A hiding to nothing (in tan)

You'd have to be pretty sad to want to buy the limited edition Filofax, pounds 5

LEATHER or leopard print, doodles and stickers or fastidious ink- only entries, the personal organiser is an indispensable sidekick and a telling illustration of the individual busy bod. It follows then, that the owner of a Grace Scurr Limited Edition Filofax, which costs an astounding pounds 500, might well be considered to have more money than sense. What mere fact file could possibly merit such an astronomical price tag?

Launched to commemorate the birth of Filofax in 1921, the limited edition is a replica of the original Filofax as conceived by the ingenious Grace Scurr and is clearly an irresistible temptation to all Filofax groupies. "They just don't make them like this anymore," enthuses Graham Eattell, a salesman at Selfridges. "The dual-ringed three-fold binder and the presentation box make it that little bit different and a great gift." This exclusive jotter is gratuitously encased in a huge maple box and cosseted in blue velvet, while the thing itself, which constitutes less than half of the overall cost, is tan in colour and made of the "finest Italian calf leather." (Apparently, the cost of leather varies according to grade, with certain parts of the cow hide being softer, more supple and in better condition.) "Ready filled with limited edition ivory coloured pages," it is indeed super-smooth and luxurious, harking back to the days of Empire. A splendid asset to any middle-aged, masculine desktop, it would not look out of place with a glass of port and a map of India. But pounds 500? I think not.

For pounds 449, you could buy the new Psion Series 5, nominated by gadget magazine T3 as the grandest and highest-tech of the electronic personal organiser. With touch-type keyboard and touch-sensitive screen, its menus and functions include Word, Sheet, Data, Agenda, Time and Calculator as well as a Sketch drawing package. The majority of the software features can be controlled with either your finger or the supplied pen. "All the programs convert well when transferred on to a PC," say T3, "and a variety of communications programs turn the Psion into a realistic means of working away from the office while still being able to send and receive data." So there you go.

Technophobes who prefer the old-fashioned, manual version will be better off sticking with the unlimited edition Filofax, pounds 89.95. The obsessive overload of specific headers, from "shopping list" to menstrual calendar will suit only the most devoutly organised Virgo, but the leather looks and smells expensive with a funky range of colours to choose from. Sage, soothsayer, canvas and memory bank, all for less than pounds 100.