Budget Gadgets

Budget Gadgets

Taking pictures, listening to music, finding your way about - there\'s a gadget to help you do them all. And the good news is you don\'t have to go for a top-of-the-price-range model to find a camera, camcorder, radio, MP3 player, speakers or satnav worth buying. Verity Mann of the Good Housekeeping Institute\'s consumer team picks a bargain half dozen.

Taking pictures

Fujifilm FinePix Z20fd digital camera

Lightweight, at a mere 126g including the rechargeable battery, a memory card and strap, this compact digital camera boasts a large (45Mb) internal memory for its size and price. (It still wouldn\'t hurt to spend an extra £5.50 or so on a supplementary 128Mb memory card, though). As with most digital cameras we\'ve tested, it has face detection mode, which identifies and focuses on anything with eyes, nose and mouth, and is useful when photographing groups of people. It has a respectable set of vital statistics: 10-megapixel resolution, 3x optical zoom and 8cm minimum focussing distance. The zoom closes in on the subject in very small stages, but is a little jumpy. Some test pictures came out dark, although colours were good on indoor shots, with and without flash. It\'s main drawback, however, is its non-intuitive navigation. Available in pink, green, blue, black or red.

Score: 71/100

Price: £83 - £195

Stockist: 0870 084 1310;

fujifilm.co.uk

Making movies

Flip Video Ultra camcorder

The Flip digital camcorder is chunky but light and extremely simple to use, even for technophobes. Hold the 1.5in LCD screen up, press a button and you\'re away. The video it shoots isn\'t high definition, but this is a low-cost camcorder that\'s aimed at being fun. The USB connector to upload your footage to a PC or Mac flips out of the side and the 2Mb built-in storage space is enough to shoot 60 minutes of video. There\'s no worrying about running out of power at a crucial moment as it uses AA batteries. Available in black, white and pink, white and orange or white and lime green.

Price: £75 - £99

Score: 82/100

Stockist: 0844 922 1010;

firebox.com

Hearing voices

Pure ONE Mini digital radio

Tiny, attractive radio with a smart tuning knob that doubles as the volume control, although this must be pressed horizontally to confirm selections, which can be fiddly. Despite the small speaker, sound is surprisingly good for both music and talk. An excellent choice for the kitchen or desk where space is limited. It is designed to minimise power consumption. Mains or battery powered. Available in black, white or pale pink.

Price: £29 - £45

Score: 79/100

Stockist: pure.com/sales

Upping the volume

JBL Creature II 2.1 MP3 speakers

The Creature speakers are well-named - there\'s something spacey-looking about them. The simple interface makes use of touch-sensitivity so the volume is raised and lowered by repeatedly pressing one of the satellite speakers. Most important is the sound, which is wide and full, with strong bass. As well as their obvious use with an iPod or other MP3 player, the speakers can be used to play music from a computer or be connected to a CD player.

Price: £43 - £68.50

Score: 85/100

Stockist: 0844 561 1234;

currys.co.uk

Finding the way

TomTom ONE satnav

There\'s no separate cradle for this tiny, pocket-sized satnav, which has an integral screen mount that folds flat against the body for easy storage. Its small dimensions mean compromising on screen size, but it still manages to pack in lots of useful details, including distance to the next turning, speed cameras, the speed at which you should be travelling, plus your current speed. It\'s still easy to view all this at a glance on the 3.5in screen. Ideal for a first-time satnav user.

Price: £80 - £150

Score: 85/100

Stockist: 0845 161 0009;

tomtom.com

Listening on the move

Philips SA3245 4Gb MP3 player

Despite the price, this player feels classy and looks stylish, with none of the flimsiness of many of its similarly priced competitors. It also has the benefit of a full colour screen for videos and photos, which is surprisingly good. The built-in radio makes it versatile, too, and it\'s small enough to take anywhere. Sound quality isn\'t quite up to the expensive players, but it\'s the best of the budget models we tested and can hold up to 2,000 songs. Its unfussy lines should give it wide appeal.

Price: £46.97 - £59

Score: 67/100

Stockist: 01293 776675;

philips.co.uk