Posts Tagged ‘kids’
Low Tech Meets High Tech in the Woogie
The Griffin Woogie
Just looking at the Woogie, you might be hard pressed to guess what it is and what it does. The bright green color, soft snuggly fabric, and free form shape may indicate that it is for a child. But most of us would never suspect that this low tech looking thing was for a high tech toy. You see, the Woogie is actually a huggable case and speaker system for iPod touch or an iPhone.
For many parents, the Woogie is the answer to the question “Can I play with your iPhone?”It is a protective case for an iPhone or an iPod touch that allows parents to turn their iPhone over to the kids to let them play. Beware, however, parents may have trouble getting their iPhone back, as the kids that I showed this to just loved it.
There is also a special iPhone and iPod app that works with the Woogie. This app provides an interactive early reading experience with Sesame Street books. The app reads each story out loud and allows parents and kids to record their own voices. The sample app is free and parents also have access to 150 more titile that are Woogie-ready and available from the Apple App Store under the name Iceberg Kids.
The Woogie is a unique and very useful toy made by Griffin.
Kidz Gear Headphones
Kidz Gear Headphones
Buying a new electronic device for my kids is usually about as fun as going to the dentist. It often means dedicating an hour of frustration to reading complicated directions, plugging in wires, and then googling on the Internet for help when it still doesn’t work.
I’m happy to report none of this applies when opening the Kidz Gear Wireless Car Headphones for Kids. It is a wireless headset that works with any car DVD system. We tried it out on a Cadillac Escalade that we had rented from Hertz. It took about five minutes from opening the package in the house to having quiet kids in the backseat watching a movie on the road. All we had to do was insert 2-AAA batteries. The headset immediately picked up the car DVD signal when we turned them on. So easy…. A parent’s, or perhaps a grandparent’s, dream.
The headsets are smaller than adult earphones so they stayed in place and perfectly fit the smaller ears. That’s a big bonus for little heads that can’t hold up adult headsets and then yell for mom to fix every 5 minutes when they slide off.
Another big plus was that the a few minutes after the movie stopped, the headphones turned off automatically. So mom and dad didn’t have to pester the kids to remember to turn off the headphones to save the batteries power.
You can also purchase an IR transmitter to work with the Kidz Gear Wireless Car Headphones for use at home. So if the kids want to watch a movie, play games on the TV, Wii or Playstation while you are talking to others or reading, you can pop these on for instant adult sanity.
Of course, no product is perfect, and the one thing this product has in common with all other electronic products or toys is the plastic packaging. You know, that hard plastic that is impossible to cut through with a normal pair of scissors, and almost guarantees you will cut yourself before you get it open. The packaging here was no different. Remember the four minutes I said it took to set it up? Well, four of them were dedicated to cutting through the wrapping.
Plastic packaging aside, if you want peace and quiet in the home or on a road trip, you can’t go wrong with these wireless kids headsets. They retail for $19.99.
Available for less at Surplus Computers.
Let the Kids Play with your iPhone
The Pink OtterBox 3G Case
Using the Otterbox to protect my iPhone was a great idea. I was able to let my grandson play with it without worry. The Otterbox really gave me peace of mind. I didn’t even flinch when he ran around the room playing with the Light Saber app. And he thought the case was great. He said he knew I would pick a pink case!
His favorite iPhone apps were:
LightSaber which lets you pretend you’re Darth Vader
Lite Bowling, which is just like playing Skee Ball
ChimpsLite, a quick little game
DrumKit Lite, which lets you play the drums
BTW, all of these are free apps! i have had my iPhone for almost a year, and I am still amazed by what it can do….. make phone calls, surf the web, and now — entertain the kids, as well.
Old iPod for the Kids
Tadpole for Kids
Many of us succumb to the lure of the new iPod models with new features. But you don’t have to just shove that old iPod into a drawer. You can turn it into a treasured possession for your children or grandchildren. iFrogz makes a special case called the Audiowrapz Tadpole. This is a great rubberized case with handles that is perfect for any kid. It’s both tough and protective.
As you may know if you read my previous posts, I have found the iFrogz company to be very competent and responsive.
They are currently offering the Audiowrapz Tadpode along with a screen protector and the your choice of wheel art for only $.99. WOW, what a fantastic offer. Just be sure that you choose the Audiowrapz that is right for your iPod version. Then enter promo code “only99″ at checkout to get your 99 cent Audiowrapz. This is a limited time offer. Only good while supplies last.
iFrogz is also offering the same deal on their regular Audiowrapz Treadz iFrogz Tadpole for Kidscovers. So pick one of those up, as well.
AARP Convention
I am just back from the AARP Convention in Anaheim, CA. It’s been a very busy week. As usual, the convention attendees were warm and gracious. This is my 7th convention and each year the crowd gets more and more comfortable with computers and technology. Seven years ago, I saw people putting the mouse on the screen because they had never seen a mouse before. This year, I had people talking about geocaching, online photo albums, and wireless Internet. The public computers were filled with folks checking their ebay bids and printing out boarding passes. Yes, we stil have lots of newbies, but these folks have come a long way.
Most years at the convention, I do a gadget presentation and this year was no different, except that I also covered high-tech toys. What fun! Just to give you an idea of the gadgets, gizmos, and toys I presented, I’ll give you a list. Over the next few weeks, I will be reviewing each of these and will add links to my reviews as I do them:
Nintendo DS & Nintendo DS Brain Age Game
Nancy Drew PC games *** retro fun
Lego Mindstorm NXT — ***amazing
The Fly by Leap Frog –** awsome
Little Leaps by Leap Frog
20 Questions
Smart Globe by Oregon Scientific
Logitech QuickCam Ultra Vision
Logitech QuickCam for Notebooks
Creative Live!Cam Voice
Palm Tungsten E2
Xavix Games — TV Baseball, Golf, Tennis, Bowling & Fishing that make you move
Robosapien and Roboraptop by Wowee
Nintendo Game Cube & Donkey Konga Bongos
Onkey Karaoke ** one of my favorites!!