We got to play with a bunch of portable electronics aimed at the SpongeBob set, including a digital camera, music player and even a portable video player.
Nickelodeon and Imation have teamed up to create the new Npower line of consumer electronics. Using popular Nintendo brands, like Dora the Explorer, the Naked Brothers Band and, of course, SpongeBob SquarePants, Nickelodeon and Imation have created digital cameras, portable music and video players that can just about keep up with their 'adult' counterparts, but have some fun features just for kids. We got our hands on some of these at the DigitalLife Holiday preview. Click on the thumbnails below for a complete image gallery of each device.
The Npower Flash Jr.
The Npower Flash Jr. is a rugged digital camera, with strong, rubberized bumpers. It feels like it could take a tumble down a flight of stairs, though we didn't give that a try (no stairs at the event). It can take pictures at VGA resolutions, and if you're having trouble getting your subject to smile, just press one of the colored panels on the front, and the camera will shout out pre-recorded phrases from the "Dora the Explorer" show. Like a real, grown-up digital camera, the Flash Jr. features a 1.4-inch LCD screen around back for previewing images. The 8MB of internal memory should be enough to hold 79 photos, although an SD card slot can expand that to many more shots. The camera comes with software for the PC or Mac, as well as a USB cable for transfers. It costs $60.
The Npower 512MB digital music player
The Npower 512MB player is shaped like SpongeBob's eye, and there's just about all you need to know about it. It plays WMA and MP3 files, uses USB 2.0 for transfers, and it looks like SpongeBob's eye. It may not have the most impressive stats, but it was the device most people were picking up at the Npower table, and we couldn't resist grabbing it as well. We think it should come with a headstrap, so you can wear it over your own, less funny eye, but it doesn't. The 512MB player costs a mere $40.
The Npower Fission
The Npower fission is a 1GB music player, with a cool add-on feature. When you shake the device, it adds drum and percussion sounds to your song. So, you can sing a long and shake the device for a disco-style breakdown. The 1GB of internal memory is all you get, no external slot, but Nintendo says that's enough for 250 songs at 128Kbps, which should be fine, since most kids we know only listen to one song over and over again anyway. The device can play WMA protected files and MP3s, and Nintendo explicitly mentions its upgradeable firmware, so perhaps more file support is coming in the future. Transfers are handled over USB 2.0, and once your songs are loaded, you can wear the small player around your neck with the included lanyard. The Npower Fission is available for $50.
The Npower Fusion
The Npower Fusion is a full-fledged portable media player for kids. It can play both MP3 and WMA audio tracks as well as some WMV DRM videos. Files can be loaded using the USB 2.0 cable, but Nintendo also imagines selling preloaded video content on SD cards in the future. The player features 1GB of internal memory, which should be fine, considering the external expansion. Videos on the 2.2-inch, QVGA screen looked surprisingly good for a kids player, though this 'toy' will set parents back $100, before you start adding SD cards and extras. Nintendo has even thrown in some Java games as well.
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