High-tech toy fair: plug and play

The techno-toy craze that reached a fever pitch last year shows no signs of abating, judging from toys on display. Favorites from last year, including the furry, talking Furby doll from Tiger Electronics, and the programmable robot from Lego System Inc., are back. And so is a slew of new products that look like a cross between the play room and a computer lab.

"In the last few years, this area has really heated up," said Terri Bartlett, communications director for the Toy Manufacturers of America Inc. "Technology price points are coming down, so more manufacturers can use that, too."

Manufacturers are also trying to come up with toys that can compete with video and computer games, which are luring children away from traditional toys at younger ages than in the past.

Toys for adults
"Children at a certain age, say around 10, start to put their Legos aside," said John Dion, public relations manager for Lego. "By adding new technology, it makes it more relevant for kids."

It also makes toys attractive to adults. Dion said that half of the sales of Lego's Mindstorms robot systems, a $200, PC-controlled robot kit, were actually to adult males. In fact, the toy has become so popular with high-tech types that Lego decided to put its software developer's kit online, so fans could create their own programs for the robots.

Some highlights from the show, which continues this week:

Lego Systems Inc. showed off updated versions of its Mindstorms robot systems with enhanced processors. And in anticipation of the release of the new Star Wars movie, the company has produced a "Droid Developer Kit" that lets consumers create their own R2-D2 that can sense light sources and react to them. The Droid can also be assembled to form a "Battle Droid" figure from the new movie. The Droid kit costs $100, and will be available in the holiday season.

Lego has also developed some new accessories for the basic Windstorms kits including a remote control for $19.99, and a digital video camera that can be hooked up to a PC, which will cost between $100 and $130.

Also, the company has produced standalone robots that do not need computers to be programmed. The Robotics Discovery Set will be available in the holiday season for $149.

Furby is back. The talking furball will get new colors, mimicking the animal kingdom. "Baby Furbies" in pastel colors will also be introduced in the spring. In addition, the company will come out with a line of non-talking plush Furby dolls. Furby is also getting it's own bed -- with an electronic handle that puts the creature into a "deep sleep."

Furby's not the only electronic device coming from Tiger this year. The company has developed a Laser Tennis game that uses a beam of light and reflective paddles instead of a ball. The device has a motion sensor camera that can track a player's movements and tell whether he or she hit the "ball." The laser tennis will cost $34.99 and will be available in the fall. Tiger's Pooh Campfire Storyteller is a tape recorder that uses radio frequencies to send signals out to speakers shaped like Winnie the Pooh, Tigger and Piglet. The tapes are specially coded so that the speakers can be arranged around the room, and each character can tell part of a story on the tape.

Microsoft Corp. (Nasdaq:MSFT)is also going after the pre-school market, with the latest in its Actimates line of interactive plush toys. The Teletubbies, based on a popular PBS series, have five touch sensors that trigger music and digital displays. The toys can also be configured to respond to the television show, talking along with their characters on TV. The figures will be available in April for $59.95. The TV transmitter, which sends the signal to the toys, costs $55.

Passing notes has become passe, according to Playmates Toys Inc., which showed off a new form of interactive messaging device for children. The friend.link keychain accessory lets kids send messages to each other, which can be viewed on the 48-character LCD screen. The devices can be configured so that they broadcast to all other systems in range or boys only or girls only. A password system also lets kids send messages to a select group of people, or to a specific person. Friend.link will be available this month for $19.99.