Good buy - take it as read

GO GADGET: HARD-COPY NOVELS aren't going to die out at the poolside just yet - but with baggage charges increasing by the week, bibliophiles might consider packing a digital book reader rather than a clutch of Henning Mankell thrillers.

The latest iLiad reader (iLiad Book Edition, below, which costs €490, including 50 pre-loaded titles, www.iliadreader.co.uk ) will hold more holiday reading than the fattest suitcase.

Once you've exhausted that supply, there are 44,000 more titles available to load, for a fee. Newspapers and magazines will eventually also be available for daily download, says the manufacturer.

The greyscale screen is readable in bright sunlight, and the 128-megabyte memory can be expanded to eight gigabytes - enough for a fair-sized library.

Meanwhile, here's a tale of one gadget that can be an absolute holiday lifesaver.

On the tarmac at the Costa del Sol, the aircraft was packed with relaxed, sun-baked Irish families, but the captain's announcement chilled their mood.

"Due to air-traffic control issues in Dublin, our departure time has been pushed back by 90 minutes."

The moan from economy class was deafening. Children screamed. Parents screamed louder. We just plugged our child in - to a seven-inch Sony portable DVD player, the DVP-FX720 (above), which costs €188 from www.sony.co.uk . We then looked on in sympathy as other parents pleaded in vain for the cabin crew to switch on the in-flight entertainment. We had a peaceful delay, thanks to a five-hour battery life and a three-pack of movies bought at Dublin airport ( Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, March of the Penguins and Cats and Dogs for €12). Bad parenting? Possibly. En-route sanity retained? Absolutely.

© 2008 The Irish Times

This article appears in the print edition of the Irish Times