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U Love Gadgets World buying since 1995

Petzl Head Lamp

Ever since I was kind a kid, I can remember I was never disappointed with a torch as a gift. Whatever shape or form it was always a great gift. The pictured petzl head lamp is a simple one strength version and its all one needs. Its great for camping and whether the lights go out and you want to read (a real book not your kindle though I am sure it works with a kindle too :). I have had this lamp for over 7 years, so definitely does not win any novelty awards, but it still good for its purpose. Not sure about prices, but should be around 20 GBP / 20 EUR. I would recommend, the simplest and battery operated version. A great gift for any gadget friend.

Swims Galoshes

Great name for a brand of galoshes. Though very expensive at o ver 100 GBP/120 EUR they are great. Extremely practical when working in an office environment, when you don’t really feel like taking an extra pair of shoes with you when its raining outside or more likely these days, snowing! They cost as much as a very nice pair of shoes, but they do feel that way and also have huge novelty value showing them off to friends. Especially if you get one of the more flashy colours. They are not necessarily easy to find. Would recommend checking their Norwegian homepage www.swims.no.

EyeTV Hybrid - perfect for those who do not watch TV

Why should one buy a "tv-stick" for your computer if you can now see movies and TV series online? Exactly! My view is that this is the ideal gadget for those people who do not watch TV anymore, just like me! So why get it? Because it has an extremely easy to use interface, which a) downloads the TV programme and simply lets you click on it to b) record films and TV shows for you to watch at a late time or simply export to your iTunes! I love watching various TV series on iTunes; it has cost me a fortune, even though I know some of them are on cable TV. My lifestyle however doesn't allow simply showing up every Tuesday at 5pm and sitting in front of the TV to watch a programme I like! EyeTV is the perfect solution. I am actually surprised how much money this little gadget has saved me, by allowing me to record movies instead of buying them on iTunes or renting out DVDs! Ok, you wouldn’t get the latest blockbusters on it, but for TV series and old classics, it’s great! There are various versions of EyeTV, the one I have is the EyeTV Hybrid working on a Mac. It’s fantastic! I am not sure why the reviews are so poor on Amazon. It’s a must for any Lost, Madmen, and etc addict out there! Elgato EyeTV Hybrid

Gadgets to buy

Kindle in Europe

Kindle

The kindle and the kindle DX have arrived to Europe! So has Sony and perhaps some other of which I have yet to read about. So why buy the kindle? Because it works, does what it is supposed to and it does it in a very nice way. I guess there is one advantage of the Kindle over other ebook readers: it has idiot proof access to amazon's library of ebooks. This easy access from anywhere (train station, airport, etc) makes buying new books or simply reading free samples of those you consider buying dead easy. Also its perfectly suited for those who want to avoid using a PC to transfer files.

Until there is a standard format for ebooks as there is for MP3 and DVD, I think its worth compromising with some of the limitations of the Kindle (not all public formats are supported) and buy one now. I am sure in 2 years time there will be a much better version or alternative available on the market, as e-ink and ebooks evolve. In the meantime, I think the Kindle is a great buy and well worth the money spent.

Would I recommend the new DX version over the smaller one? Other than for reading corporate PDF documents, I think its hard to justify the DX. Choose the smaller and cheaper version!

The cost of Kindle in Europe is 260 USD. Just for the fun I actually looked at whether it pays of to buy a Kindle versus buying paperbacks. To my suprise it actually make financial sense to buy one even if it becomes obsolete in 2 years! The details of simplified calcuation are outlined below:

ULGW.com's method for calculating savings by using a Kindle instead of paperbacks:

1. Assume you buy 4 business books per annum:

I took the following books as a sample and compared their paperback and kindle prices:

Vivienne Hardwood, Modern Tort Law: Kindle $33, Paper $41

Benjamin Graham, Security Analysis: Kindle $44, Paper $47

Molerus, Wirth, Heat Transfer in Fluidized Bed: Kindle $122 , Paper $159

Harvard Business Review on Marketing: Kindle $13.58 , Paper $15

Average saving on the above was 15%, on an average book price of 53 USD. Assuming 4 books, that would equal to 30 USD saving. The caveat here is that while looking for sample books, I noticed quite a few were missing on the Kindle!

2. Assume you make 4 impulse purchases of books at a 10 USD premium to an amazon/kindle price (again per annum). With a Kindle you would simply buy them directly from amazon.

That's an annual saving of 40 USD.

3. Assume you don't have a kindle and you bought 2 books at $10 each, which are simply bad. With a kindle you would have been able to first read the free sample and hopefully would have avoided buying them in the first place.

That's an annual saving of $20 USD.

4. Assume 20 USD saving (again per annum) on excess luggage charges while going on holiday. Okay, that a bit of a random number, but at least a reflection of traveling light!

5. Assume 5 x 5 USD of savings from reading a book instead of buying a magazine while waiting for someone at an airport/meeting etc.

That's an annual saving of 25 USD.

6. Finally, assume you buy 4 bestseller books

I took the following bestseller books as 14 Jan 2010 from the US store:

Dan Brown, Lost Symbol: Kindle $14, Paper $12

Stephanie Meyer, Breaking Dawn: Kindle $10.99, Paper $10.50

Sarah Palin, Going Rogue: Kindle $14.09, Paper $14.50

Levitt, Dubner, Superfreakonomics $14.09, Paper $12.00

Here comes the first suprise! It looks like its actually more expensive to read a bestseller on the kindle! So Amazon believes you should be paying a premium for instant access to current books!

The above sample gives an extra cost of approx. 5 USD per annum.

Final calculation:

All the above adds up to 130 USD of savings in one year. Assume a lifetime of 2 years and the cost of Kindle is covered! This is actually pure coincidence, but I won't blame you if you are thinking I am working for amazon with those numbers! So where is the catch in the calculation? Well...there isn't one really. Perhaps the assumption that you actually read a lot business study books compared to bestsellers is a bit streched. I have assumed you a buy a total of 12 books, which isnt actually that unreasonable. It becomes even more worthwhile if you are able to share the kindle with your partner!

The above calcuation is just an illustration, but I definitely think the Kindle is a great buy, even if its obsolete in two years!

Last Updated ( Saturday, 16 January 2010 18:57 )

Leatherman Knife

Leatherman Knife Tool

Leatherman tools / knifes are adult versions of swiss army knives. They actually have a lot of useful tools built into them that come in handy at home, on trips or outdoors. They do cost a fortune (>150 USD, >100 EUR), but are well worth the money. Its likely to last for a lifetime and it will always come handy in most obscure moments. There are a number of "imitations" available for sale, but would strongly recommend stickying to the original due to the importance of the steel and craftwork qualities. There are currently a number of versions available, the one above is a Titanium version. I think its a great tool.

Ipods

I guess this review is about showing off my collection of ipods, though not all are included on the picture above! It is a bit like stating the obvious, but Ipods, of any size always find their use and have huge advantage over its competitors and that is due to itunes. Itunes makes downloading legal music and films as easy as buying a disc in a shop, actually much easier and a lot quicker 24hrs a day. So, if you are looking to buy an MP3 player, yes there are probably more technically able players out there, but ipods are easy to use and itunes does not currently have a real competitor as far I am concerned!

Clarisonic Facial Brush

Clarisonic Face Scrub

Ok, I am not really sure of the purpose of facial scrubs, but that is not the point. I am not a facial expert. My wife bought this on a trip to the USA (USD 150, EUR 100) and it is one of the few eletric gadgets she does use and believes in. So, yes, I would recommend this as a gadget gift to your girlfriend / wife even if you are not sure what is the point of scrubbing ones face with an eletric brush. Luckily it has a timer, otherwise skin damage could be an issue. Unlike the Zeno spot zapper, she does this gadget works! There are many reviews of this gadget by beauty experts, which you may want to read, if works on all skin types...etc etc! Otherwise should be a good gift idea.

IPhone

Iphone 3G

Yes, we think the iphone is a fantastic gadget, one of the best of them out there. I will not go into why, as I am sure you all know by now. The reason we mention it here, is because it is a great gadget for girls. My wife loves it. She was a bit sceptical when I got it for her, but once should found some useful applications she is unable to live with it. So if you want your girlfriend or wife to be more gadget friendly, thats definitely one way to achieve it!

Gadget Charger

Power monkey gadget charger

This is the first "external" or "secondary" battery that I have used for my phone or ipod, but its the first that works with a number of devices and does what is says on the packaging. There a lot of new versions of this product, including solar chargers and car chargers. The basic one is definitely a good buy and helpful for those travelling and not unkown to concept of running out of battery life. Price is steep compared to non-branded alternatives but again it is worth. Price: EUR 50 or USD 80. The worst thing that can happen is that you forget to charge it before going on a trip.

Light Alarm Clock

Phillips Alarm Light

For all those who are not lucky enough to live in a sunny place, this is great a alarm clock that helps waking up in the winter. For 30 minutes before the alarm noise / radio kicks in, this alarm clock will gradually begin to lighten up the room with warm light. In practise what happens is that you will most likely wake up before the sound kicks in. Its not cheap at around EUR 80 or USD 120 but definitely worth it, especially if you are not a morning person.