ROUND SOUND
Sony Sountina
1.05m yen (£5,050), tinyurl.com/4t7het

Traditional speakers broadcast sound in one direction, so you need to be sitting in just the right spot to hear your music properly. This transparent glass speaker vibrates along its one-metre length in a way that Sony says creates sound in a full circle, apparently reproducing both the audio and the ambience of a live performance. You can also choose different coloured lights to shine along it. However, the Sountina, which works best when placed in the middle of an open room, is limited in that it can’t reproduce stereo, let alone the surround-sound of movie soundtracks. Worse still, this unusual item of audio equipment is priced as if it were a work of art. The Sountina is currently available only in Japan but will soon be on its way to a hi-fi store near you.

TODDLER TWISTER
Bébé Confort Axiss car seat
£200 www.bebeconfort.com/axiss 0208 236 0707

Car safety seats are excellent at protecting children in the event of an accident, but they’re usually not so good for the parents. It’s back-breaking work lifting little angels in and out of the car an average of 7,500 times in their first three years. The Axiss claims to be the first fully tested safety seat with a rotating mechanism that lets you seat and strap-in toddlers (918kg – from nine months to four years of age) with a reduced need to bend and lift. The seat rotates by 90 degrees to the left or right, for installation in either side of the car, and attaches using the seatbelt straps and a tensioning system. It then turns to face forward, and locks in place for travelling. The seat’s plastic shell provides side and head protection, and includes padded headrests to help your child sleep in a comfortable position. The Axiss meets the relevant European safety standards but does not work with the Isofix seat-fitting system found on recent cars, which reduce the chance of incorrect installation.

ROBO CADDY
Shadow Caddy
Price to be confirmed, www.shadowcaddy.com 01923 432 659

The ancient sport of golf has just entered the 21st century. This all-terrain robotic caddy can carry all your woods, putters and Mashie-Niblicks, and will even – so its maker says – follow you around the course. You clip a small transmitter unit to your belt at the clubhouse and can then play through a full 18 holes with the Shadow Caddy following a few steps behind. It has sensors to avoid collisions and overly steep slopes, although on occasion (such as playing from a bunker) you may need manually to pause it. Its electric motor has enough rechargeable battery power for two rounds of golf, and it’s fully rainproof. The first units should soon roll onto fairways in Australia and Europe, although initially they will only be available to rent by the round, rather than to buy.

Explore Personal Tech

• Test Bench

Times recommends

• Point-and-go computers consign mouse to history
• YoYotech Fi7epower: the world's fastest PC
• Bridging the gap between mind and machine