They've long been hailed as the future of the printed page, but until recently, e-books have not gained widespread popularity with the public.

The idea of being able to travel light and still take a few hundred novels in your suitcase is definitely very attractive, though, so it's no surprise that more and more options are becoming available.

We've decided to start a new Product Survey to look at this increasingly popular range.

To start with, we've taken two for spin:

• The Bookeen Cybook Gen 3 has room for up to 300 books and a simple, easy-to-use interface

• The Sony Reader PRS-505 is a more sophisticated option, with a classy leather case

> Product Survey: E-Book Readers

Canon Ixus 870 IS Find the best price

One of the most eagerly-anticipated compact cameras for Christmas 2008 has arrived in our labs.

The Canon Ixus 870 IS, the follow-up to Canon's incredibly popular Ixus 860 IS, is going through our tests right now.

We've already taken out for a spin, though, and we've decided to post our first photos so you can get an idea of what it's like.

In advance of our full test next week, the 870 IS' results in our Product Face-Off have helped us answer a few preliminary questions:

• Do the two extra Megapixels on the 870 IS result in better photos than the 860 IS?

• How does it compare to the Ixus 970 IS and its fourteen Megapixels (tested here)?

• And is it any faster than its predecessor?

• What about compared to the Panasonic FX 37, which we've already tested?

• Has Canon managed to get a grip on noise in its digital photos, or do the Fujifilm F100fd (test) and the Panasonic FX37 (test) still do better?

• How does it stand up to one of today's cameraphones, like the eight Megapixel LG Renoir?

Well, take a look and see what you think  … we'll have a full test next week!

We reported yesterday on the disappointment of early adopters of Sony's new PlayTV system for the PlayStation 3, who discovered that their new purchase couldn't actually decode High Definition TV signals.

We contacted Sony directly this morning to ask for their position on this matter, and we can confirm that the pair of tuners inside the PlayTV is not HD compatible.

Where do we go from here?  There are several possible solutions:

• Sony has launched a refund process for PlayTV customers disappointed by the lack of HD.  All you need to do is contact the manufacturer's Customer Service division to find out what to do.

• Some resellers are offering free games as compensation to customers, but these are independent initiatives with nothing to do with Sony.

• Sony is still considering how to bring HD TV to the PS3.  When we spoke to them, they were unable to promise a firmware update, nor to confirm a possible launch date for a potential PlayTV 2.0 which might include this feature.

It seems to us that the only reason to keep a PlayTV that you've bought is if you're happy with Standard Definition TV. 

Otherwise, get a refund and wait to see what happens next--perhaps an updated firmware will allow the current PlayTV to work with HD one day soon, or perhaps we'll have to wait for the second generation.