Pearland Toy Man: March 2012

Thursday, March 22, 2012

Boogie Board Paperless LCD Writing Tablet Review

When you hear "boogie board" what do you think of? I immediately think of the ocean and one of those little foam boards you use to ride waves. And while that is definitely a "boogie board," it is not the Boogie Board Paperless LCD Writing Tablet! This is one of the neatest things I have had a chance to play around with in quite some time. It is basically a replacement for pen and paper to take notes, jot down ideas, draw pictures, or play games with your kids.

The Boogie Board is an 8.75" x 5.5" x 1/8" thin durable plastic board that weighs just 4 ounces! Because of its size, you can take the Boogie Board with you wherever you go...including the beach. Just don't try to ride a wave with it! The LCD screen is pressure sensitive, so the harder you press down the thicker the line will be on the board. You can use the included stainless steel stylus or use any other suitable instrument, even your finger.

When I first got my hands on this, the first thing I thought of was one of those Magic Slates that we grew up with where you draw with the little plastic stylus on a piece of clear plastic that covered a waxy black board. Then when you were ready to "erase" your drawing, you would simply lift the clear plastic paper and then start all over again. I also thought the popular magnetic doodle toy that uses magnets to display images and then "erases" with a swipe of the slider. Improv Electronics have taken these to the next level and modernized them into the Boogie Board!

Some negatives include the lack of a place to store the stylus when not in use, no ability to save and inability to replace the battery. They do have a Neoprene Sleeve specifically designed for the Boogie Board tablet that protects the board and includes a space for the stylus without adding a bunch of size or weight. The Boogie Board comes with a 3V watch battery that is good for 50,000 erase cycles which comes out to about 20 erases a day for more than six years, so the battery issue isn't as bad as it sounds. Not being able to save is another issue but this is more for jotting down quick notes and less about writing papers. Some have suggested to use your phone or camera to take a quick picture if it is something you want to hold on to.

What Can I Do With It?

Parents - grocery lists, chores list, family game night score keeper, message board
Artists - quick sketches before starting a project, doodles
Kids - play games like Tic-Tac-Toe and Hangman, doodles, writing
Travel - long car rides, airplane/airport travel, play games
Students - homework, math problems, drawing
Preschool - handwriting practice, sight words, draw funny pictures, durable and easy to use
Engineer - drawing diagrams, schematics, floor plans, calculations

Going Green

You'll save trees and keep the backs of envelopes and the corners of napkins clean! Use the included stylus to make your notes, and when you no longer need them, simply press the "erase" button to clear the screen. Reduce paper consumption!

The Facts

Erase your image with the touch of a button - and a friendly flash of the liquid crystal display - Very Cool!
Sealed 3V watch battery never needs replacing
Boogie Board tablet is an ultra 1/8" thin and is easy to take with you in a purse, scheduler, briefcase or backpack
The case and LCD are made from durable plastic materials. Safe for school use and all around the house, office and car
The Boogie Board tablet's pressure-sensitive LCD writing surface creates lines of different thickness based on how hard you push - just like paper and pen!
Write or draw with the included stainless steel stylus or any other suitable instrument - even your finger! You'll never need to search for a pen or pencil again!
Winner of the 2009 Flexi Award in the Most Innovative New Display Product Category

Pros and Cons

Pros - Easy to use, eco-friendly, fun to use, lightweight, sturdy design, high quality
Cons - No stylus holder, non-replaceable battery, cannot save image, can't see in dark

What Other's Have Said:

"Easy to jot down my thoughts or shopping lists", "It would make a cool little toy for kids", "I need more - my wife and kids all want to steal mine!", "Useful to communicate between deaf and hearing", "Great paper saver", "I use the Boogie Board to make a daily chore list."

Bottom Line

This is a great device and while there are some minor drawbacks, these are minimal compared to the flexibility and the number of uses are seemingly unlimited. I've been using the Neon Green 8.5" Boogie Board for the past few days and keep finding new uses. The primary use I have is taking down quick notes, voice mail messages, various thoughts and doodles! I didn't realize how much I liked to doodle while on the phone, but now I don't have to waste paper when all I do is throw them away anyway. My 5-year-old daughter loves her magnetic doodler and now she prefers to play with this instead. The accuracy of the drawings is much better and she loves pushing the only button on the board to erase everything and start over again.

Monday, March 19, 2012

No Button by Zany Toys

What is the No Button?

The No Button is only the easiest way to say "No!" while saving your voice!

Simply press the button and hear a resounding "No!" come out of the button in 10 different ways, such as "No!", "No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no", "N. O." and "For the last time, No!"

What would I do with a No Button?

The founders of the no button are parents who seemed to be repeating the same things to their kids over and over. They dreamed of a button that would just say it for them. Eventually they noticed that "No" is the most often used phrase followed by "clean your room," so they designed a button that would say the "No's" for them.

But you don't have to limit the No Button to your kids. What about that neighbor that always wants to borrow something? "NO!" Or that employee at work that is always asking for time off? "NO!" There are limitless ways to use the No Button.

What are some other examples using the No Button?

"We found a cute dog! Can we keep it?"
"Can I have another bowl of ice cream?"
"Can I stay up late?"
"Can I start dating?"
"Would you please buy me a cell phone?"
"Can I have some money?"
"Can I have a raise?"
"Can I borrow the car?"

And the answer is ... "No!"

We would love to hear from you on your examples on when to use the No Button!

Angry Birds - On Thin Ice Game Review

Angry Birds On Thin Ice is the second Angry Birds game to come from the extremely popular game for iPhone and Android devices. The object of the game is to draw a Mission Card and set up the structure that is on the card with the supplied structure pieces. Then watch as your opponent launches the Angry Birds and tries to knock down the structure and the Pigs to win points.

There are even new features including pigs with helmets, breakable ice block building pieces, an "exploding" TNT box and a new large red Angry Bird character. There are only two Angry Birds this time with a yellow bird in addition to the larger red bird, along with three pigs, of which two can wear the construction hats.

While it is rated for Ages 5+, we noticed that setting up the various structures can take some time and patience. If patience isn't one of your or your child's strong suits, then be prepared! Also, pieces do fly all over the place so having some sort of a backdrop like the side of a couch or a wall may help in the spreading of the pieces all over the place. There is a lot of fun to be had playing, but I can't say this is more fun than the iPhone, iPad or Android versions since the games will reset the pieces for you, however it is still a lot of fun. Buy Angry Birds On Thin Ice.

Pearland Toy Man