As any parent knows, kids love stories and they play a vital role in a child’s development. But as any parent will also know, kids also love to hear the same story over and over and over again. The Storypod is a smart speaker that lets kids not only listen and read along to their favorite stories again and again, but also play music and educational interactive games, or hear messages recorded by friends and family. All this in a fun and kid-friendly interface that features adorable yarn figurines.
It’s not uncommon these days to see kids, even very young kids, totally engrossed in smartphones or tablet screens. But there are major concerns about the negative effects screens can have on a child’s brain development. The American Academy of Pediatrics and the World Health Organization even recommend no screen time until a child is 18 months old, and limiting screen time to a maximum of an hour a day for those under five. It can be hard to tear kids away from their screens, but the Storypod will make them want to put them away and activate their imaginations.
The screen-free Storypod is a smart speaker that is capable of premium omnidirectional sound and is packed with features. Interchangeable sleeves available in a range of colors and designs provide a soft padded exterior, while colored buttons on the top of the device are used for playback and volume control or for playing various interactive games. There are even night lights built into the base of the unit to make it a perfect addition to the bedroom.
But the Storypod’s highlight feature comes courtesy of the NFC chip reader and magnet built into the top that allows audio to be triggered when a cute yarn figurine, known as a Craftie, is placed on top. Each Craftie triggers its own content, which is downloaded from a chip inside the figurine onto the Storypod the first time a Craftie is placed on the device.
The Crafties are even bi-lingual, delivering premium quality music and stories in both English and Spanish. There are already more than 300 tracks providing over 30 hours of stories and songs in the Storypod library, including classics like Robin Hood, Cinderella, Around the World in 80 Days and The Secret Garden, just to name a few. There are also myCrafties that play back messages, stories or jokes recorded by friends and family using the Storypod app.
The device itself weighs just 2.5 lb (1.2 kg) and measures 5.5 x 5.5 x 5.5 inches (14 x 14 x 14 cm). Powered by a rechargeable lithium-ion battery that provides seven hours of play time, the Storypod can store around 800 hours of audio on its built-in 16 GB SD card. It boasts a headphone jack, Wi-Fi, and Bluetooth 4.2 connectivity. But to ensure child-safe privacy, the designers have purposely not included a microphone.
Storypod activates kids’ imagination with screen-free stories and songs [New Atlas]