Players usually put on some weight while they sit around level by level making their way through the trolls, but with the Kinect software they just might get up once in awhile to get some exercise.  Of course, there is the present danger that now role players really will get sucked into the fantasy world altogether.

While most of the WoW crowd is probably not going to be too enthusiastic about exercising, those who have an inkling to get up, will want to check out the code from the University of Southern California Instituted for Creative Technologies.

The unique software is called the FAAST and can be downloaded for free from the website.  Although some WoW players may love it given the additional chance to emulate their characters, the software was developed to help people and children in recovery after accidents or to battle the childhood obesity epidemic.

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Still, industry insiders are amazed at technological developments in the toy industry and the hunger for the latest hi-tech gadgetry.  This is reportedly a challenging year for toy makers, with increasing technical demands and financial constraints.

Yet, faithful toy brands continue to do well in today’s market and that is reassuring to experts and parents alike. In a nod to spending, it was recently noted that this year’s average toy price will have risen around 50 per cent over that of last year.  Parents and gift-givers are expected to pay around £39 per toy, on the average.

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Disney Consumer Products (DCP) and ASUS, maker of the pioneering Eee PC™ netbook, have collaborated to develop the Disney Netbook, a netbook computer for children that’s fun, web-safe and easy to use. Developed with parents and children in mind, the Disney Netbook by ASUS is durable, with a reinforced mechanical design, and offers a truly magical and engaging computing experience with a unique Disney user interface. Features include several robust parental control options, an 8.9-inch LCD display, Wi-Fi capabilities, Windows XP Home, and child-friendly software featuring Disney characters and icons in stunning visual environments. Browsers and email have extra filters to assure that parents are able to control online safety and content for their children, and can easily select with whom their children can correspond via email. The Disney Desktop “gadget tray” offers a creatively designed 2D menu with several display icons, including a Disney-themed browser.

Disney ASUS MK90

With a user interface that is incredibly easy to use for both children and parents, from package to set-up in four simple steps, the Disney Netbook will be available from October in two models with prices based on features (see graphic below for Netbook feature comparisons). The Disney Netbook by ASUS is designed for children aged 6-12. Retailers include Comet and DisneyStore.com, and the suggested retail price is £299 inc VAT. Carry cases will also be available separately.

“Today’s children are tech-savvy and demanding when it comes to new gadgets and toys,” said Edward Catchpole, Senior Vice President, Toys & Electronics for Disney Consumer Products Europe. “Our aim is to provide products that are easy and fun to use, but also provide parents with peace of mind. The Disney Netbook, designed together by ASUS and the Disney team, is a no-compromise device. There are plenty of terrific features and fun applications designed just for children, but parents have ultimate control over the experience: they have power to set limits on how their children are using the PC whilst ensuring a safe online experience.”

ASUS is an established leader in the netbook category and is widely credited with launching the netbook craze, with nearly 7 million Eee PC™ netbooks sold to date.

Disney Netbook By ASUS Is Easy: Child-friendly Disney Desktop, Applications and Widgets

The Disney Desktop installed on the Disney Netbook by ASUS is an easy-to-use interface specifically tailored to children, with an intuitive visual interface and instructions that make it easy for children to operate the computer. Right out of the box, the Disney browser launches numerous child-friendly Disney websites for children to explore. The Disney Desktop features a 2D “gadget tray” that displays bold visual icons for easy access to applications. Rounding off the Disney Netbook by ASUS’ fun, child-friendly features are a collection of 15 easily-accessible widgets, including a stopwatch, digital memo pad, which inserts “reminder notes” on the Disney Desktop, and a calculator.

Disney Netbook By ASUS Is Fun, Customisable And Colorful

The Disney Netbook by ASUS features two choices of stylishly designed lids; Disney Princess Pink boasts beautiful pink florals and Disney Magic Blue cleverly displays rows of miniature Mickey Mouse icons. Childrens can dress their desktops with more than 10 customisable themes inspired by popular characters from Disney’s and Disney?Pixar’s most popular franchises, including Cars, Club Penguin, Disney Classic Characters, Disney Fairies, Disney Princess, Vintage Mickey Mouse, Toy Story and WALL-E. Themes that appeal to slightly older children, such as the popular Disney Channel series Hannah Montana and JONAS styles, are also available. Favorite character icons can be attached to email addresses.

Additional Disney-developed applications include Disney Mix for music and media management, and Disney Pix for photo customisation and organisation. The Disney Pix application features fun Disney Bobblehead software, which lets children insert images of their faces on top of bodies, download them into videos and postcards and play wacky moving dance scenes, for hours of fun. The Radio Disney widget streams real-time music and lets children simultaneously submit song requests, if they wish. The Disney Netbook by ASUS also includes a driving game, number game, memory game and photo scrapbook.

Disney Netbook By ASUS is Optimised for Web-Safety and Sports a Sleek Durable Design

The Disney Netbook by ASUS is designed to be child-friendly, both in terms of durability and content permissions. It’s rugged and durable, with a spill-proof keyboard that protects against inadvertent liquid spills. The Disney Netbook by ASUS’ ShockShield data protection guards against data loss when the computer is subject to impact.

The Disney Netbook also allows parents to create a web-safe computing environment with significant parental control options. Parents can pre-select email correspondence options, browsers, the websites their children visit and the programs they use. These permissions can also be scheduled on a calendar, providing parents with a convenient, automated means of granting access on the days and times that they choose. Additional websites can be added for access, but only if the parent approves and submits the request within the password-protected system.

It should be available very soon from Amazon.

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Witho something for everybody, the new DS Lite packs have something for all members of the family. They will be available in the UK from 27th October 2008.

The new packs are:

White Nintendo DS Lite console and Dr Kawashima’s Brain Training: How Old Is Your Brain? software at the estimated retail price of £120.

Black Nintendo DS Lite console and Dr Kawashima’s Brain Training: How Old Is Your Brain? software at the estimated retail price of £120.

Red Nintendo DS Lite console and Big Brain Academy software at the estimated retail price of £120

Pink Nintendo DS Lite console and Nintendogs Labrador and Friends software at the estimated retail price of £130.

Blue Nintendo DS Lite console and Cooking Guide: Can’t Decide What To Eat? software at the estimated retail price of £130.

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