From: V Tech Average Rating: Binding: Toy Label: V Tech Manufacturer Minimum Age: 3 years Manufacturer Maximum Age: 6 years Model: 80-67800 Release Date: June 12, 2006
Features:
An educational, interactive writing pad for little learners
Teaches letters A-Z step by step
LCD screen
Includes round pencil stylus, eraser and writing pad
Product Description: Program your preschooler for early learning with the Tote and Go Laptop Plus. This realistic looking computer features big style for little learners. Complete with a colorful keyboard and detachable mouse that's designed for both left- and right-handed users, the Tote and Go Laptop Plus features 30 engaging activities that teach language, math, games and music. Comes with a nifty handle for easy fold-up-and-go learning. Requires 3 "AA" batteries, included. Measures 11" x 14" x 3.5".
amazing value for the price my then 3 year old son got this from santa for christmas. i was sceptical, for the price i didn't expect much. but, i did want my son to have his own lap top so he'd leave mine alone :) i figured for the price we'd try it out. he loved it instantly, as did my then 1 year old. she is now 2, and he is 4, and they still love it. my 2 year old knows all her letters, as does my 4 year old. my son shows ME how to play the games. they are simple, but completely age appropriate. the sounds do get annoying, and the graphics are circa 1984, but i wouldn't really expect more for $21. it's also super durable. both children have repeatedly thrown, dropped and stood on it, and you can't tell at all. my only complaints are that the mouse comes off too easily, and that i wish it had a light up screen. my son plays on it for 15 minutes at bedtime after stories, and it's hard to see. well, for me at least, he says it's just fine. guess my eyes are getting old. overall i think this is one of the best purchases we, uh, santa, has made.
Good labtop just wish it was in color I hoped this would help keep my toddler away from my labtop but she really likes the color monitor on my labtop compared to the black/white monitor on her labtop. Besides that everything else on the labtop is great.
Highly Fun and Educational My son, who's 3 got this as a birthday presentfor his third birthday, and is one of his favorite toys. He takes (& asks for it) wherever we go. Not to mention it is a great learning tool for all sort of things. From phonics to making up your own musical song. Also the 'interactive' monkey is very cute. This one is bit better than the Fisher-Price Fun 2 Learn laptop. The screen on this is better and very clear (not green). I was thinking of actually buying this for him as one of his birthday presents, and decided that with some of his birthday $ I would then buy it. I didn't have to now. Not to mention it is very durable, my son has drop a few times and it still works like brand new.VTech Tote 'N Go Laptop Plus
Eh. Not super impressed... Got this for my 2 year old son when I got my own laptop, in hopes it would occupy him with his own and off of mine! It does that. Briefly. He's an active kid and doesn't sit and play with this kind of thing very long, okay, but this doesn't occupy him very long. I'll get my laptop out and he'll run off and get this, sit down, put it on his lap, mess around with the buttons and the mouse for a while, and then he's off to something else (or MY laptop) after about 5-10 minutes max. He's certainly as bright as some of the other reviewers' 2 year olds, but he most certainly didn't pick up the alphabet in some days/weeks and start playing with this thing "correctly." This is NOT a stupid or slow kid, and things like figuring out how to choose exactly which activity he wants and playing it correctly every time are absolutely beyond him. I suspect that anyone with a 2ish year old that did that is absolutely the exception, not the rule.
If you're looking for this for your 2(ish) year old to keep them occupied, you might want to look for something else. If you have a really calm toddler, you can probably use this WITH them to help teach the alphabet etc - it seems to be a good learning tool. But don't expect most kids that age to sit there and figure it out alone and learn that way. Not gonna happen. They're too young. If you want something that they can bang away on pretending to be typing like Mommy on her laptop and pretending to be using a mouse like Mommy does, it's great. (That's why I got it for mine.) But even then, it's limited in its ability to "entertain" them - at least at this age.
I have 2 big complaints with this product. The first is what other reviewers have mentioned: The sound level defaults to medium (should default to low!!), but worse than that, when the sound level button is pressed, the really, REALLY annoying monkey on the screen starts screeching (my husband says it sounds like a super loud annoying cricket) and does not STOP until a different key is pressed. Even if the cover is closed. Wanna guess what button my little boy likes to press the most? And then walk away. Arrgh!
Second, I realize he's slightly below the minimum age for this, but still. The battery compartment on the back has NO screws holding it closed. It simply snaps shut. He delights in turning it over, opening it, and yanking out the batteries - faster than I can leap up and get him to stop. This is simply DANGEROUS. Unless the toy is for 5+, they ought to be securing those compartments shut. I don't get it.
All in all, I think it's a good learning tool, and with a fairly calm kid or a slightly older kid, I think they'd learn a good deal from this and have fun doing it. But if you're reading this because you're thinking of buying this for a 2 year old or thereabouts, and hoping they're going to learn all this stuff all by themselves just by playing the game, I don't think it's likely. And if you have an active ("busy") toddler, don't expect this is going to hold their attention for all that long.
Nephew's Birthday present I'm not sure why anyone is giving this toy low ratings. It is a very good value and I agree with many of the other posters, you can buy a more realistic looking kids' laptop but this one is the way to go. It's durable, it has alot of function and frankly I think little kids prefer the bright colors. When my nephew goes to his Grandma's house, this is usually the first thing he runs to and he is one of those diecast car loving boys!
He's not quite old enough to get the full educational value out of it (read this as this toy still has room to grow with his development), but he does like to play with it and discover new functions, and even when he gets bored he just brings it to someone to put it in music mode and sits around composing songs.
At $30 or $40 this toy would be a nice deal, at Amazon's $19.99 it's a can't miss.
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