Decide what to buy | the Reevoo.com blog, featuring news on TVs, cameras, laptops, mp3 players & other gadgets, shopping tips and deals, reviews and more

If you?re bored of buying batteries for your all your children?s toys, here are some to give you, and the planet, a bit of a break.

First up is the wind-up radio that also works as a mobile phone charger, suitable for old and new Nokias as well as Samsung, Sony Ericsson and Motorola handsets.

As well as relieving the planet from batteries, the radio also comes packed in bio-degradable packaging.

You can get your hands on a red football radio or a pink heart radio. Both are ?8.49.

Next is the Bat Torch. He requires no batteries and will never run out. All you need to do is squeeze him to operate the light.

He will also stand upright so that he can act as a nightlight. You can pick one up for ?4.99.

And here?s an interesting one. A women?s cooperative in the Philippines make these bags from recycled juice cartons. Seeing as the juice cartons use non-biodegradable foil on the inside, they would otherwise be sent to clog up landfill sites or be incinerated, so it?s a great way to reuse the cartons.

They make loads of different bags but as we’re all about little people today, these kids? backpacks are good and come in loads of different fruits and colours. They’re ?12.99.

You can find out more about the cooperative here.

If you’re looking for more normal toys, you can read toy reviews over on Reevoo to help you decide what to buy.

End of the week funnies courtesy of shoppers’ reviews on Reevoo…

"Just about as useless as an ashtray on a motorbike" T-MOBILE USB Modem

"It didn’t cry real tears…so it had to be sent back" Interactive Baby Annabell

"Maybe a little over complicated, however, it is better than hanging clothes over our picture rail" Hotpoint VTD60G

"In my opinion, the times given by the unit could only have been achieved with the help of a police escort" Garmin Nuvi 300

"It’s got such wonderful suck!" Karcher VC6300

Has anyone else noticed that money’s getting a little tight? If you have a car and/or an appetite, chances are you’ve been affected by price hikes lately. If you’ve got kids, it can be even harder to keep tabs on the purse strings, especially as it’s half term. If you’re in need of some entertainment for the little ones, that won’t cost a fortune, Reevoo have come up with the top toys around at the moment for under £25.

Here’s the list:

1.    VTECH Sort and Soar Rocket - £15
2.    Dora Skittles - £13
3.    Speed Stacks - £14
4.    Duplo Large Brick Box - £20
5.    Peek-A-Blocks Press & Go Train - £20

What’s great is that most of these toys have an educational edge, as well as being fun.

The VTECH Sort and Soar Rocket has been the top toy on Reevoo for ages so they must be doing something right.  It’s aimed at children from 18-36 months. Claire from Stonehaven says "my One year old loves it …no dangerous parts which is excellent" and Julie from Derby writes, it’s "Great for teaching hand eye co-ordination, teaching colours, numbers and sounds".

Dora Skittles are only £13. There are two great things about these: they can be enjoyed by both younger and older children, so you can save a few bob by getting one thing for all of your children and you can use them inside or outside, so if the weather stays as it has been, you don’t have to start pulling your hair out…I have to say that these are quite fun for adults too - combine with a nice glass of wine and that’s your evening’s entertainment sorted too. Bargain.

In at three are the Speed Stacks. People go crazy for these and there are loads of leagues and championships set up all over the country. The good thing is that they’re addictive - without added chemicals - so they can keep older children amused for hours. Parents love the fact that these get kids away from computer screens and one reviewer also comments that they’re "excellent for eye- hand coordination and gross motor skills".

We were talking about the victory of classic board games last week so I’m glad to see that another classic is in the top five here - Duplo. Although the Duplo Large Brick Box is aimed at younger children, Lauren from Northumberland says "this is a toy that appeals to all children of all ages with an endless range of possibilities for play". Another happy shopper is Sarah from Chester who writes "plenty of different bricks, easy for little hands to connect them, bright colours and great storage". An all-round good’un then.

The Peek-A-Blocks Press & Go Train from Fisher Price was also a big hit with shoppers. The only half-negative comment was that it’s a little noisy. Probably something to think about if you were hoping for a bit of peace and quiet this half term. Although, this product is aimed at children aged 12 to 18 months so if you’ve got a little one around that age, I think peace and quiet may be out of the question anyway…

So there we go, some top toys to pick from. If none of those take your fancy, there are plenty more toy reviews to look though.

Has anyone else noticed that money’s getting a little tight? If you have a car and/or an appetite, chances are you’ve been affected by price hikes lately. If you’ve got kids, it can be even harder to keep tabs on the purse strings, especially as it’s half term. If you’re in need of some entertainment for the little ones, that won’t cost a fortune, Reevoo have come up with the top toys around at the moment for under £25.

Here’s the list:

1.    VTECH Sort and Soar Rocket - £15
2.    Dora Skittles - £13
3.    Speed Stacks - £14
4.    Duplo Large Brick Box - £20
5.    Peek-A-Blocks Press & Go Train - £20

What’s great is that most of these toys have an educational edge, as well as being fun.

The VTECH Sort and Soar Rocket has been the top toy on Reevoo for ages so they must be doing something right.  It’s aimed at children from 18-36 months. Claire from Stonehaven says "my One year old loves it …no dangerous parts which is excellent" and Julie from Derby writes, it’s "Great for teaching hand eye co-ordination, teaching colours, numbers and sounds".

Dora Skittles are only £13. There are two great things about these: they can be enjoyed by both younger and older children, so you can save a few bob by getting one thing for all of your children and you can use them inside or outside, so if the weather stays as it has been, you don’t have to start pulling your hair out…I have to say that these are quite fun for adults too - combine with a nice glass of wine and that’s your evening’s entertainment sorted too. Bargain.

In at three are the Speed Stacks. People go crazy for these and there are loads of leagues and championships set up all over the country. The good thing is that they’re addictive - without added chemicals - so they can keep older children amused for hours. Parents love the fact that these get kids away from computer screens and one reviewer also comments that they’re "excellent for eye- hand coordination and gross motor skills".

We were talking about the victory of classic board games last week so I’m glad to see that another classic is in the top five here - Duplo. Although the Duplo Large Brick Box is aimed at younger children, Lauren from Northumberland says "this is a toy that appeals to all children of all ages with an endless range of possibilities for play". Another happy shopper is Sarah from Chester who writes "plenty of different bricks, easy for little hands to connect them, bright colours and great storage". An all-round good’un then.

The Peek-A-Blocks Press & Go Train from Fisher Price was also a big hit with shoppers. The only half-negative comment was that it’s a little noisy. Probably something to think about if you were hoping for a bit of peace and quiet this half term. Although, this product is aimed at children aged 12 to 18 months so if you’ve got a little one around that age, I think peace and quiet may be out of the question anyway…

So there we go, some top toys to pick from. If none of those take your fancy, there are plenty more toy reviews to look though.

It’s official. Women may like to spend money on expensive handbags and shoes but when it comes to the living room, boys shell out the most cash.

According to the latest research from Reevoo, kitting out a bachelor pad with huge plasma TVs, top of the range laptops, games consoles, high-end stereos and other gadgets puts the bill up to £4,678.97.

Reevoo looked at the highest rated products with over 30 reviews to compile the research. According to shoppers, the best wide screen plasma HD ready TV is the Panasonic TH50PZ70B which can be nicely accompanied by the top DVD recorder, the Sony RDR-HX510. Just these two cost over £1,500.

Every man’s need and desire to put as little effort into living as possible has been accounted for. There’s the Proline TTR 65 P mini beer fridge which can be plugged in right next to your sofa so that cold beer is only a short stretch away, the Hewlett Packard Pavilion DV9605 laptop, so you can check up on your stocks and shares while you’re watching the footie and an Xbox 360 Elite for when you run out of DVDs.

Other items to complete the perfect bachelor pad include the Philips HD7810/60 coffee machine, the Blackberry Curve 8310, and the Miele G1222SC
dishwasher, so that you don’t have to get involved in any of that mucky washing up.

So girls, next time you get an earful off him indoors, direct him to this handy bit of research before you head for the shops.

Here’s a full list for those who want to create the perfect pad:

Panasonic
TH50PZ70B 50 inch HD ready plasma screen TV £1,351.00

Xbox 360 Elite
games console £250.00

Panasonic FZ50 digital
camera £306.00

Sony DCR-SR 32E handycam
camcorder with 30GB hard drive £259.00

Blackberry Curve
8310 mobile phone £274.99

Denon D-m 35 DAB hi-fi
mini system £150.00

Apple iPod touch 16GB black
£229.00

Wharfedale
Diamond 9.1 bookshelf speakers £129.00

Hewlett Packard Pavilion
DV9605 laptop £699.99

Pure Talksport DAB
radio £40.00

Proline TTR 65 P mini
fridge £69.99

Philips HD7810/60
Coffee Machine £50

Miele G1222SC
dishwasher £493.00

Philips HQ8150 electric
shaver £78.00

Sony RDR-HX510 DVD
Recorder £299.00