A MOVIE-STAR RACECAR, SOUNDTRACK INCLUDED

Lightning McQueen Alive, $60

Why bother with die-cast cars that you have to push with your fingers, adding your own sound effects? Mattel has created a lifelike Lightning McQueen, the star of the Disney Pixar "Cars" movies, that does it all for you.

Lightning McQueen Alive is a 1:55 scale version of its movie counterpart that, with the help of microtechnology, performs its own maneuvers and makes its own noises. It looks, moves and sounds like the real thing, and fits in the palm of your hand.

After being activated by a touch sensor on its roof, Lightning McQueen goes through a sequence of actions, like driving forward and backward and turning, and performs a few complex moves, like doughnuts and drifting turns. Just make sure it's on a smooth, flat surface with plenty of room. The car is made of rubber and plastic.

In addition to its hot-rod maneuvers, Lightning McQueen can talk, thanks to cellphone speakers tucked away in its carriage. Using the voice of actor Owen Wilson, the car spouts movie phrases while its eyes and mouth move and its headlights flash.

It has a dozen animated sequences and more than 40 movie phrases and racing sounds, like a revving engine and squealing tires.

The car comes with a charging station that resembles a fuel pump and holds the six AA batteries required to give Lightning McQueen his juice. Charging takes about 30 minutes. Lightning McQueen Alive has a $60 price tag and is intended for adult collectors, but children will get a kick out of it, too. They might even add their own sound effects.

HANDS OFF, PARENTS: THIS TABLET IS FOR KIDS

Nabi tablet, $200

Created specifically for children, Nabi is a $200 Android tablet from Fuhu that doesn't kid around when it comes to things like the ability to plug into an HD screen, by way of a mini-HDMI port, or a multitouch screen that plays "real" apps like Cut the Rope and Fruit Ninja.

Available in time for the holidays, it starts up in Kid Mode -- a password-protected gated community of sites, apps, music and videos of your choosing. Unlike an iPad, this tablet runs Flash, so your bookmarks can include sites like PBS Kids. There's a front-facing camera that can be used to Skype with a grandparent. The sound is so-so; stereo headphone jacks supplement the audio.To check e-mail or watch a YouTube video, you can break out of the Kid Mode with a password that turns Nabi into a standard Wi-Fi enabled 7-inch Android tablet with five hours of battery life and four gigabytes of storage, plus a micro-SD slot for additional expansion.

NEW YORK TIMES