Gadget Specifications

Car


Component	Options	Explanation
Fuel	Petrol/Diesel	Diesel good if yearly mileage over 25000 km
Transmission	Manual/Automatic	Personal preference
Engine Size	1.0 to 3.0 L	Standard family cars will do fine with 1.3 - 2.0 L. Bigger engine means more torque/power but more fuel consumption
Drivetrain	FWD/RWD/AWD	Most family cars are FWD. Does not matter for day to day driving
		4WD can be either part time (enagageable or viscous coupling) or full time
		with locking central differential.
Shape	Hatchback/Saloon/Estate/Coupé/Convertible/SUV/Pickup Truck etc.

Features	Driver's seat height adjustment	For best ergonomic position and fatigue free driving
	Air conditioning	Sometimes with climate control for individual control for driver & passenger
	Adjustable steering	Should adjust for rake (angle) and reach (telescopic)
	Front fog lamps
	Radio/CD/MP3 player	Many includes USB connection for portable MP3 players
	Remote central locking with deadlock
	Internally adjustable mirrors	Usually standard on most cars
	Heated mirrors
	Leather seats	Often on exclusive models only
	Instruments console	Standard - speedometer, tachometer, fuel, water temp
	Cruise Control
	Left foot rest	Comfortable for longer motorway driving
	Electric windows	Standard on most cars now
	Rear window defogger	Standard on most cars now
	Xenon lamps	better visibility but expensive to replace


Safety	ABS + EBD	Enhanced Brake force Distribution
	Airbags	Front occupants standard. Some with side and curtain airbags
	ESP	Electronic Stability Program

4WD features	Type of 4WD/AWD	Full or part time 4WD?
	4WD speed range	If electronically controlled 4WD, then at what speed it reverts to be FWD
	Central Differential lockable?	Lockable Central differential or Viscous Coupling
	Low range gears	For hard core off roading at crawling speed
	Hill Descent Control	To control going uphill (braking on hill won't roll down vehicle)
	Hill Ascent Control	Will control braking itself while going down steep hill
	Wading depth	What depth of water it can pass thru without any damage to vehicle
	Approach angle
	Ramp over angle
	Tilt angle	Extreme off roaders can side tilt upto 30 degrees
	Ground clearence
	Front/rear lockable differentials	Some off roaders have lockable or limited slip rear differentials
		Lockable front differential is very rare



Fuel economy		km_per_L = -4.25 * Engine_size_L +21
		valid for 0.8 L - 3.0 L petrol engines

LHD/RHD	Wipers	should not be fitted inverted
peculiarities	Pedal offset	should not be awkwardly positioned
	Handbrake lever	should be on driver's side
	Auto transmission selection markings	should be on driver's side
	Display console	should be on driver's front rather than on console center

Watch


	Component	Explanation
	Basic features
	Dial	Some dials don't include any tick marks - making them difficult to read
		on a quick glance
	Day/Date	Useful
	Accuracy	A good watch should not lose more than 15 seconds per month
	Battery life	Battery should last for 2 years during general use
		Time may vary with extreme usage eg. cold weather etc.
	Shock resistance	Should not malfunction if accidentally dropped from table height on hard floor
	Water resistance	Most watches are NOT suitable for underwater usage unless shown
		water resistant up to 50 m or more
	Scratch resistance	The glass/plastic over dial must be scratch resistance
	Life	A good watch should last 5 years (10 years or more preferably)

	Extra features
	World time	Some digital watches, multiple zone time can be displayed
	Alarm	Common to most digital watches, some offers multiple daily alarms
	Stopwatch	Common to most digital watches


	Advanced features
	Barometer	Measures standard atmospheric pressure including last 24 hours history
	Altimeter	Altitude is calculated from atmospheric pressure and thus not always accurate
	Thermometer	Reading often influenced by body heat
	Compass	Sometimes with bearing measurement
	Shock resistance	Protected against violent shocks eg. outdoor sports etc.

Computer


Component/ Feature	Minimum Recommened	Explanation	Importance
Processor speed	2 GHz	Intel Core 2 Duo is better than Dual Core	High
RAM	2 GB	Higher is better	High
Hard Disk Drive	100 GB	Larger the better but you can always add external disk quite cheaply	Medium
USB 2.0 ports	3	for attaching peripherals like mouse, printer etc.	Medium
Firewire (IEEE1394) port		Useful for data transfer from camcorders but not required if camcorder writes in DVD or its internal hard disk	Low
Screen size	15 inch	A larger monitor will have more viewing area	High
Graphics card	128 MB	Special card is required for professional quality graphics	Medium
3D acceleration card		Useful for playing high end games	Low
Optical disk drive	8x DVD writer	Newer models offer Bluray disk reading/writing capability	High
HDMI interface		Useful for redirecting output to High Definition TV	Depends
Sound card	16 bit	Good quality sound card and speaker desirable
Operating System		Personal perference
		Windows offers more choice of software
		Linux is free and good for day to day use
Capability of booting from USB		Useful if you want to run a different operating system
		without installing anything on hard disk
Wireless network		Required for accessing internet via wireless modem
Modem	56 kbps	Most computers have built in modem. Can also be attached externally.
Joystick	Optional	For playing games
Mouse	Optional	Most laptops use touch pad. Can be attached externally.

Warranty		Longer the better
Recovery disk		To restore factory data after re-installing OS

Binocular


Feature	Importance	Explanation
Magnification Factor	High	10x means appear as 10 times nearer
Objective diameter	High	50 mm is a good value. Bigger aperture means more light can come through.
		So better image quality.

		Binoculars are usually defined as 10x50
		It means 10x magnification and 50 mm objective diameter

Image stabilizer	Low	With high zoom, it is usually difficult to hold binocular still enough for clear
		view. Image Stabilizer helps that.
Night vision	Low	Available only on expensive models
Water resistant	Medium	Most binoculars are fine in rain
Weight	Medium	Lighter it is - more likely to be used often
Carry case	Medium	A good carry case is recommenced

Bicycle


Component	Option	Explanation
Type	Mountain/Town/ Racing/Folding etc.	Choose depending on your requirement
Frame size	14 to 21 inches for adults	Depends on your inside leg measurement.
		Do NOT ride a bike which is larger than your recommened size!
Frame		Frame must be of good quality. It should be durable.
		Expensive bikes usually have lighter frames.
Number of Gears	5/6/15/18/21 etc.	Most mountain bikes has 3 gears on front and 5-7 gears on rear
Type of gears		Shimano gears are most common
Brakes	V type or disc	For normal riding, V type brake is fine
Wheel size	16-20 (folding)
	24-27 (full size)	Riding is better with bigger wheels
Folding	None/Front/Full	Some bikes fold only at middle. Some fold at middle, seat and handlebar.
Saddle (seat)		For most riders, standard saddle is perfectly suitable.
		On most bikes, saddle height can be adjusted (often with a spanner)

Bell		Can be fitted separately
Lights		Can be fitted separately
Racks		Can be fitted separately
Bottle holder		Can be fitted separately (not on all frames)
Carrier rack		Can be fitted separately

Cycle carrier	Roof mounted/Rear mounted	If rear mounted, it must no cover lights and number plate
		of your car

TV


Component	Option	Explanation
Screen size	22-50 inch
Type	LCD/ Plasma/ CRT	CRT are old fashioned, over 37 inch, Plasma is better
Contrast	1:1000 typical	higher contrast is better
Interface		most TVs has scart, audio/video interface (often multiple)
Picture quality		often a subjective measurement

Wash Machine


Feature	Measurement	Explanation
Capacity	5-7 kg	higher capacity means more clothes can be fed
Loading from	Front, top
Spin speed	400-1800 RPM	should allow variable spin, 400-800 for synthetics/delicates, 1000-1800 for cottons, faster spin also means quicker drying
Temperature	40-90 C	should be configurable
Washing time	30-120 minutes	should be configurable
Quality of washing		Subjective
Size		most machines are of standard size
Energy rating	A (best) to G (worst)	indication of amount of electricity and water usage based on 60 C cotton wash cycle
Digital display		shows time remaining, spin etc.
Washing programs		common programmes are for cottons, synthetics, delicates and woollens. More sophisticated machines will have extra options such as hand washing for wools and silks, pre-wash for heavily soiled items, short wash, half load for economical washing and rinse hold. Temperatures and spin speed may also be adjustable giving you more flexible washing options
Programmable		you can program your own settings
Warranty		higher the better, also enquire if you need to it to shop or technician will come to your house
Installation		Some suppliers charge extra for installation
Noise level		how noisy - compare against other models

Camera


Feature	Common values	Explanation
Digital Compact
Imgage Sensor/ CCD	Usually ~ 1/2.3 inch	Larger image sensor provides better image
Mega Pixel	Nowadays 10-15 Megapixel	Larger better but file size increases
Image Size	2048 x 1536 pixel for 3 MP	Size of your actual image in pixels
Storage media	Type of memory card	SD, xD, Memory stick etc.
Battery	Lithium Ion or AA
Video	640 x 480 with 30 fps	Whether can record video with sound
Shutter speed	From 15 s to 1/2000 s	How long lens will get exposure
LCD	1.8 - 3 inch	To shoot and view pictures
View finder		Some digital compact cameras don't have view finders
Aperature	F2.7 to F8	Diameter of lens opening - to allow expose the film/CCD
Lens mm	27-450 mm	Below 28 mm = wide angle
35mm equivalent		Equivalent of 35 mm lens camera
Optical Zoom	3x - 12x	More zoom means more close photo
ISO	64 - 1600	Lower ISO good for detailed image, higher for low light photography but with grainy image
Flash		Should include flash
Weight g	100 - 300 g	Varies depending on size and compexity
Image Stabilization		To reduce camera shake during shoot
Dimension		Larger cameras are difficult to carry

Camcorder


Component	Option	Explanation
Media	MiniDV, DVD, HD, SD etc.
Resolution	Higher the better	720x480 [miniDV], 1920x1080 [Hi Def]
Optical zoom	10x is minimum recommended
LCD size	2.5 inch is minimum
Still photo facility		All digital camcorders can shoot still photo, usually in JPG format with 800x600 pixel
Size	300 g	Smaller items are easier to carry
Weight		Lighter is better
Battery		How long your batter lasts?