The TrustedReviews Christmas Wishlist

Every year around this time, we at TrustedReviews huddle together
around a roaring fire with a plate of home-made mince pies and a glass
or
two of finest Whisky to discuss each of the techy gadgets we’d most like



to be given for Christmas. Ok, some of that situation may have a hint of
festive poetic license, but what is true is that every year each of us
has a – sometimes long – list of tech that we were particularly sad to
see leave Trusted towers, and this is our little way of letting the
world know.

So, we’ve each picked our top three tech treats, and
as per tradition, we’ve kept two of our picks things we might actually
end up buying one day, while the last is a pie in the sky, money no
object, “if I won the lottery” selection.

What’s your most-wanted bit of gadgety goodness? Drop us your thoughts in the comments.

Evan Kypreos 

Editor and veteran geek

Samsung Galaxy Note 2 – full review
I’m a bit scared of Samsung’s behemoth to be honest. I’m not sure I
would be able to use one on a day-to-day basis as a normal phone having
been so used to normal-sized smartphones.

I did use the Note 2 briefly, though, and it seemed to do everything I’d
want from a phone and tablet. The idea of never having to carry a
notebook, or even a laptop, around with me makes me wonder whether the
Note 2 is the pinnacle of convergence or whether, in fact, it’s more of a
Swiss army knife, yes you can use the little saw to cut a branch, but 5
minutes into it you’ll wish you had brought an axe.

    
Brand spanking new PC
It has been a good three or four years since I built my last gaming
PC and I am gagging for an upgrade. I’m going to geek out a bit here,
but I want an ultra-quiet system with a superfast processor and SSD. I’m
still undecided on which graphics card to splurge on, but an SLI or
Crossfire configuration would have to be considered. Having it
complemented with a nice 27-inch 3D monitor would be the icing on the
cake. Gaming bliss.

BlackTrail BT-01
Money no object, they told me for this final pick. So I’ve decided
to put a £50,000 bicycle as my third Christmas wishlist gift. The
BlackTrail BT-01 is obviously no ordinary bike. Weighing just 20kgs it
packs a 1.2 kilowatt motor in its frame which lets riders get up to
65mph and travel up to 120 miles on just one charge. What I like most
about it though is its Iron Sky-meets-Tron styling. 

Edward Chester

Deputy editor, fan of heavy metal… and gardening

iPad mini – full review
Call
me a fan boy if you will but the iPad mini truly is a lovely device.
It’s slimmer, lighter and better built than most small-screen tablets
yet it has a larger screen and better battery life – it truly is a thing
of beauty.

I’ve never considered actually buying a full-size
iPad but the iPad mini is finally tempting me to blow this year’s
Christmas bonus all at once… What’s that? No Christmas bonuses this
year? Bah humbug.

Panasonic GH3 – full review
I’ve been a fan of the Panasonic G-series of cameras ever since the Panasonic G1
pioneered the compact interchangeable lens camera. Smaller and lighter
than an SLR but with much of the versatility, they’re excellent choices
for those looking to step up to the next level of photography without
too much bulk and expense.

And, with my Panasonic G2 now out of action due to an unfortunate incident that ended with a smashed screen, the Panasonic GH3 is my upgrade of choice.

Angry birds ATAT walker
Normally,
our third wishlist choice is reserved for something wild and wacky –
something we could probably never afford. But, this year, I clapped eyes
on something rather more modest and it won me over.

The Angry Birds AT AT walker is a physical embodiment of the game Angry Birds Star Wars,
comprising a piggy-filled ATAT walker that you have to knock over with
catapulted birdies. A heinous brand tie-in it may be, but it also looks
like jolly good fun.

Ardjuna Seghers

Reviews editor, has more games consoles than a GAME store

Panasonic GH3 with 12-35mm lens – full review
As
the first micro-four-thirds camera on the market and one that’s
completely incapable of recording video, my poor old Panasonic Lumix G1
is long overdue for a replacement.

Arguably the best and most versatile
compact system camera on the market, the Panasonic GH3 is stuffed to the
brim with features.

It offers a weatherproof body, uses a
sensor that’s good for shooting up to ISO 3200, records broadcast
quality 52Mbps 1080p video with audio monitoring out of the box, comes
with a superbly responsive and high-res electronic viewfinder, and an
equally lovely swivel screen for all those awkward angle shots. Oh, and
the screen offers such superb functions as touch-to-focus too.

Combined
with the new weatherproofed F2.8 12-35 (24-70)mm lens which gives a
fast wide-angle zoom, it makes for a lethal bit of kit for photography
and video work.

Samsung ATIV Smart PC – preview
I
love convertible laptop/tablets – especially the ones that come apart,
as this form gives you the best of both worlds and usually doubles the
battery power of the tablet part.

I want my next convertible to be a
Windows 8 X86 machine simply because of the compatibility and
versatility which neither Android nor iOS can come close to matching.

I
also want it to have a Wacom stylus, as I want to be able to do a bit
of sketching and drawing while out and about. This leaves me with two
main choices, the Asus Vivo Tab or the Samsung ATIV. I’m provisionally
going with the ATIV because it has a stylus slot and the tablet part
offers a full-size USB port.

Though the Atom processors at the
heart of these beasties will doubtless leave me frustrated, the 16 hours
plus of battery life are pretty cool, and I hope it can fulfil all my
mobile productivity and non-gaming entertainment needs.

55-inch OLED TV
I
am a screen snob, and though I love my Panasonic plasma TV to bits,
it’s heavy, noisy (yes, it’s so thin it needs cooling fans) prone to
plasma noise, and not exactly easy on the energy bills.

OLED has the
potential to be the ultimate display technology, with its virtually
infinite contrast ratio, flawless viewing angles, lightning-fast
response times, rich colours, and no annoying artefacts of any kind. Oh,
it’s also supremely thin and light, and uses less power than an old
light bulb. Imagine being able to lift a 55-inch TV with one hand…

The
best part is that both LG and Samsung will be bringing out models in
exactly that size early next year. The only downside? They’re a touch
on the expensive side, to the tune of around £7,000 if we’re lucky. So
no I won’t be buying one anytime soon but heck yes do I want one – and
while I’m wishing, I want an 80-inch 4K model.

Luke Johnson

News editor, vodka luge specialist

Striiiipes iPad mini case
Lovingly
hand crafted in Paris, the luxurious Striiiipes iPad mini case protects
your 7.9-inch Apple tablet, covering one stunningly designed product
with another of equal aesthetic appeal.

Keeping your Google Nexus
7 rival safe for everyday knocks and bumps, the suedette envelope is
simple and elegant with the reinforced outer hiding a cushioned, striped
cotton lining that helps prevent scratches. Designed with an old
fashioned memo envelope firmly in mind, the Striiiipes iPad mini case is
sealed shut with a white cotton string.

Available in four
vibrant colours, the iPad mini case is suitable for all tastes with
blue, green, pink and yellow options up for grabs.
 
Nike Hyperdunk Sport Pack
Far
more than a simple pair of trainers, the latest addition to the Nike
tech infused fitness range sees your basketball session brought to life
with a shot that measure your movements be they forward, backwards,
sideways or even up in the air.

Allowing you to track your
personal performances are share your results through the expansive Nike
ecosystem, the Hyperdunk counts your steps per second, distances
covered, number of jumps and, most impressive, your jump heights.

What’s
more, thanks to Nike iD you can customise the shoe to your tastes,
mixing up the colour schemes and even tagging it with your name or
number.

Renault Twizzy
Making the Smart Car look like
it’s been gorging on the festive puddings, the Renault Twizzy is the
world’s first urban compact two-seater car that ditches fossil fuels for
a fully electric motor.

A futuristic looking little city runner
the Twizzy, which is available in three trim levels – Urban, Colour and
Technic, sees a tandem seating set up put the passenger in line with and
directly behind the driver helping keep the pod-esque vehicle as small
as possible.

With a 50mph top speed the Renault Twizzy is far
from the zippiest car on the road but that’s not its purpose. With a 60
mile range on a single charge the Twizzy will handle many people’s
commutes for the week and all for a cost of just 2.5p per mile.

Andrew Williams

Features editor, headphone ponce

iPad mini – full review
Just
recently, I slung my trusty iPad 2 onto eBay. And I did it because of a
mild infatuation with Apple’s dinky new tablet. Maybe it’s just my
weakling arms at work, but it’s so light and so well-made that it’s the
sort of device you miss holding when it’s chucked in your bag.

The
only things that stopped me ditching the old dear earlier were the
strange attachment I have formed with the gloriously horsey Pipetto iPad
case, and the hours I’ve spent fruitlessly building up my city in Clash
of Clans. But the draw of the iPad mini was just too strong.

So, errr, if you fancy an iPad 2 in rather good nick, why not have a search for mine on ole eBay? Sadly,
I don’t think anyone loves me enough to actually buy me a new iPad mini
this Christmas. Someone bring out the world’s smallest violin…

FujiFilm X100 – full review
The
FujiFilm X100 is getting on a bit now, and has even been trumped by
Fuji’s own new X-pro1. However, there’s something entirely loveable
about this cute retro camera. It’s so pure, so streamlined in its
approach that its appeal is greater than the more advanced and flexible
models.

There’s no zoom on this baby, and you can’t change the
lens. But the one on there is really quite fantastic. It forces you to
change the way you approach photography too, making you run about a good
deal more, rather than just nudging that zoom flicker.

Knowing
me, it’ll probably spend half the year gathering dust, but having got to
borrow an X100 for a recent trip to Rome, the times it will get used
make that chunk of change worth spending.

Sennheiser Orpheus headphones
These
are headphones that I’d almost rather experience and have taken away
than being allowed to own the things. The paranoia of possible
burglaries, fires and rogue Wimbledon earthquakes that might do these
£10k headphones in would be too much to bear. But – who wouldn’t want to
see what a pair of cans this expensive sound like?

They safely
reside in bonkers territory, naturally, but it’s always nice to have
one’s mind blown every now and then. They are actually a resurrected
take on a pair of headphones Sennheiser used to make, decades ago. And
they come paired with a gigantic amp that looks like something from the
original Battlestar Gallactica TV show. Nice.

So now you know our Christmas wishlists, why don’t you tell us yours.

Happy Christmas!