Kids these days are never too young to start exploring gadgets and technology. When we asked our 6 years old daughter what she wanted for her birthday, she answered: "I want an Apple TV!". Tech savvy kids have already a wish-list, and here are a few that might prove popular (or not, considering how fickle they can be)...
• Console Game: Xbox 360
This is the console to get. The Wi-Fi is built-in for easier connection to Xbox LIVE, where HD movies and TV stream in an instant. It’s ready for the controller-free experiences of Kinect , where your body is the controller.
• Headphones: Denon AH-D5000
We appreciate the warm feeling of the real mahogany housing, which provides a great level of acoustic characteristics that are rich and broad with very natural tones. It also comes with a microfiber diaphragms that have 100X the density of cellulose ones, providing an increased transmission rate. The frame is made of magnesium for lightweight and comfort.
• Communication Device: Blackberry Bold
If you are a parent, and you got one of those "office issued" Blackberry Bold laying around, you can use them as an excellent hand-me-down for the kids (at least until they graduate to an iPhone!). Loaded with a physical keyboard, integrated GPS and WiFi. The color LCD screen is bright and clear, and it has the BB pin, that every kid will be using to text all day long. A suggestion for parents: Get unlimited texting and data plan.
• MP3/Video/Portable Game Console: Sony NGP
Sony's codenamed it NGP, as in "Next Generation Portable." This new version is crammed with features that makes the prior generation seems obsolete. Great user interface, social connectivity, location-awareness and augmented reality. The new OLED screen is 5-inches and running at 960 by 544 pixels. Sony claims you'll be able to view the NGP's screen clearly from any angle, and also is touch sensitive. A great portable system!
• Tablet: Apple iPad 2
The latest, greatest. 9.7" screen, multi touch screen with an IPS panel. 1 GHz dual core Apple A5 processor and front and rear cameras for all your FaceTime interaction with friends and family. Thousands of apps and games and a very long lasting battery to keep your kid entertained for hours.
• Bookshelf Speakers: Sony RDH-SK8iP
Loaded with 75 watts of power, it sounds great and looks awesome too. We think the custom graphics are a great way to customize it. You can control and charge your iPhone/iPod and connect to other audio sources, like PCs, MP3 players and even your TV.
• TV/DVD Set: Toshiba 19DV713B
This is not a huge TV set, but it is perfect for a teenager since it comes with a built in DVD player. Glossy black finish makes it look more upscale and expensive. The set up process is easy and straight forward and it comes with Vesa compatible mounting holes, in the event that you just want to hang it on the wall. It offers 3D color management settings and 2 HDMI inputs for those games and devices to plug into the TV. The built in DVD player is DivX compatible. Overall, this is a great budget unit with pretty good image quality.
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$200+ headphones for a teen ... to listen to what, their ipod? Right.
How much did each of these advertisers pay for this plug?
Teens aren't choosing Blackberry over iPhone - and it's probably low on the list that it's a "global phone".
100% of this sounds like agency copy. Sorry Unpluggd, it's been a good run but I'm clicking *Unsubscribe*
tempusrob: have you noticed how much teens spend on kicks, let alone their tech, these days? $200 headphones isn't as crazy as you'd believe in certain teen circles in bigger cities like LA, NYC, SF...at least not in this era of iPhones and Android devices (and their monthly bills) being standard issue.
Thanks for pointing out the Blackberry issue... I noticed that lots of young adults had iPhones, while younger teens had BB and iPods (at least in Miami)... As a parent, I'm always open to hear reader's suggestions on how to keep kids entertained...
Blackberry bold? Unlimited text & data? Xbox? iPad? Holy cow, kids these days are too spoiled. I turned 21 two months ago so I grew up in the technology age, but I didn't and still don't have any of those things. And it's not because my parents were cheap or my family was poor. It's not even because I'm cheap and poor. It's because my parents didn't waste money spoiling me rotten and raised me to learn money saving savvy. One can't pay off student loans or house mortgages if one wastes all his or one's hard-earned money on tons of gadgets that will become old and obsolete within a month.
As far as keeping kids entertained, what ever happened to Monopoly or Scrabble? I would choose classic boardgames with close friends or family over a gaming console or smartphone any day. Or how about going out for a bike ride at the park? Kids these days could use some exercise every once in a while. Or read a book. Kids these days need to be challenged mentally and academically instead of rotting their brains with reality television and video games.
tonkabeane you're too wise for your age, if not already a little cranky (I'm teasing as someone who felt the exact same way back when I was 21). But the reality is social and entertainment technologies are here to stay, especially amongst teens who adopt it faster and easier than any demographic.