I am hoping to make this a monthly section, a nice round-up of Tech under £50 with Pictures, key features and a short opinion on each piece, let me know what you think in the comments below.

Cateck USB 3.0 SD card reader and Hub

I got this item due to having the oh-so first world problem of having an iMac and the constant need to put an SD card and “USB whatever” in and out, it all got a bit exhausting trying to find the rear USB ports.

Sure the iMac is light and can be turned easily but it began to put me off transferring photos via SD card and plugging in new peripherals etc.

I wanted a nice looking, matching SD card reader to sit under my iMac, I chose the Cateck USB 3.0 Card Reader and USB HUB currently on Amazon.

As you can see it looks the part, it matches the iMac aesthetics perfectly, it’s a nice Aluminium construction with a non-slip rubber base and features x3 USB 3.0 Ports and full SD/Micro SD slots, so far it’s done exactly as I have needed it to do.

Pictures below ( I have no idea what the hole next to the USB port is), presumably a port ready to take a power supply but there is nothing in the instructions about it)

£14.99 from Amazon

Mobee Magic mouse wireless charger

I have had this wireless charger for my Magic Mouse for about 12 months now. It’s pricey I guess considering you have paid roughly the same cost for the Magic Mouse itself, but it’s a great device that makes charging your mouse a thoughtless task.

Just replace the battery cover and regular AA batteries with the included Mobee battery pack & back cover then just place it on the iMac-matching aluminium and white stand to charge.

When it’s fully charged the LED light on the front goes solid green (it flashes gently whilst charging), now I know it’s not a new product and I know that Apple have released the Magic Mouse 2 with a nice internal rechargeable battery and lightning connector on the bottom, but many don’t feel the need to change, and this is a nice simple way to keep your Magic Mouse topped up!

Mine is still going strong even after 12 months of almost constant use, the only gripe I have is that it always (for me) displays as 46% full in the Bluetooth menu bar at the top, (I know I’m not the only one it does this too), either way, I like it and recommend it.

£39.95 on Amazon

Logitech K480 Bluetooth Keyboard

I got this keyboard purely based on the need to switch between my desktop P.C and iMac without changing keyboards, the Logitech K480 achieves this nicely via the circular selector, (pictured below), also, it doesn’t need a dongle, it uses Bluetooth.

I don’t personally connect this to a tablet or phone but I believe this is one of the main attractions for this keyboard as it has a handy slot to dock your phone or tablet in.

I would say it’s a little too heavy to use as a portable keyboard, it’s fairly hefty for its size which is a good thing, in my opinion, it helps give the keyboard a much more quality feel.

The keys have a good amount of travel but are fairly noisy, the pairing function is really quick and easy and it switches between my P.C and iMac really quickly, almost quickly enough for me to turn the dial and then type with no interruption, it can just be a fraction of a second out so I do need to pause, my iMac copes with this fast switching better than my Dell XPS 8700 does however.

The great thing about the switching between the 2 different operating systems is that the keyboard is labelled correctly for both OSX and Windows, for example the Windows “Start” key is also the Apple Alt key and the Windows CTRL Key is the Apple Command key, its labelled really clearly and really helps when switching between the 2.

I got the White version (pictured) but you can get it in black with the tablet holder area coloured green rather than grey.

I personally use the slot as a place to “dock” my iPhone in whilst working, or sometimes place my Apple Pencil in there, all in all, it’s a great keyboard, very fit for purpose if you are having to switch between up to 3 different devices.

£39.99 on Amazon

Bluedio – HT Shooting brake headphones

First things first, these are GREAT headphones, I picked these up for £14.99 a year ago and was blown away by the deep bass that comes through those large drivers, I listen to a lot of Hip-Hop and it’s almost like these headphones are made for it.

They have a built-in EQ which you can adjust, and the headphones house buttons for Play, Pause, volume up and down, they even have a microphone and a 3.5mm headphone port for when your battery runs out or if your device does not have Bluetooth.

The battery is absolutely outstanding, I used these for approx 10 hours total for music and my iPhone was telling me they had over 50% left, pairing is quick, I have them paired with several devices and never have difficulty connecting, the range is good also.

They do have some downsides however, they leak sound heavily due to them being open backed. But as a result, are comfortable for “On-ear” headphones, my ears don’t get too hot whilst wearing them. The before mentioned microphone isn’t great so I don’t use it at all.

Some music isn’t great however, the midrange can be a bit too bass heavy and sometimes oddly distorts, I also found you need to turn them up to get the best out of them, so at low volume levels, they aren’t great.

Now I know these are no “audiophile quality” headphones and ultimately won’t compete with £100 + headphones but for the current rate of £18.99, you really can’t go wrong.

I think they look really smart and come in a range of colours, it’s a bonus that the model name is a great talking point.

10/10 Bluedio, well done.

£18.99 on Amazon

Let me know what you think in the comments below or through @AiKiTeChUk