Inspecting gadgets

Xperia X1 - Sony Ericsson

Possibly one of the most versatile mobile devices on the market, the Sony Ericsson Xperia X1 could make a fantastic travelling companion for the busy executive. It is difficult to categorise this product. Sure it's a phone, but it also has a sliding QWERTY keyboard, so is it a computer as well? It's hard to tell.

Just to make things even more confusing, the device can play media content at a reasonably high resolution, it is equipped for 3D mobile gaming, has a good quality 3.2 megapixel camera, and comes with a GPS and the Google Maps application.

Most would have no qualms in saying this device was a great all-rounder and a helpful executive companion, although you do pay for what you get. The device finds itself at the top end of the mobile gadget price range, but with all the goodies that come along with this challenger to the touch screen title, you wouldn't really expect to be able to pick one up cheaply.

The X1 is Sony Ericsson's answer to the growing range of up-market mobiles targeting travelling executives, and it looks to rank among the best.

One edge it has over many of its competitors is the battery life, which Sony Ericsson claim will last for up to 10 hours of talk time. This is impressive by any standard, and even more impressive if you consider the lackluster battery lifespan of many other high end mobile devices in the same category.

Sony Ericsson's latest and greatest is in the unique position of having few flaws and many strengths. Its range of applications and entertainment capabilities also make it a great travelling companion. If you are looking for a solid all-round device, then you need look no further.

MacBook Pro

For all you die-hard Mac lovers who refuse to conform, Apple has revamped their MacBook range and unsurprisingly, they look suspiciously like the company's previous range of portable computers. OK, we get it, the white matches the rest of Apple's similarly eclectically cool products, but come on guys, a little bit of creativity wouldn't go astray.

Looking past the aesthetics, the MacBook Pro does have some fairly decent capabilities and as usual, it is especially useful for IT staff needing to run graphics intensive programs.

The specifications of the MacBook Pro are nothing to be sneezed at. With a 2.4 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor and a NVIDIA GeForce 9600M GT graphics card under its hood, the Pro has some fairly impressive grunt. These are of course the basic capabilities of the notebook, and there are plenty of options to upgrade, if the basic model isn't enough to float your boat.

The MacBook Pro is still a little lacking in hard drive capacity compared to its PC counterparts, but isn't too far off. It ranges upwards from 250 GB, which seems strangely low considering the chunky kind of files the Mac is designed to cope with.

For IT managers who are looking for a notebook to handle certain specific programs that are better suited for the Mac range, or something to match their shiny white office and electronic accessories, the Pro is a great option.

However, for those looking for a high-end laptop to run demanding programs in general, the latest range of Macbooks does nothing to encourage PC users to the other side of the fence.

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