A software-heavy week, with new versions of Nero and Google’s SketchUp, also saw big guns Dell and Samsung launch new laptop models, and RIM send us the BlackBerry Bold’s little brother.

Light laptops

Samsung’s X360 is aimed squarely at those MacBook Air and Lenovo X300 fans among you, with a 13.3in screen, a built-in optical drive and a weight of just 1.3kg. It’s certainly not cheap, but for that you get seven hours away from the mains and no small amount of style.

Dell’s Studio 1735 was described in our review as both “gorgeous” and “exquisite”. Again, it’s not cheap but it is well built, eminently customisable – with 19 options for the lid design alone – and very comfortable to use. Whether it’ll appeal more than the similarly priced XPS range, we weren’t so sure.

Ahead of the Curve

Riding on the success of the Bold, RIM launched the smaller, more compact BlackBerry Curve 8900. With a good keyboard and a great screen, we reckon most existing Curve (and older BlackBerry) users will find it a worthy and welcome upgrade, and those new to the range will like it too, despite a few foibles.

Media heaven

Starting the media software assault was Nero 9, which attempts to do pretty much anything you’d ever want to to with media. As ever with these do-it-all suites, it’s not quite as good as a collection of separates, but as an all-in-one go-to product it’s impressive, and it’s the best choice for HD burning.

Then we had Google’s SketchUp 7, the free 3D modelling tool. Our review gushingly described its “almost limitless and ever-expanding supply of ready-to-go and easily customisable components”, also praising Google’s tie-up with SketchUp as an “ideal match”.

Elsewhere, the pairing of e-on Vue 7 Infinite and xStream offered an alternative take on 3D modelling, while Magix Samplitude 10 Pro went up against the might of Cubase and the rest in the high-end music production market.

Best of the rest

Rounding off the week’s kit, to plug into your PC we had ViewSonic’s not-so-short-throw PJL2701 projector, Dell’s 5330dn mono workgroup laser printer, and high-end audio expert Linn’s Sneaky Music DS streaming device for audiophiles.