There are a few things you can count on in early September. Kids go back to school. Some people will keep wearing white long after Labor Day. Apple will unveil a new iPhone. Thanks to Apple’s much studied “silence,” iPhone rumors are spreading faster than VMA tweets about twerking.
Here’s my take on fact versus fiction – and whether you should wait or just upgrade now:
Fact:
September 10th – two new iPhones – a faster 5S with a better camera, more storage and a fingerprint scanner for cool security features. And – bringing the bling – and phone could come in silver and gold – along with traditional black and white. Fact:
I also buy the rumor that we’ll see a less expensive new iphone – the 5C – aimed at people choosing lower-cost Android smartphones. Those phones will likely come in a rainbow of ipod-esque colors too.
Fiction:
No iPhone 6 – designs will be evolutionary – not revolutionary. No bendable iPhone. No new iGlasses – and no iWatch to be unveiled at the September event. No giant screen iPhablet. No see-through device. And no – a new iPhone will not have a Siri who can actually do your real work – like your job – for you.
I expect the new iPhones to ship out around September 20th – if history repeats itself as it so often does in iPhone land. Another fact – the trade-in market is hot – so if you’re thinking about getting the new – new iPhone – lock in your trade-in value now through a site like gazelle. Those values typically drop the closer we get to launch.
You can read a whole lot more at www.usatoday.com/tech.
To see the full story go to usatoday.com/tech. (Can’t find it? Do a quick search for “Jennifer Jolly + Tech Now.”
From lunchboxes to laptops, smart-phones to smart-pens, most parents like me are staring down the barrel of a really long back to school shopping list right about now and feeling pretty overwhelmed. When it comes to tech-ing our kids, how do we give our kids what they really need for a price we can really afford?! Here are some smart choices for every budget:
For Computing on the Go: An Ultraportable Laptop
Today’s slender laptops are the crown jewel of the back-to-school buy. By elementary school, most students will need access to a computer, whether at home or on the go. If they are of an age where they need to pack one around with them, you’ll want to find something that has an all-day battery life, sturdy — yet lightweight and small, so that it can fit in a backpack — and a device that won’t be obsolete in a year or a two.
In this category it’s hard to beat the MacBook Air, which is as portable as they come — the 11″ model weighs just over 2 pounds — and has truly extraordinary 9 hours of battery life. Prices start at $950 with student discounts.
Another great pick is the new Sony Vaio Pro 13, which is one of the best new Ultrabooks I’ve ever tested. Its 4th generation Intel processor delivers ultra fast speeds and masters the most demanding tasks, such as multimedia, full-on gaming, and keeps the battery boosted all day long. It’s also super-tough, encased in carbon fiber. Prices on this little beauty start around $1250.
If you’re on a tight budget and you’d still like to get a light-weight laptop, don’t despair — Samsung’s 11″ Chromebook starts at just $250. It’s runs Google’s Chrome operating system instead of Mac OS or Windows, and focuses on running applications over the Internet. This means the Chromebook could take a while to get used to, but that’s not a big deal, since kids are so tech-adaptable. Overall, it does a fine job doing most things your average student needs, like researching topics online or writing papers with online tools like Google Docs.
For Taking Notes: Livescribe Sky Wi-Fi Smartpen
Today’s students have a modern equivalent of the #2 pencil on steroids in the Livescribe Sky Wi-Fi Smartpen. It records a digital copy of what you write and draw, as well as audio of your class lectures. You just takes notes like normal, then later, go back, tap any word, symbol or doodle and the pen plays back the lecture that it was recording while you were writing. It also syncs digital copies to an Evernote account via Wi-Fi, so you can access everything from your computer or mobile device wherever you have Internet access. The Sky Wi-Fi Smartpen starts at $150, and to use all of the pen’s features you’ll need to purchase notebooks from Livescribe as well — these start at $25 for a pack of 4 single-subject notebooks.
For Apps and Ereading: The iPad mini
While I’m really fond of the size, price, and performance of the Google Nexus 7 and Amazon Kindle Fire HD — and love that the Sony Xperia Tablet Z is waterproof — Apple’s iPad mini is still the tablet I find myself recommending to parents the most. Oh, sure, we read everyday how quickly Android’s catching up, but iPads still offer the most robust selection of learning, study, and organizational apps overall. It’s also an easy way to access to digital textbooks, as well as iTunes U, which gives your student free, easy access to college-level courses as podcasts, videos, lecture notes, and other media. Best of all, the iPad mini has a mini-ish price tag, too, starting at $330.
There are, of course, great non-Apple options out there for students of all ages — so be sure to see our full story just on tablets for teens later this month.
For Keeping in Touch: Smarter Smartphones
Giving your child a smartphone may not seem like a great idea, but it is the best way for them to stay in touch — not just with their friends, but with parents, family, and emergency services if needed. There are so many great options for students of all ages that we’ll be doing an entire story just on phones for kids – some of which are even free. We’ll have an entire series on the subject coming up shortly. For Taking a Load Off: Airbac Backpack
My daughter’s backpack is bigger than she is, and has been since about the forth grade. Half the time it seems to weigh more than she does too. Roller bags are outlawed at her school, yet bad backs, apparently are not. For this issue, there’s Airbac, with a built-in “air cushion” that nestles in against your lower back and, quite literally, takes a load off. You can use an air pump to put more air in whenever and wherever you need. The whole design behind this pack is to alleviate the pressure pulling down on your shoulders, while distributing weight more evenly throughout, and resting more comfortably on your hips. For this, you’ll pay a pretty penny, around $60, which I think is a small price to pay for knowing their back is protected.
For Music at Home, in the Dorm, or on the Go: Satechi iFit-1
This speaker dock for your smartphone or tablet is compact and portable, but still features the power to provide great sound wherever you need it — with a battery that will last for up to 6 hours. This gadget is compatible with most smartphones and tablets and, best of all, comes in at a bargain price of $16.
For the Wow Factor: Pebble Smartwatch
The Pebble Smart Watch is more for the college age student who wants to look both tech, and fashion, forward. It’s a great way to know what time it is, and gives you a way to read to read texts, emails, and get calendar notifications, all on your wrist. But, if you or your student is prone to attention issues, this could be a huge distraction, since it vibrates and flashes social media alerts right on their wrist. Prices start at $150. http://getpebble.com/ For Going from Lost to Found: StickNFind
And once you’ve invested in this great tech, be sure your kids don’t lose it with StickNFind. These quarter-sized stickers broadcast a Bluetooth signal that you can track within a 150-foot range using StickNFind’s smartphone app. At $50 for a pack of two stickers, these are probably best used on the items that are easily lost, like wallets, smartphones, tablets, or even one another.
Because You Say Students Still Need Printers: Epson Expression Home XP-410 Small-in-One
There’s been a great debate among the tech-recommending crowd, do students still need printers, or is a USB memory stick or trip to the nearest campus Kinko’s enough? I took that question to you, the viewers and readers, who overwhelming responded that, “YES,” many students still need the ability to print papers and projects and it’s too inconvenient to go someplace to have them printed all the time. For a decent printer that works wirelessly across most mobile devices, the $99 Epson XP-410 is a fine choice. Yes, the ink will still be the biggest cost, so teach your students to print wisely.
What’s one gadget or school-tool you miss from your days as the big man on campus? Be sure to let us know in the comments section below.
Smart Kids Apps to Prevent Summer Brain Drain & Get Kids Ready to Go Back To School:
Want to prevent summer slide – make sure kids go back to school with their brains brimming with bright ideas? Or maybe you just want to make their screen time is quality time? Here are 10 apps that can be great for young minds:
1. Touch ‘N Sing – Touch and Sing Along Picture Book
This is great example of a healthy first foray into the online world for kids as young two. It features 12 classic children’s songs, each with a different goal; learn letters, body parts, music, interactive play, reading, numbers, elements of science, and life skills to help prepare for the real world. Another stand out feature? It grows along with your child – as they progress through the various levels – the learning possibilities become limitless. The developer’s name, SumahoMAMA, means “cell phones Moms,” in Japanese, where it was created by moms looking for the very best ways to create healthy, safe, and manageable digital introductions to young kids. In additional to the apps content, no advertising is used in this product. That’s a bonus, for sure.
For ages: 2+, Available on iTunes, Free 2. WWF Together:
The World Wildlife Federation App lets kids experience the world’s most amazing and endangered animals through in-depth, interactive stories of giant pandas, tigers, and polar bears.
Ages 4+ Available on iTunes, Free
3. The Fantastic Flying Books of Morris Lessmore
This is a stunning picture book app that counts on clever interaction to move the story forward. Kids are encouraged to make sounds, tap, tilt, and play.
Ages 6+ Available on iTunes, $4.99
4. Stack the states:
Stack the States is a big favorite for our daily commute in the car. My daughter reads out the questions and we race each other to see who can answer them first. Helps teach state capitals, shapes, geographic locations, flags and more.
Ages 6+ Available on iTunes, Google Play, Free
5. TinyTap
Tiny Tap gets parents more involved with child’s digital play by letting you create your own games with your kids using photos, music, colors, and words. You can make your own game, or pick from one of the many already created.
Ages 4+, Available on iTunes, Free
6. BuzzMath Middle School
If you want to prevent summer slide and make sure kids go back to school with their brains brimming, take a look at this comprehensive math skills and practice tool that offers thousands of quirky and fun exercises. It’s best for grades six through eight. And I highly recommend it for parents as a way to brush-up too!
Ages 10+, Available on iTunes, Google Play, Free
7. Storia
This reading app from Scholastic is a must-have. It’s filled with an entire library of teacher recommended books, plus dozens of fun and engaging games that help build comprehension and reading retention at every age and reading level. It’s so much fun, children will have NO idea how good it is for them as they work on word puzzles, tap their way through image games, and explore the world of their own imagination through great stories.
For ages 6+, Available on Google Play, iTunes, Windows, and Amazon, Free
8. Todo Elementary Math Series
This is a series of 7 multi-level games that are aligned to the Common Core State Standards for Pre-K through 2nd grade. The games help kids with learning differences, which might be struggling with concepts like telling time. It lets kids learn independently and progress at their own pace. The name, “Todo” translates to ,“all” in Spanish, and stands for the fact that this app helps include all children, no matter what their learning style or speed, understand basic counting and calculations, telling time, measuring, and dealing with money.
Ages 5+, Available on iTunes, Free
9. Watt Pad
This app lets young writers post short stories, novels and poems for others to read and critique. The critique is positive, creative, and aimed at helping kids hone their craft – no bullying allowed. The works are often revealed chapter by chapter, so readers are anticipating new developments and often lobbying the writer for plot shifts or new characters. Famous authors also get involved, for a digital writers-group that’s out of this world.
Ages 12+, Available on iTunes, Google Play
10. BrainPOP
BrainPOP features a new animated movie each day (I love the one about the Beatles)that kids watch – then get quizzed on – in a fun and interactive way. Topics cover math, social studies, English, tech, music, health , and more. The videos aren’t sophisticated, but the information is solid and they are captioned so you can read along. This is a great one on a road trip, so everyone in the car can play along.
Ages 8+, Available on iTunes, Google Play
One last note, most apps have in-app upgrades and new games that you can buy. Be sure to turn off in-app purchases, and set up a passcode that your kids can’t guess. Also, be sure to check-in on what they’re playing. For ideas about how much screen time is okay, without creating zoned out zombies, read the latest guidelines and recommendations.
We know there are hundreds more, and new ones being added everyday. What are some of your favorites? Be sure to let us know in the comments section below.
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As seen in Jennifer Jolly’s, USA Today TECH Now Report:
Making money online sounds like a dream come true — which is probably why so many spam e-mails and scam websites litter the Internet and our inboxes with promises of easy money. But earning extra cash on the Internet isn’t just a pipe dream. If you use a bit of common sense to dodge the scams, there are lots of legitimate opportunities to make a little extra pocket money, or even fund a dream vacation. Here are some of the bestlegalnew ways to use the Internet to line your wallet.
Crowdfund your way to success
When you hear the word “crowdfunding,” chances are you automatically think about Kickstarter, which lets designers, developers and writers pitch product ideas that anyone can contribute to. But with GoFundMe, you can use the power of crowdfunding to help pay for your next vacation, cover unexpected bills, go to graduate school or just about anything else. Whatever goal you’re trying to reach, write it up on the site and then ask your friends, family and anyone else to chip in to help — you’ll be surprised at how a few dollars from all of your friends can add up!
Answer questions and share your expertise
Who knew that answering questions could earn you cash? Sites like JustAnswer will pay you (as long as you’re qualified) to answer questions submitted by people who need advice they can trust. For instance, if you’re a tech genius, someone might ask you to help them set up their new smartphone. You have a law degree? Maybe someone needs a simple legal question answered. Auto mechanic? Please, tell me how to reset the car’s computer after I change the oil (but first, walk me through how to change the oil). This is a great way to take what you know and turn it into a nice little side business for yourself.
Another service I have put to the test recently is Rewarder. You sign up and see if you can help anyone who has posted a “reward.” Today, someone is offering $100 if you can help them find their poodle. Another person is offering $50 for a travel itinerary to Sydney, Australia. My personal favorite, someone will pay $20 for proposal ideas for his girlfriend. Easy, fun and the “rewards” add up.
Sell your time or services
If you have free time, there are a lot of services that can turn that time into money earned. Fiverr is an online marketplace where you can post anything you’re willing to do: your creativity (and what people are willing to pay for) is all that limits you. Payments, as the name implies, start at $5 but can go higher. I also like online storefront Zaarly — which is kind of a personal concierge service. Using the site requires you to submit an application, but once you’re approved, what you sell is up to you: dog-walking services? Pilates lessons? Homemade birthday cakes? Closet organization? Describe and price your services as you see fit and wait for orders to come in. One bummer, though, is that it’s not available everywhere yet — check the site to see if it’s offered in your area.
The (small) downside to both of these services is that they require you to have some personal marketing skills: To succeed, you need to convince people on Fiverr and Zaarly that your services are worth paying for.
Ibotta lets users get cash rewards for purchases.
Buy things (and save)
Clipping coupons can be a pain, but a new wave of couponing apps is here to help us save money and even get cash rewards — just for doing the shipping! Ibotta works lets you buy products listed in the app, take a photo of your receipt with your smartphone and get cash rewards deposited into your PayPal account. Ibotta also asks you to watch ads, answer poll questions, or do other small tasks to earn your savings. SavingStar is a similar rewards program, but it ties into your grocery or pharmacy’s rewards card to track your purchases, so you don’t have the hassle of scanning receipts — but on the downside, it works only with a select range of stores. Both of these apps are easier than clipping coupons, and the small savings ($0.25 to $1.00 seems the most common) will add up over time.
Antengo connects you with others in your area who want to buy or sell products.
Have a yard sale … from your smartphone
Yard sales are a great way to earn some extra cash, but they can be a hassle to set up and run. So instead, why not take a picture of what you want to sell on your smartphone and offer it up on the online classified service Antengo? It connects you with others in your area who are want to buy your stuff — Antengo will automatically post the photo and your description of the item to users of its app and to sites like Craigslist and Facebook, so your ad gets the widest reach possible. I’m a little addicted to this service. A garage sale has never been so easy.
There are other services, but these are a few newer ones that most people I know aren’t aware of. What others do you know about? Be sure to let us know in the comments section below.
Whether you’re heading out this spring, or just enjoying a break at home– Spring into action with some of the hottest new tech that will make the season blossom.
1. What’s hot right now are these – Intel-inspired Ultrabook Convertibles like the Lenovo IdeaPad Yoga : Starts at $1049
• It’s a full, powerhouse PC that goes from laptop to tablet mode by flipping, folding or twisting the screen.
• Just over 3.4 lbs with up to 8 hours of battery life
Here’s another great multi-tasking gadget with built-in flexibility:
2. iHome iDL45 Clock Dock : $99.99
• Spring forward with a clock that charges and plays all your old and new i-devices with a Lightning connector, 30-pin and USB.
• What really sets this iHome clock apart is the sound quality:
• Reson8 Speaker gives you crystal clear sound that can really fill a room or office.
• According to the NPD group – iHome is the #1 for digital audio and #1 for docking stations
Time for some spring cleaning: 3. iRobot Looj 330 Gutter Cleaning Robot : $300
• You may know iRobot for the Roomba vacuum cleaning robot – they also make robots that clean outside your home
• The Looj is super easy to use: just climb up the ladder, place the robot in your gutter, and use the wireless remote to drive the robot while the augur spins at 500 RPM, kicking out all the debris, leave, and muck.
• It stays charged for 3-hours and can clean 30-feet of gutter in 5 minutes.
… Which means more time for fun!
4. Sony Action Cam (HDR-AS15) Built in Wi-Fi $269 / $199 (no Wi-Fi)
• POV camera’s are all the rage and I recently tried out Sony’s Action Cam on the Zipline at the Canyons Resort in Park City, Utah. Action Cam is the perfect name for the incredibly small, lightweight video camera that will mount anywhere and stream video from anywhere, including during the middle of a 2,000 foot zipline, some 300-feet above the forest floor.
• With the Wi-Fi remote – you can actually frame, shoot, and watch right from your smartphone in real time – or stream video to YouTube or Facebook.
• Works great in low-light
• Is complete with SteadyShot image stabilization, a 1080/30p capture mode and a 720p option at 120 frames per second, enabling some pretty slick slow-motion effects.
5. Playstation MLB The Show 13 PS3 – $59.99 & PS Vita – $39.99
• You can’t talk about Spring without thinking about Spring Training and Baseball.MLB 13 The Show is the most realistic baseball video game I’ve ever seen.
• Its jaw-dropping detail captures the mechanics and the raw emotion of Major League Baseball.
• What’s really cool – you can play other people on the go through Cross-Play with your PS Vita in Home Run Derby mode.
Perhaps the most important spring tech gadget of them all –
6. Motorola P4000 Universal Portable Power Pack – around $70
• This is the MUST HAVE gadget for all spring-breakers – stop getting caught with your battery down.
• You can recharge your devices at the beach, at your kids’ little league practice, working from a café or anywhere in between.
• It’s compatible with phones by all manufacturers, so will work with any device you use.
• It provides up to two full phone charges, so you can keep the movies rolling, listen to hours of music, browse the Web, text or tweet without skipping a beat.
• In as little as 15 minutes, your smartphone can be recharged with up to 2.5 hours of talk time.
For more information, you can go to jenniferjolly.com or see my reviews via TechNow at USAToday.com/tech – or watch the TV segment here: Chicago News and Weather | FOX 32 News
From snapshots to posed portraits, smartphones have become the camera of choice for snap-happy photo lovers. In this TECH NOW, how to use that same smartphone to enhance any photo with three colorful apps.
Go back to the ’50s with PocketBooth. This cross-platform app takes rapid-fire shots of your friends. You can add filters for that antiqued look, and arrange images into a strip you can then share or print. It’s available for Apple’s iOS gadgets, Android and Windows Phone.
Or … bring still photos to life with Flixel, a free iPhone app that animates a single detail from any shot you choose, giving the illusion of a mini movie.
Then take a walk on the wild side. Wash your photos in funky pop art colors with a 1960s vibe using the psychedelic Photo Tropedelic app available from iTunes ($1.99).
Jennifer Jolly is an Emmy award-winning consumer tech contributor and host of USA TODAY’s new daily digital TECH NOW . Email her at techcomments@usatoday.com. Follow her on Twitter: @JenniferJolly.
Fix your worst time-draining tech habits
If biting your fingernails took up eight hours of your time every day, would you, could you, give it up? What if the way you’re using email or web search is robbing hours and hours of your life? A recent round of surveys about how we’re spending our precious time online shows that most of us are doing the high-tech equivalent of chewing our nails to the quick every day without even realizing it. From getting sucked into social media to throwing away whole hours surfing the web like it’s 1999, today’s technology should help save time, not waste it.
Here’s a look at some of our biggest time-wasting tech habits, along with quick-fix solutions to take back your time right now.
Time Suck Trap #1: Search insanity
According to recent internet use statistics, people waste as much as 70 minutes a day surfing the web for information. Why? Maybe we’re just stuck in a Google rut. Collectively, we visit Google 7.2 billion times a day and make around 3 billion queries. Yet half the time, it seems we never find what we’re looking for in the first place. Time-Saving Solution: Try a new search engine.
The folks at Bing recently dared me to take this new BingItOn Challenge. Like the old Pepsi blind taste test, it pits web search results from Bing against results from Google. It’s unbranded, and there aren’t any ads, so you don’t know which is which. You put in five queries, then declare a winner based on your preferences. Bing bet that I would be so surprised by the results that I would change to Bing as my primary search engine. “Bing it on,” I thought, as skeptical as ever.
But guess what? They were right. Bing won. Again and again and again. What I like most about Bing is that the results seem more relevant, more tailored to me and my interests. While replacing any bad habit with a good one takes a little time to get used to, I’ve already saved about 30 minutes a day by using a new search engine to track down information during my busy day. Time Suck Trap #2: Social media madness
Americans spend an average of — get this — 100,000 years worth of time each month on Facebook. Add to that Twitter, Pinterest, YouTube, and mobile games like Words With Friends, and it’s easy to see why we can’t get anything done.
Time-Saving Solution: Automate social media posting.
Use a social media dashboard like Hootsuite to post to all your social media sites at once. It also lets you preschedule social media posts so that you can batch it all into a few hours to go out over a month’s time or even longer.
If that’s not enough to keep you from reading, Liking, commenting, and pinning all your time away, use an application like RescueTime. It measures all the different things you do on your computer, then gives you detailed reports about how you’re spending your digital day. You can also use it to block yourself from sites that you’re tempted to visit but know you shouldn’t.
Time Suck Trap #3: Email overload
Has your inbox become a landfill, overflowing and overwhelming? The average inbox receives 100 emails per day. Of those 100 emails, only 42% are considered important. Time-Saving Solution: Manage your mailbox.
This is another example of how it pays off to use modern technology to help manage modern technology. I use a service called Sanebox. It sifts, sorts, and stacks up email according to what’s important. It’s easy to customize, and it learns from your actions, automatically putting your newsletters in one box, store promotions in another. My favorite feature is that it sends suspected spam to the Black Hole where it belongs. But don’t worry, it doesn’t ditch an email unless you say it’s okay.
Sanebox says it saves people an average of two hours per week from digging through their inboxes (though if you get a ton of emails like I do, I think it saves closer to four).
Time Suck Trap #4: News blues
Now here’s an interesting habit I had no clue was wasting so much of my time — fishing around for news. According to the Pew Research Center, people spend about 70 minutes a day getting news from TV, radio, newspaper, and now online news sites.
Time-Saving Solution: Centralize your news.
You can get all your print and online news, everything that you need to feel informed, in about 10 minutes using a new app called Wavii (download Wavii for iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch). This service lets you keep up with everything you care about in a personalized news feed and automatically creates status updates for your favorite politicians, celebrities, gadgets, and more.
If you still prefer to listen to the radio for news or just like to have music playing in the background all day, use the ultra-time-saving service TuneIn. It lets you hear what’s happening right now from anywhere in the world, all in one place. The free service gives you a simple and streamlined way to listen to the music, sports, news, and podcasts you like. You just personalize your favorites once, so you don’t have to waste time channel surfing every time you want to listen to something you like. You can use this in the car and on your smartphone or tablet, not only when you’re sitting in front of a computer.
Time Suck Trap #5: Dings, rings, and annoying things
Every time you get a notification alert — those dings, rings, clicks, or popup instant message (IM) bubbles on your smartphone or computer — it takes your attention away from the task at hand. Even if they don’t make a sound (maybe your smartphone screen just lights up when you get an email or new Facebook comment or it’s your turn to Draw Something), those distractions kill your concentration and drain your device’s battery.
Time-Saving Solution: Turn off alerts.
It sounds so very simple, and it actually is. Whenever you download a new app, it asks you whether to allow push notifications. Hit “don’t allow.” If alerts are already on your device, go to the start or settings menu, find the notifications center in the drop-down menu, and select “no” for everything you don’t want to bug you throughout the day.
It’s fine to schedule time to play Words With Friends, IM with your BFF, or scan the latest cute kitten videos on YouTube. But set boundaries and time limits on those activities so that you get in, get out, and get on with a more productive digital day.
What are your biggest time-draining tech habits? Do you have any quick-fix, time-saving tech solutions to share? Let us know what saves you time.
Shhh, don’t tell the kids, but many of the hottest holiday tech toys this year can actually be good for them. From iPads and Wii U’s, to all of the battery-operated, USB cable’d, LED-lighted magic in-between, today’s top picks can combine the best of the digital world with the engagement of the real world, to create modern toys that both educate and entertain. Here are some of my favorites:
Barbie Photo Fashion is bright, beautiful, and rocks the latest fashion trend, but there’s a whole lot more to this little doll than meets the eye. She’s equipped to introduce kids to the world of digital photography, graphic design, and modern marketing.
This Barbie doubles as a digital camera, with a built-in best-shot billboard. By pressing her belt buckle, you turn on a lens embedded in Barbie’s back, which features a 0.3-megapixel camera. The camera shoots and stores up to 200 photos, and displays them on the LED backlit screen built-in to Barbie’s shirt. Kids can customize photos with more than 30 filters, frames, and stamps. Compatible with both Mac and PC, Barbie Photo Fashion Doll can encourage creativity in a modern, pop culture sort of way way. Look out supermodel turned super mogul Tyra Banks, this Barbie is on to your kind of multimedia super powers.
2. Hot Wheels Apptivity
Age: 4+
Price: $20
Buy: From Amazon
Here’s another high-tech twist on a perennial favorite, Hot Wheels Apptivity. Kids can use specially designed, screen-safe Hot Wheels cars on their parents’ iPad. The cars actually interact with a free app. It uses a conductive technology, so the app recognizes each vehicle and its driving style. Now, of course this means parents have to be willing to give up the iPad for playtime. Apptivity also came out several other popular toy-meets-tablet games including Fruit Ninja, Batman, and Cut the Rope. If you lose one of the race cars or action figures, you can still play the apps with your fingertips.
3. Furby
Age: 5+
Cost: $60
Buy: From Amazon
A big trend in general this year is the “rad” revival of toys that first came in the 80’s and 90’s, like Furby. Today’s more modern furry friend encourages interactive play, through progressive learning. That means that the more a child plays with it, the better it learns to perform a trick, speak, and even pick up on the personality of the child playing with it. Furby even has sensors all over his fuzzy little “body” that help him react in a realistic way to kids movement and speech. Oh, and he’s got his own own smartphone and iPad app too. One word of warning for parents: the cutesy sounds this little guy makes will drive you crazy after awhile (like most kids toys that make noise). Nothing that set of ear-plugs won’t fix.
Another toy making a comeback (though really, it never went away) is the Rubik’s Cube. But this holiday season’s must-have version is the Rubik’s Stack & Build Blocks set that turns the classic puzzle into a set of 20 building blocks, perfect for the stroller set. The blocks have the same bright colors of the classic cube, and come in four shapes: triangles, squares, and small and large rectangles. These building blocks encourage creative play, help develop fine motor skills, and teach little minds about sizes and shapes.
5. Cubelets
Ages: 8+
Cost: $160
The cost of this toy is high, because what a child can do with it is seriously that cool. By using what looks an awful lot like regular building blocks, kids can create simple, reconfigurable robots that can actually move around, respond to light, react to sound, and display other lifelike behavior. It works by combining sensor, logic, and actuator blocks. Depending on the combination, you’re basically “programming” the robot to perform different tasks. The different types of cubes elicit different actions, and reactions, in the simple robot, without any wires, tools, or programming skills. This is a great way to introduce young minds to the core concepts of robotics and programming logic.
6. Tablets for Tots
Ages: 3-9
Cost: $80 — $150
Parents ask my advice about kids tablets all the time, and it’s tough to recommend just one. The one you choose has a lot to do with your budget. In the sensibly priced range, I really like both of the new, upgraded LeapPad 2, and VTech InnoTab 2 kids Tablets. Both focus more on learning capabilities than flashy tech specs, though they hold their own with more memory to store apps and creations, and faster processors that can handle more complex software. They also both have a 5″ touch screen, tilt sensor, microphone, and built-in digital photo/video cameras. Either of these tablets are fantastic first choices, great for learning early reading and math skills.
7. PlayStation Wonderbook
Ages: 7+
Cost: $40 for stand alone, $80 for the PS3 bundle
The new PlayStation Wonderbook is essentially a digital, holographic pop-up book. It works with the PlayStation Eye camera to “see” what’s happening in real-time, then layer it augmented reality-style with various events and activities on the screen. The first title coming out is the “Book of Spells,” written by J.K. Rowling. It teaches you how to become a wizard, and by using the PlayStation Move controller, you can actually perform spells with an onscreen wizard’s wand. It’s sure to captivate and engage audiences young and old, with it’s multi-sensory storytelling magic.
One of the most popular selling games for the 2011 Holiday season was Skylanders: Spyro’s Adventure. Now, Activision’s bigger, bolder sequel Skylanders Giants, is poised to dominate this year as well. Skylanders broke ground as a revolutionary bridge between video gaming and action figures. With the Giants starter set, and a video game console (PS3, Wii, XBox 360), you can bring action figure to life inside the Skylanders game universe. The figures actually save and store your levels and information as well, and each comes with it’s own special powers. I like the way this provides a portal for positive play, away from the screen, creating a nexus between gaming, imagination, and active play, while creating a fairly positive storyline.
9. Digital Light Designer
Ages: 6+
Cost: $60
The Digital Light Designer lets you draw and color with light. With a digital stylus, kids can create and manipulate 96 colored LED’s inside a 3D, light-up dome. You can even animate the art with special effects like color change, rotation, and three panel animation.
It also comes with games and an activity mode, and lets you create and save your favorite drawings and personal messages to light up a room later.
10. Wonder Box
Ages: 3-6
Cost: $20 per month
For a truly interactive toy, take a look at Wonder Box from Education.com. It’s a subscription-based monthly service, that delivers ready-to-go science, craft and other fun projects right to your doorstep. Each month has a different theme, such as mad scientist, nature, or once upon a time. Each box is filled with age-appropriate projects to help educate, enrich and entertain kids. This is a great way to get families more quality time together, while helping kids satisfy their curiosity about the world around them.
As a mom, I know first hand that the best toys are the ones your kids actually play with. As someone pointed out the last time I did a toy round-up, sometimes the best toys are a simple cardboard box or set of pots and pans. But if you’re like me, there’s a good chance you’ll want to get a few of these toys, just so that you can play with them too.
