By Tan Chong Yaw

iTeddy
$69.90, from Toys 'R' Us
For ages three and up

This cuddly teddy has an MP4 player in its belly.

The player with a 1.8-inch colour LCD screen and speakers displays photos and plays tunes and videos. Content is downloaded from a PC to the player via a USB cable.

Bump up the built-in 512MB memory with an SD card.

If your child just wants to hug iTeddy in bed, remove the player.

Pixel Chix Secret Life of Pets
$59.90, from leading departmental stores
For ages six and up

Like superheroes, these video game pets - choose from a puppy or hamster - have an alter ego.

The electronic pets can be groomed and fed.

The action hots up when the box is turned upside down. The pets' beds become DJ tables and the pets transform into singing and dancing rock stars.

Join two Pixel Chix pet houses together and the pets can even cross over from one house to another.

Dr Eye 8.0
$129, from the Besta store at Funan DigitaLife Mall and Popular bookstores
For ages 13 and up

Okay, this is not a toy but it can raise your brain cred in school.

For the teen who needs some help with Chinese, here is the secret weapon - a translator in a USB drive.

The program comes pre-installed, so no installation or registration is needed.

It fires up when the USB drive is inserted into a PC or laptop and translates from English to Chinese and vice versa.

There is also a simplified dictionary.

It also works as a standard USB flash to store your files.

Tuttuki Bako
$59.95, from Planet Toys at Plaza Singapura
For ages 12 and up

From Bandai, creators of the Tamagotchi, this game comes as a box with a black and white LCD screen in front.

The fun begins when you insert your finger into the hole at the side and it appears on the screen as a virtual finger.

Choose from five games - like teasing a panda, poking a face or disturbing a slime creature - all with the twitch of your finger.

Quirky but strangely fun.

Disney Princess: Princess Fashion Boutique II
$12.90, from major retailers
For ages four and up

Think of this CD-ROM program as a virtual boutique where your child can satisfy her style fantasies.

Summon familiar Disney characters like Ariel from The Little Mermaid or Jasmine from Aladdin to be the personal shopper.

Dresses and accessories are decked on a 3-D model where the hairstyle, skin tone and body shape can be tweaked.

The best thing - your child can create a story book of her creations.

This story was first published in The Straits Times, Digital Life.

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