Disclaimer: I’m not with it today. My brains are the temperature and consistency of freshly-nuked McDonald’s hot apple pie innards. Have you been outdoors? (I assume you’re in the UK, as opposed to Lapland.) I’d advise against it. Stay in, chow Chunky Monkey, play with Skype.

Heat-induced daftness notwithstanding, I still know a good gadget when I see one. The bookie is no longer taking bets on Gadget of the Month. Step forward, SanDisk U3 Cruzer.

From the name you’d think it was a hybrid car that plays MP3s (perhaps that’s just me), but the Cruzer is in fact a smart USB drive, with Skype pre-loaded. Carry it around with you, and you can use Skype on any computer you like, as long as it has a USB port, mic and speakers.

How cool is that? (…as they say.) The Cruzer solves your Skypelessness when you’re in a net cafe or working in an office where you’re not allowed to download Skype. It’d also make a great pressie for software-averse parents whom you’d like to chat with using Skype.

The science bit: SanDisk Cruzer Micros range from 512MB (best price found by Pricerunner: £13) to 4GB (best price £94), while SanDisk Cruzer Titaniums come in two flavours: 1GB (£33) and 2GB (£55).