Sunday, January 28, 2007

UK Toy Industry worth 2.2bn after strong performance in 2006

UK Toy Industry worth 2.2bn after strong performance in 2006
Wednesday January 24 2007
UK Toy Industry worth 2.2bn after strong performance in 2006

Figures announced this morning at the Toy Fair by NPD Group on behalf of the British Toy & Hobby Association show that the toy market in the UK saw a strong performance in 2006.

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Thursday, January 25, 2007

Wowwee Segway-ish P.E.A. Bot Canned

Unfortunate news has come about regarding the P.E.A. Bot from Wowwee, the folks that brought you the Robosapien. This beer-holdstering, Segway-technology using robot that we first told you about at CES 2006 over a year ago has officially gotten the can. It was slated for an early 2007 release and it was finally canned because it was going to cost way too much, Mark Tilden, Wowwee Chief Designer and Engineer said. Sad news, indeed. Tilden also said that they may try to create the P.E.A. Bot again, in the future, but no promises. Thanks, RSV3L –Travis Hudson

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Robosapien RS Media

Just two days before Christmas 2006, a big heavy box landed on the door step of the TechCast Network office. With as much excitement and enthusiasm as a small boy on Christmas day, I promptly yet carefully tore open the box to reveal the coolest toy I’ve ever come across.

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Thursday, January 18, 2007

New Report from The NPD Group Provides Insight into Kids and Digital Content and Entertainment

Kids are becoming increasingly tech-savvy, playing video games and using and downloading content to cell phones, computers and portable digital music players (PDMP) as young as age 2, according to The NPD Group’s new study, Kids & Digital Content, which provides insight into kids’ ages 2 through 14 usage and interaction with consumer electronic (CE) devices and the dynamics behind acquiring digital content for these devices.

While downloading games is the most prevalent activity, watching downloaded movies, television, music videos or online streaming video content has already reached upwards of 25-percent penetration with children ages 2 through 14.

According to the report, kids are spending an average of 44 minutes in one sitting playing games on a video game system, and the same amount of time listening to music on a PDMP.

Cell phones highlight the quick progression in usage of consumer electronics, with only 15-percent of 2-5 year olds using cell phones, but 62 percent using them by ages 11-14.

“Without a doubt, kids are digital content natives, seamlessly navigating between traditional and digital sources of media without missing a step,” said Anita Frazier, industry analyst, The NPD Group. “To kids, there is nothing new or novel about digital sources of entertainment. The real challenge for marketers is to be one step ahead of their competition, providing the content and technology kids crave.”

When it comes to downloading digital content, by the time kids are 7 years old, more than one in 10 are downloading content in some form, with 22 percent downloading at age 10 and 50 percent downloading at age 14. Three-quarters of kids with an Internet connection are using the Internet. Among those users, almost half are online and surfing the Internet without any assistance, while another one-third are surfing the Internet with their parents or someone else.

According to the report, the availability of free content does not seem to impede kids’ purchasing behavior, as evidenced by the fact that most kids are paying for each type of content. For example, 70 percent of PDMP users are paying for content; as are 55 percent of computer users, 67 percent of cell phone users and 87 percent of video game system users.

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Monday, January 15, 2007

Doing business in the virtual world

Computer giant IBM has built 12 new "virtual islands" in the online 3D world of Second Life. The firm is hoping to use the new space to explore how to conduct business in the world.

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