LG DVS450H DVD PLAYER

£130 www.lge.co.uk

WHAT IS IT? A futuristic-looking DVD player that gets the most out of less than space-age components. Under a double assault from digital film downloads and Blu-ray disc-spinning rivals, the standard-definition DVD player may seem old hat, so kudos goes to LG for designing such an attractive wall-mountable machine. The sliding disc door, credit card-sized remote and touch-sensitive controls are as attractive as anything to come out of the Bang & Olufsen labs, and at a fraction of the price, while USB and HDMI-out ports offer good connectivity. It will play MP3 audio and the common DivX online movie format as well as DVDs, and upscales the latter two to Full-HD standard.

SHOULD I BUY ONE? It’s stylish and affordable but don’t expect miracles — upscaling is only a halfway house to genuine HD video and many functional-looking players do a better job of it.

OLPC XO-1 NOTEBOOK

£275 (plus £50 shipping fee) www.amazon.co.uk

WHAT IS IT? A year after its US launch, the first notebook from the One Laptop Per Child consortium goes on sale in Europe under a Give One, Get One scheme (for every computer you buy, a child in Africa or Asia receives a free one). The delay has let a legion of small, cheap laptops steal the XO’s thunder, but none of its rivals is as child-friendly. A rubberised keyboard and tough, sealed plastic casing make it dustproof and waterproof, and it has no moving parts. It also runs on one-tenth the power demanded by a normal laptop, and has an innovative wi-fi system that allows users to build their own mini-networks. The Linux operating system comes with easy-to-use programs, but be warned: the XO is seriously underpowered for grown-up

SHOULD I BUY ONE? The XO is a terrific child’s starter machine. Pre-order for December 16 shipping at Amazon, but watch out for a hefty delivery fee.

SALOMON FALCON CS PRO SKI BOOT

£325 www.ellisbrigham.co.uk

WHAT IS IT? A ski boot with an outer shell that can be moulded to the shape of your foot, to a certain extent. Boot-fitters have been doing this kind of thing for years, but only by heating the plastic with a hot-air gun then shaping it with hydraulic expanders — a time-consuming process. Now you can get it done during the course of an hour-long fitting at mountain sports specialist Ellis Brigham, by having the outer shell heat-moulded in a mini-oven then wearing the boots as they cool. Ellis Brigham will even customise the foot-beds for you (£50 extra). The result is unrivalled comfort and control on the slopes.

SHOULD I BUY A PAIR? Not if you have very wide feet, because moulding only affects the area at either side of the ball of the foot, but as long as foot width is within 4mm of normal, you’ll find the fit is superb.