AND Technology Research | Top Tech 2008

How have you been doing with your gift shopping this year? If you are anything like us, with only weeks to go, there is still plenty to get. So the staff here at AND thought we would give you a helping hand by narrowing down our top five Christmas gifts (in no particular order) to help you contribute to the estimated £20bn that UK consumers look set to spend on electronics this Yuletide.

	Ugobe Pleo Ever since the departure of Sony's AIBO we've had a big hole in our lives for a mechanical pet…our long search is over. Pleo has stolen AND's heart. Each Pleo begins life as a newly-hatched dino, but that's where the predictability ends - each robot is autonomous & it builds up its individuality from your stimulus. You interact with Pleo using his various touch, sight & hearing sensors, stroking his head, playing with his 'training leaf' which he will track & follow. Treat him roughly though & you'll upset him, eventually turning him into a timid recluse. More...>

	AIPTEX PocketCinema V10 It's well & good making iPods that play films, but straining your eyes to watch something on a minute screen is no fun. The PocketCinema V10 is a handheld-sized device, which comes with a remote control, will connect to almost any iPod, phone, or digital camera & miraculously fling film or photos on to a wall, producing an instant, 50-inch screen out of thin air. It's also ideal for business presentations, but there's certainly no fun in that. More...>

	Black & Decker Autowrench The ultimate solution to a tool bag full of spanners, all the wrong size… This ingenious adjustable wrench from Black & Decker is battery operated &, at a touch of a button, will tighten itself to fit most household nuts and bolts. Job done.

	Slingbox Sling Media's Slingbox is a brilliant device that turns your Internet connected laptop, PDA or smart phone into your home TV. Simply connect the Slingbox unit to your cable box, satellite receiver or personal video recorder (PVR) & a broadband Internet connection & it enables you to watch your home TV from wherever you are in the world. By redirecting, or place-shifting the TV signal, you not only get to watch what's on TV but you can also change channels & control the connected devices as if you were sat in front of them snuggled up on the sofa. More...>

	HYmini Wind Turbine The wind is, apart from, a minor annoyance that whisks newspapers from your clutches & generally gives trees a hard time, a handy source of free energy for gadgets. The HYmini exploits this fact, & is mini wind turbine; catching the breeze lighting a tiny LED on the front. All the time the green LED is lit, you're storing electricity on the internal battery, which can then be passed on, via the appropriate adapter, to any other portable 5V devices. Of course you do need a certain amount of wind to drive the turbine, but the makes have thought of this, supplying the unit with brackets for your bike & clips for your arm for when you're out about cycling, jogging & even skiing. More...>