Gadgets to Entertain and or Silence Kids of All Ages
I SPY AND THE NUMBER PLATE GAME WON’T entertain the Nintendo DS generation for long on car journeys. The modern parent needs to be armed with portable DVD players, PMPs, games consoles and the new breed of tech that will amuse for hours. Some even have educational benefit. but don’t tell the kids…
LEAPFROG LEAPSTER EXPLORER – Best for Young Gamers
The next generation of gamers will start on the sturdy Leapster Explorer.With educational games,ebooks and videos featuring well-known cartoon characters like Ben 10, starting at £10 and 512MB storage for games downloaded from Leapfrog.com its ideal for younger kids.
Your first Leapster gaming card comes bundled with the console and includes around a dozen games. The 3.2-inch touchscreen is bold and colorful, with a 420 x 420 resolution. The sound effects can irritate, but a 3.8mm jack provides merciful release.
(+) Strong educational element. Lots of games. Headphone jack
(-) The cost of extra games can mount up
Price £60
V-TECH STORIO – Best for Literacy
Sturio is an animated ebook reader, with interactive story books featuring games that improve spelling, phonics and grammar. Ebook cartridges cost £17 each, which seems excessive.
Designed for three-to seven-year-olds the Storio has a sturdy keypad, oversized controls and rubberized rim to protect against abuse. The protector that covers the 4.3-inch screen is somewhat less robust, putting the bright and vibrant, if slightly low-res. 480 x 272 display at risk. The eight-hour battery will survive most road trips.
(+) Miniature iPad styling. Educational
(-) Expensive ebook cartridges. Flimsy screen protector. Low-res screen
Price £60
NINTENDO DSI XL – Best for Grown-up Gaming
The XL is the big daddy of the DSi range, with two4.2-inch screens. The larger screens enhance the gaming experience,but text looks terrible and detail is soft on the 256 x 192-pixel screen.
There’s an SD slot for MUSIC playback and dual 0.3-megapixel cameras with a selection of “fun” filters, but it’s the games that matter; the DSi runs classics like Zelda Spirit, Tracks and New Super Marro Bros. At £25 a pop they’re expensive, but you can download them on the go from the online DSi shop. The battery lasts for nine to 13 hours, making it a long-term boredom buster.
(+) Large screens.Built-in browser
(-) Low-resolution screens. Pricey games
Price £150
APPLE IPAD WI-FI + 3G 16GB – Best for Young Adults
Internet browser, gaming tablet, ebook reader, the Pad does it all with panache. The 9.7-inch, 1.024 x 768 pixel screen is bright, with bags of detail. Pre-installed game. Real Racing HD looks fantastic and even apps that aren’t optimized to fit the iPad’s screen look pretty good. The choice of apps is huge and, with the inclusion of 3G, you have the option to download movies. TV shows, games and music on the go. There’s also a vast library of iBooks, with the Kindle app adding even more choice. The battery will last for a ten-hour journey, too.
(+) High res screen. All-round entertainment
(-) iPad+ young kids = brave or foolish
Price : 16GB = £529; 32GB = £599; 64GB = £699
TOSHIBA SDP94DT – Best for Movies
This portable DVD player’s 9-inch screen only has a 640×234 -pixel resolution. Video quality can’t compete with the iPad then, but 3D virtual surround sound provides decent audio, although you’ll probably want to enforce the use of headphones. The dual headphone socket allows two people to listen in. There is an SD slot and, as well as DVDs the SDP94DT supports MP3s, JPEG’s and DivX video files.
Toshiba quotes a four-hour battery life, but attach the bundled car adaptor, which plugs into your cigarette lighter, and you can avoid missing the end of the film.
(+) Very portable. Dual headphone socket
(-) Low-res screen
Price £150
I SPY AND THE NUMBER PLATE GAME WON’T entertain the Nintendo DS generation for long on car journeys. The modern parent needs to be armed with portable DVD players, PMPs, games consoles and the new breed of tech that will amuse for hours. Some even have educational benefit. but don’t tell the kids…
LEAPFROG LEAPSTER EXPLORER – Best for Young Gamers
The next generation of gamers will start on the sturdy Leapster Explorer.With educational games,ebooks and videos featuring well-known cartoon characters like Ben 10, starting at £10 and 512MB storage for games downloaded from Leapfrog.com its ideal for younger kids.
Your first Leapster gaming card comes bundled with the console and includes around a dozen games. The 3.2-inch touchscreen is bold and colorful, with a 420 x 420 resolution. The sound effects can irritate, but a 3.8mm jack provides merciful release.
(+) Strong educational element. Lots of games. Headphone jack
(-) The cost of extra games can mount up
Price £60
V-TECH STORIO – Best for Literacy
Sturio is an animated ebook reader, with interactive story books featuring games that improve spelling, phonics and grammar. Ebook cartridges cost £17 each, which seems excessive.
Designed for three-to seven-year-olds the Storio has a sturdy keypad, oversized controls and rubberized rim to protect against abuse. The protector that covers the 4.3-inch screen is somewhat less robust, putting the bright and vibrant, if slightly low-res. 480 x 272 display at risk. The eight-hour battery will survive most road trips.
(+) Miniature iPad styling. Educational
(-) Expensive ebook cartridges. Flimsy screen protector. Low-res screen
Price £60
NINTENDO DSI XL – Best for Grown-up Gaming
The XL is the big daddy of the DSi range, with two4.2-inch screens. The larger screens enhance the gaming experience,but text looks terrible and detail is soft on the 256 x 192-pixel screen.
There’s an SD slot for MUSIC playback and dual 0.3-megapixel cameras with a selection of “fun” filters, but it’s the games that matter; the DSi runs classics like Zelda Spirit, Tracks and New Super Marro Bros. At £25 a pop they’re expensive, but you can download them on the go from the online DSi shop. The battery lasts for nine to 13 hours, making it a long-term boredom buster.
(+) Large screens.Built-in browser
(-) Low-resolution screens. Pricey games
Price £150
APPLE IPAD WI-FI + 3G 16GB – Best for Young Adults
Internet browser, gaming tablet, ebook reader, the Pad does it all with panache. The 9.7-inch, 1.024 x 768 pixel screen is bright, with bags of detail. Pre-installed game. Real Racing HD looks fantastic and even apps that aren’t optimized to fit the iPad’s screen look pretty good. The choice of apps is huge and, with the inclusion of 3G, you have the option to download movies. TV shows, games and music on the go. There’s also a vast library of iBooks, with the Kindle app adding even more choice. The battery will last for a ten-hour journey, too.
(+) High res screen. All-round entertainment
(-) iPad+ young kids = brave or foolish
Price : 16GB = £529; 32GB = £599; 64GB = £699
TOSHIBA SDP94DT – Best for Movies
This portable DVD player’s 9-inch screen only has a 640×234 -pixel resolution. Video quality can’t compete with the iPad then, but 3D virtual surround sound provides decent audio, although you’ll probably want to enforce the use of headphones. The dual headphone socket allows two people to listen in. There is an SD slot and, as well as DVDs the SDP94DT supports MP3s, JPEG’s and DivX video files.
Toshiba quotes a four-hour battery life, but attach the bundled car adaptor, which plugs into your cigarette lighter, and you can avoid missing the end of the film.
(+) Very portable. Dual headphone socket
(-) Low-res screen
Price £150
