Get in touch with your feminine side

Nokia are no strangers to wacky designs but we can indulge their creativity when the end products are intended to be as much fashion statements as functional devices. The new L'Amour Collection revists the unorthodox Fashion Collection from last year: similar shapes, different duds. Read the full review in today's paper.

In games, Socom 3 (PS2) strings out the squad-shooter formula one more time - bigger maps and drivable vehicles but still graphically ropey so that it's hard to tell what you're aiming at half the time. Also available on PSP, creditably converted.

Ice Age 2 (PS2) gives movie tie-ins a good name, with its typical but engaging blend of platforming and collect-em-up. Splinter Cell Essentials (PSP) overreaches itself in a bid to emulate the big-console stealth classic - murky graphics are a cardinal sin on a handheld designed to be played in varying light.

Medium-Fi

Apple rather unwisely branded its new all-in-one speaker system as the iPod Hi-Fi. If they had stuck to something a little less arrogant, it'd be easier to forgive its shortcomings. The iPod Hi-Fi is a good speaker set-up but the audio could in no way be described as Hi-Fi. Maybe Medium-Fi? Read the full review in today's paper.

In games, Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion (X360) is an RPG that opens a vast universe of possibilities, beautifully rendered, accessible and endlessly engaging. Driver: Parallel Lines (PS2/Xbox) almost wipes the heinous Driver 3 from the memory with its familiar mix of GTA-style drivin'n'shootin' done right this time.

SingStar Rocks (PS2) riffs on the karaoke theme again, this time visiting the school of hard licks for its choons. Good but still flawed like the others in the series. Finally, Blazing Angels: Squadrons of WWII (X360) has some good ideas about the aerial dogfight genre but squanders them with repetitive and occasionally too-tough missions.

Two into one won't fit

Three years ago, a Nokia executive told a group of Irish journalists that soon the Finns would be the biggest camera company in the world. How we laughed. But there is a kernel of truth behind the hyperbole, if only because Nokia is now on the way to selling more phones with "cameras" in them than any dedicated photographic firm retails its own products.

But the "cameras" are mostly useless, even if they are getting better. And the new N90 is Nokia's best effort to incorporate a decent snapper. The end result proves that so far two ideas into one won't go. Read the full review in today's paper.

Also reviewed is Apple's iWork 06, the presentation/word processing/layout suite for Macs only. The long and the short of it is that the supplied templates look great but the bigger question is whether many people want presentation software bundled with a layout program.

In games, Burnout Revenge has been rewired for the Xbox 360 and the extra online tweaks enhance an already brilliant racer - but there's not enough new if you've played it to death on other consoles. Far Cry Instincts: Predator (X360) packages the original Xbox stormer with a short new campaign in a slightly retouched version - nice but a slightly missed opportunity.

Megaman Maverick Hunter X may be a SNES remake but it's one of the PSP's best lookers and plays well too. Key of Heaven is a rather dull RPG for PSP.

Camcorder for the non-geek

Canon's arrived late to the party when it comes to camcorders that record directly on to DVD. But aside from the €830 price tag, the DC20 is a winner for amateur cameramen on almost all counts. The usual gotchas apply - DVD camcorder footage is not easily edited and the cost of the recordable media isn't cheap. If mini-DV is your format of choice, you could do worse than Canon's also new MV960. Read the reviews in today's paper.

In games, The Godfather (PS2/Xbox) has bags of atmosphere thanks to the participation of some of the original cast but gameplay reveals it to be a shallow GTA clone. Fight Night Round 3 (Xbox 360) showcases the grunt of the 360 but boxing's appeal is inevitably limited.

Onimusha: Dawn of Dreams (PS2) revisits feudal Japan for another bout of hackenslash but the new ideas within can't lift it above mere retread. Finally, 24: The Game (PS2) feels more entertaining during the cut-scenes than the in-game driving/shooting sequences, which is fairly fatal.