Happy Wednesday Everybody! I’m finishing up a game review, which I’ll be posting here later today. In the meantime, if you haven’t already seen it, you have to watch this cat playing games on an iPad. It’s super cute!

The cat’s name is Iggy and his human friend says his claws are not damaging the iPad’s screen.

Play Categories: Gadgets, Video Games

By Christopher Byrne (Follow Chris on Twitter)

I was thrilled to find out this week that LeapFrog has unveiled its first game for the iPod Touch and the iPhone that it will sell through the Apple App Store.

Why?

Well, this is where kids are going, and I’ve been saying for a while that the handheld platform wars are over, and the winners are Nintendo and Apple. But that doesn’t mean there isn’t a lot of opportunity because the content wars are just heating up, particularly in the educational category where Leap’s only credible competitor is VTECH.

Everyone who knows me—and listens to me go on and on—knows that I love LeapFrog. They’ve done an incredible job and even with their recent business challenges they have never compromised their reputation with consumers. Ask any parent—and I ask hundreds of them all the time—about LeapFrog, and they know it’s synonymous with quality product. And here’s the kicker: They think that even if they don’t have kids who are LeapFrog age. It’s a textbook case of brand building that has, way more often than not, fulfilled on the brand promise.

According to surveys, more and more iPod Touch units are being sold for kids in the 8-11 year old range, and there are pockets of the country where kids have iPhones. Those that don’t own one but who have parents that do love to play on them.

I have consistently been blown away first by Leapster and then Leapster2 for the younger kids, but the handheld game for older kids, Didj hasn’t caught on quite as much. As kids get older, they want what their peers have, and that has meant Nintendo DS—and now the fantastic DSi—and iPods.  The important issue with these platforms is to remember that having them is what makes kids part of their peer group. The content is going to change from kid to kid—just like the iPod in the population at large. I promise you the songs on my iPod (musicals, classical, some classic rock) would bore you silly and have you make fun of me, but I’m betting that I don’t want to listen to yours. However, we still have the iPod experience in common and that’s where we identify ourselves within the context of the contemporary culture.

Okay, so I ponied up my $2.99 for Number Rumble and had a blast. The game has three modes-learning, quizzing and random quizzing. It enhances memorization of math problems and testing of what’s been learned. Plus, it uses the cool spinning technology that is part of the whole iPod/iPhone interface. It also uses the built-in accelerometer in the random quiz mode.

But here’s where the real genius in this game comes into play. LeapFrog has now taken one of the most arduous challenges of many third and fourth graders—learning times tables basic equations and so forth—and turned it into a game that is not just fun in itself, but uses the hottest platform out there.

Somehow, learning and drilling the times tables isn’t so tough when it’s on the iPhone, even if it really belongs to mom or dad. Plus, you get all the creativity and educational expertise of LeapFrog for only $2.99. When has that happened before?

LeapFrog says that this is the first of a series of casual style games that it’s launching for this platform. I say, hooray. And I’m predicting that as they continue to grow and expand, time on the iPhone or iPod Touch will have to be negotiated within the family, just as in the early days of the home computer when there was only one in the house—and it used two floppy disks. We didn’t think there would be a time when every member of the family would have their own computer, but we’re moving there very quickly.

I would be remiss, however, if I didn’t acknowledge that a $50 Leapster 2 or a $169 Nintendo DSI is a far cry from the $200-$300 you’ll spend for an iPhone or the $229 for the basic iPod Touch, but if you have them already, then the LeapFrog programs are a steal.

And then there’s our favorite practice—justification for buying something you already want. “Well, the kids can learn with it…” Face it, you want this thing, and it’s great. It’s not justification to say that LeapFrog just made it better.

Play Categories: Gadgets, Industry News, Internet

At the current moment I am sitting in a travelers lounge inside the Hong Kong International Airport after the second leg of a three-legged journey heading to Singapore. I’m passing my time trying to keep myself amused. In the last few days I have flown five plus hours from New York to Los Angles and just completed a fifteen hour flight from Los Angles to Hong Kong. I’m now waiting to embark on a five hour, third leg of my trip to my final destination, Singapore. All in all I’m tired, cranky and bored to death. I finished reading the book I brought along hours ago and I’m already completely sick of rereading the same two magazines. I just fruitlessly attempted to sketch the passers by. I figure I’m just burnt out from jet lag. Now the question has become, “what to do during my four hour layover?” It seems like an eternity to waste before my next flight. And if I’m going to stay awake I’m going to need some mental stimulation.

I’m heading down to Singapore on a three day trip to meet with new technology partners. I’m hoping to bring back something new and exciting to the toy industry, so the simple idea of technology is on my mind. And so, with time to kill and an expansive airport to explore, I set off on my search for interesting products. (more…)

Play Categories: Experiences, Gadgets, Opinions

While walking the aisles of this years Toy Fair, I came across hundreds of spectacular games for all ages. Here are some of my favorite new games for preschoolers that are coming out later this year!

CANDY LAND: SWEET CELEBRATION GAME

(Ages 4 years & up/Approximate Retail Price: $19.99/Available: Fall 09)

In celebrating their 60^th birthday, Hasbro put a whole new twist on Candy Land. Kids now will build their path to the Kings castle. There are two new destinations in Candy Land – Captain Kidd Cone’s Ship, the SS Neapolitan, and the Chunky Chocolate Mountains. The first to reach the celebration with your treats and you will become the guest of honor at the party! HASBRO GAMES

CURIOUS GEORGE BEACH DISCOVERY GAME

(Ages 3 years & up/Approximate Retail Price: $12.99/Available January 09 exclusively at Target and Target.com)

Kids are going on a scavenger hunt with Curious George. Kids flip a card to reveal their challenge. Then they have to search for sea creatures and colorful treasures hidden below five secret beach locations. But, if the game spinner lands on a wave, you shake the box and the treasures will slide and hide in new locations. I CAN DO THAT! GAMES

FANCY NANCY TEA PARTY GAME

(Ages 3 years & up/Approximate Retail Price: $14.99/Available Summer 09)

The object of this game is to collect Colorforms pieces to create a tea party scene with Fancy Nancy. There are skills such as color matching and decision making that is necessary to achieve this goal. UNIVERSITY GAMES

GIRAFFALAFF LIMBO

(Ages 4 & up/Approximate Retail Price: $29.99/Available: Fall 09)

Do you remember Chicken Limbo? This is an updated, more modern version of “How low can you go?” There are six different types of limbo styles you have to perform. The child that can go the lowest wins! HASBRO GAMES

DR SEUSS SUPER STRETCHY ABCs

(Ages 3 years & up/Approximate Retail Price: $16.99/Available: Fall 09)

This game gets kids to S-T-R-E-T-C-H in all different directions while learning their ABCs and 123s. You have your Dr Seuss Oversized mat, and kids spin the Thing 1 and Thing 2 Toy-nado to find out their letter to body part challenge. You collect tiles as you complete challenges, and the child with the most tiles wins! I CAN DO THAT GAMES

RUMMIKUB KIDS’ EDITION (RUMMIKUB FOR KIDS)

(Ages 5 years & up/Approximate Retail Price: $14.99 /Available: Summer 09)

This is the first time there’s been an edition of Rummikub for younger children. This will help kids develop number and colors and fosters reasoning’s. The key to this game is that it’s designed with shapes that help children self correct their moves. PRESSMAN GAMES

SCATTERPILLAR SCRAMBLE GAME

(Ages 4 years & up/Approximate Retail Price: $19.99/Available: Fall 09)

This game looks really easy, and then you play. All you have to do is place the colored marbles in the Scatterpillar’s hands. But this Scatterpillar dances and wiggles, and makes it an adventure. HASBRO GAMES

UNO MOO! PRE-SCHOOL GAME

(Ages 4 years & up/Approximate Retail Price: $19.99/Available: Fall 09)

UNO Moo! Has the fun of UNO but is designed for preschoolers, featuring a simplified UNO game play and 28 farm animal figures. The object of the game is to be the first to get rid of all your barnyard animals by matching colors and figures to get your animals in the barn. When you get down to one figure – you must yell “UNO Moo”! The first player to successfully move all of their barnyard animals into the barn wins! MATTEL GAMES

Don’t forget to check out my list of Time to Play’s favorite games for Family Game Night!

Play Categories: Gadgets, Opinions, Summary, products

Our son, Nico, is 17 months old and he absolutely adores music. He claps his hands and dances everytime he hears even the shortest jingle. There is always music playing in our house.  My wife, Michelle, and I are both musicians and between the two of us we have a wide breadth of tastes and influences. Luckily, Nico likes it all. Whether it’s Metallica or Coltrane, he dances, jumps or bobs his head to the beat (a slick move his babysitter taught him). I once used my guitar to lull him to sleep playing the Rolling Stones’ “Can’t You Hear Me Knocking,” a song I ironically use to get my adrenaline going.

As musicians with a child who is showing promise in that direction, we are always on the look out for musical toys and entrainment. We’ve gotten him toy xylophones, guitars, bells, a Kazoo, and countless percussion instruments. One of his favorite toys is the Fisher Price Little Superstar Jammin Band Piano. He absolutely loves it.  Every time my wife and I pull out our instruments he runs to find it and joins us in a jam. It’s great as it allows him to feel included while helping him to develop his musical skills.

Nico also loves his Muno’s Groovin’ Guitar (Spin Master), a toy guitar which plays song excerpts from Yo Gabba Gabba, a show that Nico can’t get enough of.  We try to keep Nico from watching television, but Yo Gabba Gabba is the one exception.  I love the fact that they have Mark Mothersbaugh (of Devo fame), Elijah Wood (aka Frodo from Lord of the Rings) and Biz Markie (rapper of the 80′s  classic “Just a Friend” ) on the program to teach kids to draw, dance and beat box, respectively. The show uses music in such a way that builds on children’s kinesthetic skills, like dancing, wiggling and holding still. Yo Gabba Gabba also creatively implements preschool fundamentals, such as colors, numbers, shapes, and sounds, and it introduces kid-friendly vocabulary. Its hip theme is refreshing and is helping to spark some life into a generally bland genre of preschool television, a genre that hasn’t been cool since Sesame Street in the mid 70′s.

I’m glad Nico naturally gravitates towards music, and because he does, I will continue to encourage it. Who knows, one day when he’s older maybe he’ll let his old man jam with his band.

Play Categories: Experiences, Gadgets

A funny thing happened on the way to 2009 last week. It seems that sometime during the early morning hours of New Year’s Eve, every Microsoft 30GB Zune device on the planet froze. The incident, has been dubbed “Z2K9,” a reference to the Y2K non-event of 2000, which occurred (or didn’t occur) nine years ago to the day.

According to Microsoft, the technical glitch was caused by a leap-year related incident and should have resolved itself later that day. Microsoft advised all owners of the 30GB Zune to let the battery fully drain then, after noon GMT on January 1, 2009, recharge the device by connecting the Zune to a computer or AC power.

Play Categories: Gadgets, Video Games, products