MaKey Makey, Swiv, Touchscreen leather glovesand Nintendo Wii U
MaKey Makey €50
If you have ever had a hankering to create your own computer controllers, MaKey Makey is exactly wheat you need. The kit allows you to take standard household items – Play-doh, marshmallows, plants, coins, pencils, even a banana – and turn them into controllers via some clever clips, a board and a USB connection.
Anything that conducts electrical current, no matter how slightly, will do. It opens up a whole new world of experimentation, no matter how old you are. It also works with systems from OS X and Linux to Windows XP, Vista and 7.
[ Firebox.comOpens in new window ]
Swivi €220
Turn your smartphone into a mini camera crew with the Swivl. An automated mount that turns 360 degrees, you can make your iPhone a hands-free recording device.
You clip a small sensor to your clothes and the camera will follow it wherever it moves, swivelling around in 360 degrees. It has got a range of about 10 metres and the sensor will also pick up audio.
It is compatible with iPhones and any smartphone that is under 11mm in depth. If you have a small camera, you can also attach it to the mount for tracking.
[ Swivl.comOpens in new window ]
Touchscreen leather gloves
€130
Touchscreen gloves may not be a new invention but these leather ones from Mujjo are a bit classier than the usual fare.
Relying on nanotechnology – or so the product propaganda goes – the gloves are made from lambskin, are wind- and weather-proof and anti-microbial. Regardless of what makes them work, the important thing is that they do.
Unlike other gloves, you can use all your fingers of your gloves instead of just two and your thumb, as is usually the standard.
[ mujjo.comOpens in new window ]
Nintendo Wii U €320
Hot off the production line in time for Christmas, the Wii U is Nintendo’s latest console that it hopes will get a headstart on the rest of the console market. Bringing in a touchscreen controller, the GamePad – which gives a new perspective on the game you are playing as well as functioning as a dedicated game screen, the Wii U also uses high-definition graphics.
You can still also use your old Wii controllers. With a launch line-up that covers everything from adult horror games to old favourites, Nintendo is hoping the Wii U will be popular this Christmas.
