Manufacturers everywhere claim their gadget is the best in its field. But which really are the cream of the crop? Mark Prigg reveals all
Technology has become such an integral part of our travelling lives that it’s almost unthinkable to board a plane without a full complement of gadgets, from laptops to iPods and even electronic books.
However, the range of kit out there is vast and ever-expanding, and choosing between all the options can be a nightmare. To help you decide what to go for, here is our guide to the ultimate travel gadgets and accessories.
Laptop bag Knomo Bungo £165-£185 knomo.com
A decent laptop bag is one of the essential components of travel, and none are finer than those made by Knomo. Its leather Bungo men’s satchels (pictured right) are a particular favourite, and manage to hide a protective laptop sleeve inside a fantastically stylish bag. Available in 15- and 17-inch versions, there are plenty of pockets inside, as well as an attractive lining in a contrasting colour.
Knomo also has a full range of elegant, slim laptop bags (£40-£50) for women – they come in black, red, blue, brown, indigo, green and orange. In addition, it has added a new range of trolley suitcases for £195.
Electronic book Amazon Kindle US$259 amazon.com
The e-book has been incredibly over-hyped, with reports claiming it will spell the end of traditional paper books. While this may be a tad exaggerated, Amazon’s Kindle gives a glimpse into what these electronic versions can do.
It’s thinner than you’d expect, at just under half an inch. Pictures don’t really do it justice, but an Apple product this isn’t – there are buttons everywhere. As well as a keyboard, there are six navigation buttons, and a mini joystick. This can be confusing, although most of the menus are clear and small. Text is simple to read thanks to the E Ink screen, which uses far less power than a normal display. There is a noticeable lag when turning pages, but you quickly become used to it.
In reality, it seems Amazon has rather rushed the release, because what you are actually buying is a US Kindle – it doesn’t come with a UK plug, and you have to pay import duties, bringing the overall price to about £200. You are also only able to buy a relatively limited selection of US literature, although some UK newspapers and magazines are available.
The killer feature of the Kindle is its 3G connection, which lets you download books directly. However, as this is a US device, Amazon has disabled one of the Kindle’s most interesting features – the ability to browse the web. It’s a shame (although, oddly, you can access Wikipedia), and a big reason to wait for the dedicated UK Kindle Amazon has promised. But overall, the Kindle is a decent product, particularly if you travel a lot.
Business phone HTC Hero Free with contract htc.com
Although Apple still rules the roost, HTC’s Hero shows that it may not be that way forever. It’s an odd-looking phone, with its plastic lip and trackball protruding. However, there is reason behind the apparent madness, and once you pick it up, the logic becomes evident – it feels just right in the hand, unlike a lot of its rivals.
Graphically, the menu system is superb. The integration of services such as Twitter and Facebook is brilliant, and far more impressive than on any other mobile. For instance, when you look up a contact in the phone, you instantly see not just their number, but their Facebook, Twitter and Flickr updates.
It’s also got impressive search software, so you can find contacts more quickly than on other phones. This isn’t that surprising, given that the unit runs Google’s Android software. The lack of a keypad is not a problem, as the on-screen one works very well. The trackball is fast and responsive, and getting around complex menus is simple thanks to the touchscreen controls.
To sum up, it’s a great gadget, and for anyone who doesn’t want to follow the herd and get an iPhone, it is highly recommended.
Entertainment phone iPhone 3GS Free with contract apple.com/uk
The fact that the iPhone is still by some margin the best smartphone on the market pays tribute to Apple’s engineers, who have managed to keep not one but several steps ahead of the competition. The 3GS is the third generation of iPhone, being faster and, finally, sporting an upgraded camera. Crucially, for a lot of corporate customers, O2’s exclusivity period has also ended, so it is now available from Orange, with Vodafone offering it from early 2010.
From the outside, the model is identical to previous iPhones, but inside are impressive new features such as a three-megapixel camera and more memory (32GB rather than the original 3G’s 16GB). It’s much faster and snappier, with games in particular more responsive. There are also interesting features such as video recording, voice control and the ability to track how far you run using Apple’s Nike+ sensor.
The camera is probably the area where the iPhone still lags behind in quality, although in bright light it performs well, and the 3GS adds auto-focus (although there’s still no flash). What really sets the phone apart from competitors are the applications you can download. More than 100,000 are now available, and they cover pretty much everything.
It’s difficult to say anything new about what is possibly the most talked about piece of technology on the planet, but it is without doubt the best smartphone you’ll find – and the best music and video player to boot.
Ultra-light laptop Sony Vaio X £1,759 sonystyle.co.uk
Just half an inch thick and weighing 700g, Sony’s new Vaio laptop rules the roost in the ultra-light department, even beating Apple’s amazing Macbook Air. The phenomenally stylish machine has a spec sheet that sounds more like a sports car than a computer – it has a case made from carbon fibre, and a battery made from a single slab of aluminium.
The tiny notebook has an 11-inch screen and is very well designed, boasting all the normal features you would expect from a laptop, including a webcam and wireless capability. It is incredibly small, although the keyboard still works well, and has the advantage of being a machine you can take everywhere. For touch-typists, the keyboard is probably worth trying out first, but most people should find it fine.
The build quality is also impressive, and feels solid, apart from the slightly bendy screen. Performance is good, and Windows 7 really flies, giving about eight hours of life on the laptop with the supplied high-capacity battery.
Overall, this is an astonishing machine both in terms of performance and style. It’s taken a long time, but the Macbook Air has finally been toppled as the coolest laptop on the block.
Headphones Sennheiser IE8 Headphones £263 sennheiser.com
Upgrading your headphones is one of the most important technological investments you can make, as the cheap ones generally supplied with new players are all pretty awful.
Sennheiser’s IE8s are definitely at the top end of the market, and with a £263 price tag may be tough to justify –that is, until you hear them. They are supplied with a whole range of sleeves to fit even the oddest shaped ears, and a full complement of aircraft adapters. Once you’ve got the fit right, they are incredibly comfortable, even for long-haul flights when you might be watching back-to-back films.
However, it’s the sound quality that is jaw-droppingly good. Everything from dance to classical music sounds clear, precise and as if it were being played live, right in front of you. The IE8s also have great bass response, so those in-flight blockbusters have added punch.
Unusually, the Sennheiser IE8s can be tuned to your preferences. While they may not be much to look at, the difference these headphones will make to a music fan’s everyday life is immense.
Large-screen laptop Apple Macbook Pro (17-inch) £1,849 apple.com/uk
For those wanting a larger machine, Apple is still king of the jungle. The Macbook Pro is a superbly stylish piece of kit, made from a single aluminium block. It feels solid, with a brilliant keyboard and a clear, easy-to-read screen. It has also been upgraded with a faster processor, so it is able to cope with even the most demanding of tasks.
The Mac operating system recently got an overhaul, and the latest version, called Snow Leopard, is faster, slicker and better-looking than anything else on the market (although Microsoft’s Windows 7 comes close in terms of appearance). It also allows for a range of great gestures on the Macbook’s trackpad – pinching photos to change their size, for instance.
The only drawback is the double-edged sword of having a big display – the machine is pretty huge. While this isn’t surprising for a 17-inch screen laptop, I’d say this is more of a “luggable” rather than portable unit – you wouldn’t want to rest it on your knees for too long . But as a desktop replacement, it’s hard to beat.
Satnav TomTom iPhone app £59.99 iphone.tomtom.com
Using a mobile phone as a satnav isn’t something particularly new, but TomTom’s application is one of the first, and certainly the slickest, to give dedicated navigation systems a run for their money.
The interface is similar to the firm’s stand-alone satnav gadgets, and everything is operated using the touchscreen. Entering postcodes is easy and the map displays are clear, even when the phone is on the windscreen. It’s also possible to enter an address simply by clicking on one of your contacts – an incredibly useful feature – and you can play your iPhone’s music through the car stereo, which is an important option for most drivers. When calls come in, the application disappears and you can answer as normal, returning to the map when you’re finished.
Speed cameras are shown on screen, along with useful pinpoints such as cash machines and garages. There are no traffic updates yet, although TomTom has hinted this will come in a future update.
While £60 is reasonable value, bear in mind that to get the best out of the device, you’ll need the windscreen mount, which costs an extra £100. But for a satnav that TomTom claims will be constantly upgraded, and that works well even when you aren’t in the car, the software is a must-have.
Portable Games machine PSP Go £199 pspinyourhands.com
It may seem an odd entry into the ultimate travel gadget guide, but Sony’s PSP Go is something of a dark horse. While it masquerades as a games console, this is actually one of the best portable video players on the market, with an amazing 3.8-inch screen and superb sound quality. It’s also a decent MP3 player, and has 16GB of memory for storing your data.
Owners of Sony’s PS3 console can also use the Go as a remote control for their PS3 – a really useful feature. Crucially, Sony has also made getting video and music on the device easier than in previous models, although it’s not quite as easy to use as Apple’s solution. Of course, when you get tired of film and music, the PSP also has some superb games, and is without doubt the most advanced handheld console on the market.
Bluetooth Headset Jabra Stone £99.99 jabra.com
The bluetooth headset has always been a forgotten product, with horrible charging solutions and ugly earpieces that make you look like a slightly out-of-date CIA agent. However, Jabra’s Stone is an amazing piece of design, comprising a small, stylish headset that slots into a pebble-shaped charger when not in use. It’s a great idea, as you plug the whole “pebble” in to charge, but can then top up your headset on the move easily. The Stone is small enough to fit in a jacket pocket, and also looks great – it’s a talking point in meetings, if nothing else. Call quality is excellent, although battery life isn’t great – however, this is alleviated by the convenient pebble charger, so it isn’t a problem for all but the biggest chatterboxes. In my opinion, it’s the best solution I’ve seen to the problem of making a bluetooth headset look cool, and should be on every driver’s gadget list.
Mark Prigg is science and technology correspondent for London’s Evening Standard
