HP Envy 5640

A good-looking multifunction printer that falls short

HP usually only applies its Envy brand name to the more stylish laptops and printers in its range, so it’s no surprise that the curvy Envy 5640 looks good. This inkjet multifunction printer (MFP) can print, scan and copy, but it can’t send or receive faxes. Its paper trays are hidden neatly away behind the smart, curved front when not in use, while the SD card slot - handy for printing photos without using your computer - is behind a tidy oval porthole.

This MFP doesn’t just look good, it has plenty of features too. It supports wireless networking so you can print and scan from Android and iOS devices. It can print automatically on both sides of a sheet of paper, which is a great way to save money and produce professionallooking documents. In addition to the standard paper tray there’s a second one for 6x4in photo paper.

Lenovo Yoga 3 Pro

A wafer-thin and ultra-light laptop with Intel's latest power-saving processor

The Lenovo Yoga 3 Pro is expensive but it has the latest technology, including a super-high-resolution screen, and is easily one of the thinnest and lightest laptops we’ve ever seen. Even with the lid closed, the entire laptop is only a tad thicker than its USB ports. It weighs just 1.1kg, rising to 1.3kg with its charger, so carrying it around all day is pretty much effortless.

There are two main reasons the Yoga 3 Pro can get away with such incredibly slender dimensions. The first is the slimline hinge, which resembles the metal wrrist strap of a men’s watch (see image below). It not only looks striking, but does away with much of the bulk you normally find in a laptop hinge. It is still as sturdy and flexible as those on previous Yoga laptops. You can fold the screen back entirely and use the computer as a tablet, stand it on its edges like a tent or position the keyboard so it acts as a stand for the screen.

HP ProBook 450 G2

An inexpensive Windows 7 laptop with a fingerprint reader

Windows 7 laptops are now hard to come by, let alone ones that are inexpensive and attractive, all of which makes the HP ProBook 450 G2 pretty compelling on paper. Although it’s aimed at businesses, it comes with a classy soft-touch rubber lid and metal wrist rest at a price that many people can afford.

The 450 G2’s classy appearance isn’t matched by its build quality, though, as the plastic casing bends and creaks under pressure more than we’d like. It’s also quite heavy, weighing 2.2kg, rising to 2.5kg with the charger - so it’s not ideal for use on the move. One reason it’s so heavy is its built-in DVD writer - an increasingly rare feature in modem laptops.

Xara Photo and Graphic Designer 10

Sophisticated graphic design at a family-friendly price

Xara Photo and Graphic Designer is a one-stop-shop for all sorts of graphic-design projects. Its vector-illustration tools are ideal for logos, diagrams and drawings. Its bitmap tools can manipulate photos by adjusting colours, applying effects and performing edits, such as removing unwanted objects from a scene. It can handle desktop-publishing tasks too, because it has comprehensive text-formatting tools and support for multiple-page documents that lets you create newsletters and party invitations, for example. It can even turn its hand to designing entire websites or just specific web graphics, such as banners and buttons.