TECHNOFILE

Toys for the global traveller

Three Green Gadgets

Solio Magnesium Edition The most powerful and efficient hybrid solar charger on the market; one hour of sunlight provides users with an additional 25 minutes of cell phone talk time or 50 minutes of MP3 music. US$199.99; www.solio.com

The Voltaic Backpack With 1,850 cubic inches of storage space, this eco bag produces four watts of solar power for fast charging. A battery pack stores power until you need it and 11 adaptors can be connected to a range of handheld electronics. The shell’s fabric is made from recycled bottles. US$249; www..voltaicsystems.com

Agent 18 Eco Cases To protect the iPhone, iPod nano or iPod touch, these cases are made and packaged with recycled materials. US$19.99 to $24.99; www.agent18.com

 

ROAD WARRIOR

A BUSINESS TRAVELLER REVIEWS THE LENOVO X300

Thin and light is the way forward for the road warrior. Without compromising on power, capacity or functionality, the Lenovo X300 weighs in at only 1.3kg and is 23mm slim. A 13.3-inch LED backlit screen delivers a crisp image and a 64GB solid-state drive reduces HD failure; the two USB ports and built-in web cam are great for all the additional tools necessary for travelling and catching up with family and friends.

Sporting WLAN, Bluetooth and a DVD burner, the X300’s standard battery lasts for about 3.5 hours and up to 7.5 with the bay battery and extender.

Fingerprint ID is standard, to ensure protection, and Vista OS technology means immediate start-up and close down. A corporate-cowboy alternative to the Mac Air Book, the X300 packs all the former’s must-have features without the weight.

Other hardware vendors are sure to launch competitive slim-line alternatives, but there are few products out there that can match the X300 in this category. US$3,188; www.lenovo.com

John Tasker – IT Services industry expert and frequent business traveller

Shoot, snap, store

The Canon HF10 shoots super-silently, recording video at an impressive 1920 x 1080 resolution. There’s 16GB of built-in flash memory and a removable SD card. Advantages of flash: it’s a reliable storage medium, accidental knocks don’t mean failure or data loss and a fast read or write speed means recording is immediate. US$1,660; www.canon-asia.com

Having fun in your head

A handy lightweight gizmo for gamers and movie buffs on the go, iWear AV920 creates a wearable virtual 62” big screen. Compatible with almost any audio/ video device (including the video iPod, camcorders, mobile phones), the glasses allow you to create your own virtual movie theatre – in 2D and 3D. The battery lasts for five hours. US$349.95; www.vuzix.com

 

Single-handed operator

A slim Windows Mobile smart-phone, Samsung’s i780 boasts a touch screen and touch-sensitive, optical joystick, allowing one-handed control. With similar processing power to the iPhone, you can run multiple applications without fear of it hanging. As well as WiFi, the device is fitted with GPS, a two-mega-pixel camera and a multimedia player. US$600; www.samsung.com