Gear Guide – July 2012

Gadgets and gizmos we love

Clash’s Alex Pell looks at some of the gadgets and gizmos making our lives easier including Canon’s EOS 650D, Marshall’s pitch black major headphones, Go Pro’s Wi-Fi bacpac, Fatman’s Mi-Tube valve amp, Samsung’s Chromebox and Parrot’s Ar.Drone 2.

Canon EOS 650D

Cameras seem to grow skinnier by the day yet there is still no substitute for a proper SLR. The brand new EOS 650D lives up to Canon’s rich heritage of tasty mid-priced options and now proudly boasts a touchscreen plus greatly improved autofocus for shooting video or stills.

£799 (with 18-55mm kit lens) Canon.co.uk

Marshall Pitch Black Major headphones

These cans proudly bear one of the most famous monikers in audio history. Thankfully, they appear able to live up to this billing with robust build-quality any roadie would be proud of and that denim-covered headband is pure rock and roll. The sound seems suitably meaty too.

£100 Marshallheadphones.com

Go Pro WiFi BacPac

GoPro makes cameras that are tiny yet tough enough to capture a crowd-surfing moment or any outdoor action with aplomb. This new kit enables you to control up to fifty at once using the bundled remote for truly cool multi-camera videos. See what this can do at bit.ly/L46ERB

Around £65 (inc shipping)

Fatman Mi-Tube valve amplifier

Fatman blends the old with the new in that its iPod docks feature classic valve-amplification to help digital music sound warmer. This amp has no Apple connector yet does bring Bluetooth to the party so you can savour your tunes wirelessly as you admire the glow from its valves.

£250 Fat-man.co.uk

Samsung Chromebox

Small computers tend to carry a whopping price tag. This one is cheap as chips because it has ditched Windows for Google’s new entirely online Chrome operating system. It’s an intriguing option yet oddly lacks the sockets needed to easily connect to a living-room TV.

£279 Samsung.com

Parrot AR.Drone 2

What’s more fun than a helicopter you can easily control by tilting your phone? Frankly, not much. The Drone 2 shoots HD videos, flies almost silently, and offers neat augmented-reality games. It’s best trick is, however, flipping over in mid-air at the tap of a finger. Silly but cool.

£280 Ardrone2.parrot.com

Words by Alex Pell

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