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Switched On: Tablets are toys. No, really.
Each week Ross Rubin contributes Switched On, a column about consumer technology. Ever since the tablet market exploded, we've seen a wide range of designs find both success and failure. But most of the tablets on the market have something in common: they are primarily designed for adults or at least children old enough to be responsible for a fragile device. Particularly for the popular iPad, we have seen a number of specialized cases design to protect the tablet for use with young ones. But a small cadre of tablets aimed specifically at kids -- including preschoolers -- begs several questions. Are tablets good tools for kids? Is there value in optimizing them for kids? And if so, how should they be optimized?
Yoomi and Duo join forces for an 'Apples to Apples' esque experience... on your Apple iPad
Because your game board of an iPad can't always be used for heated, futuristic Scrabble matches or perennially peeved pigeons, Discovery Bay Games has devised a divertissement of its own that, in its words (no pun intended), requires no reading. Actually, Yoomi for has a really cool trick in that it uses the Duo, a chip collector that rests on top of the display. Here's how it works: one person picks (the selection hidden from the group by the Duo) between two cards with no criteria whatsoever (e.g. Loch Ness Monster or Big Foot). The rest of the group puts a token into the slot corresponding to their guess. Once the correct answer is revealed, the Duo "magically" (how coy) knows which answer was right and drops the tokens into the connected bin, leaving those who guessed wrong to pick up the pieces and try again. First player to rid themselves of all tokens wins! Interested in actually letting your family drop things on the iPad screen this holiday season? App is free, Duo is $40 from Toys R Us -- and if you're still need more, video is after the break.
