Something on the Side: Memory on the move

the move

This week in Something on the Side, SEAN BACHER introduces Microsoft’s Sculpt Touch Mouse, The Nology Dualphone, LG’s monster 84-inch LED TV, the Logitech washable keyboard and the Billion N73X modem/router. We’re also giving away an Autodrive USB Car Flash Drive.

Autodrive USB Car Flash drive

Following in the footsteps of the Click Car Mouse and Click Car Memory Stick, the Autodrive USB Car Flash drive has just parked in online stores. It works the same as any flash drive, but comes in the shape of various sports cars, in die-cast metal, giving a new meaning to memory on the move. The drives are USB 2.0 compatible and models range from an Audi TT to a Porche 911 Carrera. Capacity options range from 1GB to 8GB. The best feature is that, when you have copied some files to the drive, the flash stick can be retracted and you will have a beautifully-made toy car to display. The kid in you will also enjoy the flashing headlights when it is plugged into a computer’s USB port.

We are giving one of these away to a reader. Details at the end of this column.

Expect to pay: R229

Stockists: The Autodrive USB Car Flash drives can be bought online by visiting www.thegadgetshop.co.za

Microsoft Sculpt Touch Mouse

The Microsoft Sculpt Touch Mouse uses a touch strip to speed up scrolling through long and wide documents. It connects wirelessly via Bluetooth and does not need a separate USB transceiver, like many other Bluetooth devices. Additional features include 4-way touch scrolling for navigating up, down, left and right, and the ability to work on practically any surface thanks to BlueTrack Technology. The Sculpt Touch Mouse is also designed to work with many Android tablets.

Expect to pay: R500

Stockists: Visit www.comztek.co.za for a stockist in your area.

Nology Dualphone 4088

The Dualphone 4088 lets you switch between Skype and landline calls on the same phone without the need for a computer. The 4088 replaces a standard landline handset and also plugs directly (via the included Ethernet cable) into a Broadband Internet connection for Skype access. It boasts a full duplex speakerphone and HD audio for clear calls. The phone is also cordless and doesn’t interfere with Wi-Fi networks.

Expect to pay: R1 299

Stockists: Visit www.nology.co.za for a stockist in your area.

LG 84LM960V Ultra HD TV

LG’s latest TV, an 84-inch Ultra HD TV is not only one of the largest on the market, but also one of the smartest. The LG Triple XD Engine offers a picture quality of up to 8 million pixels per frame, four times the resolution of current high-definition panels. The Resolution Upscaler lets you view images and video from external sources at a higher resolution than they were previously recorded at, and the Depth Control feature can be used to fine-tune the distance between near and far objects for a fully customised 3D experience.

Stockists: DionWired.

Expect to pay: R169 000 – R180 000

Logitech K310 washable keyboard

The Logitech K310 washable keyboard is easy to clean and easy to dry. It takes anything from a light dusting to a soak, and can be fully submerged in soapy water, rinsed off and set in the sun to dry. It also has drainage holes for fast drying. The characters on each key are laser printed so won’t wash off, nor will they fade. The keyboard is compatible with Windows XP, Windows Vista and Windows 7, and you can plug-and-play via a USB port. Apart from offering the standard QWERTY keys, it features hot-keys to access e-mail, the Internet or to skip and fast-forward through tunes on your playlist. It claims low profile, quiet keys, but beware: these are a little noisy.

Expect to pay: R599

Stockists: Visit http://www.logitech.co.za for a retailer in your area.

Billion N73X modem/router The Billion N73X modem/router supports download speeds of up to 24Mbps and upload speeds of up to 1Mbps and doubles up as a wireless access point. By inserting a 3G dongle, the auto failover feature ensures that connectivity is never lost. If you lose your ADSL connection, the device automatically switches over to 3G connectivity.

Expect to pay: R899

Stockists: The Billion N73X modem/router is available from selected Makro store across South Africa.

Win an Autodrive Car Flash Drive

We are giving away a 4GB Autodrive USB Car Flash Drive to one subscriber to the gadget e-mail newsletter. If you are not a subscriber, sign up (it’s free) in the subscription area at the top right hand of this page, alongside the banner ad.

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