Recent figures published by MyVoucherCodes.co.uk appear to reveal that this year's most sought after games console is the Xbox 360, outselling its nearest rival the PS3 by a ratio of 3:1.

But which machine really deserves to be crowned king of the console wars this Christmas; Microsoft's Xbox 360, Sony's PS3 or Nintendo's Wii?

To decide which console is worthy of your cash, we'll be looking at seven key areas that need to be of the highest quality in order to warrant your attention: Games, Exclusive Titles, Media Options, Online Gaming, Extras, Future Features and of course Value For Money. We'll then tot up the results to see who comes out on top.

Games

A year ago this would have been an easy first point for the Xbox 360, with a massive range of quality titles. However it's been a superb year for games on the PS3, with its catalogue steadily growing. There is a fair bit of cross over between both gaming catalogues, with massive titles such as Assassins Creed 2, the Rock Band and Guitar Hero games, Modern Warfare 2, Left 4 Dead 2 and Batman: Arkham Asylum all available on both machines. It's a hard one to judge for now until you consider exclusive titles (which we'll be getting at next). The Xbox 360 and PS3 both boast HD gaming, becoming increasingly cinematic in scope and presentation. The Wii offers a far different experience; being a motion-gaming console, many titles such as Wii Sports Resort or Wii Fit offer pick-up-and-play fun that all the family can enjoy. However, other than first-party Nintendo titles, Wii games often lack the polish of those on the PS3 or 360.

Winner - Xbox 360 (for quantity alone over the PS3)

Exclusive Titles

If you're only going to be able to afford one console this Christmas, knowing which titles are exclusive to each is a massive consideration. Again, last year the Xbox 360 would have won this one hands down, but it's anyone's game this year. PS3 owners can pick up the excellent Uncharted 2, Killzone 2 and Little Big Planet, with God of War 3 and Gran Turismo 5 all on the horizon. Xbox 360 owners can enjoy Forza Motorsport 3, the Halo titles, Fable II, the Gears of War series and Mass Effect (also available on the PC), with its sequel not far off into the New Year. Wii owners can delight in the fact that they will be the only people with access to gaming legends such as Mario, Zelda and Samus Aran of Metroid, though ports of games available on other consoles are often of a poorer quality.

Winner - PS3 (because Uncharted 2 is ridiculously good, and for turning the AAA exclusive title drought around this year)

Media Options

Easy one this; the PS3, hands down. Not only does it throw in a top notch Blu-ray player, but compatibility with all sorts of media files is available. Both the PS3 and the Xbox 360 have media server capabilities, but the PS3's sleek Xross Media Bar UI and built in Wi-Fi make setting up these features very simple. The PS3 has also recently launched the Playstation Network Video Delivery service, allowing you to download or rent movies straight to your console. The Xbox 360 has DVD- playback and the option to download HD films too, but so far no Blu-ray option, despite constant rumours of an add-on in the pipeline. Both the PS3 and Xbox 360 have USB ports, and support many music files such as MP3's, which can then be integrated into the soundtracks of many games. The Wii is really weak here: no Blu-ray, DVD, no movie downloads, no nothing.

Winner- PS3

Online Gaming

There's no denying the Xbox 360 has a thriving online community. 2 million users were clocked using the service simultaneously the week Modern Warfare 2 came out. There's no dearth of competitors to take on, but be prepared to get regularly battered by seven year-olds from the states. Subscription fees apply to become an Xbox Live Gold member (£40 for 12 months), and you'll also need an add-on to go wireless that costs around £45, but you do get regular content updates, lots of affordable and high quality downloadable games and a good service for the money. PS3 and Wii owners can enjoy the luxury of going online for free, which is obviously ace. There aren't a huge number of players online on the Wii, but they do have access to some real gems from the Nintendo gaming back catalogue. The PS3 has a growing userbase, all keen to get online and play for free. Downloadable games content is similar to the Xbox 360, though smaller in range, but does feature some classic PS1 titles such as Metal Gear Solid.

Winner - Tied (Xbox 360 offers the best online service but is costly, the PS3 and Wii offerings are free and have some good content but, for the moment at least, are on a smaller scale than Microsoft)

Extras

The Wii and its channel set-up is a simple and easy to use portal to lots of features such as a web browser and BBC iPlayer, but it just cant compete with the PS3 and Xbox 360's offerings. PS3 users also have a web browser and dedicated iPlayer app, but also have access to Facebook too, with a whole slew of other add-ons on the way. Though it doesn't have an iPlayer, the Xbox 360 has everything else; Facebook, Twitter, Last FM, Sky Digital. Lots to be getting on with for 360 owners.

Winner - Xbox 360

Future Features

Both the PS3 and Xbox 360 look set to throw new attempts at motion gaming into the console mix next year. In fact, the Xbox 360's Natal motion-controller is claimed to be so revolutionary as to be a console changing device. Rumours still abound for a Wii HD, but this would come in the form of a brand new console, not a feature, so should be viewed perhaps as a mark against buying a current-generation Wii.

Winner - Xbox 360

Value For Money

The Xbox 360 budget Arcade machine will set you back around £150, but to get the most out of the console the £200 Elite version with 120GB hard drive is the best option. A basic Wii package will cost £100, but keep in mind it's pretty slim on content straight out of the box. The PS3 offers the best value for money; the PS3 Slim with 120GB hard drive costs around £250, but for that you're not only getting a gaming platform, but also a top-notch Blu-ray player, free online gaming, Wi-Fi straight out of the box and immediate access to features such as BBC iPlayer.

Winner - PS3

Overall Winner - PS3

It's a close run race, but if I had to pick an overall winner, I'd side with the PS3. The Xbox 360 performs well, particularly in the breadth of its available content, but is let down by its costly albeit excellent online service. Finally affordable at £250, the PS3 has had an excellent year for exclusive titles and add-ons. The built in Blu-ray and free online gaming represent excellent value for money, and there are some hot titles lined-up for the New Year. I know which console I'd want Santa to leave under my tree.

I'm out of contract. As a matter of fact, I've been out of contract since October. The trouble is that this summer's going to see the hottest set of handset releases that I can remember. There's the HTC Magic, the Palm Pre, the Toshiba TG01, the Nokia N97 and the recently announced Apple iPhone 3G S, however much O2 may be doing to ruin it. So, the question is, which is the best phone? Come this way and we'll break it down.

Size

The length of breadth of these handsets isn't so much important to me as the the thickness. I've never met a phone I couldn't fit into my pocket. It's more about which one ruins the line of my clothes.

WINNER -TG01: 9.9mm

iPhone 3G S: - 12.3mm

HTC Magic: 13.65 mm

Palm Pre: 16.95 mm

N97: 15.9mm - 18.25mm

The Toshiba is by far the most fashion friendly of the five. It's the only sub 1cm handset on the block and that's very nice work for the relatively new kids on the block

The Magic is of a perfectly reasonable thickness and, having used the N97 for a couple of weeks, I haven't found carrying it around a problem. I'll have to reserve judgement on the Pre until I've held on in my hands.

To put them in perspective, the G1 sits at 17.1mm thick which, although a touch bulky, I wouldn't turn it down for its size. Obviously the size problem that these three share is down to their slide out QWERTYs but that's the price you have to pay for multi-functionality.

Weight

Again, weight isn't a major issue for me but I appreciate that it is for some. I've normally heavier things to worry about on my person other than my phone but a category's a category.

WINNER - HTC Magic: 118.5g

TG01: 129g

iPhone 3G S: 135g

Palm Pre: 135g

N97: 150g

Given it's not the thinnest, the Magic's done very well to keep the weight down and, naturally, the QWERTY carrying two are at the bottom once again. However, where the Pre has only just pulled up short of the others, the N97 is looking like a right old lump to heft about. Again, having used it, I don't find the 150g of the N97 a problem but you do feel like you could brain someone with it if push can to shove. Probably not a feature that Nokia advertises.

Screen

Convergence, people. That's what we're talking about here. These smartphones have got to be our MP3 players, our PMPs, our very eyes and ears. It's no good squinting at them. We need screens and we need them good.

WINNER - TG01: 4.1" with WVGA 480 x 800 pixel, 262,000 colours and REGZA technology

N97: 3.5" with 360 x 640 pixels,16,777,216 colours in 16:9

Palm Pre: 3.1" with 24-bit colour 480 × 320 pixel and 16,777,216 colours

iPhone 3G S: 3.5" with 480 × 320 pixels and 262,000 colours

HTC Magic: 3.2" with HVGA 488 x 320 pixel resolution

It may not have the 24-bit Trucolour system of the N97 or the pre and it may not be the quite spot on 16:9 aspect either but you just can't beat the TG01 for straight up size and resolution. It's an awesome display backed up with all Toshiba's high end LCD know how. If it's all about watching video on the go, then look no further.

The N97 is not a million miles off with a good splash of colour and, if it weren't for its tiny size, you could live comfortably with the screen on the Pre but beyond that it's fairly standard stuff. Tosh all the way.

Camera

WINNER - N97: 5 megapixels with Carl Zeiss Tessar f/2.8 optics and dual LED flash

Palm Pre: 3.0-megapixel camera with LED flash and "extended depth of field"

iPhone 3G S: 3.0 megapixels and still no flash!

TG01: 3.2 megapixels and no apparent flash

HTC Magic: 3.2 megapixels and no flash

No shadow of a doubt in this category who takes the prize. The camera on the N97 is simply divine. It's streets ahead of the others in resolution, glassware, flash and functionality. Frankly, it's better than half the compacts on the market.If the camera on your smartphone is the most important feature for you, then stop reading now and go and buy the N97.

The only other handset to even bother with a flash is the Pre which gives it an automatic second place and I'm putting the iPhone 3G S into third, despite it losing out on the other two in terms of resolution, because even in the iPhone 3G the snapper was well integrated if seriously underpowered.

I wouldn't rate the other two at all for their picture taking quality.

Processor

It's not good these phones being able to cook your toast at the same time as make calls if it takes half an hour to do so. CPU power with a little help from the RAM will help your handset running smoothly.

WINNER - TG01: 1GHz Snapdragon platform (256MB RAM)

Palm Pre: 600 MHz Texas Instruments OMAP 3430 (256 MB RAM)

iPhone 3G S: Unknown - "twice as fast as the last one" (600MHz suspected with 128MB RAM)

HTC Magic: 528 MHz Qualcomm MSM7201a (192/288 MB RAM)

N97: 434MHz ARM11

The Toshiba is the clear winner here. It's the only phone using Qualcomm's brand new Snapdragon platform and it'll probably need it to orchestrate all that REGZA technology, and the WinMob nonsense too.

The Pre puts in a good effort and should run well and I'm giving Apple the benefit of the doubt here. They make their machines well and I'd be very surprised if their "twice as fast" claims didn't have at least some truth. We probably haven't heard the exact figures because they'll sound scarily low against the competition despite their efficiency and performance.

The Magic runs ok from experience and even the hopelessly underpowered N97 has run without too much a hitch in trials. Can't say it's lightening but it works.

Storage

With audio and video playback to go with a library of 3-megapixel plus camera snaps, storage has become an issue. Which one can hold and which will fold?

WINNER - N97: 32GB onboard plus 16GB microSD = 48GB

iPhone 3G S: 32GB

HTC Magic: 512MB + 16GB microSD = 16.5GB

TG01: 512MB + 16GB microSD = 16.5GB

Palm Pre: 8GB

Really disappointed with the Pre to see it sporting 8GB and no expandability. Serious loss of brownie points there. This is definitely the N97's turf though. The iPhone 3G S shows enough but hardcore music lovers may run out of space pretty quick on the Tosh and the Android handsets.

Battery

It's hard to equate battery stats directly to performance given each phones different CPU and display requirements but it does give at least some kind of indication. No winners and losers this time. Just take note.

N97: Li-ion 1500 mAh

iPhone 3G S: Unknown - 10hrs of video

Palm Pre: Li-ion 1150mAh

HTC Magic: Li-ion 1340mAh

TG01: Li-ion 1000mAh

The TG01 battery is tiny - possibly to keep the phone slim and light and possibly because the Snapdragon system is very efficient - but I am told you'll get one day of heavy use out of it before you need to recharge. I suspect it's not the best of the bunch, though.

For the others, the iPhone 3G S is much improved and should last a little longer; the N97 is the biggest and has been performing well in review; the Pre is a little concerning but unknown and the Magic has been ok - better than the G1 by a long shot but still just ok.

OS

Operating systems are a matter of personal choice but absolutely crucial to your enjoyment of the phone.

WINNER - iPhone 3G S: iPhone 3.0 OS
WINNER - Palm Pre: WebOS (Linux-based)

HTC Magic: Android Cupcake (1.5)

N97: S60 5th edition

TG01: Windows Mobile 6.1

From all the hype, the iPhone 3.0 OS and the Pre's WebOS are supposed to be ace. You'll love them both. Android, I'd say, is a very close runner - lot's of fun but no way near as slick. The N97 suffers from lack of excitement in the OS department. We've known about Symbian 60 for years but it does work very well indeed. Bit of a Volvo.

And that leaves me with the TG01 and Windows Mobile. I hate Windows Mobile but that's a personal choice. It's clunky, fiddly and over-complicated and, until I'm shown otherwise, I want no part of it. It'll suit some people out there but not many.

UI

Usability is fundamental to these machines. If they're pain to play with, then you'll learn to hate them. There's no two ways about it.

WINNER - iPhone 3G S: Capacitive multitouch screen
WINNER - Palm Pre: Capacitive multitouch screen + QWERTY

N97: Resistive touchscreen & QWERTY

HTC Magic: Capacitive touchscreen

TG01: Resistive touchscreen

If it weren't for the keyboard on the Pre, I'd hand the prize to the iPhone's legendarily user friendly system but the Pre is supposed to be a joy to get your fingers on too. It's a serious battle royale there.

The N97 isn't 100% responsive - more like 95% - but, again, it sits above the 99% Magic by virtue of the excellent QWERTY.

No one's been allowed to touch a working model of the TG01 but I suspect it's going to lose out in this department. I'm just not convinced that Tosh has the experience. I could be wrong. I hope I am.

Applications

The need for applications has become a real driver for the smartphone market and will soon become the number one feature usurping the public's love for megapixels. So who's got what the people need?

WINNER - iPhone 3G S: iTunes App Store

HTC Magic: Android Marketplace

Palm Pre: Palm suite & open source mobile applications

N97: Ovi Store

TG01: Windows Mobile Market

With 50,000 apps in the store and developers wetting their knickers for a piece, you just can't touch iPhone. The Andriod Marketplace doesn't even come close with the 5,000 they've got on offer and, at the time of writing, Ovi is a bit of a shambles despite the grand plans.

Other considerations

iPhone 3GS: Accelerometer, compass, video shooting, oil resistant screen, a world of supporting gadgetry, aGPS, Bluetooth

HTC Magic: Accelerometer, compass, video shooting, GPS, Bluetooth

Palm Pre: Accelerometer, Bluetooth 2.1 + EDR with A2DP, touchstone induction charging, synchs with iTunes, aGPS

TG01: Accelerometer, aGPS, Bluetooth,

N97: aGPS, Bluetooth, video shooting,

Conclusions

Very, very tricky, this. I'd like to start in true reality TV style by saying that all the contestants have done a fantastic job and I genuinely mean it when I say that I'd be proud to carry any of them around in my pocket.

I think the objective choice is probably the iPhone 3G S. It scores consistently well in all the categories that really matter with second or third places at the worst. Now that the software allows for video capture, MMS and tethering - even though at a premium - there's no department where it has a shocker any more.

Personally, I might rather plump for the Palm Pre just to have something a little different as much as anything else. It's got a slightly better camera and screen which is important to me. It's apparently as good an interface and experience as the iPhone plus you get a QWERTY as well. I'd be a little concerned by the lack of app support and probably find the small memory a little testing but I think the originality of choice would make up for it.

The other handset that gets close for me is the N97. If Ovi gets its act together, and I think it will, we'll see a surprisingly large smug group of people carrying this phone around - more than the Pre, I should think. There is life beyond Apple.

The TG01 is the risky choice. I'd have to be really blown away by that screen and the speed of the processor to overlook the WinMob albatross. I slightly wonder if this mobile has specs better suited to a PMP than a telephone?

Lastly, and, quite surprisingly, I'd go for the HTC Magic. The trouble is that it doesn't excel in any areas. Android is the thing it really has going for it but even there it's beaten by both Palm and Apple in the key clashes.

I'm sure you'll have your own opinions and this is by no means a definitive guide. You could look at a few other smaller issues but I believe these have been the most key. Send me a shout, drop me a comment. Which would you buy? Which do you own?

Click here to see if the HTC Desire will fare better with users.

This guide outlines the main differences between solid state drives (SSDs) and hard disk drives (HDDs).

There are two major types of SSD in current production -- NAND and DRAM. This guide focuses on the more common one: NAND.

It's worth noting that advances are being made all the time on both types of drive and that these differences are generalisations. Individual performance will vary from manufacturer to manufacturer.

1. Speed

Most solid state drives, except ones made using cheaper components, are significantly faster at reading data than a hard drive.

This is because there are no moving mechanical parts on a SSD and so the "seek time" is significantly reduced. Incidentally, DRAM drives are faster still.

Writing large files is also generally quicker on a SSD, though at present there are often performance problems when trying to write a lot of small files to a SSD. It's possible to overcome this through improved system design.

In general, though, SSDs are faster than HDDs.

(PS: SSDs are generally quieter than HDDs because they don't have any moving parts and are usually fanless)

This morning we got some details on the the Sony PSP2, which they now seem to be calling the "PSP Go!". I thought it'd be interesting to compare and contrast it with the Nintendo DSi, which is by far Sony's greatest competition in the handheld market.

Storage

Sony's completely dumping the UMD format, after it's been such a massive flop. The new PSP will instead have plenty of storage onboard - 16GB or 8GB, and let you download content to the device over the air.

The DSi still relies on cartridges, though I suspect that's for backwards compatibility more than anything else. The latest version of the handheld lets you download content over-the-air as well, and you can store the content on an SD card upto 16GB.

Game Catalogue

For the PSP Go! there'll be 100 titles available at launch, including Gran Turismo. Any games you own for your PSP won't work, as the UMD format won't be supported. All DS games are still compatible with the DSi, though there's far fewer titles available in Nintendo's download store.

Controls

While the DSi's much touted touchscreen has proved a bit of a headache for some games developers, others have used it fantastically. There's no word yet on whether the PSP Go! will have a touchscreen but it will have an analog stick, a feature sadly missing from Ninty's handheld.

Size and shape

We don't know how big the PSP Go! will be, yet, but I wouldn't be surprised if it's rather more compact than the rather chunky original PSP. What we do know is that the slide-out screen will definitely be present.

The DSi, on the other hand, is a svelte 137mm x 74.9mm x 18.9mm and 214g. It folds in half like a book, and can easily be slipped into a coat pocket. Portability is obviously an important factor for these devices.

Release date

The DSi came out on April 3rd 2009 in Europe, and in November 2008 in Japan. The PSP Go! won't be out until the last quarter of 2009, i.e. not before October. It'll be shown off at E3 in June, though, so we should get some pictures of it soon that we can use in place of all the concept art that we've been employing up till now.

Conclusions

The most important things for Sony to get right are the look of the thing, and the game catalogue available. It'd be a good move for them to implement a system where you can get your old games on download when the PSP Go! is released, otherwise I think there'll be a certain amount of consumer backlash.

As for me, though, I'm sticking with my DS Lite. I don't feel the push, just yet, to switch to downloadable games - particularly as backing them up seems to be an issue. When the next generation of devices comes round, I'll be ready.

Simple common guesswork is YESTERDAY'S NEWS when it comes to accurate gadget sizing, thanks to oddball thing-size display site Pective.

Pective asks you for your computer's screen size, then lets you select from a vast array of gadgets to see how big they are by popping up a life-sized photo. Yes, that is all it does. Good luck "monetising" this in the future, guys.

So if you're a bit worried that your pre-ordered T-Mobile G1 isn't going to be quite as small as your out-dated old iPhone, it might come in useful. Failing that, it's something to do for half an hour. You can even see how big a credit card is, should you be so financially disadvantaged or young that you're not allowed to have access to any money.

(Via Crave)

Related posts: Sony's SMALL camcorder | MARGINALLY LARGER MSI Wind

Concluding our iPhone 3G Week here at Tech Digest, I've whipped together a comparison of the iPhone 3G and Nokia N96. If you're not tossing up between these two mobiles, why not check out our comparisons of the HTC Touch Diamond and BlackBerry Bold with Apple's new handset?

Dimensions
Nokia N96: 103mm high, 55mm wide and 20mm thick, weighs 125g.
iPhone 3G: 115.5mm high, 62.1mm wide and 12.3mm thick, weighs 133g.

Display
Nokia N96: 2.8" QVGA non-touch display.
iPhone 3G: 3.5" multi-touch display.

Both handsets tout their touchscreens as being their biggest asset, however how do they compare in a fight? Call it a touch-off, if you will. On your marks...get set...go!

Dimensions
HTC Touch Diamond: 102mm in height, is 51mm wide and 11.5mm thick, weighs 110g.
iPhone 3G: 115.5mm high, 62.1mm wide and 12.3mm thick, weighs 133g.

Display
HTC Touch Diamond: 2.8" touch-sensitive screen.
iPhone 3G: 3.5" multi-touch display.

Apple's launch of the iPhone 3G yesterday heralded a new change in direction for the company, towards a more business-friendly approach. BlackBerry smartphones are predominantly the business user's handsets of choice, with their first 3G model, the Bold 9000, squaring up nicely to the iPhone. Take a look at the below comparison of specs between the two models, and let us know in the comments field below which you'd prefer.

Dimensions
BlackBerry Bold 9000: 127mm in length, 66mm wide and 12.7mm thick, it weighs 133g.
iPhone 3G: 115.5mm high, 62.1mm wide and 12.3mm thick, weighs 133g.

Display
BlackBerry Bold 9000: 480 x 320 resolution, touch display.
iPhone 3G: 480 x 320 multi-touch display.