Biolite camping stove €179It may be a little early to start thinking of summer camping, but, as we all know, it pays to be prepared when it comes to the great outdoors.
The BioLite Camping Stove is a must for campers who would rather not sacrifice all the home comforts. This handy little gadget is part cooker, part power source, and it uses biomass as a fuel source. So you can gather twigs to burn, cook your food and charge your electronics all at the same time. No fuel to carry, and its slightly more environmentally sound. Plus it will be handy to have in the event of a power cut. Multitasking at its best. biolitestove.com
Lifeproof Nuud iPad case 98
Water and electronics are not a great mix. In fact, dirt, dust and the occasional fall are also not a great match with delicate tablets. But why cut out at least 50 per cent of the potential entertainment value just because of the risk of some water/dust damage? The Lifeproof Nuud case for the iPad encases your tablet, turning it into a dust-proof, dirt-proof, shock proof and most importantly waterproof device. You can take it almost anywhere. It does it all without affecting how the touchscreen works. It seals off all the important stuff and still leaves the touchscreen unhindered.
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I'm Watch From €299
Smartwatches are not new. But I’m Watch is aiming for a bit more style. The second version of the I’m Watch software allows you to get notifications for Twitter, Facebook, email and even SMS without having to take your phone out of your pocket. It links up to your mobile phone via Bluetooth and uses your phone to communicate with its cloud service. It has a built in speaker so you can listen to music or calls, and even has its own app market. One downside is that it requires a lot of recharging, but if you’re a smartphone user, that’s nothing new.
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HTC 8X From free on billpay, €459 on prepay
HTC’s Windows-powered 8X comes with the now obligatory large screen, a dual core processor and a decent camera with a wide angle lens.
Despite its size, it’s easy to handle, even one-handed, and a lot of effort has gone in to making sure all the volume buttons and camera controls are flush with the casing.
Like most recent HTC phones, it comes with Beats audio built in and, of course, is powered by Windows Phone 8 – live tiles, Xbox Music and other refinements make the software a lot easier to use.
