I spent Monday at the American International Toy Fair, which is being held this week at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center in New York and celebrating its 110th birthday. Some news and observations from the show:
Oregon Scientific is planning a second version of its Meep! tablet. Although the company was mum on many of the details, the new tablet will have updated hardware and software and a sleeker design. Current Meep owners will also be able to upgrade their tablets to take advantage of the new software, the company said.
Oregon Scientific also plans a new line of accessories to go along with the tablet, including docking stations, screen protectors, folio cases and a car kit.
It plans to announce more details in the next month or so.
Lexibook will launch new kids tablets in August in 7-inch, 8-inch and 10-inch screen sizes. Pricing will range from $129 to $199.
The France-headquartered company, which launched two years ago, currently sells several 7-inch tablets that range from $99 to $149.
VTech plans to expand the distribution of its InnoTab2 Baby, which was soft-launched exclusively at Walmart during the holidays. The tablet comes preloaded with nursery rhymes and baby sign-language videos, and has an $89.00 suggested retail.
The company is also planning a pair of USB-connected Smart Cub teddy bears that can connect to the company’s Learning Lodge online portal. They will be available in the fall for $19.99 suggested retails.
Smartphone-controlled cars, robots and helicopters were popular at the show, with introductions from Wowwee, Romotive and Woddon, among others. M-Edge made its first Toy Fair appearance, and I expect the presence of tablet and smartphone case makers will only increase for next year’s show, especially as manufacturers expand their lines to include kid-themed models and accessories.
For more on what was at the show, see the image gallery on TWICE.com.
