Entertainment in your pocket

Travel, outdoor fun, parties. If these are some activities that you have lined up for yourself in the sultry heat of summer, then perhaps you could do well to pay heed to some eminently suitable gadgets for such occasions. Let the "mine is bigger than yours" boast take the back seat. Opt for convenience in tiny packages.

MUSIC IN THE WOODS

Okay, what fits into the palm of your hand and can wake the neighbours up at midnight? The answer has to be Logitech's Mini Boom Box. For something that you think is capable only of a whimper, the Mini Boom Box produces surprising loudness with tonal integrity - up to a point (it gets a bit screechy if you turn the volume all the way up). But look at its usefulness - you could be miles from civilisation, yet you would have your loud music with you, marrying the Boom Box with your Bluetooth-enabled device, whether it is a iPod, smartphone or a tablet. Its battery can give you around 10 hours on a single charge, and even a music junkie will admit that's quite a bit of listening.

Logitech Mini Boom Box, Rs 6,999

STUDIO IN MIDDLE OF NOWHERE

Who would have thought photo printers would become as small as, say a smartphone? LG recently showcased its PD233 Pocket Photo in New Delhi and will launch it in India in June. It will prove a most handy gadget for travellers - a printer that produces 2 X3 inch photographs even in the middle of a desert. The wireless printer can link up with Android and iOs devices over Bluetooth and Near-Field Communication. Its tiny size is mainly due to the fact that it does not use ink. It uses instead Zink paper, which prints colour using a special thermal application.

LG PD233 pocket printer, Rs 14,999

MOVEABLE THEATRE

What Sony's Walkman did to music - make the experience a personal on-the-move pleasure - two current products have done to video: Epson's Moverio BT-100and Sony's HMZ T1 video glasses. Of the two, Epson's is better for two reasons: one, it is Anroid and WiFi enabled, so you can access videos anywhere, unlike the HMZ T1 which has to be tethered to a player; and two, because Moverio has transparent glasses which enable you to look at life around you even as you enjoy a movie, a YouTube viral or your own video. And no, the pictures on the glasses are not hampered by the see-through scenes. The glasses have a resolution of 960 x 540 pixels, and are so placed near your eyes as to mimic a movie screen 320 inches wide from about 20 meters away.

Epson Moverio BT-100, Rs 42,900

Got any queries?
Are you foxed by your gadget and don't know who to turn to? If you need advice or help regarding cars and bikes, office and home gadgets and electronics of any kind, write to us at gear@bsmail.in