The gadget files. What's your best tech purchase?

Unless you own a starship computer called HAL, gadgets and technology can be there to help. Or at least make life a bit jazzier.

There have been a few oddly specific gadgets created over the years. Like the spindle that scrambles eggs while they are still inside the shell or the hilariously elaborate apple peeler. And there are all the gadgets that blossomed during the rampant obsession with ‘electrical’ things in the 80s like electric knives and electric blankets.

We used to have an electric knife. It was like carving a roast with a jackhammer and looked like an electrical hazard, which might explain my parent’s enthusiasm to have me use it every evening.

But after browsing some of the wares at the Text100 Australia Christmas in August trade show last week, we’ve decided to use the inspiration to put together a quick list of new tech that you might be impressed by. Or not.

1. Joby Gorillamobile Yogi for iPad 2

This is really rather cool. It’s kind of like a hyper-flexible stand and grip for your iPad 2. You can be boring and use it to prop up your iPad on a stable surface like a photo frame or you can be adventurous and use the bendy-legs to grip your tablet to the kitchen bench for easy recipe browsing or on bars, poles and so on. I’m still not quite sure what the latter would be used for, but if you’ve a penchant for cooking dinner in a tree, then this product is second-to-none. It’ll set you back about 75 bucks.

2. Philips Airfryer

This little number looks like a Dalek and is somewhat functionally similar, frying chips, veges and other assorted edible things in no time and with barely any oil. Just superheated air. If you’re still into frying things, don’t like as much fat (the machine only requires the food to have a thin coating of oil) and are prepared to pay $329.95 for the privilege, this Dalek-like airfryer is for you.

3. Ziisound D5X modular wireless speaker system

Music with no strings attached! These modular units from Creative are groovy (can we bring groovy back please?) and can be added to so you don’t have to buy them all at once if, for whatever reason, you want something like nine of them. The speakers connect to your phone or laptop’s Bluetooth and pump out the tunes with almost no vibration. Which is nothing like my voice while doing a Cher karaoke number, so, bonus. They cost about $349.

4. Dyson ‘air multiplier’ fans

Yes, they look like slightly humanoid robots sent from the future to kill us all. Yes, if cast in a slight shadow these fans look ominous and might scare small children. But oh my stars they are future-fabulous. These are fans, yes, but they have no blades. Which means the 12-month long deadening of the nerve in my middle finger I once experienced after shoving my hand in a fan would never be recreated. They look like highly-engineered vertical basketball hoops. That pump out air. To cool you down. Sure, the range starts at $350 odd dollars and the pedestal ones will set you back $600 but that is a small price to pay for something that makes you look like a member of the Jetson brood. Negatives: you can’t speak into the back of it and have your voice do that wobbly slightly cyborg-like thing anymore.

5. Philips Saeco Xelsis Digital ID Automatic Espresso Machine

You have a choice. Overseas holiday to Paris or a coffee machine that can tell exactly what you want just by using your fingerprint. It’s like the Minority Report for caffeine addicts. Yes please. The very sleek machine stores up to 9 different coffees for 6 different users on a fingerprint. This is perfect for bean-heads who simply can’t wait for a brew. Or who pretend they are Jason Bourne when making coffee. And great for offices, too, we would imagine. Yes, at $3299 RRP it’s not exactly the Daewoo of coffee machines. In fact, my first car was cheaper. But, well, we can dream can’t we?

So this might be a bit of an ideal wishlist. Now it’s over to you.

What’s the coolest gadget you own or have ever bought? What does it do? Let’s crowdsource some great ideas.