Disney Netbook

phisrow

#1 – 1:42 PM August 11, 2009

"Developed with parents and kids in mind, the Disney Netpal by ASUS is designed for kids ages 6-12 and is durable, with a reinforced mechanical design, and offers a truly magical and engaging computing experience with a unique Disney user interface. Features include more than 40 robust parental control options, an 8.9-inch LCD display, Wi-Fi capabilities, Windows XP Home, and kid-friendly software featuring Disney characters and icons in stunning visual environments. Browsers and email have extra filters to assure that parents are able to control online safety and content for their children, and can easily select with whom their children can correspond via email. The Disney Desktop “gadget tray” offers a creatively designed 2D menu displaying a Disney-themed browser and a robust suite widgets and applications."

The hardware is just a perfunctory rebadge. The software is a heroic attempt to Make the Internet Safe for Consumers...

Day Vexx

#2 – 2:34 PM August 11, 2009

I'm sure there are a lot of kids who would dig it, and I know a lot of parents who aren't anywhere near as knowledgeable about the net as they should be, so the filters are probably a big selling point.

On the other hand, are there any good sites/forums with suggestions about turning your kids loose on the net without filtering? Where's the smart discussion about this happening?

dross1260

#3 – 3:05 PM August 11, 2009

The smart discussion has to be between child and parent. Nothing else works.

stratosfyr

#4 – 4:49 PM August 11, 2009

Needs moar princesses.

technogeek

#5 – 9:01 PM August 11, 2009

Is "eee" the sound of a brainless little tyke squeeling because she thinks she should want it, or the sound of the rest of us running in horror? Or, more likely, both?

Some girls are bored by the whole Barbie thing, some buy into it... apparently gated mostly by their parents' reactions, and partly by peer pressure.

Agree with #3: It's a matter of educating your kids, turning them loose only to the degree that they're able to handle, and of being the kind of parent they feel comfortable coming to with questions about *anything* they find odd. None of which is easy, but nothing worthwhile is ever easy.

Day Vexx

#6 – 9:22 PM August 11, 2009

#3, 5--

I figured as much. It's not just pr0n, anyhow-- it's figuring out how to explain that free games online are usually a front for some icky toolbar installer, or how some dumb e-mail can haunt her 10 years down the line (or equally worse, hurt someone other kid who encounters it in a forward)... I'm only 31, but I didn't grow up in such a meta world, so it's difficult understanding the ramifications of some of these technologies.

Anonymous Anonymous

#7 – 4:51 AM August 12, 2009

They clearly did not do their homework on this one. The screen resolution is 1024x600. Most kids oriented websites such as webkinz, ty, etc. are optimized for 1024x768. That makes the games unplayable.

dole

#8 – 10:52 AM August 12, 2009

#7 - Not to mention the real estate the menubars and toolbars take up. I had to teach my kid the importance of the F12 key (full-screen in IE) with her Acer Aspire. Also the reason why we went Acer: available in pink. *shrugs*

Anonymous Anonymous

#9 – 4:14 PM August 12, 2009

Dole -
Yeah, I have two girls. I totally understand the "pink" criteria...