VTech Preschool Learning Tote and Go Laptop - 2010 Version

Wow! I am so glad I bought this. After reading reviews on all of the other "laptops" for children, I decided on this one after thorough research. Most complaints with other parents on the other laptops was about the LCD screen being so small, while the screen on this is perfect for its size and intent. I did not have trouble seeing anything. So it doesn't light up, I'm thankful, that's one less battery to replace. The other complaint I read about the others is that they were loud. This one is not. My children playing with their toys doesn't disturb me though. If they are learning & interacting with the toy, I'm happy.Another fun feature on this paticular "laptop" is that it has a working mouse. You can click to enter & move it slightly left or right or up & down (it is attached to the pad) to get to another activity or participate in one of the thirty plus fun games that offer pre-K learning & Kindergarten learing...find the shape that is bigger, etc... And yes I played with it to make sure everything worked correctly & to see what & how it would be teaching my children. It does teach & it has been fun for mine. It is a sturdy laptop with more bang for the buck than the rest of the other "laptops with many complaints" out there. You will be glad you purchased this for your little one. I have NO COMPLAINTS with this product. I also get involved with my children as much as I can to show them how learning can be fun. This purchase has been a smart one! Thank you Amazon!!! Go VTech !!!!

UPDATE:NOTE: This review is for the "monkey edition" of the laptop. It appears that V-tech has updated the product since I purchased it, and the feature animal is a squirrel now.It's been nearly a year since I purchased this for my daughter (now 26 months), and she's still enjoying it. Even with heavy use, we've only had to change the batteries once. The mouse works fine, the sound works fine, and that stupid volume control still drives me mad.I came back to upgrade my review based on the educational value and enjoyment my daughter's gotten out of this. At 26 months, she's beginning to read and spell simple words, and this toy is helping her develop and reinforce those skills. Now that she's learned to use the mouse, "match the shadow" is her favorite game, though she still loves the letter match and missing letter games. She's gotten endless hours of fun out of this toy, and there are still 20+ more games for her to grow into.This may be the best money I've ever spent on a toy.-------I purchased this as a Christmas gift for my then 16-month-old daughter, even though she's younger than the target age, because she's been fascinated with my laptop for months.She LOVES it.The games range in difficulty from easy ("press a letter to hear its sound") to moderately hard ("remember the word and type in the missing letter"), which makes it appropriate and engaging for a wide range of ages.Now, at 18 months, my daughter knows the alphabet and the numbers 0-10, and I credit this toy at least partially for that. She spent hours playing "press the letter" and "press the number". Now, she's become fascinated with the "challenge yourself" feature - which presents a random game from any difficulty level when pushed. She'll push it over and over until it gets to one she can do, which is rather annoying, but not the toy's fault.I agree with other posters' complaints about the volume controls. The "medium" setting is very loud, and the screeching monkey that indicates the volume may be the most annoying noise my ears have ever been subjected to.Using the mouse is a little awkward; if it's not snapped to the side of the computer, the mousepad can slide around instead of the mouse, making it difficult to maneuver. And since it only snaps on the right side, lefties may have more trouble using it.Overall this toy balances education and fun nicely, and I'm anticipating getting several more years of use out of it.

I bought this for my 1 1/2 year old because she constantly tries to "use" mine. She is still too young to understand any of the activities, but she enjoys playing with it nonetheless. Plus, she is getting learning a bit more every day, and I believe she will be playing the most basic games before she turns two.My 3 year old nephew loves it, and I am buying another one as a birthday gift for my 10 year old special-needs nephew. He loves electronic toys, but has a lot of trouble with the fine motor skills needed to use most of them. Many of the activities on this toy only require pushing the right button or single mouse clicks, which he can do.Also, the e-voice sounds like a real voice, not one of those terrible tinny things that will drive anyone nuts. My only problem with this toy is the volume control. It is right on the front and has been made to be fun for the child to use. It is a chattering monkey that gets louder or softer as you change the setting. The desired volume level is selected by one mouse click. Worst part is that my daughter can make the monkey get louder and louder, but she does not know how to click the mouse. End result - she walks away from a very loud chattering monkey that just keeps going until I walk over and click the mouse or turn it off.

I gave this computer to my 4 year old grandson for his birthday. My daughter left it for last for him to open at his party, because she said he would not want anything else once he saw that. She was right. The Tote 'N Go Laptop became the most desired toy at the party.His 3 yr old sister, and cousin, jumped right too. It did not take them very long to figure out how to use it, and in no time they were "teaching" each other how it worked. My daughter was relieved, because she could get back to using her own computer, instead of having to give it over to my grandson to play his games. The graphics are very simple, and no colors,but that didn't seem to make a difference to the kids. It is very sturdy as well. It gets carried around and knocked around a great deal, but keeps working. The kids love the attachable mouse, and found out how to work it immediately. It helps them with their small motor skills, and hand-to-eye coordination. The price was good, and I bought another one for my 3 year old niece for her birthday a month later. A very good choice for small kids in today's world.