Audiofil

Today we're offering you the chance to grab a pair of Denon AH-C260 in-ear headphones for just £14.99.

The AH-C260 earphones feature technologies for high-quality sound that are used in all of Denon's headphones, including the Acoustic Optimizer that achieves superior acoustic effects, Hybrid Housing made of a combination of different materials to absorb vibration and the Radial Cascade Damper to suppress noise transmitted through the cable.

The result is a beautifully clear sound that rivals the quality of high-end models.

For optimum wearing comfort, the AH-C260 is ergonomically shaped to fit snugly into your ears and reduce stress, allowing you to enjoy the music care-free.

Normally selling for £34.95, you can grab yours for just £14.99 at the TechRadar deals site.

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Billboard magazine's Hot 100 songs chart will include data from music streaming and subscription sites for the first time.

Listening stats from Spotify, Rhapsody and Rdio will all go into the pot, along with the radio airplay and download sales that currently decide the rankings.

Other services adding to the chart data include Slacker, Muve Music and MOG.

In the run-up to the changes, Billboard has compiled test charts to show the differences produced by adding the new data.

Overall, these differences are fairly small, but electronic music in particular sees a boost.

For example, M83 and Skrillex wouldn't have featured in the Billboard Hot 100 for the week ending 4 March, but with streaming data included they would have hit numbers 77 and 85 respectively.

Otherwise the test charts showed that most differences were small rankings shifts, and the top four wouldn't have been affected.

494 million song streams

While the differences may be small, the amount of new data used is significant – in that same week up to 4 March 494 million song streams were counted, compared to 27.1 million song downloads.

Billboard's editorial director Bill Werde said that the change has been made now because streaming services "have only recently hit a critical mass."

There is plenty more data available, though, and Werde said that Billboard is working to include YouTube music video data into the charts as well.

Meanwhile, the UK's Official Charts Company that provides the like of BBC's Radio 1 is based solely on physical and download sales.

Philips has told TechRadar that it believes its Fidelio range can compete with top end headphones despite the mainstream nature of the Dutch brand.

Philips is a major name in electronic goods, but the breadth of range and price can often be a problem when a company is launching high-end products.

However, talking to TechRadar, a Philips spokesman insisted that the Fidelio sub-brand should be able to differentiate itself from the lower-end of the audio market.

Mainstream

"We are a mainstream brand and there is no getting away from that," said the spokesman.

"We are going to cater for your lower-end docks and mid-price audio but for us, Fidelio products are a premium proposition.

"It's Philips on there but the brand we will be driving is Fidelio – everything has to be around the sound and we're pretty confident that when you put it next to its peers it stacks up."

Philips is aware that it is a trusted electronics name, so don't expect to see its logo disappear from the packaging, but the company is clearly keen to build the Fidelio audio products into its own brand as well.

This week's hottest reviews on TechRadar

The beginning of March traditionally marks the start of new products season in the world of tech.

It's the time when all the exciting kit that was announced at IFA at the end of last year and at CES in January starts making its way onto the shelves and into our testing labs.

We probably won't have to tell you that Apple's new iPad is one of these products. It was only announced on Tuesday but it'll go on sale at the end of next week.

You can also expect graphics cards, TVs, Blu-ray players, tablets, phones, cameras... You get the idea. It's the start of the reviews season! Let's go!

Hands on: New iPad review

We're still calling it the iPad 3, how about you? Whatever you end up knowing it as, be it iPad 3 or new iPad, you've not heard the last of it. Not by a long shot. That's because it's the most impressive iPad ever, and it's going to sell more units than an Irish pub on St Paddy's Day.

The stand-out feature is that retina display, which offers up a resolution of 2048 x 1536 at 264 pixels per inch. It's also got more powerful graphics to drive that higher resolution which should lead to some very pretty games and apps. On the downside it's also slightly thicker and marginally heavier than the iPad 2, which can now be had for as little as £329.

AMD Radeon HD 7870 review

The AMD Radeon HD 7870 arrives alongside the Radeon HD 7850 to complete the line-up of AMD's next-gen graphics cards. The 7870 is a step down from the 7970 and a step up from the 7770, theoretically putting it firmly in the performance/price sweet spot.

The fact AMD has included the full Graphics Core Next feature set is something to be applauded. It may not have the straight performance edge over the previous generation, but it's got a lot more extras to back it up. We can't ignore the awesome overclocking potential in the Pitcairn chip either. There's no guarantee all AMD Radeon HD 7870s will be able to clock this high, but there is at least precedence.

Samsung UE55ES8000 review

The UE55ES8000 is Samsung's most uncompromising TV yet. From the moment you first behold its almost sci-fi design and bold, dynamic pictures, you'll be entranced. Crucial to this performance is the introduction of a dual-core processor to the Samsung UE55ES8000, since this makes the smart TV services more comprehensive and slick to navigate and delivers palpable benefits to picture quality.

Admittedly you'll need to calm these pictures for normal domestic viewing, but once that's done pictures still look hugely impressive. And your admiration only grows as you explore the TV's revolutionary interfaces and the depth of its online and multimedia functionality. There are still things Samsung can improve, but as the first true next generation TV of 2012, the Samsung UE55ES8000 throws down a terrifyingly big gauntlet for the following pack to pick up.

AMD Radeon HD 7850 review

The fact AMD has filled out these lower-caste cards with all the same features as their higher-end brethren is refreshing, as is the fact that we'll get all the HD 7850 goodness in such small footprints as 7.8-inches. Again, it's the same Graphics Core Next story – the overclocking headroom is immense. The OC path is the only way to get the most out of these cards. Sadly that's also part of the problem. At stock speeds both the HD 7870 and this AMD HD 7850 are rather uninspiring, and it takes ramping up clockspeeds yourself to get the real performance out of them. That's a bit of a shame as most people probably wont take the risk with their new hardware. These pint-sized cards pack some impressive punch for sub-£200 GPUs, but only if you take the risk overclocking them.

Hands on: ZTE N910 review

Sorry N910 - it's not us, it's you. You feel cheap and insubstantial to hold, you're chunky and you don't even work properly. We're prepared to give you a second chance, but if these annoyances continue in our full ZTE N910 review, then we're sorry but it's over.

Cameras

Hands on: Canon 5D Mark III review

Hands on: Sigma 30mm f/2.8 EX DN lens review

Gamepads

SteelSeries Simraceway SRW-S1 Steering Wheel review

Headsets

SteelSeries Diablo III Headset review

Keyboards

HP Slim Keyboard review

Mice

HP 2.4GHz Wireless Laser Mobile Mouse review

Mobile phones

Nokia Asha 201 review

Hands on: HTC Sensation XE Ice Cream Sandwich review

Sony Xperia S review

Scanners

Doxie Go review

Speakers

Krator Neso N4-20U05 review

Webcams

HP Webcam HD 5210 review

Best portable speakers

The marketeers would have you buy portable speakers for the beach, a picnic in the park or for entertaining friends in your garden while you burn some burgers.

But they really come into their own on work trips and holidays.

Whether you're stuck in a hotel room and chained to your laptop or needing some quality tunes before heading out somewhere exotic, some decent travel speakers make a big difference.

Almost universally bad until recently, there have been some significant improvements to the genre of late that now see some standout products that really impress.

Most travel speakers have built-in batteries, some can be used via Bluetooth with smartphones and tablets while others are two-piece affairs more suited to laptops. What they all have in common is a sub-£200 price and some kind of portability.

So here are our best portable speakers, ordered by market price at the time of writing...

X-mini II Capsule Speaker - £18

For the best in pop-up pop music

It may sell for less than half the price, but this pop-up speaker goes way beyond the Wowee One on all counts. Lasting 11 hours when away from a USB port, the X-mini II Capsule Speaker concertinas out to reveal an SD card slot and a 3.5mm jack to attach to a phone, from which it delivers sound quality that is genuinely unbelievable. You won't confuse this 60g gadget with a 'proper' hi-fi, but it's way ahead of a laptop or phone's built-in speakers.

iLuv Boom Cubes - £20

Small in stature, but can produce a big sound

We're impressed with the design of these lovable little cubes; they sound a lot bigger than they look, and their price is reasonable. Unlike most of the options here, the iLuv Boom Cubes are a two-part stereo system and resemble satellite speakers found in a compact home cinema package. Attaching to a laptop or desktop computer via either USB or 3.5mm jack, there's less boom than the name suggests. But the spacious, detailed and balanced stereo sound created makes these excellent value.

Read: iLuv Boom cubes review

Gear4 StreetParty Size 0 - £35

A portable hard-hitter despite its ultra-slim design

Remarkably slim, this otherwise traditional iPod/iPhone dock runs on four AAA batteries and, actually rather annoyingly, has a tiny remote control. Just 16mm deep and with a dock connector that folds up to create a completely flat, packable profile, the Gear4 StreetParty Size 0 is all about the look, right? Actually, no - when unfurled and propped up on its own stand, this speaker impresses. Charging an iPod or iPhone, too, Gear4 has here produced the best pound-for-pound portable speaker around.

Wowee One - £37

Turn your desktop into a speaker

The key thing to remember here is the tiny size of this gadget. It's not going to blow you away in terms of audio quality, and whether it's much of an improvement over a pricey smartphone is questionable. But there's no doubting that the Wowee One, which has a gel-like plastic undercarriage that acts as a conduit between the speaker and a surface to enable the latter to resonate with low frequency sound, is easy to travel with. The Wowee One is a decent portable speaker that enables you to enjoy your MP3 player anywhere there's a solid table top.

Read: Wowee One review

Cycling Speaker MB-S100 - £40

On yer bike: this SD card-powered speaker is in disguise

Sometimes the countryside can be so boring. Jazzing up those long rural rides with this speaker disguised as a water bottle might seem an outrageous novelty - and it is - but the quality of sound from MP3 and WMA files is actually rather good. Easy to store if you're out and about, whether on a bike frame or in a rucksack's side pocket, the microSD card-equipped Cycling Speaker MB-S100 adds both impressive bass and a crisp, clear FM radio. The drawback for cyclists is, of course, the jettisoning of an actual water bottle to make room.

Sound Science QSB - £109

Top quality for laptops that beat most desktop speakers

Ideal for those either working away or wanting something substantial, this 30W two-cube system is heavy duty and highly accomplished. Relatively easy to travel with thanks to a tight-fitting zip-up pouch, these cubes are linked, with one attaching to a laptop or PC via USB for both power and music. Sound quality is excellent, with a wide soundstage, plenty of detail and enough bass to make even a movie convince. If you have a laptop full of films and time to kill in a lonely hotel room, the Sound Science QSB is a wise investment.

Jawbone Jambox - £160

Pocket-sized speaker also acts as a hands-free kit

Its small size and cute design aren't the only reasons to call on this highly portable gadget. Pairing with a phone via Bluetooth - both automatically and immediately, too - the Jawbone Jambox fades out its streaming of music when a phone call comes in. There's a microphone, too, so you don't even have to pick up the phone. The Jambox is at its best when supplying low-key but detailed sonics for up to five hours on a single charge.

Geneva Sound System Model XS - £180

Swiss style and super sonics

There's something awesome about the Geneva Sound System Model XS; it's actually attached to the leather-topped metal case it comes with, with the foldout finish creating a clever clamshell look. With an FM radio, a couple of alarms and a built-in five hour battery, the Model XS has touch-sensitive buttons and a subtle red LED-lit display behind the speaker grille. And - best of all - it has Bluetooth connectivity that produces stereo sound from a smartphone that's more detailed and balanced than some mini hi-fi speakers.

Bose SoundLink - £260

This little music streamer packs a punch

A wireless unit pairing an included USB dongle/transmitter that plugs into a separate PC or Mac - up to 60ft away - and syncs with iTunes, the Bose SoundLink comes with a rechargeable battery. Bose's Waveguide technology creates some impressive bass, and sound quality is great. However, Windows users might be put off by the iTunes angle, and without a screen it can be tricky to navigate music stored on a computer.

Read: Bose SoundLink review

Bang & Olufsen Beolit 12 - £599

AirPlay & Danish design on this high-end slice of style

If a portable wireless option is the star turn on this luxury item, the presence of Apple AirPlay will make it a must-have in certain social circles. Promising eight hours playback on a single charge, the mains cable then tucks into the Bang & Olufsen Beolit 12, which can replenish an iPod or iPhone when necessary. The leather strap, hand-assembled aluminium casing and retro design that echoes the brand's transistor radios from the 1960s are the highlights, but AirPlay connectivity really sets the tone.