Apple currently has refurbished iPads for sale on their online store for as little as £239 for a 1st generation 16GB Wi-Fi model, or £259 for an iPad 2 with the same spec.

£259 for an iPad 2 is an absolute bargain when you consider that Apple's refurbs are more or less as-new, and come with a one-year warranty.

You can also get a refurbished 16GB iPad 2 with Wi-Fi and 3G for £359. This is a good option for a driving instructor, although you can get by easily enough without the 3G option.

Between the Wi-Fi only models, I would definitely pay the extra £20 to get the iPad 2. It's noticeably thinner, lighter and faster than the 1st generation iPad. It also has front and back cameras and is likely to support more advanced software upgrades in the future.

I've met plenty of people who would love to have an iPad but are convinced the price is out of their reach. I think many people don't realise just how affordable these things have become.

£259 for an iPad 2! Tell your friends!

Volvo has unveiled a new safety system involving an airbag which pops up from under the car's bonnet in the event of a collision with a pedestrian:

The car, unveiled at the Geneva Motor Show, features sensors in the front bumper that register physical contact between the car and the pedestrian. The rear end of the bonnet is released and elevated by the airbag as it inflates to cover the entire area under the raised bonnet as well as around a third of the windscreen. The raised, cushioned bonnet and airbag should help reduce the severity of pedestrian injuries.

This story has provoked the inevitable criticisms that the additional safety feature will encourage some to drive more recklessly on the basis that the consequences of an error would be reduced. This is exactly what was said by similarly pessimistic people about seat belts when they were first invented, and it has been the same for just about every other safety technology invented since.

Driver awareness of the safety of pedestrians is improving all the time. There are still way too many fatal collisions, however. Anything that can reduce the severity of those collisions has to be a good thing.