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The world of tomorrow
Dave Cook takes a look at the gadgets and gizmos that might be improving your life in 2008 and beyond
rom James Bond to your
ol‘l'iee eolleagues. eyeryone
loyes gadgets. 'l‘eehnology is growing at sueh a last paee that huying that new phone or MP3 player sometimes seems a hit ol‘ a gamhle. You neyer know when the gadget y'ou‘ye just hought will he replaeed M a sna/xier model.
Mtisie is an integral part ot many household items. From shower radios to mohile phones eyeryone ean listen to their layourite traeks at any time. So where eould musie players go next year'.’ Speeialists predieted that Apple would release an il’hone many years hel‘ore they aetually hit the shelyes just a l'ew months ago. and while they seem to do eyerything the user eould need. newer. hetter players are not tar away.
Teeh news w‘ehsite (‘Nli'l‘ prediets the MP3 husiness will he worth Sib’hn in 2008. Why sueh a massiye leap'.’ Well. next year sees the release of portahle jukehox players that run on Hash sol'tware. Playing musie and films as standard. they also ineorporate pieture Viewers. w'i-t‘i ehannels. hooks. \‘ihrant toueh sereens and many more l‘eatures. Their sereens are larger than most handheld
multimedia deyiees and look a lot elearer to hoot. \Vhile perl‘orming many ol the tasks il’od 'l'otleh does already. they ol‘l’er larger hard driy e spaee with ehangeahle memory eards. play a larger range ol~ file types and use attraetiye animated menu systems. Think tw'iee helore shelling out on a new MP3 play er just yet. though. heeause the l5lash Versions might he more to your liking. That said. you must neyer rule out Apple themsely es and their mueh rumoured ‘\\'idesereen il’od'. designed with moyies and \ideo speeilieally in mind.
.\nd there’s good news l'or anyone who has seen reeent 3|) aetion lliek Beowulf: .lapanese leleeom giant .\'TT reeently unyeiled the Spaeeillusion. a portahle 3|) sereen that‘s perl'eet l‘or Viewing moyies on the go. ('onsisting ot two l.('l) sereens sandwiehed ltlmm apart. the gadget ereates the lllllsttm ol‘ 3]) without needing to wear the dull looking glasses to make it work. The method is ingeniotis as it sends hall ot‘ the onsereen pixels to your left eye and the other hall to your right making the pieture lows in the third dimension. It's like
something out ot‘ a sei-ti lilm hut will he with Us sometime this year
with t‘ull—si/ed 'l‘\' sereen \ersions eurrently in the works.
l’or those who ean't stand household ehores there may he hope tor you in the luture. The Massaehusetts ’l‘eehnology has inyented l)ish.\laker. a gadget that melts down dirty plates and makes new ones. The plastie dishes are made trom lully reeyelahle material that ean he re—used oyer l5tl times.
‘DISHMAKER IS A GADGET THAT MELTS DOWN DIRTY PLATES AND MAKES NEW ONES'
Stored as llat plastie dises. you ean also program the maehine to make you a eup or howl instead. This is the stall ol dreams tor many people although it is only at the prototype stage so will sadly not he in the shops l‘or a while.
l.ast hut hy no means least is a new spin on the men's room urinal. .\'ot eontent with plaeing ads in restrooms aeross the PK. the next
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0 When it-éomes to gadgets we're edging closer to the vision at (he futurc'oflered
: .. by _ssri-ti classics iik‘es
Blade Runner
step is urinal gaining. l’atrons \isiting the loo ean pay the mural a pound and take Pttl't ill a lltl\l UT games that reward 'aeeuraey‘ and 'quantity' with hig pri/es. The more the player relieyes himsell the sna//ier the pri/e. and it you ean itnagine the look ol' a smug gentleman walking proudly out ol the toilet in your loeal earrying an il’od that he's just won you may find yoursell either intrigued or terrilied hy the notion.
\Vhateyer gadgets you like to use it will neyer he too long helore a more adyaneed and therelore lashionahle upgrade hits the stores and l'or those who simply ean't al'l'ord to keep tip it ean he pretty annoying. But. as the digital TV/Ml’.‘ litestyle heeomes the norm. teehnology will enter a new generation meaning that the onee unallordahle will quiekly heeome eheap (just look at the priee drop in l'latsereen 'l-Vs oy er the last lew yearsi so don‘t panie it the products mentioned here get your mouth watering while terril'ying your wallet. l-‘utureeasting and predieting what gadgets w ill hit the stores well in adyanee means that people ean hudget l'or them hetter. Just start saying your pennies now.
“(puffs-nun“:—
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