VTech Kids MobiGo #win

June 5, 2010 By Erin Tales

This summer, VTech Kids is unleashing a new handheld device for kids ages 3 to 8. One of the handhelds was sent to the Mom Buzz for an unbiased opinion, and so far I am uber pleased! We own another VTech handheld right now, the V.Smile Cyber Pocket which was for ages 4 to 7. But without a doubt, the MobiGo is a lot more kid-friendly.

With the V.Smile Cyberpocket, I needed to provide more support to help my boys move the stylus across the pad, so they could perform an action on the screen. But the MobiGo uses only a touch screen, so your kids can move, pop and slide objects by touching their finger on the screen in the appropriate place. There is no stylus to break in a car door. (Yes, I’ve done that before.) And I love that you can touch the screen, not a pad below the screen, to perform an action. Some games call for a keyboard, though. In that case, simply slide the screen forward and a QWERTY Keyboard is revealed underneath.

Games are not “pre-programmed” on the MobiGo. You do need a cartridge to begin play, but it comes with a Touch & Learn Game Pack. My guess is that it saves on memory if the games aren’t pre-programmed, allowing for better animations and graphics. The games on the Touch & Learn Game Pack are very awesome and appropriate for little ones. Both my 4 year old and 2.5 year old are anxious to play with the games, which can be played on an easy or difficult level. The games include:

Shooting Gallery: It is like an old-style target game. “Wooden” ducks go by with a letter on their body. You “shoot” them down by pressing the appropriate letter on the QWERTY keyboard.

Space Challenge: This is a number sequence game. There are two numbers on the bottom of the screen. Spaceships go by with numbers and you touch the spaceship with the appropriate number to finish the sequence.

Fantastic Forest: The kids LOVE this game. LOVE LOVE LOVE. There is a squirrel that you have to help gather nuts by connecting dots and drawing shapes. As you do this, it forms objects that the squirrel uses to maneuver around the forest. The animations and graphics are awesome here.

Wild Fun: This is one of those games where you have to tap an animal that is different from the others. There are elephants, lions, hippos and more. My kids probably find this one to be the most challenging thus far.

Ice Escape: This is another game that the kids go crazy for. You have to help a penguin maneuver around ice blocks by sliding ice blocks out of the way, into holes and melting snowballs so that the penguin can reach the fish. It’s quick, fun and even I like to play. It would be a cute app for an iPhone.

Music Maestro: The boys also love this game. They just get so excited over music. Here musical notes appear over drums, keys and strings so that you can help play well-known kid songs. You can play in game mode or free-style mode.

The touch screen is a sizable 3″ and crystal-clear. It’s sturdy for toddler and preschool hands, with rubber grips. I love that the games emphasize important skills kids need to prepare for school, like math, problem solving, letters, numbers and fine motor skills. This summer, when the kids are not in the pool or playground improving spatial awareness and gross motor skills, I definitely see them improving their cognitive development with MobiGo.

PURCHASE: The MobiGo comes with the game system, 1 cartridge, a cleaning cloth and a USB Cable. Four AA batteries are necessary for play. MobiGo will be available exclusively at Toys R Us stores and online beginning June 7^th. The MobiGo will retail for $59.99.

FINAL BUZZ:

Overall, MobiGo has successfully combined entertainment with education. I love how easy it is for little ones to use the touch-screen learning system, plus the games they’ve played hold their interest so they keep learning new skills. In fact, even though the system is meant for ages 3 to 8, I honestly think some of the puzzle-like games would be perfect apps on my iPhone – so I am a little jealous! Without a doubt, MobiGo is great entertainment for long car rides, hotel stays, waits at a doctor’s office and everyday learning.

Stay up to date on the release of the MobiGo! Follow VTECHTOYS on Twitter and become a VTECH TOYS FAN on Facebook!

WINTMB

Win a MobiGo from VTECHKIDS!

FIRST: MANDATORY ENTRY: Visit www.vtechkids.com/mobigo and tell me something you learned about this new system.

SECOND: EXTRA ENTRIES:
To receive these extra opportunities for entries, you must fulfill the first REQUIRED/MANDATORY entry. But for extra entries, you can do the following – leave a comment for each:

Add theMomBuzz to your Twitter and Tweet the contest. Leave your Tweet Link. (1 tweet per DAY is allowed)
Leave a comment on any non-give-away post at theMomBuzz.com – let me know where.
Follow VTECHTOYS on Twitter and tell them you saw the MobiGo review @themombuzz
Become a VTECH TOYS FAN on Facebook! Leave them a comment letting them know you saw the MobiGo review on theMomBuzz.com!
Add the Mom Buzz button to your site or onto your blogroll (Feed: http://themombuzz.com/feed/)

Contest ends 6/30/10. This is open to the USA. Please refer to complete contest rules. The entries listed above are the ONLY entries for this contest. Winners will be notified by e-mail (if supplied in the entry or on profile page), as well as on the Winner’s Wall.