As a tech reporter with kids, I spend much of my time at the annual Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas checking out stuff that my kids would love. At this year’s show in early January, it wasn’t hard to find. Toys were front and center.
Play-Doh Touch Shape To Life Studio, $40
Play-Doh hasn’t really changed in decades. It’s simple and it works. This year Play-Doh is making the classic dough more interactive. The Shape To Life Studio along with the Play-Doh Touch app brings your child’s creations to life. Use the camera on your tablet or smartphone to capture the creations and the app plants them into a game. Best part, you can try the app for free.
Lego Boost, $160 (Fall 2017)
Lego is amping up your child’s building experience with Boost. The kit contains Bluetooth-enabled motors and sensors that can be added to Legos so that your child can control and interact with their bricks on a tablet or smartphone. With the kit they can build a digital guitar, a smart robot, and other pre-designed smart Lego toys, but the company hopes kids will create their own.
Fisher-Price Think & Learn Smart Cycle, $150 (Fall 2017)
Fisher-Price announced the Think & Learn Smart Cycle. It looks like an exercise bike for toddlers but it’s Bluetooth-enabled to connect to apps on a tablet or television platform. To control the apps, kids have to pedal to move. The games are designed to teach them basic skills like letters and numbers, and to get kids moving while playing on Mom’s iPad.
Kirk Yuhnke is a self-admitted technology geek, father of three, and morning news anchor on Fox31’s Good Day Colorado.
