An Early Look at Top Tech Toys  


The leaves are barely starting to fall from the trees, and I'm already a little weary of hearing about how hard it will be to find a TMX Tickle Me Elmo around real gift-giving time.

But the fuzzy, laughing, and tumbling little guy is not the only toy being talked up as fall moves quickly into the holiday hype season. Toy Wishes, a toy trade publication, has come out with its list of expected top toy sellers based on thousands of reviews, as well as interviews with parents, kids, and retailers.

To be expected, tech toys make up a lot of the top picks. Here are some of them, a few of which I've checked out—including the Fisher Price kids' digital camera—but I'll take a closer look at them all before the holidays hit. And I'll be scoping out lots of other toys, too.

Kids Tough Digital Camera ($70) by Fisher Price. It's got a 1.3-inch LCD screen that lets kids see the pictures they've taken and delete or keep them. Big buttons make it easy for small fingers to use, but it does what a lot of big-people cameras do. It holds up to 60 photos, but kids can expand that with a memory card. And a USB cable hooks it up to a PC or Mac for downloading photos.

Digi Makeover ($60) by Radica Games. (Pictured) Geared for tweens, this high-tech makeover game plugs into a TV. Kids can snap a picture of themselves, then play with all kinds of different stylish looks.

Fly Wheels XPV ($60 by Jakks-Pacific). It's a lightweight radio-controlled vehicle that can take off and land from any hard surface and fly as high as 20 stories.

Wii ($250), Nintendo's new game console. Tom Samiljan takes a good, long first look at what appears will be the least expensive new gaming system this season.

Lego Mindstorms NXT ($250). The next-generation robotic kit from Lego that boasts a more powerful robot once it's built.

Of course, Mattel-Fisher Price's tenth anniversary reincarnation of the ticklish wonder made the list, too. Thankfully, my kids are too old to want one of these $40 wonders, though my 9 year old may disagree.