You're at a conference and someone spills coffee on your laptop PC, shorting out the system and cutting you off from your presentation and notes. Or your computer slips out of your hands and crashes to the floor.

These are the scenarios SanDisk wants you to dread, before dangling their new solution in front of your horror-filled face.

If only you had the SanDisk FlashBack Adapter, you'd have been alright... This unique device fits into the ExpressCard slot of your PC, automatically and continuously backing up and encrypting critical data onto an SD memory card.

The adapter comes with easy-to-set up software for Windows-based laptops. Once installed, users pre-select backup sources by individual files, folders and/or file types.

Then the device backs up and encrypts the user's data, images, music and other files – automatically and continuously – from the computer's hard drive to the memory card.

Data can be restored from the memory card on any PC that uses Windows 2000, Windows XP or Windows Vista and has an SD memory card reader. The SanDisk FlashBack Adapter is not needed for this process.

The product will start shipping worldwide in Q2 for $29.99, with no memory card included. Online back-up is also available as an optional extra for belt-and-braces types.