One of the problems with having a laptop and a bit of spare time is that I will insist on surfing, or writing, or surfing. Of course, while I’m surfing, it’s difficult to play music through Winamp and pipe it through my state-of-the-art stereogram, because all the little beeping noises get played out too. So what I need is a gadget that will allow me to play my music – and any TV programmes I may never have downloaded off the Internet – while not taking up my laptop’s time.
Which brings me to Gadget #1: the Archos 604 wifi. A snip at £325 (including docking port), I can use the in-built 30Gb to play my music, and transfer files around my home network. I can also hook it up to my TV and use it as a PVR. Downside? Even with the touch-sensitive screen and built-in web browser, you won’t see much with 4.3″ (widescreen). So travelling entertainment could be audio only.
Of course, I could just wait for Gadget #2: the Nokia N95. A mobile phone which can also effectively replace my lovely (but careworn) Palm T3. It also has wi-fi built-in (the T3 doesn’t). Can’t play movies or record from TV though! And the estimated cost (assuming it launches on time in mid-March) is £550.
But since I have a significant birthday coming up, I might just get both…