This is a handy little gadget that you could give someone as a gift. The Cash Stash Keychain would be great to have over the summer holidays, especially if you’re likely to attend one of the many music festivals that are happening all over the country.

The Cash Stash Keychain can help keep some of your money safe and dry, so long as you don’t lose your keys obviously. The Cash Stash Keychain will hold your money safe and secure within its aircraft grade aluminium shell.

It would be great to have one of these if you find yourself stuck without any money for a taxi home at the end of the night, or even if you find yourself running short of money and don’t really want to make that trek all the way to the cash point. The Cash Stash Keychain could save you a lot of embarrassment if you find yourself short of cash in the pub when it’s your round too. I’m talking from experience here… I’ve had to do the walking to the cash point thing to pay for a round of drinks.

The Cash Stash Keychain will pay for itself many time over if you use it often. It costs under £5. That’s a small price to pay for peace of mind that you’ll have some spare cash somewhere safe.  Get yourself one today!

Recently I had to transfer an old Cassette to MP3 files for my grandfather. This was because the tape was getting old and he wanted a CD of the music to play in his car. I had forgotten that cassette tapes still existed. To be honest I hardly buy CDs these days either, because I have an iPhone I buy digital downloads.

Having a MacBook I thought that burning the MP3 files to a CD would be as easy as everything else is on the MacBook, but I was mistaken. I thought that iTunes or GarageBand would be able to do it, but alas no.

My thoughts then turned to getting the files from the MacBook on to a USB Memory Stick and using a PC and Nero to burn the disc. But before I did that I decided to have a look on the internet to see what was available for the Mac. I found Roxio Toast 10.

Roxio Toast 10 was exactly what I was looking for. Roxio Toast 10 does cost more than your average software, but it was well worth it. PriceGrabber has Roxio Toast 10 Titanium for £56.47. Roxio Toast 10 is so easy to use too as you’d expect from any Mac software. It was simply a case of choosing what kind of disc I wanted to burn (in my case an Audio CD) and dragging the files over, then pressing a red button to burn. That was it, my CD was burned and ready to use within a few minutes.

So, if you’re looking for a solution to burning CDs and DVDs on your Mac, then I would suggest Roxio Toast 10. There are two versions available too, Roxio Toast 10 Titanium and Roxio Toast 10 Pro. The Pro version costs a bit more than the titanium version though.

Everyone wants to be able to store their files safely and securely don’t they? In addition to this, I would like to be able to access my files from wherever I am. Sure, I could get a portable HDD or even a USB Memory Stick, but sometimes they’re not viable options.

The LaCie Internet Space is a NAS (Network Attached Storage) drive that will allow you to remotely access all the files stored on it. The LaCie Internet Space looks good enough to be placed in almost any room in the house. With 500Gb of storage space you’ll definitely be able to put all your movies, pictures and music on it.

If you’re looking for a stylish way to share your files then the LaCie Internet Space should definitely be on your list of options. There aren’t many NAS drives that look this good. It’s always good to be able to share pictures with other members of your family without the need to use a dedicated website or service. Storing them at your own home also gives you the peace of mind that they are safely stored.

There are alternatives of course, but the LaCie Internet Space is stylish and affordable, plus it’s easy to use with it’s built in personal web portal. You can’t really go wrong with the LaCie Internet Space.

I did say earlier that I would post an entry about a gadget for you and I usually keep my word. So, without further ado, here it is. The Gadget I’m going to write about is not really that new to the market, but it does have a couple of great features. The Buffalo DriveStation is an external storage device, the one I’m looking at is a 500Gb version, but they do go up to 1Tb - which is 1000Gb (or 1024Gb if you want to be picky).

I said that the Buffalo DriveStation had a couple of unique features which makes it stand out slightly from the other external storage solutions that are out there, and let’s face it, there are hundreds of choices available. I even blogged about the Western Digital 320Gb Passport I purchased a few weeks ago. Which is a great little drive, don’t get me wrong I love it. But, the Buffalo DriveStation is more of a “stay at home” solution.

The unique points I’m talking about are the power saving and Turbo USB modes. The Buffalo DriveStation has a utility available that can save you up to 75% of energy. 75% is an impressive number, but the power saving only comes in to force when the Buffalo DriveStation is in sleep mode. Most drives aren’t spinning continuously for the majority of us, so this is a great saving. The Turbo USB will increase your data transfer speeds so that it takes less time to get your information on to the drive in the first place allowing the drive to go in to sleep mode quicker.

The Buffalo DriveStation looks good too. You can’t help but admire the curves on this external storage device.
If you’re looking for a solution to your storage needs right now then the Buffalo DriveStation should be high on your list, if only because of the power saving.

Let me introduce the newest addition to my portable drives collection. Well, it will be when it arrives later on today. I decided to invest in a 320Gb Western Digital Passport Drive for one simple reason: I needed one. I know that I’ve just purchased a new laptop, but getting a portable drive was important to me too. It means that I will be able to keep all my Uni work separate to everything else.

I have used Western Digital Passport drives in the past and found them to be really sturdy and reliable. I used to keep the 80Gb one I had in the bottom of a rucksack and it would always work well for me. I am of course a lot more caring of my gadgets these days.

The thing I like about the Western Digital Passport is that it just works. You just plug it in and you’re away. No software to install or anything. It’s always a bonus when you don’t have to carry around CDs with drivers for your hardware around.
320Gb might not seem like a lot of space, but it’s sufficient for what I need the drive. I also have a 500Gb external Hard Drive that I use for my websites and storage. My entire iTunes library is on the 500Gb drive for some reason.

If you’re currently looking for an external storage solution you can’t really go wrong with a Western Digital Passport drive. Every time I’ve had one they’ve been reliable, unlike some others I’ve had. They are also extremely quiet drives. I can’t recommend Western Digital drives enough really, and they do come in a range of colours, although I’ve gone for standard black.

You should get one of these drives if you plan on moving files around a lot. Heck, you should get one anyway and use it as a backup device. There’s nothing worse than a computer or laptop failing on you and all your data is inaccessible. Better safe than sorry. My desktop PC decided to stop booting up just the other day, so access to my email has stopped until I sort it out.

Now this is a novel little gadget. The Brick USB Memory Stick must be one of the coolest memory sticks going. It is shaped like a Lego brick and is available in three different colours; red, blue and yellow and two different sizes; 2Gb and 4Gb. The 2Gb version costing £24.95 and the 4Gb version costing £34.95.
The Brick USB Memory Stick is not the cheapest I’ve seen, in fact you can get larger capacities for less money, but they won’t have the novelty of being a building block.

Most USB memory devices are dull and boring and mostly come in the same colours. But the Brick USB Memory Sticks come in vibrant colours. You will not find boring black or white with these little beauties. It might also be an idea to not use the Brick USB Memory Stick whilst using actual toy building bricks, just to be on the safe side. You do not want to be rummaging around for hours trying to find your Brick USB Memory Stick amongst a container full of real Lego now do you.

Having a Brick USB Memory Stick will make you want to go out and buy some of the real thing though. For some reason it ignites that passion you had inside as a child to spend hours building things. Your imagination will be set loose to create wonderful things.

The Brick USB Memory Stick is certainly a unique gadget that will bring a smile to any grown man’s face.

Are you tired of your traditional wallet always making your credit, debit and membership cards damaged? Well worry no more; the Jimi Wallet is now available.

No longer will you have to worry about your cards being rendered un-useable because they have been bent or split. There’s nothing worse than finding out that there is a crack in your cash card when you are by the cash point trying to get some money out to go to the pub with your mates, or worse still, when it comes to paying for that lovely romantic meal you had with your partner and finding out that the card is being declined. It is a major embarrassment when it happens.

The Jimi Wallet is the answer. Made of really tough plastic, it can hold 5 cards and about 4 notes, so obviously it’s not much use if you carry your entire life around with you in your pocket. But, if all you are doing is going out for a few drinks with your mates you don’t need that huge bulging wallet.

The Jimi Wallet is one of those gadget you should really be looking at buying if you are the outdoors type also as it is water resistant. We all know there’s nothing worse than soggy bank notes that tear easily.

Costing just under £10 you’d be a fool not to get one of these and let us not forget that Christmas is just around the corner. The Jimi Wallet would make an ideal stocking filler.

Yesterday I wrote about the USB VHS Converter, which was a great gadget for converting VHS to Digital format.
Today I want to write about another really cool gadget along the same lines. The Plus Deck Cassette Converter converts audio cassettes into digital files.

Cassettes were great weren’t they? The good old days when everybody used to spend Sunday evening recording the Top 40 from the radio. Waiting patiently with your finger hovering over the pause button, ready to stop the tape when the DJ began to talk. Ahhh the memories….. I still have boxes full of these cassettes. They’re in the attic, taking up space. There are even cassettes of me and my brother and sisters playing and singing when we were small. Then there are all the cassettes of my mother winning umpteen competitions on the radio. All those memories stored on fragile cassette tapes.

With the Plus Deck Cassette Converter, I can put all of these precious moments on to my computer in MP3 format. After installing the Plus Deck Cassette Converter into a spare 5.25″ drive bay on your PC, it’s just a case of clicking a button and it will convert both sides of your tape for you. No longer will you have to worry about keeping all those cassettes in pristine condition. You can have them in glorious digital format. Being digital, it means that your memories will no longer be prone to degradation by time.

I know I say it a lot, but this is a must have piece of technology if only for saving your precious memories. And once in a digital format you can burn them to CDs to share with your family.

Wow! That’s what I said when I came across this lovely piece of gadgetry. And if you have shelves and shelves of video tapes, you should be going wow too!

Video cassettes have been around for a long time, almost 30 years in fact, so the USB VHS Converter has been a long time coming. The USB VHS Converter will let you convert those dusty, bulky, noisy cassettes into digital format. And according to the manufacturers, it’s idiot proof - which is good news for me
You just put the tape in the machine and let it do the rest. Not only will it convert your tapes into digital format, you can use it as a regular VHS player too. Just connect it up to your television using a scart lead.

I can see this being a huge hit with all those people who desperately want to get their precious memories converted to digital.
At present you have to send your tapes away, or invest in expensive equipment to do it yourself, but with this it’s a doddle, and at a price that isn’t going to break the bank. I’ve known some people to go to the trouble of buying a DVD Recorder and connecting all the cables between their VHS Recorder and DVD Recorder, only to find out that they’ve missed a vital step after going through hours of tape.

The solution is now a simple one. Get the USB VHS Converter. The only problem you’ll have after converting all your tapes to digital format is what to do with all the shelf space you’ve freed up.

I decided recently that it would be a good idea for me to get a portable hard disk. Being a student it’s important for me to be able to take my work with me.
I didn’t really want to be carrying a laptop around with me so a portable storage solution was necessary.

Having looked around at what others were buying I decided on getting a Western Digital Passport.
The one I decided on was the WD My Passport Essential Portable 250GB Hard Drive.
250Gb might seem like a lot of storage space but in this day and age, you need it. Think of all the music, movies, photos and in my case work, that you can carry with you. Small enough to carry in a pocket it’s the ideal solution.

Installing the drive is as easy as plugging it in, because that’s all you have to do. The first time you plug the drive in to a USB 2.0 port the included software gets installed for you. This is great because you don’t have to worry about carrying a CD with the drivers around with you. And there’s no need to think about the computer you’re plugging into having a CD Drive.
There’s no need to carry a power adaptor either as it draws all the power it needs from the USB port directly.

The Western Digital My Book Passport Essential 250GB USB Portable Hard Drive can be used with either a PC or MAC but you do need to be running Windows 2000/XP/Vista or Mac OS X (10.1.5 or later) respectively. And for obvious reasons you’ll need a spare USB 2.0 port.

Coming in at just under £65 this is a real bargain. I use mine every day when I’m out and about. It’s the ideal way to transport a large amount of data with ease. And because I do carry it with me I decided to get a case for it too, just for that little bit of extra piece of mind. After all, accidents do happen sometimes.

The WD Passport doesn’t just come in black. You can get pink, white, blue and Red drives and various capacities too - 160Gb, 320Gb and 250Gb.

Have a look for yourself by clicking this link.