How many gadgets have you got from 30 years ago? Maybe an old VHS handed down from your grandparents hidden in your loft?

Which ultimately underlines quite what an amazing piece of engineering the Space Shuttle is (soon to be was). Sure it has had some significant revisions along the way, but if you compare how far we've come in gadgets and consumer electronics in the past 30 years the Space Shuttle stacks up pretty well.

For in 1981 computers looked like this

The IBM 5150 PC The original mass-market PC which weighed a ton and sported a 25 "diskette" drive. It packed a 4.77-MHz Intel 8088 processor and a stonking 256 KB of memory.

TV recorders like this

The JVC HR 7200 was state of the art VHS (Betmax was going down the tubes by then) with lots of features like freeze frame (!) as well as a dinky wired remote.

And watches

The Casio C-701 which was groundbreaking in that it not only told the time but could also moonlight as a calculator.

Wimbledon is only five days away and we're hoping Murray might make it all the way to the top this year.

To keep us entertained until we can don our 3D glasses to see all the action on centre court, we thought it would be interesting to see what tennis related gadgets are out there.

Say hello to the SagemCom Sixty - an old-school rotary telephone with a modern twist. The biggest difference is probably the digital display - no more waiting for the dial to spin back as you're dialling.

The body of the phone is also gone, making it smaller and lighter, and the cable cord has been removed. It only comes in orange for some reason, but it's pretty funky. Ten hours of talk time comes with, and it can also store 20 minutes of answer messages.

The new SagemCom Sixty is a pure reinterpretation from the old rotary phones, which were once very popular in the UK from their introduction in the 1930s.

The phone retails at £99.99 - available at John Lewis and elsewhere.

Entrepreneurship comes in many forms these days - and there's a thriving market for dinky one-off products sold online: see Sugru the hacking goo and everything ever sold on Etsy.

However, it's not everyone who comes up with a portable garment steamer. But a young man with a vision and good contacts in the British fashion industry has made one and it looks cute.

Not all of us will use the Fridja F1000 portable garment steamer. Many of us wouldn't even use a normal garment steamer. The purpose of a steamer is a useful one though - to freshen up clothes in seconds, like a kind of instant dry-cleaner.

Fridja say: "it converts creased, dull garments into brilliant smooth and presentable pieces."

They've obviously convinced some big names in the industry: Fridja steamers are used by Henry Holland, Gareth Pugh and Christopher Kane; and shops such as Pepe, Oasis and Agent Provocateur.

It's safe for wedding dresses, silk, satin, chiffon and is fine with decorative details. It stores 2.2 litres of water and can provide 75 minutes of pure steaming.

Okay I'll admit it - it's not exactly our industry - but it's a nice story of innovation and gadget design.. That and the fact that one of the six steamers is called Anna. It's the white one. Great choice of name.

They are also quite pricey at 99GBP, so it's not really surprising that they are predominantly used by professional establishments.

Fridja F1000 Garment Steamer is 99 gbp on Fridja.com

It's received wisdom that electronic devices and water do not mix. If you've ever got any of that stuff on your laptop or dropped your iPhone in a latte - you'll know what I mean.

However Brando are always striding forward where other gadget-makers are afraid to go - see the usb handwarmer shaped like a hamburger - and have produced a USB-powered Aquarium. The 239 x 99 x 210mm device uses the power from your USB port to circulate the water in the tank and to power both an alarm clock and a err... room thermometer. Both indispensable in the modern office as I'm sure you'll agree.

They say:
"The USB Aquarium with Alarm Clock and Thermometer is not only an alarm clock, but also a real fish tank. Just add water into the tank and put your fish into the tank. Then, connect it to an USB power port [...] It's another little fancy stuff on your desk."

We say:
OH MY GOD. IS THERE NOTHING THESE GUYS WILL NOT ATTACH TO A USB PORT?

Well thank you ThinkGeek for inventing this horror. If no-one has had an argument, slammed the door or bitten someone else over control of the TV remote, ThinkGeek have come up with a way to inject some excitement - read terror - into your Christmas celebrations. A screaming Christmas Tree bauble.

The TannenBomb Prank Christmas Ornament looks like a normal decoration - silver and red - though on closer inspection it does have screaming robots and zombies on it. Anyway the thing it does is emit piercing siren noises at random intervals. Great. Just great. It's part of their Annoyatron range.

The TannenBomb is available now on ThinkGeek.com for $11.99.

Yes, I'm a sucker for computer accessories shaped like fruit. What of it?

So this strawberry-shaped mouse looks great to me. It's a simple plug and play USB mouse from Gadgets4all, uses optical tracking, and does all the basic mouse stuff but looks like a strawberry. And yes, it glows in the dark.

$14.99 from Gadget4All

Yesterday we had a chance to sit down with Jawbone CEO Hosain Rahman, to talk about their latest product the Jambox.

While the Jambox is being labeled as the world's first intelligent wireless speaker, one thing is for sure this little device packs big sound. Get a first glimpse of the Jambox in action before its launched in the UK later this month below.

A nifty multi-purpose gadget-charger from iGo, the iGo Charge Anywhere promises to do what it says on the tin and juice your gadgets up wherever you are..

Capable of providing up to 3 full charges for any mobile device without replenishing, it's a handy portable battery to carry around.

It also works as a wall charger, plugged in between the socket and the device, and can fit two gadgets at once while juicing itself up.

According to iGo it is compatible with most mobile and gaming electronic devices thanks to its interchangeable power tips: including the iPhone, BlackBerry, Bluetooth headset, MP3 players, digital camera and/or gaming device by using the included iGo USB cable or the devices own USB Charge cable. It has two USB ports.

Billed as good for travel, it weighs 107 g and measures 58 x 64 x 37 mm. It also means you don't need to pack a charger for every single device you take out with you.

£49.90 from iGo here

It doesn't just flash and beep, this alarm clock actually thows stuff around the room in its efforts to get you out of bed. The Aphelion launches a ball out of a holder when the alarm goes off then starts flashing and blasting out MP3 songs you've loaded on it.

It sounds like its guaranteed to get you out of bed with about 10ccs of adrenalin rushing through your veins, but the cunning trick is that to switch it off, or activate the snoooze, you have to replace the ball in the socket - which requires getting out of bed. You see..?

Unfortunately it's just a design concept so far soo.... we hope someone hurries up and gets this thing on the factory assembly lines

[via thedesignblog]

The Swiss Army knife of personal consumer electronics, smartphones are knocking other gadgets off the shelves and out of everyday life - but what can other companies do about it?

Falling sales of devices like MP3 players shows that people are now using their phones for everything says tech guru Stuart Dredge. Stuff they might have 3 or 4 separate devices for before ... music players, cameras, watches are now all done in one - the smartphone. Research by Deloitte suggests that it is the apps that are the killer - with 42% of mobile app users have reduced or completely eliminated their use of MP3 players. App users are also more likely to have ditched their GPS systems and personal games consoles.

It's changing the shape of the market. Camera makers aren't just competing against other cameras, but against Blackberrys and iPhones and Nokias and they have to start designing and pricing their products around that. The personal music player isn't dead yet though, a recent survey showed that iPods are still the most popular consumer tech items in

What can the makers of other gadgets do?

1) Spec up. Nine times out of ten a dedicated camera is going to be better than a phone camera, even if it does have 12 megapixels.

2) Get connected. Get a chip in your camera/watch/mp3 player and get it connected to the internet. It needs to be on Facebook, Youtube and Spotify. Possibly all of them

3) Get imaginative... make underwater camers, make GPS that give you history tours. Open up your own API to app makers so that you can benefit from quirky bits of third party software too...

If any TV series has made us nostalgic for the style of the early sixties, it's Mad Men. The one-liners, the booze, the wealth and the gravity-defying bosoms (of Peggy) are all part of the draw but it's the style that makes it a killer package. Who knew the early 60s looked so damn good. In honour of it all, we've drawn up ten gadgets that channel the Mad Men vibe.

We're not saying they would have used them, gracious no, there wasn't a whole lot of technology round back then, but to us, the style of these pieces is very Man Men.

So we bring you - ten Mad Men gadgets...

It's a bit like Dragons' Den but without Duncan Bannatyne being nasty to you - or some of the hare-brained ideas for that matter. Engineers at Dyson's Wiltshire HQ have drawn up a shortlist of 20 inventions from all over the globe for the prestigious James Dyson Award.

Now in it's fifth year, the prize of £20,00 will go to the design student who convinces a panel of international experts that he or she has come up with an innovative solution to a problem. Entries this year include an electrostatic notice board which suspends paper and objects without the need for pins and a device that shoots emergency buoyancy aids up to 150m out to sea.

Says James Dyson: "We're looking for useful ideas that demonstrate adventurous thinking and a rigorous approach to a problem. Many of this year's designs have real potential."

James Dyson will announce the global winner on October 5. All of this year's entries can be viewed on www.jamesdysonaward.org

What with shows like the X Factor and Glee ruling our screens, we have never being so keen to show off our musical talents. If you see yourself as more of a band member rather that the singer, the Paper Jamz rang from iwantoneofthose.com could be the perfect way to unleash your inner rock god.

We looked at the Paper Jamz a couple of months back - check the video evidence below - but now there's a Drum Kit, Amp and Guitar Strap to complement the original guitar and amp. In case you missed it first time round the Paper Jamz guitar has a wide range of playlists to suit any musical taste. You can opt to play the guitar freestyle or play along with a built-in song of your choice. You can even play major, minor and seventh chords. Thanks to the touch sensitive technology, you can get the right sound minus the finger pain as all you have to do is lightly touch the frets at the desired location and stroke your right hand across the 'strings' to play them.

If keeping the beat is more your thing, the Paper Jamz Drums comprises of five drums that allow you to play over classic built-in songs, or join in with your guitar playing band mate for a freestyle jam.

The Paper Jamz Guitar and Paper Jamz Drum kit are priced at £24.99 each and available from here.

The irony with advice is that while everyone loves giving it, so few us are actually up for receiving it. No matter if it does make our lives easier, saves the planet or keep a few extra quid in our pocket, quite often we simply don't want to know.

So the Vexia Econav, a clever new-ish product from a Spanish company claims to be the first to tell us how to drive more efficiently. I can't help but inwardly groan a little. There are two ways of looking at this. One, that is is a genuine attempt by a progressive company to make a difference to consumers and the planet. Or two, that sat navs are all the same these days and too stand out a new company needs to have a bit of a hook.

Fortunately for the Vexia, I think it is more the former than the latter, but whether all this driving advice is going to work is another thing.

So I put the device in the car and fired it up. It locked on to the satellites quickly and presented me with a straightforward interface. It is is not perhaps as elegant as some of its rivals, but I got used to it pretty quickly. Overall the maps are clear and easy to follow and the turn by turn instructions clear and precise. There are some decent extra features too such as advanced lane guidance - which shows you which lanes you can use when coming to a turning - speed camera alerts and a healthy database of points of interest. As a basic sat nav this works fine.

What though of its driving features? Well the blurb is impressive. It claims to be able to reduce fuel consumption by up to 30% which means reducing CO2 emissions by up to one ton and also saving the user up to £400 per year. To do this though I have to change gear each time I am told (it calculates which is the best gear by analysing your car's details and pairing it to the road you are driving on) and I am also prompted if I pull away too quickly or stop too suddenly.

The eco features clearly do work, but I think you have to be a certain type of person to live with them. Some people will relish being told when and where to change gear, others will reach straight for the off button.

The latest version of the Vexia's software also has a speed nag built in. This tells you not only when you are breaking the speed limit but how many points you are likely to get on your licence. I wouldn't say it was a useful feature, but the first time you use it does come as a bit of a shock to see how easy it would be lose your licence.

Overall the Vexia is a sound enough satellite navigation system. If those extra features appeal then it is well worth the additional money you'll pay for it.

The Lotus Music Candle is a seriously banging birthday candle. Don't put it on a cake, but my goodness as far as cheap pyrotechnics go this is way better than low-end fireworks, waaay better than sparklers and just below Lady Gaga's bra in the Bad Romance video. See the way it splits open and all the ends are like minature candles? Those guys in the video above LOVE it. Great way to spice up a friend's birthday party.

The video above pretty much explains the concept but just to recap: "It is set off by lighting an incense stick and touching the pistil of the flower, upon which it will eject beautiful pyrotechnics, emblazing the candles automatically; meanwhile it sings a happy birthday melody; and the bud slowly unfolds, like a blooming lotus."

$8.99-5.99 on SourceSquare + international delivery

Some people have pools in their back gardens. Others have Croquet sets. At Shiny we want to go one better. We want a theme park! So we got our ace intern Jacob Burns on the case to source one for us. Here's what he came up with. I have a feeling though that a chat with the bank manager, as well as a garden extension, might also be required.

So welcome to Shiny World!

Every theme park needs a roller coaster or two. Here's an amazing website where there are plenty for sale.

Togo Ultra Twister Price: N/A (You have to ring the owner for a deal)

The Togo Ultra Twister has six passengers per car and seven cars. It is mostly a tube shaped roller coaster and because of that you get barrel spun over and over again.

Reverchon Wild mouse Price: N/A (ring owner for deal)

The Reverchon Wild Mouse is a used rollercoaster that has nine cars and you can fit four people per car. As it goes through the dips and bumps it constantly spins you around confusing you. If you want to see it in action check this video.

Miler Coaster Company Kersplash Water Coaster Price: $565,000

The Miler Coaster Company Kersplash Water Coaster has eight cars and has four people per car. A fully functioning water - based ride is exactly what your park needs with its sudden dips and corners.

Now you have your three roller coasters its time for some slightly less insane rides.

Two Storey Carousel Price: $350,000

Every theme park has to have a Carousel but this is a 2 STOREY CAROUSEL ! This baby has 32 seats and costs $350,000. Also it has Dragons, Hippos, Dolphins, Sea Lions, Panda Bears, Zebras and Horses as seats.

Barbieri Bumper Cars Price: $170,000

Every theme park needs bumper cars. The Barbieri Bumper Cars is roughly 14 x 24 m, has 24 cars in total and costs $170,000!

Chance Space Shuttle Price: $40,000

To see the picture follow the link.

The Chance Space Shuttle is like those banana/ pirate rides that swing side to side and, from looking at the picture, it looks like you can get four people per row and with six rows - that's 24 people in total.

Zamperla Drop Tower Price: €220,000 / $276,940

The Zamperla Drop Tower is one of those rides that goes up slowly, then waits for about 10 - 15 seconds then drops you down to the ground using magnetic brakes to stop you from crashing. Now the link to the website has a picture of it but to me it looks like its on fire! It says its also 15 metres tall.

Arcadia Wild West Show Price: €120,000 / $151,028

Again follow the link for the picture.

The Arcadia Wild West Show is like a fun house styled ride. You sit in a carrige and you go round it and a little story unfolds.

Now you have roller coasters and rides, so what else? How about a ticket booth?

Ticket Booth Price: $22,500 (for 3)

Theres not much to say about a ticket booth really but it has new glass, stainless counter tops and the tires are in good condition.

So you think you've got it all covered, until your stomach rumbles that is. That's why you need a food kiosk:

Waymatic Food Trailer Price: $40,000

The Waymatic Food Trailer is themed for lemonade, chicken wings, sausage on a stick and Nachos.

And there it is, your very own theme park that you can actually buy! Excluding the first two roller coasters (which don't have listed prices) the whole park will cost $1,617,335! (oh and excluding the land space too).

At first glance, the T4 Radiopod appears much like any other internet / DAB / FM radio. At 109x109x143mm it's quite dinky, with a square black design that's more subtle than edgy, and the device features an iPod dock in case you want to take charge of the tunes. So far, so standard. But the point at which Orbitsound aims to differentiate itself is with the sound quality: the company claims that its own spatial stereo technology produces a superior audio experience throughout your room, wherever you're standing (unlike traditional stereo, which only works best in the 'sweet spot'). We had a play to see if it lived up to the hype.

Set up was fairly straightforward, although we reckon the interface could be a tiny bit more user friendly - using the back, forward and select buttons to scroll around and input your wireless network key is a bit fiddly. But once you've got to the main menu, it's not difficult to find your way around the internet, DAB, FM and iPod options.

And so we arrive at the spatial stereo technology. Having already tested the portable T3 speaker in the past (which hangs around your neck on a lanyard, creating quite an impressive 'halo' of sound), my hopes were fairly high. And, I've got to say, they weren't disappointed. The T4 packs quite a lot of power, and delivers a solid, consistent sound around the room. We had a better experience with the DAB stations than the internet radio, but both sounded good throughout Shiny Towers.

You've got 10 DAB and FM presets to play with, and over 10,000 internet stations and podcasts to hand. Again, the user interface meant that browsing for podcasts by genre is a bit fiddly: you can either look through a long, alphabetical list (which means that, if you're looking for things literature, politics or sport, you might be clicking away for a while) or use the search function, which isn't much easier and occasionally throws up some curve balls. But once you've got where you want to be, the experience is much nicer than listening to podcasts through comparatively tinny laptop speakers.

We confess, we were a bit sad to see that the T4 isn't compatible with iPhone yet. And at £180, it's not cheap. But it's a nice bit of kit, and a good way to enjoy decent sound quality in an easily portable device.

For more information, visit www.orbitsound.com.

Looks like the Pure Oasis Flow we've heard so many rumours about is finally on its way to the UK... Pure has today released details about the internet-connected digital radio, which is both weatherproof and splash resistant.

Costing £170, it features touchscreen controls and an OLED display, and will also act as a portable iPod/mp3 speaker if you get bored of the thousands of internet radio stations and podcasts available. By hooking up to the Pure Lounge, you'll be able to manage all your favourite content and even access the Pure Sounds library if you're after some soothing audio at sleepytime.

Best of all, the rugged outdoor-friendly design means it's a great idea for festivals, camping, beach parties and other miscellaneous summer shenanigans.

Visit www.pure.com for more details.

This week, I got my paws on Sony Ericsson's Vivaz. With HD capability - and a nice new curvy design - I wanted to know whether it pulls off the multimedia magic we've all been promised.

First off: looks. Much has been made of the 'human curvature' design, and it's not exactly been a universal hit. But I like it, actually, and certainly don't think you'd be ashamed to take it home and introduce it to your mates. However, while I like the fact that it's lightweight, the casing does feel a bit flimsy - taking the back off to get to the battery and SIM is a bit fiddly, and I was worried that it might snap with a teeny bit of pressure. The 3.2 inch touchscreen looks great though, and buttons are kept to a minimum (I was particularly pleased to see the camera shutter button, along with a video button, along the edge - much nicer to use than on the touchscreen itself, as in the iPhone).

However, I was disappointed upon opening the box to be presented with: a stylus. I'd vainly hoped there wouldn't be the need. And I wasn't particularly convinced with the thing when texting - the handwriting feature wasn't quite as responsive as I'd hoped (I got lots of 'hollo's, even with my neatest handwriting), while the mini and full-sized QWERTY keyboards had me wishing for something in between. I did also struggle to see the screen properly when outdoors (just occasionally) as there seemed to be a bit of glare even on days that weren't particularly bright.

Web browsing was nice and easy though, and the 360x640 pixels make sure your picture is sharp and bright. I must confess, despite regularly trying to ditch the stylus I kept having to pick it up again whenever I didn't get the response I wanted.

But, I hear you cry, what about the camera? Well, this is where the Vivaz starts to show off a little. With 8.1 megapixels, face and smile detection helps to make sure you get the snap you're after. And having the hard button on the side means it's easy to grab a picture even in those blink-and-you'll-miss-them moments. We thought that video quality was great - it's certainly a good idea for anyone who wants to be able to grab some footage or pictures whenever they like, and upload them straightaway to YouTube or Picasa. YouTube (along with Facebook and Twitter) is preinstalled, too, alongside iPlayer and other video services, meaning your favourite videos are close to hand.

Ultimately, I had mixed feelings about the handset - it's stylish, perhaps a bit specialist, but could be so much more user-friendly in terms of the interface. For the average user, the Vivaz might just be a bit fiddly for everyday use. But for multimedia fans who take pictures and movies regularly, it's not bad at all.