Harman Kardon GLA-55 speakers
£500, www.harmankardon.com
WHAT ARE THEY?Not a huge pair of paperweights, but computer or MP3-player speakers housed in cut glass. Audiophiles are obsessed with eliminating resonance, the interference caused by sound waves bouncing round a hollow speaker cabinet, and have tried a number of “solid” designs, including concrete. The weight makes the speakers stand rock still – useful if you crank them up to the claimed maximum 56W output, which would make flimsier models bounce off your desk. There’s no sub-woofer, but the two-way speaker design should provide adequate bass, and each has an amplifier built into the clear acrylic stand. Audio in is a simple 3.5mm mini-jack connection, so they are compatible with just about every piece of hardware on the planet.
SHOULD I BUY THEM?Harman Kardon has an excellent record in professional audio equipment but its desktop speakers to date have been disappointing, so let’s hope these sound as good as they look. Available as a limited edition of 3,000 from next month.

iPod Touch
From £169, www.apple.com
WHAT IS IT?The opening shot in Apple’s Christmas merchandising offensive. Arguably, the company has done the bare minimum to justify calling this a new version of its touchscreen digital music player and internet browser. It has more memory for your money (ranging from 8GB to 32GB); an even slimmer casing; longer battery life (a claimed 36 hours of music playback, six hours of video); a long-needed integral volume control; and a less called-for external speaker. The audio quality of the original Touch was strongly criticised, and it is unclear whether Apple has dealt with the problem in this update. What is new, though, is an accelerometer - also known as a motion sensor - which may prove the biggest selling point, as Apple is now pitching the machine as a portable gaming device. Indeed, a cut-down version of Spore is a delight to play, as you tilt the Touch to guide your character through a primordial obstacle course. Driving and sports games also run smoothly. The control method doesn’t have the precision of the PlayStation Portable, but with plenty of titles downloadable at about £5 each, the Touch is an attractive gaming-on-the-go option.
SHOULD I BUY ONE?If you already own a Touch or a PSP, don’t go putting it on eBay just yet. Still, expect this to be on top of the Christmas wishlist of many iPod newbies and upgraders.

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