TUAW Buyers Guide: Parents’ Picks For Apple-loving Kids

Here we are within the thick of the holiday buying season, and regardless of your religion or creed you realize that the kids, tweens and teens in your life will likely be expecting one thing properly wrapped. What can you give them that may assist get them happening the Macintosh Way or enhance their iPod educational options? Read on for a brief and subjective checklist; for more, you may check out Apple’s kid-specific part of the Macintosh Product Guide or check out our Education and Gaming classes.Flip Boom, from Toon Boom Animation, $30. Who’s going to assist you in your dotage? Hopefully, your effectively-paid animator children. Flip Boom brings the TB pro products into the kid-friendly world with straightforward and enjoyable animation design.

Guitar Hero 3 for Mac, Aspyr, $80. If the family does not have a next-gen console gaming system, why not get down and get funky on the Mac? Yes, I know, Mike stated he is carried out with Aspyr, but he is just crabby because his Xbox 360 is damaged. Ship instances at the Apple Store indicate that this should be available in time for Christmas. If you’d like one thing aimed at the youthful set, maybe Lego Star Wars will fit the bill.

iPod Nano 4 GB, Apple, $150. It’s shiny, it is durable, it performs video and it is an iPod. Granted, this is probably a good reward for anybody, however tweens and teenagers particularly will find it irresistible. Paired with HandBrake, Miro or EyeTV for content material assortment and you have a terrific media system for automotive trips.

Kid Pix three Deluxe 1. If you have any concerns regarding where by and how to use cobalt drill bits (Suggested Web site), you can contact us at our own webpage. 1, MacKiev, $40. The oft-discounted, vintage kid’s art application just keeps on keepin’ on, with a recent Universal Binary replace for full Intel compatibility. Millions of students have grown up with Kid Pix and your kids ought to too; if you’d like an open-source and free different you would possibly give Tux Paint a spin. Note: there are two licensees of the child Pix brand, and the Encore model of Kid Pix Deluxe (v4) doesn’t appear to include the most recent Mac OS X product. Get the MacKiev v3 Deluxe 2007 version.

EVE Trinity Online / World of Warcraft, CCP & Blizzard, subscription-primarily based. What’s shocking to me, and possibly anyone else who grew up in the Dungeons & Dragons era, is that role-playing video games at the moment are really cool once more. Both these MMPORGs will keep your loved ones gamer satisfied (and probably invisible) for weeks. Check out sister site Massively for extra on both EVE and Warcraft.

“Mastering” collection, Fogware, numerous. Fogware’s age-focused sequence of class mastery applications bundle Weekly Reader content material and bunches of apps that target the educational challenges of every grade. Includes iPod-ready audio information to complement the computer-facet exercises.

Alphababy, Laura Dickey, donationware. For the very youngest Mac users, an application that lets them pound away on the keyboard to nice effect — without by accident deleting Mommy’s information.

Kidwidget 2, Astoundit, $29. If you’re in search of “iLife Jr.” this all-in-one package deal could also be it.

Rosetta Stone, prices differ. These pro-level language schooling packages aren’t cheap, but they pack a punch and can help starting learners get a leap on a new tongue. You’ll find Mac-pleasant language dictionaries at Ultralingua and free, video-recreation type Spanish language instruction at Practiquemos. Older youngsters may also be capable of take advantage of language podcasts or MangoLanguages.com instruction.

Driller, $10, quantumbeat. A basic however useful arithmetic stainless drill bit software, great for starting math college students. More advanced drills (in a really 1996 UI) might be had with the $20 Math Stars Plus 2007.

ContentBarrier DP, Intego, $70. While the best Internet content filter continues to be an attentive and Cobalt drill bits engaged adult, a safety net for adventurous young browsers may be obligatory in some instances. Intego’s strategy is attention-grabbing; there’s a Windows content filter bundled with the package deal, so that virtualized or Boot Camp environments get protected together with the Mac. Intego has comprehensive AV, firewall and content bundles as well.

iTunes U, free. Not all education occurs at school or at house; some can happen on the bus or while ready to be picked up from soccer observe. iTunes U gives hundreds of podcasted courses from schools and universities throughout the USA. Something to suggest to your high school student who’s pondering AP credit choices.

iPhoto calendars, Apple, costs differ. They aren’t just for grandparents anymore (though they are fabulous for grandparents); you would liven up a child’s room or study space with a household calendar that includes all your most touching, or embarrassing, moments from the past year. Order by 12/11 to obtain by 12/23 with commonplace transport.

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