Sony Walkman NWZ-WS613

Sony's waterproof and lightweight MP3 player

Dedicated MP3 players are now something of a rarity, as these days most of us tend to use our smartphones for music on the go. Sony has therefore gone out on a limb with its latest Walkman, the 4GB NWZ-WS613, which is aimed at runners, walkers and swimmers.

Sony has miniaturised its MP3 player to such an extent that it’s entirely self-contained inside earphones. It weighs just 40g and is waterproof. Tiny buttons on the left earphone control volume and Bluetooth, while power and playback controls are on the right. We’d prefer these buttons if they were a different shape, making it easier to distinguish them by touch alone, but we soon got the hang of them. Built-in Bluetooth means you can use the NWZ-WS613 as wireless earphones for your phone or tablet. A small Bluetooth remote control, which is designed to fit around your fingers like a ring, is included for joggers, but it’s not waterproof.

3D Systems Cube 3

A printer that can create actual, three-dimensional objects

3D printing is one of the most intriguing technologies to emerge in years. The Cube 3 works in a similar way to inkjet printers, but creates actual physical objects you can use rather than a printed page. It uses plastic rather than ink, and this is heated to the point of melting and then forced out through the print nozzles, creating a fine, sticky thread. Motors move the nozzles back and forth over a flat surface. The nozzles are raised slightly after each pass so that the next layer of thread is stacked upon the previous one. Once this process has finished, and the layers of thread have cooled, you have your 3D object.

HP Envy x213

HP's answer to Microsoft's Surface Pro 3 falls flat

Intel’s new Broadwell processors are supposed to herald a new era of lighter, more flexible Windows 8.1 laptop-tablet hybrids, but HP has opted for a highly derivative design for its first Broadwell-equipped computer. The Envy x213’s design resembles that of Microsoft’s Surface Pro 3, but not only has HP failed to learn from Microsoft’s mistakes, it’s managed to make plenty of new ones.

The x213 weighs 1.3kg, but attach the included screen cover (which doubles as a keyboard) and the weight balloons to 1.8kg. Throw in the charger and this bulks up further to 2kg. This isn’t overly hefty for a laptop, but it’s heavy for a tablet. This weight, along with its thickset design, makes the x213 uncomfortable to use as a tablet. Thanks to the Intel Core M 5Y10 fan-less processor, there are at least no cooling vents pumping out hot air over your hands and it’s whisper quiet.

Synology DiskStation DS415play

A versatile NAS for large storage needs

Synology’s network attached storage (NAS) devices are generally more expensive than the competition, but we’ve been impressed with their previous models - they’re easy to use and come with a wide range of useful features. The DS415play is particularly pricey (at just under £400 without hard drives), but it can accommodate up to four drives and its new features really set it apart.

Fitting your hard drives is very straightforward. The four drive trays are easily accessed by removing the front panel. You don’t need any tools for this unless you’re inserting laptop hard drives or SSDs, which are physically smaller than desktop hard drives. We installed four 3TB Western Digital Red drives in a matter of minutes. With two or more drives installed, you have the option of using RAID if you want. We used RAID 5, which means that should one drive stop working, all your data is still safely stored on the other.

Serif WebPlus X8

Make your own website with this sophisticated software for beginners

As a way of building attractive websites without having to learn how to code, Serif WebPlus has always been one of our favourite programs. Recent versions have added features aimed at small businesses, such as the ability to add various types of contact forms and a booking system to your website, alongside more fundamental improvements like 64bit support and cleaner, faster-loading HTML code. The latest version, WebPlus X8, builds upon this sound foundation.