Those of you holding out for a rugged touchscreen netbook/tablet might want to ask your kids where to find one. This PeeWee Pivot Tablet Laptop actually looks halfway intriguing.
Sure, it costs $600, but you get a swiveling touchscreen in a three-pound package that’s drop- and spill-resistant. And — AND! — “a free Walt Disney Windows XP Theme” to sweeten the deal. The company says that the computer is for children ages three to ten but maybe they’ll sell them to adults, too.
Aside from the rugged-ness, a built-in accelerometer, and the 180-degree resistive touchscreen, the innards of the PeeWee are pretty standard netbook fare: 1.6GHz Atom CPU, 8.9-inch screen at 1024×600, 1GB of RAM, 60GB hard drive, six-cell battery, webcam, and XP Home. There’s a three-year warranty instead of a standard one-year deal, so that’s something.
PeeWee PC [PeeWeePC.com]
Full press release:
PeeWee PC Unveils Durable PeeWee Pivot Tablet Laptop for Kids
Spill and drop resistant Laptop features PeeWee PC’s proprietary security suite, touch tablet with stylus, and a carrying handle
San Francisco, CA – April 29, 2009 – PeeWee PC (www.peeweepc.com), the leading manufacturer of computer products and accessories for children, is excited to announce the availability of the PeeWee Pivot Tablet Laptop. Weighing in at just 3 pounds, this tiny yet rugged, spill and drop resistant notebook is perfect for children aged 3-10. The laptop features the Intel® Atom™ Processor, a convertible rotating screen and touch tablet with stylus, a free Walt Disney Windows XP Theme, and a 1.3 megapixel webcam that rotates 180 degrees and is perfect for video chatting with moms and dads who have to travel.
PeeWee PC loads each Pivot Tablet Laptop with 10 age appropriate software and game titles for Pre-K, Early Elementary, or Upper Elementary students. PeeWee also includes its proprietary security suite on each laptop, giving parents full control of how and when their children use the laptop.
“We design all our computers to meet the needs of both our young end users and their parents,” said Oscar Ferreria. “This means creating products that are both fun and durable, but most importantly, safe. We all understand the drawbacks associated with giving children internet access, and there is no way any child should be browsing the internet without advanced security software.”
The PeeWee security software allows parents to limit how much time their children spend browsing the internet (on a daily or weekly basis), block inappropriate sites with any version of any web browser, take screen shots, view browsing history, and even control the laptop remotely. Additionally, the PeeWee security suite also allows parents limit the amount of time children spend gaming and protects the laptop by preventing children from changing system settings.