Have kids 3 years old & up, but not old enough for school yet?

Here’s fun tech toy: Leap Frog Text & Learn. This new toy looks like an oversized PDA. Just like the parents have. (And maybe if the kids have their very own PDA, they won’t try to play with the real one! It has built in games, and even a QWERTY keyboard. Kids can send a text message which doesn’t go anywhere, but is acknowledged by Scout, the built in puppy dog! Scott also can messages back.  They can check Scout's planner to see what his week entails and more in the pretend browser mode.  Other learning modes offer practice with letter matching, shape identification. There are also silly animations and sound effects. I was so good I've almost mastered the "pop the letter balloons" game! Parents can connect to the online Leap Frog Learning Path for customized learning insights and ideas to expand the learning. Price is under $22.00.

 http://www.leapfrog.com/en/preschool_toys/text_learn.html

NATIONAL HARDWARE SHOW GADGETS! Let there be light - and with new lantern, music too!

From Lumilite, it’s the Mixi. This is a new product that changes the old fashioned lantern into a whole new multi-use gizmo. There’s a 7W U-tube fluorescent with it’s own high and low power mode. For nighttime operation there’s a nightlight mode which glows green, so you can easily locate the lantern in the dark. But there’s a bigger hidden surprise. Just press one button and twin speakers swing open to let you to play your music from your own device in any environment. Underneath the speaker-release button is the volume control for the built-in 2 watt amplifier. The unique designed speaker box delivers very decent sound for their size. Designed into the back of lantern is a slide holder for your iPod or any music player. Just use the attached universal input cable. It goes into the headphone jack of your music device. 4 “D” batteries power the entire unit, or you can use the external AC/DC adaptor (included). The Mixi lantern can be used indoors and outdoors. This is also a good device for emergency preparedness. Under $50. This is another item that won’t be on the market probably until July.

www.lumilite.com

Where is that *(&^^* Remote Control?

You’ve probably said something like that more than once when the TV remote you were just using, vanishes! Here’s a perfect solution. Remote Buddy holds four remote controls and has a place for your drink. But this device has a nice twist. If you misplace one of the four remotes push the color button from the empty pocket and your remote beeps so you can find it quickly. Just stick the color-coded receiver to the back of the remote and Remote Buddy keeps track of it up to about 30 feet. It ships with a drink holder that can be clipped to the right or the left side of the Remote Battery. It also includes 5 batteries; one for the main console and one for each of the remotes. Under $60

www.stuckontools.com

Update on May 25, 2009 by The Giz Wiz

I don't how how long the sale will last, but First Street has the Remote Buddy on sale for $39.95. The link is: http://www.firststreetonline.com/Home+Solutions/Cleaning+Organizing/Remote+Buddy.axd?cid=477

A great idea goes to your head!

Panther Vision LED cap. Panther Vison has been selling LED baseball caps for years. There was the original two LED version, then a four LED version. But now after much customer feed back, there’s a whole new design for the new Panther Vision baseball cap. There are now two LED’s under the brim that point down. It’s perfect for reading, and doing projects. Then there’s one super bright LED headlight that lights your way up forward up to 30 feet ahead. For light everywhere, turn both on at once. Yes, each light has it’s own switch and battery pack. The switch is right under the brim, each press let’s you can use each light separately, and then turn them on all together. The easy-to-replace batteries are in the hidden in the brim. It will be available in colors and will be under $25. This is a brand new item and may not be on the company’s website till early June.

www.panthervision.com

One Convenient & Clever Toilet Seat for Adults & Babies.

Early Choices is a new toilet training tool. It incorporates two seat sizes – adult & child into one convenient device. The smaller child seat clips into the lid when not in use so it’s totally out of the way. And since it’s part of the original seat, you don’t need to find a place to store it when the baby doesn’t need it. It disconnects quickly when the child grows up. A nice feature of the Early Choice is that it’s very easy to clean. You can disassemble seat with patented TWIST-N-PULL hinge pins. It takes just a few seconds. This is a brand new item and it’s not in the market place just yet. (Mid-May). But you can sign up to be notified when it actually available by going to the company’s website. Under $30

http://choicestoiletseat.com/