Vtech | Product Reviews by The Experimental Mommy

Kindle for Kids? Check out this V.Reader Giveaway!

June 22, 2010 By admin

Lily just finished Pre-K and is very much looking forward to Kindergarten next year. To my amazement, she has really developed some incredible reading skills this year and I definitely want to foster her new love of reading and thirst for knowledge during the Summer months. We are already big fans of VTech products, so I was thrilled to learn of the new V.Reader aimed at those starting to read!

The V.Reader is like a Kindle for Kids! The unit looks like a book with a touch screen and QWERTY keypad which takes cartridge games holding stories and reading exercises. VTech aims to make reading fun by enhancing the experience with fun illustrations, sound effects and music. From the press release:

“Stories come to life through vivid animation, narration, character voices, graphics, sounds and music. Young children engage with stories by watching, reading and learning. They follow their favorite character’s voice, play reading games and use the story dictionary. Your child learns the necessary building blocks to grow into a fluent reader. V.Reader teaches reading comprehension, vocabulary, phonics and word building, along with a story dictionary that describes word definitions in a manner that’s easy for them to comprehend.”

Lily was more than excited to try the V.Reader (which takes 4 AA batteries, not included)! She was eager to listen to the animated stories and wanted to play the reading comprehension games first. She did incredibly well and then decided to move on to word games. There are several games focusing on word recognition, spelling and vocabulary with three difficulty levels which will allow Lily to get many years of play on this game.

As a Mom, I love that the V.Reader has a dictionary to increase vocabulary and also has computer connectivity to monitor Lily’s progress and download more stories (many of which will be FREE!). Cartridges can be purchased for $19.99 and currently 11 games are available. Starting June 20th, the V.Reader will be available at Target but will be Nationwide in August.

How to enter:

1. Visit VTech Kids and browse the products. Come back and tell me where another product your kids would love!

Additional entries:

1. Blog about this giveaway and link to The Not-So-Blog and VTech Kids (10 extra entries).

2. Follow me (@BridgetteLA) and @VTechToys on Twitter and Tweet this giveaway. Every time you tweet you get an additional entry! Unlimited! (You must have over 50 Twitter followers to qualify for unlimited entries!)

3. Subscribe to my blog.

4. Become a Fan of The Not-So-Blog and VTech Toys on Facebook.

5. Place my blog banner on your sidebar.

6. Subscribe to my Feed.

Contest ends at 11:59pm CST on July 12th. Prizes not claimed in 72 hours will be forfeited. Open to U.S. Residents only.

This product review is the opinion of the Experimental Mommy. Others may have a different experience. VTech Kids supplied me with a unit for review, but all opinions are 100% mine.

Filed Under: Giveaways Tagged With: giveaway, V.Reader, vtech

VTech MobiGo: Review and Giveaway

June 1, 2010 By admin 458 Comments

The VTech MobiGo will be a great way to introduce my daughter to handheld interactive games while still providing educational (yet fun) material that she will enjoy.

One VTech MobiGo in Pink by VTech (including gaming device, one cartridge and a USB cable), and a very excited 5 year old girl ready to jump into the world of handheld gaming. About VTech MobiGo:

“Young learners mimic Mom and Dad with their very own touch-screen learning system. Major fun meets classic school skills to create the perfect edu-gaming experience.

- Touch-screen: MobiGo’s touch-screen technology adds a modern twist to electronic learning games, so kids learn while mimicking the way parents use touch-screen devices.
- Educational games: From fishing, coloring book pages, drawing and playing instruments, kids can discover a wide variety of fun and engaging learning games.
- Learning skills: MobiGo teaches a wide range of skills including math, vocabulary, spelling, logic and categorization. The slide open QWERTY keyboard introduces older kids to text typing skills.
- Portable: Handheld robust gaming console makes learning fun on the go for little hands and is equipped with headphone and AC adapter jacks.”

Now that school is out for summer, Lily is ready to play, play and PLAY! Of course, we want her to have fun this summer, but we still want her to develop and retain her skills as she is about to enter kindergarten. My husband is a teacher and always eager to find new ways to introduce new concepts to our daughters. So, more than anyone, he was thrilled to check out the new VTech MobiGo!

When the unit arrived (available in stores on June 5th!), my husband and I were the first to check it out. We wanted to see how it worked and have a chance to look at the games for both educational and enjoyable content before my daughter ran off with it. We found it easy to maneuver and were anxious to see her reaction.

The next day, we gave it to Lily after which I thought she may explode! When she figure out that she could open the unit to reveal a QWERTY keypad (just like Mom’s phone!), she was delighted. She immediately started playing the games. After about an hour, she had mastered the skills on the cartridge that was provided. Honestly, I was quite impressed how quickly she picked up handling the device and learning the material. I quickly realized that she need another game, so we headed to Toys R Us and found a Shrek game for her new MobiGo. She loves it!

Both my husband, my daughter and I loved the new VTech MobiGo. We all found the handheld unit easy to manipulate and Lily enjoyed the games (although the ones on the Shrek cassette for ages 4-7 were more her speed). The MobiGo will be available at VTech Kids on June 5th and at Toys R Us on June 7th for $59.99.

Think your kids would love the new VTech MobiGo? Win one right here on Experimental Mommy!

How to enter:

1. Visit VTech Kids and browse the products. Come back and tell me where another product your kids would love!

Additional entries:

1. Blog about this giveaway and link to The Not-So-Blog and VTech Kids (10 extra entries).

3. Subscribe to my blog.

4. Become a Fan of The Not-So-Blog and VTech Toys on Facebook.

5. Place my blog banner on your sidebar.

6. Subscribe to my Feed.

Contest ends at 11:59pm CST on June 23rd. Prizes not claimed in 72 hours will be forfeited. Open to U.S. Residents only.

This product review is the opinion of the Experimental Mommy. Others may have a different experience. VTech Kids supplied me with a unit for review, but all opinions are 100% mine.

Filed Under: Giveaways Tagged With: giveaway, MobiGo, vtech

WINNERS

March 22, 2010 By admin 4 Comments

It’s time for more winners! Did you find a four leaf clover? Is it your lucky day?

Pampers: Charlotte

Redbox Free Movie Rentals: Cassie

Disney Family Prize Pack: Cynthia

VTech Phone: Missy

Congrats to all the winners! You will be emailed shortly. Please respond within 72 hours to claim your prize.

Thanks to everyone who participated!

Filed Under: Giveaway Winners Tagged With: Disney Family, Pampers, redbox, vtech

V.Smile Motion Active Learning System by VTech: Review

January 3, 2010 By admin 2 Comments

The V.Smile Motion will be a fun and educational way to introduce video games to my 4 year old while engaging not only her mind, but her body and creativity, too!

One V.Smile Motion Active Learning System by VTech (which comes with one controller and an Active Mania Smartridge), one very excited four year old little girl. About VTech:

“VTech, the creator of the Electronic Learning Products (ELP) category, is a world leader of age-appropriate learning toys. Since 1976, VTech has been developing high-quality, innovative, educational products for children from birth to preteen that deliver “smart play” through the combination of entertaining electronic formats and engaging, age-suitable content that help children learn while having fun.

VTech Electronics North America, which is based in Arlington Heights, Illinois, is the sales and marketing office of VTech’s ELP business in the United States. With headquarters in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, VTech designs, manufactures and sells its products via a strong brand platform that is supported by a well-established distribution network all around the world.”

Even though the holidays are behind us, if your family is like mine, the gift giving season is far from over! This month, my oldest daughter will turn five and she is just starting to show an interest in video games. She has had other educational handheld gaming devices, but never a gaming console of her very own. so, when I was contacted about reviewing VTech’s V.Smile Motion, I had a feeling Lily would be on board!

Setting up the V.Smile Motion was very easy. Beware that is does take 4AA batteries which were hard to find in my home after Christmas. The console plugs directly into your television and includes one wireless controller (which can be configured for a child who is right or left handed). I loved the fact that the controller was wireless because it allowed Lily to easily play the games without getting tangled in the wires. The system also included an “Action Mania” smartridge which includes a few starter games. Lily really enjoyed tennis and I was surprised at how fast she picked up on how to use the controller. I also like that the games allow you to choose whether or not you want to play the game in “motion mode” or “joystick mode.” I found that while Lily liked playing the games in motion mode, she preferred the joystick mode for certain games like the designer section on her new Disney Fairies game (not included).

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The V.Smile Motion Active Learning System was a hit in my home! Lily enjoyed jumping, swinging and dancing as she played the smartridge games. I love that while it is a video game, Lily was learning math and reading skills while still being active. The V.Smile Motion is a great way to get out some energy on rainy or snowy days.

The V.Smile Motion is recommended for children ages 3-7 and can be purchased for only $59.99 (but I found the pink one on sale at Toys R Us for only $49.99!)! There are games for just about any interest including Dora, Disney Fairies, Wonder Pets and Little Einstein which average between $20-$25. I will definitely be on the look out for more Smartridges for Lily’s birthday! Anybody have the Princess and the Frog?

This review is the opinion of The Experimental Mommy. Other may have a different experience with the product. Thank you to VTech who provided the product for review. I was not compensated in any way except for the complimentary product and all opinions are my own.

Filed Under: Reviews Tagged With: toys, video game, vsmile, vtech, vtech motion