iGIZMO picks of the week

Another week has passed us by. In that time we rolled out a lovely Christmassy issue for you, hung up our iGIZMO stockings and had plenty of stuff in (and out of) the office to occupy us.

This is what has been rocking the iGIZMO office and team in the past seven days:

Touch physics iPod app – Brand Art Editor Russ has had his face buried in his iPod touch the past two weeks after downloading the Touch Physics app. The goal: get a ball from the start to a goal by drawing objects on screen, testing your logic and patience. Secondary goal: get Russ to stop playing and start working, the idle so-and-so.

Twitter – The free social networking and micro-blogging site allows us to update all our fellow followers on what we’re doing or thinking in real-time, as well as seeing what others are up to. We’ve been posting messages or “tweets” all week and addictively checking what people such as Stephen Fry are thinking every spare minute. A bit like one giant conversation, but only speaking 140 characters at a time. Compelling.

Mobile Pac-Man – It’s been popular for nearly thirty years, and now the classic chomper arrives on our mobiles. Via Bluetooth, we’ve been playing multiplayer games as we get to play as the ghosts, upload our scores to a European rankings table, and no longer have to carry around pockets of change to play.

Christmas songs – Yes, despite trying not to acknowledge the glaring decorations draped all over the place, Christmas is here. To recognise the fact, we have submitted to the Yule tide tunes of Sir Bob, Shakin’ Stevens, Jona Lewie, et al, much to the dislike of Deputy Editor Martin.

Sony Ericsson T303 – It may be designed with female mobile users in mind, but the tiny silver handset with its mirrored face (for make-up or whatever) takes a really nice form factor and slide mechanism and constructs a well-built whole. It won’t replace big, grown-up mobiles, but has been working perfectly well to slip subtly in the pocket as Staff Writer James' second phone. He has been looking rather well-groomed recently come to think of it.

Builders – Ask a builder, who is already carving up the road with a monstrous JCB, to help destroy something and you’ll never see a pair of eyes light up so much. When we asked hard-hatted chaps across the road from the iGIZMO office to take on the world’s toughest phone, we reviewed in issue 20 they almost leapt out their skin. ‘I’ll get me ‘ammer out and break it in two!” Our thanks go out to them.