Gadgets: making travel easier

SanDisk Connect Wireless Flash Drive
One of the most useful devices to hit the market, it just looks like a regular memory stick. Yet it's actually a little self-contained wireless drive that doesn't just let users move files, photos or video around without cables, it can wirelessly stream music or movies to up to eight connected smartphones or tablets. When I say little, it can still store up to 32GB: that's a lot of data for a mobile device. And as the stick creates its own 30m wifi signal, no other network is needed. It's easy to set up on Android or iOS, or on Kindle Fire if you're bucking the tablet trend.
The SanDisk Connect Wireless Flash Drive is available from amazon.co.uk for £42 (€50)

Objekten Keyring
A simple piece of no-fi kit here to enhance your digital life. Even if you didn't know you had one. From Brussels design house, Objekten, it's a leather keyring with a clever die cut that lets it double as a neat stand for your smartphone. Made in Belgium too, from recycled bonded leather, so the green box gets ticked.
€10 from objekten.com

Ricoh Theta 360º Camera
The 360º qualifier doesn't do the Theta justice. Ricoh refers to the images it shoots as "spherical" and perhaps that's closer to the mark. The other side of it has another super-wide angle lens, so when you take a photo, it captures a total wrap-round image. Sync it with a smartphone and you can navigate or explore the image in 360º and zoom out to create a rotatable spherical image. Check out sample shots at theta360.com.
$400 (€300); pre-order at ricoh-imaging.co.uk


Tom Kelly
betweenideas.blogspot.com