With politicians’ expense claims getting more ridiculous by the day (moat cleaning? Really? And seriously, who forgets that they’ve paid off their entire mortgage?) we’ve put together a list of gadgets that we deem acceptable to put in an expense claim for. Just clear it with the bosses before you start buying them…
Laptop: Asus Eee PC Seashell (£379)
If you’re going to get a laptop (which, let’s face it, you’ll need in most jobs) it might as well be the sexiest one you can find. The Asus Eee PC 1008HA Seashell only went on sale last week, but it’s one of the slimmest netbooks on the market, measuring just an inch thick at its widest point! The Seashell costs just £379, so your boss won’t have a fit when you put in your claims form.
Laptop bag: Pakuma Choroka K3It (£50)
Specifically designed to carry your laptop, this urban messenger bag will keep all your gadgets safe in its patent red embrace. It’s also impermeable, so gadget kryptonite (aka water) won’t get to your tech. For around £50, it’s an investment your boss will be happy to make!
Smartphone: HTC Touch Diamond 2 (£400)
Any businessman worth his salt needs a smartphone to keep up with his emails on the fly. If you can’t stomach a BlackBerry’s dullard looks, and the iPhone just doesn’t shout business, then the HTC Touch Diamond 2 is your happy inbetweener. With a 3.2-inch touchscreen display, it has Exchange push email, GPS applications and runs Office Mobile. So, if your boss wants to get hold of you at any hour out the office, he won’t mid coughing up for a smartphone!
E-Reader: Kindle DX ($489)
Okay, so you’ll have to go to America to get a Kindle DX, and putting in a claim for the flight might not exactly fly with your bosses, but the DX has native PDF support so you can look at professional and personal documents anywhere you like. Plus, you’ll be able to download specific newspapers to keep up with current affairs. And with its large, 9.7-inch screen it won’t strain your eyes either.
Pool-cleaning robot: iRobot Verro 500 ($1,000 or £660)
Well, whether he iRobot Verro you’d actually get away with this one is probably highly unlikely, but if MPs are charging in their moat cleaning… The iRobot Verro is a pool cleaning robot. That’s right. It uses a self-contained vacuum, pump and filter system to remove gunk from your pool. But if you’ve got a pool, you’re probably well-of enough not to expense this anyway…
I want to see what role the pool-cleaning robot will have when the inevitable rise of the machines arrives.
I think it could be apocalyptic if it gains self-conciousness…