Updated 26 May, 2012, 2:25 pm IST

Disney, Asus Launch Netbook For Kids

23 Jun, 2009, 10:44 am IST | by tech2 News Staff |

Disney Consumer Products (DCP) and Asus have collaborated to develop the Disney Netpal, a netbook computer for children.

Developed with parents and kids in mind, the Disney Netpal is durable, with a reinforced mechanical design. It has a spill-proof keyboard that protects against liquid spills and has Asus' ShockShield data protection guards against data loss when the computer is subject to impact.

Features include more than 40 parental control options, an 8.9-inch LCD display, Wi-Fi capabilities, Windows XP Home, and kid-friendly software featuring Disney characters and icons. Browsers and email have extra filters to assure that parents are able to control online safety and content for their children, and can easily select with whom their children can correspond via email.

The Disney Netpal by Asus is designed for kids aged 6-12 years and will be available in late July in two models with prices based on features. Retailers include Toys"R"Us and Amazon.com, and the suggested retail price is $349.99.

"Today's kids are a digital generation," said Chris Heatherly, head of Disney's Toymorrow team and VP of Toys and Consumer Electronics for Disney Consumer Products. "Parents are comfortable with their kids using the Internet, but they want to be assured that their kids are having a safe online experience. The Disney Netpal, designed together by Asus and our Disney Toymorrow team, is a no-compromise device. There are plenty of terrific features and fun applications designed just for kids, but parents have ultimate control over the experience, with the power to set limits on how their kids are using the PC."

The Disney Magic Desktop installed on the Disney Netpal is an easy-to-use interface specifically tailored to kids, with an intuitive visual interface and instructions that make it easy for kids to operate the computer. It features a 2D "gadget tray" that displays bold visual icons for easy access to applications and the laptop also features a collection of 15 widgets, including a stopwatch, digital memo pad, which inserts "reminder notes" on the Disney Magic Desktop, and a calculator.

The Disney Netpal by Asus features two choices of stylishly designed lids; Disney Princess Pink that boasts beautiful pink florals and Disney Magic Blue that displays rows of miniature Mickey Mouse icons. Kids can dress their desktops with more than 10 customizable themes inspired by popular characters from Disney's and DisneyâPixar's most popular franchises, including Cars, Club Penguin, Disney Classic Characters, Disney Fairies, Disney Princess, Vintage Mickey Mouse, Toy Story and WALL-E. Themes that appeal to slightly older kids, such as the popular Disney Channel series Hannah Montana and JONAS styles, are also available. Favorite character icons can be attached to email addresses.

Additional Disney-developed applications include Disney Mix for music and media management, and Disney Pix for photo customization and organization. The Disney Pix application features fun Disney Bobblehead software, which lets kids insert images of their faces on top of bodies, download them into videos and postcards and play wacky moving dance scenes, for hours of fun. The Radio Disney widget streams real-time music and lets kids simultaneously submit song requests, if they wish. It includes a driving game, number game, memory game and photo scrapbook.

Tags: Asus , netbook

Every now and then we come across a gadget that raises the bar for products in that segment. The Asus Eee Pad Transformer definitely classifies as one