Alan Lu is currently external communications manager at Vodafone UK and has a background in corporate communications and media writing. An alumnus of The London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE), he has previously served as reviews editor for IT Pro and Computeractive.
CCL CCL-CS1209 review CCL's CCL-CS1209 is a quick yet quiet computer that performs well, particularly in games, but we'd have liked better application performance.
Buffalo DriveStation USB 3.0 1TB review Buffalo's USB3 DriveStation is easily the fastest external hard disk we've seen. It's pricy, but it's worth having if time is a big issue.
£110
Seagate Barracuda XT 2TB review Given the problems that we had in testing, we recommend holding off on SATA 600 for the time being.
£230
PC Specialist Vortex i5 GTS review A big monitor and Windows 7 Ultimate make this a real workhorse, but better-value deals are available.
£849
Edifier E1100Plus review Edifier's E1100Plus speakers look great, but their sound quality is poor.
Apple iPod Classic 160GB review It has plenty of storage and excellent battery life, but niggling audio quality issues prevent it getting an unqualified recommendation.
CCL CCL-CS1209 review CCL's CCL-CS1209 is a quick yet quiet computer that performs well, particularly in games, but we'd have liked better application performance.£399
Buffalo DriveStation USB 3.0 1TB review Buffalo's USB3 DriveStation is easily the fastest external hard disk we've seen. It's pricy, but it's worth having if time is a big issue.£110
Seagate Barracuda XT 2TB review Given the problems that we had in testing, we recommend holding off on SATA 600 for the time being.£230
PC Specialist Vortex i5 GTS review A big monitor and Windows 7 Ultimate make this a real workhorse, but better-value deals are available.£849
Edifier E1100Plus review Edifier's E1100Plus speakers look great, but their sound quality is poor.£40
Altec Lansing Expressionist Ultra review Altec Lansing's Expressionist Ultra speakers have too many quality issues for a set at this price.£180
Speedo LZR Aquabeat 2GB review The Aquabeat will appeal greatly to swimmers, but its general usefulness is lessened by a number of design compromises.£70
HP MediaSmart EX490 review HP's MediaSmart EX490 isn't cheap, but it's packed full of useful features.£462
Apple iPod Classic 160GB review It has plenty of storage and excellent battery life, but niggling audio quality issues prevent it getting an unqualified recommendation.£189
Philips GoGear Muse 16GB review It isn't cheap, but Philips' GoGear Muse is an excellent MP3 player with great image quality and good video support.£150
iRiver B30 8GB review The B30 is packed full of features, including a DAB radio, but it's expensive for the amount of storage space.£139
Creative Zen X-Fi 2 16GB review Creative's Zen X-Fi 2 is a good MP3 player with excellent battery life that's let down by a very poor touchscreen.£130
Cowon D2+ DAB review Cowon's D2+ DAB has some attractive features, but its dire touchscreen, fiddly interface and high price make it one to avoid.£129
Sony Walkman NWZ-S544 review Sony's 8GB Walkman NWZ-S544 is a good MP3 player, but it's not a big improvement over the cheaper NWZ-E443.£110
Samsung YP-P3 8GBv review Samsung's P3 is an inexpensive touchscreen player with great battery life, but it's not ideal for watching video.£110