Gadget Zone: Brother ScanNCut2 and G7th Performance 2 capo

James Careless —

Warm weather has finally returned to Canada! What better time to spend your time playing with some cool consumer tech outside – or in? Here are a few ideas from the Gadget Zone to pass the time.

Sewers and hobbyists alert! Brother has merged a computerized scanner with a robotic cutter. Called the Brother ScanNCut2, this digital printer-sized device lets you scan intricate paper and sewing patterns (300 dpi resolution) into the unit. Next, insert your paper or fabric (up to 12″ wide and 24″ long) into the ScanNCut2, and the machine’s computer-controlled German carbide blade cuts it out for you. The ScanNCut2 comes with a colour LCD touch screen control attached, can be linked to wired or Wi-Fi networks to transfer FCM design files (these can also be loaded into the ScanNCut2’s internal memory using USB sticks), and is pre-loaded with hundreds of built-in designs. This device allows even novices to create and cut highly-precise patterns! $699.99 at My Sewing Room. For more info, go to brother.ca.

Trivia time: A ‘capo’ is a device you put across the strings of a guitar (on the neck) to shorten the length of all the strings at the same time. It allows a player to raise the key of a song – say from C to D major – while using the same fingering they would for the song in its original key. The catch: If the capo doesn’t apply pressure evenly and accurately across all of the strings, the guitar won’t play in tune.

The G7th Performance 2 capo is designed to provide fast, accurate pitch-raising on 6-string guitars, in a quick-deploy clamp design. It is available in black, silver, steel-string silver, and 18 karat gold plate. “I’ve used it on my Martin acoustic and my Peavey EXP eletric guitar, and it’s a great fit for both of them,” said Nikki, the Gadget Zone’s musical equipment reviewer. “It uses just enough pressure to change key, without altering the path of the strings or pulling them out of tune. I’ve used cheap capos in the past that do both, which really messes with the sound, but I haven’t had that problem with this capo at all.” Find it for $78.99 at Cosmo Music.