DIY Hooch Kit

You know you’re supposed to eat five portions of fruit and veg a day, right? Well, imagine being able to count an alcoholic drink beverage as one of your fruits? Dreams do come true, dudes, ‘cos now you can turn your favourite fruit juice into a lekker alcoholic drink.

This product ranks high on my list of legendary gadgets because it really does transform fruit juice into booze. How? You simply decant your favourite juice into a large bottle, pour in the magic powder, pop the rubber stopper and airlock into the lid and let the wonder of fermentation work its magic.

The minimum brewing time is 48 hours, but as with any booze, the longer you leave it to work the more potent your end product will become. The result is a refreshing fizzy fruit juice with a maximum alcohol content of 14%. What’s not to love?

You get 6 sachets of the magic powder, 1 airlock, 6 bottle stickers and an instruction leaflet for R180. Phuza on!

Biltong Maker

Now what could beat having your mates over to watch the rugga whilst they chow down on biltong that has been made by you? Ye shall hence forth be known as The Biltong King.

The "Biltong King" Biltong Maker by Mellerware lets you and your mates enjoy awesome tasting, and, better yet, home-made biltong and droe wors. Now you can prepare your very own biltong according to your taste and preferences using your favourite recipes and choice cuts of meat.

The device is lightweight, energy efficient, simple to assemble and really easy to clean, with a removable base plate keeping it hygienic. It has a clear front panel and a built-in circulating fan unit, so you can literally watch biltong appear before your very eyes. The unit comes with four hanging rods and 12 durable hooks, which translates to about 2kgs of meat at a time.

The Biltong Maker retails at around R450.

GoPro Hero HD Camera

My surfer friend Shawn lights up when he regales us with stories about his latest acquisition, the GoPro Hero HD camera. And it’s no surprise: there’s nothing not to love, especially for a guy who likes to record his daily wave conquests. From the reasonable starting price of R2300 to the endless mounts for your car, bike, surfboard etc, this little gadget seems to have it all.

The Hero has a 170-degree field of vision, which is great for reducing the vibrations it will experience while riding down the side of a mountain or inside the barrel of a big wave. This also ensures that what you are shooting is well within the frame but unfortunately makes waves and jumps look a little less impressive.

The average recording times are as follows: 1080p: 12 min/GB; 960p: 14min/GB; 720p: 16min/GB @ 30 fps, 11min/GB @ 60 fps. It’s recommended that you use fast SDHC cards to save battery life. The camera takes an 1100Mah 3.7 Volt battery from which you can get 2.5 hours of battery life in normal climates. The HD camera’s hardy housing retains heat, making it usable in the cold, and it also keeps noise interference, like wind, to a minimum.

The Hero has several still modes, but chances are you won’t be making much use of these - not if you’re a proper action junkie, that is.

Zseries Z008 RC Indoor Helicopter

When it comes to toys for boys, this little plaything rates high on my list.

For beginners considering flying, it’s advisable to start off with a small indoor helicopter such as this. This will give you the chance to learn how to fly and maintain steadiness of the aircraft while it’s airborne. The experience gained from starting off small helps reduce your crashes when you move up to larger helicopters.

This neat little helicopter has a four-channel remote, which allows it to bank to the left and right, veer up and down, forwards and backwards, and the nose can be turned to the left and right.

Small helicopters are also very practical when it comes to spare parts as they are extremely cheap. The battery allows for about 8 to10 minutes of flying time. You don’t need a large area to fly, just make sure the space is free of obstructions. Remember that the slightest gust of wind does affect the flight, so be sure to fly in a room that doesn’t have a lot of wind disturbance.

Mede8er MED500X Media Player

Gone are the days of having to find a unit big enough to house your gargantuan media collection. Thanks to the new era of media players, your entire media library is housed in a little black box and is accessible with a few clicks.

The Mede8er MED500X is one such media player that has become a highly coveted item. For an unassuming box it packs plenty of ports: HDMI, component, composite video, optical and co-axial digital audio, USB and Ethernet. There’s no Wi-Fi or storage, but the room inside the case for a hard drive makes up for that.

The user interface is bright and bold, with options that are clearly labelled and sensibly arranged. The MED500X also connects seamlessly to both shared network drives and UPnP media servers. Photo handling is adequate, same goes for its music playback. Video playback is equally fuss-free and the feature of thumbnail previews for files selected in the browser makes it easy finding the file you’re after. Support for almost every video format, save for QuickTime, makes the MED500X a versatile performer.

It retails at around R1800.

Logitech 300i Universal Remote

Who said men can’t multitask? With this new universal remote, mastering the art just became a little easier.

On receiving this remote for his birthday, my cousin was beside himself with childish excitement, even squealing, “It’s a thing of beauty!” And while I initially thought that was taking it a bit too far, I now agree with him.

For a start, this be-all-and-end-all URC has a whopping 55 buttons to play with, each of which can be customised with a simple click of a mouse.  The thought of getting out your PC and connecting to the net might seem like a pain but honestly set up is dead easy and only takes about 10 minutes to complete.

Cool features include the “one-button on and off” function for all devices, as well as a robust and hardy shell. It also works with your PVR like a dream. The best thing about this remote, however, is the price. Retailing at just R270 you’re getting good value for your money.

Other remotes with fancy LCD touch screens that also control your blinds and air conditioner are great, but they’re not as cost effective. And anyway, if you had a remote for everything you might never get off the couch.

Apple iPad2

The question looms: Is the release of the second-generation iPad something to get excited about?

The design of the iPad 2 has evolved slightly. It’s thinner, lighter and seemingly more contoured, which makes the tablet easier to hold. It also now comes equipped with a rear speaker and camera, although neither are anything to rave madly about.

The iPad 2 comes with a dual core 1Ghz “A5” chip, which allows for faster loading of websites, as well as switching between Apps and games. The battery life is pretty impressive, with up to 10 hours of continuous video playback. Display is the same brilliant 9.7 Inch LED backlit 1024x768 resolution as the first iPad, offering an incredible viewing experience from any angle.

The one cool inclusion that I would stand on a soapbox for is the Smart Cover that comes standard with the new iPad2. The cover magnetically attaches to the iPad and locks and wakes up the tablet similar to the lid of a laptop. What’s pretty neat too is that you can fold the Smart Cover into a prism, which acts as a stand for your device.

While this is all great, it’s not a good enough reason for updating your existing iPad. Our advice would be to hold tight for number 3, which promises new functionality and upgrades.