An Android tablet designed for children has been awarded Best of Show at the Toy Fair, held at London's Olympia January 24-26. Runners-up include alternative-energy-powered cars, an electric scooter and an augmented reality game.
The winner of the Best of Show award at the Toy Fair was voted for by the organizers of the separate technologically-forward trade show The Gadget Show Live, which will be held later in the year at Birmingham's NEC April 11-15.
This marks the first-ever Gadget Show Top Five listing with the selected products, announced January 26, chosen from the thousands of toys launched by the 200+ exhibitors at this year's toy show. Speaking with regards as to why the Gadget Show Top Five list and Best in Show award were created, Majen Immink, communications manager at the British Toy and Hobby Association (BTHA), organizers of the Toy Fair, stated, "The worlds of toys and technology have been increasingly overlapping for many years and this year it's been more noticeable than ever at Toy Fair."
The Gadget Show Top Five, as chosen at this year's Toy Fair are as follows, with Best of Show going to the toy voted number one on the list.
1. Kurio - by Inspiration Works (Best of Show)
The tablets in the Kurio line run on Google's Android 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich) operating system and are available in three sizes -- seven inch (800x480 resolution), eight inch (800x600 resolution) and nine inch (940x600 resolution); both the eight and nine inch versions feature a two megapixel rear-facing camera. The tablets will be launched in July priced at €179, €214 and €238 respectively. (http://www.inspirationworks.co.uk)
2. Fuel Cell Cars - by Thames & Kosmos
The Fuel Cell Car and Experiment Kit from Thames and Kosmos provides, in the manufacturer's words, "a playful introduction to one of the most significant technologies of the 21 Century." The kit enables young children to build cars powered by water or solar energy and contains a 90-page manual with over 30 different experiments. Cost is around €113. (http://www.thamesandkosmos.com)
3. AppGear Augumented Reality Zombie Birds - by Character Options
The AppGear range of toys combines physical objects with smart devices creating an augmented reality where the gaming action taking place on the smart device is altered depending on the setup of the physical object -- such as a board or a toy. The toy is expected to launch in the Spring of 2012. (http://www.character-online.com/)
4. Razor Electric Scooter - by Re:creation
This ride-on electric scooter is the latest edition to the Razor Scooter line. (http://www.recreationplc.com)
5. iPieces - by Jumbo Games
In fifth place was iPieces' series of toys which combine pieces from traditional board games, such as Snakes and Ladders, with the surface of the iPad in order to create an interactive digital experience. The organizers of the Gadget Show Live particularly marked out Game of Goose as a good example of this range of toys; available on Amazon.com and other retailers for €12 and upwards. (http://www.jumbo.eu/)
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