Tech Talk for Families (Enhanced): Technology, toy, and video game news for YOUR family

We're here. Really. And we'll be back soon. Meanwhile, check out NVidia: Making all video games 3D Thanks for your patience.

After recovering from April Fools' Day, Dale and Teresa get serious (mostly) to bring you a handful of stories for your family. Toy News: * Robosapien: Rebooted, The Movie * New Toy Safety Bills and the Future of Toys Tech News: * Adobe Photoshop Express: Photoshop for Free (Sort of) Video Game News and Reviews: * Free Guitar Hero III Faceplates * ESRB Rating Widget for every platform known to man Review Kim Possible: Global Gemini for DS Kimberly, age 12, takes a break from homework to give her thoughts on the most recent Kim Possible game for Nintendo DS. New reviews at our website: Feedback * We got an email from Matt at the Redboy Podcast (Rated PG-13) * Call our feedback line: 206-339-6480 * Leave a voice message with your computer microphone * Or e-mail us * Digg Us! * And check out the Extras for more news, reviews, and other content. Music by Kevin McLeod

Happy Easter, everyone! We have a short-but-informative episode this week with lots to celebrate, including a contest winner! Tech News: * Happy Birthday, MP3 player! You're 10! * Get your TV online at Hulu.com Interview This time, Bob Lotter from eAgency stops by to tell us about Radar: My Mobile Watchdog, a program to help keep your kids safe with mobile phones. Video Game News and Reviews: * How to do voice chat on your Wii (sort of) * Too many video games! Teach them to hunt. Review VTech Nitro Vision Hannah got the Nitro Vision for Christmas and is ready to review this TV plug-and-play edutainment computer. Feedback * Call our feedback line: 206-339-6480 * Leave a voice message with your computer microphone * Or e-mail us * Digg Us! * And check out the Extras for more news, reviews, and other content. Music by Kevin McLeod

Time to wrap up Toy Fair, and remember that our contest ends on March 12. Toy News: * Nickelodeon rolls out new toys * A detailed look at VTech's new line-up * Sit-to-Stand Alphabet Train * Paint & Learn Art Easel * A-Z Mouse Pad * Touch & Teach Turtle * Move & Crawl Ball * Stack & Learn Elephant * Rhyme & Discover Book * Learn & Dance Interactive Zoo * Play & Learn Tree House * Spin Around Learning Town * Pull & Learn Car Carrier * Baby Tunes Music Player * Nighty Light Musical Crib Projector * Bop & Learn Guitar * Sing & Learn Butterfly * Soft Singing Moon * Roly Poly Penguin * Touch & Learn Musical Bee * Sing & Learn Musical Mic * Winnie the Pooh Sit 'n Play Learning Center * Winnie the Pooh Play 'n Learn Phone * Winnie the Pooh Play 'n Learn Spinning Top * My Friends Tigger & Pooh Explore 'n Discover Phone * Disney Princesses Magic Wand Book * Disney Princesses Carriage Laptop * Little Einsteins Learn & Discover Globe * Little Einsteins Blast-Off Learning Laptop * Thomas & Friends Fridge Fun * Wall*E Learning Laptop * Cars Lightning McQueen Learning Laptop * Create-A-Story * KidiArt Studio * KidiJamz Studio * Kidizoom Camera update * KidiDoodle * V.Smile PC Pal * V.Smile Cyber Pocket * V-Motion * Planetvtech.com * Cyber Spy Notebook * Cyber Rocket * Elmo Knows Your Name...and threatens your life! Tech News: * Americans get their news from the Web * HD-DVD is Dead Video Game News and Reviews: * Sims Online is now EA-Land and Free Review Cosmic Family for Wii Hannah shares her thoughts on a Wii game for 4-8-year-olds. Is it out of this world? Listen and find out! New reviews at our website: * Spy Gear Ultimate Spy Watch * Pinnacle Video Capture for Mac * Spy Gear Dart Blaster * Little Mommy Real Loving Baby Cuddle & Coo Doll * Spy Gear Agent Tool Kit (6-in-1 Spy Pen) * Spy Gear Satellite Listener * HEXBUG Micro Robotic Creatures (As seen on Knight Rider!) Feedback * Call our feedback line: 206-339-6480 * Leave a voice message with your computer microphone * Or e-mail us * Digg Us! * And check out the Extras for more news, reviews, and other content. Other Podcasts Mentioned: * Dancing with Elephants Next time: * An interview helping you protect your kids on their cell phones. * The latest tech, toy, and video game news, as always Music by Kevin McLeod

In a slightly different format, Dale and Teresa take a virtual tour of Toy Fair 2008, bringing you news of new toys and exclusive information about the hot toy this Christmas. Toy News: * New from Mattel: * Hot Wheels® Turbo Driver™ Controller * U.B. Funkeys™ Figures * Kid-Tough® Portable DVD Player * Dora Prance & Fly Pegasus™ * Handy Manny™ 2-in-1 Transforming Tool Truck * Laugh & Learn™ Smart Bounce & Spin Pony™ * Computer Cool School™ * Little Mommy™ Real Loving Baby™ Gotta Go™ Doll * Elmo Live * D-REX™ Dinosaur * Spike the Ultra Dinosaur * Power Wheels™ A.T. Rex™ * Tyco® R/C Turbo Pro Wheelie Cycle™ * Hot Wheels® Speed Racer Battle Morph™ Mach 6 * Kung Fu Panda™ Kung Fu Kickin'™ Po * Batman: The Dark Knight™ Wayne Tech™ Mega Cape™ Accessory * Go, Diego, Go!™ Animal Rescue Railway * Barbie® Magic Wings Mariposa™ Doll * Barbie® iDesign™ Ultimate Stylist™ CD-ROM Game * Hot Wheels® Trick Tracks Assortment * Color Me Gemz™ * Color Me Gemz™ Jewelry Box * New from Bandai * Power Rangers Mega Mission Helmet * Ben10: Alien Force Omnitrix * Tamagotchi Connection V5 “Familitchi” * Dragon Ball Z and Digimon toys * Blue Dragon toys * New from Hasbro * Incredible Hulk Smash Hands and "Hulkey Pokey Hulk" for the little ones * Indiana Jones Sound FX Whip * Iron Man N.R.F. 425 Blaster * Remote Control Wallcrawler Spider-Man * Baby Alive Learns to Potty * Furreal Friends Biscuit My Lovin' Pup * Littlest Pet Shop VIP's * My Little Pony Ponyville Sweet Sundae Amusement Park * Tooth Tunes Junior and Turbo Tooth Tunes Toothbrushes * Playskool Dance Cam * Glide 2 Ride Bike * Helmet Heroes * Kota the Triceratops * I-Dog Dance, I-Dog Clip, and I-Dog Soft * Lazer Tag 2-in-1 System * Nerf N-Strike Vulcan EBF-25 * A new Clue * Cranium Family Edition * Gleemax * Monopoly Here and Now: The World Edition * Noodleboro * Partini * Scrabble Diamond Anniversary Edition * Trivial Pursuit Digital Choice * Innovation First and Vex Robotics * Jakks Pacific * EyeClops™ Night Vision and Bionic Cam™ * Ulti-Motion™ Disney and Swing Zone * G2: Game Girl™ TV Games * Neopets * Discovery Kids Smart Animals™ and Discovery Kids Smart Animal Scanopedia Interview This week, Mike Brezette from Revelle joins us to talk about toy models, how they've evolved and continue to evolve to meet the needs of today's family, as well as the educational value behind these great toys. Mike discusses how kids are bringing new life to classic kits. Also catch another interview with Mike discussing electronics and robotics. Review The Singing Bee for DVD Dale and Teresa take a look at Imagination's interactive DVD game based on the popular game show with Joey Fatone. Feedback * Call our feedback line: 206-339-6480 * Leave a voice message with your computer microphone * Or e-mail us * Digg Us! * And check out the Extras for more news, reviews, and other content. Next time: * More news from Toy Fair 2008! * The latest tech, toy, and video game news, as always Music by Kevin McLeod

Dale and Teresa crawl out of the snow to bring you the results of the Treasure Hunt Contest! Toy News: * LeapFrog Plays Tag, including exclusive insights as to LeapFrog's direction. You heard it here first! Tech News: * Inflatable Mouse * TiVo vs. Dish: What does it mean? Interview This week, we have Paul Weisman, Vice-President of Music Development and of the Music Wizard Academy to tell us about Music Wizard, a cross between Guitar Hero/Rock Band and actual musical instrument lessons. Paul also describes some upcoming products, Band Wizard, Composer Wizard, and WizardTunes that sound very cool. Video Game News and Reviews: * LeapFrog announces Leapster2 and takes on the DS with the Didj: We have more than just the press release (More exclusive information!) * Guitar Hero Pedal for PS2 * Rock Band for Wii official, but don't buy the Mic Review Piano Wizard for Mac and PC A cross between Guitar Hero and piano lessons, is Piano Wizard as great as it sounds? New reviews at our website: * Super Mario Galaxy for Wii * The Bigs for Wii & PS2 * Hannah Montana Best of Both Worlds Deluxe Lifestyle Video Game * EyeClops Feedback * John calls in with a question about downloadable software and the MacBook Air * Join our Discussion List * Call our feedback line: 206-339-6480 * Leave a voice message with your computer microphone * Or e-mail us * Digg Us! * And check out the Extras for more news, reviews, and other content. Music by Kevin McLeod

This is our annual Macintosh episode, covering the announcements at MacWorld Expo and more, plus an interview with an expert who was there. Tech News: * Apple introduces MacBook Air—the world’s thinnest notebook * Time Capsule—wireless backup for all your Leopard Macs * New software update for iPhone * $20 software upgrade for iPod touch * iTunes Movie Rentals * Apple announces new software for Apple TV: No computer required * iTunes Digital Copy: None of that PlaysForSure * Running Vista on a Mac just got cheaper Interview John C. Dvorak joins us to give his impressions of the MacWorld expo and Apple's announcements, as well as some insights into the DVD war. Video Game News and Reviews: Review Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends for Leapster Hannah and new voice Dani join us for a look at the Leapster approach to this popular Cartoon Network show. New reviews at our website: * Cooking Mama 2 for DS * Hewlett-Packard Photosmart D7260 Printer * Link's Crossbow Training and Wii Zapper * MX vs. ATV Untamed for DS and PS2 Feedback * Contest entries are rolling in, and the clock is ticking on our contest! * Call our feedback line: 206-339-6480 * Leave a voice message with your computer microphone * Or e-mail us * Digg Us! * And check out the Extras for more news, reviews, and other content. Other Podcasts Mentioned: * This Week in Tech * Cranky Geeks * Tech5 Music by Kevin McLeod

Dale and Teresa didn't make it to CES this year, but we've gleaned the highlights from those who did. We also have a correction on a story from last week. Toy News: * Barbie iDesign (Because if it's iSomething, it must be good!) Tech News: * iRiver Spinn: back to analog * Green Plug: By your chargers combined, I am Captain Planet! (or something like that.) * Blu-Ray discs with PSP version of movie * Texas Instruments DLP DualView: Play 2-player without splitting the screen * Alienware curved display Video Game News and Reviews: * PSP adds Skype * Nokia Reincarnates the N-Gage * Re-Mission helps kids fight cancer Review Pet Pals for Leapster Hannah takes a look at Leapfrog's approach to Nintendogs and finds it to be better for the younger pups in your house. New reviews at our website: * John Deere: Harvest in the Heartland for DS * Magellan Maestro 3210 GPS Feedback * Call our feedback line: 206-339-6480 * Leave a voice message with your computer microphone * Or e-mail us * Digg Us! * And check out the Extras for more news, reviews, and other content. Next time: * MacWorld Recap * The latest tech, toy, and video game news, as always Music by Kevin McLeod

Happy New Year, everyone! We're back with a big announcement and looking forward to a very busy month. Listen closely for the contest code word. Recalls and Safety Information: * Facebook advertising with your face * WiFi Viruses and how to protect against them Tech News: * Laptop batteries...on a plane! * Amazon adds Warner and iTunes to add Fox and Disney Rentals * Netflix and LG to offer set-top video downloads * Everything I need to know I learned online Video Game News and Reviews: * Complete DS games to be available via Wii Virtual Console * X-Box Live Woes = Free games Review The Game of Life: Twists & Turns This week, we take a look at a new twist on the classic board game with the white plastic houses. New reviews at our website: * Merkury Portable Alarm Clock for iPod Feedback * What does Microsoft have in store? Matt calls in with his thoughts on Microsoft Surface * Join our Discussion List * Call our feedback line: 206-339-6480 * Leave a voice message with your computer microphone * Or e-mail us * Digg Us! * And check out the Extras for more news, reviews, and other content. Other Podcasts Mentioned: * Dancing with Elephants * Short Cummings Audio * Technorama * Pizza Go Here Next time: * CES Coverage * The latest tech, toy, and video game news, as always Music by Kevin McLeod

Since we're taking Christmas off, we'd like to share a timeless Christmas story with you. See if you can pick out Dale's voice. This is the third annual Podcast Pickle community skit. The entire production is written and performed every year entirely by members of the Podcast Pickle community. If you are a big podcast listener, you may recognize several celebrity voices. If you liked this, you may also be interested in hearing the two previous Pickle productions: * 2005's A Podcast Christmas Carol * 2006's The Update Before Christmas Merry Christmas from the Tech Talk for Families family. We'll still be updating the website during the rest of 2007 with more news, reviews, and blogs, and we'll be back in January with a very special announcement.

Dale and Teresa bring you the pre-Christmas episode that ended up being much about mobile phones--we're not sure why. We also have an interview again! And for the first time in months, no lead paint stories! Toy News: * MoPods: Monsters and fireworks and cellphones, oh my! Tech News: * Helio Ocean Phone gives full YouTube access * Windows Vista Successor: the iPhone killer?! * Sleep.fm, the social network-powered alarm clock * Google Knowl challenges About.com and Wikipedia Interview This week, we talk to Stacy DeBroff, parenting expert, bestselling author, and founder of MomCentral.com. She talks about keeping up with your kids' technology and the amazing world they're growing up in. The phone line had some static, and we filtered most of it, but parts of it suffered lower audio quality. We apologize. Video Game News and Reviews: * Rock Band vs. Guitar Hero: Peripherals passing in the night * Voice Chat coming for Wii? * Wii Chess Reviews No big review this week, just a bunch of little ones. New reviews at our website: * VTech Double Vision Notebook * Nintendogs for Nintendo DS * Leapfrog WordLaunch * Polaroid Pixie Digital Video Camera * kajeet mobile phone service for kids Feedback * Join our Discussion List * Call our feedback line: 206-339-6480 * Leave a voice message with your computer microphone * Or e-mail us * Digg Us! * And check out the Extras for more news, reviews, and other content. Next time: * A Special Christmas Treat Christmas music by Nu Beat Music by Kevin McLeod

Got all your Christmas shopping done? Dale will soon. Really. Recalls and Safety Information: * Are your kids' toys dangerously noisy? * Don't flirt with robots * Apple attracts Malware...finally! * 1200 Toys Tested: What you need to know Toy News: * Toy movies coming from Hasbro What brands would you like to see turned into movies? * Ty Girlz not so Bratzy * Online games for kids can attack your wallet, so watch what gifts you give Tech News: * CompUSA closing: don't buy the extended warranty! * Toyotabot: The Humanoid iPod * TomTom GPS devices link to Google Maps 3D Processors to speed up computeers by 10x in next 2 years * Blu-ray with Picture-in-Picture * Keep your shoes on at the airport Video Game News and Reviews: * Nyko's Wireless Nunchuck for Wii * Guitar Hero III for Wii: Replacement discs and downloadable content * Sony direct-to-PSP Store? Review Save the Dinos for PC This week, we take a look at Save the Dinos, a shooting gallery game for Windows. (Demo Available) New reviews at our website: * Smarty Pants for Wii * WordJong for the Nintendo DS * Polaroid Pixie Digital Camera Feedback * Join our Discussion List * Call our feedback line: 206-339-6480 * Leave a voice message with your computer microphone * Or e-mail us * Digg Us! * And check out the Extras for more news, reviews, and other content. Other Podcasts Mentioned: * 101 Uses for Baby Wipes Music by Kevin McLeod Closing Christmas carol by The Alice Project

We hope you all had a happy Thanksgiving. We did, and a fun Black Friday. Stay until the end for some festive music! Recalls and Safety Information: * China Axes Manufacturers * Out with the Lead, In with the Asbestos Toy News: * Girls want Boys' Toys Tech News: * Your MacBook Drive may have a fatal flaw * Verizon to open its network to any phone in 2008 * Google to offer iDisk Equivalent? * Qingbar GP300 Wireless Video Glasses * Zoho Writer available offline using Google Gears * Audio Input with iPod Touch * Hello Kitty electronic toilet paper dispenser and Bluetooth Headsets Video Game News and Reviews: * Xbox Live Social Networking * New Guitar Hero III Controllers Coming in Early 2008 * Get Ready for Wii Lightsaber action with the Wii Light Sword or the Wii Light Saber Reviews No big review this week, but a few recaps of the full reviews on our website: * Sims 2 Pets for Wii * Electronic CatchPhrase: Music Edition Feedback * Join our Discussion List * Call our feedback line: 206-339-6480 * Leave a voice message with your computer microphone * Or e-mail us * Digg Us! * And check out the Extras for more news, reviews, and other content. Music by Kevin McLeod Closing music by Podsafe for Peace.

This week, Dale and Teresa prepare for Black Friday with a bunch of toy ideas and a bunch of extras at our website. Toy News: * Top Ten Christmas Wishlists * Magnetix iCoaster * Fuzz Luvs * Tekno Best Friend Robot - Sakura * Tekno the Robotic Pony, Dog, or Cat Tech News: * New Zune Shortage * Cooper Cooler Rapid Beverage Chiller * MPEG-4 movies on Upcoming DVD's * Save $20 on your iPhone Plan Video Game News and Reviews: * Wii-Shaft, an arcade stick for Virtual Console games * Xbox Originals: Microsoft's Virtual Console * Ghostbusters 3: The Video Game Review Creature Create for Leapster Hannah's back with a review of one of her favorite Leapster titles, Creature Create. Also check out our reviews of: * Fishing Master for the Wii * Looney Tunes: Acme Arsenal for Wii and PS2 Hasbro's i-List Music Party GameHasbro's Hyper Slide Feedback * Wendy wrote in to ask about cameras. Check back for more info, or get the Dashboard Widget to find out as soon as it's posted! * Join our Discussion List * Call our feedback line: 206-339-6480 * Leave a voice message with your computer microphone * Or e-mail us * Digg Us! * And check out the Extras for more news, reviews, and other content. Music by Kevin McLeod

We're back with improved audio and more news than you can shake a Wii-mote at, and thanks to some user feedback, we got the audio fixed, finally! Recalls and Safety Information: * Aqua Dots Recall Toy News: * T.M.X. Elmo Extra Special Edition: Because there wasn't enough demand already Tech News: * Google and the Android Phones * Google Maps at the Gas Pump * USB Vacuum * Sub-$100 HD-DVD Players * TiVo to sell your personal data Video Game News and Reviews: * Broadcast your Mii with a new Wii game: Check Mii Out Reviews Batman: Strength in Numbers for Leapster Hannah returns with a review of Batman: Strength in Numbers for Leapster. This one focuses more on the arcade elements than most other Leapster games. Also, find reviews of more products at our website: * Dora the Explorer: Friends! Amigos! for ClickStart * Looney Tunes: Duck Amuck for DS Feedback * Wendy wants to know about the Slingbox * John from the Jesus Geek Podcast called in to help us with our audio * Join our Discussion List * Call our feedback line: 206-339-6480 * Leave a voice message with your computer microphone * Or e-mail us * Digg Us! * And check out the Extras for more news, reviews, and other content. Other Podcasts Mentioned: * The guys at Dancing with Elephants share their Christmas wish. What's yours? Next time: * The latest tech, toy, and video game news, as always Music by Kevin McLeod