The key is that, rather than just another tablet clone, the ZiiO does its best to play to the company’s strengths. It uses Creative’s own ZiiLabs ZMS-08 processor to power Android 2.1 (2.2 will come in “early 2011″) and features its X-Fi audio enhancement technology and a customised audio app. It has 802.11bg Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 2.1, and is set up to communicate effortlessly with Creative’s new range of wireless speakers, which were also on show.

But the biggest surprise – and a sign that Creative perhaps ‘gets it’ in a way some tablet makers haven’t yet – is the price. The 7in model costs just £200 inc VAT for 8GB and £220 for 16GB. Compare that to the £529 price of the 16GB Samsung Galaxy Tab; sure, there are differences in the hardware and software, but we know which looks the better deal of the two. The 10in ZiiO is barely dearer, at £250 and £270 for 8GB and 16GB respectively.

The big sticking point will inevitably be the resistive touchscreen. Before the moaning starts, it’s not too bad – after a long time with capacitive smartphones it does take some adjusting but we were playing Angry Birds in no time, and the optional stylus helps a lot. Yes, we’d prefer capacitive; yes, we’d prefer multitouch; but it’s not the deal-breaker it’ll be made out to be. Tasks that require a lot of swiping and dragging may soon come to grate, and the fixed buttons at the foot of the screen were also a little unresponsive, but this wasn’t the final firmware so we’ll reserve judgement until we get our finished review sample.

That TFT screen has a 480 x 800 resolution on the 7in and 1,024 x 600 on the 10in, and both were reasonably bright without really jumping out. The finish is rather reflective, as my very amateur attempts to photograph it under meeting-room lights proved.

The Pure Android Audio player is very nicely put together, with X-Fi settings and a Bluetooth device manager directly within the app. As you’d expect, it has the X-Fi Crystalizer and Expand enhancements, and its apt-X codec allows for high-quality audio streaming. (We know this works as we were treated to a long demonstration using the tiny ZiiSound T6 5.1 speakers (right) – as were much of the first three floors of our London office, whether they were ready for it or not. Suffice it to say the Ziisounds are loud.)

There’s no 3G, so the ZiiO doesn’t support the official Android Marketplace. Like many we’ve seen, Creative wants you to go to its own ZiiStore to get apps – again, we’ll have to reserve judgement until we’ve had more than a few minutes with it.

As for the hardware itself, it’s clearly a bit more plasticky than the Galaxy Tab, and the Creative guys acknowledged that the 650g weight of the 10in model needs to fall a little, but it didn’t feel overly cheap. There’s a front-facing camera and accelerometer, a card slot to expand the capacity for big music and video collections – SD on the 10in and microSD on the 7in - and we also tried a nice-looking leather carry case that flips out to become a stand.

With so many tablets emerging right now it’s good to see Creative looking at what it does best and attempting to transfer that to the ZiiO. We can see a few flaws, and that screen will need a proper test before we can confidently say whether we could live with it, but for such a reasonable price the ZiiO looks a well-judged piece of kit. The more tablets that emerge at this price point the better, so look out for a full review in the coming weeks.

At the more budget end of the scale we saw HP’s Compaq CQ2000, a beautifully designed small-form-factor PC with a 20in TFT for a mouth-watering price of just £286 exc VAT. We’ve seen cheap mini-PCs and nettops before, but this is the first we’d really want in our living room.

We also reviewed Toshiba’s latest business model, the Tecra R110-112, which came in bright white with a vast array of security features and reasonable power too.

Upping the resolution

Dell resurrected the 23in TFT, a size we thought had been well and truly killed off by the rising popularity of 22in and 24in rivals. The reason? The SP2309W sports a unique 2,048 x 1,152 “higher then Full HD” resolution which we found both liberating and a little bit baffling.

Not to be outdone, Creative launched its Vado HD, an upgrade to the pocket video camera we liked so much last year. Unfortunately Creative also saw fit to up the price, which puts it beyond what we’d consider reasonable for these low-budget consumer devices.

Making sweet music

Two music production suites reached the labs: Steinberg’s Cubase music suite reached version 5, and brought with it a swathe of inspired new features; while Cakewalk Sonar 8 Producer had the competition running scared with its wealth of features and plug-ins.

And finally, the Linksys Media Hub NMH405 was by far the most simple and intuitive NAS device we’ve ever used, not to mention stylish and well designed too. Unfortunately someone forgot to put the go-faster stripes on the side, as its read and write performance let it down quite badly.

The monstrous NEC MultiSync LCD3090WQXi was set up in the Labs for all of eight seconds before a drooling crowd had gathered to marvel at its stunning colour reproduction and ginormous 30in, 2,560 x 1,600 H-IPS panel. Yes, it’s a £1,400 investment, but if you compare it to the main professional-level competition we reckon it actually looks like quite a bargain.

Continuing the professional theme was the Epson Stylus Photo R2880, the flagship of its A3 range. Remarkably quiet in use, extremely simple to use and maintain, and using not one but three separate black inks (surely Light Light Black is just Grey?) it’s a photographer’s dream. Even at £357 plus VAT it’s a quality investment for any semi-pro.

PCs and laptops

The Panasonic Toughbook CF-F8 arrived for a preview, departing from its predecessors in that it boasts a widescreen-aspect display. Sasha gave it a battering and determined that it’s the perfect choice “for the serious business traveler who values reliability and longevity above all else”.

Mesh’s latest budget PC, the Titan GT Pro, packed a surprising punch – it scored 1.82 in our benchmarks despite costing just £575 – and was only let down by a fairly old graphics card and a mediocre monitor. Still, Mike reckoned it’s one to look out for if you’re “looking for a desktop system on a stringent budget”.

The netbook swarm continued, with the uninspiring Fujitsu Siemens AMILO Mini Ui 3520 being easily overshadowed by the bright pink LG X110. Our esteemed editor took one look at the garish colour, tucked it under his arm and jealously guarded it for the next few days. He reckons “if you want to buy a 10in netbook on contract it’s currently the best choice”; we can’t argue – he won’t let us touch it.

Best of the rest

Home servers are yet to really catch on, but a select few manufacturers are trying their best. The Tranquil PC SQA-5H Home Server is the first we’ve seen to really concentrate on design, with an Apple-white finish and sensible dimensions. Darien reckons it’s not cheap, but it’s a fine example of the technology for enthusiasts – whether it’ll grab those all-important non-enthusiasts remains to be seen.

Elsewhere, we looked at the Creative HS-1200 headphones, Darien got his nose into Bruce Schneier’s self-titled …on Security tome, while the business team tested the Lantronix SecureLinx Spider IP device and the Axis P3301 IP camera.

In the current issue of PC Pro you’ll find a full Christmas gadget guide, with 41 products tested and reviewed, from photo frames to cameras to USB guitars. But to help you beat the rush this year, we’ve plucked out ten of the best from the feature and from our A List.

Samsung NC10 – £300

Hands-down the best netbook on the market right now. It feels as sturdy as a proper laptop, offers a hefty seven-and-a-half hour battery life and features an almost full-width keyboard. Stylish, strong and hugely portable – and all this for less than £300.

Sony Reader PRS-505 – £190

If any device is going to sway the eBook doubters, the Sony PRS-505 is it. The silver case is a joy to behold, and the E Ink screen perfectly replicates the experience of words on paper. There’s space for 160 eBooks, and 100 classics bundled free.

Creative Zen X-Fi 16GB – £140

As well as 16GB of space and superb sound quality, the latest Zen connects to Wi-Fi networks to download music and podcasts and stream audio. The controls are a bit fiddly, but the excellent user interface, SD-card slot and FM radio make this one of the best mp3 players around.

Sony Cybershot DSC-T70 – £150

A gorgeous camera with a body that feels almost like it’s hewn out of a single chunk of aluminium, the Cyber-shot DSC-T70 is also a capable eight megapixel snapper. Highlights include fast autofocus, Super Steadyshot image stabilisation and quick shutter response times – and a competitive price.

Pure Evoke Flow - £150

This is best internet radio, bar none, that we’ve reviewed, and adds DAB, FM and media streaming to the mix too. It’s not cheap, but if you want a quality radio, with great looks, sound and usability, there’s nothing that comes close.

TomTom Go 730 – £208

Satnavs may be ten a penny these days, with GPS receivers in mobile phones, but it’s still worth paying a premium for a quality navigation product. TomTom has a track record here and has laid siege to our A List satnav entry for what seems like forever. This model is a brilliant device: stacked with features yet extremely easy to use and effective.

Sony DPF-V700 – £112

With typically stylish Sony design, excellent picture quality and an impressive range of on-board features – including auto touch-up, 512MB of memory and a card reader – the Sony makes a convincing argument as the best digital photo frame around. It may cost £129 but, if you’re looking for the best way to show off your snaps, it’s worth every penny.

Panasonic SDR-S7 – £134

You don’t have to be a rocket scientist to operate the new generation of low cost flash memory camcorders. This one from Panasonic is the best of the new breed – it’s small, light and easy to use yet boasts some impressive features – including image stabilisation – and decent image quality. 

HYmini Personal Wind Turbine – £40

Attach the HYmini to a handlebar or wing mirror and even a light breeze will charge its internal lithium-ion battery – which can then be used to charge your mobile phone, mp3 player or PDA. It’ll prove incredibly useful as a portable battery pack and is an ideal gift for the eco-minded gadget fan.

Sony Alpha A200 – £260

Apart from a live-view mode, the A200 has every feature you could want – in-body image stabilisation, nine autofocus points, a 10-megapixel sensor and an 18-70mm lens. And with a steadily falling price, it’s an absolute bargain of a DSLR.

*****

Read the full feature of 41 Christmas gifts – cameras, MP3 players, internet radios, camcorders, photo frames, green gadgets, hi-tech watches and USB musical instruments – as well as an in-depth look at eBooks, in the current issue of PC Pro, on sale now.