Holiday Preview - Electronics

The clock glows green signaling to children that it is now okay to wake up. Great for parents who want to maximize their available sleeping time. This clock features the bug faceplate.

The MobiCam AV is compact, portable and multi-functional. It is a color, handheld, 900 MHz, wireless monitoring system designed specifically for easy mobility — of both the camera and monitor — so that the MobiCam AV system can be moved to virtually any location within the home, office or other environment, instantly. It has a transmission range of up to 300', automatic see-in-the-dark night vision, and the ability to connect the monitor to a TV or other audio-video device. "The MobiCam AV has an optional Internet Kit. The MobiCam Anywhere Software broadcasts the full-motion images and sound from the camera in real time to a personalized, secure website that you create," Andrew Buckband, national sales manager for MOBI Technologies, told TDmonthly. Launch date: November 2008.

These digital timing bookmarks allow kids to track their nightly reading homework minutes for school or for the summer library reading programs. The bookmark now includes a 60-second timer for fluency checks. "Its unique, patented design allows for both count-up and count-down timing and removes the dreaded, 'Am I done yet?' from the nightly homework routine. The bookmark's price point makes it an ideal add-on sale for the specialty retail market," Owner Maureen Farinella of Mark-My-Time told TDmonthly. It has received the following awards: iParenting Media, National Parenting Center, Mr. Dad, Teachers' Choice, Family Review Center, Creative Child Magazine, and Parent to Parent Adding Wisdom. Launch date: February 17, 2009.

Game Vault is the second generation from the original Game Chamber. The Game Vault is a storage organizer designed to prevent the loss of games. "The Game Vault makes the child put back the game they are playing before another game will come out. This prevents the game finding [its] way under the car seat, couch or on the plane ... sav[ing] parent hundreds of dollars," Michael Rosenberg, CEO of Daze Products, told TDmonthly. Launch date: March 2009.

Animal Yakkers™ are electronic toys that make kids feel as if they're on a farm, as they emit hilarious sounds of their favorite animals. Give them a shake and hear the wackiest animals on the funny farm start YAKKIN away. The faster you shake them, the funnier they sound. Yakkers come in three popular farm animals: cow, pig, and lamb.

These electronic feeding bowls make fun animal sounds as baby eats. The bowl is activated by the "magic spoon" and makes one of four sounds each time the spoon leaves the bowl. "The feeding bowl is dishwasher safe. Also, a large suction cup holds the base firmly in place, making it great for self-feeding," Nicole Tiedemann, PR account executive for International Playthings, told TDmonthly. Launch date: February 15, 2009.

Featuring a grow-with-me curriculum that keeps children engaged and challenged as their literacy skills grow and develop, the Zap & Learn Why Writer is a motion-activated handheld learning aid that combines role play and learning. It has two learning modes and focuses on word recognition and comprehension.

This brain-powered game challenges users to move a ball through an obstacle course using the power of the mind. It comes with a three-sensor headset that measures brainwave activity and determines the user's level of concentration. The game unit features a fan that blows more powerfully to lift the ball as focus increases. Launch date: 2009.

Children can sing along with their favorite characters using their own detachable digital MP3 player! Each book spread features the lyrics of four songs, each with its own icon. The child can select the corresponding icon on their MP3 player to hear the song. The MP3 player includes Play, Shuffle, and Stop buttons. On the LCD screen, a simple animated icon – one for each of the 20 songs – is also displayed.

Classic games you can play on the go. The Techno Source LCD Video Games line has a game for everyone: whether you want the fast-paced action and bold graphics of the handheld games or the portable playability of the keychain and mini games.

The Tag Junior system comes with a LeapFrog-original board book called If I Were, which explores animal sounds. Each of the other eight sturdy board books in the Tag Junior library focuses on a different preschool theme, including sounds, colors, letters of the alphabet, numbers and social play. Curious George, Dora the Explorer and Winnie the Pooh are just a few of the childhood favorites featured in the Tag Junior library. Launch date: January 26, 2009.

What do you know about Pikachu? The National Pokedex describes all 493 Pokémon. It not only tells information about the cast of characters of this collectible card game, but also plays games.