I got this after deciding to give up on my beloved long-lived Windows Media Center setup, which Microsoft is not supporting after Windows 8, and hasn't improved for years.

The box mostly works well, smooth HD playback, even while simultaneously recording 2 HD programmes.  The app on my Android phone is excellent, and the on-demand internet services are good, if a bit sluggish compared to using the Xbox - in fact they're painfully slow sometimes, but always OK once the programme starts playing.

Some reviews have been less than glowing, but that's because its not aimed at gadget fans, its aimed at people that want a simple single box solution and for this it delivers very well indeed.

Update : The first box overheated and failed, and had to be replaced under John Lewis' warranty.

4 marks out of 5

After having problems with the Samsung Galaxy S3, I decided I'd had enough messing around with it, and opted for the Nexus 4 'Pure Google' experience, and I didn't regret it!  

The Nexus range of phones is to Google, what the iPhone is to Apple.

The phone 'just worked'.  It doesn't have all the Samsung clutter, or all the Vodafone clutter, its just the way Google intended it to be.  Its fast, beautifully made, nice to hold and just a real quality item through and through.

The only downside is the relatively poor battery life, and the overly quiet speaker, but that doesn't stop me giving it top marks.

5 Marks out of 5

When I got this phone, I initially liked it very much.  It was fast and exciting, with lots of new features.  I particularly liked the camera, and the music player that you could tell what mood you were in.

However, I then started to get more and more problems with it, mainly around excessive battery consumption for no apparent reason.  After realising that My Galaxy S phones were becoming projects in their own right, I gave up on them altogether, and went to the "back to basics" Google Nexus range of Smart phones which take a different approach.

My feeling now is that Samsung pack too much into their phones, and that they're a rather cheap and tacky brand.

I got given one of these at work, and it was so good, I got one at home too!  Its beautifully clear, is height and tilt adjustable, extremely well built, has a USB hub, swivels (although at 900 pixels its not much use in portrait really...) but all in all, extremely impressive indeed.  Its used as a partner to my even more lovely Dell monitor (above).  Far, far better quality than anything that was available at PC World!  I think the lesson is to shop for business monitors.


5 marks out of 5

This replaced a Galaxy S, and was a revelation because it actually worked...  I had no problems with it, and went on to buy a Samsung Galaxy S3 (although that was a disaster!).   Marked down only for poor battery life.


4 marks out of 5

I got this when it came out, as I wanted to find out what all the fuss was with regards to tablets.  2 years on, I'm still wondering.

I prefer my laptop, which does everything a tablet does, better.  Its also never been terribly quick, and if you pick it up after not using it for a few days, its extremely slow for a number of minutes.  It won't be replaced.


2 marks out of 5

I bought this in 2009 for £440, from John Lewis.  I struggled to get one the right size - I like small laptops - but this one fitted the bill nicely.  Its got red colouring, which is quite nice.

Apart from dropping it twice, and breaking the screen twice, its been a good wee laptop.  It started with Vista, then I upgraded it to Windows 7, 8 and 8.1 and its still going strong in 2015!  Bargain!  Slightly fragile though, there's a crack on the back of the screen again.  Probably won't replace it with another Samsung.  I've also now gone off Samsung as a brand due to my bad smartphone experiences.


4 marks out of 5 (1 mark lost for being a bit fragile)