A relatively quiet week for the crew this week, but that doesn't mean we haven't been looking at some hot new products.
Without a doubt the highlight this week was the Sony w905 series LED TV. Without a doubt it's the best TV we've reviewed this year, stunning picture quality, great looks and superb Smart TV options. Sony's televisual comeback in 2012 was not a flash in the pan – it has become the brand to beat.
With so much quality already coming our way from other brands this year, we knew Sony needed to up its game from last year's much-lauded HX853 series. And in the elegant, space-saving shape of the Sony 55W905A, that's exactly what Sony has done. As well as looking more chic, the Sony 55W905A uses new Triluminos technology to deliver a much improved colour performance without compromising the superb contrast performance so beloved on the HX853 TVs. Sony's online platform includes plenty of video content to keep us happy too, ensuring that not even a slightly unsophisticated smart menu and a surprisingly limited viewing angle can stop us falling for Sony all over again.
Hands on: Acer Aspire R7 review
Acer's back with its updated range of touchscreen devices, the king of which is the interesting Acer Aspire R7. It's very much a laptop device – at 15.6-inches that should be no surprise – but with a nifty design that pushes touchscreen to the fore, without castrating its usefulness with an uncomfortable keyboard or by killing the trackpad. The big feature is Ezel Mode – which derives from the 'Ezel hinge' which elevates the screen above the keyboard, enabling you to pull the display forward, flip it flat or even backwards - creating a more natural angle for using with your fingers. The hinge then allows for a host of other positions, such as the classic laptop look with a full-sized qwerty keyboard, or completely flip it over, in a move reminiscent of the Lenovo IdeaPad Yoga.
Hands on: Olympus PEN E-P5 review
The Olympus PEN E-P5 is a very exciting camera, and with 2013 being a comparatively quiet year for launches compared with 2012, we think it could possibly be an early contender for best camera of the year. We already know what the sensor is capable of, and with that stylish body for good measure, we think this could be a big seller. The only drawback at the moment could be the price, making this one of the most expensive compact system cameras on the market, putting it in the same league as high-end cameras such as the Sony NEX-7, Fujifilm X-E1 and even its own semi-sibling, the Olympus OM-D.
The enormous Ascend Mate is a phone of compromises. It has a great screen and outstanding battery life, but is the uncomfortable size and weight a sensible trade-off?
A luscious design makes this Edge LED TV with redesigned Smart Hub better value than its pricier big brother, but is that all that matters?
A battery-powered Wi-Fi hard drive that aims to give you 1TB of storage for your mobile devices.
And all the other reviews from this week...
Laptops:
Samsung Series 9 NP900X3D review
Samsung Series 5 Ultra Touch review
Cameras:
