Tech's most wanted

e+ taps on the acquisitive nerve of tech buffs.

Variety and technology go hand in hand. But, with dozens of innovative gadgets and gizmos hitting the market at a rapid pace, buying the latest one and updating your tech tangibles is a tall order to match. But here are the top six items that have become a rage in Dubai. Surprisingly, the iPhone that is yet to be released in this part of the world is creating a buzz like never before.

3G – Video Chat
This feature is rapidly making inroads in our markets. Many mobile companies have begun incorporating this feature of enabling users to make phone calls and see each other using the phone's screen. If market sources are to be believed, many people are also requesting for this video calling feature to be included in their computers. If that's made available, then all you have to do is insert the sim-card and acquire the compatible software to make video calls to your loved ones around the world.

Tablets
Another piece of technology now becoming popular is tablets. These are again available on many computers, mobile phones and PDAs. Users find tablets very useful. The matter that you write on a tablet is turned into text automatically without having to actually type it. Like using a pen, you write in your own way and it will be turned in to a text document.

GPS
With a GPS, you won't get lost on the roads or miss the turn to your friend's house. GPS, which stands Global Positioning System, is a tool that will help you find any location, whether it be a person's home, a street, even a restaurant. Though this tool is gradually becoming a feature in automobiles, it is yet to become a standard feature in mobiles. However, going by the soaring demand, that day isn't far.

Flash Memory
Despite being in the market for some time, flash memory sticks continue to reign in the popularity charts. The sticks that are currently available can hold upto 8GB of information, which basically means you can keep most of your work on one. They are also very small.

Blu-Ray
Blu-Ray is a recent entrant into the tech scene and is very expensive. But from the looks of it, cost is not a stumbling block as many have jotted this down in their most-wanted list. It's believed Blu-Ray is the next-generation optical disc format. The format was developed to enable recording, rewriting and playback of high-definition video (HD), as well as storing large amounts of data. The format offers more than five times the storage capacity of traditional DVDs and can hold up to 25GB on a single-layer disc and 50GB on a dual-layer disc. This extra capacity combined with the use of advanced video and audio codecs will offer consumers the best High Definition experience. Films are quickly becoming available on Blu-Ray and the visual and sound quality is unparalleled.

iPhone
Although it is not available in this market yet, it is still currently the most anticipated gadget in the world. The iPhone is a mobile phone, an iPod and the internet all in one. Those are the main features of the iPhone but it also has an integrated camera, plays MP4s and has a memory of either 4GB or 8GB. As soon as the iPhone is released this side of the globe it is certain that people will be queuing up to buy one.