Since we can now all aspire to have Aristocratic European Lifestyles in our new townhouses right next to the scenic brick kilns on the outskirts of Chapagaon, it is imperative that we move with the times and catch up with the rest of the world in acquiring the latest consumer electronic products to make it easier to carry out mundane domestic chores around the house. The rest of the world, as you must be aware, is taking great leaps forward in combining recent advances in wireless telephony with television on the one hand, the Internet on the second hand, video cameras on the third hand, and DVD players on the fourth hand. That makes it a total of four hands, but never mind. Let's suppose for argument's sake (if you really want to argue about it) that we do have four hands. That is still too few for Nepalis to come to grips with the challenge of leapfrogging to the Information Age.
If nothing is done, we will be the only country left on the planet still using mobile phones to just make phone calls. On a recent spying mission to the world's most wired country, Singapore, I happened to eavesdrop on two teenage operatives using their tiny Sony Ericsson T68i mobiles to secretly take pictures of the city state's newest pride and joy: the Double Durian Opera House. If your city wants to build an opera house these days, always remember that two durians are better than one. Cell phones, it seems, now serve also as neat spy cameras.
The new watchword in consumer electronics is "Convergence". Combine everything with everything else and, before you know it: you have another gadget. Take the new Sony DCR-TRV50E Network Handycam, this is a 1.55 mega pixel digital video camera, portable PC and mobile phone all rolled into one. Its unique touch screen with stylus pen allows you to surf the Internet, send and receive email wirelessly without a PC-while simultaneously shooting a video of the wedding reception of your sister-in-law's maternal aunt's cousin's nephew.
In the Fitness Gadget category, my vote for the Convergence Award goes to the Cardio Bike Recumbent which is a cycling workout machine integrated with a video game so that while you pedal away in the comfort of your den you can actually watch on a LCD screen a simulation of a preset choice of trails: from flat city streets with traffic, to up-and-down country roads, right to the most difficult: base camp to the Everest Summit up the classic Western Cwm route.
More and more home appliances will have a combination of technologies in the near future. Here is a peek at what tomorrow may bring:
1.Remote controlled vacumm cleaner. Model Humvee CRV-88DX-Turbo. For parents who have given up on their teenage sons ever cleaning up the house, here is a clever way to get them involved in domestic chores. The Humvee can be controlled via a joystick and a PC screen which relays a wide-angle image from a tiny camera fitted on the vacuume cleaner. The boys can have hours of fun zapping at bits of doritos that fell behind the sofa last summer, sucking up tufts of dog fur from the carpet, and carrying out cordon and search operations on roaches in their cave hideouts.
2.Microwave ovens that come with cable-ready plasma television screens. Model Sanyo EMF1006MW with 21" display panel. This convection microwave oven comes with reheat, grill, defrost and recipe function that allows you to watch the China vs Brazil match while you wait for the frozen chicken roast to
thaw inside.
3.Electric razor-cum-mobile. The Gillette-Nokia 9220 Ex-communicator. This electric razor with flex integral system with charge control, moustache trimmer and pivoting cutting system has a built-in mobile phone. Perfect for busy executives with aristocratic European lifestyles who need a quick shave while calling a client, or need to quickly call a client while having a close shave.
