The Gadget Show Live, April 2013: Technology in the UK
by Ian Cutress on April 4, 2013 6:30 AM EST- Posted in
- Trade Shows
- UK
- Gadget Show
Gadget Show Live: Thoughts + Gallery
Gadget Show Live, over the course of this week, will attract over 25,000 people from across the UK, with Saturday being sold out weeks in advance. The show is fun, with a wide breadth of differing technologies on show if you go up and ask about them. I love to go on and on about the underlying technology, and I am sure one or two stalls wanted to get rid of me at some point. But I had the opportunity to go on a press day, which is relatively quiet. I hear the public days can be exceptionally busy, with queues of up to 50 long for a go on things like the racing simulators.
If you are going to the Gadget Show Live this week, get there early and explore the event. There is a lot to see and do, and a lot to play with above and beyond the normal ‘we are trying to sell you stuff’ part of it. If you keep up to date with the technology industry you may not find anything earth shattering or new, but there are a few gems in the crowd worth experiencing.
To put this all into perspective, here are a few of the more ‘odd’ images I snapped:
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jabber - Thursday, April 4, 2013 - link
The Gadget Show??? I must admit I don't know anyone that watches that show anymore. It was okay originally when they group tested the latest cameras and deep fat fryers but now it's all stupidly expensive Arab prince playthings. It comes to something when the cheapest stuff they show are Apple products. A reality disconnect. Oh and the presenters are dicks too.hughlle - Thursday, April 4, 2013 - link
Have to agree. It's in the name. Gadget. An igloo 360 degree gaming experience does not really fal into the notion of a gadget for me, considering the level of sophistication, let alone the size of the thing.IanCutress - Thursday, April 4, 2013 - link
There are two different markets for gadgets - the consumer or the business. Now I can't imagine an individual having a 360 gaming experience in the home unless they have the space and the cash, but there is scope for businesses to hire them for events, or use them as marketing tools to build new clients. In that sense, they are very much a gadget from my POV.Also the 'Live' show floor has very little to do with the OTA TV programme, except in name and advertising. There are corollaries between items featured in the TV Show and the event, mostly by virtue that the company making the product wants to advertise it to the event audience. Not once did I see or bump into any of the Gadget Show presenters.
The TV broadcast doesn't specialise in any real field; their market is the non-enthusiast. As such, the non-enthusiast may not appreciate being told the difference between 18 different smartphones or laptops, only one or two, and they don't really care about the motherboard as they buy systems prebuilt. And in much the same way that Top Gear doesn't really review anything for regular people, TGS veers into that high end space more often than not in order to show 'here's something in the high end space''.
Ian
Modjo30 - Friday, April 5, 2013 - link
Guess you don't watch it ever then because they are always testing the cheaper items, they were testing the latest touch screen camera's on the latest episode, costing £199 and £299, i wouldn't call that arab prince playthings really, However it is a bit like Top gear, an awful lot of people are interested in seeing these amazing gadgets and what peoples minds have thought up, you go back to your farm and your armish lifestylecjs150 - Friday, April 5, 2013 - link
The presenters are not dicks, they are too juvenile for their balls to have dropped yet.It is a show made by 9 year old boys for 9 year old boys (but with a pretty women as one of the presenters in case the 9 year old's elder brother (13) ends up watching it). Shame because some of the tech is truly interesting.
takuan2uk - Saturday, April 6, 2013 - link
Hi, I used to be a Gadget Show fan as well, but it has long ceased to be a show aimed at techies and gadget freaks. As is common with many programs it has dumbed down and become more sensationalised so as to appeal to a wider audience. You can tell that they're milking it for all it's worth when they sent one of the presenters to Italy just to test out some (rather ordinary) headphones!AncientWisdom - Thursday, April 4, 2013 - link
Great write up, definitely some interesting ideas and gadgets presented.very interested in a follow-up of the Gunnar products as well as the group robot stuff which I find very stimulating intelligently speaking.
NobleKain - Monday, April 8, 2013 - link
AncientWisdom ~Following this write-up, I went and bought a pair of the Gunnar's (Wi-Five model). I love them! My assumption is that since I have a FSA (health savings account) that I haven't yet touched, I can probably get them reimburesed given their purpose (Note: I have not yet attempted reimbursement, so don't trust that it is possible... I just assume it is).
Anyway, I have had my pair since last Friday (4/5/13). I absolutely love them. I'm a comp programmer, so I spend 8+ hours a day in front of my PC, followed by an evening of reading on my iPad mini. They make a HUGE difference, but you should note: it takes awhile to get used to them (it took me a little over an hour). While the magnification is minor, it's enough to "weird" out your eyes. I presume this is because your eyes are used to working harder. Whatever the reason, it takes a bit to get comfortable with them, but after the hour, I can now wear them without issue. Also, I no longer need a "warm-up" to them. They simply work comfortably.
Another caveat; the magnification REDUCES the clarity of anything more than 10ft. away. Again, this is very, very minor, but it is worth noting. These won't be all-day replacements for all activities. These are single-purpose glasses, IMO... looking at computer screens.
I got the yellow'd tinted versions, and I'd suggest you do the same, unless you NEED the clear versions.
Anyway, as a customer, I'm very happy with my purchase - and if I'm correct that I can use my FSA funds, I'll be even happier. Either way, it's worth it (I paid $106 after tax). I'm tempted now to get a pair for home, so I don't have to bring these ones back and forth.
dylan522p - Thursday, April 4, 2013 - link
Great write up, but I feel like the gadget show is not about gadgets.jabber - Thursday, April 4, 2013 - link
We used to go to the Stuff show at the end of the year. Then the next day we visited Selfridge's home entertainment and computer dept. We found 95% of the gear on show at the Stuff show in there...and it didn't cost anything to go in.Suffice to say we don't bother paying/visiting that many gadget/tech shows these days.