Young children step into the TV with the ION Educational Gaming System from Hasbro, a device that further blurs the lines separating toys, video games and television.
The ION is similar to the EyeToy camera for the Sony PlayStation, only there is no game console involved. Instead, the game unit plugs directly into the AV ports of a television. The swiveling camera is integrated into the front control panel, and is easy to adjust to the height of a wriggling child.
To start a game, a child must stand about 1.5m from the screen and wave at one of six floating bubbles. The camera spies the motion and the game is loaded.
Each game has three challenge levels. In the SpongeBob SquarePants disk that is included, there is a version of Simon Says in which a child must not move — easier said than done for a four-year-old. A hang-gliding game lets children use their arms as wings as they fly through a sky full of obstacles. Additional disks are US$20 each.
The ION system is available from major retailers for about US$100. While the camera resolution is comparable to the EyeToy, game play is helped by a well-lighted room.
A DIGITAL SLR THAT GIVES HINTS ON WHAT AN F-STOP MEANS
Like many recent digital single-lens-reflex cameras, the new Nikon D40 is considerably smaller than its corporate siblings. At US$600 with a zoom lens, it is also substantially less expensive. In an attempt to distinguish itself from competitors, however, the 6.1-megapixel D40 takes a novel approach to giving photographers advice on how to use it.
Users of the D40, which will start selling next month, can preview the effects of different settings by viewing sample photos on the camera's screen. For those who are unsure if a higher f-stop number means that more or less light is reaching the camera, an animation shows the size of the lens opening. (A bigger number means a smaller opening.)
In order to shrink the camera, Nikon has eliminated the smaller black-and-white display that its other digital SLR's use to show camera settings. A small motor was also eliminated, so the camera does not autofocus when used with lenses that require the motor to turn their focusing rings.
The D40 does work with Nikon's AF-S lenses that have built-in focusing motors and with the electronic system in some lenses for preventing blurry photos caused by unsteady hands.
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