Tascam's built its reputation on providing high-quality recording equipment for musicians and videophiles, and now you can get a piece of the action with the compact, lightweight iM2.

It's a digital recorder for iOS devices that plugs into the dock connector on the bottom of your iPhone 4, iPhone 4S, fourth-generation iPod touch, iPad or iPad 2.

On its own, it comprises a pair of high-quality stereo condenser mics with a built-in volume input dial and a limiter switch to reduce distortion.

But it really comes into its own when you team it with its accompanying PCM Recorder app. This apes the controls on Tascam's range of pro-class audio recorders like the DR-08, giving you precise control over recordings, the ability to transfer recordings to iTunes or share them on SoundCloud.

Thanks to the high spec of its stereo mics and ability to record in CD quality (44.1kHz PCM), the sound recordings the iM2 makes are excellent no matter what you're trying to record. And you can angle the microphones backwards and forwards by 180-degrees to ensure they're always pointing at your subject.

The Tascam iM2 inevitably picks up any sounds your hands make while you're holding it; and you'll need to be careful when setting recording levels to avoid clipping/distortion, although the limiter can help. There's also a lack of a line input, which ultimately stops the iM2 from being a great all-round recording machine.

For those people heading to a festival this summer, a portable charger is a must-have gadget.

Solar chargers are ideal because they allow you to harvest energy from the sun and then deliver it straight into your mobile device of choice without even laying eyes on a power socket.

The Freeloader Classic has an internal battery which can be charged using either the detachable solar charging wings, or by plugging it in to a computer's USB port.

On a hot summer's day with no cloud cover, the internal battery will take around 8 hours to charge and that energy can be fed into your mobile phone or iPad using the included adapters. The device has its own full-size USB port so you can charge an iPhone using its own USB charger, while most other devices will usually need one of the included adapters.

The charge can be passed into your phone in around 2 hours. So it's not exactly the quick burst of juice you get from hooking up to a wall socket, but you can easily leave it charging during the day and then plug your phone in at night, and we found that to be the best way to work it.

The battery will supply around 2 hours charge to an iPad, but will give a smartphone something closer to a full whack which is crucial for those spending extended periods in the outdoors.

There's also a nifty little LCD panel on the front which indicates how much charge is left in the battery, so you'll know when the lemon be done juicin'.

We found the charging capabilities of the Freeloader Classic quite impressive. But ultimately, the product is let down by the fact that our great yellow sun simply doesn't have much regard for the UK and never will.

Cloudy days spoil the solar party completely, and even bright sunshine during the cooler months isn't enough to charge the Classic in anything even resembling a workable timeframe.

But if you anticipate getting a lot of sun in the middle of the British summer, you could do a lot worse than picking up one of these.

Zomm bills itself as a "wireless leash" for your phone. Obviously, that's nonsense, so what is it real-person language? It's a little Bluetooth dongle you attach to your keys (or your belt, with the included clip) that acts as a handsfree speaker, an alert to tell you've forgotten your phone, and a safety device.

The main feature is probably the alarm that goes off if you wander too far from your mobile. Zomm makes a point of saying that you can customise the distance before it starts vibrating, flashing and making noise, but actually the options are basically 'short' and 'long'.

We wish you could change the 'leash' length using a switch or button on the device itself, because you might not be bothered about wandering quite far from your phone in your office building, but don't want to get too far from a restaurant before you realise you've forgotten it.

Regardless of that, it works. Stray too far from your mobile and you'll know about. As a tool to avoid forgetfulness, we can't really fault it.

We think it would be even more useful if it could work both ways (so if you'd left your keys, your phone went off in your pocket), but that doesn't change the fact that it does exactly what it says it will.

When you get a call, the Zomm will vibrate, flash and make noise. You can answer by pressing the Z button, turning the unit into a little handsfree kit. We found that it picked up voices really well, though they could become a little distorted.

The speaker also suffers from some distortion, especially if you're on a weak line, and we found that it was easily drowned out. You can change the volume using your phone's volume options, but by the time you're holding your phone, you might as well just use that to take the call.

The safety part of the Zomm worked well, too. Holding the button for a few seconds gets you a nice buzz, which indicates that you're about to get into alarm territory. Sure enough, an alarm will soon sound, and if you keep holding, it'll dial the emergency services.

At £80, the Zomm is pretty expensive. However, panic alarms that can dial out in emergencies can easily cost that on their own, so when you factor in its call-answering capabilities and the 'wireless leash' feature, it's not too bad comparitively. Plus, if it saves your life, or even just stops you losing an expensive phone, it might start to look like a bargain.

With all the ice and snow around currently, we can imagine Zomm would bring some peace of mind to older people especially, but it's still too much to spend for us to recommend it for everyone.

Vodafone Sure Signal: Overview

Ever got frustrated by weak mobile signals in your house or workplace? Us too. Now Vodafone has a plug-in router-alike solution – the Vodafone Sure Signal - that means you won't ever again have to crane your head out of a top floor window to get decent in-home coverage.

The Vodafone Sure Signal is effectively a 3G mobile phone signal booster that you plug in to your existing broadband connection – like having a mini cellular base station in your own home or office.

If you're thinking "that looks like the Vodafone Access Gateway" then you'd be right - the box has been renamed. Vodafone says it made the decision after customer feedback.

Once connected to your router, you can make calls or use data services with your 3G phone with a full-strength signal. It won't matter what network coverage is like around your home location. It'll all be routed through your internet connection.

The Vodafone Sure Signal is a small wedge-shaped box, approximately the size of a fixed line broadband router (it measures 190(h) x 150(w) x 37(h)mm and weighs 414g).

Made by French telecoms manufacturer Sagem, the Sure Signal is a 'femtocell', which provides low-powered cellular connection in-building, linking the phone to the mobile network via a home broadband connection rather than via normal network cellular base stations.

Up to four Vodafone 3G handsets can make or take calls, or use data services, through the Sure Signal at any one time, and any 3G mobile phone in the UK is compatible with it.

Setting up

Up to 32 Vodafone mobile phone numbers can be registered for the device, so you can enable family, friends, work colleagues and even neighbours to access the Sure Signal – provided they're with the network – though rest assured, it's not accessible to casual passing stranger

As well as mobile phones, other devices such as USB modem sticks and data cards can be registered for access to the Sure Signal. The list of registered numbers can be added to or changed with a quick call to the support line.

Vodafone has launched the Vodafone Sure Signal primarily as a device for boosting signals for the home or small business where signal strength is an issue. It is selling the device on its own for a one-off fee of £160, or it can be had from free bundled with certain 3G handsets for a contract payment of £15 per month.

Alternatively, existing Vodafone customers can get one for an additional monthly charge of £5.

Vodafone Sure Signal: Handling

The set-up procedure for the Vodafone Sure Signal is very straightforward. The device plugs in via a cable to a spare Ethernet port on a fixed broadband router, and is powered via a mains plug.

A fixed broadband connection with a minimum speed of 1Mbps is required - if you're unsure, your connection can be tested on Vodafone's Sure Signal website.

A series of four indicator lights on the curved white casing show when the power is on or off, whether there is an internet connection, if a phone call is being made or if a data session is active, and when the Sure Signal is ready for use.

Before enjoying full in-home cellular coverage, though, you do have to register the device online. It's no great task – just the list of phone numbers you want to use with the device and other regular details, and the serial number of the Sure Signal.

Once registered, you're promised an email confirmation of registration within 24 hours to confirm you're up and running – though our confirmation took little over an hour to arrive

Plug in the device for the first time, and the initialisation process takes up to an hour to complete. Vodafone recommends the Sure Signal be left on for up to 6 hours to optimise itself on the first connection.

Performance

Following Vodafone's connection procedures was a breeze. It was ready to operate within a couple of hours from first getting it out of the box and registering online. And with no extra configuration necessary for the handsets connecting to the device, it required no effort for setting up or using for us or registered users.

Immediately we found our signal strength, which hovered around the 2-3 bar mark for local cellular connection, boosted to a full 5 bars with HSDPA indicated. It does what it says on the tin, with no fuss or hassle.

The cost of calls and data are treated the same as if you were using the regular mobile network, and will be covered in your normal inclusive airtime and data deals – there's no special deal for using your own broadband connection to route calls!

Out of range of the Sure Signal, your phone will use the regular Vodafone cellular network, and as you may be using one of these in a low signal area users could find calls being dropped as they leave Sure Signal coverage or switch between base station and femtocell coverage. We, however, didn't experience any issues with it.

Vodafone Sure Signal: Verdict

We liked:

The Vodafone Sure Signal works great in boosting in-building signal coverage. Its set-up procedure is straightforward and requires minimal technical know how, giving it an easy-to-use appeal. No phone configuration is required either – once set up, you just use your phone(s), or other mobile devices, as normal.

It works well and provides consistent voice and data connection at full strength within range of the Sure Signal.

We didn't like:

The price isn't particularly cheap at the moment, so its appeal to users may be limited; alternative networks with better local coverage might appear a simpler, cheaper option. We'd have also liked the facility to amend our user list online rather than having to phone a helpdesk. All else was fine.

Verdict:

The Vodafone Sure Signal could prove a useful investment for Vodafone customers struggling with indoor coverage in the home or office. Vodafone has delivered a simple to set up and use solution that lives up to its billing.

Whether the benefit is worth the price will depend on your particular needs and communication alternatives, though it does work efficiently and effectively.

The IK AmpliTube iRig is a hardware and software combination that turns your iPhone/iPad/iPod touch into a fully featured guitar amp complete with effects pedals.

Just plug the iRig device into your iPhone's 3.5mm stereo headphone minijack and the other end into your guitar, using a standard guitar cable. There's another 3.5mm port on the iRig for you to attach headphones.

Then, using the AmpliTube app (the basic version of which is free, but you pay to add more pedals) you can listen to your guitar with a variety of different effects, such as Chorus, Delay and Wah, or through different types of amp – Lead, Bass and Crunch. It's all great fun.

The dials on each effect pedal can be adjusted endlessly, and combined to form many variations (you can have up to three effects applied simultaneously). The app itself looks great and is intuitive to use.

The buttons for switching pedals are a little small to hit accurately on the iPhone's tiny screen, but are much easier to use on an iPad. The effects themselves sound fantastic, and produce a variety of rich tones that sound just like the real thing.

You only get three effects for free, so factor in buying more via in-app purchases or by getting the full AmpliTube app (£12).

The iRig is a great idea. Just plonk yourself down on the sofa with your iPhone and guitar, pop your headphones on and you've got a complete guitar setup without needing a bulky amplifier and peddles all over the floor.

The concept is let down only slightly by the obvious problem that you have to stop playing to touch your iPhone for a change of effect, which interrupts your musical flow somewhat. Unfortunately you can't plug the iRig directly into your Mac's line-in port for recording in GarageBand (a USB microphone is required), but to be fair, IK Multimedia makes a separate product for use with your Mac.

The iRig works brilliantly for both guitars and bass though, and if you're a guitarist there's an endless amount of fun to be had here.

From mobile phones and MP3 players to Bluetooth headsets and handheld consoles, the number of portable devices we need to power has rocketed in recent years. The Power Fort Rechargeable Power Backup Battery Pack is a little bigger than a deck of cards and weighs in at 102g.

Plug it into the mains to charge up its battery, and it can then be used on the move to charge other devices while away from other sources of power.

The Advance version of the battery pack comes complete with four AC adaptors that can be clipped into the USB charger – helping to reduce the number of cables that have to be packed on foreign trips. There's also a cigarette lighter adaptor for in-car charging via a USB cable.

The car and wall chargers are not included with the standard version of the battery pack, but the battery can also be charged by connecting it to a computer's USB port.

Shine a light

Once fully powered, a USB or mini-USB cable can be used to charge a wide range of devices.

The level of the battery can be checked with a single press of the case button, while a double press fires up the LED torch on the underside. The torch is of questionable value, but it's there if you ever need it.

The supplied USB and mini-USB cables allow a number of different devices to be charged, but it would have been good to see interchangeable adaptors.

If you want to charge something that uses a non-standard connection, like an iPhone, you'll need to take your own device-specific USB cable with you. If you have several such devices, this could mean a tangle of cables.

The capacity of the battery means that larger devices such as PDAs and sat-navs can be charged at least once, while less demanding MP3 players can be charged several times over before the Power Fort needs recharging itself. It does its simple job in style, making it a useful addition to any laptop bag.

The iPhone's great success has meant that earphone manufacturers haven't been reluctant to create earphones especially for it, including the mic/clicker arrangement used for calls and to control playback.

There are relatively few that have volume controls on the same clicker; but the Image S4i earbuds from Klipsch do.

While volume controls are a nice convenience for, say, iPhone users, they're vital for anyone who wants to add better third-party earbuds to a new iPod shuffle, as is the Image S4i's support for VoiceOver.

They're reasonably comfortable, though we found it tricky to get a good fit with the supplied tips, and the over-the-ear route the thin cable takes isn't to everyone's taste.

Also the lightness of the clicker meant that there was nothing keeping the over-the-ear cable from riding up and unhooking over the top of the ear.

The quality of the mic for hands-free calls was variable. In a quiet room, callers reported good results, but the mic's placement on your sternum puts it rather far away from your voice, doesn't shield it from wind and ambient noise, and means you can't really thread the cable neatly through clothing. (An optional clip in the package can help with both issues, but it's inelegant.)

They sound good, but certainly not 'ninety quid' good – the bass is too flabby. Note that very few iPhone and iPod models can use all the Image S4i's features.

Owners of the volume-rocker-less original iPod touch especially would have loved these, but the volume controls don't work with that model.

The GorillaMobile Holder for iPhone is a mini-tripod with a difference. Each of its legs has ten flexible joints, enabling you to twist and bend them to sit in awkward spaces or uneven floors.

The head section twists and bends too, so you can use your iPhone in portrait or landscape mode, and angle it to suit. When you bend the GorillaMobile it stays bent, allowing you to use it as more than just a tripod.

You can wrap the legs around bars or poles, to mount your iPhone in all sorts of places.

Wrap it around a tree to film your pets playing in the garden. Fasten it to your cycle handlebars and use your iPhone's sat-nav feature. Fix it to the plane or train seat in front of you and watch a video. Connect it to your pushchair and keep an eye on your shopping list in the supermarket. The possibilities are almost endless.

In our tests we found the GorillaMobile's grip is strong enough to withstand most bumps and bangs, so it won't come loose while in operation.

GorillaMobile comes with a soft case to house your iPhone 3G or 3GS. Also supplied is a quarter-inch tripod screw-mounting for use with a compact camera, and two high-bond adhesive clips to mount any device that doesn't break the weight limit.

Its sheer versatility and high build quality makes GorillaMobile the ideal solution for anyone looking for a mini tripod for the iPhone or a compact camera.

Ah, the gorilla. Biggest (and therefore bestest) of all primates, it's a powerful, dark beast, adept to living in the harsh lands of the rainforest. The MiniGorilla (Latin: MiniGorilla) is a smaller beast, and adept to living on your desk, in a plane, or in a seedy motel in Michigan. But probably not so at home on the River Congo.

It's a small (think portable hard disk size) battery pack, designed to deliver extra power to all your technological goodies. It includes connectors for a variety of netbooks, phones and MP3 players, but you will have to buy iPod or MacBook adapters separately (HAHAHA!). It also comes with all the adapters you'll ever need to charge it in on a variety of continents.

But is it worth it? We managed to get two and a half hours extra out of an Asus Eee using the device, which is about what you'd expect from its standard battery. But, for half the price of the MiniGorilla, you can pick up a whopping nine-cell battery for your Wind or Eee, and you can charge most of your gadgets via your netbook anyway.

In fact, Mini-USB is set to become the de facto standard for mobile phones in the coming years, so you'll really only need the one cable.

If you don't own a netbook, however, but do have an array of gadgets that need constant charging, the MiniGorilla could come in handy. Especially if you're going on a long excursion to the Congo to meet actual gorillas.

The Minigorilla is the little brother of the Powergorilla, Powertraveller's portable power supply/charger for laptops and other portable devices.

This lower-cost unit has a smaller battery and is aimed at users of less power-hungry devices. Because of this, the range of voltages on offer (8.4V, 9.5V, 10.5V and 19V, plus 5V for USB-powered devices) is a better match for netbooks than laptops.

The unit can charge from any mains outlet worldwide using the various plug adaptors. On a full charge, you can run a typical netbook for two hours once its batteries are exhausted, or charge a mobile phone six times or more.

Inevitably, there's a snag: you have to carry a range of adaptors to match your portable devices. The Minigorilla is supplied with 18 adaptors, but you might only need two or three of them – and although these are small and easy to lose, the fact that the Minigorilla comes with a neoprene carrying case with a pouch for them does help.