$19 digital camera is just fine for tykes
$19 digital camera is just fine for tykes
Disney’s low-end Pix Micro will keep them amused long enough
12:00 AM CDT on Friday, March 23, 2007
Dallas Morning News (subscription), TX
By VICTOR GODINEZ / The Dallas Morning News
vgodinez@dallasnews.com
Easy Bake Ovens and Lincoln Logs just don’t cut it with kids these days.
But if you’re not quite ready to buy your tot a Treo or PlayStation 3, Disney’s new Pix Micro Digital Camera might keep them amused for a little while.
This is about the most low-end digital camera you’ll ever find, and the software is astoundingly clunky for a gadget aimed at youngsters, but the device will suffice for children who just want to e-mail goofy playground pics to each other.
Taking pictures is a breeze.
Just pop in a AAA battery (not included, which isn’t a surprise with a $19 product) and start clicking the shutter button.
There’s no LCD display, just a viewfinder.
The camera is so tiny that it’s easy for grown-ups to accidentally cover the lens, but smaller fingers should do OK.
The only readout is a picture counter.
After 24 shots, the camera beeps, and it’s time to download or delete the photos.
Unfortunately, you can only delete either the last picture you took or all the pictures on the camera.
So let’s install the software and look at our snapshots!
Not so fast.
The device plugs into your computer with a bundled USB cable, but your PC won’t recognize it as a standard USB drive.
So you have to install drivers for your camera, software to download the photos from the camera to your computer, and Disney-brand photo editing software.
Ugh.
Not only does it take forever for all the software to install, but you have to reboot your computer before it will work.
Whatever happened to plug and play?
Anyway, once you get everything running, it’s time to peruse your creations. The ones you can actually see, that is.
If your subject isn’t flooded with light (the camera doesn’t include a flash), the picture will come out completely black.
A steady hand is also helpful.
In fact, the manual recommends that you “take lots of pictures to increase your chance of capturing just the right shot.”
But!
Once you’ve mastered the finer arts of the Pix Micro, you can get shots that would be acceptable for e-mailing to a friend, for example, or posting on a Web site.
And if the camera gets chewed on by the dog or run over by a lawn mower, well, it’s just 19 bucks.
Disney does offer two slightly more upscale models of digital cameras for kids.
The Pix Click Digital Camera ($49) includes a color LCD screen, 200-picture memory capacity and a flash.
The Pix Max camera ($79) is a 3-megapixel device with a 1.5-inch screen, flash and a memory card slot.
Frankly, either of those models will probably be more appealing to any kid over the age of 5 or 6, although I didn’t have a chance to test them.
But I have to admit, for all its shortcomings, my 3-year-old son had a blast running around with the Pix Micro, shooting everything in sight.
Even if that meant we ended up with a lot of photos of our floor.
Pros: Small, light, durable. Available with a variety of Disney characters on the outer case. Photos shot in good lighting with a steady hand look fine for online use.
Cons: Software installation is a pain. Photo quality is definitely not suitable for printing. Replacing the battery deletes all the pictures on the camera.
Bottom line: A fun, disposable electronic toy for young kids. Older kids can graduate to the more advanced models.
Add comment March 23rd, 2007