Reviews Round-up: Office spruce-up

Outlook 2010 threaded

Asus Eee PC 1005HA netbook Netbooks have become dominant in the industry over the last few months, but we've been pining for the good ol days' when they were still stripped down and affordable. Now Asus has got us all misty eyed by showing us that it can still be done. Bravo, we say.

Office 2010: Preview Microsoft has always amazed by managing to keep refreshing a product that the vast majority of people didn't need improving on and it looks to have done it again with Office 2010. Outlook has finally received a much needed makeover, although we realise this somewhat contradicts what we just said. PowerPoint and Excel see changes too, while collaboration is improved as well.

Dell PowerEdge R710 serverWith its mix or power, design and features, our reviewer was most enamoured with Dell's Nehalem-based R610 server a few months back. Now Dell is here with its 2U version and not surprisingly he's once again impressed.

Asus UX50V laptop review While we loved its latest netbook earlier in the week, the same couldn't be said for its latest laptop. It's certainly a good looking machine but compared to competitors, the UX50V is underpowered and overpriced, neither of which are good things to be.

Samsung SyncMaster P2370 Samsung's P2370 piqued our interest with its low power credentials, but it was the design and styling that really impressed us in the end. It also offers an impressive size and resolution for the money, much of which is down to using the new 16:9 format - or at least new for computer displays, which thanks to economies of scale is much more affordable for panel manufacturers to produce. The result? Lots of monitor for your money. It's no corporate display, but could be perfect for a home office.

Benny Har-Even

Benny Har-Even is a twenty-year stalwart of technology journalism who is passionate about all areas of the industry, but telecoms and mobile and home entertainment are among his chief interests. He has written for many of the leading tech publications in the UK, such as PC Pro and Wired, and previously held the position of technology editor at ITPro before regularly contributing as a freelancer.

Known affectionately as a ‘geek’ to his friends, his passion has seen him land opportunities to speak about technology on BBC television broadcasts, as well as a number of speaking engagements at industry events.