Gear4 BluEye iPod Bluetooth remote control
01494 436 221 www.gear4.com £50

Don’t miss a phone call just because you’e listening to your iPod through earphones. When a call comes in to your Bluetooth-enabled mobile, BluEye pauses your music and displays the caller’s ID on the iPod screen. You can accept the call by pressing the play button, then converse using your earphones and the BluEye’s built-in microphone. The postage-stamp-sized device, which incorporates an FM radio, connects to your iPod with a supplied cable and has a standard 3.5mm headphone jack. BluEye is easy to set up and operate, but making yourself heard can be difficult if the microphone isn’t near your mouth. Also, making calls with BluEye will drain the iPod’s battery. But Gear4’s clever accessory could dispense with the need for a phone-cum-music player.

Zoom in: mini binoculars

Sunagor 10-40x21 Micro Zoom binoculars
020 7722 2976 www.sunagor.com £90

Whether you intend to engage in a spot of espionage or follow the horses at Ascot, a pair of discreet binoculars is always handy. The maker of this model claims it is the world’s smallest that also comes equipped with a zoom. It’s certainly tiny, so larger hands may find it fiddly. The focusing ring is responsive and the model has good touches, such as rubber eyecups that fold back to allow wearers of spectacles to get closer. In tests the basic 10x magnification gave sharp results. Slide a lever across to increase this to 40x, however, and you need to have a steady hand to avoid image shake. Larger binoculars will suck more light in, resulting in brighter images. Given its size, this model copes well, although it performed far better in sunshine.

Power up: phone recharger

Exspect ReCharge4 charger
www.recharge4.com £40

This choc-ice-sized recharger is easy to use; simply attach the appropriate connector and plug in the phone. An LED display tells you how much charge is left in the unit. The Recharge4 delivers up to four charges before it needs topping up from the mains. However, the eight connectors supplied won’t fit every phone: the big-selling Chocolate phone from LG is among those for which there is no adaptor (though the company says you will soon be able to buy one). The unit can also recharge MP3 players or portable games consoles if you opt for one of two accessory packs costing £10 each. Available at HMV, Comet or Maplin.

Drive safe: breathalyser

Personal Alcohol Breathalyser
0800 634 4480 www.nav-now.co.uk £60

Anyone who has drunk heavily in the evening could still be over the limit on their way to work the next morning. An estimated 3,000 UK drivers lost their licences that way last year. Drink-driving is dangerous, stupid and can lose you your mobility and livelihood — and gain you a hefty fine. However, with the Personal Alcohol Breathalyser you can check your alcohol level to make sure you’re safe and legal. The semiconductor technology operates much like the official police units. It’s CE approved, which means it has passed the appropriate European quality-assurance tests. The device, at a mere 100g, is light enough to carry in a pocket or glovebox.

Invisible ink: digital pen

DigiMemo A402 scanning pen
01732 765100 www.selwyn.co.uk £110

Why waste time transcribing handwritten notes after a big meeting when the DigiMemo A402 can digitise your penstrokes and transfer them straight onto a computer? Once converted, the notes can be transferred to editable text (this requires DigiMemo’s £35 handwriting recognition software, which comes on a free month’s trial). Surveyors and interior designers can also use the device to store sketches. Unlike most rivals, the DigiMemo writes like an ordinary pen on normal A4 paper. The ballpoint on the pen transmits its position to the accompanying digital pad underneath, which has 32MB of built-in memory. The device will retain up to 50 sheets of notes, though this can be expanded with an SD memory card. In our tests the pen felt comfortable. The pen and software made a game attempt at translating our scrawls to editable text. Not cheap, but far less faff than toting a tablet computer.

gear@sunday-times.co.uk