New kit from Compaq

The Aero 8000 has the look of a regular laptop, but is substantially slimmed down in terms of hardware and price. Inspired by its handheld range, the 8000 only runs Microsoft's CE operating system and lacks many of the features you'd expect of a modern laptop. It has just 128 MHz processing power a 10 inch monitor and 16MB ram. But good looks, and minimal proportions (1 inch thick and 1.5kg heavy), as well as a minuscule price tag of just £700, should make the Aero an attractive option for those who just want a portable computer that is easy to synchronise with both PC and Network.

The struggling PC giant also revealed a rather snazzy new laptop for its Armada range. The M300 comes with more ports than you can shake a cable at, as well as a pretty neat mobile extension unit complete with hard and floppy drive. It's pretty powerful too, with a 333MHz Intel mobile Celeron and a meaty 6.4G hard drive.

The case is magnesium for the more accident-prone businessperson. All this and it's still marginally lighter than the Aero but it will make a substantially greater dent in your wallet at about £1875 with extension.

Another product that will probably be a big hit with mobile warrior types is Compaq's MP1600 Projector. Super small and also super light the MP1600 retails at a £3200.

All three new products will be available from mid-August.