(ENDED) Sesame Street Video Character USB Drive review & giveaway

THIS GIVEAWAY HAS ENDED AND COMMENTS ARE CLOSED
The winner is:#30 Vickie C.

Because I spend a lot of time on the computer, my kids are very interested in being included in activities that revolve around it.  They see me using it and want to use it and they see the extra gadgets that I have that I use with it and they want some of their own.  While I prefer to limit their use of electronics and encourage them towards more tactile type toys, technology is a part of our lives and we do allow them to experience it once in awhile.  They need to learn how to use it and frankly some of it is just fun!

Recently I was contacted by ATP Electronics about a cool new product they have geared towards kids.  The new Sesame Street Video USB Flash Drives “brings educational media into an exciting and dynamically new format.”

The drives come in 7 different styles, are designed to be durable for kids and each one contains a different full length video (based upon the character of the drive) plus personal storage space for kids to save their favorite photos, music and documents.

I was intrigued with the idea of providing a durable USB drive for my kids to use to store and share their favorite stuff, but also with the concept of having a Sesame Street video accessible for them without having to worry about them handling a DVD – plus they can take it to friends houses or to Grandma’s house.

We asked to review the Abby Cadabby USB drive.  When you have a daughter named Abby who happens to LOVE Abby Cadabby, it’s kind of a natural, plus all of the Sesame Street videos we own are Elmo from when my son was little.  It was only fair we bought some MORE Abby into our lives.

The first thing I noticed about the drive was that it was smaller than I envisioned, which was a good thing.  It was hard to tell from the photos on the website how big they actually are and I was afraid they would be sticking way out of my computer and interfere with the power cord.

It turned out to be the perfect size for little hands.  The Abby part is made from a durable rubber and the parts are connected by a stretchy strap so the cap doesn’t get lost, but it also serves to allow you to attach it to a backpack or even wear it on your wrist.

Below is an illustration from the product website about how it works:

Since the drive we received was Abby Cadabby, the video included it on it starred Abby and is called Abby in Wonderland and is basically a story similar to ‘Alice in Wonderland’ and even I enjoyed watching it.  “Abby Adabby” as my daughter calls her, ends up on a similar adventure to Alice while searching for her magic wand.  My daughter spent her time looking back and forth between the screen and the Abby USB drive, I have no idea what she was thinking about but she was SO FOCUSED and really enjoyed it, especially because she got to watch it on my computer.  She thought the talking cookie and bottle were so funny.  “How does a cookie talk?” she’d ask, then giggle.

And the best part is that you can’t “accidentally” erase the video!

As far as any concerns I have, the video did not seem to have a pause button (I couldn’t find it anyway).   The instructions do say that you can hit the space bar to pause the movie, which is good for kids who can’t control the mouse,  but I would also like to have buttons for that on the screen as well.  Also, the drive says it holds up to “400 photos, 400 songs or a virtually unlimited amount of written content”.  I’d actually like to know what that means.  I know it means nothing to the kids, but I’d like to know the exact size – for example, if it is 1 GB of storage space, I’d like to see that on the packaging.

Overall I think this is something Abby will have for a long time.  For now, mostly she will use it to watch the video, and I may save some of her favorites photos and music on there for her.  Down the road as she is more able to use it herself, maybe she will use it to share with friends or when she goes to visit Grandma.  It is an easy and convenient way for her to take this stuff with her with the peace of mind that the drive is durable and she won’t damage it.

You can purchase the Sesame Street Video USB’s at SesameStreet.org, Amazon.com, Walmart.com, ATPtogo.com and QVC.com.

ENTER TO WIN A SESAME STREET VIDEO USB

One winner will win their choice of the 7 different Sesame Street Video USB drives ARV $24.99

HOW TO ENTER (mandatory):

To enter, simply leave a comment telling us which Sesame Street Video USB you would select if you won and who it would be for!

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Sesame Street enters digital age!  Enter to win a Sesame Street Video USB from @SesameStreetUSB & @WhatsThatSmell http://bit.ly/aEPrjx

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Giveaway is open to the USA and ends on July 22, 2010 at noon CST. Winner will be selected at random from all eligible entries using random.org and will be contacted by email. Winner will have 48 hrs to respond.  Please add kim@accidentalmommies.com to your trusted email filter.  If original winner does not claim their prize within 48 hrs, it is forfeit and a new winner will be selected promptly.

Note: I received an Abby Cadabby Video USB drive from ATP Electronics to facilitate my candid review.  ATP Electronics has also provided the prize for the winner.

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