Christmas present

Electronics Times, Dec 11, 2000

The launch of the Playstation 2, coupled with the sudden drop in price of the Dreamcast console, look set to guarantee that, this Xmas, Santa will be stocking up on the games platforms. Long gone are the days of sitting round a roaring fire, listening to the Queen's speech while playing Ludo with a mad old aunt. These days electronic toys and games are replacing the good old board games as the choice of post-Christmas lunch relaxation.

Interactive ET, from Tiger, has a built-in artificial intelligence that allows it to adapt its behaviour based on how an owner interacts with it. Available in December, Interactive ET speaks 400 words and 1000 phrases. It is fully animated and interacts with its environment through a series of in-built sensors that are located on both of its hands, its head, its chest and in its body. Integral to gameplay is IR technology that allows interactive ET to communicate with other ET's as well as a range of other interactive toys from Tiger, including Gizmo and Yoda.

Research has shown that the first few years of a child's life can provide the foundation for future learning. Fisher Price has teamed up with Microsoft to provide toddlers with interactive, fun-filled learning. The new Intelli-Table is packed with stimulating activities that will develop a child's motor skills and learning capacity. Educational benefits include play and learn rings which help children with numbers and counting, letters and words, animal recognition and colours and patterns. The Intelli-Table can be changed as your child grows, covering infants, toddlers and pre-schoolers.

Why not sit around your roaring fire this year and recreate all the fun of the popular TV show Who Wants to be a Millionaire? This game comes with the electronic voice of Mr Smug himself, Chris Tarrant. There are more than 1500 questions and it really does play just like the show - except you won't win a bean. This is definitely a game that all the family can play, and may be an indication of the type of game we shall all be dragging out after our turkey lunch this year. The only real complaint about this game is that, after about two minutes, Tarrant's voice becomes so annoying that it is tempting to smash it to bits.

Pet purr-fect

Thinking of buying a dog this Christmas? Have you considered the ongoing costs? The long walks each night? Not to mention the smell? Before you wander down to your local pet shop, you might like to take a look in the nearest toyshop window.

Electronic pets are all the rage at the moment and there are plenty to choose from. Sony's Aibo started it all off - although not much change is available here from #1000. And now, thankfully, the market is saturated with clones at a more affordable price.

Mike Coogan, director of marketing at Toys `R' Us, said: "Robotic pets are performing extremely well this Christmas. Poo-Chi, Teksta, Dog-E, Rocket and the Dalmatian Teksta are all proving to be some of the top- selling products."

Fisher Price has introduced its Rocket wonder dog at around #100. It utilises voice recognition technology so that the owner can name the dog and then teach it to recognise its name.

Once the dog's name has been chosen, it can then be trained, via voice commands, to undertake a number of actions including walking, sitting, begging and tricks. There are two levels of training aimed at the 3 and 6 age range respectively.

One problem - and as this is a child's toy we thought was extremely worrying - is that the legs are electronically designed to revolve 360 degrees. If a child picks up the dog as the legs are revolving, there are certain to be tears. We found that the motor was not sensitive to this and it is quite powerful. It can cause pain to adults and could seriously injure a small child.

Tiger Toys has a more affordable, and safer, pet in the form of Poo- Chi, a mini high-tech pet that, when happy, will sing one of six pre- programmed songs including the Wedding March and Beethoven's 9th symphony. The electronic mutt responds to light and sound. Again, this pup can be trained to sit and stand at the owner's command. Poo-Chi will also interact with other Poo-Chis.

Cat lovers need not fret as Tiger has introduced its Meow-Chi moggie exclusively through Toys `R' Us.

Why buy the real thing when an electronic version is cheaper and cleaner? And Battersea Dog's Home will not be inundated with hundreds of unwanted electronic mutts come Boxing Day.

For the grown-ups

Electronic gadgets are not just for kids; many are being marketed to appeal to the big kid in all of us.

Samsung's SGH-M100 MP3 GSM mobile phone combines the ultimate in mobile technology with the ultimate in music technology. Lightweight (97g) and compact (19.3mm), it provides all the features of a premium phone, with PIM features, ring customisation, own melody creation, shortcuts, PC synchronisation and data transmission via a built-in IrDA interface.

The Samsung Triplemode digimax 35 MP3 digital camera is one of the latest, smartest looking cameras on the market. It has three modes of use. First, it can be used as a digital camera with high or low-res quality, with an option to create panoramic and 3D versions of your snaps. Then there is the option of using it as a webcam, which is quick and easy to change to and, finally, the digimax 35 can be used as a portable MP3 player. This is very useful and simple to use.