The Videomate U500 is a USB2 digital TV tuner for your laptop or PC, jumping on the bandwagon of companies offering Freeview channels on your computer.

The package includes a software DVD player, TV player, remote control and metal USB extension lead. The TV tuner is much bigger than standard USB memory sticks and might not fit into ports alongside other USB peripherals.

Microsoft readies 12 security updates for June

Microsoft is scheduled to issue 12 security patches on Tuesday as part of its monthly security update cycle.

A dual-core graphics card that paves the way for DIY quad-SLI

The latest incarnation of the Holy Grail to appear has nothing to do with a certain Italian artist but everything to do with having a four graphic card setup in your PC; namely quad-SLI.

A motherboard with four graphics card slots, but beware, there's no quad-SLI support yet

Before you rush out and buy this motherboard, and the four graphics cards to go with it, it’s important to realise that the lack of quad-SLI support with Nvidia’s current driver means you won’t be able to run a four-card SLI system.

160GB 5,400 RPM drive designed for notebook and mobile computing
 
Hitachi has joined rivals Fujitsu and Seagate with the launch of its first perpendicular hard drive, the 2.5in Travelstar 5K160.

Claims patent infringement over mp3 players

Creative is suing Apple, claiming the company stole its design for a portable media player.

The maker of the Zen Vision: M and Nomad series of mp3 players was granted a patent last year for a system that automatically organises digital music collections into categories.

A quiet, 750GB internal hard drive at a hefty price

Seagate's latest hard drive has an incredible 750GB storage capacity.

The Barracuda ST3750640AS drive is available with ATA100 or Serial ATA II/300 interfaces. The latter is a native Serial ATA unit so you get NCQ (native command queuing), hotplug and hotswap capabilities.

A value for money dual core notebook

The Travelmate TM4202 sits in the familiar Acer chassis; has a curved keyboard, rounded edges and a generally pleasant feel about it.

The 1.66GHz Intel Core Duo T2300 processor – a popular choice – is supported by 512MB of DDR Ram, which can be upgraded to 4GB.

Online collaboration tool for small organisations at a reasonable price

Collaboration and organisation are two of the most important advantages the internet can offer any business. It doesn't matter where employees are as they can always stay in touch. Weboffice offers a means to do this effectively without an excessive initial cost for organisations from five to 1,000 people.

Excellent battery life, but Sony's insistence on using its Atrac DRM holds it back

The NW-E003 is Sony's latest attempt to corner the ultra-portable mp3 player market.  Despite resembling a standard USB flash drive, this player maintains a sense of style with its glossy/matt combination finish coupled with a neat layout of the buttons and a strap hole in the casing if you fancy wearing it necklace style.

Microsoft opens Windows to a broader audience

The public can now download the beta version of Microsoft's new Windows Live Messenger which was previously available by invitation only.
 
The next generation of the software giant's instant messaging application boasts a number of features that Microsoft said gives Windows Live Messenger a "fresh look and feel".

Minority Report-style tagging causes uproar
 
Levi Strauss has confirmed controversial plans to embed RFID chips in its clothing in a move that has been termed by anti-privacy groups as ‘spychipping’. 
 

It’s cheap but lacks connectivity for true high-definition support
 
Display maker Videoseven has launched an aggressively priced 20in LCD display designed to appeal to people that want the big picture without breaking the bank.

Experts say Apple's Windows software makes operating system more attractive to hackers
 
Experts at the Sans Institute claim there has been a sharp rise in number of flaws being discovered in the Mac OSX.
 

Company as bad as 'old' Microsoft at patching vulnerabilities
 
The number of viruses attacking the Apple operating system has risen sharply, and the company is proving that it is every bit as bad as Microsoft was a few years ago in dealing with them.
 

Well-featured and easy-to-use TV tuner

MSI’s Mega Sky 580 has a two-tone body of glossy black and off-white pearlescent plastic.

Included with the tuner are a mini-remote control, a coaxial adapter and a simple 140mm aerial, with a magnetic base and a 1.9m cable with a standard co-axial connector.

A dual-format analogue and digital TV tuner, but it's expensive

The Hauppauge WinTV-HVR 900, like the Terratec Cinergy XS, is a hybrid analogue/digital tuner. Its aerial comes in three screw-together sections; the rubber-covered magnetic base, a large loading coil and a wire aerial.