Cover: CTR 129, December 2010
Children’s Technology Review
December 2010 Volume 18, No. 12, Issue 129As the first New Jersey snowflakes start to fall and 2010 draws to a close, let’s take few minutes and review this important year for children’s technology.
In 2010, Two New Platforms Set a New Standard
When we started this year, iPad and Kinect were nonsense words. Most of the children’s media we were reviewing required pressing some kind of button, whether on a game controller or on a mouse or keyboard. As we end the year, we have two completely new, button-free platforms that have dropped the minimum user competency, which is significant for children and adults alike. Each uncovers two new veins of interactive gold for programmers, teachers and designers. The iPad is based on multi-touch and uses a child’s fine motor abilities; the other — Microsoft’s Kinect, uses motion and uses a child’s gross motor skills. Each has specific strengths and weaknesses, and each breaks new ground for children’s interactive media.
The fact that they both arrived in 2010 is no accident. This is a year of the convergence of enabling technologies. These technologies include things like the ability to manufacture an extremely strong oleophobic (coated) plate of glass, enough high definition big screens in the living rooms, smart lithium-polymer batteries, voice recognition, skeletal mapping, infra-red cameras, Wi-Fi and thick walls for noise-tolerant neighbors.
Pull out your balance board and start your workout, with this second release in the Wii Fit series that combines 15 new games and six new yoga positions with a calendar-based management system.
You can choose a workout based on the amount of time you have available, from as little as five minutes to a full hour session. In addition, you can select from the Wii Fit Plus routines which target specific areas. The $20 price is for the standalone game; and a balance board is required. A version bundled with the balance board costs $100. Note that the original Wii Fit games are included as part of this package. Please log into our database using your password to read the full review along with our rating.