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kid posts

Kids Guard USB stick is guaranteed to frustrate, encourage circumvention

by Darren Murph posted Oct 26th 2009 at 3:19PM

The concept here is far from new, but that doesn't mean that the latest iteration isn't way more frustrating. For kids just looking to "discover themselves" somewhere on the world wide web, the Kids Online Guard USB Stick is a nightmare of the worst kind. Designed to keep your offspring away from files, websites and folders that you deem inappropriate, it seems to work by triggering limits when plugged in, and when unplugged, the whole PC likely locks everyone out. Of course, we're guessing that this is just the thing to train your kid to become the planet's next great circumventer / hacker, so if viewing this as a "training tool" makes you sleep easier, you can get one headed your way for $21.69.

[Thanks, Frank]

Dell's Inspiron Mini Nickelodeon Edition oozing out now for $329

by Darren Murph posted Oct 2nd 2009 at 9:08AM

If you've ever had a yearning for a slime covered netbook, today's your lucky day. Dell's Inspiron Mini Nickelodeon Edition -- which is absolutely SpongeBob-approved -- is now up for order starting at $329. As for specs, it's pretty much a standard Mini 10v underneath, with a 10.1-inch (1,024 x 600 resolution) display, Windows XP Home, 1GB of DDR2 RAM, a GMA950 graphics set, WiFi, 3-cell battery, 1.3 megapixel webcam and a totally played 1.6GHz Atom processor. Oh, and a slimed lid and palm rest, which are likely the one two aspects that truly matter here.

[Thanks, Simon]

Mattel's Mindflex: now stressing brain muscles for $80

by Darren Murph posted Sep 18th 2009 at 8:10AM

It's taken nine whole months for this mental-stresser to go from CES show-stopper to household mainstay, but at long last, the only Mattel product we could ever recommend (with a straight face) to those with an age larger than 12 is finally shipping. In short, the Mindflex forces your brain -- as in, that hunk of meat between your ears -- to keep a ball suspended in the air, and if you're thinking Matrix, you're thinking correctly. Sort of. Hit the read link to get your own for $79.99, and make sure you do so before these things sell out and break the $1,000 mark on eBay. It's almost the holidays, don'tcha know?

Video: Microsoft's Windows 7 ad punishes Kylie with Swedish "rock"

by Thomas Ricker posted Sep 11th 2009 at 4:58AM

There's nothing we like better than putting on Europe's The Final Countdown and listening to it over and over and yes, over again. The 80's "rock" anthem is so damn catchy and just happens to be the theme music behind Microsoft's (first?) Windows 7 television commercial. The bit brings back Kylie who has cast aside Vista and other childish things for Microsoft's latest OS. It's "snappy and re-pon-ki-ser," says the 5 year old. Aww, shucks. Let the cute wash over you in the videos (new and old) after the break.

Continue reading Video: Microsoft's Windows 7 ad punishes Kylie with Swedish "rock"

Dell's slime-covered Inspiron Mini Nickelodeon Edition primed for kids, nostalgic adults

by Ross Miller posted Aug 11th 2009 at 6:58PM

Because Disney and ASUS can't have all the fun -- sharing is caring, you know -- Dell and Nickelodeon have teamed up to make some kid-catering netbooks of their own. While exact specs aren't confirmed, the Dell Inspiron Mini Nickelodeon Edition is said to be based on Mini 10v, so following in the footsteps of virtually every other netbook on the market, it's more than likely got the Intel Atom N270 processor, 1GB RAM, and a 1.3 megapixel webcam. Software-wise, this baby's chockfull of parental control (courtesy of a 15 month trial version of McAfee), security, and educational applications to keep your loved ones on the right track in life -- along with exclusive early access to certain Nickelodeon episodes before they air. The slime motif is actually pretty nice and tame, but if you're wanting something more gaudy, designs based around SpongeBob SquarePants and iCarly are also in the works and sure to fit that bill. Look for this one to set up shop on Dell's website and in-store at Walmart sometime in October -- price is unknown, but we can't imagine it'll stray too far from the Mini 10v's $300 tag. Full press release after the break.

Gallery: Dell's slime-covered Inspiron Mini Nickelodeon Edition primed for kids, nostalgic adults

Gallery: Dell Inspiron Mini Nickelodeon Edition hands-on

Continue reading Dell's slime-covered Inspiron Mini Nickelodeon Edition primed for kids, nostalgic adults

Mattel's Mindflex coming October 1st for $99.99

by Darren Murph posted May 24th 2009 at 12:57AM

It's not often that a Mattel toy targets the 18 - 128 demographic, but we'll be frank -- the Mindflex has us all sorts of intrigued. Originally introduced at this year's CES, said game is a brain-powered fun-fest that relies on intense mental activity to control the height of a ball suspended in a column of air. Early on, we heard that it would land sometime during this year for $80, but it seems as if only one of those factoids will prove true. Indeed, Amazon has it listed to ship on October 1st, which gives proactive parents plenty of time to stock up for the holidays. Unfortunately, the price seems to have inched up by a Jackson, as it's currently up for pre-order at $99.99. Rest assured, however, that said price is far less than what you'll pay on eBay if you're empty-handed come December 20th.

[Via I4U News]

Canadian kiddo goes absolutely bonkers upon receiving Wii for Christmas

by Darren Murph posted Jan 4th 2009 at 6:51AM

Given the completely ridiculous Wii shortage that's still ongoing, there's obviously no shame in being somewhat off your rocker if one shows up in a nicely wrapped box. That said, there's still no way anyone in their right mind should get this excited about receiving a $299 game console, but we can't say we didn't get a few laughs out of watching his celebration. We'll stop yapping and let you get to it -- head past the break to watch the world's happiest Canadian of all time. Just make sure your volume isn't jacked first.

[Via Nintendo Wii Fanboy]

Continue reading Canadian kiddo goes absolutely bonkers upon receiving Wii for Christmas

Krell intros the KID -- another expensive iPod dock you'll never buy

by Joshua Topolsky posted Jul 7th 2008 at 5:10PM

"Hey man, check out my $4000 combo iPod dock / Class A amp playing a 128kbps MP3 file! Listen to that brittle high-end... it's like you're in the room with the computer that compressed this file!"

[Via Crave; Image courtesy Audio Junkies]

Enterprising youngster gets himself stuck in a claw machine

by Paul Miller posted Apr 18th 2008 at 12:04PM

This little kid is on to those scammy claw machines, and decided to take prize collection into his own hands. Unfortunately, he didn't plan that escape route well enough, and ended up stuck among the machine's bountiful goodies. Words of him meeting a claw-worshiping alien cult, followed by wild 3D hijinks set to the musical stylings of Randy Newman are totally unfounded. Video is after the break.

[Via Tech Digest]

Continue reading Enterprising youngster gets himself stuck in a claw machine

Motion-sensing Britepack: the craze is still on

by Darren Murph posted Dec 6th 2007 at 9:49AM

You only thought light-up gear was so last century. As fate would have it, kids aren't tired of rockin' blinky apparel just yet, and Tomorrow Incorporated is looking to take advantage of the lingering fad. One-upping the LA Lights kicks that once ruled the hallways, the Britepack book bag ($39.99) sports a semi-circle of LEDs that light up in a pre-determined pattern each time a step is taken, and they automatically go dormant whenever it detects that class is in session (read: it's sitting idly). Apparently, these packs will even be available in wheeled (oh noes) and non-wheeled versions, and while a couple colors look to be available as we speak, you can look forward to a host of "add-on accessories" to land next year. As much as we'd like to think that these just won't take off, we doubt TI will have a tough time moving its inventory.

Hasbro's Power Tour guitar finally launches

by Darren Murph posted Sep 14th 2007 at 9:05AM

It's been a long time comin', but the Power Tour guitar we peeped back in January is nearly ready for your youngster's hands. Modeled after a Gibson SG, this axe enables your little ones (or you, it's alright) to plug in any source and rock right along with it, and the built-in learning mode should do a decent job in creating the Guitar Zeros of tomorrow. Ships on the 15th for just under $70.

[Via OhGizmo, image courtesy of Popular Science]

Fisher-Price Easy Link controls kids' access to online thrills

by Darren Murph posted Aug 7th 2007 at 10:17PM

Limiting your kids' access to the treacherous internet isn't exactly a terrible idea, and while we highly doubt your three-year old would put itself in the path of a MySpace stalker, the Easy Link makes absolutely sure. This kid-friendly gaming platform aims to provide "a safe internet experience that locks kids into age-appropriate sites and won't let them click into files on the computer," and enables the youngster to launch select web portals depending on the character key they place into the "launch pad." Of note, you will need a Windows-based computer with a spare USB port, a connection to the 'net, and Internet Explorer 6.0+ in order to get things running properly, and while this will probably just teach your kid how to circumvent adult-instituted boundaries sooner than usual, it doesn't look like a bad option for just $30.

[Via USAToday, thanks Aaron]

Mattel drops new details on I Can Play educational guitar

by Darren Murph posted Jul 28th 2007 at 3:35PM

While the most of us get our shred on via one version of Guitar Hero or another, Mattel is trying to preserve our offsprings' minds a little while longer with a more educationally-inclined toy axe. Originally mentioned at the International Toy Fair, the I Can Play instrument is slated to land this August for $99.99 and will boast the Allegro Multimedia Guitar Wizard Method for learning licks. Furthermore, the guitar will come bundled with a cartridge featuring "six popular songs" to play along with (additional ones will be $14.99 apiece), and rather than just single buttons being placed on the fretboard, the more complex sensor layout is said to be more akin to a real-world six-string. Notably, Mattel and Allegro both assert that this device can be used by kiddos as young as six years old, but we see no reason why those struggling through a mid-life crisis can't relive their own rock fantasies once the children head off to bed.

[Via Electronista]

Annoyed, hospitalized teen unplugs neighbor's life support

by Darren Murph posted Jun 20th 2007 at 10:13PM

It should probably go without saying that anything connected to a power source within the confines of a hospital has a fair shot at being pertinent to the livelihood of at least one individual, but obviously a 17-year old teenager in Germany needed the memo. After the perpetual noise of what would prove to be his neighbor's life support machine "got on his nerves," he proceeded to simply unplug the device without precaution in order to ensure that "he got his peace and quiet." Of course, we can only assume that the sirens and squeals that were emitted due to his misreckoning were immensely louder than the prior hum, but some folks just love to learn the hard way. Thankfully, medical personnel stepped in and saved the man from perishing, but the teen at fault lost a lot more sleep after that whilst being questioned by police.

[Via El Reg, image courtesy of NAIAD]

KornTech's Rogun robot recognizes faces and intruders

by Darren Murph posted May 20th 2007 at 4:05PM

While KornTech's Rogun won't go down as the first humanoid that sports both face recognition and intruder alerting functions, it does one-up many of the other prototypes by actually being available for purchase. The Korean startup has developed a kid-friendly one-meter-tall robot that "recognizes people through embedded cameras and high-end face-tracking software." Additionally, the bot can walk on its own and "perform various functions suitable for a security guard or nanny" such as pace the floors at night and give its master a cellphone warning if it recognizes any suspicious behavior. Rogun can even use its camera to show parents what mischief their kids are getting into at home by beaming video via its integrated WiFi chipset, and if watching the big screen is just too 2006, the youngsters can focus on the seven-inch LCD set within the device's chest. Of course, video telephony, internet browsing, and priceless companionship also come bundled in, and while the company hopes to sell these fellows for a mere $5,000 in time, snapping up your own Rogun at the moment will run you a whopping $100,000 or so considering the current BTO nature of production.

[Via I4U]