Lakshmi SandhanaDecember 18, 2013Top 10 coolest high tech toys for kids

Gizmag's pick of the 10 coolest high tech toys

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Christmas is just around the corner and the hunt for the best kids toys out there has never been more exciting. With iPhone-controlled toys, customizable robots and smart toys that aim to teach kids life skills while entertaining them, the latest breed of high-tech toys have a lot to offer. Even books and pens, augmented with a little technology can read to kids or coach them to write. If you're looking to surprise junior with toys that feature a delightful technological twist, Gizmag's top 10 coolest tech toys for kids should give you plenty of ideas.

1. Sphero 2.0

The Sphero 2.0 robotic ball is what every little ball might aspire to be, if it could but dream. You can take it for a jog, see it swim or glow, race it under furniture, launch it off ramps and even use it as a game controller.

Apart from the fun games one can play with a ball that zips around the floor at a blistering 7 ft (2 m) per second, this smartphone-controlled toy really comes to life when you start downloading apps that let you play augmented reality (AR) and mixed-reality games with it.

For instance, when you view your kitchen floor (or any setting) through your device's camera when it's running the AR based Rolling Dead app, you'll see zombies spawning under the kitchen table that can be destroyed through a fireball shooting Sphero. In reality, the robot ball rolls on the floor towards invisible zombies. In mixed reality golf, players swing their phone to putt the Sphero into a virtual hole.

More than just a powerhouse of fun, this programmable ball lets kids as young as 8 years learn coding, if they're of a mind to program it to do simple things like follow a preset course. The Sphero 2.0 is available for US$129.99.

2. Anki Drive

Remember the sassy smart car "KITT" of Knight Rider fame? Well, the Anki Drive smart cars may not be life size or have all those bells and whistles, but they can sure drive by themselves; they also evolve unique personalities the more they are played with.

Take them out of the box and pair them to smartphones (iOS only for now) via Bluetooth and they are ready to zoom off on a vinyl race track. The inbuilt artificial intelligence keeps the cars on course, letting you maneuver them by tilting the phone. You can play against other people or the AI (which gets other cars to nudge, slam or box you in) or both. The fun really begins in the battle mode where players get to fire virtual pulse weapons or tractor beams at other cars on screen which disables or slows down the real-life cars.

At the end of the race, players are awarded points based on performance which they can use to beef up their cars with new weapons, expanded capabilities and more. These become permanent facets of the cars personality enabling players to build formidable self-driving race cars over time that race a certain way no matter who plays with them.

The starter kit retails for $199.95 at Apple's stores and additional cars are $69 each.

3. littleBits

Ever wished that creating things with electronics could be as simple as snapping a few blocks together? littleBits makes it so. The littleBits building blocks are color-coded circuit components that you can attach to each other, and you don't have to know any electronics to create cool stuff with them.

What's more, you can combine them with ordinary objects to make uncommon things like an animated holiday hat that displays a ghostly Santa flying his reindeer when tapped, or a bow tie that jiggles at the sound of your voice.

You can grab the Base Kit for $99 and watch your kids unleash their imagination. Premium and Deluxe kits retail for $149 and $199 respectively.

4. Ubooly

Ubooly puts a fresh spin on plush toys by having your iPhone or iPod Touch zip into the cuddly body of a stuffed animal. Activate the Ubooly app and Ubooly's face appears as you swipe the screen and awaken it.

The toy listens and responds to a person's voice and falls asleep when ignored. Part of its ongoing charm is the fact that it can constantly be updated with new stories, jokes, games and songs to keep kids engaged.

As well as being uber cute, the toy is a win-win proposition for both parents and kids – parents can rest easy in the knowledge that their smart device is safe from harm in a furry casing, while kids get to play with their parents' gadgets to their heart's content.

The toy is pretty inexpensive too, with a small Ubooly priced at $29.99, and a Jumbo version at $59.95. The app is free to download.

5. Lego Mindstorms EV3

Remember sitting in front of a Lego pieces piled willy-nilly on the floor? Now imagine putting them together to create functional robots you can program to do your bidding, after you finish building them.

Lego Mindstorms EV3 gives you the ability to piece together truly awesome robots like the fierce cobra bot R3PTAR and the scorpion like SPIK3R. You can control your creations with a remote or from your smart device via Bluetooth, and do things like have the cobra bot strike out by moving your device the same way. There's also an app with animations to help you with the build process for the five EV3 robots in the set.

Programming the finished creation is as simple as dragging and dropping instruction modules into a visual workspace and hitting play at the end. The bots also come with pre-written programs that showcase their more advanced capabilities, such as shooting red balls at infrared targets or navigating around obstacles.

With 594 bricks and a variety of sensors, motors and components, the EV3 offers a robotic programming playground that's extremely addictive. Price: $349.99.

6. Sparkup Magical Book Reader

If you enjoy reading stories out loud to kids, but find the fact that you might not always be available (or inclined) slightly troublesome, here's a high-tech alternative instead. Just clip the Sparkup Reader to a book and read the story out once into its microphone.

The device captures the audio for each page which kids can playback later. They'll just need to attach the reader to the book, and turn to the page they want read, to hear the recording. If you balk at the thought of yet another rendition of The Boy Who Cried Wolf, the Sparkup Reader will take care of it for you. It's available for $59.99.

7. Nano-Falcon Helicopter

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Small enough to use a lemon as a launch pad, the Nano-Falcon is one of the most adorable remote-controlled (RC) helicopters we've laid our eyes on.

It's the world's smallest RC helicopter according to the Guinness Book of Records, weighing a mere 11 g (0.38 oz). You can get it to hover, rotate, execute turns and fly about with the aid of an infrared controller. With a range of 5 m (16.4 ft) and a continuous flying time of about 5 minutes, this tiny toy comes recommended for kids above the age of 6 years. It's priced at $49.70.

8. RoboMe

Having a robotic avatar hanging on your every word can be kind of engaging and that's what you get with WowWee's RoboMe. You can give the customizable robot a face by sliding your iPhone or iPod Touch into RoboMe's robotic body and play around with individual features on its face, such as its eyes, hair, accessories or more, to create distinct looks and even expressions (like gazing at you with lovestruck eyes).

Aside from giving it any personality you like, it's easy to program all kinds of quirky behaviors into it, such as having it dance if anyone shakes its hand or run away when hearing a key phrase. It understands voice commands and is smart enough to move through a room or any setting by itself without running into things; a remote control also gives you control if you desire it.

Things get even more interesting when you experiment with RoboMe's "remote visual telepresence" feature. Paired with a second iPhone, it transforms into a robotic spy – you can see and hear whatever RoboMe does. Sounds like an argument for getting one of your own, don't you think? Just to pop by and see if the kids are really doing their homework.

RoboMe retails for $100.

9. LeapReader Pen

Not stopping at teaching young kids to read, Leapfrog's LeapReader Pen also helps them learn how to write stroke-by-stroke. The pen instructs kids via a built-in speaker as they trace out letters in the provided workbook and eggs them on with encouraging words, flashing lights and sounds.

The paper in the workbook incorporates embedded ink, which means a child just needs to press down with the pen to make a stroke. The pen doesn't write on any other paper or surface apart from the special paper provided in the workbook, which means you don't have to worry about kids using it to scribble on walls.

To access the pen's reading features, kids simply need to touch the words in specially printed picture books to hear them spoken out aloud. Designed for kids 4-8 years, the pen is priced at $50.

10. 14-in-1 Educational Solar Robot Kit

Say goodbye to batteries forever with the OWI 14-in-1 Educational Solar Robot Kit. This innovative kit lets you build 14 different robotic creatures and things, all powered by the sun, capable of moving on land or water.

At the entry level, kids can try their hands at building a crawling beetle, a tail-wagging dog, a floating boat and more. The more advanced (level two) projects take the form of a walking crab, a slithering robot and even a zombie chaser, to name a few.

It's a great toy to get kids interested in renewable energy sources while training them in hands-on robotic building. The kit retails for US$31.95.

10大最酷炫的儿童高科技玩具

该sandhanadecember 18，2013top 10酷的高科技玩具kids

Gizmag挑选10最酷的高科技玩具

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圣诞节指日可待，最好的儿童玩具的寻找从未有过的更精彩。与苹果控制的玩具，可定制的机器人和智能玩具，目的是教孩子们的生活技能，同时娱乐他们，最新品种的高科技玩具有很多提供。甚至书本和笔，用一个小的技术来增强阅读，可以给孩子或辅导孩子写。如果你正在寻找惊喜的初级玩具的功能，愉快的技术扭曲，通过10大最酷的科技为孩子们的玩具应该给你很多想法。

1。Sphero 2

Sphero 2机器球是每一个小小的球会的渴望，如果它只能梦想。你可以慢跑，游泳或看它发光，在家具这比赛，推出了坡道、甚至使用它作为一个游戏控制器。

除了好玩的游戏可以玩球，拉链在地板上长达7英尺（2米）每秒，这个智能遥控玩具真的来生活，当你开始下载应用程序，让你玩的增强现实（AR）和它的混合现实游戏。

例如，当你查看你的厨房地板（或设置）通过你的相机装置运行时，AR基于滚动死的程序，你会看到僵尸产卵的餐桌下，可以被一个火球射击球。在现实中，机器人球滚在地板上看不见的僵尸。在混合现实高尔夫球员的挥杆手机推杆球虚拟成一个洞。

不仅仅是一个强大的可编程的乐趣，这个球让孩子在8年学习编码，如果他们想程序做简单的事情喜欢按照预设的过程。Sphero 2的售价为129.99美元。< / P > 2。Anki Drive

记住时髦的智能汽车“基特”骑士骑士的名声？嗯，在Anki Drive智能汽车可能不是生活的大小或有所有的钟声和口哨声，但他们可以自己开车去；他们也进化出独特个性，他们更多的是玩。

从盒子里拿出来，并对他们的智能手机（iOS只有现在）通过蓝牙和他们准备放大了乙烯基赛道。内置的人工智能使汽车的课程，让你操纵他们通过倾斜手机。你可以对其他人或AI玩（会让其他车，撞击或箱你）或者。游戏中的乐趣开始于战斗模式，玩家可以在其他汽车上使用虚拟脉冲武器或牵引车，在比赛结束时禁用或减慢现实生活中的汽车。这些成为汽车的个性使玩家建立强大的自我驱动赛车在比赛时间，以某种方式无论谁玩永面。

初学者工具包零售价为199.95美元的苹果商店和其他车都是69美元。< / P > 3。littleBits

曾经希望电子创造事物可以拍摄几个街区那么简单吗？littleBits使然。littleBits积木的颜色编码的电路组件，您可以连接到对方，你不需要知道任何电子能够创造出很酷的东西。

更重要的是，你可以将它们与普通物体做不寻常的事就象一个动画节日帽显示一个幽灵圣诞老人飞他的驯鹿当窃听，或一个领结，摇晃在你的声音。

你可以抓住基础套件售价99美元，看你的孩子发挥他们的想象力。保险费和高级零售价分别为149美元和199美元。ubooly

ubooly提出一个新的自旋对毛绒玩具让你的iPhone或iPod触摸到可爱的身体的填充动物玩具。激活ubooly APP和ubooly的脸出现在你的屏幕，唤醒它。

玩具倾听和回应人的声音和睡着时忽略。其正在进行的魅力的一部分的事实是，它可以不断被更新，新的故事和笑话，游戏和歌曲让孩子从事。

以及超级可爱的玩具，是家长和孩子–父母双赢的命题可以在知识，他们的智能设备一个毛茸茸的外壳是平安轻松休息，而孩子们给父母的小工具，他们的心脏的内容。

玩具很便宜，一个小ubooly售价为29.99美元，与59.95美元的巨型版本。该应用程序是免费下载。乐高的Mindstorms EV3

记得坐在前面的一块乐高威利堆在地板上？现在想象一下，把它们放在一起，创造出功能的机器人，你可以计划你招，你完成后。

乐高Mindstorms EV3让你能够拼凑出真正可怕的机器人般的激烈的眼镜蛇和蝎子一样的spik3r BOT r3ptar。你可以用遥控器或从你的聪明设备通过蓝牙控制你的创造，和不喜欢的东西有眼镜蛇机器人出击移动你的设备相同的方式。还有动画软件，帮助你构建过程中设置五个EV3机器人。

编程完成的创作是简单的拖放指令模块为视觉空间和打游戏结束。机器人还配有预先写好的程序，展示其更先进的功能，如拍摄红色球在红外目标或绕过障碍。

< P > 594砖和各种传感器、电机和组件的ev3提供的机器人编程的操场，非常上瘾。价格：349.99美元/对6。sparkup魔法书阅读器

如果你喜欢读故事大声的孩子，却发现事实上你可能并不总是可用的（或倾斜）稍微麻烦，这里是一个高科技的替代相反。只是夹sparkup读者一本书读的故事一旦进入麦克风。

设备捕获音频的每一页，孩子们可以回放。他们只需要把读者的书附加到这本书上，然后转向他们想读的书，听录音。如果在另一个表演的狼来了以为你犹豫的sparkup读者会为你照顾它。这是59.99美元，7美元。纳米猎鹰直升机
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足够小，使用柠檬作为跳板，纳米猎鹰是一个最可爱的遥控（RC）我们已经把我们的眼睛对直升机。

< P >这是世界上最小的遥控直升机根据爱尔兰啤酒记录簿，仅重11克（0.38盎司）。你可以得到它的悬停，旋转，执行轮流和飞行的红外线控制器的援助。与一个5米（16.4英尺）和一个连续飞行时间约5分钟，这个小小的玩具为6岁以上的孩子们推荐的范围。它的售价为49.70美元。robome

有一个机器人头像挂在你的每一个字可以是一种迷人的，是你的robome WowWee公司。你可以定制的机器人的脸滑下，你的iPhone或iPod触摸到robome的机器人身体和玩个性特征上，如眼睛、头发、配件或更多，创造独特的外观和甚至表情（像凝视你痴情的眼睛）。

< P >除了给它任何你喜欢的个性，很容易被各种古怪的程序