Dell has partnered with Nickelodeon and Whyville.net to give life to its latest version of the Mini10v. According to Dell, the kids' Netbook has been designed with safe computing, education, and entertainment in mind. At a glance, Dell is only trying to reach another market (children), but if you look a little closer, the Netbook may represent a change in the way the next generation of preteens and children will learn to socialize and develop their decision-making skills.
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Dell)
The Netbook comes with desktop animations which link to Whyville.net, a virtual world where kids of all ages chat, shop, and visit places in town that engage them in science, nutrition, art, and business activities.
One of the most interesting locations is the cafeteria, where Whyvillians can pick a food item, view its nutritional facts, and select a meal based on an educated decision. If their character eats more fattening, high-calorie items, the cartoon character will see the effects as it becomes fatter and unhealthy. Likewise, if the character doesn't eat enough, he will become frail and sickly. A lack of vitamin C will cause scurvy sores, and a lack of calcium will cause weak bones and a bandaged head. As a result, the child may be advised that his Whyvillian should see the Whyville nutritionist.
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Nickelodeon)
In an effort to educate and encourage action, Nickelodeon is set to release what could be the first ever online multiplayer video game that deals with environmental issues. As a component of the broader Big Green Help initiative, the game will tie together an overall theme that the company launched on Earth Day last April.
The Big Green Help Global Challenge will be available for download starting Sunday, and we were able to grab a sneak peek.
Everyone who wants to play the game must take a pledge to reduce their carbon footprint. With that pledge comes a virtual checklist of changes that can be made such as "travelling by foot, bike, etc., instead of by car for four miles each week." At the end of every gaming session, players can track their progress and see how they are making an impact. Keep reading for more on the title including a gameplay video. ... Read more
Is it just me, or does the daunting array of consumer electronics for kids just keep getting daunting-er and daunting-er? As if it wasn't hard enough for them to choose between SpongeBob SquarePants, Dora the Explorer, and Go, Diego, Go!-themed gadgets, the options just got even broader (and we're just focusing on marketing from one network here).
An iCarly-inspired camera: what do you pink...err, think?
(Credit: Nickelodeon)Nickelodeon, Viacom Consumer Products, and Imation announced Monday that they're expanding their already choice-intensive line of youth-friendly electronics under Nickelodeon's Npower line to include Webcast gadgets inspired by iCarly.
That popular Nickelodeon show and Web site follow its characters as they host a Web show and grapple with everyday tween problems and adventures along the way (maybe one of those problems should be parsing out which gadgets to buy?).
Npower's iCarly line of electronics, which are being marketed to girls ages 9 to 14, include a $79.99 Webcam; a $24.99 iCarly action cam accessory that includes a steady cam mount, on-camera lighting, and detachable reporter-style mic for interviews that might inspire the next generation of CNET journalists; and a $39.99 iCarly 3-in-1 digicam that's also a PC, Web, and video camera.
The devices come with iCarly Digital Diary Software, which makes it easy to add photos, videos, and music, and text to a digital diary or journal. The iCarly program also lets kids upload videos and images to sites like iCarly.com.
Nickelodeon parent Viacom is as ever-optimistic as SpongeBob himself. The company is releasing a new line of higher-end consumer electronics branded with ubiquitous characters such as Dora and SpongeBob.
SpongeBob LCD TV goes for $299.
(Credit: Viacom)This isn't Nick's first foray into electronics, but apparently it's the first time the company isn't slapping the images onto schlock, according to an article in The New York Times.
One of the least expensive items in the new lineup is $29 SpongeBob alarm clock. I must say, it could be awfully satisfying to thump SpongeBob on the head in order to catch a few more minutes of sleep.
But a $299 flat-screen TV? It screams garage sale fodder. Televisions are meant to last a long while. It will take quite the naive parent to believe his or her kiddo is going to be interested in a SpongeBob TV for more than a couple of years.
Of course, considering how kids treat their toys, maybe the TV will end up on the bedroom floor, with a cracked LCD, within a few months anyway.
Moreover, using cartoon characters to sell anything cheap is always a sure-hit. But kid-oriented companies, such as Mattel and Walt Disney, have had very mixed results when they've tried to slap characters onto higher-end products, such as PCs.
And it's sad to admit, but SpongeBob himself could hardly afford his own TV, considering his paltry paycheck as a fry cook at the Krusty Krab.
To view more of the new gear, check out "Photos: SpongeBob's electronic evolution" on News.com.
Update and correction at 6 a.m. Pacific time Wednesday: The $10 SpongeBob calculator appears on the same Nickelodeon store page as the other electronics gear, but it is not part of the new lineup.
Regardless, the calculator apparently helped SpongeBob tremendously in back in math class, and he still uses it to balance his skimpy checkbook.
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