Pinoky

Imagine your kid playing with their favourite teddy bear, Mr Snuggles, who can move on his own? With the Pinoky, they can! This gadget may be gimmicky but kids all over the world will want one this Christmas because there is no greater joy than bringing stuffed animals to life, a la Mary Poppins.

The Pinoky is a simple contraption: it is a claw with a magnetic grip which has the power to shake the part of the stuffed animal it is attached to!

It can be programmed to record a certain movement. There is a remote control to action the motion, as well as an accelerator to speed up the motion. And voila, Mr Snuggles literally comes to life. Just grand!

Desktop Cup/Mug Warmer

Does this scenario sound all too familiar? You’re at the office and decide that you need that pick-me-up cup of coffee in the afternoon or just to kick-start your morning. You get back to your desk but just as you sit down you either a) get dragged into a meeting or b) get stuck into replying to an urgent host of emails. The result: you’re left with a cold cuppa joe. We all know that heating cup coffee in the microwave makes it taste beyond revolting.

With the USB Cup Warmer, the above situation can become a thing of the past. Your cup of coffee (or any hot beverage for that matter) will remain hot until you are ready to take those sips. Simply plug it into a spare USB port on your computer and you’re all set!

This is surely the perfect gift this Christmas for so many office warriors out there.

Leapfrog Explorer

The perfect-Christmas-present-for-our-kids pressure is on! Would you like to be hoisted to “Most Awesome Coolest Dad” for the year? I would! After learning that the Leapfrog Explorer won Toy of the Year Award in 2011, I figured this is my winning ticket.

The Leapster Explorer is an extraordinary new learning experience that encourages children to discover something new every day with endless ways to play and learn from games, e-Books, videos and online play to customisable learning skills and more.

It has a library of more than 40 games and the activities include cartridge games, downloadable learning apps (games, e-Books, videos, flash cards). Kids can learn school skills like reading, math, science and geography, plus creativity and life skills like music, health and problem-solving. You can also expand the fun and learning in LeapWorld - a safe, online world of learning games and activities.
What’s even niftier is that as parents, we can connect to the online LeapFrog Learning Path to see what our child is playing and learning, and explore ways to expand the overall educational journey.

It retails at R1200 at most stores. And that is a small price to pay to be the “Most Awesome Coolest Dad” for the year, yeah?

MIC iStation

If you’re a fan of old-school retro and Apple, you can now have the best of both worlds with the iStation – you get the iPad power with the Apple I aesthetics.

The iStation by MIC is essentially a docking station for the iPad, iPad2 and iPhone 4/S. It's constructed of wood and includes a removable wireless keyboard. Both the chassis and keyboard connect to the iPad via a Bluetooth connection, though you can still use the on-screen keyboard if you prefer. It also has a USB port, microSD slot and 3.5mm stereo audio input jack. The knob on the front of the chassis adjusts volume output from the iStation's embedded speaker.

If you don’t have an iPad you can you can still use the iStation for playing music off your normal memory stick, just plug it in and play music directly through the chassis.

The iStation is really easy to use, simply place the iPad in its cradle (either horizontally or vertically), plug the iPad into the chassis' power adaptor in order to keep the iPad charged, switch everything on, pair up the devices, and off you go!

It can be bought online from the M.I.C Store, priced at R700.

The Backpack Cooler Chair

Okay, so there is a good band playing at the Botanical Gardens and all your mates decide on an impromptu visit. You know you need a) your own chair and b) stuff to nosh. But the sardine express you are travelling in makes it difficult to take a bag packed with food plus a camping chair. What is a guy to do? Invest in the backpack cooler chair!

From its handy backpack design for easy mobility, to the insulated portable cooler for plenty of eats, to the comfy chair it is topped off with, this versatile device makes packing in a hurry child’s play. Fashioned from heavy-duty polyester and featuring a U-shaped zipper for easy access, an exterior water bottle pocket, two cushioned backpack straps with adjustable grips, and a durable metal frame to accompany the fabric seat, this backpack cooler chair miraculously folds flat for easy storage.

The chair measures around 40cm x 25cm x 18cm and 46cm x 30cm when the backpack chair is open. It retails between R380-R400.

Jawbone’s UP – the wearable health monitor for Apple devices

At first glance, the average Joe would never even suspect that inside this thin, attractive wristband is embedded technology that’s able to track your daily activities, sleeping patterns and diet.

The UP uses its inbuilt "MotionX" sensor to track your activity and transfers the relevant data to your iPhone, iPad or iPod touch via the headphone jack. A dedicated app then provides an overview of your movement, GPS routes, sleep and meals. UP is meant to integrate seamlessly into the user’s lifestyle “24 hours a day”.

The UP has a built-in Li-ion polymer battery which takes 80 minutes to recharge and lasts up to 10 days, according to Jawbone. It has a USB to 3.5 mm plug adapter for charging at 5V.

The UP monitoring system is only compatible with iPhone 3GS, 4, 4S, iPad, or iPod Touch (iOS 4.1 and greater). The UP app is free but it does not work without the wristband and the wristband is not compatible with any other app or device.

The global launch is planned for near the end of the year.

The Kindle Fire

The newest addition to the Kindle family, the Fire features a vibrant 7-inch multi-touch display which utilizes IPS (in-plane switching) technology to provide an extra-wide viewing angle, so others can watch alongside with you.

The display produces 16 million colours at a resolution of 1024 x 600 and has been chemically strengthened to be 30 times harder and 20 times stiffer than plastic, which makes the Fire durable and more resistant to wear and tear.

Its user-friendly interface allows users to browse effortlessly through the menus. Being an Amazon product, the Kindle Fire gives you access to Amazon’s plethora of digital content, usage of the Amazon Cloud for free, unlimited storage, and Amazon prime members get unlimited free access to more than 10,000 movies and TV shows. If you’re not an Amazon prime member, you get a 30-day free trial of the service so you can get a taste of it.

Amazon has incorporated a revolutionary, high-speed Web browser in the Fire – the Amazon Silk - and have enhanced their WhisperSync tech further by now allowing you to pause movies and TV shows, so you can pick up exactly where you left off.

Just in time for Xmas!