Children's Games for MobilePro 780

My 18-month old loves the computer, so I am giving her the MobilePro that I purchased for my GF years ago but she never used. I've googled for hours, but it's difficult (a) to find children's or babies' games and (b) to determine whether they'll work on the Handheld Professional platform. I'm thinking of getting her the Bubbletts game that is reviewed on this site. Please let me know if you have any other tips. Thanks.

18 months? Tough to find games in that age group....I really can't think of a single one. Maybe some drawing program to make pretty pictures...

That would be great. I'm not really hoping for her to understand the games. Where would I get a Paint game that is compatible? (Again, I have searched everywhere and even bought a game from one place but there was an error in the PayPal payment and I was not able to download it. I will report back on that once they get back to me.)

I don't think this is a very good idea for a few reasons:

First and foremost: The computer may not be safe for the child. Multiple professors of child development, authors and the Alliance for Childhood have stated that computer use is not safe for the mind of a developing child before age 3. The stylus is also small enough that it could accidentally be swallowed, so that would have to be taken away. Without the stylus, even if your child understood the games, pressing on-screen buttons would be hard because of the inaccuracy of the larger surface area of a finger, but also the dexterity of an 18-month-old. A child of the age of 18 months probably couldn't remember what all the keys do, so touchscreen "games" would be the only way to go, except for the difficulties mentioned above. A simple program that produces noises, sounds and movement on the screen, possibly triggered by screen presses, might be usable, but it would still not be recommended, and you would have to program it yourself as these Handheld PCs were designed as expensive business machines, not infant playthings. The DSTN screens on these MobilePros also have very blurred motion, and wouldn't produce a clear image with motion. Not to mention, an 18-month-old might not be as gentle as you'd think with it and the computer might not last until she is older, when it could be an option for play. If you decided to sell it afterwards, no one would want to receive a MobilePro that was chewed on by a baby.

I think the best options would be either to save the MP780 until your kid is older and could understand it or to sell it. A Handheld PC could be a great thing to either play around with or learn to type once your child turns maybe 6. If you don't want to wait that long or worry about the battery lasting, there is always someone out there willing to buy it. (often many people)

Edited by MobilePro Master 2011-05-16 9:11 PM

All good points...however, we are making the assumption that hermi14's child is typical....when in fact she may not be...she may be a prodigy and may have actually inherited the HPC gene from her father.

You can check this by pressing her belly-button and seeing if she soft resets...

There was a flashcard program on mscdex's site (which I think either got uploaded here or onto a member's site after he shut it down). You can program in your own content (maybe it was called Z-flash).

I think you might want to review the literature on early childhood development, small screens, and links to eyesight issues.

Of course, to be fair, my kids (after maybe age 7) started using my MP's regularly (and the machines are still somewhat operational). The kids, well, I guess they're OK also.

But there's a difference between computer use at age 1.5 and age 7...

She could have the H/PC gene, but only if her father had an H/PC of his own. So far, he has only said that he got one for girlfriend...

Edited by MobilePro Master 2011-05-16 11:04 PM

Interesting points. Appreciate your seriousness, MobilePro Master, and your lightheartedness, Mr. Harley..... I really don't care about the machine itself--she has already been playing with it (typing on it) for a while now. I just re-charged the battery last week, however, and she squealed with delight when she saw that it booted up. We spend a lot of time on the computer and it makes her happy to have her own. I also allow her to play with my touchscreen phone, and it was only after thinking about getting her her own phone with games on it that I realized I might still be able to use the MobilePro. (I was even so far along as to be considering purchasing the $50 Pixie Pro on Amazon and activating ithe profile with out service and just using Wifi.)

No, I would not give her the stylus. She is quite able to launch programs already. It's a stimulus-response, thing--nothing complex. I can't imagine why it would cause vision problems--for that matter, "reading" at an early age should cause vision problems. She loves to open adult books up and peruse through them, turning the pages. Is it dangerous that the letters are so small and there are no pictures? I don't think so. The LCD screen is another matter--she is never very far from an adult, so I am willing to take the risk. Also, as Rich has alluded to, she is actually very mature for 18 mos old--seriously--she is gentle with animals and --like I said--books.

Flashcards is an excellent idea. But again, I'm not finding these things (Paint or flashcards) online.

"A child of the age of 18 months probably couldn't remember what all the keys do, so touchscreen "games" would be the only way to go, except for the difficulties mentioned above. A simple program that produces noises, sounds and movement on the screen, possibly triggered by screen presses, might be usable, but it would still not be recommended, "

You'd be amazed at what they can do. She can't yet master the clock radio which requires two different buttons to be pressed to turn on and off (Sleep turns it on, Snooze turns it off --I haven't shown her the "real" three-way On/Off/Auto button), but that's a fairly complex concept and she uses different buttons to produce different results on her electronic toys all the time. I can't see why it would not be recommended. This is the 21st century. I'm sure she'll have a cell phone by the time she's 7.

I'm sure you could create a customized desktop with a few links to play her favorite mp3 song, bring up a couple simple programs....we just need to find them...

First time I can recall Rich being named after a motorcycle.

There's a simple solution to the stylus problem: tether the stylus to the 780. There are styli available that fit the MobilePro and have a small hole on the blunt end where a tether can be tied. There is also a place on the corner of the 780 where the other end can be tied. All you need is a piece of string and you're good to go.

As for Paint programs, there's always Pocket Paint from the H/PC Pro Plus! Pack:

http://www.hpcfactor.com/reviews/software/microsoft/plus-pack-3/

I haven't spent a lot of time around babies, but it sounds as though yours is pretty smart? Can she actually type and use all 78 keys for their desired functions, or at least the 26 letter keys? I mean, it's one thing to know what buttons to press on a toy as they are usually easy to tell apart, but keys on a keyboard are very similar in appearance, not being painted different colors and all. Do you know if she can really read the letters? I'm just going by what I've been told, which is that electronics usually aren't good for babies. I don't think anyone I know had a cell phone before 6th grade, let alone a smartphone, so 7 sounds pretty early, but it might be the norm in a few years... It seems like you're raising a little tech guru there, haha.

And, yeah, CE Geek, Plus! Paint was the first thing I thought of when I saw this thread, too, but then I started to wonder... If the baby can do what hermi14 says she can, she could probably use Paint.

Edited by MobilePro Master 2011-05-17 1:44 AM

Thanks for the Paint reference! And yes, music! And just a basic icon on the desktop to launch... whatever. I hadn't thought of those. Also, Mobile Pro Master led me to read a couple articles about babies and computers/screens. Apparently a certain amount of exposure to fast-moving screens before age 2.5 can inhibit the formation of connections between synapses.... but the pace of the TV show or video game and whether the child is interacting with it is really what matters. Also, I think they may be conflating coincidence with cause and effect sometimes when they study children in their natural habitat (it's not like they use controls or anything)--families who do not discuss things just don't discuss things, and families who do discuss things will take apart a TV show just as they take apart a 3D toy. However, I am sensitized to that now. I was trying to assess the effect of Colbert Nation on her earlier..... it's mostly just a guy talking loudly and excitedly....but I did decide I don't want to watch it while she's eating--it really distracts her. So, thanks for the thoughts Mobile Master.

Edited by hermi14 2011-05-17 1:43 AM

No, I don't think she can distinguish among the letters yet. But I wrote my first word when I was 2 (GKN was how I thought "chicken" should be spelled).

The Colber' Repor'!!!

Edited by MobilePro Master 2011-05-17 1:47 AM