GADGET GIZMO SPECIAL ....................10 OF THE MOST UNDERRATED GADGETS

GADGET GIZMO SPECIAL 10 OF THE MOST UNDERRATED GADGETS





You may have heard of some of these but you may not be aware of just how much these gadgets can offer in time and convenience,

Hand strap for DSLRs

Most DSLR users never upgrade from the standard neck camera strap that comes with the camera but there are a number of other strap options available such as a hand strap. Using one of these provides better grip on the camera and minimizes the chance of accidental drops and bumps. Although you are holding the camera with a single hand, it allows for a faster reaction time to capture split second moments.

HDMI Switcher

The number of HDMI sources we have is increasing but TVs usually have between two to four HDMI inputs. It's too complicated to keep switching inputs (especially if your TV is wall mounted) so the solution is an HDMI switcher like this 5-port powered option from Kinivo (`1,999). It's slim enough to be placed under a TV and comes with an IR remote that you can use to switch between the connected sources. It's easy to see at a glance which HDMI sources are active because of the red LEDs.

WiFi Repeater

WiFi is not an exact science ­ a router that works great at your friends place might not work so well at yours. What we can say for sure is that most routers spread the signal omnidirectionally (like a ripple in a pond) ­ so place it centrally. And signals tend to move down ­ so place it as high as possible. For everything else, try a WiFi repeater like the Huawei WS331 (`1800) ­ in some cases, it can double your home's WiFi coverage area.

Ink Tank All-in-One Printer with WiFI

The common notion is that if you have high print volumes, a laser printer is better than an inkjet. While this is generally true, some ink-tank printers can offer the performance of a laser printer at a cheaper price point. A single bottle of ink for these printers cost between `400-500 and can print up to 4,000 pages per bottle. Moreover, the ink tank printers with built-in WiFi are available at a cheaper price and make for ideal office printers that are shared across multiple devices.

Laptop Riser

Laptops are not very good for your posture -long hours spent working on one will quickly take a toll. What you need is 3M's LX550 laptop riser (`1600) which can elevate your laptop's screen to a more comfortable position. It has a non-skid base, built in cable management, can be raised or lowered by 3-inches and supports most laptops up to 17-inches in size. Keep in mind that you will have to use a separate keyboard and mouse when you place your laptop in the riser.

Universal Touchscreen Remote Control

It's likely that you have more than five remote controls for various devices. While most juggle between them, a simpler way is to get a universal remote control. You can control every device, be it a TV, set top box, DVD player or air conditioner using a single remote.

You can also get universal remote controls with touchscreens -so that you operate by sight. Some will let you create macros (so that you press a single button to perform multiple actions: power on the TV and set-top box, switch to a specific channel and reduce volume, for instance).

BlueTooth Music Adapter

Many of us have some kind of audio system at home but the issue with these systems is that they typically don't have wireless connectivity -audio sources need to be wired in. To solve this issue, you can get a Bluetooth music adapter -effectively, it adds Bluetooth to any existing stereo. It connects to your speakers or amplifier using the aux-in or RCA jacks. You can then connect your phone, tablet or laptop to the Bluetooth adapter to stream and control music on the connected speaker wirelessly.

Streaming Stick for Smartphone Mirroring

Smartphones today are the hub for your photos and videos -whether they're locally stored or streamed. If you want to show content from your phone to a TV, you typically either end up transferring it to a flash drive (for smart TV or media player) or using an HDMI cable to connect the phone to the TV. A simpler method is to invest in a streaming stick like the Google Chromecast or Teewe 2.Connect it to your home WiFi, install the app on your smartphone and you can instantly mirror your smartphone screen on the TV without any fuss. Mirroring also works great for gaming on the large screen.

Bluetooth Keyboard for Tablets

This is convenient because there's no wire clutter and it keeps ports free.Logitech's K480 keyboard (launching soon, expected at `5,999) pairs with three devices simultaneously and switches between them instantly. It's compatible with WindowsMAC computers, Android and iOS mobile devices. Plus, it also has a killer feature: a built in rubberised dock stand that is compatible with any tablet or phone.

Tilt and Swivel Mount for Flat Panel TV

It's nice to have a flat panel TV wall mounted -especially if you can hide away the ugly cable mess with some in-wall cable management. However, a typical wall mount keeps the TV perfectly parallel to the wall, which is less than ideal if your seating is off to the side. The tilt and swivel wall mount from Tanotis (`1500 onwards) can be manually adjusted and fits almost any flat panel TV ­ some variants support TV sizes up to 55-inches. These mounts are also particularly useful if you want to reduce glare (with changing lighting) or if you want multiple seating positions in the same room.

Karan Bajaj & Hitesh Raj Bhagat

ET24JUN15