The Monoprice 9774

What you should know: 
What is clear is that the Monoprice 9774 speaker system is the best home audio value we've ever seen -- a superlative we used to give to the Energy speakers at the $400 price point. That earns the Monoprice 9774 our Editors' Choice award for

The G-Tech G-Drive Slim

The advantage: 

The G-Tech G-Drive Slim offers fast performance and nice design for and offer for in a friendly price.
The unfavorable: 

The G-Drive Slim could be a little more compact, and it doesn't comes with any software.
The offer: 

This is essential for a mobile computer, especially a MacBook Air, will find the G-Drive Slim a very good companion.

Specifications

Drive type -2.5-inch external USB hard drive
Connector options -USB 3.0, USB 2.0
Available capacities -500GB
Capacity of test unit 500GB
Dimensions (LWH) -5.06 x 3.23 x 0.39 inches
Weight -0.33 pound
OSes supported -Windows 2000 or later (reformatting required), Mac OS 10.4 or later
Software included -None

Getting into the world of Touch

Having Windows 8, the one keyword you hear most often is "touch." That means touch-screen tablets and slates, touch panels added to traditional clamshell laptops, and touch-enabled all-in-one desktops. It also refers to Microsoft's new emphasis on touch gestures for touch pads, as well as the ambitious plans component companies such as Synaptics have for touch input in Windows 8.

Computer mouse had transformed, with its left and right buttons, scroll wheel, and single optical sensor (or trackball, for the old-schoolers) has changed little over the years, aside from shedding the USB (or earlier PS/2) cable for a wireless dongle or Bluetooth. A handful of models have added touch sensors along the top or extraneous side buttons, but the basic concept is the same, and increasingly far removed from how we interact with the rest of our high-tech devices.

HP Spectre had just-announced one all-in-one. This $1,299 desktop with a 23-inch 1080p display doesn't have a touch screen, but has  standalone touch pad, which matches up with an also-included wireless keyboard. Together, the pair looks an awful lot like the Apple wireless keyboard and trackpad combo sitting on my desk right now.

The Sonos Connect

The Sonos Connect resembles the larger Connect:Amp with the same squat shape, but instead of the two-tone color scheme the Connect opts for a simpler, and arguably more attractive, all-white design. The device sits on blue rubber feet, which offers some isolation from the outside world.

The advantage: 

The Sonos Connect brings the Sonos ecosystem to users who don't want a standalone speaker system. Setup is incredibly easy, and the software apps are effortless. Sound quality is good, and the digital output means it can be even better. The analog input means the system can stream analog components around your house.
The unfavorable: 

There are other components in the Sonos range that beat it for sound quality. If you're not using it as part of a multiroom setup, it's somewhat pricey for what it does.
The offer: 

The Sonos Connect brings effortless wireless media streaming to existing hi-fi owners, but it's not the first Sonos system we'd recommend.

The Panasonic RP HJE355

Advantage

 Panasonic's RP-HJE355 series in-ear headphones cost less than $20, sound very good for the money, and are comfortable to wear.

Unfavorable

There's no built-in microphone for making cell phone calls.

The Offer

Panasonic's very affordable RP-HJE355 series in-ear headphones sound as good as many earphones that cost twice as much.

The TP-Link 150Mbps Wireless N Nano Router

Advantage: The TP-Link 150Mbps Wireless N Nano Router (TL-WR702N) is really small, affordable, and flexible, and will provide good performance.

Unfavorable: The TP-Link 150Mbps Wireless N Nano Router doesn't work as a router out of the box, which potentially could make it hard to access its Web interface. The router doesn't support IPv6.

What it offers: Tiny and affordable, the TP-Link 150Mbps Wireless N Nano Router makes a great companion for mobile users.

The Panasonic RP HJE355

Advantage: Panasonic's RP-HJE355 series in-ear headphones cost less than $20.

Unfavorable: There's no built-in microphone for making cell phone calls.

Offers: Panasonic's very affordable RP-HJE355 series in-ear headphones sound as good as many earphones that cost twice as much.