Shiny gadgets I like…

Day eight of the #JuneEdTechChallenge, and we’re being asked about the shiny gadgets we like.

An easy answer, really. All of them.

I used to read gadget magazines like T3 and Stuff, when I commuted by train and had time to read it. I keep up to date with developments in computing, gaming, phones, toys, robotics, gadgets, etc. from Internet and Twitter sources. But what I like most is getting my hands on something new and trying it out.

Admittedly this doesn’t happen much anymore, not until I’ve read every review and hunted down the best deal I can find. And that’s because I’m using my own cash, for my own gadget. When I was working in an environment where I could make a proposal, and where something came in at a certain budget or to fulfill a particular (possible) need, I could get funding and a team together to try it out – the first DJI Osmo Mobile was one such device. I’ve since got my own mobile gimbal … and it hasn’t left its box in nearly two years. What does that tell you?

A year or so back I bought an activity tracker/watch and spent a long time researching the differences between a smartwatch (eg Apple Watch), fitness tracker (eg Fitbit), and activity tracker. I didn’t want the cost or features of a smartwatch (the features just mirror the capability of my phone), and I didn’t want all the functionality of a fitness tracker. Ultimately I wanted a watch that looked like a watch but also had the ability to record activity (steps, distance, calories, activity, etc). To this end I found the Garmin Vivomove HR … look at it, it’s a watch with a digital display when you need it. Subtle. Understated and stylish. Not to everyone’s taste, but I liked it. And I’m still wearing it.

• This is Day 8 the 30-day JuneEdTechChallenge. Follow the challenge on my JuneEdTechChallenge blog tag and on Twitter using the #JuneEdTechChallenge hashtag. And write your own entries too. The list of challenges is as follows:

Photo credit: Thierry Leclerc