The X-phile

Who says portable hi-res audio players have to be expensive? Not FiiO. Adrian Justins asks if the X1 is as cheerful as it is cheap

If you’ve been itching to get into portable hi-res audio but can’t justify the outlay of an expensive player, the FiiO X1 is here to try and lure you in. At a whisker under £100 this is by far the most affordable hi-res digital audio player (DAP), with its closest competitors being the Sony NWZ-A15 and FiiO’s own X3 Mk 2, both of which sell for £159.

Solve common OneDrive problems

Annoying errors from Microsoft’s cloud backup tool can be repaired with a few clicks using a simple app from the company’s website

OneDrive gives you 15 free gigabytes of cloud storage and file-syncing apps that work on almost every platform. It’s a good deal for Windows users and an integral part of the latest version of the operating system, but it’s a complex bit of network programming and things can go wrong.

Epson AcuLaser CX17WF

In the past, a multi-function colour laser printer was usually a monster of a machine sat in the corner of an office, sucking up power to the point that the lights would dim when it warmed up. That’s not the case these days, as Epson hope to prove with its AcuLaser CX17WF.

This is a four-in-one multifunction colour laser, with print, copy, scan and fax capabilities using the Epson AcuBrite toner technology system. The AcuBrite system claims that by using smaller, chemically grown toner particles, along with special pigments, a far greater degree of print quality can be achieved. As well as quality, though, the AcuBrite system states that it has less of an environmental impact through its manufacture and use.

Brother HL-3170CDW

You wait ages for one LED printer to appear, then along come two in a single group test. Typical. This one is a Brother HL-3170CDW, a reasonably compact printer that’s aimed at the small, busy office or home setup, where the users need lots of connectivity and reliability.

As stated, this is an LED printer that has a tantalising range of features available. The 333MHz processor, with 128MB of memory, helps drive a printer that has ample connectivity in the form of USB, Ethernet and 802.11 b/g/n wi-fi. Mobile connectivity is supported well, with AirPrint, Cortado Cloud Print, Google Cloud Print, iPrint&Scan and WiFi Direct and, of course, you can administer over the network just as well as if you were standing in front of the tiny LCD control screen.

Samsung CLP-360

The award for the world’s smallest colour laser printer may well have to go to the CLP-360 from Samsung. At just 382 x 309 x 210mm, this is an amazingly compact laser printer that will look great perched on a desktop at home or in an office. But is it any good?

Despite its size, the CLP-360 does manage to house a 150-page cassette, a 300MHz processor with 32MB of memory and a USB connection – sadly no wi-fi or other network connections, though.

Dell C1765NFW

When is a laser printer not a laser printer? Answer: when it’s a Dell C1765nf. Dell has often provided its customers with cutting-edge technology, in its range of laptops, desktops, servers and networking hardware and especially with its range of mutli-function printers. The C1765nf is no exception to that rule, as this is actually an LED printer.

LED printers aren’t a new technology; several printer manufacturers have been using them for a while now, but since this is the first one we’ve had the pleasure of testing, it makes the concept quite exciting.

HP CP1025

The LaserJet Pro CP1025 is getting on a bit now, in technology terms, having been released in early 2013. It is, however, still going strong and obviously still makes enough for HP to warrant the line being kept alive.

The CP1025 is actually quite a small, compact colour laser printer, measuring 400 x 402 x 255 mm, which may appeal to those who are limited by desk space. It’s a USB-only connection, though, which limits its uses unless you opt for the optional wi-fi component or you get a little creative in the way you set it up on your PC.

Lexmark CS310N

If you'd told us quite a few years ago that by 2015 we’d be able to buy a colour laser printer for under £100, we’d think you were, well, barmy, to say the least. These days, though, and thanks to Lexmark, that statement is entirely true. But is the printer in question actually any good?

The Lexmark CS310 range was launched a couple of years ago now and has proved to be quite popular for home owners, small businesses and enterprise users alike. The Lexmark CS310n is a four-colour cartridge printer that can take 250 pages on a standard input capacity tray (with the option to purchase an additional sheet feeder) and comes with a pretty decent 750-page CMY colour and black toner cartridge.