Unfortunately, no matter how often they’re told, most people still don’t take regular backup seriously until they learn the hard way when they experience a hard drive failure — alas, all too late.

However, the more precious data you amass —  digital music, movies and photos and more — the harder it is to store your backups on your PC’s hard drive or copy them to CDs or DVDs without using half a spindle to do the job.

That’s the position I found myself in recently — loads to back up, but not enough spare space on my hard drive, and the daunting prospect of using up all my DVD blanks. That is, until I came across the Clickfree Wireless Backup — the answer to a big backup victim’s prayer.

The Clickfree Wireless Backup comes in two storage sizes: 500G for $199 and 1TB for $299 — that’s enough to back up most people’s entire hard drive, allowing you to restore all your files (but not programs) in the event of a total hard drive collapse. It will restore all your files to their original locations, too.

This wireless backup device couldn’t be easier to set up and its storage capacity will handle the backup needs of most people — you just plug it into a USB port on your PC or Mac and you don’t need to install any software.

The Clickfree Wireless Backup device automatically detects your wireless network and connects to it, allowing you to back up any nominated files (even those in use) from any or all of the computers on your network (up to 20), wherever they are located in your home.

Oh, and even if you do have space on your hard drive for backing up those important files, you should always have your data backed up on a range of media external to your computer, such as CD/DVD and/or an external hard drive — if your hard drive tanks it, having your backups on the same drive is a folly, because you’ve lost the lot. Also make a backup to store offsite — in the event of theft, fire or some other disaster, your data will remain safe.

The Clickfree Wireless Backup is compatible with Windows XP, Vista or 7, Mac OSX 10.5 systems or later with Intel processor and comes with a three-year warranty.

And it’s not just the personal discomfort level that summer brings for laptop users that’s a problem.  There’s also the extra strain that rising external temperatures put on our laptops, adversely affecting performance.

Belkin has a great solution in its Laptop Cooling Lounge. It has a flexible slider panel underneath that lets you tilt your laptop at the optimum angle for you and the cooling pad’s fan plugs into one of your laptop’s  USB port to dissipate the heat and help keep both your lap and your laptop from overheating.

The Laptop Cooling Lounge suits laptops up to 17in.

RRP: $59.95

Courtesy of my work, I have quite a few ‘out there’ notebook bags — everything from a purple quilted satin number to a gelato-coloured neoprene job — but whikle they’re a bit of fun, they’re not really appropriate in many settings, particularly when you’re wanting to appear professional.

That’s why I always end up going back to basic black when I’m heading off to a business meeting — it goes with whatever I’m wearing and doesn’t detract from the business at hand.

Many ‘business’ notebook bags come with a fairly hefty price tag, precisely because manufacturers think they can gouge more money from that market, but you can get a stylish, functional notebook bag without breaking the bank.

Here are three bags from Belkin that will ensure you present a professional face and some some pennies at the same time. They are all well padded for maximum protection for your notebook and made from very durable material to cope with everyday wear and tear.

Belkin Messenger Bag

The Belkin Messenger Bag has discreet red accents for a business look that still lets you indulge in a bit of colour. This bag comes in two sizes: for notebooks up to 15.4in and up to 17in. It features a wide adjustable shoulder strap, which is very comfortable to wear, and a single carry handle if that’s your carrying preference.

RRP: $49.95

Belkin Wilshire Laptop Slim Case

If you don’t have a lot of stuff you need to carry around with you besides your laptop and accessories, this slim case is a good option. It’s still quite roomy, but without the bulk of most notebook bags. It has fixed padded carry handles and a detachable shoulder strap and  suits notebooks up to 15.6in.

RRP: $49.95

Belkin Wilshire Top Load Bag

From the same collection as the previous bag, this one is better suited to people who need to tote a bit more gear around with them. It’s very roomy, with three separate compartments and features a single padded carry handle and a removable shoulder strap.

RRP: $69.95

OK, I definitely go for comfort over style when I’m wired for sound on my morning walks, but when I’m out and about with work and socialising, it’s style all the way — forget the ‘liberty’; when it comes to gadgets, it’s give me bling, or give me death!

And I do like to swap headphones around for a bit of variety — yes, I do have a ‘wardrobe’ of headphones (a legacy of the job).

My latest headphones are from the Fashionista range from JVC, in glorious black-and-white zebra print — don’t worry, I’ve seen all those wildlife docos and I’m keeping a sharp eye our for hungry lions.

They’re in-ear  and very comfy — and I don’t say that often, as I find that most earbuds and my ears don’t seem to play nicely with them. The also come with three different sized rubber pads to suit every ear canal size — even mine!

They come in three patterns — dalmation, leopard and zebra — and have an RRP of $29.95.

The Contour sleeve opens on three sides via a tw0-way zip fastening and is made from a neoprene-type material (think wetsuit material), with a ridged/pleated rubbery front that provides extra protection for your iPad screen — the rubbery front surface also provides a good gripping surface for extra safety.

But you don’t have to be an iPad owner to sport one of these stylish little sleeves around town; if you have a smaller Netbook (7in or 8in), it should also fit comfprtably inside the Contour.

Belkin Contour iPad Sleeve
RRP: $49.95

So, when I received the Olin DPF-808 — an 8in digital photo frame with a built-in photo printer — to road-test, my hopes weren’t particularly high. However, I’m happy to report that when I cranked it up, I was pleasantly surprised.

The chocolate-coloured frame was understatedly stylish and the quality of the display was impressive. But the big bonus was the built-in printer, which lets you print high-quality 6x4in glossy borderless prints in seconds, straight from the images on display.

In my tests, printing a range of exposures, colours and saturations, the print quality was very good, producing clear photos with no colour deviations from the original image files.

The frame comes with a power adaptor, a USB cable for downloading images into the onboard memory, a remote control and an ink/paper cartridge (sufficient for 36 prints).

The frame accepts JPEG files from a range of popular memory cards (Secure Digital, MultiMedia Card, Memory Stick, Memory Stick Pro, Memory Stick Pro Duo and xD), which can be plugged directly into the rear of the unit and there’s a USB slot for displaying images straight from a USB thumb drive. There’s also 128M of onboard memory for permanent display.

As well as viewing photos as single shots or a slideshow complete with music and tasteful transitions, you can view videos (JPEG AVI movies) and play audio files.

The frame and printer couldn’t be easier to operate, and because no computer is required for their operation, the combo is the perfect digital photography solution for non-techie types — a perfect example of an ideal target market is my elderly parents, who have a digital camera, but no computer and very modest photo printing needs.

The unit’s recommended retail price of $399 might seem hefty, but when you consider that you are getting two devices and look at what they’d cost you to buy separately, it’s quite reasonable really.

Olin DFP-808
RRP: $399
(ink/paper cartridges sold separately for $19.95)

Available at Paxtons camera stores.

However, it would be just as handy at home for snuggling up in bed with a good movie, or enjoying some entertainment while catching  some winter sun on the back porch.

The player comes bundled with an AC adaptor, a car charger for charging on the road, earphones, an AV cable for connection to an external TV, a remote control and a headrest mounting bag for the car.

There’s also a USB port, so you can play media files (JPEG, MP3, MPEG4 and DiVX) from a memory stick, as well regular DVDs.

(There’s only one earphone jack on the player, but if you want to share the player between a couple of kids, you might want to add a Belkin RockStar (reviewed yesterday) to the mix.)

The review unit I tested was a fairly in-your-face muskstick pink and may not appeal to everyone, but ‘tween’ girls will probably love it.

The build is pretty sturdy, so it’s not likely to pack it in at the first knock, which is an important consideration when using it with kids. And the screen quality is surprisingly good.

Olin PD707P portable DVD player
RRP $149.95
Available exclusively at Kmart.

There are some DVD models that have dual headphone jacks, but they tend to be at the top end of the market. Or you can buy two players, which will also challenge the family budget.

That’s where the Belkin RockStar comes to the rescue — and at just $19.95, it will be money well spent to stop the fights, and you won’t have to listen to music and movies you rather give a miss in the spirit of peace and compromise.

The RockStar allows you to share an audio connection between up to five people on devices with a 3.5mm headphone jack. You can even connect another player to one of the RockStar’s arms and share the contents of both.

The RockStar will also be popular with tweens and teens sharing their iPods with friends on the go — there are definitely kids on my train commute who would be thrilled one, as they only get to listen through one earbud while sharing music on the way to school each day.

Belkin RockStar
RRP $19.95

Was I disappointed? Yes and no. Admittedly,  this radio was not state of the art and I’m no audiophile, but I really couldn’t tell any appreciable difference in quality from my regular, garden-variety radio. This could well be a different experience with a higher-end unit (or at least you’d hope so).

However, the big plus with digital radio is the huge number of extra digital-only radio stations that you can access. That said, while this was the case in metropolitan Sydney, I had no such luck when using it in the Blue Mountains (admittedly, a communications dead spot), so check what you can receive on your area.

Another great feature of the digital radio is that the LED display scrolls information on the channel and details of what’s currently playing — one of my biggest bug bears listening to conventional radio is hearing a song that I like and having no idea what it is or who’s singing it, as the practice of routinely being given such information by on-air announcers seems to have gone by the by.

There’s definitely nothing complicated about using the radio. Just scan for stations in your reception area and preset your favourites (up to 10). The radio runs on either AC power (cord included) or four AA batteries (not provided). There’s also a 3.5mm headph0ne socket if you don’t want to disturb anyone else.

The radio is small and light (17 by 5 by 12cm), making it truly portable. However, the build felt cheap and it wouldn’t win any awards in the style department.  It’s currently available n white only.

Kaiser Bass Portable Digital Radio — RRP $129.95
Exclusive to Dick Smith stores

Maybe I have deformed ears, but I find earbuds horribly uncomfortable — and I’ve tried quite a few over the years. I thought I’d give in-ear headphones a go — they were more comfortable, but I had a hell of a job keeping them in, especially if I was munching an apple on the way. I also worried about hearing loss with those things, as I like to have my music pumping!

Well, this week my problems were solved when a set of Halo headphones landed on my desk. They’re a really simple idea, but so effective: a stretch head band that you slip the provided disc speakers into, positioning them wherever they are most comfortable for you.

The stretch band and flexible positioning  caters for every head size and shape and the breathable fabric of the band works well as a sweat band when you’re exercising — the band is machine washable, colour fast and easy care. And you could stand on your head and they wouldn’t budge, unlike other headphones, so they are brilliant for the most vigorous of exercise.

A two-pin pug is also included for use in-flight on aircraft.

Here’s a video of how they work:

The headphones are available for a RRP of $49.95 and additional headbands can be purchased separately for $15. You can buy online here or find stockists here.

A special Sports Pack is also now available (a black original headband with a bonus charcoal special sports band) for an RRP of $54.90. Additional headbands are available in a range of colours for $14.95, or a three-pack of red, white and blue headbands for $39.95 for the fashion-conscious exerciser.