Group test: what's the best laptop accessory?

5. Apple Magic Trackpad

• Reviewed on: 28 July 10
• RRP: £59 inc. VAT
• Rating:

The Apple Magic Trackpad ships with two AA alkaline batteries, although Apple now sells its own Apple Battery Charger. It will be a useful addition to the arsenal of any Mac user who wishes to have multitouch functionality on their desktop machine. It works well, but whether that is worth £59 to you, only you can decide.

4. Blue Sky Exo2 Stereo Monitoring System

• Reviewed on: 1 September 10
• RRP: £425 inc. VAT
• Rating:

Overall, we were quite happy with the Exo2. We spent many days listening to music, watching movies, mixing a podcast and some music in GarageBand, and playing a synthesizer through them, and we were happy with the resulting sound. That said, because it's a stereo system, we did miss having 5.1 surround sound in the movies we watched. The Exo2 2.1 is a solid-sounding desktop speaker system. Given its mission as a desktop mixing solution, it's also reasonably priced. It's no replacement for large studio monitors in an equally large studio. Nor is it a particularly good system for mixing certain kinds of club music that demand bass big enough to displace your internal organs. But for a home studio—or on a desktop where you just want great-sounding audio—the Exo2 is well worth considering.

3. IGo Bluetooth Keyboard for iPad

• Reviewed on: 21 July 11
• RRP: £29 inc. VAT
• Rating:

Robust and portable, versatile and easy to use, the iGo Bluetooth Keypad for iPad is priced to shift. We just wish its name reflected its versatility.

2. STM Scout laptop bag

• Reviewed on: 15 November 10
• RRP: £44.95
• Rating:

STM’s lightweight Scout small laptop shoulder bag stands out from the business crowd with its eco-warrior army surplus look.

1. Swiftpoint Mouse

• Reviewed on: 8 February 11
• RRP: £49
• Rating:

For those who prefer a mouse to a trackpad, the Swiftpoint Mouse works in even the tightest of workspaces. It won't replace your desktop mouse, but it shines in cramped quarters, giving you a usable, comfortable input device that even works on your laptop's palmrest. The company has anticipated some of the biggest obstacles to such use, and has included features and accessories that address most of these challenges. The Swiftpoint Mouse is a clever product that’s as portable as a mouse can be, and it works well enough that some road warriors might even end up using it full-time.