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With a number of different knobs, buttons and levers to alter the sitting position so it is best for your body, apparently helping blood circulation, reducing stress levels and making us far more productive. The backrest is very impressive and is built specifically to help posture as it automatically conforms with your every movement. Whether you can convince your boss to buy a $1500 chair for your office I don't know but the Embody Chair will certainly reduce your chances of turning into Quasimodo.

Next up has got to be the Wii Fit from Nintendo. Finally there is an answer to the growing obesity problems amongst children (and with adults to be fair) without the embarrassment of going to the gym or playing sports that we don't even enjoy. Although the Wii is technically a video game platform, Wii Fit I more like a fitness tool than anything else. The interactive programme goes through strength building, yoga, aerobics and balance exercises in way that makes them fun as opposed to arduous. Wii Fit has the capability of charting your results as you go making it really easy to see your improvements. Over the next few years there will most likely be some innovative improvements to the Wii fitness tools but this was certainly a good start.

It might be fair to say that 2008 was the year of the Netbook. These small machines have given the computer industry a glimpse of hope in a market that seems to be in a minor crisis. There have been a number of them released over 2008 but the top dog is probably the MSI Wind, notable for its sharp and bright 10 inch screen and well designed keyboard which uses every possible inch of space. This well built and professional looking product is great for workers on the run. It's pretty sturdy for what is a very small item, not to say that it wouldn't be broken if a car ran it over but for those who are prone to dropping laptops, you should be ok with the MSI Wind. Like some Netbooks, the MSI Wind doesn't seem to heat up too badly either with is a huge advancement for those who tend to spend hours a day writing and don't want sweaty fingers!

A run-down of the gadgets from 2008 wouldn't be complete with a mobile phone so thankfully we were introduced to the T-Mobile G1. It may not be quite as handsome as the iPhone but with this being the first smartphone to run Google's new Android operating system, there is a lot to offer. With a nice slide out keyboard, bright screen and a huge amount of power, the G1 can support a number of applications from the online Android marketplace and can even handle complex graphics like Google Maps. It is fair to say that the Android marketplace isn't as well constructed as the Apple store just yet but it'll get quite a bit closer come the end of 2009.

The early part of the twentieth century provided some amazing breakthroughs such as the Model T or the Wright Flyer for which the period will always be remembered. When someone is writing in 100 years times there is little doubt that some of the products we have seen since the new millennium will be viewed in the same vain. The gadgets that have come to prominence in 2008 are no exception and it just gets you thinking as to where technology will be in another 10 years.

Learn more about this author, Marc Steel.
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