to, and we discovered that an empty plastic milk bottle was pretty melodious.
£15
Visit www.mightyboomball.com
Olloclip 4-in-1 iPhone Lens
This Christmas what every iPhone user needs is the ability to take both fish-eye shots of their decorated living room and close ups of the plum pudding. If you know (or, indeed, are) a fan of iPhone photography then definitely get them this.
There is a near-180 degree fish-eye lens, a wide angle lens, a 15x macro lens with a 12mm focus distance, and also a 10x version with 18mm focus distance. So both zoomy-out and zoomy-in photos are able to be taken, for those that don't speak the jargon.
We really loved Olloclip 4-in-1, especially the included cary case which meant we could chuck it in our bags and not worry about it getting scratched up before we needed it.
Pretty good for snapping flying reindeer photos as well.
£69.99
Visit www.olloclip.com
So there we go; a few helpful hints that will hopefully point you in the right direction this Christmas. Oh, and guys... maybe this year don't leave the shopping until Christmas Eve. Just a suggestion.