Entertainment

It must be at least two years since I first saw these sort of items advertised, however for one reason or another it is only now late in 2008 that I finally got to test one. This unit from ION comes with three different pieces of software.

Video glasses for your iPod or other video player with good battery live and that can also show 3D content. A great idea for watching your video in bed or on the move.

Here I am looking at two kids toys that will be very popular with younger kids – not quite so sure about their parents – one a tiny guitar with built in songs and the other another item a belt buckle giving guitar sounds from a mini amplifier this again comes with built in sounds. They are both reasonably priced.

A 500Gbyte hard disk aimed at those wishing to centralise their multi-media storage, or at least to have a usable copy of those files somewhere near their television.

A small, lightweight, portable iPod docking station aimed at those that want a robust home dock that's also capable of battery powered use on the move.

Visiting various toy-based events makes it clear that one type of toy that always attracts attention are the one that require the use of a remote control.

After my last review of a SanDisk unit this came – initially – as a disappointment, in fact more than a disappointment. I was sent a replacement unit and that had the same problem, so once solved I have put it through a thorough and rigorous set of tests to see that it did not occur again.

The Gemini 33 is an attractive bedroom radio/alarm system, but it wouldn't be out of place anywhere in the home.

A high definition projector aimed at gamers, but that is equally at home providing a taste of the cinema in your own home.

Described as a "finger-twirling, light-whirling, head-spinning, mind-popping game...easy to master but endlessly challenging" this next product has single and group action.

This is the only product I have so far received from my visit to CEDIA in June this year. Of course some promises always fail to materialise but this year is worse than normal. However this product took my eye as I walked past their stand.

The addition of video to the iPod range is great for when you're on your travels. Despite the excellent quality screens on the iPod it's still nice to watch on a larger screen. Of course most video content is still available on DVD - not iPod.

Light-weight radio-controlled flying toys have been available for a couple of Christmases now. This year we look at a clever helicopter design that has the advantage of entertaining two children at the same time.

This is a neat speaker system for your Apple iPod that also incorporates a good FM radio and can also take input from an external source.

This looks like a conventional radio of a few years ago, what would have been called a room portable. The only thing that tells you it is something more is that it has a display rather than a dial. It can be mains or battery operated.

Small enough to fit in a pocket, a new product from Gear4 comes with the promise of enhancing your audio listening experience.

This is the big brother to the recently reviewed Geneva M (18/07/08), there is an even larger unit (to big for my place) the XL full details on their site. So what does this large unit have to offer?

Also called the 'GlowTime', the CRD-51 is a neat little bed-side clock radio that's available in black, white or pink and offers a very flexible alarm system.

JBL have produced an excellent speaker system that isn't tied to any specific sound source - use it to play back whatever you want : iPod, CD player, TV - anything.

Here I am looking at a rather nice first telescope that comes complete with a fabric bag to carry it around, sort of edutainment. Second sometime that is high on the government agenda recycling and a Paper Recycling product.

A stereo DAB radio that includes a CD player and the ability to play MP3 tracks from SD cards is a great idea. The built in alarm in this particular product makes it ideal for the bedroom!

Just wonder whether a certain Hungarian Professor of Architecture and Design realised how long lasting his creation would be.

Up until very recently the mention of the company Teufel would have meant nothing to me. But that was before I was introduced to Thorsten Reuber, Managing Director at Lautsprecher Teufel GmbH which should give the clue that this is not a UK company.

I have not seen the Disney film myself but I still know it is the hit of the year as far as the kids are concerned so I have little doubt that these robot toys will be the top of Santa’s list for a great deal of pester power generation.

This is a single unit with DAB and FM radio, a CD player and as it also takes SD cards it can playback MP3 and WMA sound files on cards up to 2GB. It also continues from where you stopped playing when you shutdown the previous time.

Departing from the usual black-box approach to iPod speaker Systems JBL brings us something a little different - without sacrificing sound quality.

Leapfrog have long been in the world of teaching kids to read. Here they use some of the latest page reading technology with their Tag system to make reading interactive and fun. The Leapfrog Tag Reading System is one of the Dream Toys 2008 top 12 pre-school winners.

Another couple of items shown at the Marks and Spencer Christmas In July event. First a somewhat strange combination an FM radio and a flask. Second a game that has been around for years Cludeo, this time in a new format.

If your kids love building things then Magnext is a deceptively simple construction toy that you should definately put in their Santa's Sack this year.

If you love the type of games and brain teasers you get in newspapers, but can't be bothered with all the high- tech fast paced video games, then this could be the games console for you.