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The True Utility Sharkey has no business being this clever. A multitool
designed to look like a shark that’s small enough to fit on a key ring
doesn’t seem like it’s going to be capable of much more than poking
you through your pocket, and yet here we are.
Somehow, somebody found a way to achieve a unity of form
and function between an array of simple tools and a tiny stainless-
steel shark.
Every protrusion from the body, such as the fins or the jaw
is put to use, usually as a screwdriver head, but the spaces in
between are also used.
A dorsal fin hides a thread cutter, and the curve of the ventral
fin into the tail is a bottle opener. Meanwhile,
the jaws operate as a pry bar, a nail file and
flathead screwdriver.
The small size mitigates any problems that might
arise from having a collection of pointy protrusions on
a key ring too – the Sharkey is approximately the same
Paring back a smartphone VR headset to
the bare essentials to make a cheaper,
smaller, lighter and easier-to-use system
seems like a great idea on paper, but
when confronted by the reality of it in the
form of the Hamswan VR headset, the
situation turns out to be more complicated.
The Hamswan does manage to be extremely
compact, but the trade-offs are quickly apparent.
For example, there are no controls to interact with
the smartphone you’ve installed. This means you need to use
some sort of third-party Bluetooth device, or you need to start
whatever you want to watch running on the phone before closing
up the headset, adjusting it on your head and then watching it.
The Hamswan also has a snug fit, so while it’s comfortable, you
can’t wear it with glasses. It does have limited lens adjustment to
compensate for myopia, which is considerate, if not ideal.
The sacrifices made to keep down the weight and size do make
the Hamswan SC-G04 comfortable and easy to wear while lookingTRUE UTILITY SHARKEY /£ 8.99 inc VAT
SUPPLIER amazon.co.ukHAMSWAN SCG04 VR
HEADSET /£ 12.99 inc VAT
SUPPLIER amazon.co.uksize as a house key, so it shouldn’t stick out too much. In practical
terms, the Sharkey is shaped well and strong enough to take a stab
at many tasks for which it’s designed, while also being convenient to
carry around.Fishy Sharkycu
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Virtual Actualaround, which can be an issue for heavier, bulkier units that can be
prone to instability. If you can work around the shortcomings, then it
works fine, but it isn’t a universally useful device.