PeeWee PC loses the stylus, gains average netbook status (update)

By Sean Hollister

posted April 1st 2010 2:52AM

Previously on Computers Designed For Children, protagonist PeeWee PC introduced us to its creation, the Pivot Tablet Laptop, a cute little netvertible with childish specs -- but a $600 price that set it well out of reach of the average piggy bank. One year later, PeeWee has matured, but not necessarily for the better. For $100 less, the new PeeWee Power Laptop, which is actually just a rebranded Classmate PC, sports the same carry handle and kid-friendly construction as its the aforesaid Tablet (though with a faster 1.66GHz Atom N450 processor, 15 game titles and a security suite, mind you), but completely ditches the tablet PC functionality. Without a stylus or touchscreen for kids on which to express their creativity (read: color outside of the lines), we're not quite sure of the point. In truth, the Power Laptop is neither laptop nor powerful -- merely a rugged, kid-friendly netbook at an adult price point. But hey, it's got a carry handle!

Update: PeeWee representatives tell us that the Power Laptop will not actually replace the Pivot Tablet -- a new version of that machine (perhaps a rebranded convertible Classmate?) is slated to appear around May.

PeeWee Power Laptop press shots

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Miami, FL – March 31, 2010 – PeeWee PC, the leading manufacturer of computer products and accessories for children, is excited to announce the availability of the new PeeWee Power Laptop. The rugged 3.5 pound PeeWee Power features a durable drop-proof construction and spill resistant keyboard, making it the ideal first computer for children aged 4-8. PeeWee PC loads each computer with 15 educational software titles providing the young end users access to different games as they progress from pre-kindergarten into early elementary and finally upper elementary students.

"All PeeWee PC computers are designed with equal parts fun, safety, education and durability." said Oscar Ferreria, President and Co-Founder of PeeWee PC. "The new Power Laptop meets that criteria and addresses the needs of both the children we strive to empower and their rightfully protective parents."

PeeWee PC places an emphasis on security and also includes its PeeWee Patrol and PeeWee Privacy software on every computer it builds. PeeWee Patrol provides parents with an aggressive internet watchdog program that both monitors their children's activity and blocks websites flagged as inappropriate. PeeWee Privacy allows parents to restrict access to certain files and folders on the laptop's hard drive and enables moms and dads to set time restrictions on how long and when their children are using their computer.

The new PeeWee PC Power Laptop features the Intel Atom N450 processor, 1GB of memory, a 10.1 inch LCD screen, 6-cell battery, mouse and Windows XP operating system. PeeWee PC offers a 3 year no fault warranty on all its notebooks and provides lifetime technical support. The PeeWee Power Laptop is priced at $499.99 MSRP and is available now at www.peeweepc.com.