It looks like a marriage made in heaven, at least for parents who want to have their kids learning computer skills from young ages: Asus and Disney joined to produce the ultimate kids’ notebook, called the Netpal. For a PR practitioner, the move is not surprising: Disney will thus impose its brand on the minds of the young even stronger than before. Branded cellphones are already a fashion, the move to a branded netbook makes sense, and that Disney is the first to take this course is not a surprise either.
As you probably expected, the Netpal comes with preinstalled Disney themes: Club Penguin, Disney Classic Characters, Disney Fairies, Disney Princess, Vintage Mickey Mouse, Toy Story and WALL-E for preschoolers as well as Hannah Montana and Jonas Brothers for teens. The PC is available for as low as $349.99 and it’s already been described as a “toy-breaking streak” by PCWorld, while other reviewers consider the move pointless, on the premise that a regular laptop with parental controls could do the same thing. Sure, but a regular laptop doesn’t have the Disney brand all over it: it’s not “cool.” In our view, this is another smart PR/branding move from Disney, which will make the company even more popular among children.
Princess Pink (with florals) and Magic Blue (miniature Mickey Mouse icons) are the two variants of the product, which will make the Netpal attractive for both girls and boys. Netpal will be available in late July in 21 countries across Asia, Europe and North America, at Toys ‘R’ Us and Amazon.com.
Spill-proof keyboard, data loss protection, Radio Disney that streams music from the channel in real time, are only some of the features that will probably make this “toy” a popular choice with many parents and children. Netpal comes equipped with the Magic Desktop from EasyBits – a software for kids ages 2 to 10 with educational and entertainment programs that challenges kids to solve problems, learn how to write, how to play the piano and other instruments and much more. For parents who cannot afford $350 for Netpal, but they still want to offer their children an enjoyable learning experience on a PC, Magic Desktop is available at EasyBits for as low as €29. 99. An alternative to paid software is KIDOZ – a free browser for children ages 2-7, with the same features as Magic Desktop, if not more advanced.
Disclosure: KIDOZ is a Pamil Visions PR customer.
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