Taiwan Today

Asustek Computer Inc. and Walt Disney Co. will launch a Disney-branded netbook named “Netpal” in July aimed at children between ages six and 12. The US$350 netbooks will come in two colors: Princess Pink and Magic Blue. The products will be available late July from retailers such as Toys R Us Inc., Disney online and Amazon.com Inc. Disney predicted that Netpals will also appear in the European and Asian markets before the end of the year. The netbook weighs 2.6 pounds and comes with Windows XP pre-installed. It has an 8.9-inch screen, 1 GB of RAM and a built-in 1.6 Intel Atom N270 Processor. In addition, Netpal has Wi-Fi capabilities and a 160 GB Hard Drive. Users can also choose a netbook equipped with a 16 GB hard drive instead of the 160 GB one; the former weighs half a pound less. Both types have an SD/MMC card reader, a 300,000 pixel camera and three USB ports. Netpals will carry a child-friendly interface featuring Disney characters. Desktops will be available featuring Mickey Mouse themes, or characters from the Disney animations “WALL‧E” and “Toy Story.” On the “Magic Desktop,” users can click on icons to open Internet browsers and emails with extra filtering programs. Parents can control their children’s online activities by filtering out certain Web sites and email receivers, and calculating Internet access times, and setting time limits for browsing the Internet. Parents may have doubts as to how durable the netbooks will be in the hands of rambunctious children. To prevent the netbooks from being easily damaged, the Netpal carries a spill-proof keyboard, and is protected by Asustek’s ShockShield technique, which prevents data from being lost as a result of external shocks to the computer. Other applications include a free streaming radio in the form of Disney Radio Disney, digital notebooks and photo software for children to paste their own photos onto images of cartoon characters. This is the first time that Disney has launched notebooks for sale in North America. In 2004, it tried to enter the market with its $1,000 Disney Dream Desk PC. “Disney does not believe that parents are only looking for the lowest price—they want to buy something that has value for their children,” said Chris Heatherly, vice president of global toys for Disney's consumer products unit. (WFW-HZW).