GadgITs

Floating on Air

TAKE a look at the new ultra-thin MacBook Air . . . the slick new must-have laptop which is just three-quarters of an inch thick.
Despite that, the Air has space for a 13.3-inch screen, 1.6GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor, 2GB RAM, 80GB hard drive and Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 2.1.
Overnight the design alone has made it the air apparent in the laptop market —depending on how it stands up to everyday use.
It will cost £1,199 when it arrives in the UK in two weeks.
A big reason why Apple managed to make this laptop so thin is that it has no DVD drive. Some might moan about this (there’s an external drive for £65). But think about what Apple are doing. Along with the Air, they’re

One CLIQ and its yours

IF you hear a brilliant tune on the radio that you want to buy, try a new mobile service called CLIQ. Simply download to your handset by texting CLIQ to 78901.
Install the free application, credit your account online and you’re ready.
CLIQ is available to a total audience of 13million via Magic 105.4 and Heat and through the Heart, Galaxy, Century, Real and Smooth networks. After you buy a track, it’s sent to you, ready to download on to your PC. Tracks are £1.25. See www.cliqradio.co.uk

Shuffle cube

   

WEIGHING just 39g and measuring a tiny 6x5x5cm, the Exspect Shuffle Speaker is the smallest speaker dock for the iPod Shuffle. The compact cube plays up to 4 hours on any battery. Just £13.99 at iworld.co.uk

Disgo fever

       

THE pocket-sized Disgo Video Plus is the smallest digital video camera out there. Its 1.5-inch colour flip screen has a 2x zoom and the built-in memory holds up to 60 minutes of footage. Simply plug it in to your TV or computer to play back. £69.89 from Cur rys.co.uk

Talking tough

YOU can kick sand in its face, leave it out in the rain, snow, or sun, even run over it with a truck . . . and it will still talk to you.
JCB’s Toughphone, launched by Dragon’s Den tycoon Peter Jones this week, is the world’s first “indestructible phone”.
Designed for industrial environments or clumsy phone users, it’s a Sonim XP1 with JCB branding and

Printer has no ink!

ONE of the big hits at this year’s Consumer Electronics show in Las Vegas was Polaroid’s new digital printer that uses zero INK.
That’s why they called it Zink. The pocket-sized printer produces snapshots in seconds.
And, if these new printers take off, you might never have to shell out for printer ink again. It’ll just be the paper that sets you back.
The technology works by using heat to bring out dyes embedded in the printing paper which has three layers of colour—yellow, magenta and cyan. The picture comes to life as the paper passes under the thermal print head.
The tiny printer, expected to cost around £60, is only as big as an iPod. The makers call it son of Polaroid. Zink Imaging also plans to make a £100 digital camera with the printer built into it—a bit like the Daddy of Polaroid (the Instamatic).
It will take photos in the same way the old-style cameras did, giving instant prints on the spot.
But they’re bone dry when they come out and you don’t have to wait for them to develop (wasn’t that half the fun?).
Expect to see them in the shops later in the year. See www.polaroid.com/onthego/ See a demo of the the printer in the extended post.

Wake up to this bargain

 

WAKE up to this cool-looking iPod alarm clock which lets you select any playlist, song, podcast or sound file to get you going in the morning.
And News of the World readers can buy it with a special 10 per cent discount at our online shop.
The retro-style gizmo will take different sizes of iPod and even charges your player while you sleep.
It will also serve as a mini-speaker system for listening to your sounds.
And it’s available exclusively today, in pink, white and black, for £35.96 at www.notw.co.uk/shop

Recording star

THIS superb Roberts MP-Sound 41 digital radio lets you record shows direct to an SD memory card up to a week in advance.
You can then listen to them on the set or transfer recordings to your computer or iPod.
The radio will also act as an MP3 player by importing recordings.
You need never miss your favourite show again.
Amazing value at £139.99. See robertsradio.co.uk

Hear you go

PARROT’S jazzy new Boombox wireless hi-fi speakers are a must-have for ’08.
Connected via Bluetooth they are compatible with almost anything; mobile phone, laptop and MP3 player.
Place them anywhere within a 10-metre range for the best surround sound. Sound at £159.99 from www.parrot.com

Mite be handy!

THE average Brit sleeps with 1.5 to 2<TH>million dust mites which thrive on body heat and dead skin.
So Ewbank invented this impressive handheld bug-buster, which wipes them out and helps to prevent the nasty allergies they cause.
First a vibrating pad brings the mites to the surface, then a UV-C sterilising lamp zaps them before they are sucked away by the vacuum. For once, you might sleep easy after parting with £149.
Find out more at www.raycop.co.uk