Kiddy Tech

Three of this years coolest tech-toys for kids.

By Lucy Heavens


These days the phrase 'tech toys' means gadgets for grownups, but sometimes they really are just toys, you know, for children. Toys designed to stimulate little imaginations are using some of the world's most advanced technology, and here are some of this year's funnest toys-of-the-future for tots to teens;

All parents have stories of crayon-covered walls or tabletops smeared with fingerpaint. To combat this scourge, Philips is introducing the Drag and Draw. With this toy the entire home becomes a canvas. The magic brush, eraser and bucket emit a kind of semi-permanent light allow children to 'paint' on any surface without permanent damage. This way your child can unleash their inner graffiti artist without any mess. Philips describes how Drag and Draw works as 'magic'. Perhaps long explanations are not necessary when your target market is 3 years old.


Should you want something more challenging try the Lego Factory. At legofactory.com children design their own Lego models using a simple 3-D graphics program downloaded to their computers. The design is submitted and the custom kit sent to your home. The possible combinations really are endless with a variety of 763 bricks. It encourages engineering skills and promotes creativity. Another benefit is that you are only charged for the pieces you actually use.


The Pièce de résistance of this year's kid-gadgetry however, has to be the next generation Fly Fusion 'pentop' computer. Fly – the pen of the future, has the potential to revolutionise the way kids learn and organise their school lives. Fly was invented in the US by a large, multi-disciplinary team of content designers, hardware and software engineers.


When used on 'Fly Paper', everything you write is automatically captured and digitized using pattern decoding technology. You can then have the pen speak it back to you or upload it to your PC and convert your notes to text.


There are several 'circle-codes' for activating applications. For example, write 'M' and circle it, and the pen then switches to menu-mode whereas a 'C' activates calculator-mode. The pen then interacts with the application. So you actually draw a calculator and tap '7' 'x' '8', and the pen's speaker would then say 'seven times eight equals fifty-six'.


Applications available for the pen include a translator, spellcheck, scheduler, games, mp3 player, and a host of homework tools; test yourself on history or get help with a quadratic equation. Don't have a piano at home? Just draw the keyboard and play! You can even draw buttons that change the instrument sound.