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TechnoToys

 

| HOME | UK | TECHNO TOYS |

UK Techno Toys

Looking for a neat technological gadget for your vehicle? Check out these offerings.

Car accessories, gadgets, special equipment - MSN Cars
http://cars.uk.msn.com/Accessories/Accessories.aspx

It should be noted right off the top that this site is not a shopping site but an informational one where you can research items but not actually buy them. Once you've found an item you will be directed to a place where you can buy it..

From the main page this site looks like a bit of a dud since the searching options are so limited (you only get to choose from Top Car Electronics with 5 categories, Top in Car Entertainment by category with 5 options and Top in Car Entertainment by brand with 6 options). But once you are inside one of these choices you are able to be a lot more flexible in your searching. For example if you choose in-car audio systems under the Top in Car Entertainment by category heading you can then sort the items found by car audio type (amplifier or CD), brand and price range.

Once you are within a category (for example the above mentioned car audio) you can narrow your search by price range or brand. You can also re-sort results by most popular, highest user rating, price (ascending or descending) and name. You can also compare items easily. Details on individual items are quite extensive and include reviews & ratings (where available). You can't buy directly from the MSN site but it does show you the prices at a number of stores and you are of course always free to check out other sites in this category to see whether they have the item cheaper.

Car Audio Direct for car stereo, navigation and audiovisual electronics
http://www.caraudiodirect.com/

This good site offers a number of ways for you to find the right audio equipment for your vehicle (and your budget). You could start your search by shopping by brand or by category (i.e. CD Players, iPod Friendly) near the top of the left hand column or if you're really stumped go down to the lower left hand corner of the page (below the category column) and use the Stereo Install Wizard. Or go to the right hand bottom corner of the page and look at what others have bought in the 'Best Sellers' box.

Within a single item listing (for example CD Players) there aren't as many features as I could hope for and your only option for sorting is to arrange by price (it would be nice to sort by brand). There is no ability to compare different items to each other and although there are reviews on some items it is not immediately obvious which have been reviewed by your fellow shoppers. The specification and advice tabs are helpful.

Should you wish to buy you'll need to register (if you haven't shopped here before). Registration is done on a secure page and will allow you to buy more quickly in the future and not have to re-enter information like shipping and billing address. The site has a link to the very active TalkAudio forum where you are sure to be able to find advice any answers to almost any car audio question you can imagine. There is also quite a bit of good information in the Technical Articles section under the help menu.

There is an email help system for sales assistance but it is disappointing that there is no telephone or live chat support available.

Car Audio Centre - The UK's Number 1 Supplier of Quality Car Audio Equipment
http://www.caraudiocentre.co.uk/

This site is not as full-featured as others in terms of ways to find the right item for your car. You can search by categories (left hand column), look in the clearance bin (red link at the bottom of the categories on the left hand side) or look at the offer of the week (right hand top corner) or brand (middle of the page - near the bottom).

Within a single item listing (for example CD changers) you are able to sort by brand and price. And once you have a listing up you can refine your results somewhat by filtering by a single brand (although it is disappointing that the earlier ability to filter by price range is gone). The information available on individual items is very skimpy and I would suggest that you check out other sites in this category for full specifications (and of course to compare prices). Many items have customer reviews and that is clearly indicated on the item listing. There is no ability to compare items to each other within a category.

Should you wish to buy you'll need to register (if you haven't shopped here before) and the registration is done on a secure page (an improvement over an earlier review). There is free sales help (technical help is billed at 75 pence per minute) as well as the ability to send an email should you have a question. There is a brief glossary but otherwise there is no additional information online that would be of help to the car audio consumer (or someone trying to install car audio themselves).

Car Audio Equipment - BassJunkies.com
http://www.bassjunkies.com/

This site offers a number of avenues to finding the car audio product that is right for you. Across the top of the page are a number of tabs with major categories such as speakers and subwoofers. You can also do a keyword search using the tool just below this line of tabs. The row of links at the very top of the page includes hot products, clearance and brands if you wish to search that way.

Results from a category (i.e. 10" subwoofers) are shown in product code order and can only be re-sorted by price (either ascending or descending). Unfortunately many of the earlier features - like the ability to compare items - are gone from this revised website. There are also no consumer or professional reviews or any indication of a forum where you can discuss items with your fellow shoppers.

The checkout process is a bit laborious with plenty of information to complete and, of course, credit card information is collected on a secure page. To get sales help you can send an email to the address in the upper right hand corner of the page or telephone (although the number is not toll free).

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