I didn’t need one. Shamefully I have a perfectly functional ASUS “gaming” netbook, which has served me very well as a portable device. I also have a smartphone, so I can download as many free apps as I feel I need to, and play Angry Birds if ever the desire arises.

 

I was just feeling left out, so I bought one. Call me Ms Moneybags.

 

I have to say, I do like it a lot. I can just get home from work, flop on the sofa in front of the telly, and check all those pesky internet things that need to be checked – no hassle. The thing is on and ready in seconds and it’s the perfect size and...

Whilst lounging on my living room sofa the other night, it occurred to me that we've really got it easy nowadays when it comes to social interaction. I hate to wheel out the classic 'when I was young' line (mainly as it saddens me that I am now old enough to do so without it seeming incongruous), but think about it for a second.

When we were kids, if we wanted to talk to a friend we had two options: a phone call, or a meeting at the local sweet shop to buy comics, cans of cola and those sour strawberry lace things that stripped a layer off your tongue. You'd only find out about peoples'...

As you're probably not aware, I'm a console gamer by and large, but it's a stance I should probably clarify: I started off on "big boys games" back in '92 on an old 286 PC that my parents bought second hand, and games such as Lemmings, Armor Geddon and Stunt Car Racer sold me on the concept that, as far as gaming was concerned, PC was best. I should point out that I did have a NES back then but rarely played it beyond the Super Mario titles, and my "upgrade" to a 386 PC later that year condemed the lowly NES to that of novelty. Let's face facts: The PC had Doom. DOOM!

For years I scoffed...