Gadgets
Everything you need, at home and away
Tech Check
Anthony Teasdale rounds up the must haves for your home
Ernesto Gismondi Miconos Light
It might look like it was designed sometime in 1932, but this beautiful piece of upmarket lighting only surfaced toward the end of the 1990s and is now available in Britain. Designed by Gismondi for esteemed lamp company Artemide, the light has a chrome-plated stem, oversized bulb and a hand-blown bubble, which diffuses illumination beautifully. Available as a table lamp, ceiling light or wall fixture, it lends an air of effortless, modernist cool to wherever it’s located.
From £242, www.panik-design.com
Denon DP-200USB
Even the most belligerent vinyl lover would concede that endless shelves of LPs aren’t the most practical way to store music. But for those of you who just can’t get rid of those dusty albums, the new DP-200USB provides an effective solution. The best-looking vinyl-to-MP3 turntable I’ve seen yet, it transfers music to a USB key without the need for a computer. And, unlike its rivals, it senses periods of silence and automatically tags each different track.
Worth investing in. £200, www.denon.co.uk
Jopo bicycle
Cycling may be the urban transport of the future, but most bikes have a little too much function and not quite enough form for our tastes. The Jopo is different. Designed by Finnish company Helkama in 1965, the bike became popular due to its adjustable handles and seat, which meant that anyone of any size could ride it. Now updated for 2009, the gearless Jopo is absolutely perfect for city riding, whether you’re 16 or 65. Just think of the fun you’ll have going through red lights on it.
€379, www.finnishdesignshop.com
Nikon D5000
Summer’s just the right time to blow upwards of £800 on a camera you, in all honesty, probably don’t need. Still, if that redundancy payment is burning a hole in your pocket, the D5000 is a decent way to spend it. Not only does it have a 12.3MP sensor, high 3200 ISO and a high-definition movie camera, but it also boasts 19 pre-set scene moods and in-camera retouching without having to switch on your PC.
£800, www.europe-nikon.com
Five Things To Know About…
The Harold Pinchbeck George Watch
It looks like a sleeker, slimmer version of Rolex’s classic Air King.
The watch comes with either a leather or steel strap.
Pinchbeck started off in the 1700s as a clockmaker, but stopped during World War II.
They are trading again under Paul Pinchbeck, the grandson of the firm’s last watchmaker.
The George has an automatic movement, is 38mm in diameter, and scratch resistant.
The movements are Swiss, the dials come from Worcestershire and the leather from Lincoln.
Price on application, www.haroldpinchbeck.co.uk
