This post was written by Fedrick Chan
3’s mobile phone INQ1 includes the Skype stuff and takes things a step further by putting Facebook at its heart. The phone’s contact book lets you get to people via Skype, Windows Live Messenger, Facebook, email, SMS or voicemail. This is a nicely constructed slider with a fairly good range of apps on offer and two very enticing special tariffs. There are a few niggles which hopefully will be ironed out in the next version but as a first effort from the INQ/3 partnership it is impressive.
Hannspree’s HT09 is a million miles away from the HG281DJ in terms of appearance. Its chromed buttons aren’t easy to operate. Audio connectivity is another disappointment, with just twin phono inputs for the component source and a 3.5mm jack for PC audio. Overall, the HT09’s many flaws leave it difficult to recommend despite its incredible price. This TV will only be suitable for a small minority of users: those who primarily watch the better digital channels, aren’t too picky about image quality and want something to plug their games console into.
Sennheiser has taken a slightly different approach to creating its high-end in-ear earphones, the IE8s, and has come up with something that sounds quite astonishing. Their huge bass response will certainly please rock and pop music fans and even those that prefer the finer things in life will find these represent a good listen. One thing reviewers particularly liked about these earphones is the removable cable. However a few issues with the package as a whole make it hard to recommend these outright.
Samsung’s HD870 does indeed redefine what you can expect from a sub-£100 player, knocking stars off its rivals along the way. The sleek lines of the Samsung belie its cost, and will have the cheaper plasticky models hastily covering up their sleazy styling. Features aren’t lacking, either. HDMI, component, TGB Scart, composite plus a digital coaxial output for audio all receive a big tick. The amount of detail and insight on offer is very high indeed, even in the gloomiest of dark scenes. It’s a real DVD all-rounder, which is quite incredible for £70.
Sony’s second-generation mylo is for online junkies who want Web communication tools but can’t be bothered booting up a computer. Net connectivity is a big problem a website takes an hour to open. It is thick and weighty too. The most glaring hole in the mylo’s features: the ability to rent and download full-length movies or TV shows from an online store, a service available on the Touch through Apple’s iTunes store. Bottom line: mylo is more of a disappointment than a delight.