I’ve started a kind of green and power saving theme, which isn’t a bad thing I suppose. Writing about the credit crunch has also become somewhat of a habit. Today I’m going to write about Solar powered fairy lights. I know we haven’t had much of a summer to make much use of these under a canopy, but they still have their uses. They’re ideal if you want all year round lights somewhere, but not the cost.

The Solar powered fairy lights come with a remote control unit too, which will allow you to control what mode they are in.
There are 6 different modes in total: constant, fast flash, slow flash, fast flicker, chasing and combo. Which is enough for any of your indoor or outdoor events. Hang them on the tree in the garden and make it look stunning all year round.

Setting up the Solar powered fairy lights couldn’t be easier. Place the solar panel where it will get the best exposure to sunlight and string the lights where you want them. The battery is waterproof obviously and a five hour charge will give you eight hours worth of light.

Conserving energy has never been so stylish and they’re cheap as chips, get the Solar powered fairy lights from £29.95 now.

Now this is a fun gadget to have. The Rocket Fishing Rod is the ultimate gadget for the lazy fisherman. You’re going to get some very odd looks from traditional anglers when you turn up at the lake with this little beauty. No longer will you have to worry about snagging your line or setting up a rod and reel because it all comes in one handy package.

The Rocket Fishing Rod is a breakthrough in fishing technology, with its pump action casting. It’s just a matter of point and shoot. The safety float keeps the hook covered up until it hits the water too, making it not only easy, but safe too.
It isn’t too bulky to carry around either, so you can leave it in the boot of your car.

Fishing is a hobby of mine, with all the lakes around here it would have to be, but carrying all the right fishing equipment up the mountains can be a bit of a chore. There have been many occasions when I’ve tangled the line whilst casting off. I’ll admit it, I’m not the best caster there is. But with the Rocket Fishing Rod I don’t have to worry about that. The only thing I have to worry about is where I want my cast to land and the depth I want to fish at. Everything else is automatic.

I’d like to see the old boys casting out to 30ft with their traditional rods. And if you can find a lake that’s by the side of the road, you don’t actually have to get out of the car.

I recently discovered this great little gadget whilst I was searching for ways to charge my mobile phone when I was away from a power source. The Freeloader Solar Charger meets all my needs, and then some. By far it is one of the best gadgets that I’ve written about. It’ll charge my mobile with no problems at all. It will actually power a mobile for 44 hours. But that’s not why I love the Freeloader Solar Charger. Not only will it power the largest list of mobile phones that I have ever seen, but also iPods, PSPs, PDAs, digital cameras and GPS systems. The list is truly phenomenal.

I quite like walking in the mountains around my home town, and having a device like the Freeloader Solar Charger is an absolute must. Having the power available when you want it is a joy. I can strap it to my backpack as I walk and let the sun charge the internal batteries.To fully charge the internal battery of the Freeloader Solar Charger takes about 8 hours, or 3 hours if you use the USB cable, which is supplied.

Costing just under £30, this gadget will pay for itself many, many times over. And it’s not going to add any substantial weight to your hiking kit at 185 grams, but it’s unfair of me to say that this item is only useful if you enjoy walking. The Freeloader Solar Charger should be in every home.

I highly recommend that you get one of these today. You’ll wonder how you ever survived without it.

This will be my final post on my theme of back to school. Quite a few of you will be starting back at school on Tuesday, 2nd September. It always strikes me as odd that school terms start on random days after the summer holidays. Tuesday is not so bad, but I remember school starting on a Friday…. I mean… why?

Anyway, if your children, or you, are going to secondary school next week, you’ll be studying chemistry. Exciting stuff.
An important part of chemistry is the periodic table of elements. I remember having great difficulty remembering even the basic of this. That’s where the Periodic Table Mug comes in. You’ll never be stuck for that elusive atomic mass number again! You can even use it to drink your favourite hot beverage from too.

It’s a bit of a tongue in cheek item really, but I love it. You can study chemistry whilst dunking your favourite biscuit in your tea. The Periodic Table Mug is a must for any science fan, it won’t make you the next Einstein, but it might help you along the way. And at less than £6, it’s a fun little gift to give.

And another thing… it’s dishwasher safe too, so no chance of the elements dropping off after you wash it.

What does every good student require to get them up in the morning? Yes, that’s right, an alarm clock. And what better way to start your day than with the Wesco Star Wars R2D2 Projection Alarm Clock. This alarm clock will not only tell the time on its LCD display, but will project it on to your wall too. How cool is that. This is a must have gadget for any Star Wars fan. The Wesco Star Wars R2D2 Projection Alarm Clock is £19.99, which is a fantastic price for such a novel way of waking up in the mornings.
R2-D2 has got to be one of the most loved characters from the Star Wars films, and now you can have the loveable robot to wake you up in the mornings.

Sure there are other alarm clocks out there, but are they as much fun as the Wesco Star Wars R2D2 Projection Alarm Clock? There may be other projection alarm clocks, but they’re not R2-D2 are they.

This is still continuing with my theme of back to school, because we’ll all have to start getting up early again soon. Obviously getting up early will be much easier with the Wesco Star Wars R2D2 Projection Alarm Clock projecting the time on to your wall or ceiling. It might even bring a smile to your face.

Is the force strong enough in you young jedi to get up and get ready for school on time?

Continuing with my theme of back to school, an essential piece of equipment that every student needs in secondary school is a calculator. The Casio Scientific Calculator is by far one of the best valued scientific calculators available. With a price tag that’s just shy of £11.50 you can’t really go wrong. I like bringing gadgets and equipment that I think are good value for money to your attention. Hopefully I’m succeeding in this task.

The Casio Scientific Calculator has a whole host of functions that you’d expect from a scientific calculator, plus more! In total it has 300 functions, which is a lot. It has true algebraic logic, standard deviation, sin/cos/tan, hyperbolics, polar/rectangular conversions, linear regression, permutation and combination, brackets, random numbers, square, factorial, angle units (DEG/RAD/GRA), fractions… the list goes on…

What I like about this calculator is that it has it’s own hard case that slides over the buttons and screen, making it ideal for the busy student who just throws things into their bag… it gives great protection, and piece of mind for you. Another great thing about the Casio Scientific Calculator is the dual power functionality, it has both battery and solar power which makes it exceptional value for money. You won’t be replacing the battery every couple of months with this one.

Students really do need a calculator for school, college or university because maths plays a big part in all three institutions. So why not go for one that you know will perform well and has an attractive price tag. Come September, the Casio Scientific Calculator will be in my arsenal.

Well it’s nearly time for the kids to go back to school and that means that they’ll need new supplies. I’m going to write a few posts this week about back to school. My first post is about Staedtler Colouring Pens. I’ll be buying these pens for myself and I don’t usually recommend things that I’m not 100% confident about. I’ve had Staedtler Colouring Pens before and they’ve never let me down.

The Staedtler Colouring Pens come in packs of 10, so that means that you have a choice of 10 vibrant colours. Being water based is also a bonus as they’ll wash out of your childrens’ clothes quite easily. Being Staedtler, you know that you’re buying good quality pens and these colouring pens are no different. They come in an attractive box which also acts as a stand when you’re using them. You can even leave the cap off for several days before they’ll begin to dry up. Which is good for busy students.

The Staedtler Colouring Pens have a triangular shape to them which makes them a joy to use over a long period of time. Also having pressure resistant tips is a great bonus if you’re a bit heavy handed like myself.

I can’t praise these pens enough, the Staedtler Colouring Pens are essential for any serious student to have. Forget the rest, these really are top of the class.

This one is especially for all you chocaholics out there. The Chococlock is a clock, but with a difference. Every hour this lovely gadget will deliver a scrumpteous chocolate treat. It’s definately a gadget for the serious chocoholic. The Chococlock will even tell the time, but there’s a sting in it’s tail… you only have 30 seconds to get your hands on your chocolate treat. Obviously if you can’t wait an hour to get some chocolate the Chococlock has a “cheat” button, which will allow you to get a treat whenever you wish.

The Chococlock holds 30 pieces of delicious chocolate treats. Which is more than enough isn’t it? Coming in at under £20 it’s not only a chocolate treat, but a treat on the pocket too. The chocoholic in your life will love you forever for getting them this gadget.

I love chocolate and having to wait an hour for a treat helps me with my diet. But for some reason my finger keeps slipping on to the “cheat” button and a piece of chocolate magically appears, which is obviously a shame to waste. The only complaint I have about the Chococlock is that it’s pink. Pink doesn’t really appeal to me, but I’m sure you girlies will love it.

So what are you wating for… get the Chococlock today.

I’m not going to write about any gadget in particular today. Unless you’ve been living in a cave, you’ve heard about the credit crunch that’s sweeping the country, infact it’s sweeping the globe. The cost of everything is going up; fuel, food and energy. Everyday essential items are becoming more and more costly.

That’s why the PriceGrabber website is becoming an essential first stop for consumers. PriceGrabber does all the hard work of finding the cheapest prices for you, giving you control over your money once again.
You no longer have to scour the internet looking at all the different websites that stock the item you want to buy, PriceGrabber has done it for you. Just put the name of the gadget you want to buy in the search box and within seconds you’ll get a list of all the stockists and their prices at a glance.

Not only do they list the stockists and prices, they also display the postage and packaging costs, if there are any, giving you an instant, easy to read and informed choice. Consumers like you and me need PriceGrabber. There’s no two ways about it, everybody has to tighten their belts, but with PriceGrabber you don’t have to miss out on the items that you really want.

PriceGrabber has changed the way I shop online for the better and I hope that they have helped you do the same. You should set it as your homepage now!

A gadget for the kitchen today. and boy what a joy it is. It’s the Ainsley Harriott Professional Slow Cooker.

Slow cookers are excellent gadgets to have in the kitchen. They make preparing a meal for the family easy, or at least easier. Just put all the ingredients in to the cooker in the morning, turn on and leave. When you come home you’ll have a delicious meal.
What’s good about the Ainsley Harriott Professional Slow Cooker is that it is simple to use. It has a large 3 litre capacity and it is ideal for casseroles, curries, stews, soups and even joints of meat.

Another thing I use my slow cooker for is making rice pudding. I’ve never had much joy in making this in the oven, but with a slow cooker even I can make great tasting rice pudding.

If you’ve never used a slow cooker before, then now id the perfect time to buy one. The Ainsley Harriott Professional Slow Cooker is less than £25, at that price you can hardly call it breaking the bank. You’ll seriously wonder how you ever managed without one. If you have a large family to feed and struggle to prepare a meal when you get home from work, or have simply not had the time then you need a slow cooker. Meals can prepared the night before and in the morning, simply turn on the slow cooker.