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There are several major players in the tablet computer market, but Sony is one that has entered at a rather late stage.

It has recently announced the release of the Sony Tablet S and the Sony Tablet P. Both of these systems are utilising the Honeycomb operating system by Android.

Most of the applications for the device are going to be able to be bought through the Sony Reader Store, but this has not yet launched. That said, there is still plenty of digital content for those own the tablet to get involved with.

Users of the device are able to download unlimited music and video from a streaming service set up by the company. However, in order to use the services you must create a login and update the machine. Once you have done this however, the range of content available on the device is very impressive.

This tablet from Sony has two separate screens and they work well together but they do not quite match. It is quite strange that aesthetically Sony have not chosen to round the edges of the device, which makes the way you would want to grip the tablet quite uncomfortable.

Additionally, for those who want to game on the device, which is one of its primary purposes, the touchscreen doesn’t really compare to being able to use real buttons. Furthermore, the fact that the screens are separated by a black bar, makes image viewing, as well as web browsing, not as pleasant as it could be.

The device has a microSD card slot which is going to be very important to users as the device only comes with a tiny amount of on-board storage. The device comes built-in with 3G capability, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, a web cam, as well as a separate five megapixel camera.

Sony states that the battery on the device will last for seven hours, but this has not proved to be the case in testing. Furthermore the device takes an enormous amount of time to charge, over seven hours. The device does operate very smoothly, and will generally impress users.

The Samsung NP600B5B is an impressive laptop with remarkable speed geared towards business use.

Its 2.5Gz Intel i5-2520M dual-core processor is excellent at running heavy software programmes while at the same time sporting great running speed for every day apps.

It also has a great graphics support system due to its nVidia NVS-200M graphics card and with a professional version of the software built into it the laptop is great for those who have graphic intensive jobs.

While it may not be competing with the big guns, it also has some great storage and memory coming in at 500GB and 4GB, making it adaptable to any office job. The downside to the Samsung laptop is that while it is tough and could handle a drop, this also means that it’s bulky and has a very thick lid that weighs 2.7kg on its own.

This makes it a poor choice for a portable laptop, unless you are attempting to build up some arm muscle in which case the weight may not be such as bad thing. In terms of portability, the battery life is reasonable coming in at about six hours so it will at least support work during business trips.

Also disappointing is the resolution, it only offers a 1366×768 resolution, which is quite surprising given the fact that it is a 15 inch notebook. The keyboard is nice however, with a healthy key size that allows you to utilise it without feeling too cramped.

It is a bit odd that Samsung choose to include a numeric keypad given the fact that it’s not really needed, but it is there for those who will need it. In terms of the mouse, there is a nice trackpoint pad with two different buttons on the laptop, allowing for flexible browsing with the cursor.

For those who are looking for a dependable and high-quality DSLR then looking at the EOS range by Canon would be a good place to start.

The latest model that has been released by Canon is the EOS 600D which costs just over £600 if you just want the body of the camera and around £100 more if you want a basic lens included with this.

The price of this camera is very good for something that has quite a lot of high-end features but many people will be wondering whether this camera brings any major improvements to the previous release.

When you first look at the 600D compared with the previous version, the 550D, they look very similar and the only differences appear on the dial used for changing the mode, as well as the grip of the camera. One of the most notable changes is to the LCD screen which you will notice can now be flipped out. Now it resembles much more the sort of screen that you would find on a camcorder.

The performance of the camera is excellent, even when you use the limited lens that can comes with the camera. You will get pictures that are full of detail and don’t have much noise. The contrast levels on the shots are generally great and colours appear natural. The LCD screen on the back is three inches across and is excellent for viewing pictures on after you have shot them.

The flexibility of this screen is useful and you can use it to view your snaps from different angles. It allows you to set up shots that are taken from particularly high or low angles. It is also useful if you are using the camera to shoot high-definition video.

As this is an SLR camera, users will almost always prefer to use the viewfinder to set up their shots. Fortunately, the viewfinder on the camera is excellent and there is a useful amount of data displayed in the viewfinder to allow the photographer to compose the perfect shot.

The camera weighs in at around 500 grams and apart from the new flipping out screen it doesn’t have a great deal of personality. It is slightly more compact than other rivals in its class but as soon as you add a lens onto it this doesn’t make a great deal of difference.

Canon have a reputation for designing cameras that are approachable and easy to use but this design is beginning to look quite tired when compared with other SLRs on the market. Many consumers will also find this camera, as many of Canon cameras are, feels just a bit too plasticky.

The camera is not pitched at the entry-level but despite this it is still easy to get to grips with. It will also provide new photographers with the ability to learn a great deal and the full auto mode will mean they can get some great shots right from the get go. The camera also makes it very easy to experiment with the more advanced features and there are plenty of explanations on-screen to help the novice user.

As you would expect, the camera comes with full manual control as well as the ability to control just shutter and aperture settings. There are also numerous automatic modes such as, portrait, landscape and macro.

Navigating the cameras options is easy too as the menu is well laid out and the direction pad allows for easy movement between options. The camera comes with all the other features you would expect such as an HDMI slot and a pop-up flash.

The last update that was made to the electrical plug in the UK took place in the late 1940′s.It is possible that a new update is going to be implemented across the country by the introduction of the Mu folding plug.

The original plug was developed after World War II and it has not changed a great deal since its initial design. It is still large and much more cumbersome than many of the devices that it now powers.

A folding plug has recently gone on sale and is retailing at £25. The plug was developed by South Korean Min-Kyu Chio, a designer who has been training at London’s Royal College of Art. He managed to create a plug that is only one centimetre thick, which is significantly smaller than the current 4.5 centimetre version. Despite its smaller size, the device still complies with all safety regulations set out by the UK government.

The device was first unveiled three years ago and it was praised by designers. It is only recently entered mass production however. Choi commented about the device, “I decided to create this innovation because I was upset with the bulky plugs putting scratches on my laptop. The device is perfect for mobile devices.”

Sir James Dyson has commented about the device, “It offers a functional solution to a problem that we have all faced. Choi has shown that even a design that has been in use for many years is not perfect. He also has displayed the persistence to take it to a commercial market and I hope his success inspires innovators across the country.”

Mr Choi continued, “I bought the MacBook Air and was impressed with the device but disappointed by the plug that came with. I redesigned the plug so it fits in with the clean look of the MacBook.”

The device that is about to enter the market is not exactly what the inventor initially had in mind. People do not have a lot of desire to change the plugs on their devices and so it is expected that the device will be most successful when manufacturers start licensing it. The timing for the introduction of this plug is very good as many computer manufacturers are focusing on ultra-small devices.

The price of the plug means that it is not going to be used in the majority of the market but it is going to be very popular for people who have bought ultra-small mobile devices. Currently, the plug only can charge USB devices but it is expected in the near future that many other types are going to be released. Furthermore, there are also many more devices being powered by USB cords than ever before, including radios and even electric toothbrushes.

Mr Choi has stated, “When the plug was first designed people simply didn’t have portable electric devices, so the plug was not designed to be portable. Times have changed and I’ve created a plug that has changed with them.”

It is also expected that international versions of the plug are going to be created which is going to make travelling abroad with electronic devices even easier than it is now. Much like James Dyson achieved with his vacuum cleaner, Choi has taken a device that has been the same for a long time and completely reinvented it.

About finding the idea for the innovation he commented, “I made a list of what could and couldn’t be changed, the amount of devices that appeared in the ‘couldn’t’ column was very limited and the plug wasn’t one of the devices on this side of the table”.

Never before has efficient internet security been more important. Whether you are in business or sitting at home on your laptop, having top-end security is vital. This was highlighted in May of 2011 when electronic giant Sony suffered a hacking scandal where the personal and banking details of their online Playstation users were seriously compromised by external hackers who effectively brought down the entire system.

This sent shock waves through the entire online industry and the general consensus was that if the security of a company such as Sony could be hacked in this way, it could happen to anyone. A few years ago, nobody would have envisaged how massive online shopping was going to become, unfortunately, as this way of shopping increased in popularity so did the security breaches.

It was thought that encrypting data was the safest way to protect credit and debit card details and ensure that customers could shop safely without worrying about their details being stolen and used fraudulently. This kind of crime is estimated to have cost billions of pounds over the years.

Those with credit cards are covered by an insurance which reimburses customers whose card details have been stolen, the same does not apply to debit cards however, and if these details are stolen then it is the customer who has to cope with their money having been stolen from them. This has the knock on effect because as well as bank details the hackers can gain personal information and identity theft is the biggest fraud in the world.

So what can we do to stop it? Well there are many guides out there giving advice on internet security and while some are utter nonsense, there are some that make a lot of sense. For instance, despite online hacking constantly making the headlines, many of us are still taking the risk of shopping from website without security measures in place, and are suffering the inevitable consequences.

It is common sense to shop from reputable, big name sites as these have tight security in place you can shop with relative safety. On some sites you will see an additional security feature pop up from your bank asking for a username and password you have previously selected. By changing these regularly you are protecting yourselves from possible hacking and make these as random as possible.

There are also payment systems such as PayPal, moneybookers and neteller which are generally regarded as being a much safer way to shop or transfer money. These companies spend millions on their security and when you do make a payment, the recipient never sees your bank details. More and more websites are using these payment systems and they are fast becoming the number one way to pay for goods online.

We all hope that there is never another security breach of the magnitude of Sony, and while this was bad news for their customers at the time, it seems to have given the industry the kick up the butt it needed as far as internet security goes, we hope anyway.

At this year’s Consumer Electronics Show, the convention which shows off the best new tech each year, there was a huge influx of new smartphones battling it out to be the must-have gadget of 2012. With more and more models of these pocket sized devices becoming available every day, what should you be looking for in your smartphone? The range of mobile phones at Very is a good place to start considering this, since there’s plenty of choice on offer to give you a better idea of which model may be best suited to you.

Firstly, think about how you’re going to use it. If you’re only going to make the odd phone call, send some texts and do a bit of light web browsing, then a low end phone will do fine.

However, if you’re a Twitter fiend and find yourself checking 3 or 4 email accounts constantly, you’re going to need something with easy type functions. You should consider phones with buttons over touch screen models, as typing on any touch screen -smartphone or tablet – can be a hassle inevitably mistake-ridden.

If you’re an avid gamer, the screen will be your biggest concern. As the mobile gaming industry grows, the games are become ever more visually stunning – and you’re going to want to display those graphics properly. A good smartphone for games will have a large screen (ideally more than 3.5 inches) but, more importantly, a high resolution. 540 x 960 pixels should be good enough for gaming, although when it comes to screens more is definitely better.

Lastly, it’s wise to think about the operating system. Android is best if you want to fully customise your user experience, but can be a little tricky at first. The iPhone software, iOS, has the best range of applications, but you’ll have to sacrifice a bit of personalisation if you want them. Blackberry is the ideal choice if communication is most important to you since their devices are designed for emails.

And, of course, a smartphone won’t always be the best choice. If you’re regularly making calls from home, but have little use for texts or web browsing, Panasonic telephones are particularly user friendly and have superb quality speakers and microphones for the best sound.

Innovative IT firm DAP Technology has released details about two of its new products which are set to go on sale later in 2012.  The V1010 is a tough little computer, designed to be mounted on vehicles such as forklifts for use in stock and supply warehouses.

Featuring a 10-inch XGA display screen, with touchscreen controls, and a choice of either Windows  CE 6.0 or Windows 7 as an operating system, the V1010 takes its built to blend seamlessly into any existing supply-chain operation and is powered by the vehicle itself, requiring no charging or external power source.

However, the gadget is fitted with a back-up battery in case of any power failures creating a situation where vital information could potentially be lost. This feature also allows the machine and its data to be transferred from one vehicle to another. The V1010 offers, as standard, wireless USB and wireless broadband from Gobi^TM3000 along with ZigBee wireless technology integrated into the device. The system runs on the Intel^®E660T processor and has a memory of 2 GB as well as a 32 GB solid-state drive.

DAP’s Vice President Eric Miller was proud of the amount of functionality the company has managed to squeeze into such a compact unit, with the V1010 able to work alongside DAP’s current rugged tablet, the M9010. Both devices are fitted with DAP’s own patent-pending quick-connect/disconnect feature and are able to work with other computers used in the workplace.

This patent-pending Intelligent Docking System is the second of DAP Technology’s new products to be launched in the last few weeks. Far more than just a means of securely attaching a computer or device to a vehicle, the system can connect one machine with another; either through cables or through wireless USB.

Now there is no limit to the number of I/Os that a DAP client can have on one vehicle, providing ports for essential supply-chain gadgets such as barcode readers, weighing scales, printers and scanners. Of course, the Intelligent Docking System also allows the DAP computer to talk to any on-board device built into the vehicle itself.

Khalid Kidari, DAP’s director of product management and marketing, believes that the Intelligent Docking System device is the best that the industry has yet provided for warehouse vehicles, adding that while there is never going to be a solution that suits every client, the flexibility of DAP’s new innovation means that it can be adapted to solve most workplace IT issues.  This flexibility will also save DAP customers money in the long run as the Intelligent Docking System can do jobs that usually needed several devices.

Both the V1010 and the Intelligent Docking System are making their debut at the Modex technology event in Atlanta in early-February, while both devices are expected to be on sale to DAP clients before the end of 2012.

The Nikon D800 has a 36.3-megapixel camera that they promise will provide professional results. There are cameras out there with a higher pixel count, but that can be done purely for the big news splash and don’t actually add anything to the picture quality.

Priced at £2,300 there will not be many people picking this up to take holiday snaps, but if you’re a professional looking for a new medium format camera for your location kit bag, then the D800 will be available in March.

As it is designed for those looking to take the camera out of the studio, Nikon have put it together in a sturdy fashion. Made out of a magnesium alloy, the D800 feels rugged in your hand and capable of taking a knock or two. Similarly, it is weather-proof, so while it’s not an underwater camera, there is nothing to stop you shooting in the rain.

Being just 1kg in weight, and of a dSLR size you don’t have to stay in the studio. Obviously, it is more than capable of doing so, but it has so much more to offer. Of course, if you attach a significant lens to the front then it will lose some of the shoot and snap appeal, and you may want to invest in a decent tripod to hold your latest toy.

A product of the digital age, the D800 comes with a 3.2 inch LCD screen with ambient light sensor which will adjust the brightness automatically to let you preview your pictures before leaving the scene. It’s no comparison to seeing your pictures on your computer, but it’ll come in handy at times.

The sensors of the D800 are capable of handling each and every one of the 36.3 megap-pixels, so there will be plenty of light in your shots. The CMOS measures 35.9mm by 24mm so it has enough size to capture the detail without the noise.

The max ISO speed is 25,600, which will come in handy for low-light scenarios, but do be aware that the noise will increase as light decreases. However, this is minimised thanks to the EXPEED 3 processor.

A picture taken with the D800 is significantly better than you could take on your phone, despite the massive advances in that area. The raw file in its natural TIFF format will be more than 200MB, whereas a camera shot will give you 3MB.

The camera comes with other features like a 51-point auto focus area which will make it easier than ever to get a really sharp focus on your subject. Another feature is a time-lapse function, which combined with a tripod can give you a really fantastic cityscape shot.

As well as the traditional still image, the D800 can take video at full 1080mp resolution. The difference between this camera and your iPhone 4S is that sensor again. This will give you the rich colours and exposure that separates a professional shot from an amateur phone shot.

Capable of shooting at a range of frames per second, from the 24 fps that is required for you to perceive smooth motion, up to 30fps. Another option is to take a mighty 60 frames per second, with the output in 720p in slow-motion.

The camera comes with an HDMI output, and slots for flash and SD cards, as well as a port for an external storage drive. Audio inputs and outputs let you make your own films.

When one is starting up in a new office space, one of the biggest initial outlays will be on office furniture. Without realising it, this can easily run into thousands of pounds, and eat away a much bigger chunk of your budget than you had allowed. If you find yourself in this position help is at hand however, as there are many great companies from whom you can rent office furniture.

As you can imagine, the amount of offices that are constantly closing and then starting up again in London is phenomenal, and many companies have tapped into this. Furniture hire in London is big business, as more and more people are taking out short term leases on office space to test the water, and are loathe to splash out a fortune on furnishings which may end up being disposed off or sold on at a massive loss.

The hardest part of the process is finding the company that best fits your criteria, depending on the kind of style you want to create within your office. While most new offices favour a more modern, and contemporary décor, there are still some who prefer the older, dark wood office furniture. This is often dictated by the business that the office will serve, but rest assured there are companies to cater for all tastes and styles.

From chairs to desks to filing cabinets to screens to hat stands, you can literally hire anything at all that you feel your office needs. A quick internet search will bring up a huge range of results in your area, and then it is simply a case of checking out the styles of furniture they offer, and of course the prices. These can differ greatly between companies and the best deals tend to be for the longer term rental.

There is no minimum on what you can hire at any one time either, so you can create a complete bespoke office, or simply hire those finishing touches that you think will be appealing but want to test them out before you lay out the cash to buy them. Another reason for hiring furniture is if you intend to give your office an overhaul and want to give the style you have in mind a test run before you buy.

Whatever reason you have for hiring office furniture, there are companies to help you and the entire process can be taken care of with just a few clicks of a mouse.

Every year in Las Vegas the CES show is held, which is arguably one of the greatest shows involving everything to do with gadgets in the world. It is a platform many of the biggest names in technology used to launch some of their latest products.

Unlike 2011, the show this year did not have one dominant technology taking all of the visitors interests. Last year this was 3D TV but there are several trends that were seen at this show which highlight where technology is going to be going in the near future.

One of the technologies that did stand out above the others were OLED TVs. This type of television uses a technology that is self illuminating so unlike typical television sets there is no need for a backlight. This means that the level of black experienced on the screen is incredibly good and the contrast these televisions are capable of delivering is outstanding. At the other side of the scale colours are very bright and the visual impact of television displayed on the screen is incredible.

Previously, the screens were very small but at the show both Samsung and LG showed off 55inch models. The LG device is definitely the more attractive of the two and it is very slim being only four mm thick. It was so impressive in fact, that it won the Best of Show award given by CNET.

This TV is due to be released in the second six months of this year. That is not to say the Samsung device is not impressive, but at twice the thickness the LG model definitely stole the show.

New televisions by Samsung were also shown to utilise different technologies such as remote controls with microphones and video cameras mounted on televisions. The camera on the television allows the viewer to change the channel and other settings by using gestures; the remote control is also capable of recognising voice to execute commands.

LG released a remote control last year and they have improved this device with the introduction of a microphone as well as a scroll wheel. The company have also introduced a camera that will allow you to play games as well as control the television with gestures.

If the show is anything to go by, social media is going to be a big player in televisions over the next year. Televisions by Panasonic, Sony, LG, and Samsung were all showing improved ways of accessing Twitter and Facebook through their televisions. There was also technology introduced that allows people to message each other while they watch television.

Ultrabooks seem to be another technology that is going to be a big deal over the next year. These are powerful computers that are very lightweight and thin, however many of the device at the show did not look much different from the notebooks that are currently on the market and many people were unimpressed by the lack of change.

There were some exciting models on show however, many of which were capable of turning into tablets. Lenovo’s IdeaPad Yoga has a 360 degree screen which twists round to turn the device into a tablet. It is only 17 millimetres thick and is a very exciting piece of technology. LG also showcased a device that is a very impressive 14.7 millimetres thick.