Review: Samsung UE40C8000

This elegant edge LED-lit UE40C8000 is Samsung's skinniest TV ever. But its 24mm profile is just one of its many attributes, with 3D capability, DLNA networking, USB recording and internet TV among the auxiliary features that complement those jaw-dropping looks.
With its transparent-edged, brushed titanium bezel and ultra-black screen there's no doubting the 40C8000's place in pole position on Samsung's 40-inch TV grid, just ahead of the marginally fatter, brown-framed 40C7000.
Both sets have the polished X-shaped Quad stand but the 40C7000 doesn't come with the gorgeous backlit brushed metal remote control, nor can it record TV to an external hard disk or flash drive.
This is also Samsung's most expensive 40-inch model. If you want to witness the joys of Samsung's flagship C9000 series you need to scale up your size ambitions to at least 46-inch while tripling the amount of hard earned cash it will cost you in the process.

Review: Advent Vega

The Advent Vega is the latest Android-clad touchscreen tablet to take on the Apple iPad.
The calibre of most, if not all Android tablets we're seen so far has left much to be desired. So the Advent Vega, with it's surprisingly cheap asking price of £249.99 doesn't really have much to live up to.
It launches alongside the even more affordable 7-inch Advent Amico, which is on sale with a resistive touchscreen for just £129.99.

Review: Pentax K-5

  

Pentax is by no means the most prolific DSLR manufacturer, and quite how it plays its hand is not always predictable. Nevertheless, following the announcement of the mid-range K-r and confirmation of the long-awaited 645D medium format model, it seemed clear that it would soon turn its attention to something between the two, either as a replacement for or a sibling to the warmly-received Pentax K-7.
The K-5 is just that, positioned above the K-7, and when you compare the Pentax K-5 vs K-7 there are a number of revisions to to the K-5's feature set to justify its arrival. Pentax has devoted equal measure of attention to both major and minor improvements, with a new sensor and focusing system among the headlines, and a multitude of smaller customisations and refinements previously bestowed upon its other recent models.
The model comes at a time when a number of other manufacturers are updating their own lines with likely competitors, notably Olympus with its E-5 (read our Olympus E5 Review: first impressions), Canon with the EOS 60D (read our Canon 60D Review) and Nikon with the D7000 (read our Nikon D7000 Review).
When you look at the K-5 vs D7000, K-5 vs 60D and K-5 vs E5, all three offer something different, but the Pentax K-5 can comfortably list a number of features which arguably make it the most intriguing of the group.

Review: Sharp LC-32LE210E

  

Sharp's latest 32-inch TV is LED-powered and is cheap to boot. The edge-mounted backlight enables a depth of 46mm, which, while appreciably chunkier than the 10mm-and-under to which the true flatscreen aristocracy currently aspires, is nonetheless about half as thick as a comparable CCFL-lit set.
The fashionable diode technology is slightly overshadowed by the lack of that other must-have of 2010; a Freeview HD tuner. Although you wouldn't expect to find such a delight on a sub-£500 screen, it does leave the LC-32LE210E looking a touch out of date. Not that Sky or Virgin Media customers will care.
Almost as by way of an apology the LC-32LE210E does have something extra special in the shape of USB recording; slip a memory stick or external hard drive into its side and you can store shows from its digital Freeview tuner.

Review: Sony Qriocity

Kwersitty? Kroy-city? No – Sony's latest VOD widget is supposed to read 'curiosity'.
We're not sure about the spelling – it's missing a 'u', at the very least – but we are certain that this is Sony's last-ditch effort to create something of lasting worth across its vast range of 'connected' products.
With Sony about to get into Google TV in the States, the appearance of its new Qriocity service might seem slightly eccentric.

Review: Roxio Creator 2011

Roxio's Creator 2011 sets itself a worthy collection of goals: to help us enhance, preserve, capture and share video content. A sceptic would claim they could do all of this with a rag-tag collection of freeware, but don't be too quick to judge.
Creator 2011 has its faults and gimmicks, but it's still a huge collection of programs with brilliant features.
Let's kick off with the main gimmick: Roxio has caught the 3D bug. With a few clicks and some computational heavy lifting, you can transform 2D family videos into 3D films. Don't expect Roxio's algorithms to make a wet weekend in a Wales look like Avatar, though. The net result of the 3D video processing system is simply a family film with an added dimension of fun.