Things are no doubt a bit manic on your hard drive what with all those videos and mp3s floating around which only seem to be on the increase from the likes of iTunes Store and Amazon. And our ever increasing desire for high-definition quality does not help either. But fret not as we’ve got a wonderful little device to make your data storage issues fly away.

We’re going to admit right now that this is definitely not the cheapest storage system out there. But don’t click away yet, gather around to at least give us a chance to explain why Drobo rocks. Other than the fancy blinking lights and cool robotic technology it makes data storage a snap. No longer will you need to worry about backups and hard drive failures. Adding more storage is as simple as slotting in a newer, higher capacity drive, and waiting for the robots inside to work their stuff.  There’s no worrying about RAID, multiple drives, syncing or the headache involved in expanding the storage.

So with that under the belt hopefully it gives you a few reasons to read on. Connectivity to your system is achieved via either Firewire 800 or  USB2.0 and Ethernet via the optional DroboShare device. Certainly the greatest feature of Drobo is that you connect it to your PC or Mac and slot in hard drives. Drobo then quietly formats the drive and expands the available storage capacity. You don’t need to fiddle with anything and you’re kept informed with lights on the front of the device indicating what it’s up to. The traffic light systems show the health of your Drobo unit with green for ok, yellow for time to add a more storage (85% full) and red for it’s full up and needs a new drive <strong>now</strong>. There are also a few blue LED’s at the bottom which slowly edge up as your data usage increases.

Drobo is unique in that it’s BeyondRAID feature means you’re able to add new drives without having to match their storage capacity. This means that you can slot in any sized drive and have the storage available. Quite a blessing over the complexity that RAID would bring about. In total you’re able to shove in 16TB worth of drives, more than enough for most needs. Drives are easily slotted in without the need for carriers or screws. So simple even your mum could attempt it.

Tech Gift Guide would definitely recommend Drobo to take the pain out of storage. Yes it’s a bit of an investment but it pays for itself in no time. And of course whoever you get this for (even yourself!) will love and adore you forever. The best prices are definitely from Amazon and you’ll find more details, including free shipping for USA / UK

Ever since the iPhone, with it’s awesome touchscreen interface, was released people were wondering how Apple were going to apply this to the iPod lineup. The announcement came in the form of the iPod Touch which is now in it’s second generation and even thinner than before.

The iPod Touch features a stainless steel design and comes with either 8, 16 or 32GB or storage for your music, videos, photos and games. From the moment you grab hold you’ll marvel at how wonderful the iPod Touch feels in your hand and the inviting touchscreen interface works flawlessly.

Whilst there are hardware volume control buttons on the side (a new feature for the second generation model) you’ll control all aspects of the iPod with your finger. Tap to select music and then browse around by flicking through the cover art. This is no doubt the ultimate way to experience your music.

By using iTunes you can sync your music, videos and photos across to the device as well as purchase new content from the iTunes Store. This works equally well on both PC and Mac. The iPod Touch is also an extremely capable games device with purchases from the iTunes Store. From racing to golf you’ll no doubt find something you like (our favourite being Crash Bandicoot). Many games make use of the accelerometer so you’ll be tilting the iPod Touch this way and that to control your character.

Sound quality of the included earphones was okay but if you’re really serious about your music we suggest you get another higher quality pair. Another must is a cover or ’sock’ to protect the iPod Touch from scratches on the touchscreen and stainless steel body.

And if all this was not enough the iPod Touch is a capable personal information manager with access to Safari for web, Mail for home/office email and iCal for calendaring. Not to mention the maps, stocks and weather applications as well. Of course all this can be expanded upon with many great (and free!) applications such as Facebook available from iTunes.

Certainly a stocking filler this Christmas and you can get the best deal, with free shipping, buy purchasing this from Amazon USA / UK.

Tech Gift Guide (TGG) finally decided to take a closer look at what is possibly Apple iPod’s biggest rival – the Creative Zen.

Many claim the Zen offers better sound and video quality than its closest rival – the iPod Nano. And we’d agree with that. The audio quality is great and the screen is unbelievably good. Videos and photo’s are crystal clear and colours rendered beautifully.

But the biggest surprise was its weight and size. The Creative Zen is incredibly light – so light we thought the battery still needed to be inserted. But no, it really is that light. I carry a thin wallet that only carried my credit cards, and the Zen was roughly this size. In fact I can quite easily carry both my wallet and the Zen in my pocket together.

In terms of usability, the Creative Zen is really simple to figure out. Menus are intuitive with a nifty alphabet listing making scrolling a breeze (not unlike the alphabet running down the right of the new iPod Touch screens).
Our first thoughts were that the menu’s were almost too simple, not allowing enough user configuration. But after actually using the Zen for a week, I’ve changed my mind. The options are minimal, but so far I’ve been able to do everything I’ve needed to.

If there’s a negative side to the Zen, it comes in the presentation. Don’t get me wrong, the Creative Zen is a beautiful machine. But it just doesn’t compare to the iPod for looks. It also comes packaged in a very cheap looking and uninspired cardboard box. The instruction manual is non-existent, although it does come with an extremely basic ‘getting started’ guide. In fact there were a few copies of this guide in many, many languages.

The software, while a little clunky, does the job with no major hassles. The video converting software is particularly brilliant and beats other software we’ve used for converting videos on the iPod. Be warned – synching your music and video’s on your Window’s machine is not an easy or pleasant experience. Sadly the best solution we’ve find is using Windows Media Player. We know… it’s a sad day when Media Player offers the best option!

So instead of keeping things synched, I’ve just been dragging items in using explorer. It works a treat compared to the complex synching process. Track rating on the Zen don’t seem to reflect back to my computer’s media library, which means I could end up with tracks being rated differently on each device.

The FM radio works well if you’re not moving. Trying to listen to the radio on the train is a trying experience. But when the signal is clear, the sound is great. What’s cool is that you can label your preset stations. Although you only get 6 characters, which makes abbreviations a must.

Overall the Zen gets a TGG thumbs up. Half the price of an iPod and does pretty much the same thing. In terms of video and audio quality alone, I’d choose this over the iPod nano any day. If you want to feel stylish and show off a little, this is probably not the toy for you.

The best prices we’ve found for this media player are at Amazon. Click to buy Creative Zen 8GB (UK) / Creative Zen 8G (US)