Gadgetry

The new iPod shuffle makes the old one look bulky (which is an achievement ), and this one talks to you. Cute.

Here’s an introductory tour of the new mini-beast. A couple of interesting facts that emerge from the video: the speech is different depending on whether you synchronize using iTunes under Mac OS X or Windows, so speech must be synthesized on the host computer not the iPod, and one gotcha: you can’t use anything other than the supplied headphones without an extra dongle.

Fancy reading your e-book in the bath? Your long wait is over — I have the answer (cue long drum roll). Hours of selfless testing has proved its worth, and it’ll cost you pennies.

Ladies and gentlemen, I give you, the Sony Reader waterproof case!

A Sainsbury’s ziplock polythene bag

I wouldn’t immerse the whole thing in water (so don’t use it if you have a tendency to nod off in the bath), but it’s certainly proof against splashes. It’s so effective because with an electronic book, you don’t need to physically turn the pages, so having it inside a plastic bag is no hassle at all.

Sorted.

In my next article, I discover a simple solution to the common cold. Maybe.