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Toy laptop but better.

As I was walking in the toy section of my local supermarket and found a Lexibook laptop and it got me thinking. What would you want in a 30-50€ toy laptop?

This is the laptop I saw:

https://www.lexibook.com/en/products/toys-and-games/educational-games/jc598i1-01-educational-and-bilingual-laptop-french-english.html

Posted in: s/Electronics

🚂 MrSVCD

Apr 20 · 4 months ago

7 Comments ↓

💀 requiem · Apr 20 at 10:17:

The best kiddie laptop would be, in my eyes:

0. No built-in internet access, no camera, no microphone.

1. One that grows with the child. It could start out as a simple “button makes sound” or “click here to make all lights blink” kind of toy for under 3’s. Then for 3-6, with a software replacement (SD Card swap?), simple puzzle games, 6+, text editing, paint, etc.

2. Cocoa-proof, lightweight, easy to repair at home. Possibly swappable keycaps to match age-appropriate software.

3. Upgradable - eg by replacing the SBC in it for a more powerful one. Parents should have choice to add wifi or other peripherals.

💀 requiem · Apr 20 at 10:17:

4. Hackable: for small kids, make it customisable with stickers etc. For older kids, maybe even add header pins to work with.

💀 requiem · Apr 20 at 10:18:

I am aware this product might not exist but one can dream? 😀

🚀 stack · Apr 20 at 15:34:

Last year I bought a ThinkPad for US50.00, and it is by far my favorite machine, for serious development and travel. I did spend a few more bucks on an SSD, but even without, why buy a toy? I spilled a liter of water directly over a keyboard with no consequences. It is a tank.

💀 requiem · Apr 20 at 16:18:

Weight, size, simplicity of use, etc. matter for kids. A thinkpad might be a bit too heavy and too large for a 4-year-old, for example?

🚀 stack · Apr 20 at 17:51:

May I suggest Kapla blocks instead (as a parent of 4)? Or make a Lego computer together. Four-year olds can emulate a computer with their imagination. Soon enough their nose will permanently attach to a phone -- why not enjoy meat space together while you can?

🚂 MrSVCD [OP] · Apr 21 at 09:03:

The only thing I would want to change is to make it hackable with say a RP2040 mcu and display with a higher resolution. I think the original resolution is 32 by 16 pixels so I would want at least 128 by some thing.