BEAUTIFUL TOUCH

HP TouchSmart IQ504 Price to be confirmed
www.hp.com

Someone at HP has been hanging out at the Apple Store. This PC is an all-in-one iMac lookalike, while the 22in touchscreen monitor runs HP’s own photo and music software in response to fingertip commands – a field in which the company has a good track record. The price is likely to top £1,000 when it arrives in the UK later this summer, but unlike with Apple products, it appears that you’re not having to pay a premium simply because it’s a great-looking machine: the super-fast 64-bit Intel Core 2 Duo processor with matching 64-bit version of Windows Vista and 4GB of Ram should provide plenty of operating punch.

However, the basic model’s hard disk is a disappointing 320GB, and if you want a built-in TV tuner, that adds an estimated £100 to the bill – cheeky given that this PC begs pride of place in the living room.

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WIRELESS WATCHDOG

AlertMe home security kit £399, plus £11.75 monthly service charge
www.alertme.com, 0845 200 2873

Unlike most home security systems, AlertMe doesn’t require you to employ a legion of builders to install lasers and endless wiring around your house. Instead, you simply plug the system’s central hub into your broadband connection, distribute the assortment of smoke detectors, motion sensors and door and window monitors around your house, then wait for them to log on wirelessly to the hub. If you live in a mansion, the supplied Mathmos lamp handily doubles as a signal booster to eliminate wireless dead zones. Once activated, the system can be set up to send e-mails or text messages to you, your neighbours or anyone else you nominate, should its sensors be tripped. The broadband link means you can monitor your house over the internet, which gives you a whole new excuse to take your laptop with you to the beach. And you don’t have to worry about the power or broadband to your house being cut, as the hub runs on both mains and battery, and contains a Sim card for back-up mobile phone communications. Watch out for that monthly service charge – although you should be eligible for a 15% discount from selected home insurers, which might help ease the financial pain.

VIDEO STAR

Ion VCR 2 PC video converter £150
www.firebox.com, 0844 922 1010

Ion was the company behind the USB turntable, the gadget that promised to digitise your vinyl, and assumed that you subsequently had hours to spare to clean up the recordings and manually insert track dividers. Thankfully, the software behind Ion’s follow-up stab at breathing new, digital life into analogue recordings is said to be far more user-friendly than that. Plug the video cassette player into the USB port of your home computer and it will automatically convert old home movies into video formats that are compatible with the PSP, iPod, DVDs or computers in general. However, as with the vinyl version, expect to have to do some editing to break up multiple recordings into individual episodes. Firebox claims the Ion will also work with prerecorded copyright material. Plug it into the TV and it will function as a standalone VCR, in case you fancy giving the grandkids a taste of 1980s technology.

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