5 of the best miniature gadgets
Behold the tiny tech that found itself on the wrong end of Rick Moranis' shrink ray
ZVEX Nano Head Amplifier £380
No amount of electronic gubbins can properly recreate the sound of valves, but unfortunately valve amps tend to be massive units that run hotter than the sun. Enter the Nano Head guitar amp: plug it in between your axe and speaker and it can generate half a watt of classic rock distortion. It has switches to adjust brightness, bass and roll-off, and there are even built-in mini speakers for quick practices.
Korg microPiano £300
A digital piano that even Jamie Cullum would struggle to slot his tiny legs beneath, the microPiano takes the style of a Steinway grand and shrinks it to a charming 80cm-wide form. It’s no toy though, boasting 61 keys and the same number of sound programs for tweaky compositions. And if the built-in speakers aren’t enough for your live showcase, there’s a line-out so you can hook up an amp and generate enough sound to fill the Royal Albert Hall.
Looxcie 2 £200
The first camcorders rested on your shoulder; 28 years on they nestle on your ear. The Looxcie 2’s discreet form makes it ideal for ‘lifecasting’, which involves recording all it sees on a non-stop, five-hour loop at 320p resolution. A single click will save the last 30 minutes’ footage to your Bluetooth-connected phone, while an extended push will upload it to Facebook, Twitter or YouTube. Non-voyeurs may prefer the traditional click-and-record mode.
Philips PPX1430 £300
It may only be 10cm by 10cm and 30mm tall, but Philips’ pocket projector can fire an 80in image on to pretty much any surface you like. Plug your computer, SD card or USB stick into the little guy it’ll use its broad format support to display whatever’s onboard. Ideal for punishing relations with holiday slideshows, then, and because it has a 2.5-hour battery life, you can use it outside to liven up the dying embers of a summer BBQ.
Minox DCC 5.1 £200
There are compact cameras, and then there’s the DCC 5.1 – a charming miniature replica of Leica’s classic M3. Designed as a 1:3 scale version of the camera James Bond once used to capture the devious antics of Auric Goldfinger, this German made masterpiece crams in 5.1MP and a 2in screen. If there isn’t enough bright light available for the small CMOS sensor, a Classic Camera Flash (£140) neatly bolts on to it for that paparazzo look.
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Dan Grabham
Editor-in-Chief 
