Cheap plans, good hardware and excellent results in our speed tests make 3 a deserving winner, in our group test against Telstra Bigpond, Optus, Vodafone, Virgin and Unwired.

Disappointing speeds in our tests, underwhelming plans and expensive hardware make Unwired a niche choice

Despite worrying reports about network congestion, Optus performed well in our tests. Top-notch speed, balanced with keen pricing - if you value network performance above all else this is the mobile broadband to get

A free modem and competitive pricing around the 5GB mark make Vodafone worth a look – but other networks are cheaper per GB

Significant competition from the likes of Optus@Home recently has given cause for Telstra BigPond to devise flat-rate pricing plans that have opened up its cable service to the residential market.

This two-CD set is loaded with five separate programs. Sierra Home Architect will help you design and decorate your dream home in 3D.

The fastest test results, but the most expensive data packages make BigPond a fall-back only for those with no coverage from other providers

Sydney Trains is a great little program. As the name implies, this is a time-tabling application for the Sydney metropolitan train network. Written for PDAs, Sydney Trains works on both Palm OS and Pocket PC.

Surprisingly there's no visual voicemail on our Optus iPhone, but otherwise the phone performs brilliantly with a massive speed boost over the 1st gen model.

There's no denying the appeal of broadband internet access and yet for a smart country Australia has been falling way behind our international counterparts.

Simple to use and great performance without being locked to a provider.

PreviewA good attempt at all-in-one system security, fully integrated into the OS.

If you’re in the market for a smaller LCD and the price tag doesn’t make you dizzy, this Loewe has few peers for visual and audio performance

Baby steps inch the UMPC concept forward, with the Q1 Ultra the best version yet. But it’s still undeniably niche

Blu-ray takes another tentative step towards the mass market, but is now the time to buy?

Project Arcade, subtitled Build Your Own Arcade Machine, takes a shot at being the definitive guide to sticking a PC into a wooden cabinet for the single purpose of playing retro arcade games. It's a big task, and author John St. Clair almost gets there.

A phone with twin SIM card slots offers the convenience of two phone numbers, although the phone suffers from a couple of basic usability and performance problems.

Dubbed the 'Facebook phone', this small and stylish social-networking phone will connect to you to your favourite net apps including MySpace and MSN.

Good, but not good enough: it can’t compete with the winners this month

Movie and photo transfer capability, MP3 playback, bearable speakers… this is the best portable gaming machine ever