Toys R Us announces $150 tablet for kids

Toys R Us announces $150 tablet for kids By Hayley Tsukayama, Published: September 10 Source:

A prominent company jumped in to the 7-inch tablet competition Monday, but it wasn’t Apple, Microsoft, or HP — it was Toys “R” Us. The toy retailer announced the introduction of the Tabeo, a seven-inch, Android-powered tablet for kids that will cost $149.99. The device is aimed solely at younger users, complete with specialized browser controls, pre-loaded educational apps and a curated app store to give kids access to a limited number of programs. Not that it's all about hitting the books. Rovio’s “Angry Birds,” Imangi Studio’s “Temple Run” and Halfbrick’s “Fruit Ninja” are also included on the tablet, in addition to games such as “Cut the Rope,” “Collapse!” and “100 Floors.” The tablet will run a version of Android 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich) and will have the ability to connect to the Internet over WiFi. The tablet will only be available from Toys “R” Us stores or the company’s Web site. It will go on sale Oct. 21. To keep it kid-proof, the tablet also has a lime-green bumper to go around the outside, which should protect it when “dropped from low heights or bumped into other objects.” The curated app store, the release said, has 7,000 free apps and “thousands” available for purchase. The tablet has 4GB of RAM and an expandable microSDHC memory slot. Parents can limit the amount of time their kids can spend online, set access for specific days of the week or hours of the day, and can get e-mail alerts if their kids find some way around the limitations. The news release lists “nearly 10” (in other words, nine) educational apps meant to teach kids about the alphabet, science and math, plus additional apps focused on subjects such as photography and cooking. Toys “R” Us is not the only company that has put measures in place to monitor how children use tablets. At its recent Kindle Fire announcement, Amazon said that it would put stricter parental controls into place on its tablets, allowing parents to set up profiles that limit how long their children can use the device. After the Toys “R” Us announcement Monday, shares of the LeapFrog Enterprises — which makes smart tablet-like toys for kids to help them with reading, math and other subjects — fell dramatically as investors worried about how the company would keep pace with a toy store behemoth such as Toys “R” Us. As of 1:30 p.m., LeapFrog shares were down more than 7 percent to about $8.50 per share.

Backlash for Disney's first Latina princess By Cindy Y. Rodriguez, CNN updated 6:42 PM EDT, Fri October 19, 2012

(CNN) -- Move over Pocahontas and Mulan, Sofia está aquí. Disney's first Latina princess, featured in the movie "Sofia the First: Once Upon A Princess" has received backlash as well as support from the media outlets, especially the Latino community. Is Disney's new princess a milestone for Latinos or a culturally irrelevant character? Disney's spokeswoman provided a recent statement to CNN to help clarify what exactly makes "Princess Sofia" Latina: "The range of characters in 'Sofia the First' -- and the actors who play them -- are a reflection of Disney's commitment to diverse, multicultural and inclusive storytelling, and the wonderful early reaction to 'Sofia' affirms that commitment. In the story, Sofia's mother, Queen Miranda, was born in a fictitious land, Galdiz, a place with Latin influences. Miranda met Sofia's father, Birk Balthazar, who hailed from the kingdom of Freezenberg, and together they moved to Enchancia, where Sofia was born." "Sofia the First" is a television movie and series set to debut November 18 on the Disney Channel and Disney Junior, aimed at children ages 2-7. Sofia is a regular little girl whose life changes when her mother marries the king. Ariel Winter from "Modern Family" will voice Sofia and Sara Ramirez from "Grey's Anatomy" will voice Queen Miranda. When news first hit in December 2011 that Disney was going to introduce their new and much younger princess, there was no mention of Sofia's Latina background, let alone that her mother was from "a place with Latin influences" until this week. Yet this week, Disney announced that Sofia was indeed Latina. During a press tour, a blogger asked why Sofia's mother, Miranda, had a darker complexion than her mother, leading to the big announcement of the Hispanic background: "She is Latina," said Jamie Mitchell, Disney's executive producer, during a press tour to Entertainment Weekly in an article published on Tuesday. According the the vice president of Disney Junior original programming, "We never actually call it out." "It's sort of a matter-of-fact situation rather than an overt thing." However, this isn't the first time there is controversy surrounding one of Disney's princesses. In 2009, "The Princess and the Frog" received criticism from parents and the media for being set in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina, it's voodoo references and Disney's first African-American princess, Tiana, falling in love with a Caucasian prince. Most agree Princess Tiana was a step in the right direction but many said there was still work to be done. Some Latinos applauded Disney's new milestone and welcomed her with open arms on Twitter stating, "#Disney comes out with its first "#Latina Princess." Its about time. It is 2012. #Hispanics" and "#Disney finally comes out with a #Latina princess" Some criticized what they saw as a lack of cultural signifiers or ethnic identity in the Sofia character. "If Disney were truly to finally step out and directly cater to the Latino community that has been crying out for decades for a Latina princess to represent our girls," said Ana Flores, blogger for Spanglishbaby, "She would be as Latina as Tiana is black or as Pocahontas is Indian-American." Alex Nogales, president and CEO for the National Hispanic Media Coalition, a nonprofit organization that promotes Latino equality in the entertainment industry, believes the Latino community needs more heroes right now that are very identifiable. "Latinos are taking the blame for everything that is wrong with America. This is not a time to pussyfoot around. If you're going to promote this to the public, and Latinos in particular, do us a favor and make it a real Latina." Source: http://www.cnn.com/2012/10/19/showbiz/disneys-first-latina-princess/index.html?hpt=hp_c2