It’s amazing that products such as this aren’t more common, being a normal widescreen PC monitor with the ability to receive digital (Freeview) television.

It even comes with a remote control and an socket for connecting a high-definition (Blu-ray) player or games console.

But all of that is pointless gimmickry if the LG Flatron M228WD can’t hold its own as a computer monitor.

Fortunately enough, it can – in fact, it’s an excellent monitor, giving a lovely image with great clarity and vibrant colours, thanks to the high resolution of 1680 x 1050 pixels.

That’s enough to just about squeeze two pages of the same document on the screen together, just like a large book or magazine.

It even looks nice from a design point of view, although it does have the depressingly clichéd blue light to tell you it’s switched on. We’ll forgive LG for that because there’s no on/off switch – instead it uses a rather pleasing touch sensor. It’s also extremely capable when it comes to gaming, which hasn’t always been the case with flat panel monitors.

Viewing angles – the ability to see a bright image from either side of the screen - were acceptable. One disappointment is the stand, which doesn’t allow much tilting or rotating. It is easy to assemble, though, and while not oozing flair, it certainly isn’t ugly.

As a TV, the setup is very easy. Simply plug in a suitable aerial and use the remote control to scan for channels. The set picked up all the available channels and had very impressive reception on each.

There are outputs on the rear panel for plugging in external speakers (which would probably be in addition to your PC’s speakers) – we’d suggest using these if you have the space, because the monitor’s own internal speakers were quite poor, easily the weakest point of the package.

We are a little concerned at the pricing - £260 is quite a lot more than you can expect to pay for a monitor of the same and size similar quality without the TV features. However, given that you can find the M228WD for less online it makes much more sense.

The Bluestreamer 2 calls itself a Bluetooth stereo headset, but it’s not designed for your head.

Instead it clips to a shirt pocket and you can use the built-in microphone to make calls.

You’ll need to attach your own headphones to hear anything, though. It’s compatible with any mobile that uses Bluetooth version 2 (check with your phone manufacturer if you’re not sure).

After a straightforward pairing process we were able to use the controls on the device to adjust volume, change tracks and play and pause music.

In addition the user is alerted when an incoming call arrives. It automatically pauses any music that’s playing on the phone for the duration of the call (this is why it needs the latest Bluetooth version).

Using your own headphones means you can use the ones you’re comfortable with, but it may increase the cost if you have to buy a new set.

This all sounds quite standard, but there are additional features that give it an edge over the average headset. Using various combinations of button presses on the controls you can accept and reject calls, redial the last number, make a voice-dialled call and manage multiple calls at once.

There are also a range of effective sound modes that can adjust the stereo effect or create a surround-sound effect. The device is compatible with Skype, so you can use it with a computer if it has Bluetooth capabilities (as many notebooks do).

We were very impressed by the quality of the signal from our mobile phone up to the maximum 10m range, and once you get used to the controls it’s very easy to manage calls. Often these sorts of devices suffer from an echo but we found the quality to be very good.

If you’re planning on using it with a PC be aware that you’re likely to lose quite a bit of the functionality and, more importantly, the audio isn’t nearly as clear.

When used for its primary purpose we found the Bluestreamer 2 to be very impressive – and light, at only 20g – and for regular callers or those who listen to lots of music on their phones it’ll be a useful gadget.

Ricoh’s Caplio range of cameras has always produced high-quality models with big lenses and screens, but at a cost of being on the bulky side.

The company has addressed that in recent models, which have been getting smaller and smaller, and the Ricoh R8 (the company having dropped the Caplio name) is admirably svelte, although it’s still bulkier than many cameras. It includes a similar 7.1x zoom lens to its predecessors, and has a 10-megapixel resolution, along with a bright, clear 2.7in screen on the reverse.

The menus are clear and easy to use, with a tiny joystick to the right of the screen used for most functions. One annoying feature is that, by default, it forgets any settings you change after it’s switched off, which puzzled us until we found the menu option to make it remember settings.

Like most modern compact cameras, it offers both vibration correction (to counter camera shake) and face detection (to make sure people are in focus). Image quality was impressive, as was the sharpness of the screen although, as with many compacts, in low light there was slightly more noise than we’d have liked. That aside, this is a well-built camera that’s worth the money

If your lounge is home to more entertainment equipment than just a TV and DVD player, it’s likely you also have a bunch of remote controls cluttering up the coffee table.

There are plenty of cheap universal remotes available, but Logitech’s Harmony devices take things much further. The Harmony One can replace up to 15 remotes and, like many others in the range, is configured using an online database so there’s no need to hunt down codes and enter them into the remote control manually.

Simply hook it up to a PC, pick your devices from a list and wait for the codes to be copied to the remote.
You can also create macros to send multiple commands with one press of a button.

For example if you want to watch a DVD, the Harmony One can, in one sweep, turn the TV on, set it to the correct channel, switch on the surround sound speakers and select the appropriate input, and then power up the DVD player – all with a single touch of a button. The device is well designed, with a 2.2in touch-sensitive screen providing access to device-specific controls.

The problem with pocket-sized internet gadgets (such as smartphones) is that the web facilities they offer tend to be patchy.

Even the all-conquering iPhone, for instance, fails to properly display some websites, and is completely stumped by online pages containing Flash animations. This is no good to serious web users, who yearn for a portable internet experience that’s the same the one you get sat at a desktop PC.

Nokia’s new N810 promises precisely this, with the company’s marketing materials boasting that it puts “the entire internet in your pocket”. Happily, the N810 gets web browsing mostly right. Having used the N810’s browser – a slimmed-down version of Firefox – for several weeks we have yet to visit a web page that it cannot display acceptably.

A quick press of a shortcut button and the browser window fills the whole screen – a wonderfully sharp, touch-sensitive display with a resolution of 800×480 pixels. Similarly, a pair of zoom buttons allow the displayed web page to be magnified or shrunk, as best fits for viewing. All this works brilliantly and the N810 undoubtedly offers one of the finest portable web experiences around.

However, enjoying that web experience depends on being close to a wireless hotspot or carrying a Bluetooth-enabled mobile phone for data purposes, as the N810 has no built-in mobile phone of its own. Some may not consider this a big disadvantage but few people want to carry a second device in addition to their mobile phone (which may offer internet access in any case).

The battery life is a little limiting, with about four hours’ continuous use – not enough for a busy working day. Beyond the internet, the N810 is a powerful portable computer in its own right. It runs a mobile version of the Linux operating system, with plenty of applications available for download.

It has a built-in keyboard that slides out from under the screen, while an integrated stand can be swung out to prop the device up on a work surface. The keyboard is okay for short typing bursts, though the top row of keys is awkward to press. Alternatively handwriting-recognition software can be used, though this doesn’t work very well.

For the user’s files and folders, the N810 has 2GB of storage, which is ample for this kind of device, although music fans might find it a little small. There are other faults – the integrated webcam’s quality is awful and the built-in GPS receiver, for mapping and directions, is slow to get a lock on the positioning satellites. The supplied software is limited – it’s more fun than functional.

The Sanyo Xacti HD-1000 is the one of the first cameras we’ve seen that offers full high-definition (1080i) recording.

In theory this means that your home videos will be as clear as the latest Blu-ray film. However, this camcorder is not all it’s cracked up to be. In good light we found that colours were faded and in low light, recordings were grainy. The camera has a 5-megapixel still mode so it can take photographic images but the ones we took were blurry and unimpressive.

The design of the camcorder echoes its cousin, the Xacti VPC-HD2 we looked at a while ago. All the main components, such as the zoom, sit on the top part of the camera behind the lens, and a blue light surrounds the record buttons. Below this is an annoyingly tiny joystick for the menus. The side hides the flip-out 2.7in screen, which is extremely clear. The rest is blank, giving plenty of holding space.

The camcorder itself has no connections: instead you need the supplied dock with sockets for the included HDMI cables as well as a USB port. It comes with a remote control but not a memory card, which will bump the price up a touch.

Microsoft’s Lifecam NX 3000 is designed for use with Windows Messenger and skinny notebooks – skinny because the webcam attaches to the top of the screen and will work on nothing thicker than about 2cm.

It is a 1.3megapixel webcam that, in addition to video, takes impressively clear still shots. The camera was easy to set up: we installed the software, signed in to Windows Messenger and plugged it into a spare USB port. Once installed the camera uses its own dashboard, which has three buttons for snapping photos and recording audio or video clips.

Along the bottom of the window are shown the most recent photos and video or audio clips. On the top of the camera is a call button to quickly ’speed dial’ people and start a video call. The lens swivels up and down, should you need to move the notebook’s screen.

Video from the camera was very clear and we were impressed with the noise-cancelling feature, which was particularly effective at getting rid of extraneous sound. For £30 the NX 3000 does its job well and has some clever extras.

Porsche has come up with its most powerful racing version of the ever-green 911: the GT3 RSR.

This RSR version of the 911 coupé packs a 465bhp non-turbo variation of the classic ‘boxer’ flat-six engine.

To cope with the power of this engine, Porsche has used the gearbox from its RS Spyder Le Mans racer.

That’s just as well as the GT3 RSR is set to become a feature of grids at the French endurance race as private teams will be able to buy this car.

The price is 349,800 Euros plus the VAT of whichever country the owner lives in.

Only 35 GT3 RSRs will be made and all have a unique package of aerodynamic aids to make them as fast and stable as possible.

There are ‘flicks’ on the front spoiler to push the car to the ground, while the rear wing is carried over from the previous GT3 model.

The suspension has been heavily uprated from the road-going 911’s and the brakes have also been increased in size to cope.

If the music tracks, digital photographs and video on your computer rarely get to see the light of day, a media streamer (a device that grabs them off the PC to play it on the TV or hi-fi) could set them free.

Linksys’s DMA2200 Media Center Extender is one such device and, as the name suggests, extends Microsoft’s Media Center software to a TV, allowing users to access all the media stored on PCs from the comfort of the sofa. The PC will need to be running Windows Vista Ultimate or Home Premium and needs to be switched on whenever the DMA2200 is in use.

What makes the DMA2200 stand out is its usability. Setting it up is a breeze and, with the Media Center display, browsing a media library is simple, with everything presented in a logical manner. Within seconds we had a slideshow of holiday snaps on display with a selection of handpicked tracks playing in the background.

Streaming video is just as easy and, since format support is determined by what Media Center can handle, few files won’t play. A selection of online video is also available, including free content from MTV along with subscription-channels. And, if the PC running Media Center has a TV tuner installed, you can also watch, pause and record live TV.

One gripe is that the interface isn’t as smooth flowing as Media Center on a PC, with a short pause often occurring before DMA2200 reacts to a button press on the remote. The DMA2200 can be hooked up to a network using wired or wireless connection.

Linksys has furnished it with the ability to talk using the latest 802.11n wireless standard, which boosts speeds and makes it possible to stream high-definition video wirelessly. However, unless you own a wireless router that supports the same standard, you’ll have to stick to slower wireless speeds, which are fine for streaming standard-definition video.

The box also squeezes in a DVD player. A non-DVD version (DMA2100) is available for £30 less, but this player is able to upscale standard DVDs for high definition screens. It’s no substitute for a Blu-ray video disc but it does make films look better. The jewel in the DMA2200’s crown is undoubtedly its ease of use.

We’ve seen plenty of technically impressive media streamers in the past that were let down by lacklustre user interfaces. Much of the DMA2200’s impressive usability is down to its close ties with Media Center. This is, however, its one big flaw – if you don’t have a Vista PC with Media Center up and running, you won’t be able to use it.