Hotpoint UHS53X Stainless Steel

With the summer fast approaching and the last few weeks showing some promising signs in terms of weather, you may be starting to think about those long, balmy nights of top-drawer barbecues, cold beers and entertaining your friends.

It's sometimes the case that when you're looking for a laptop within a budget price-range, you end up with a laptop that really looks like it's from that budget price-range. Thankfully that isn't the case with Samsung's R730........

You are probably aware of the Italian company Smeg. Even if you don't recognise the name you will have seen their products in your local appliance stores - they're the ones that make you think "wow! That is a cool dishwasher ", for example. And lets face it - dishwashers are rarely cool. Renowned throughout the world for their emphasis on style, elegance and sophisticated design combined with quality engineering and performance, Smeg are principally famed for their 1950's themed refrigerators. That tradition is continued with their range of WMFAB16 free standing washing machines.  Presented in four different colours; pastel blue, black, pink  and cream (left), it must be said that they look rather splendid. But as someone once said, never judge a book by its cover - or in this case, a washer by its colour. Aesthetics are all well and good, but when it comes to washing machines performance is key. So does the WMFAB16 range stand up to the rigours and expectations of modern living, or is it full of old flannel? Lets take a look.

It's the Nokia World event today in Stuttgart and the phone giants have taken the opportunity to introduce an array of rather fine looking gadgets to the world. We were all expecting the Nokia N97 mini to get a first airing, but the real surprise of the day has been the unveiling of the X series of mobiles. First up though, lets take a look at the N97 mini.