Canon IXUS 80 IS
Canon ups the ante with this model. Compared to the 70, the 80 comes with 8 megapixels instead of 7.1, a better zoom and optical image stabilisation. The bottom line is that the picture quality for a camera of its class and size is fantastic, taking into account the less-than-perfect white balance and ‘noise’ present at higher ISO settings. While there are longer shot-to-shot times, it’s a small detail when you don’t have to compromise on the sharpness of the image (something you might encounter with similarly priced models from other brands). $429.
Gregory Leow

Creative TravelSound i80
If you can’t beat them, join them. A follow-up to the TravelSound i50 for Apple’s iPod shuffle is the i80 for the Nano, a sleek, small sheath you slide your Nano into. It gives 15 hours of playback and the four independent micro drivers and digital amplifi er give out a surprisingly sharp sound for its size. Another plus: the speaker’s USB outlet charges the Nano and the speaker, and the stand allows the speaker to tilt at an angle for easier viewing of photos and videos. A solid offering in a sea of thirdparty speaker offerings for the iPod, not forgetting Creative’s reputation for high-quality sound.
$129. GL

HTC Shift
The biggest gripe for anyone thinking of owning a UMPC (ultra-mobile personal computer) is the text input. Very often, the keypads are slow thumb pads or, horror of horrors, on-screen keyboards. Thankfully, the new HTC Shift makes anyone a UMPC believer. It’s larger than most (but still smaller than the smallest laptops) with a reasonably sized keyboard, seven-inch touch screen, 30GB hard drive, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 2.0 and Windows Vista capabilities. Best of all, you can slip this into your bag and not feel encumbered. While it is never going to fi t in your back pocket, it has the highest usability of any UMPC out right now. All it has to do is solve the big downfall of all UMPCs – the battery life lasts only two and a half hours – and it will be perfect.
$2,188. GL

Samsung i450 Live Loud Music Edition
With a dual slide design (slide it up to reveal the keypad, slide it down and voilà, an in-built speaker), this music-orientated smartphone allows audio playback in an instant. The sound quality of its speakers is clear, though a little thin on the bass; but plug in a pair of headphones, and the quality is excellent. The user-friendly Symbian S60 Operating System (which the current Nokia N-series uses) enables its user to organise music into categories like ‘Genre’, ‘Composer’, ‘Artist’ and ‘Album’. From a generously lit screen and ‘touch wheel key’ to good signal reception and voice quality, it has everything you’d expect from a Symbian interface. Those familiar with the OS will feel right at home with the phone’s stand-by mode, which enables users to access their messages, contacts and calendar while updating appointments at the same time. Unfortunately, the camera is of mediocre quality with only two megapixels, which is expected for a music phone. The website says the i450 is equipped with a 2.4 inch, 256K colour display with QVGA resolution. While this is decent for most, its resolution is low – comparable to the Nokia N80, which was released two years ago. There is also no Wi-Fi, which will certainly turn off businessheavy users. Also, the software is not available for Mac users. That said, the i450 is targeted towards a trendy and musically inclined market. At only 104.5g and 17.9mm in thickness, its pocket size and easy-to-use features will also appeal to the younger crowd. Our suggestion: make it available in more colours, including pink, as this will certainly drive the girls into a fine frenzy.
$688. Sabrina Lee