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Bartleby’s Book of Buttons for iPad free through WWDC
Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Books, iPad Apps, Sales, Free Apps

One of our favorite iPad apps for children, Bartleby's Book of Buttons: Volume I, is now being served up for free thanks fo the folks at Monster Costume. They're prepping Volume 2 of the storybook, and have decided to make Volume I (which typically sells for $4.99) free through WWDC 2011. If you've got an iPad, you should have Bartleby on it. Why? See our Bartleby's Book of Buttons review.
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| Bartleby's Book of Buttons Vol. 1
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Nintendo warns against allowing kids to use Nintendo 3DS 3D functions
Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Corporate News, Nintendo, Nintendo 3DS

Those thinking about buying the upcoming Nintendo 3DS for your pre-schooler might want to wait a few years. In advance of its Nintendo World 2011 demo, Nintendo posted a warning that suggests children under the age of six should not use its 3D functions.
"Vision of children under the age of six has been said [to be in the] developmental stage," according to a note posted to Nintendo's Japanese site. 3D content, including the 3DS, "delivers 3D images with different left and right eye images, [which] has a potential impact on the growth of children's eyes."
Nintendo recommended the use of parental controls to only allow younger gamers to play in 2D. There is "enough for everyone to enjoy," Nintendo said.
Nintendo recommended that players of all ages take breaks from 3D content every 30 minutes - or if you feel sick.
2010 Holiday Gift Guide: Tonka Rumblin Chuck
Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Features, Toys, Kids, Under $100, Under $250, Under $50, Under $500

The Tonka Rumblin' Chuck is an interactive companion designed for kids ages 3 and up, and if you've seen any of the commercials around children's programming this holiday season, you've probably seen this guy, so we're including him in our 2010 Holiday Gift Guide. This cheerful electronic truck aims to captivate your child with more than 50 sounds and phrases. In addition, Chuck features several fun animations: he'll wiggle, pop wheelies, and can even dump the load he's carrying. Rumblin' Chuck also includes an accompanying storybook, Friends for the Long Haul, which promotes a positive message about the value of friends and having fun. You can pick him up from Amazon for $37.57, which is 16% off the normal price.
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| Rumblin' Chuck
Lok8u Num8 watch keeps tabs on your kids
Posted by Mark Rollins Categories: Wearables, GPS
The Num8 from Lok8u (pronounced “locate-you”) is designed for parents who want to know where their children roam. This GPS locator device is concealed inside an ordinary child’s wristwatch, and a parent can follow their kid virtually via mobile phone or computer. Users also have the option of setting up a “virtual fence.” If a child with the Num8 steps outside this “safe zone,” the parents will be notified electronically. The Num8 will also notify the parents if the device is removed for any reason.
Of course, this security has a price. The device is about 149 Euros ($245,) and the location services range from about 4.99-19.99 Euros ($8-33,) depending on what type of service you want.
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| Num8 Press Release
PeeWee Pivot Tablet Laptop for kids
Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Design, PC / Laptop, Toys
We’ve gotta hand it to PeeWee PC, as their Pivot Tablet Laptop looks exactly like something that would be a home run in the hands of a technology-curious child. Don’t go comparing this to the OLPC XO, though, because the Pivot Tablet starts at $599.99. What do you get for the cash? Let’s run down some of the specs. First of all, the Pivot Tablet Laptop if drop-resistant and spill-resistant, which immediately should give a bit of piece of mind to parents (like me) who know the horrors of kids + tech + juice. It also has a handle, making it easy for the children to tote the 3 pound device around. Getting into the nitty gritty, the Pivot Tablet Laptop sports a 10-inch touch-sensitive rotating display with stylus, 6-cell Li-ion battery, a 1.6GHz Intel Atom N270 processor, 1GB RAM, a 1.3 megapixel camera, and a 60GB hard drive. Not too shabby. You’ve also got two USB 2.0 ports, Ethernet, and Wi-Fi, and the whole thing ships with Windows XP Home, which is customized with a theme of your choice (things liek Disney, Sci-Fi, etc.). Being a device for kids, there is also a security suite that let’s you keep on eye on what the little one is up to while using the device as well.
You can pick one up starting today.
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| PeeWee Pivot Laptop product page
Gallery: PeeWee Pivot Tablet Laptop for kids
Norton Free OnlineFamily
Posted by Sheila Franklin Categories: Hot Deals, Household, Internet, Software
It’s a scary Internet world for kids, but Symantec has generously offered Norton OnlineFamily to keep tabs on them. The software streamlines data from all your computers and can flag trouble sites. It shows where your kids are going and lets you search through their IMs, Facebook and MySpace profiles, including checking what information they are putting out there. They will call it Big Brother, but isn’t it better to be safe than sorry? A $60.00 value, the software is Free until Jan.10, 2010.
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| Norton
Social Networking Damaging to Kids’ Brains?
Posted by Sheila Franklin Categories: Cell Phones, Internet, Science
Baroness Susan Greenfield, an Oxford University neuroscientist, claims that social network sites may be creating a self-centered generation with a short attention span. She also says that they may be damaging to teens’ brains.
She said, “As a consequence, the mid-21st century mind might almost be infantilized, characterized by short attention spans, sensationalism, inability to empathize and a shaky sense of identity.”
However, one study claims that using text abbreviations could boost literacy skills since kids between the ages of 10 to 12 who texted were found to be the best readers. We wonder how many of those kids use the same language in their book reports.
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| Daily Mail
Ford MyKey Curbs Kids in Cars
Posted by Sheila Franklin Categories: Corporate News, Misc. Tech, Transportation
For parents who are reticent to let their kids drive their cars, Ford has come up with MyKey. Available on the 2010 Focus Coupe to start, the option can limit the vehicle’s top speed to 80 mph, limit the stereo volume to only 44% max, and issue an annoying chime if the seat belts aren’t connected or if the car reaches 45, 55, or 65 mph. The system uses Ford’s SecuriLock anti-theft system that identifies which key is in the ignition.
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| Autoblog
Tuttles Madcap Misadventures
Posted by Sheila Franklin Categories: PC / Laptop, Video Games
There really aren’t too many video games out there that are G-rated enough for parents. But the Tuttles Madcap Misadventures fills that bill and comes with a benefit. Purchase the $20.00 game and 50% of the proceeds go to the Starlight Starbright Children’s Foundation that assists critically ill children as well as their families. Download it and they will get 75%. The Tuttles are available for both PC and Mac.
The game is a sort of 40-level National Lampoon Vacation with three difficulty levels that finds the family on their way to the Alamo. Voices are provided by celebs such as Bob Saget, Jamie Lee Curtis, Ashley Tisdale, and William Shatner. The Commonsense Media game’s script was written by former SCTV alum Dave Thomas and his Animax Entertainment team.
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| Commonsense Media
Limit TV Time and Kids Lose Weight
Posted by Sheila Franklin Categories: Misc. Tech, Science, Video Games
Studies show that more kids are becoming obese these days due to more emphasis on video games, TVs, and computers, rather than actually exercising. Big Macs only add to the problem. Leonard Epstein of the State University of New York and team came up with a monitoring device that cuts time in half, resulting in overweight kids being forced to do something else that would burn those calories. After 2 years, the study found that kids who were restricted by 17.5 hours a week ended up with lower BMIs. We think this would be a good idea for some of the adults we know.
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| stuff
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