When Dell released the XPS 1330 last year it was lauded by many as the best-looking laptop of all time. The look, size and build quality were perfect for the mobile traveller who needed something a little different. In many respects, the Dell XPS M1530 is simply the same machine but with a larger screen.



However, why change when you have a winning formula, such as the body being made from brushed magnesium-alloy that feels great to the touch and also makes the body solid and robust. The lid has a matt finish and you can choose from a range of colours, which adds a hint of personalisation to your laptop.

The screen is a 15.4-inch Super-TFT panel that has a standard 1280 x 800-pixel display that proved sharp and bright. This is due to the use of the 500nit backlit, which is twice the brightness of most standard laptops. This really comes in to its own when watching a DVD or playing a 3D game, as you can balance the colour contrast far easier.

You'll be able to use this laptop for serious gaming, as it comes with the nVidia GeForce 8600M GT card as standard. With 256Mb of its own dedicated memory, it offers plenty of performance and while it won't handle DirectX 10 games, we found it more than handled the current crop.

Naturally, this larger screen adds to the weight of the machine and at 2.7kg, it's less portable than the XPS 1330 and with a battery life a little over three hours, you won't be able to use it for as long. On the plus side, the keyboard has more space, with the keys feeling more spacious. There is no faulty Dell on its choice of keyboard, as it proved one of the most comfortable we've used from the company. With individually mounted keys that have a good deal of pressure behind them, we found it a great keyboard to use in any situation.

The size of the chassis allows not only for a powerful graphics processor, as the main specification is also impressive. As with all Dell laptops you can upgrade to a specification that suits you but our review machine came with the Intel Core 2 Duo T7250, which is a 2GHz chip that delivered plenty of power, especially considering the addition of 2048MB of memory.

Features on the sides consist of a slot-loading DVD rewriter as well as an HDMI-out port, which would explain the addition of a VGA-out port for connecting to older analogue sources instead of using a DVI-out port. For protecting your data, you’ll also find a biometric fingerprint scanner on the main body. This is linked to a TPM (Trusted Platform Module) chip.

The XPS M1530 may not be as small and portable as the ultraslim M1330 but for those who need something a little larger, will find this a highly appealing and desirable laptop.

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This flash-based MP3 player is pitched as a rival for the iPod Shuffle or the Creative Zen Stone but manages to have a style all its own. Measuring 56 x 36 x 13mm, it manages to incorporate a 25mm screen that is far more usable than on the Stone. The controls are straightforward, but it’s the addition of a Home button than really stands out, as this is a one-click operation to get back to the start menu.



It gets its name from the clip on the back, similar to the one found on the iPod Shuffle, so you can attach it to the collar of your coat. With 1GB of space on offer – a 2GB version costs £35 (inc. VAT) – this isn’t a mass storage device but it’s fine for the gym. There‘s also a dedicated volume on the right-hand side. When it comes to volume, this is a power device and louder than we were expecting.

Considering the cost of the player, we were impressed with the overall sound quality on offer. Sound lacks true warmth and depth but if you’re looking for an easy-to-use player this is more than an alternative to the big names.

Rating 8

Price £25 (inc. VAT)

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Portable TV tuners are made up of two elements: the hardware and the software. In terms of hardware, the MSI Digivox is a large USB dongle with an RF antenna at one end that plugs either into your roof aerial or the supplied portable version.



With support for 1080i High Definition broadcasts, which you’ll need a subscription for, this works as a standard digital terrestrial TV tuner, so you can receive Freeview channels. You also get a brightly coloured remote control unit, which has large buttons and woks well.

Extras in the box include a USB extender, so the tuner doesn’t obstruct your other USB ports – essential if they’re all backed together as they are on most machines. You’ll also find a mini-aerial but as with all portable tuners this is only as good as your local signal, so it’s best to use a rooftop aerial whenever possible.

The software can often make or break a TV tuner and MSI has opted to use third-party tools. So, you’ll find Arcsoft Total Media and Magix Goya Base, which both installed easily and as they are compatible with Windows Media Centre Edition, can quickly be integrated with your laptop.

The MSI Digivox Mini II V3 is a cost-effective tuner. While it’s not the smallest we’ve seen, it works well, as does the choice of software.

RATING 8

PRICE £19 (inc. VAT)

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Placing your laptop on a stand when at your desk can help improve the eye-line sight of the screen, making it easier and more comfortable to use. The Akasa Gemini has been designed specifically for desktop replacement laptops with a screen up to 17 inches in size, as the sturdy plastic stand is wide enough to support the largest of machines.



The design has a fined body, so air can circulate under your laptop and with two 1200rpm fans, which are powered through your laptop’s USB port, we found it could keep even the longest running of laptops cool.

We were surprised at how quiet the fans ran, especially in comparison to the previous version of this stand, as they had a hardly perceptible hum. Apart from being a stand, you’ll also find a USB port for adding peripherals. It isn’t powered, so while it’s fine for adding a mouse or keyboard to your setup, you won’t be able to use an external hard drive through it.

The Akasa Gemini Notebook Cooler is a great improvement over the first generation, making this a great choice for anyone with a high-end laptop they need to keep cool.

Rating: 8

Price: £18 (inc. VAT)

For more information, visit Akasa.

Acer’s Ferrari range has been around for a couple of years, providing brash but distinctive laptops for diehard fans of the motor racing marque. The 12.1-inch Ferrari 1100 is the latest addition, and offers a more subtle design.

Gone are the red plastics found on older Ferrari models, replaced by a glossy black finish. The result is classy and cohesive, but it does highlight fingerprints easily.

At £1499 (inc. VAT), the 1100 is very much a premium product, but this is reflected in the specification. Acer has continued its relationship with AMD, but you’ll find the processor upgraded to 2.3GHz, and it’s backed by a huge 4096MB of memory – the most we’ve seen as standard on a laptop.

Quality is excellent, from bright and colourful led backlit display, to the carbon fibre lid and brushed aluminium mouse buttons. We found the keyboard firm and responsive, although it was rather cramped. The textured touchpad was accurate and a joy to use.

The high-end price also gets you a host of Ferrari-branded peripherals, including a mouse and a Skype phone that fits neatly in the ExpressCard slot. Unlike its predecessor, the 1100 also packs in an optical drive and fingerprint scanner.

For more information, visit Acer.

Dell has added an ultraportable tablet-PC to its corporate laptop range with the release of the Latitude XT. With a starting weight of just 1.6kg and 25mm depth, it’s one of the thinnest tablets around, and guarantees comfortable mobility for frequent travel use.



The 12.1-inch screen has a 400nit brightness level for optimum visibility in outdoor conditions. When rotated 180 degrees, the touchscreen then lets you use your finger to control onscreen actions and write directly to the screen with the included stylus.

Intel ultra low voltage processors and up to 3GB of memory provide power without sacrificing mobility. The hard drive can be configured up to 120GB or an ultra-light 32GB or 64GB Solid State disk can be added for £164 and £470 respectively.

Dual integrated digital microphones make it easy to record voice notes when on the move. A comprehensive three-year onsite warranty also provides peace of mind in the event of a fault. Available now, pricing starts at £1741 (inc. VAT).

For more information, visit Dell.

The Apple MacBook Air is officially the worlds thinnest ever laptop and comes with Apples usual breathtaking design style. The aluminium casing is a mere 19mm thick and weighs 1.4kg. The sleek design has all but done away with ports, limiting connectivity to a single USB port and a micro-DVI connector. With AirPort Extreme offering 802.11n wireless LAN, you’ll be able to hook up to hotspots but there is no fixed Ethernet present.



Apple is pitching this laptop as a general-purpose machine and not designer-orientated, so we were expecting a smaller screen than it’s 13.3-inch Super-TFT panel. The use of an LED panel makes the image quality stunning but opting for a smaller 10.8-inch panel could have saved extra weight.

With no fan, Apple has had to steal a march on the competition and use Intel’s next-generation processor (see last issue for exclusive tests on this chip) that is available at 1.6GHz and 1.8GHz speeds. The rest of the system is rounded out with 2048MB of memory and 80GB 1.8-inch hard drive that has a motion sensor, so will dock if the laptop is dropped.

The battery pack is a sealed unit, which cuts down on the need to package the battery pack or mounting. This limits the usability of the machine, as it doesn’t offer all-day computing and with no option to swap batteries, you’ll be hard pushed to use this laptop for longer than three hours at a stretch.

Two specifications are currently available. The entry-level model costs £1199 (inc. VAT) and consists of Intel Core 2 Duo 1.6GHz processor, 2048MB of memory and 80GB hard drive, while for those with a bigger budget can spend £2028 (inc. VAT) on the 1.8GHz version, which also comes with a 64MB Solid State Drive (SSD).

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iSkin’s SOHO range is just what you need to protect your laptop from everyday wear and tear. Whether it’s a MacBook, MacBook Pro, PowerBook, iBook or a similarly sized Windows laptop, the SOHO offers all round protection for laptops. Made from premium synthetic leather and dyed using only environmentally safe inks, these stylish, contemporary sleeves come in two sizes: 13-inch and 15-inch. Featuring a multi-layered design that consists of a durable outer layer, the iSkin SOHO has a reinforced padded centre and a plush inner lining. Together, they perfectly encase the laptop keeping it safe from the knocks and scrapes of daily life.

The SOHO comes in black with five different colours of accented zips and stitching. They include: Azure (black with blue), Graphite (black with grey), Magnum (black with red), Sahara (black with orange) and Amazon (black with pink). For more information on the SOHO range and other iSkin products please go to What Laptop.

We’ve seen several Pocket PCs from Taiwanese manufacturer E-TEN over the past couple of years, and all of them have been crammed with features. The Glofiish X600 continues this trend, promising to be the only device you’ll need when out of the office.

The X600 has a bright and colourful 2.8-inch touchscreen display. With a resolution of 320 x 240 pixels, images appeared crisp and there’s plenty of space to view documents or emails. The screen proved responsive to the touch, and can be controlled using a stylus housed in the bottom corner of the device. We found the handwriting recognition proved accurate and easy to use, if a little slower than a regular keypad.

In addition to the touchscreen, navigation can be achieved using a joystick that sits below the screen. There are also several large buttons, which help to make it simple to control the X600. One of the buttons features a home icon, and pressing it takes you to E-TEN’s Quicklaunch interface. Using this, you’ll be able to launch various functions by tapping the screen.

The X600 uses Microsoft’s Windows Mobile 6 operating system. There are several useful applications included as standard, such as Word, Powerpoint and Excel Mobile, which are ideal for creating documents or transferring files between the Glofiish and your laptop.

Configuring email accounts is a simple process, and support for push email means you’ll be able to send and receive mail almost instantly. When it came to browsing the internet, the Glofiish proved adept, using EDGE (Enhanced Data rates for GSM Evolution) to offer reasonably fast browsing speeds

Those wanting to download large attachments will be disappointed to find there’s no 3G, but there is an 802.11b/g Wi-Fi adapter, so you’ll be able to take advantage of nearby wireless hotspots. Bluetooth is included for wireless connections to other digital devices.

The X600 features a SiRF Star III GPS receiver, so you’ll also be able to use it for satellite navigation. This is the same chip as you’ll find in most high-end dedicated satellite navigation devices, and offers the most accurate tracking. There’s no mapping software included as standard, but it’s easy to add at a later date.

Build quality is excellent, with matt-black plastics that are both tactile and hardwearing. The screen is surrounded by brushed aluminium, and purple coloured accents help this device to stand out in an often conservative market.

It’s amazing just how many features have been crammed into the X600’s compact casing, and if you’re after a touchscreen device this is definitely worth a look. However, those wanting to create documents may want to try it first, as it’s slightly hampered by the lack of hardware keypad.

For more information, visit Expansys.

OQO is a company that specialises in UMPCs (Ultra Mobile PCs). The OQO Model e2 (£1149 inc. VAT) is its latest device.

The front of the Model e2 is devoid of buttons, dominated instead by a 5-inch display. With a resolution of 800 x 480 pixels, images appear sharp and usable. If icons and text are too large or small, you can also zoom in and out.

We found the display bright and colourful. While rival UMPCs offer touchscreen panels the Model e2’s is digitised. This means you'll need a stylus and Windows XP Tablet Edition to use it, but it's a precise way of navigation.

The display slides up to reveal a QWERTY keypad. The buttons are designed to be pressed with your thumbs, so it's never going to beat a regular laptop for comfort. However, with a good amount of space between keys, and raised buttons it's easy to write at a decent pace.

A pointing stick sits to the right of the board for navigation, and we found it quick and accurate. Touch sensitive strips on the side of the display let you scroll through web pages and documents with ease.

While it initially felt comfortable in the hand, the unit heated up considerably making longer periods of use unpleasant. Our test unit came with a 60GB hard drive, but it's possible to buy the e2 with a 32GB solid state drive (SSD) for £1599 (inc. VAT). In addition to offering faster access to your files, it should also be cooler to the touch due to the lack of moving parts.

The OQO comes with a VIA processor. It’s a single-core ULV (Ultra Low Voltage) chip, running at 1.5GHz. You can choose the device with either Windows XP or Windows Vista. While the Vista unit we tried proved underpowered, the XP model was surprisingly rapid in day to day use.

Connectivity is offered in the form of an 802.11a/g Wi-Fi adapter and Bluetooth. A plug-in mini docking station is provided, offering Ethernet and VGA ports. An HDMI socket is also built-in, letting you connect digitally to external displays.

The device itself has just one USB 2.0 port, limiting the peripherals you can connect. However, an external docking station is available, offering an extra two ports. The dock costs £199 (inc. VAT) with a CD-RW/DVD-ROM drive, and £269 (inc. VAT) with a DVD-rewritable drive.

With small dimensions and good usability there’s no doubt this is the best UMPC we’ve seen to date. However, it remains far too expensive for many people to buy in addition to a laptop, and it’s simply not comfortable enough to use as a full-time replacement.

For more information, visit Expansys.