Core77 gets all philosophical about the iFrogz Tadpole, a rugged, fun-looking iPod case for kids that's perfect for letting your kid watch videos at "the car, grocery store, bus stop, doctor's office, stroller and more!":
could this be an indicator of our escalated adaptation to and obsession with technology working hand in hand with an omnipresent worship of materialism? If so, then iFrogz has cleverly infiltrated a lucrative market--one where future-savvy parents bombard their young'ns with the hippest, hottest, latest and the greatest anything and everything.No kidding.
Frankly, I'd be more impressed with the Tadpole if it were designed to fit older iPods, not the latest and greatest. Figure that many iPod junkies order them at the rate of one a year, that means there's a shoebox somewhere with some perfectly decent 5, 10, 20, even 30Gb iPods which have been deemed obsolete. What a waste of resources.
Why not find a way to recycle these players into something actually fun and or useful for a kid, rather than promote the purchase of yet another iPod, especially a top-of-the-line video model? Hell, they could sell you a Tadpole and throw in a 4Gb reconditioned iPod for free. How much music does your kid actually have, anyway?
the iFrogz Tadpole is available in 30Gb and 60/80Gb sizes for $25 [ifrogz.com via core77 and dt reader naomi]
Honestly, I think the Tadpole is a pretty great idea.
On long trips, I've given my 4-year-old my video iPod to watch (I currently have a rubberized material case from Speck Products). I have a video playlist with "Thomas the Tank Engine," "Bob the Builder," etc. I start the iPod, set the volume and switch the lock on, so that he can't mess with anything. When one show is over, it goes straight into the next. It's way easier than setting up a portable DVD player (particularly since my son has scratched up all his DVD's!) and switching DVD's out. Plus, he wears headphones, so I don't have to hear annoying kids' shows during the trip.
I would use the Tadpole only for the situation I stated above. In no way would I buy my kid his own iPod. Damn, I'm lucky I even have one for myself...
I do see where you're coming from and I agree. However, those older 15GB iPods have much smaller, monochrome screens and don't do video (I know this because I still use one). I suspect the kids would be much more interested in having video of their favorite SS or cartoon character. However, if someone does have an older one, have they tried loading it up with their kid's favorite songs and tried getting them to listen only? It'd be worth seeing if it worked.
Gah, products like this make me feel like such an old codger at the tender age of 28. Back when I was a tot and we were going on a road trip, I was expected to pack a bag with books and toys and paper and crayons...do kids today even know how to play go fish in the back of a moving vehicle? How you have to figure out places to wedge all the cards so they don't slide around when dad gets all kamikazee on the lane changes? Or what about the science lessons to be had when you discover that a ziploc bag of crayons melts if you leave it in the car? My poor daughter. She's going to be the only kid without some sort of portable video device for those trips to grandma's simply because her parents won't buy one on principle.
[thanks for the advice grandma. next you'll be telling us you had to get up to change the channel in the rear-mounted DVD player, too. -ed.]
We considered one of these for emergencies (in fact, I had a post about it many months ago - thanks for the link THEN, Greg :-P ...)- but opted for a portable dvd player instead.
We bought it "for Christmas" but do not play to tell my daughter about it. We'll keep it handy for emergencies (just like we used to use the PowerBook as a "portable dvd player"). Especially since we are taking a plane trip, we'd like to be able to do something should she freak out.
Hopefully, like the PowerBook, we won't ever have to use it. But, like her Epi Pen, even though we hope to never use it, it is nice to know it is there.
Yeah, I'm a bad parent.
Now that I got my wife a new nano, though, you have inspired me, Greg, to find some way to do something cool with her old iPod Mini!
Hey man, slow down. I think this is a great idea. Maybe when that new so-called "real" video/movie ipod comes out next year (for, I don't know...$500-600) I can get the old one off craiglist for $100 (scratched and all) and toss it in this puppy.
See- good idea
Kaz, I'm with you on the portable DVD player. we're taking a pretty long trip with the twins, and hope this will help pacify them.
We've also thought that the once-per-fortnight TV viewing that they do could actually continue to be on this little device, that way they would not have an issue with wanting to play with the TV. We're able to turn off the surge protector so the TV is broken. But they still always ask... Hmm, I guess they'd do the same for the DVD player, but we could just pretend not to understand.