Kids -- Engadget

kids posts

Big Shot camera kit could help turn your kid on to the dark world of the teardown

by Laura June posted Nov 11th 2009 at 1:36PM

Pardon us while we freely admit that we have literally no idea what's going on inside a camera -- whether it's digital or those quaint film-based ones you hear about from your grandma. Luckily, our own kids might not have to suffer as we have: a group at the Computer Vision Laboratory at Columbia University have designed and built a prototype digital camera that should demystify the devices. The Big Shot digital camera kit, if / when it hits the market, will be a box of all the necessary parts for kids to be able to build their own simple, candy-colored digital camera. While the Big Shot is still in prototype testing phase, we really hope this gadget (and more like it) makes it to the market sometime soon.

[Via Make]

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?

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

Disney Netpal finally up for pre-order, ships this week

by Vladislav Savov posted Aug 11th 2009 at 11:06AM

We've waited... oh, how we've waited! After two long, torturous months of anticipation, Disney is finally letting the "Magic Blue" and "Princess Pink" Netpal netbooks out to play with us. Featuring the zaniest paintjobs this side of the RilakKuma, customized XP themes, shell control for parents and no shortage of magic dust, the two machines are available to order now for $350 with deliveries likely by next week.

[Via Netbooked]

Read - Toys R Us
Read - Amazon

HANNSpree debuts line of plush TVs for tasteless tots

by Joseph L. Flatley posted Jul 17th 2009 at 7:33AM

We all know how much children hate television, so sometimes it's necessary to be a little sneaky, especially when looking to give them their minimum daily requirement of the "Fair & Balanced" -- that's why we're lucky that HANNSpree is on the case. The company, known for it's particularly uglified and just plain bizarre display devices is debuting a line of plush animals (including an elephant, giraffe, panda, and polar bear) with televisions embedded in their sides -- just the thing for concerned parents who need to trick their kids into watching. With any luck, Junior will soon be rattling off the nine principles with the ease that you once let the names of the four Monkees roll off the tongue. Pretty sweet, right? It's time for you to get back to The Common Sense Book of Baby and Child Care -- but not before eyeballing that gallery below.

Gallery: HANNSpree debuts line of plush toy TVs for tasteless tots

LeapFrog Scribble & Write, Chat & Count hands-on

by Laura June posted Jun 10th 2009 at 6:19PM

LeapFrog's Text and Learn QWERTY BlackBerry-styled educational toy for the little ones left such an impression on us that we went back to check out its latest offerings. Two things caught our eye -- up first, the Scribble and Write, which is a Text and Learn-style device applied to writing skills. Designed for children about the age of three, it teaches basic letter-writing skills, making use of a roughly 3-inch LCD and attached "pen" to trace over the letters. This one is actually available now, and runs $21.99. The second item we checked out is called the Chat & Count -- and it looks incredibly similar to a candybar style mobile phone. The one we checked out was actually a prototype, and not the final product, but it's aimed at children starting at 18 months old, and teaches basic phone skills (believe us, the kids need those), numbers and counting. It's also got plenty of ringtones and custom noises built in, which start out super cute but would likely be... grating over time. The Chat & Count will be hitting shelves sometime around December of this year, and will run you $14.99. Both of these products join Leapfrog's Learning Path offerings (which also includes products like the Tag Junior we've previously seen).

Gallery: LeapFrog hands-on

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]

LEGO MP3 player: another brick in your kid's wall of sound

by Laura June posted Apr 17th 2009 at 2:12PM

So this is pretty out-of-the-ordinary looking. LEGO's recently-announced MP3 player -- produced through a partnership with Digital Blue -- fits in nicely with the rest of the company's kiddie gadget offerings, though we'll admit that this is probably the first one we're truly tempted to check out for ourselves. These bad boys have 2GB of storage, LCD displays, and unlimited attitude. It's got that sweet brick shape that brings to mind memories of our olden days while staying on top of the latest tech that kids today demand... you know, MP3s of Miley Cyrus and stuff. Right? The MP3 players -- in multi-color and pinkish (for girls) -- will be available sometime this summer for $39.99

LEGO Boombox looks sweet, still can't make your kid's music sound good

by Laura June posted Apr 17th 2009 at 11:27AM

The collaboration between LEGO and Digital Blue has already produced a couple of interesting gadgets for the wee ones, so here's another one to add to the stack. The LEGO Boombox is a decidedly low-techish CD player / AM/FM radio, with two 1 watt speakers, and a few buttons to boot. The saving grace of this little guy is obviously its shape -- which is awesome -- but we really need to know if its going to come in other colors (like hot pink) before we can think about buying it. This bad boy is going to be available sometime this summer, and it'll run $39.99

Lego camcorder spotted, great for kids 8 to 80 (sorry Grandpa)

by Joseph L. Flatley posted Feb 12th 2009 at 9:12AM

It looks like those Lego-branded Digital Blue devices we've been on the lookout for are starting to see the light of day. This prototype video camera was snapped at the toy fair in Nuremberg -- not too many details at this point, but we're sort of bummed that this one doesn't have the handmade look of the walkie talkie and digital camera we peeped earlier. At least it doesn't look like there are many parts for your child to swallow.

Update: We've got some new details, care of Kids Tech Review. The flip-out display has a 1.4-inch color LCD panel, there's five-way navigation on the back and a detachable remote control. No word on what format or resolution it records in, but blocky shooter is due out this summer / fall for $80.

[Thanks, Brian]

Jakks Pacific unveils EyeClops mini projector for the little ones

by Laura June posted Feb 11th 2009 at 6:05PM

We see a ton of tiny little projectors these days around here. This one, by toymaker Jakks Pacific, is still pretty eye-catching, anyway. Expected to be on hand next week at the Toy Industry Association's annual International Toy Fair in New York, the EyeClops is obviously designed with children in mind, with a build similar to adult picos. We don't have full specs on this one yet, but it's capable of projecting a 70-inch images via its LED, and can be hooked up to all your child's favorite gadgets -- DVD players, digital cameras, and gaming consoles. The real kicker here is that the EyeClops is expected to sell for under $100 -- much less than most projectors for oldies.

[Via About Projectors]

ITOI children's interactive toilet concept is terrifying

by Nilay Patel posted Feb 5th 2009 at 4:42PM

We're not so sure you should be teaching your children to shake hands afterwards.

[Thanks, Adam]

Nine-year old writes iPhone app, hates vegetables

by Laura June posted Feb 5th 2009 at 11:01AM

We've seen plenty of remarkable kids -- the world is just bursting with them -- and Lim Ding Wen, a nine-year-old from Singapore is no exception. Like his father, Wen enjoys writing iPhone apps in his spare time. His application, called Doodle Kids, is a drawing application for children that he wrote for his two younger sisters, who enjoy drawing, and it's already been downloaded over 4,000 times (we just checked in the App Store and it does indeed appear to be quite popular) since its release on February 1st. Wen, who is fluent in six programming languages and enjoys reading books about -- you guessed it -- computer programming, is already hard at work on his next app, a game called "Invader Wars." We can't wait to see that one!