The most recent Hardware Reviews from Incisive Media

3 Mifi

Sat, 21 Nov 2009 10:00:00 GMT

Scott Colvey, Computeractive, Saturday 21 November 2009 at 10:00:00

A new twist on mobile broadband modems – this one can be shared

A mobile-broadband modem is a thumb-sized gadget that slots into a laptop computer’s USB socket to provide wireless internet access where there is a mobile phone signal....

Review: Sony Vaio X Series

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 16:37:00 GMT

Daniel Robinson, V3.co.uk, Friday 20 November 2009 at 16:37:00

Sony's new ultra-portable is among the thinnest and lightest ever, but carries a hefty price tag

Sony's Vaio X Series is one of the new breed of laptops that pushes the definition of ultra-thin to new limits....

D-Link DHP-343/B Powerline HD 4-port starter kit

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 11:58:00 GMT

Kelvyn Taylor, Computeractive, Friday 20 November 2009 at 11:58:00

Enjoy no-fuss networking over your home’s electrical wiring

Adapters that use a home’s mains electricity wiring to make a computer network have been around for several years, but until recently one mains-plug adapter has been required for each...

Apple Macbook

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 14:54:00 GMT

Cliff Joseph, Computeractive, Thursday 19 November 2009 at 14:54:00

A sleek redesign for Apple’s cheapest laptop

Recession or no recession, Apple’s on a roll at the moment, with several new product announcements already this year. The cheapest Apple Macbook laptop, for instance, was redesigned at the...

Griffin Myphones

Wed, 18 Nov 2009 17:22:00 GMT

Paul Lester, Computeractive, Wednesday 18 November 2009 at 17:22:00

Customisable headphones for children

While children should not be discouraged from using portable music players, their ears can be more sensitive than adults’, so the potential for damage from loud sound is a worry....

Samsung N130

Wed, 18 Nov 2009 16:24:00 GMT

Anthony Dhanendran, Computeractive, Wednesday 18 November 2009 at 16:24:00

Battery life is the stand-out feature for this netbook

Of the many netbooks released by Samsung recently, the N130 is, on paper, the least interesting. It shares the 10in screen, Intel Atom N270 processor and 1GB of memory with...

Pentax K-x

Wed, 18 Nov 2009 16:07:00 GMT

Gavin Stoker, Computeractive, Wednesday 18 November 2009 at 16:07:00

Good-value camera and lens combo from Pentax

Pentax’s conventional-looking 12-megapixel K-x digital SLR camera comes after the company’s 10-megapixel K-m, which it shares many features with. These include a prominent Auto Picture mode for point-and-shoot operation in...

Creative Zen X-Fi2

Tue, 17 Nov 2009 17:21:00 GMT

Paul Lester, Computeractive, Tuesday 17 November 2009 at 17:21:00

Creative’s new music and video player gets touchy

Creative has done its best to keep up with rivals Sony and Apple in the world of portable music and video players, wisely going for good value in its recent models....

Sony NWZ-S544

Mon, 16 Nov 2009 16:52:00 GMT

Laurence Gunn, Computeractive, Monday 16 November 2009 at 16:52:00

A quality MP3 player with a brilliant set of headphones

Sony’s NWZ-S544 music player, with 8GB of memory, comes in at roughly £120 - Sony does not publish recommended retail prices so it pays to shop around....

Medion Akoya P4010D

Mon, 16 Nov 2009 15:49:00 GMT

Anthony Dhanendran, Computeractive, Monday 16 November 2009 at 15:49:00

Touchscreen computing at a reasonable price

One of the most talked-about features of the new Windows 7 operating system is its touch-sensitive screen feature. And, incidentally, Medion’s latest Aldi deal, available in shops from 19 November,...

Hercules DJ Control MP3 e2

Fri, 13 Nov 2009 14:52:00 GMT

Laurence Gunn, Computeractive, Friday 13 November 2009 at 14:52:00

Mix music like a professional disc jockey

The Hercules DJ Control MP3 e2 ‘DJ controller’ for PCs and Mac computers can be used to create mixes and add musical effects to your tunes, from playlists or audio CDs....

Kingston V-Series 40GB SSD Kit

Fri, 13 Nov 2009 12:56:00 GMT

Tom Royal, Computeractive, Friday 13 November 2009 at 12:56:00

Give your computer a speed boost

Solid State Disks, or SSDs, are designed to replace hard disks in computers. Unlike hard disks, which have moving parts, they use the same type of memory found in USB...

Kensington Slimblade Trackball

Fri, 13 Nov 2009 12:09:00 GMT

Andrew Zarkesh, Computeractive, Friday 13 November 2009 at 12:09:00

An alluring, but awkward alternative to the mouse

Most of us are used to using mice but there are alternative methods of moving the pointer on the screen....

Apple Mac Mini

Fri, 13 Nov 2009 11:46:00 GMT

Tom Royal, Computeractive, Friday 13 November 2009 at 11:46:00

The former mini marvel doesn't look quite so impressive

When Apple first launched the Mac Mini back in 2005 very small desktop computers were rare. These days alternatives are available for as little as £150, making this latest version look rather...

Canon Digital Ixus 120 IS

Wed, 11 Nov 2009 16:30:00 GMT

Gavin Stoker, Computeractive, Wednesday 11 November 2009 at 16:30:00

Canon’s smallest wide-angle compact camera yet

Canon’s cute Ixus 120 IS has a 4x zoom lens, equivalent to 28-112mm on an old film camera, with 12-megapixel images from a body only 2cm in depth....

Verbatim Executive Portable Hard Disk

Wed, 11 Nov 2009 16:01:00 GMT

Paul Allen, Computeractive, Wednesday 11 November 2009 at 16:01:00

Back up and synchronise data with the disk's included tools

Verbatim's Portable Hard Drive Executive is a 2.5in disk that can store 500GB of files and plugs into a USB socket using the supplied cable....

Mobiu Smart Key

Tue, 10 Nov 2009 16:47:00 GMT

Paul Lester, Computeractive, Tuesday 10 November 2009 at 16:47:00

Back up and securely access files from any computer

If you work away from home or the office with sensitive information, you may be concerned about privacy and leaving traces of what you are doing, or leaving important documents...

Nikon D3000

Tue, 10 Nov 2009 15:00:00 GMT

Tom Royal, Computeractive, Tuesday 10 November 2009 at 15:00:00

Don’t need video from your camera? The D3000 may be for you

Lately, more and more digital SLR cameras shoot high-definition video, but the new Nikon D3000 bucks this trend to focus purely on photos....

Review: Apple Magic Mouse

Mon, 09 Nov 2009 10:18:00 GMT

Julian Prokaza, V3.co.uk, Monday 9 November 2009 at 10:18:00

Multi-touch makes an appearance on Apple's latest mouse

Apple was the first company to popularise the mouse in the mid-1980s, but its more recent stabs at the device have been something of a mixed bag....

Oregon Scientific WMR100 Advanced Weather Station

Fri, 06 Nov 2009 17:26:00 GMT

Simon Williams, Computeractive, Friday 6 November 2009 at 17:26:00

Compete with the Meteorological Office with this complete local weather station

It’s common to see desktop weather monitors that include a thermometer and barometer and predict fine or stormy weather based on changes in air pressure....

Elonex iGame

Fri, 06 Nov 2009 16:35:00 GMT

Paul Lester, Computeractive, Friday 6 November 2009 at 16:35:00

A fun and innovative new take on the iPod dock

The release of an iPod dock may not appear to be very exciting – there are already plenty of them available – but in the iGame, computer maker Elonex has...

Netgear XAVB1004 Homeplug AV adapter kit

Thu, 05 Nov 2009 12:37:00 GMT

Kelvyn Taylor, Computeractive, Thursday 5 November 2009 at 12:37:00

High-speed networking for up to four devices – without wires

Netgear’s XAVB1004 kit plugs straight into your mains electricity wiring to network up to four devices using the Homeplug AV technology....

Samsung N510

Wed, 04 Nov 2009 17:19:00 GMT

Anthony Dhanendran, Computeractive, Wednesday 4 November 2009 at 17:19:00

A large-screen netbook that can play HD video

Samsung’s N510 computer is halfway between a netbook and a laptop. It uses an Intel Atom processor, but it’s an Atom N280 model, a step up from the N270 found in...

Review: Samsung P410 LED projector

Wed, 04 Nov 2009 09:00:00 GMT

Will Stapley, V3.co.uk, Wednesday 4 November 2009 at 09:00:00

LED projector offers firms a portable big screen for presentations

Aimed squarely at business users who need a portable big screen for presentations, LED projectors such as the Samsung P410 are lighter and smaller than traditional lamp-driven projectors....

PC Specialist Vortex i5 750GTS

Tue, 03 Nov 2009 15:29:00 GMT

Anthony Dhanendran, Computeractive, Tuesday 3 November 2009 at 15:29:00

A fast desktop PC with an Intel Core i5 processor

The ‘i5’ in the name of PC Specialist’s new Vortex i5 750GTS refers to the computer’s processor, which is one of the new Core i5 models from Intel....