Review Roundup: This week's hottest reviews on TechRadar

This week we've been looking at Apple's new lightweight marvel, the MacBook Air, as well as the new K1 Android Honeycomb tablet from Lenovo.

We've also looked at a new 42-inch Smart TV as well as a new Blu-ray player for Sony. And that's just for starters - there's plenty more below.

New MacBook Air 2011 (13-inch)

The new MacBook Air from Apple might well be the most terrifying computing devices ever built. How a device so puny can pack such a powerful punch is absolutely astonishing. Gone are Intel's so-last-decade Core 2 Duo CPUs and in come the Intel Sandy Bridge chips that harness masses more might while using less power and running cooler. And let's just remind ourselves, this laptop is so thin it's practically two dimensional. Of course, it still doesn't harness enough juice for proper power users, but anyone with a penchant for prestige and a soft spot for Apple will be foaming at the mouth at the very prospect. You may need to sell one of the kids for medical experiments though, as you'll be paying through the nose.

Lenovo IdeaPad K1

The Lenovo IdeaPad K1 is another Tegra 2-powered Android 3 tablet which packs all the hardware power of the Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 and the Asus Eee Pad Transformer. So it's a dead-cert that this is going to be a nailed-on hardcore success. Right? Wrong. In its current form it's an absolute mess, with inconsistent performance, freezes and lock-outs, a poor screen and the biggest bezel of any 10.1-inch tablet we've yet laid eyes on. There is potential there, though, and a silver-bullet firmware update might transform this into a genuine contender. But until then, we advise you steer a wide berth around it and go for something else.

LG 42LV550T

If you're looking for a versatile, multimedia-savvy 42-inch TV that looks great and doesn't cost the earth, the LG 42LV550T has a lot going for it. Its PLEX system works great with PCs and Macs alike, it plays back an unusually wide variety of multimedia file types and for most of the time it also produces extremely enjoyable pictures. If you're a fan of watching films with the lights off, though, you might find yourself troubled by a few black level shortcomings. And there's no 3D to be found on offer here either. As a result, this TV has a good price and it'll get cheaper in time.

Sony BDP-S480

Picture quality from the BDP-S480 blu-ray player is predictably terrific. Blu-rays drip with fine detail and colour fidelity is gorgeous. The player is also a great choice for music fans, being the only model here able to play hi-res Super Audio CDs. This multichannel music playback is stunning, easily giving this player an audible edge over others.

Samsung BD-D7500

Picture quality from the BDD7500 is very good. There's a clinical precision to its images which is easy to appreciate, though it's less enticing as a CD player.

This week's other reviews:

AV kit

Tannoy Arena Highline 300 review

Panasonic SC-BTT775 review

Toshiba BDX3200 review

Dune HD Smart B1 review

Philips BDP7600 review

Denon DBP-2012UD review

InFocus SP8600 review

Cameras and equipment

Olympus PEN E-P3 review

Olympus ZUIKO DIGITAL 14-54mm F2.8-3.5 II review

Nikon AF-S DX 16-85mm F/3.5-5.6 G ED VR review

Canon EF-S 17-85mm f/4-5.6 IS USM review

Sigma 18-50mm EX DC OS HSM review

Tokina AT-X 16-28mm F2.8 PRO FX review

Nissin Di622 review

Laptops

HP ProBook 5330m review

Sony VAIO Z Series review

Panasonic Toughbook CF-53 review

Networking

Netgear ReadyNAS Ultra 4 review

Buffalo AirStation WLAE-AG300N review

Operating systems

Apple Mac OS X 10.7 Lion review

Printers

Epson Stylus Photo R2880 review

Canon PIXMA Pro9000 Mark II review

Canon PIXMA Pro9500 Mark II review

Epson Stylus Photo 1400 review

Epson Stylus Pro 3880 review

Software

G Data Internet Security 2012 review

Kaspersky Internet Security 2012 review

Panda Internet Security 2012 review

ZoneAlarm Extreme Security 2012 review

Sony Vegas Movie HD Platinum 11 review

Vertus Fluid Mask 3.2 review

Speakers

Magnat Quantum 650 Series review

SV Sound PC-12 Plus review

Tablets

Lenovo IdeaPad K1 review

TVs

LG 42LV550T review