Girls Gone Gadget

Stop me if you’ve heard this one before — rugged computer, durable laptop, fun colors, nifty little carrying handle!  Ok, I’m going to guess by the confused look on your face that you’re not quite sure what I’m talking about.  Well, I could be talking about my very first Apple laptop (the Apple G3 iBook, aka The Clamshell) or I could be talking about Intel’s new convertible Classmate PC.

As skeptical as I was at first about the Classmate PC and it’s resemblance to Apple’s Clamshell, I’m actually very intrigued by it now!  Especially since it is Netbook!!!

Photo courtesy of ClassmatePC.com

The Classmate PC is designed with kids in mind!  The Classmate PC is built to be more durable than the standard netbook and includes a built-in case with a handle for easy portability.  This netbook, unlike other kid targeted netbooks, is not designed around a specific cartoon character or kids show, but it still has a kid-friendly design.  The Classmate PC is targeted toward K-8 students and is rumored to include educational software.

While the Classmate PC has been around for a few years now, the new Convertible Classmate PC has a fun, fresh little twist!  And I mean twist in the most literal sense!  The screen on the convertible Classmate PC can be twisted so that the netbook transforms from from a netbook to a slate!  That’s pretty cool!!!

The convertible Classmate has not yet been released and pricing is not available, but I’ll be very interested to see how it performs.  The idea is absolutely fabulous and I think it would be perfect for my preschooler!  The extra durability factor boosts this netbook up pretty high on my list of ‘must haves’!

This is part of an article I wrote for BusyMommyMedia.com:

Technology has quickly become a staple in our educational systems.  You would have a hard time finding a classroom in any school across the US that does not have a computer either in each classroom or a computer lab for students to access, regardless if it is high school or elementary.  Schools are even handing out laptops and netbooks to their students and the hardbound textbooks are becoming as extinct as the dinosaurs.  But is all of this a good thing?

We can spend hours and hours debating the relevancy and ramifications of tech in our classrooms, but the questions will still remain!  And, thanks to one school district, even more questions are hitting the surface — this time about students’ rights and privacy!

Last week a story broke about a school district in Philadelphia reportedly spying on high school students via the built-in cameras on their school-provided laptops while the students had the laptops at home!

The alleged spying was discovered when the school disciplined a student for “improper behavior in his home.”  As evidence the Vice Principal showed a photo of the student in his home taken by the school-provided laptop webcam.  Students had complained to the school tech department that the camera light on his MacBook would randomly turn on (the little green light next to the webcam shows when the built in webcam has been activated), but the IT department dismissed the problem saying that programs accessing the camera must have been in use or that it was a glitch.

Yesterday, when I wrote about the new Computer Engineer Barbie, I mentioned that there are some exciting new techy toys being debuted at the International Toy Fair in New York City this week.  Here are two from VTech that I am very excited to see hit store shelves this year:

FLiP

The FLiP is VTech’s new animated e-book reader for children.  From the pictures on VTech’s Facebook fan page, the screen resolution looks really good!  Bonus points for that alone! It also appears to already have “books” from some of your (ok, your kids) favorite characters.

(credit: VTech Toy’s Facebook page)

mobiGO

The mobiGO is a handheld finger-touch animated learning system, the first of it’s kind for VTech.  The screen appears to slide out and up to reveal a keyboard underneath and, like the FLiP, incorporates popular characters.

(credit: VTech Toy’s Facebook page)

Both, the FLiP and mobiGO, are said to be available this August but there is no word on price, yet.  I am excited for these two kids gadgets to hit the market because they look like good quality and fun devices.  I can’t wait to get more details about both of these and, hopefully, get a chance to try them out for myself!

For more pictures of these VTech gadgets and the other VTech toys debuting at the International Toy Fair, check out VTech Toy’s Facebook page.

This week one of the coolest events is going on in New York City — the 107th International Toy Fair — and I’m not there.  (Note to self: must go to this at some point in my life)  This four day event will feature more than 1,100 exhibitors from 20 countries, displaying an estimated 100,000+ unique products.  It goes without saying that we are certain to see some amazing new toys hit store shelves in the next few months!

While a lot of these new toys will incorporate some amazing technology, there is one that isn’t necessarily gadgety but is definitely gadget-noteworthy — BARBIE!

That’s right, Barbie has entered the world of tech and gadgets as she takes on her 126th career as a computer engineer!

The Computer Engineer Barbie joins a long line of Barbies in the “I Can Be” series after Mattel launched an online campaign last year where girls could vote for the newest Barbie career.  She will, of course, be decked out with a laptop, smartphone, and Bluetooth headset.  Computer Engineer Barbie is slated to hit store shelves this fall.

I think it is awesome that Computer Engineer has made it’s way onto Barbie’s resume.  I love that this profession is being introduced to young girls on such a huge scale!   I would love to see my girls playing with Computer Engineer Barbie and pretending to be such.  And that’s not completely out there since they already walk around the house pretending they are talking on their phones via their Bluetooth!

What I”m a little skeptical about is Barbie’s outfit and, honestly, I don’t know why.  At first I was appalled that Computer Engineer Barbie was shown wearing a crazy print shirt, hot pink glasses, hot pink shoes, and leggings.  Really, is that something a Computer Engineer would wear?  Well, maybe.  After I started thinking about it I realized that why couldn’t Computer Engineers wear that outfit?  Did I expect her to wear a suit or toss aside her natural “Barbie” style?

Regardless of her style, Barbie has gone tech and I think it’s awesome!

If you are traveling by airplane this holiday season with your child, then you definitely need this!  When I first saw the Airplane Seat Back Valet from Hammacher Schlemmer (via Wired’s Gadget Lab), the first thing I thought of was: “This is so perfect for kids on airplanes!”

The tote simply attaches to the back of an airline seat by sliding over the tray table.  The bag keeps all of your child’s goodies organized with the different pockets, some mesh and some zippered.  The large pockets are great for books, coloring pages or holding their hand-held video games.  The zippered pockets are perfect to secure game cartridges, crayons, or pencils.  All of the other pockets can hold an iPod, snacks, extra tissues or wipes, or whatever it is that will keep your child entertained for the flight.  The Airplane Seat Back Valet even includes a spot to hold their water bottle!

The best part is that the organizer, when not in use, folds in half and becomes a convenient bag that you can tote with the included shoulder strap or handles.  Perfect for when you are chasing your little one around the terminal!

Although I haven’t seen the bag in person it does sound like a great solution when traveling with a child of any age!  The bag itself measures 11.75″ x 8″ when closed and costs $39.95 at www.hammacher.com — definitely an affordable price for a (hopefully) peaceful trip!

When it comes to the holidays, I love hearing tips and tricks from others.  Tips on how to make the most of the holidays with two small children.  Tricks on how to find the best deal on all of those toys on the kids’ wish lists.  And hints on how to survive it all with my sanity intact.

Here are five great holiday tips from the VTech Mom, Pilar Clark, and the VTech Voices that I thought you might appreciate:

1. Get Organized — Bins marked for ornaments and decorations make things easy to find, so more time can be spent decorating.
2. Be Thrifty and Creative — Spend time with your kids making homemade decorations and teachers gifts.  Try these No-Sew Sachets, the teachers will love them!
3. Let the Kids Help — Bake cookies, wrap presents and make holiday cards together.  The kids are kept busy and get a sense of accomplishment and pride for helping their parents out!
4. Get in the Holiday Spirit — Think about how to be your best from the moment you get up, almost like a mantra you’d use in yoga, to tackle your holiday “to-do’s” calmly.
5. Take Advantage of Online Shopping — Avoid the stress of the mall by shopping online.  Great for relatives who live out-of-state, the convenience of direct shipping is priceless.

The idea of taking my two young daughters shopping with me during the holidays makes me cringe!  It stresses me out just thinking about it.  So, needless to say, I’m a huge fan of online shopping!  And the holidays are a time where you can find some amazing deals online!!!

If you are still looking for gift ideas for your kids this year, here are some great products from VTech:

	Bugsby Reading System & Starter Book BundleJoin Bugsby the Book Work on a magical reading adventure! Your children will love reading along and interacting with their favorite characters as they build early reading skills. You can read my review of the Bugsby Reading System in this post! (3-7 years) ERP: $29.99
	Jungle Gym: Ride & Learn Giraffe BikeThis is a great way to get your toddler moving and learning!  As your toddler pedals, they’ll learn letters, objects and more!  The cute giraffe inspired bike includes an adjustable, kid-safe, bouncy seat with three positions that grows with your child! (18-36 months) ERP: $49.99
	V-Motion Active Learning SystemThe V-Motion Active Learning System is a breakthrough gaming console that combines wireless, motion-activated play, web connectivity and educational gaming into a system that plugs directly into your TV!  Your child will love playing and learning with their favorite characters, including Spider Man, Disney Fairies, Pixar’s UP!, and Handy Manny! (3-7 years) ERP: $24.99
	V.Smile Cyber PocketTake your gaming and learning on the go with the V.Smile Cyber Pocket!  The flip top high resolution screen makes way for the easy touch writing pad.  Best of all, the V.Smile Cyber Pocket is compatible with all of your child’s Smartridges from the V.Smile Library! (5+) ERP: $49.99

If you’re interested in more holiday tips or product announcement and holiday savings from VTech, you can join the VTech Mom and other parents on Facebook and Twitter (@VTechToys) or enroll in Club VTech at www.vtechkids.com!

We are giving away one Bugsby Reading System & Starter Book Bundle to one lucky Go Go Gadget Mom reader (valued at $29.99)!

How To Enter:

Simply leave a comment on this post telling me who you’d like to win the Bugsby Reading System for.

Extra Entries:

1 extra entry – Subscribe to Go Go Gadget Mom’s RSS Feed

1 extra entry – Follow me on Twitter (@iamgadgetmom) and tweet about this giveaway:
” I want to win the VTech Bugsby Reading System at GoGoGadgetMom.com! http://tinyurl.com/ygrmfhq #giveaway @iamgadgetmom ”

1 extra entry – Follow @VTechToys on Twitter and tweet about this giveaway (just copy and use the same tweet from above)

1 extra entry – Become a Fan of VTech Toys on Facebook.

5 extra entries - Blog about this giveaway.  Make sure you link back to this post and then leave me five separate comments below!

5 extra entries – Not a blogger?  No problem!  Send an email to 5 friends with a link to this contest.  Make sure you CC me on the email (stacey @ gogogadgetmom.com).  Then come back and leave me five separate comments for doing it!

The Details:

The winner will be randomly selected from the comments posted by Sunday, December 6 (11:59pm EST).  All entries will be verified and must include a valid email address where I can contact you, should you win.  This giveaway is open to US shipping addresses only.

*Disclaimer: I did not receive any products or monetary compensation from VTech for this post.  VTech is, however, providing the giveaway prizing.

I just saw a commercial for this today and had to check it out online! It is the Crayon Maker from Crayola®.

The Crayon Maker is basically the Easy Bake Oven of crayons. You place your broken crayon pieces (or the starter colors that come with the Crayon Maker) in the melting dish inside the Maker and let them melt down, taking about 10 minutes. Then pour the melted colors into the molds and let them harden. Voila! Your new crayons are ready and you’re off coloring again, this time with whatever swirled creation your child made!

The Crayon Maker operates on a clear, colorless 60-watt candelabra light bulb, similar to the Easy Bake Oven. You can watch a short video demonstrating how the Crayon Maker works here.

Although I haven’t actually used the Crayon Maker myself, it seems to be a straightforward and practical way to recycle those bits and pieces of crayon. With two little girls who love to color, we are always left with broken crayons or pieces too small for them to color with. Typically we save them for other art projects but it would be so great if we could recycle them into more crayons!!!

Right now my only question is clean-up. I’d be very interested to see how easy it is to clean-up the melting tray and molds!

The Crayola® Crayon Maker is available at Crayola.com and other major retailers. It retails for $32.99 and is recommended for ages 8 and up.

*Disclaimer: I did not receive any product or monetary compensation to write this post. Nor was I contacted by Crayola® or any of their affiliates.

Earlier this fall I participated in a Twitter contest hosted by @VtechToys and I won! Yay!  My prize — the Bugsby Reading System and two additional Bugsby Reading books!!!

From the moment we opened the box, my daughter was elated.  She loves books and books that came with an adorable book work…let the squealing begin!

The interactive reading system features pen touch technology wrapped up in a cute bookworm character shaped pen — Bugsby!  Simply click the software cartridge that comes with each book into the Bugsby pen and let the reading adventure begin.  My daughter loves that there are so many different options with each book.  She can let the pen read the story to her; she can tap each individual word to help her as she reads the story herself; or she can choose one of the interactive activities in the story.  She never gets bored!

I was amazed at how Abbi was able to start using the Reading System without any explanation from me.  The Bugsby Reading System is so user friendly and straightforward that a three year-old will have no trouble using it.  However, the system also grows with your child in the sense that your child can read the books on their own, using the Bugsby pen to help them with the words they are struggling with.  The reading system also offers an assortment of books targeting specific ages from 3 to 7 years.

And your child is going to love recognizing their favorite characters in the Bugsby Reading System books — from Dora to Olivia to Scooby Doo!  My daughter loves the Wow Wow Wubbzy book we received with our prize pack!

As a parent there are key features of the Bugsby Reading System that I love, besides the fact that my daughter loves it and it is educational, of course!  I appreciate so much that the designers thought about parents when they created the Bugsby pen.  They put a volume control button on it!!!  AND, this is where I believe there will be a place reserved for them in heaven, it has a headphone jack!!!!!  These may seem like small things but, when you’re in a car for more than two hours or on an airplane and your child wants to use their Bugsby Reader, you’ll be singing Vtech’s praises!

The Bugsby Reading System requires no additional software or extra set-up.  It truly is that easy and that fun!

I would highly recommend a Bugsby Reading System for any child ages 3 to 7, whether they love to read or not…whether they can read or not.  And, priced at just $29.99 for the Reading System and $12.99 for additional books, this will be a great gift this Christmas season.

*I received the Bugsby Reading System and two additional books as a prize from a contest I entered and won.  This review was not solicited by Vtech® and no compensation was received for the review.

I was checking out some of the blogs I read regularly and this caught my eye: Breaking News – Baby Einstein is issuing full refunds on their DVDs (from Cool Mom Picks).  What?  Why?  Are they leaking some sort of poisonous gas when my kids watch them???

It turns out that the refund is part of the Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood. I guess, somewhere along the way, Disney was asked to recant the claim that the Baby Einstein videos were educational to children. Since then members of the CCFC has been pressuring Disney to offer reimbursements to Baby Einstein customers…assuming these customers felt they were wronged by Disney’s claims.

You can see all the reimbursement details and how to claim your refund here.

I’m not sure what to think about this.  I mean it’s great that Disney is stepping up and offering good customer service.  And, sure, the Baby Einstein dvds probably shouldn’t be labeled as “educational”, but really?  Did parents really buy these videos thinking their children would become geniuses?

We have a handful of the Baby Einstein videos and my girls love them.  They love the animals and they love the music.  The videos did actually help facilitate them learning different animals but, more importantly, those videos bought me 10 minutes to take a peaceful shower!  And it’s really nice to have my kids watching videos that don’t have cartoon characters talking in very loud voices or some weird guy running around in an orange jump suit and a furry orange hat!

Yes, I’ve purchased Baby Einstein dvds that I wasn’t thrilled with.  There was a languages one that was really annoying to me and I sold it at a garage sale.  So, sure, it would have been nice to get a refund on that one.  But for the most part these dvds are great in comparison to some other options out there.

And never once did I expect my kid to solve some crazy mathematical problem or become musical prodigies because they watched some mouse puppets throwing flour at each other.  If anything I think I should be awarded some sort of ‘pain and suffering’ prize for having to listen to the whiney voice of Caillou and my daughter mimicking him!

What do you think?  Are you happy with Disney being pressured into this refund or are you just fine with getting 10 minutes of peace while your kids watch that non-educational Baby Einstein video?

I’m beginning to wonder who uses my iPhone more: me or my kids? It’s probably leaning more towards me but, if I keep finding these great kid apps, the scales are going to start tipping towards my kids. And fast!

Kid Book by Stolen Lunch (don’t you just love those names) is one of those “great kid apps” I was taking about!

Kid Book is a very simple app that helps kids learn colors, shapes, and animal names and sounds. The app is simple enough that my 18month old can use it with ease but interesting enough to keep my 3.5 year old wanting to play it over and over again. My youngest daughter loves the animal noises and learning how to say some of the words as the app says them, while my oldest loves to try to name the shape before the app can. And she LOVES that the sheep loses his wool! What is it about kid apps and sheering sheep?

As a mom I love that my kids are learning as they are playing. I also really appreciate that the game shows variation. One time the Monkey may appear on a Blue Heart and the next time you see the Monkey he is on a Green Hexagon. It means that my girls aren’t just memorizing the order of the screens. They are really learning the shapes, colors, and animals!

Kid Book (priced at $2.99) is available at the iTunes App Store, along with other Stolen Lunch apps.