LaCie 320GB 7,200rpm Rugged HDD
As tough as old boots, sporting Firewire and USB connectivity and spinning at up to 7,200rpm LeCie's 320GB Rugged hard drive is the device of choice if you want to carry some serious data onto the beach or into the breach. Moreover, the headline spec assures users the drive will survive a 2.2m drop. That seems reasonable enough. We dropped ours from a second story window onto a patio and no harm was done, though we nearly killed the cat. It's a nice looking device too though frankly we think jungle camo should be a colour option. The drive apparently complies with US military standard MIL-STD-810, which ensures survivability in the face of all sorts of general unpleasantness.
Reg Rating 80%
Price £150
More Info LaCie
Victorinox SwissFlash 8GB USB Memory Stick and Multi-Tool
Admittedly, a USB memory stick combined with a pair of scissors, a nail file-cum-screwdriver, penknife, torch and keyring wasn't at the top of Reg Hardware's “things we wish someone would invent” list, but we’re still glad somebody did. As a multi-tool the SwissFlash does suffer from not having a bottle opener – by the far the most commonly used tool on the office Swiss Army Knife – but it’s certainly more use in a tight jam than a standard USB memory stick. If the best part of £90 sounds a little expensive you can also get the SwissFlash with 1, 2 or 4GB of storage. Or you could really push the boat out and go for the 16GB version. Usefully, the USB flash part of the device can be removed for safekeeping. ®
Reg Rating 75%
Price £90
More Info Victorinox
12 of the best... travel gadgets
COMMENTS
"You call that a knife......"
"THIS is a knife...." "...it's a USB stick"
Think Simpsons.....
Franklyn, my dear...
Thomas Shinnick is right. Should be yu kuai, not yu kai. Piss poor. Also, why no tone signs?
非用
Alternatives...
The WiFi detector - if you've already got an iPhone or iPod Touch, you can get software WiFi detectors off the app store. I use WiFiTrak, but there are loads of them. It will show you networks that are technically too weak to use so don't show up in the standard network list, so you know to do a bit of wandering watching the meter to get closer.
Wind-up radio - the Tesco own-brand equivalent is £8, has a good LED torch on it, and I'm sure is lighter than 700g - could be a lot smaller, of course. Wouldn't say I use mine extensively, but it's still going and the charge lasts amazingly well with no use for a NiMH. Tuning is a bit fiddly as it's not geared.
One point - the solar phone charger, are you sure the battery's only 150mAh? That's tiny, should be 1500mAh surely.
Alan.
Oregon Maps
The best thing about the Oregon (well, one of the best things because it's really a great device) is that you don't have to pay for maps anymore in many cases. It works fine with openstreetmap.org maps, including car and bicycle routing.
Better Travel Radio, the Eton FR150
Eton FR150 Travel Radio:
http://www.etoncorp.com/product_card/?p_ProductDbId=353085
Bonus: a flashlight, and a cell-phone charger... And it's cheaper than the FreePlay and much much lighter FreePlay: 112 x 60 x 186mm and 700g: Eton: 126 x 60 x 46 mm and 200 g.
While the specs on the webpage lists an extra weather radio band, mine has two shortwave bands. (Because I purchased it outside of the USA?)
