Fad GadGets

Rhodri Marsden on three of the latest must-have gizmos currently putting the prog in progress…

NW-A100TPS WALKMAN

In 1979, the first Sony Walkman was launched. It was a humble machine that introduced the world to fully portable music and allowed us to isolate ourselves on buses and trains in order to avoid dull conversations. This 40th anniversary model looks just like the original but refrains from any attempt to revitalise the cassette as a format. Instead, it plays MP3s, but also has a touchscreen with an image of a slowly revolving cassette. All the aesthetic appeal of the Walkman, but less tinny. And there are no orange headphones.

www.bit.ly/SonyWalkman40

STANDING GRAND

Do you have a burning desire to have a grand piano in your home, but can’t fulfil your dream because your family deems it more important to use that space for frivolous things like sofas, beds, a kitchen? Well, here’s one solution, which is most probably the maddest thing I’ve seen this year: it’s a grand piano that extends upwards. Future Piano’s Standing Grand takes up the same floor space as an upright piano by turning the instrument’s body through 90 degrees. Now, how high is your ceiling?

www.bit.ly/standgrand

LOOG MINI

I learned to play the guitar at the grand age of 14 on a battered six-string nylon acoustic. The Loog Mini is way more fun: it has three strings and is designed for kids between the ages of three and eight.

For those whose strumming is a bit more advanced, there’s also the Loog Pro and the Pro VI (12-plus), but I prefer the Loog Mini, not least because there’s some tip-top footage on the website of Ronnie Wood playing it to his youngest daughters. Cute!

www.loogguitars.com