Proper access to the internet from a pocket-sized device – that’s what the tech world craves. And last year, when Apple launched the iPhone, we almost got it. Okay, so Apple’s handset costs a pretty penny to buy (and fair few more to run) but the beautiful design and everything-just-works operation has won plenty of fans – including us.

Which brings us on to the Nokia N810 Internet Tablet. A year or two ago, a gadget like this would’ve got us pretty excited. Today, we feel charitable even describing it as a less-good iPhone without the phone facilities. So what’s the problem? Well, actually there are a few of them, but let’s be nice and look at the good stuff first. There is some, right?

Visual IT’s Tube 2 has long been the de facto tube/subway/metro map and planning application for a range of handhelds and smartphones. It may not be the most innovative application around, but you’ll struggle to find a better one – if for no other reason than no other digital map comes close to the level of clarity offered by Visual IT.

Its latest product is Live Info – a service that lets you see the latest public transport travel information on a handheld device that has internet access. It’s only available for London maps at the moment, though support for other cities and countries is planned (Visual IT offers underground rail and street-level maps for everywhere from Amsterdam to Washington).

We're not really sure why anyone would want a laptop bag with an outer cover that can be swapped for ones in other colours, but there's clearly some demand as that's just what you get with MiBag's latest offering.

Available for both 13in and 17in laptops, the stock MiBag looks much like any other laptop carrier. Made from tough-feeling ballistic nylon (with a mix of matte and semi-gloss finishes), it has an agreeably understated design that seems to belie the modest price tag.

If you use a laptop for long periods in one place (your desk, for instance), it's a good idea to plug in an external mouse and keyboard - and a monitor, if you have one - so that you're not sitting with a hunched posture all day. Connecting and disconnecting this lot each day is a bit of a bind though, which is where a docking station comes in.

Most laptop manufacturers offer optional docking stations but they only tend to work with one particular range of laptops. If you don't mind making a few small sacrifices (of which more later), a third-party dock is a cheaper solution. We had high hopes for the Belkin High-Speed Docking Station we reviewed last year, but it had a few too many limitations for our liking and the ExpressCard connection meant that it wouldn't work with all laptops. The Toshiba DynaDock, on the other hand, connects via USB - which means it'll work with anything.

HTC announced the S730 Windows Mobile smartphone back in October and claimed this successor to the excellent S710 would be available later that month. Alas, review units were very slow to materialise but a good month after it eventually went on sale, the S730 is finally starting to circulate among journalists. So, was it worth the wait?

The iPhone may be the perfect blend of smartphone and media player, but Apple managed to overlook one tiny but crucial detail - the headphone socket. Given that other smartphone manufacturers think it's acceptable to use 2.5mm jack plug sockets or even mini USB ports for their earphone connections, we suppose we should be thankful that iPhone has a standard 3.5mm socket at all.

But at the risk of looking a gift horse in the mouth, let's be honest -- as far as 3.5mm earphone sockets go, the one one the iPhone is next to useless. It's so deeply recessed into the case that it's impossible to plug in most earphones -- the plastic surround of the plug is simply too wide. The white Apple ones supplied in the box obviously fit, but they're decidedly mediocre and even if you do manage to find an acceptable pair that can be plugged in, they'll lack the in-line microphone that lets you make and take calls while you're wearing them.

Unless you’re Jason Bourne (or driving a vehicle, of course), hands-free kits for mobile phones make most people look like a bit of a dork, but a couple of new Bluetooth models look set to change all that. Stick the Invisio G5 or Jawbone in your ear while you're wandering around the supermarket and you're more likely to be mistaken for a member of the Secret Service than Locutus of Borg, but hi-tech good looks are least of their features.

There aren't many Windows Mobile smartphones that could be described as 'sexy', but the HTC Touch certainly qualified. Slim, stylish and with a pleasingly tactile rubberised finish, it both looked and felt fantastic. Unfortunately, a couple of major shortcomings prevented it from being the Windows Mobile equivalent of the Apple iPhone - and those shortcomings are just what HTC has addressed with the new HTC Touch Dual.

T-Mobile’s Sidekick Slide is the company’s latest idiot-proof messaging phone for the youth market, following on from the Sidekick II. It may not be as powerful as Windows Mobile or Symbian smartphones, but what it lacks in features it makes up for in ease of use. The Sidekick II’s rotating screen has been replaced with a slide-up display, which reveals the Qwerty keyboard.

Despite some fairly stiff competition, Sony Ericsson remains king of the camera phone market with its CyberShot range. The CyberShot K800i’s 3-megapixel camera was the first to produce images good enough to print, and its xenon flash also made it the first phone to take acceptable night-time shots. The K850i is Sony Ericsson’s latest offering, and it promises even greater things with its integrated 5-megapixel camera.