PowerTouch Baby
© 2004 Fisher-Price, Inc.
Last year's PowerTouch technology has been put to work in this responsive, easy to use interactive book reader for babies and toddlers. The result is a fail-safe exploration experience for children. The 14 page book we tested, Baby Animals, had three modes of play -- read the story, explore (touch any object to hear it labeled), and surprise (a gentle quiz, asking children to "touch a tree.") The plastic pages are sturdy and can be cleaned. Our one gripe with Baby Animals is the amount of sugary narration, with frequent prompts a child to "touch a picture to play". When it comes to young children and interactive interfaces, silence can be golden. If the book is removed, the base unit features a built in xylophone that can be used to create music. Additional book/cartridges, costing $13 each, include My Fuzzy Puppy, Cutie Bear's Colors, I Know My Letters and I Know My Numbers. Requires 4 AA batteries, not included.
$30, Smart Toy
Teaches: early math and language -- classification, hearing language, comparing tones, cause and effect