WITH CHRISTMAS around the corner, it’s time to look for toys for the kids. Everywhere you look, there’s one obvious trend—toys are going hi-tech. Now that five-year-old kids are walking around with iPads and smartphones, toy manufacturers are outdoing each other to come up with gadgets and gizmos made for kids who are too tech-savvy for their age. Here are the best and latest, as featured in Gizmag:
VTech Kidizoom Smartwatch: This features a 1.4-inch touchscreen along with a camera for photography and video recording, and microphone for voice recording with voice changing effects. The device also comes loaded with a selection of touchscreen games and there are over 50 watch displays to select from. The watch can also be used as an alarm clock, timer, stopwatch or countdown timer. The battery can last for up to two weeks and is charged via micro USB, which is also used to connect to a computer and upload your photos and videos.
Rolling Spider Minidrone: This is an older-child-friendly and beginner drone from Parrot (also available on Indian e-commerce sites). This model fits in the palm of your hand, weighs just 55 g (1.95 oz), but still boasts the same sort of flight stability for drone-based fun. The drone is operated through Parrot’s FreeFlight 3 app, which is available for iOS, Android, Windows 8.1 and Windows Phone 8.1. From there, users can not only pilot their drone, but also snap mid-flight aerial photographs via a built-in camera. It comes with large side wheels, which protect it from crashes into walls and furniture.
Lego Fusion Sets: Lego is known for its building bricks, but that seems a little outdated. For 2014, they have released a series of interactive sets called Lego Fusion Sets. They consist of 200 Lego pieces and a “capture plate” to build on, the key to interactivity. When the base and construction is scanned in using an app for iOS or Android, they come to life in a digital world, where they can be played with virtually. Sets can help users build towns, battle towers or holiday resorts and then complete missions in the digital versions of their constructions on a tablet. Another set sees users build cars, which can be taken for a virtual spin in the app.
Sphero Ollie: This is the latest app-controlled robot from Orbotix and is essentially a faster tubular version which can now reach speeds of 14 mph. To control an Ollie, you need an iOS and Android device loaded with the relevant app and it connects via Bluetooth. Users can then control Ollie, as it speeds around, pull tricks and change the colour of its built-in LED. It’s been designed to be tough enough to survive bumps and knocks, and comes with changeable tires and hubcaps.
My Friend Cayla: This looks like your typical 18-inch tall blonde doll, but when she starts talking and responding to what you say, you realise she’s an interactive smart doll capable of real (robotic) conversation and answering general knowledge questions. The doll connects to the Internet via an iOS or Android smart-device running the My Friend Cayla app and uses voice recognition to respond to what’s being said. She’s capable of millions of phrases and will even search the Internet to deliver the correct answer to questions. She can also play a number of games on her app.
MiP: This is another robot toy, billed as a self-balancing robot friend, and uses a mobile inverted pendulum principle to stay upright. MiP can be controlled using hand gestures waved in front of its face, or using more traditional controls on an iOS or Android device. Different modes mean it can also dance to music, balance things on its tray or perform tricks. With multiple MiPs, a user can play multiple games.
Vtech Innotab Max: This is the ideal tablet for kids. It’s rugged enough to survive in the hands of a three-year-old, has a large screen and a selection of educational and entertaining apps. It comes with a stylus to help improve handwriting. It features a built-in Wi-Fi, a 2 MP camera and 8 GB of internal storage with the option of a 32 GB microSD card.
