HP Compaq nx6125 laptop

Which should . . .
offer “a familiar and intuitive environment” with Microsoft Windows and a secure one, too, with a “biometric fingerprint sensor”.

Which actually . . .
resolves all fears that laptops are fragile hand-scrunchers. The keyboard, two-thirds the size of an external, is amply wide, and the 17in screen is perfect and more comfortable than my 15in desktop. The image is sharp and the keys are clear to understand and reach.

HP Compaq nx6125 Business Notebook, £595 ex VAT (www.hp.com/uk 0845 2704000)

The phone

Jacob Jensen T-6 DECT

Which should . . .
combine ultra-modern looks with ease of use.

Which actually . . .

is the sort of sleek, cordless phone that you might take on a date. In truth, the Jensen doesn’t add much for anyone not interested in call counting and internal transfer options. But the humdrum task of making calls becomes a pleasure.

Jacob Jensen T-6 DECT, £149 from John Lewis (www.johnlewis.com 0845 6049049)

The navigator

TomTom ONE: E399

Which should . . .
combine “ease of use, portability, unique touch screen technology and a sleek new design”.

Which actually . . .
is an impressive device. Everything is built in to the main screen, which sits stuck to the window. It gives concise instructions, for example, “keeping right” to hit the correct exit from a roundabout, as well as giving ample warning of speed cameras and roadworks.

TomTom ONE: E399, £270, available from the end of this month (www.tomtom.com)

The scanner

CanoScan 8400F scanner/HP Photosmart 385 compact photo printer

Which should . . .
correct faults on original images and then print them out.

Which actually . . .
is easy to set up and simple to use. A comprehensive editing suite features a “lasso” for moving the image around and a “magic wand” to alter colour intensity. The printer was great. The toaster-shaped design features everything you would expect from red-eye reduction to brightness, and picture quality is outstanding.

Canon CanoScan 8400F, £179 (www.canon.co.uk 0870 5143723); HP Photosmart 385 Compact Photo Printer, £149.99 (www.hp.com/uk/photosmart 0870 0104320)