Hasta La Gadget!

Does anyone remember spending hours playing in a huge cardboard box? or enjoying the afternoon flying a kite or playing house? The world simply isnt like that anymore, my daughter sums up the entertainment value of her “toys” not by what she can do with them, but by what they can do for her. I know its a sign of the times… I’m still getting used to it.

Let me introduce you to another player in the kiddie tablet market, Lexibook. Developed especially for kids, the Lexibook tablets are solidly built out of injection molded plastic and made to last in the hands of even the most enthusiastic user. These kid friendly multimedia powerhouses allow tons of  interactive activities, encouraging our kids to play and learn using their very own tablet. The interface is super intuitive and easily navigated by all ages, including a scrolling menu that makes it easy for kids to access a multitude of appropriate apps, games, music, videos, cartoons and books.

Important to you: The Lexibook tablet School Zone apps contain rather extensive educational content and the Lexibook Power Academy app has a wealth of  interactive quizzes and tests on a wide variety of subjects, including English, Math, History, and Geography. Important to them: Over 5o do-it-yourself activities that include food recipes, scientific experiments, fashion design, games, and special apps for drawing and coloring. Lexibook tablets also offer a a gaming platform with access to thousands of downloadable games and 25 pre-installed games. The tablet has a built-in accelerometer and gravity sensor feature so let the games begin!

Who can resist Lexibooks, with their touch screens, Micro SD card slots allowing for up to 32 gigabytes of additional memory all with a a gravity sensor, these Lexibook Tablets are pretty sophisticated little units with a happy-making price tag.  The Lexibook Junior Tablet (pictured) runs about 150 bucks and  could easily make someone very, very happy this holiday season. Please visit lexibook.us for more information.
[ Lexibooks – Toddlers to Tweens, Just in Time for the Holidays copyright by Coolest Gadgets ]

Monkey see, monkey do – that is more or less what some folks think applies to kids. After all, haven’t we seen enough children who want to follow their dads and moms as an example, with little girls wearing make-up, while little boys doing their best to hold back their tears each time they fall down and scrape their knees? Having said that, with the plethora of gadgets and gizmos that us adults carry with us these days, it goes without saying that there will be little ones out there who would be bugging their parents to also purchase a touchscreen smartphone and a tablet. This might look cute from the outside, but the family dynamics have been altered in this way. Ematic seizes the opportunity to bring balance to families by introducing their FunTab Pro tablet.

The FunTab Pro tablet is not just any ordinary, run-of-the-mill tablet. Sure, it might come with a $149.99 price tag, but that does not mean it skimps on quality. You will find that it is made out of some rugged construction and design choices, while delivering a custom interface which offers nothing but fun, educational and parent-approved content for a safe online experience. Yes sir, with the number of weirdos stalking the Internet these days, you can never be too safe, can you?

The Ematic FunTab Pro will run on the Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich operating system, and Roy Rayn, President of Ematic, has this to say, “Ematic teamed up with Zoodles Kids Mode to create a safe and educational online learning experience for children. Zoodles is the top app for kids, and leads your child through every step of the interface with large buttons and vocal cues.” With a rubberized texture and ergonomic design, the rubber coating ensures one has a secure grip, while the original shape fits perfectly in small hands.

Other hardware specifications of the FunTab Pro include a 1GHz processor, 1GB RAM, 8GB of internal memory, a microSD memory card slot for expansion purposes, a 7” 800×480 multi-touch screen, front and back cameras, built-in WiFi, HDMI output and a claimed 8 hours of continuous playtime.

Press Release
[ Ematic takes a stab at the childrens’ tablet market copyright by Coolest Gadgets ]

I really enjoy the possibility that digital entertainment services may slowly but surely be reducing our need to rely on cable television. Every time I get my cable bill I cant believe how much I’m paying just to watch TV, and yet every month I write the check. Over the past year we have managed to lower the bill by dropping some premium channels in favor or services like Netflix, but that too carries a price, in the form of a subscription fee. I prefer a “pay for what I watch” option.

Well, Toys R Us is throwing their hat in the ring of digital entertainment options with their recently announced Toys R Us Movies, providing families instant access to over 4000 movies and TV shows that kids love. This new service provides an extensive library of premium digital content for both streaming and download and since the service is equipped with specialized parental controls, we get to choose the most appropriate content for our families viewing.

Starting this week, users will be able to stream content to any PC, Mac, and any Adobe Flash enabled devices and rest assured that the service will be made available to additional web-enabled devices in the coming months. Toys R Us also plans to expand to Blue Ray players and tablets, and to offer HD services in the near future. Watch for the dedicated iOS and android releases later this fall.

Movies will start at $2.99 for a 24-hour rental and $5.99 for a digital download. Family TV options  start at around $0.99, at toyrusmovies.com and keep on the lookout for the new  Toys”R”Us Movie gift cards which will be available later this fall in Toys”R”Us retail stores, just in time for the holidays.
[ Toys R Us – Takes a Share of the Movie Market copyright by Coolest Gadgets ]

I know theres been a lot of changes happening over at Netflix, and some folks are fans, others… not so much. I happen to fall into the fan category. I opted to give up the rentals by mail and use only the streaming videos, along with my regular cable, and using Google TV, I have to say I am NEVER without entertainment options, but do I want my little one browsing through my line-up of gangster and horror films?

My daughter finds her way around Netflix well enough, but the new Netflix Just for Kids is the perfect platform for the younger set. ”Just for Kids” on iPad lets your kid find their favorite show or movie simply by swiping through familiar rows of their favorite characters and ”Just for Kids” also displays rows of TV shows and movies that are all organized by their genres, like sing-alongs, superheroes, school or girl power, and each title features a simple description of the plot.

In addition to iPad… Netflix “Just for Kids” is available on PCs and Macs, Nintendo Wii, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Apple TV and certain Smart TVs, Blu-ray players and streaming media players. Other devices, including Android-powered tablets, are scheduled to follow this year. Its a nice service for kids, mine is gonna love it. Sign up for a free trial by visiting Netflix.com.

 
[ Netflix – Just for Kids copyright by Coolest Gadgets ]

Sometimes I wonder what the heck is happening to our teens these days and it doesn’t take me long to recognize that as amazing as our technology is, and even with the many benefits it provides, there is no doubt that our electronic lifestyles have offered up a whole new way for our kids to find trouble for themselves. Kids today are met with perils one could not have imagined when I was a kid. What’s a parent to do? and should they do it?

As I post this I am at odds with myself, the technology is there for us to examine every aspect of our children’s lives… check out Sociallyactive.com a Boston based company launching it’s online safety assurance program that among other things, will allow you to infiltrate your kids Facebook pages and see who’s tagging them, who they interact with the most and using special algorithms, determine which of their friends are the most influential. Information the developers say, you simply cant get just from being “friends” with your teen.

All this is supposed to protect your child from online predators, cyber bullying and to guard your youngsters online reputation. The platform is meant to bring your kid’s digital profile into view, allowing you to see not only what the child is putting “out there” for the world to see, but the pictures and activities of all their friends as well.

As another mother on a mission to keep my daughter safe, I can easily imagine wanting to employ every available option to try and maintain complete control over anything that could potentially harm my child. I get it, but at what point have we gone too far, are we setting aside good parenting for electronic surveillance? I’m sure any parent who’s child was harmed by inappropriate online activity would say no, but what about the rest of us? Sociallyactive.com is a subscription-based service available for only 9 bucks a month. How do you guys weigh in on the option?
[ SociallyActive.com – Better than Being “Friends”? copyright by Coolest Gadgets ]