Every year at CES, there’s a slew of technologies aimed at parenting. Some are genuinely useful, and some are more of a “well, we can, so why not?” Mattel has announced Aristotle, an Echo-like AI speaker, that falls squarely in the second category.
Leka Robot is a smart toy that is set on “changing the way children with developmental disorders learn, play and progress.” Today they are revealing their latest breakthrough in product development: autonomous features.
If you are looking for a child’s gift that is more traditional, involves no technology (as well as nothing to assemble), and can be personalized for the recipient look no further than https://www.wonderbly.com/. They offer books and games for children that incorporate the child into the text and illustrations.
If you’ve ever been interested in learning about coding, but you didn’t know where to start, the Ozobot Evo Marvel Avengers Iron Man Master Pack might be a great place. You’ll use OzoBlockly, Ozo’s coding program, to “drag and drop blocks of code to take full control of Evo’s features,” and there are other fun ways to learn while playing.
I loved playing with track sets when I was a kid. Those old tracks used a toy car and gravity or spring power to thrust the car along the plastic track. Max Traxxx Tracer Racers ($49.99) give kids the same old fun but with RC technology. The cars even light up the track as they speed around and hit the jump.
Still looking for that holiday gift for a child in your life? Playmates Toys has released a fun addition to its Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle lineup called Talk-to-Me Mikey. It is an interactive Michelangelo that can respond in over 100 ways.
Think you have enough Ironman or Captain America in your (child’s) life? Think again. App Dudes is happy to bring you its new Smartphone Stand – based on these two Marvel Super Heroes – that will entertain your kids while doubling as an alarm clock.
Remember when the Rubik’s Cube took America by storm? In the early 80s, it was impossible to go anywhere without seeing someone twisting a colorful cube as they tried to match the colors back up on each side. Putao has introduced Cube-tastic!, an updated 3-D puzzle cube that takes the idea behind the Rubik’s cube to a whole new level.
I recently had the opportunity to review the mCookie 201 Advanced Kit. The DIY electronics and building kit seemed like the perfect fit for my technology programming class. We built two of the provided projects and learned a lot along the way. The $199 kit provides many opportunities for both building and programming projects. Let’s take a look!
Let me begin this review of the new Xtreem Gravity Pursuit 1080p Video Drone by saying I have never flown a drone before. I am familiar with Swann flying products in the form of miniature RC helicopters but this is my first drone. I flew, I crashed, I flew, I crashed…I FLEW!
Summer is unofficially underway and what better way to have a blast during the heat than with a Nerf water gun battle. New for 2016 is the Super Soaker Squall Surge water blaster that allows for a continuous stream of water up to 35 feet away on one squeeze of the trigger!
The Play n’ Trace eWriter is a fantastic use of Boogie Board’s existing LCD writing technology, now targeting improvement in children’s learning and development. With this transparent eWriter, children can practice writing, drawing shapes, sketching freehand, and more. With the included tracing templates and companion iPad app, there is no end to creativity! Play n’ Trace sells for $29.99.
So many of us, especially as we enter the holiday season, fondly remember our favorite childhood toys – Barbie, G.I. Joe, Tinkertoys, Lincoln Logs, Lite-Brite, Legos, etc. For me it was the View-Master, that handheld plastic stereoscopic viewer that connected me with exotic locations around the globe. Now Mattel has relaunched the View-Master for the modern, high-tech era.
Boogie Board, manufacturers of LCD eWriters that write similar to pen and paper, have announced their latest eWriter innovation, the Play n’ Trace. It’s a see-through eWriter for kids that is meant to promote creativity while developing motor, communication, and writing skills through a companion iPad app. Featuring a dual-tipped stylus, Play n’ Trace is available today for $29.99!
When the youngest grandbaby comes over for visits, he (nearly two now) heads straight for the iPad or smart devices, and the four-year old plops down in my office chair at the computer. I see this and wonder, does anyone make “real” toys anymore and if they did, would today’s kids be interested in them? Hasbro has that answer.
What name is more synonymous with summer than perhaps Nerf? Nerf has been contributing to summer fun since 1969 when it released the world’s first indoor ball and since that time Nerf has been soaking us, blasting us, and allowing us to have a “ball” no matter which sport, indoor or out, is our preference.
I always have a blast getting to have my kids join me for a review. It just so happened we were able to obtain the Max Traxx Tracer Racers for review and some old school fun. The side-by-side lighted racers leave a glow trail on the provided glow-in-the-dark track through a loop. Read on to see how the $27.99 kit faired.
LEGO Maniacs have a full slate of video game releases coming this year including a surprising LEGO set announcement decided by fans. Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment, TT Games and The LEGO Group have set LEGO Jurassic World, LEGO Marvel’s Avengers, LEGO Ninjago: Shadow of Ronin plus LEGO Batman: Beyond Gotham. The LEGO Movie Videogame iOS versions are available now. LEGO Jurassic World starts a new game series ahead of the upcoming film of the same name (June 12, 2015). This game will combine the storylines of Jurassic Park, The Lost World: Jurassic Park, Jurassic Park III, and Jurassic World. Available in June on Xbox One, Xbox 360, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 3, PlayStation…
Developed by Avalanche Software and published by Disney Interactive Studios, Disney Infinity 2.0 has released the second “wave” of figures, power discs, and other items. This newly released wave includes Merida and Stitch in the Starter Pack and the separate figures Aladdin, Tinkerbell, Maleficent, and Donald Duck plus Hiro and Brymax from Big Hero 6.
It’s my goal to make sure my son appreciates learning. He’s shown an early love of science, as his favorite CD is They Might Be Giants “Here Comes Science“. It’s great to see that as he grows he will have more options, like the soon to be released Trobo, the Storytelling Robot who focuses on Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math!
The Xtreem QuadForce Video Drone comes from Swann and is part of their latest line of products. The drone gives you impressive features at a low price of $89.99. If you have been wowed by all the cool drone video but balked at the price here’s you chance to fly a drone and record HD video while you do.