It's not every day that you have £250 burning a whole in your pocket. Take part in our survey and you could find yourself in this very predicament. Alternatively, you may be one of two runners up to win £50.
Here's our guide to the best tech under £250.
Sennheiser HD 598
These headphones are extremely comfortable and with an open, detailed sound. The HD 598's are a worthy addition to Sennheiser's HD series with a wide open-back sound and well-measured bass, and great value at £147.44.
Full review - Sennheiser HD 598
Toshiba NB550D
With AMD Fusion innards in an attractive and ergonomic shell, Toshiba's premium yet affordable 10.1in netbook makes for a strong contender. Like the NB520, Toshiba's NB550 is very attractive and well-built. Its
AMD Fusion innards give it the ability to handle Full HD video on and
off-line as well as providing an HDMI-output, strengths which put it a
step above most budget netbooks. Other specifications are basic and the
screen is still sub-HD, but considering its low price these issues are
easy to forgive. Throw in the soft-touch finish, decent battery life and
excellent speakers, and you have one of the better entrants in its class – though heavy discounts on older ultraportables make for strong competition. Orignally £300, it can be had for as little as £250 with a little digging around.
Xbox 360 Kinect
Kinect has issues with space and size, and its games won't appeal to the
hardcore market. Yet it effortlessly transforms the Xbox 360 into a
family games console, and one with more 'wow' factor than anything since
the Wii. With several strong launch titles, there's no reason not to
dive in for under £100.
Full reviews - Xbox 360 Kinect
Philips BDP7600
The BDP7600 Blu-ray player deserves a place on your shortlist for several reasons – its
elegant design, satisfying build quality, dazzling 2D and 3D pictures,
busy feature list and simple operating system. Feature highlights
include built-in Wi-Fi, Net TV, the longevity of which is boosted by
full internet browsing, and media streaming from PCs, while the wide
format support, detailed picture tweaks and smartphone control are also
welcome. Overall we’d probably still choose the DMP-BDT310 or BDT210 by
virtue of their slightly better picture quality, extra 3D features and
slicker menu system, but anyone who goes for the cheaper Philips won’t
be disappointed and it costs just £165.
Amazon Kindle 3 (3G WiFi)
Amazon proves it is third time lucky with a revolutionary new generation of eBook reader. The Kindle offers a wonderfully flexible way to buy and read eBooks and has the best e-ink screen on the market. Equally impressive is the affordable price tag compared to other e-readers. And after you have spend your £152, you'll also save money on books.
Full review - Amazon Kindle 3 (3G WiFi)
Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ20
Panasonic ups the optical zoom ante with the 16x Lumix DMC-TZ20, which also features Full HD video, stereo sound, HDMI output, GPS and 3D modes. In offering up another dual operation Lumix - touch screen and/or physical controls - Panasonic is providing a 'best of both worlds' option that is actually simpler to use than you might imagine after an initial play. With features increasingly becoming must-haves on
manufacturers' spec lists, you can future proof yourself to a degree for £242.
Full review - Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ20
Still pondering what to do with the money? Have a break, take part in the survey and then dream on.
