'Pop Talk' reviews three fun and affordable gadgets

Published March 7, 2014 2:05pm

More and more gadgets equipped with innovative and recently-developed features are released on the market everyday. Along with this comes the impulse to buy and spend on the latest and coolest devices available. But which among them are really worth your money?

“Pop Talk” host Tonipet Gaba, Pinoy Tech Blog blogger Tetel Serra, student Moises Lawrence Manalaysay, and celebrity techie Will Devaughn reviewed three affordable gadgets that offer unique and fun features. Here’s what they have to say regarding the Portable Mini Karaoke, the Watch Phone, and the Celluon Magic Cube Keyboard Projector.

Portable Mini Karaoke

Price: P2,000

Features:
- Built-in Bass function
- mega bass with good sound effects
- Built-in high-capacity lithium polymer battery and charged via 5PIN Micro USB Jack

Have you ever felt the need to have spontaneous karaoke sessions but didn’t have the energy or the money for one? The Portable Mini Karaoke provides a handy version of what must be one of the favorite pastimes of Pinoys. This gadget functions as a miniature microphone that can be connected to smartphones, laptops and tablets. Once plugged in, you can use it as a mini karaoke!

For a gadget that is as light as a lipstick and as small as a lighter, the Portable Mini Karaoke promises hours of enjoyment whenever and wherever you want to sing. But the “Pop Talk” reviewers think that the device could still be improved. “Gusto ko siya because it’s very compact but feature-wise I think it lacks features that I was looking for, particularly the volume,” Tetel said.

Final verdict: 3 pop points

Watch Phone

Price: P2,599 to P3,000

Features:
- 1.54 inch high-definiton touch screen
- can be synced with smartphones via Bluetooth (for Android 2.3 and above or iPhone to iPhone 5)
- camera
- video and audio player
- FM radio

Smart phones pack many of the features that we need when doing our daily tasks, but sometimes using an actual phone while doing something only becomes a nuisance. The Watch Phone is a wearable timepiece that also has the features of a modern-day phone. It has a SIM slot and can be used for texting, calling, photo taking, and video recording. The Watch Phone can also receive calls and texts directed to your personal phone once they are synced together.

The Watch Phone may not have features that are as advanced as the ones available on smart phones but it has the basic applications people would want to see in a phone. “‘Yung features niya, ready na ‘yung camera, music player, video player,” described Moises. “Almost nandun na ‘yung kailangan natin sa smart phone sa ganun kalaking gadget.”

Final verdict: 6 pop points

Celluon Magic Cube Keyboard Projector

Price: P9,000

Features:
- iOS4-IOS6 (iPhone 3GS/4, & 5 iPad, iPad2, and laters
- Android 2.0 and higher
- Windows Phone 7
- Windows XP/Vista/Windows 7 & Mac OS X

If you think virtual keyboards only exist in sci-fi movies, think again. The Celluon Magic Cube Keyboard Projector is a gadget that projects a virtual keyboard. Once paired with smart phones, tablets and laptops, this device can be used to type documents and messages while you’re on the go. However, since the keyboard is overly sensitive, it is essential that it’s used only on flat surfaces.

The “Pop Talk” reviewers agreed that the Celluon Magic Cube is indeed a cool and fun gadget to tinker with, but it’s a bit pricy for a gadget that provides a feature that is already built-in for many devices. “Maganda naman, mukha siyang solid. Features-wise, it just has one feature,” Will commented. “Nag-enjoy naman tayong lahat but the thing is what if you use it on your own? So that fun factor is really short-limit so baka after five minutes, you won’t really enjoy it.”

Final verdict: 4 pop points

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