Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX500 wide angle compact camera

Just because you'd rather have a compact camera than a big SLR doesn't mean you have to miss out on features like wide angle lenses. The new Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX500 has a 25mm ultra-wide angle lens, which can shoot nearly double the area of a conventional 35mm lens at the same distance according to Panasonic.

There's also a 5x optical zoom and it can take snaps up to 10.1 megapixel resolution. It's simple to operate thanks to the 3in touch sensitive display, so you don't need to mess around with dials and buttons - just point at what you want on the screen.

The auto focus tracking system ensures you don't end up with blurry images even if your subject moves after the focus has been set, so you don't need everyone to stand still while you're taking a photo.

The Lumix DMC-FX500 will be available at the end of April for £329.99, for more information see Panasonic.

Buffalo BRHC-6316U2 Blu-ray/HD DVD combo drive

The HD disc war may be over, with Blu-ray declared the winner, but if you backed the wrong horse then you don't need to worry about being left with loads of useless discs thanks to Buffalo. Its new BRHC-6316U2 external drive supports both formats so you can still play your obsolete discs.

It can read and write Blu-ray discs up to 6x speed and includes supports for double layer media too so you can fit up to 50GB on one disc. It can only read HD DVD at 3x speed but it can also double as a regular DVD writer as well.

The drive connects via USB, so it's easy to hook up, and comes bundled with a copy of Nero 8 which supports not just disc burning, but also video editing and converting.

The BRHC-6316U2 will be available at the end of April for £333.70, see Buffalo for further details.

Nvidia GeForce 9800GX2 high performance graphics card

PC gaming can be a demanding business and if your computer is struggling to keep up with the latest titles then it could benefit from a new graphics card to boost performance.

According to Nvidia its new GeForce 9800GX2 is the fastest graphics card in the world, so it should be able to keep up with anything you care to throw at it. The card features not one, but two graphics chips - providing 256 processing cores to handle the graphics.

Of course, you don't need all that 3D horsepower all the time and if you team it up with a motherboard using Nvidia's nForce 790i Ultra SLI chipset then the Hybrid Power feature will decide whether to use the card or the integrated graphics, saving power when you're only running desktop applications.

The GeForce 9800GX2 will be available soon, pricing has yet to be confirmed. See Nvidia for more information.

Sanyo Xacti DMX-CG9 photo and video camera

The Sanyo Xacti DMX-CG9 has a bit of an identity crisis - is it a photo or video camera?

It can take snaps up to 9.1 megapixels and features a 5x optical zoom so you can easily frame your shots so they capture the action. One the video side of things, it records footage in MPEG-4 AVC/H.264 format, so editing it later on a PC shouldn't be a problem, and it can even take 2 megapixel resolution pictures while its capturing video.

It features 40MB of onboard storage, which will soon fill up, but can be expanded up to 32GB via the SD card slot. To make it easier to operate, there's a digital image stabiliser to keep your snaps blur free and it will even speak warnings, like when it's running low on battery power.

The Xacti DMX-CG9 will be available at the end of April, pricing has yet to be confirmed. See Sanyo for further details.

Sony MEX-BT3600U Bluetooth car stereo

Sony's new car stereo allows you to easily expand your listening options while you're on the road. The MEX-BT3600U can stream music from a Bluetooth mobile phone and also doubles as a hands free kit so you can handle calls safely while you're behind the wheel.

It works with handsets that support A2DP (Advanced Audio Distribution Profile), which provides high quality stereo streaming over Bluetooth. Alternatively you can hook it up your MP3 player via the USB port instead and search through your music collection via controls on the front of the stereo.

There's also an auxiliary input, so if your player doesn't support Bluetooth or USB connections you can still hook it up via the headphone socket. If you still can't decide what to listen too, there's a CD player too.

The MEX-BT3600U will be available in May, pricing has yet to be confirmed. See Sony for more information.

Gear4 BassStation iPod dock

Looking for an iPod dock but disappointed by the lack of bass many offer? If so, Gear4 has the perfect product for you - its new BassStation includes an integrated subwoofer that can crank out a gut wrenching 35W of bass.

Just pop your portable pal in the dock at the top - it's compatible with most models - and it will even keep the battery topped up while it's in place. If your player of choice doesn't sport a fruity logo, fear not as it can also be used with other audio sources via the RCA inputs.

There's also a remote control thrown in, so not only can you play and pause the music - if your eyesight is good enough you can even navigate through the menus from up to 10m away.

The BassStation is available now for £99.99 from Gear4.

Gefen USB to DVI Graphics Adapter

Gefen is hoping to make adding an additional display to a PC as easy as just plugging in a cable with its new USB to DVI Graphics Adapter. You don't need to open up the case, simply plug it into the USB port, install the drivers and you're ready to go.

It has a mini-USB port on one side, so connects via a standard cable to your PC, and a DVI-I socket on the other, so you can hook it up to either DVI or VGA displays. It supports a maximum resolution of 1,600x1,200 pixels and you can attach up to six to the same PC.

You can configure it to mirror your current display, useful if you're giving a presentation for example, or you can set it up to extend your current desktop onto the new monitor providing additional workspace for applications.

The USB to DVI Graphics Adapter is available to pre-order now from Digi-Box for £105.75.

Toshiba Gigashot A100F compact HD camcorder

If you're in the market for a new camcorder and want to make sure your purchase is future proofed then Toshiba's new Gigashot A100F could be just the model for you.

It can shoot in high definition 1080i format, so you won't end up watching upscaled grainy footage on a 100in TV - which will no doubt be the entry level size in ten years' time. Footage is stored on its internal hard drive, so you don't need to mess around with tapes either. With 100GB of space to play with there's enough room for 12 hours of high definition recording, or up to 23 hours in standard definition.

There's a 3in screen on the side for reviewing your material or you can hook it up to a TV via the HDMI or Component connections.

The Gigashot A100F is available now for £849, see Toshiba for further details.

Philips WACS7500 music streaming system

Philips new WACS7500 music system isn't just a standalone unit - it can be expanded by adding extra WAS7500 stations which can tap into tracks stored on the main unit.

You don't need to hook it up to a PC to get some tunes on it - it can automatically rip CDs to its 80GB hard drive. Once the tracks are on its disk you can either listen to them directly or remotely via up to five additional WAS7500 units.

If you'd rather play tracks from a portable player, then you can claim a free iPod docking station or you can access music stored on USB memory stick players. There's also an Ethernet port, so you can backup your music to your PC, and you can even access internet radio stations too.

The WACS7500 is available now for £699.99, additional WAS7500 stations cost £199.99 each. See Philips for further details.

Denon ASD-3W Wi-Fi iPod dock

Denon's new ASD-3W iPod dock does more than just hook your music player up to your stereo, it adds the ability to playback music stored on networked computers and internet radio as well.

It supports all iPods that have the standard 30-pin dock connector and comes with a remote control so you can pick your music without having to get up off the sofa. As well as connecting to your Hi-Fi it also has an S-video port so you can hook it up to your TV too.

Once it's connected to your home Wi-Fi connection it can stream WMA, MP3, WAV, AAC and FLAC files from any DNLA compatible computers on the network or access up to 7,000 internet radio stations. It can also display slideshows of your photos on the TV as well.

The ASD-3W is available now for £160, see Denon for more information.