In the lead up to this year’s Christmas gadget war, electrical specialists Dixons Retail is poised for victory in 2013. To compete with the Tesco and Argos tablet, Dixons will launch the Advent Vega Tegra Note 7 priced at £180 into the higher end of the handheld market, due to it’s unsuccessful tablet from 2012. Insiders from Dixons told The Daily Mail that “the group has learnt from last year when it launched a £119 tablet that proved so disappointing that almost half were returned by unhappy customers.”

When it comes to high-tech gifts, there’s a fine line between cheap and affordable, and after burning its fingers last year on the equivalent of high-tech tat, consumers will no doubt be looking for better quality gadget this year. Here’s a look at what’s lining the shelves this Christmas.

Dixons Advent Vega Tegra Note 7 – £180

Hoping the device will “compete against slicker looking products with higher specifications that are being sold by Samsung, Apple, Google and Amazon” Dixons is looking to take a share of the market, for those who can’t quite stretch it to £250 for iPad mini.

Designed by Nvidia, the Vega Tegra is being hailed as the world’s fastest 7 inch Android tablet according to The Inquirer, “powered by the Nvidia Tegra 4 processor, the Advent Vega Note 7 touts a 72-core Geforce GPU and quad-core Cortex A15 CPU with a fifth “battery-saver” core.”

Adidas Boost – £85

While this might not be the type of gadgetry you were expecting, these trainers made it onto the Huffington Post’s top ten fitness gadgets, and while they might not have buttons and dials, they do incorporate the very latest technology when it comes to material performance.

For the fitness freak in the family, these new trainers from Adidas are the first running shoe to be equipped with the revolutionary BOOST technology. Created using a new midsole material out of the foam bubbles from car headrests, Adidas claims the BOOST bubbles – unlike every other running shoe – don’t sacrifice cushioning for responsiveness and performs well in both hot and cold temperature extremes. MensRunningUK reviewed the shoe and said, “there was noticeably extra spring in each step.” And Huffington Post called them “Stunningly bouncy.”

Flashlaces by the Glow Company – £6.95

Whether you’re interested in higher visibility on those night runs and dog walks or you think your kids will love
them, these light up laces by the Glow Company are a nifty gadget and coming in at just over five quid, are ideal stocking stuffers for Christmas.

The laces are white when they’re not turned on but when you press the button on the battery case, they light up in three different modes, slow flash, fast flash and constant. 99cm in length, they come in two colour choices, blue or pink and come with batteries included.

Sugru Self-setting rubber – £11

For the man who loves to tinker, this product is a self-setting rubber that’s described at Stuff.tv as “silly putty for adults”. They explain that Sugru is “self-setting rubber that can be moulded into any shape and will bond with everything from glass to wood to metal. It’s flexible when it cures, and is both waterproof and electrically insulating. ”

Just over £10, Sugru makes a great gift for anyone in the family who likes to fix, repair, tinker and tweak and comes in white, black, red, blue and yellow and can be used to fix anything from engine parts to kitchen cabinets.

Boogie Board Jot 4.5 LCD eWriter – £19.99

The Guardian calls it a “modern take on the Etch A Sketch uses advanced electronic paper tech. It’s a bit like an e-writer, as opposed to an e-reader.” They think it makes a great kids toy because “there is something magical about it; it has an authentic tactility to it, so it feels more like paper than any other display.” Firebox calls it digital doodling and offer it as an “eco-friendly electronic alternative to paper”. With a shatter-proof LCD screen, light weight, 50,000 erases and available in red, blue and pink, the Boogie Board is great value for money considering it will give you 7-10 years of pocket-sized fun.

Catcher – £9

The Catcher by JosephJoseph is another one of those gadgets that doesn’t light up or plug in, but by sheer simplicity of design and practical use makes it into the gadget guide. Twin brothers Richard and Antony Joseph have won loads of awards for their designs for the home and with good looks and good prices, their products are favoured by many home cooks across the country.

The Catcher not only squeezes your juice but will also strain the pips which is something most simple juicers haven’t figured out to do yet.

So whether your budget is small or big, if you need something for the home cooker, the handy man, the techie or the kids, this gadget guide should give you plenty to consider this Christmas.

Featured images:

 License: Royalty Free or iStock source: http://photodune.net/

Jessica Bourne is a writer from Chester who loves sharing tips with readers about how to get the best deals on homewares and lifestlye products. Jessica is looking forward to Christmas and will be sharing lots of tips and advice on the eccount money blog in the lead up to the festive season.