Toshiba And Best Buy Team Up To Offer Child-Friendly Laptop

Toshiba announced the Satellite L635 Kids’ PC. Designed in collaboration with Best Buy and its You Spoke, We Listened program, the Satellite L635 features KidZui, an Internet browser made for children, and Net Nanny. The laptop also has a wipeable keyboard as well as a no-gloss Dura-cross textured finish that helps resist fingerprints. The Satellite L635 will be exclusive to Best Buy. It will be available beginning September 26.

Toshiba and Best Buy Collaborate to Introduce Children’s Laptop

New Satellite L635 Kids’ PC: Features Wipeable Keyboard and Software and Entertainment Suite Designed to Give Parents Peace of Mind

IRVINE, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Toshiba’s Digital Products Division (DPD), a division of Toshiba America Information Systems, Inc., today announced the Satellite® L635 Kids’ PC, Toshiba’s first kid-centric laptop design, available exclusively at Best Buy. Designed in collaboration with Best Buy, the Satellite L635 Kids’ PC is a full-size laptop made for children aged five to 10 that provides a suite of entertainment and education software and allows parents to help ensure their children are staying safe on the Web.

Technology products are rising on the wish lists of families and are particularly popular as holiday gifts. About one in four parents reported plans to buy a laptop for their school aged children, according to a Toshiba survey that was conducted with Opinion Solutions, Inc., with nearly 74 percent reporting their kids ask for gadgets for the holidays. Parents want a reliable computer that also provides a safe environment for browsing the Internet, but their current options are limited to PCs made for adults or kid-friendly netbooks and toy-like computing devices.

The Satellite L635 Kids’ PC features a 13.3-inch diagonal HD display1, a built-in DVD drive and Webcam with software designed specially with a younger user in mind.

“The laptop has traditionally been a device conceived and built for adults, and devices currently being marketed to kids are either netbooks or toy-based computers,” said Jeff Barney, vice president and general manager, Toshiba America Information Systems, Inc., Digital Products Division. “As a result of this collaboration with Best Buy, we have made a product that provides the right measure of fun and entertainment for children while meeting the computing needs and security concerns of their parents.”

Toshiba, Best Buy Collaboration

The Satellite L635 Kids’ PC is the latest consumer-driven innovation to come out of the You Spoke, We Listened program, a collaboration between Toshiba and Best Buy that has yielded products such as the Toshiba Satellite E205. With the Satellite L635 Kids’ PC, the two companies combined their consumer feedback and technical expertise to produce a laptop from the ground up for children that is like no other.

“People today expect well thought out laptop offerings customized to meet their expectations, and partnering with Toshiba makes it possible,” said Jason Bonfig, vice president of computing at Best Buy. “We set out to design a laptop that better serves the function and content needs of families, and the result was the Satellite L635 Kids’ PC.”

Since their arrival in fall 2008, products resulting from the Best Buy You Spoke, We Listened program have changed the dynamics of how computers and other technology are developed. Each generation originates with insight gleaned from sources such as Best Buy’s own customers and employees into desired features, styling and performance. The company then works closely with Toshiba to translate those customer expectations into a unique laptop design that solves for customer needs with the right hardware and functionality.

Unique Features

Designed with kids in mind, the laptop boasts a unique wipeable keyboard, allowing for easy cleaning of smudges left by messy hands and a no-gloss Dura-cross textured finish that helps resist fingerprints.

The accompanying software gives parents the opportunity to help protect their kids from dangers online while providing a fun and safe universe for children to explore the Internet. The laptop comes pre-loaded with KidZui, an Internet browser made for children, as well as Net Nanny, which allows parents to set boundaries on how the laptop is used. The combination of these two programs allows the security of the laptop to adapt as children mature.

For all its kid-ready features, the laptop stands out for still having the power of a standard PC, making it a product to be used and enjoyed by the entire family. Pre-installed entertainment includes two Disney movies and the family-friendly LEGO Batman game.

Availability

The Satellite L635 Kids’ PC is available exclusively at Best Buy beginning Sept. 26, 2010.