World O' Gadgets 2001

Pupiline's very own David O' Gadget with his latest "helping" of gadget gear.

Mega-Crumbs! - Welcome back to my fantastic column readers - Oh Boy! Have I got some great things for you this time round.

And remember! - If you want to write to me about anything Gadget related (new gadgets, queries, signed photos etc)  then just e-mail me at: davidogadget@pupiline.net - Crumbs! it would be great to hear from you.

Casio MP3 Watch

Yo-Man! How's it hangin' gnarly cretin! I was crusin' the westside t'other day when I thought to myself - "Y'know D, what you need is some portable-grooves man - this old Walkman is way-sad dude….get some new gear papa-flash"

Chuckle - did I fool you readers? That was my impression of a "cool dude" - the very kind of person in fact who might use this great "Casio MP3 Watch" gadget.

Oh Boy! - this gadget is a bit trendy for my column - but it's so great that I just have to tell you about it.

The Casio MP3 watch comes with 32MB built-in and sounds like any other MP3 player on the market - perhaps even better. I'm told by my nephew Graham O'Gizmo that is has a very cool "G-Shock style look" and it is extremely small and light considering that is both a watch and an MP3 player. The earphone input can also be removed from the watch (why would you want to do that anyway?)

Crumbs, just check out these stats: Dimensions (W x H x D): 49 x 54 x 19mm, Weight: 70g, 32MB internal MulitMedia Card memory, Microsoft Windows 98 compatible, Six playback modes, Five equalizer settings, Backlit LCD, Comes with Link Soft and Dance Producer software, Earbud-style headphones, USB port connection, Rechargeable lithium ion battery, AC adapter, Timekeeping and date, Alarm, Stopwatch, Comfortable wrist strap. *phew* - Anyway, this gadget is available from all leading jewellery, gadget and electrical shops - and is around £260 - Crumbs!

RoboMow

"Nggghhhhh….GrindCrunchWhirrrr" - that's the sound that Aunty's old fashioned lawn-mower makes when she makes me trim her grass - Oh Boy! That rusty old thing's so old….why O' why won't she get a new one?

Crumbs! This great new "RoboMow" gadget is my kind of gardening gizmo. This mini wonder mower not only cuts - it also recognises and avoids obstacles (like Aunty's "ornaments") and even has a miniature electronic brain based on SharpScan™ technology to stop - if it should hit a gnome.

Because Aunty often makes me cut the lawn at night, the neighbours often get really annoyed with the noise - they are trying to sleep after all - but it doesn't matter with the "Robomow" gadget because it's whisper-quiet; running on electricity alone!

This gadget is so stupendous - Robomow will mow in a straight line to produce a striped, manicured lawn, and it's special tracking mode ensures that the Robomow trims the edges of the lawn really neatly.

Gadget Hall O' Fame - No.2 Trevor Bayliss

Oh Boy! Trevor Bayliss is one of my all time heroes, and unlike Inspector Gadget (see last weeks column) Trevor is an actual person with a real face and legs.

Born in London in 1937, at 15 Trevor joined the Soil Mechanics Laboratory in Southall where part time day release enabled him to study mechanical and structural engineering at the local technical college.

Trevor joined the army when he was 20, and when he left in 1961 he worked as a salesman for a swimming pool company, where he soon climbed the ranks and eventually started his own pool business - he even worked as a stuntman for a little while....how exciting.

The reason that Trevor is such a hero of mine is because in 1991 he set about developing a great gadget - a clockwork radio that didn't require any batteries. Trevor's first prototype ran for a whole 14 minutes, and after it's potential was recognised, production of the radio started in Cape Town, South Africa.

In June 1996, Trevor's wind-up radio won the BBC Design Award for Best Product and Best Design….I actually entered my own gadget design that year too - a "microwave oven on castors" gadget, but I didn't get nominated (I only presume my entry got lost in the post).

Clever clogs Trevor also got to meet the Queen that year too, as well as Nelson Mandela at a state banquet - whoop-de-doo.

But I'm not jealous, because I once met Jimmy Saville and he gave me a "Jim Fixed It For Me" button badge - put that in your pipe and smoke it, Mr.Look-At-Me-I'm-Clever-Trevor, I bet you haven't even met Jimmy Saville have you? just who do you think you are anyway...you'll never take my gadg.... (David will be back next week readers, once he's calmed down - Ed)

David O'Gadget