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We’ve tested some of the latest technology and found some of the best gadgets for job hunting, work or play.

Dell Axim X51V
Portable digital assistants (or PDAs) are really mini-computers and are capable of some amazing tricks.
While some of the newest mobile phones offer similar sophisticated functions, the AximX51V beats all of them with its power, flexibility and large – 3.7inch – touch screen.
It comes with Microsoft’s latest PDA operating system, Windows Mobile 5, and has mini versions of Word, Excel and Powerpoint, as well as a calendar program, so you can synchronise and transfer files with your desktop computer.
E-mail and web browser applications keep you in touch while out and about, and the Axim has built-in Wi-Fi and Bluetooth so you can connect to the net via a wireless hotspot or through a mobile phone.
Use a Bluetooth folding keyboard (like the Stowaway, reviewed in the last issue of GradJobs) and you can touch-type anywhere.
Powered by a 624 MHz processor, the Axim speeds through most tasks – you can even play great-looking 3D games on it. There should be plenty of space for programs thanks to its 195Mb of free storage memory, but you can always add more with either the CompactFlash or SD card expansion slots.
The unit weighs 175g and slips easily enough into a jacket pocket or handbag, and battery life should last for about five to six hours of solid use between charges.
There’s loads of extra software you can get – either free or paid for – as well as accessories to turn the Axim into a GPS sat-nav system.
Verdict: Compact, versatile and powerful
Cost: £325 – but check with Dell online for cheaper special deals
Contact: www.dell.co.uk

Olympus WS-300M
Voice recorders can be a boon for business meetings and handy for college lectures as well, helping capture every word spoken. The latest versions are digital – with no moving parts – and this Olympus is a great example.
It’s small, sleek design belies a whopping 256Mb of memory – good enough for nearly nine hours at the highest quality setting or nearly 69 hours in the long-play mode. Recordings can be divided into five virtual folders, each holding up to 199 files.
The great thing about this machine is that you can transfer digital recordings directly to your computer – the Olympus plugs into a USB port – so you can play files, copy them or even e-mail them to friends or colleagues.
Sound quality is excellent – even the lowest recording setting produced reasonable results. The controls might be a bit fiddly for those with fatter fingers, but they’re very easy to use – we didn’t even need to read the instructions.
This Olympus has one other key trick up its sleeve – you can also use it as an MP3-style music player.
Verdict: A great voice recorder
Cost: £79.68 from www.empiredirect.co.uk
Contact: www.olympus.co.uk

Oxford Easybook M3
Writing with a paper and pen comes much more naturally than tapping away at a computer, but the problem is that your notes have to be retyped if you want to edit or e-mail them.
The Oxford Easybook M3 kit aims to combine the best of both worlds by allowing you to write using the special pen and pad, and then download the information to your computer.
It’s a novel system – the digital pen ‘remembers’ what you’ve written and stores it in its own memory. When you connect the pen to the host PC, the data is transferred across and can be stored as text or pictures, filed or put straight into a variety of programs.
The handwriting recognition works reasonably well in practice, though you have to write fairly neatly – the software can’t cope with a spidery scrawl.
While the system could be very useful for taking notes from lectures or business meetings, losing the special pen would be expensive, and you’ll need the special paper (included) to write on.
Verdict: Highly innovative and potentially very useful
Cost: £211.48 from www.euroffice.co.uk
Contact: www.oxfordeasybook.com/en/index.htm

Gear4 PocketPower
No matter how great your gadgets are, when they run out of battery power they’re next to useless.
The Gear4 PocketPower is a nice solution to the power problem – it uses its own batteries to top up your portable device whenever you’re nowhere near an electrical socket.
It works with lots of mobile phones, portable music players such as Ipods and other portable machines that have a rechargeable battery – though you’ll need a USB adapter that fits your own device.
The PocketPower comes with its own rechargeable batteries – charged via your desktop computer – or if these run down you can pop in four AAA batteries.
Verdict: Surprisingly useful – you’ll never have a flat Ipod again
Cost: £19.99
Contact: www.gear4.com

All prices are correct at the time of going to press. While we’ve searched extensively to find the best deals, you should check the internet and stockists yourself.

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