CMS' latest product is supposed to make it easy to back up your data and then resume working from that backup in the event that your laptop is lost, stolen or just stops working. With a 160Gb portable USB hard disk and backup software in the box, CMS not only promise to keep your data safe, but secure too, thanks to 256-bit AES encryption.

Of all the gadgets unveiled at last June's Computex trade show in Taiwan, few attracted as much attention as a pair of new ultra-portables PCs. Both the ASUS Eee PC and VIA NanoBook were billed as low-cost, relatively low-specification portables aimed at anyone who didn't want to lug a larger laptop around or pay a fortune for a more traditional ultra-portable and in that respect, they made a great deal of sense.

The Eee PC, of course, has been on sale since the beginning of November and we liked it a lot. The original intended price of $199 crept up to £220 by the time it launched but even so, it's still a cracking little laptop for anyone who doesn't have much to spend. The VIA NanoBook was reckoned to cost around $600, but it was just a reference design for other manufacturers to pick up. So far, Packard Bell has been the only one to show some interest (update: Everex will be launching a version as the Cloudbook in the US in early 2008) and its version, in the form of the EasyNote XS, is now on sale.

Ultra-portable PCs are hardly big news these days and if you're happy to make a few sacrifices for the sake of portability, they're a great way to lighten your load if you need a laptop with you at all times. Unfortunately, they're also a great way to lighten your wallet and the smallest, lightest models cost £1,200 and up.

So, you can imagine the hullabaloo that greeted the unveiling of the Asus Eee PC at the Computex trade show earlier this year. Not only is this one of the smallest and lightest ultra-portables ever made, but it's also one of the cheapest. Actually, that doesn't really do it justice - at a mere £219, the Eee PC is practically a freebie in laptop terms.

Slim and lightweight ultra-portable laptops tend to be expensive, but Toshiba’s 2kg Satellite U300-113 costs a mere £669. This is a very low price for a laptop that’s light enough for regular travelling, although the Satellite is admittedly far from being Toshiba’s lightest or slimmest laptop.

If you’re willing to pay the price, then an ultra-portable is by far the best option for the commute to work. At just 1.2kg, Sony’s VGN-TZ21WN/B is so light you’ll hardly notice it, and its compact size means it will fit into even the tiniest of travel bags. 

It’s impressive physique is all thanks to the carbon fibre case, something that Sony has used to great effect in its ultra-portable range over recent years. Yes, the lid feels incredibly thin, almost suspiciously so compared to a normal laptop, and you will have to take a little more care than usual when chucking other items into a bag with it, but it’s a small price to pay for such portability.

If you fancy being able to watch your home DVD player or Sky+ box on your laptop, wherever you are, then treat yourself to a Slingbox. The original model costs around £100 at the moment, but hurry — it’s been superseded by the new Slingbox Pro and won’t be around for long.

OQO’s model e2 is a truly stylish UMPC. The jet-black aluminium frame has a reassuring heft, which makes the e2 feel expensive from the off. It’s not overly heavy though, and at just 500g, it’ll sit in a jacket pocket.

The E90 is Nokia’s latest Communicator phone and it follows in the footsteps of its predecessors in two ways. Firstly, it’s huge and heavy, and secondly, it looks like a normal phone on the outside, but opens up to reveal a full keyboard and large screen.

We rarely feature printers on the pages of Mobile Computer, but Lexmark’s latest all-in-one, the X4850, has a nifty trick up its sleeve — wireless printing over your home Wi-Fi network. That may not sound particularly useful, but think about it, that’ll let you print documents from the sofa while watching TV, or scan a document on the printer without having to bring the laptop to it to plug in the USB cable.

Since many car head units lack a line-in socket, an FM transmitter is usually the simplest way to listen to an MP3 player while you’re driving. The problem is that finding a clear frequency in a built-up area can be a real challenge and even then, you’re likely to lose it if you drive any appreciable distance.