Sony Bravia E4000 series
From £650 www.sony.co.uk

WHAT IS IT? Hanging a flatscreen TV on the wall means dispensing with a bulky stand and freeing valuable lounge space, but the disadvantage is that when it’s not in use you’re left with a black hole on the wall that often seems to suck up the light. Sony’s E4000 series of LCD TVs, out this month, earn their keep even after you’ve finished watching by acting as giant digital picture frames. Available in a choice of four living-room friendly finishes and in 26in, 32in and 40in screen sizes, they will display either your own images from a USB memory stick or one of six preprogrammed works of art, such as this Van Gogh, in high-definition glory - in the case of the two largest screen sizes, top-of-the-range 1080p resolution. Like the rest of Sony’s Bravia range, the build quality and specs are top-notch, including three HDMI inputs and both analogue and digital tuners built in.
SHOULD I BUY ONE? Not if you’re a tree-hugger. Sony claims its “picture frame mode” consumes only 35% of the energy of normal TV use, but that’s still 35% more than turning it off.

Ferrari FFX pedal kart
£1,239
www.bergtoys.co.uk
WHAT IS IT? A pedal-powered go-kart modelled on Ferrari’s limited-edition FFX race car, thankfully without the latter’s £1.3m price tag. This is no string and soapbox affair; instead, watch as your offspring strap into the race-style bucket seat, grip the leather-look steering wheel, change smoothly through the seven gears and monitor top speed and lap times on the dashboard computer. Disc brakes, semi-slick 12in racing tyres and aerodynamic side skirts complete the package.
SHOULD I BUY ONE? Go-karting is the training ground for future Formula One champions, so if you want to give your children the best possible start before they graduate to powered karts, look no further.

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