Gadgets Gizmos Gossip

In the last decade, USB flash drives have become phenomenally popular all over the world, particularly when it comes to transporting data. It’s not hard to understand why, as USB flash drives are small, easy to transport and have very little in the way of moving parts than can be affected by dropping, scratches, dust, etc. In addition to this, modern USB drives can hold a considerable amount of data (up to around 300GB), making them a preferable alternative to external hard drives, CD’s and DVD’s (all of which are easily damaged).

However, whilst USB drives offer numerous benefits in terms of portability and reliability, they do have some drawbacks when it comes to transporting sensitive or personal data. USB drives are easily lost (due to their size and weight) and make a fairly easy target for thieves – something that’s particularly pertinent in the case of data that needs to be kept secure.

It’s for precisely this reason that secure USB technology has become extremely popular in the last year or so; offering people a more secure version of the standard USB flash drive.

One of the best examples of modern secure USB technology is the military grade Ironkey USB, which is available for public purchase from certain online suppliers. USB drives like the Ironkey offer a range of features designed to help protect your data and other sensitive files, these include:

Tough casing – the casing of secure USB drives is not only rugged and tamperproof, but is also waterproof, helping to protect your data from drops, spillages or even complete submersion in water.

High level cryptography - all data housed on the USB is encrypted, ensuring only you can access the data housed on the drive. In addition, they also boast high level authentication, making them extremely difficult to crack into.

Remote kill - almost all secure USB drives feature some kind of remote kill function, allowing you to remotely wipe the drive should it be lost or stolen.

Secure backup - many secure drives will feature an innovative back-up feature, meaning if you accidentally delete or overwrite sensitive data, you’ll be able to ‘step backwards’ to recover your data.

Secure browsers - this particular feature is aimed at those who need secure internet access wherever they are in the world (particularly useful for journalists and security personnel working in hostile environments). The browser application will allow you to go online without fear of your activity being viewed or accessed by others.

Financial spread betting is proving a popular investment vehicle for many more people today.  Although you may “trade” instead of simply laying a bet and once the bet is live you “hold a position”, it is essentially gambling.  Your own money is put at risk in the expectation of a certain outcome, resulting in a return on that investment.  One of the major attractions of financial spread betting is its tax-free status.  Because your transaction is a bet, not a trade, any profits are free from UK Capital Gains Tax and income tax.  You’re also free from stamp duty because you are not physically buying a share when you do trade (make the bet).

For some the advantage is the fact that it’s a marginal activity, meaning that bets don’t have to be huge sums to be potentially very profitable.   Of course, the upside of relatively small sums for a large exposure also has a downside of potentially huge losses. With some spread betting companies requiring deposits from as little as 3% of the equivalent direct investment value, it only needs a slight movement in the share price in the wrong direction to leave  you owing substantial amounts of money.  True, you can instigate “stop loss” triggers whereby a bet is automatically closed if a share price or other index plummets beyond a certain level, effectively limiting any loss. However, it’s still a loss and you still have to pay.  Even with all those caveats, spread betting provides one of the simpler and potentially very rewarding starting points for any budding trader.

Spread betting needn’t chain you to a desk in front of a PC every hour of the trading day. Mobile phones and personal digital assistants (PDAs) give you real time share prices and the ability to execute trades wherever you happen to be.   You can play the mergers and acquisitions market and seriously consider becoming a day trader in order to make a living.   Successful day trading is almost impossible through conventional share dealing because stamp duty liable every time you buy a UK share could take a huge chunk out of your capital. Spread bets are exempt from stamp duty, so the chance of generating a decent income from day trading is actually quite good.

Another attraction is the fact that you don’t need a huge portfolio of shares to make strategic decisions about sectors. By taking out spread bets on entire FTSE sectors, you can move in and out of pharmaceuticals, banking or telecoms, as you wish.  All you need is good insight into movements or likely movements.  You don’t require the in depth sector knowledge that managing a share portfolio would require.   Given the upheavals across the Middle East at present, speculating on the price of oil from your computer, your home office, or your mobile phone could also prove profitable. There are of course thousands of experienced traders around the world vying to make money in this market, but if you fancy your chances, you can sign up and make trades within minutes, such is the speed and flexibility of financial spread betting.

If you’re anything like me, you’ve already spent a worrying amount of time in the office in 2011. So to help those workaholics out there make their work lives just a little bit more comfortable, here’s a collection of some great gadgets for the office:

1. USB Foot Warmer

With the cold weather apparantly here for a few more months yet, I’m sure I’m not the only one who’s bored of having freezing cold feet underneath my desk. This particular problem is no longer an issue however, with the USB foot warmer. You don’t have to worry about size or burning your precious feet either, as it features a safe voltage, non-slip covering and it’s one size fits all!

2. Scratch N Scroll Mousepad

The Scratch n Scroll mousepad is a slim design mousemat, which features a reusable memo pad. Fantastic for taking notes on the go – this mousepad will ensure you stop forgetting those important jobs, and once it’s done, simply lift up the front cover and you’re left with a blank sheet. The ideal office desk addition for anyone who’s always forgetting to do things.

3. 2 Cup Desktop Filter Coffee Maker

My own personal favourite, the 2 cup desktop filter coffee maker stops you having to get up every ten minutes to make yourself another cup. It’s also great if you share a desk, although I’ve been using mine to make myself two cups at a time! The coffee maker comes with two mini mugs, and runs from the mains electricity, so no batteries are required. It may be small and simple, but it works brilliantly well and at only £16.99, it’s a bargain too!

Written by Phillip, who likes swimming pools, beko washing machines and works for a company specialising in supply chain management and logistics.