We've started getting (slightly more) up to date with technology in the Col house this last week, and have moved into the digital age of music. 
OK, so technically we were pretty much already there, what with having all our music on CD, and no means of playing the old vinyl collection that languishes at the bottom of the sideboard cupboard...but now we have a centralised music server. Nothing remarkeable about that really - it means we have another pc to look after etc, but that's not exactly gadgetty is it? No indeed not. 
But this is:
I am now the very proud owner of a Squeezebox - its a wireless network music player...and therefore ticks all the boxes as far as being a bone-fide gadget is concerned, i.e. its small, black, shiny, electrical and has a cool blue display and is controlled via a remote. Basically you connect it to a stereo of your choice, install a bit of software on your pc (in this case the designated music server), let it on to your wireless network, and then Robert's your mother's brother! 
The Squeezebox goes off and finds all your digital music - in whatever format, and then lets you stream it over your wireless networky stuff and magically pipes it straight into your hi-fi/telly/dvd player. So now you can play any of your music without having to go out to the car to retrieve a CD and also without fear of the player skipping just because you happen to have a dodgy joist under the kitchen floor.
And that's not all - you can also access internet radio stations - like Radio 4 Longwave for example - which owing to a design flaw in our otherwise pretty OK Sony tuner was impossible to get - so now I can listen to Test Match Special in all its digital glory, but without any hiss.
Fantastic eh? New technology put to a proper use
