THIS year’s top “tech toys” include the iTeddy, created by Bolton entrepreneur Imran Hakin, which is described as “the perfect first media player for kids.”
Amongst the other clever must-haves is a baby Camarasaurus that develops emotionally when shown love and affection, a revolutionary flying machine and a mobile CCTV camera.
TOP TECH TOYS
I’ll fly away
It’s a helicopter toy... but not as we know it. Bladestar has an autopilot mode which allows it to fly around the house without banging into walls or ceilings, or it can be controlled using just your hands (no, we’re not sure how either).
• Flytech Bladestar, £39.99
Go fish!
Did you know there were invisible beasts floating through the atmosphere? No, us neither, but it’s true and with Bandai’s Catcha Beast kids can find them and reel ‘em in. Once caught, beasts can be trained to help catch other beasts, or sold for gold.
• Catcha Beast, £19.99
Rock out!
Give your air guitar an extra dash of realism with this nifty gadget. It looks like it’s just the head and neck of a guitar, but believe it or not it also has invisible infra-red strings so you can thrash along to your favourite rock songs.
• Guitar RockStar, £14.99
A cushy number
Perfect for fans of the hit series Hannah Montana, this pillow also contains a hidden diary and MP3 player and speaker.
• Hannah Montana My Secret Pillow
Let’s dance
Do your kids want to dance just like their favourite characters from High School Musical 3? The easy to follow light-up console on this dance mat will help them learn four of the songs from the hit movie.
• High School Musical 3 Musical Dance Mat, £22.99
Instant gratification
With the IM-ME gadget from GirlTech, girls can instant message their friends without having to fight for the computer. Plus it doesn’t cost anything to send messages — so their phone bills should go down a bit!
• IM-ME, £54.99
Ready Teddy
Created by Bolton entrepreneur Imran Hakin, the iTeddy impressed Dragon’s Den judges Theo Paphitis and Peter Jones, and has become a firm favourite amongst children too. The cuddly bear has a media player in his tummy that allows children to watch shows and films, play games, listen to music and look at photos.
• iTeddy, £49.99
Life or something like it
This virtual life simulator is designed especially for girls. Characters can be created and styled and then they can shop, look after pets and play games. Plus an infra-red connection means girls can send text messages to their friends.
• My Life, £49.99
Cute and kooky
These cute and kooky plush toys and game tubes have more than 20 games and activities. Girls can play games to help their Meebas grow, and once all the levels are completed the game tube will pop open, setting the plush Meebas free.
• My Meebas, £16.99
Dino-awww
Pleo is an incredibly life-like baby dinosaur that responds to affection, develops his own personality and learns tricks. The Pleo website has information about the baby dino’s evolution, and videos of him being very, very cute.
• Pleo, £249.99
Keep watch
From the brilliant people at Mattell, Spykee the Spy Robot will guard your home. His camera, microphone and WiFi allow you to use your PC to keep control of this mobile CCTV robot from anywhere in the world.
• Spykee the Spy Robot, £199.99
What’s that sound?
Woogies are virtual pets for boys that can be trained to make funny noises. Tips on how to train the pets are featured on the site as well as advice on how to prepare Woogies to battle one another.
• Woogies, £14.99
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