The top tech for children for 2014

The parade of new technology shows no sign of slowing in 2014 and the luckiest recipients are children, who have a whole host of new gadgets to enjoy.

Quib.ly's editor-in-chief Holly Seddon reveals the ones she thinks will make the biggest splash.

Pebble
‘Smartwatches’ were first mentioned on our website over eleven months ago when the rumoured Apple iWatch had us all speculating about the possible functions. The Pebble is a ‘smartwatch’ aimed at tech-savvy children, that’s most children then.

According to Quib.ly consumer tech expert Simon Munk, 2014 will be the the year of the “quantified self”:

“Quantified self gadgets are, for the most part, fitness trackers – devices that tell you how far you’ve run, how high you’ve climbed and how fast you’ve descended. Expect them to leap from the niche of fitness-tracking folk to not just to the mainstream of parents, but also to kids in a big way in 2014.”

Rated 4.3/5 by the Quib.ly community

Makies
Makies are 3D printed dolls that can be designed by your children. The buzzword here is very much ‘3D’ – as Quibly expert and parenting blogger Joanne Mallon agrees:
“3D printing technology has really got my children excited this year. They’d love to be able to design a model and bring it to life. Obviously they can do this already via building and drawing, but a 3D printer takes it to a whole new level.”

Makies has a rating of 4.7/5 by the Quibly community

Arduino
You might have spotted the Raspberry Pi in our selection of the top gifts to develop children’s skills.
Arduino introduces children to electronics and programming and is predicted to be the next product to take off from the slipstream of the Raspberry Pi.

Arduino has a rating of 4.5/5 by the Quibly community

Yo!Bot Mini-Robot
Parenting and technology expert Tom Baker says we’re not far from creating a ‘bicentennial man’ (robot butler). The Poppy Project is a favourite of his because ‘It looks and sounds a lot friendlier and easy-to-use than other, current ‘robot helpers’.

For children the Yo!Bot Mini-Robot is controlled by your smartphone and can program all other technology to follow a path. For creative young minds the possibilities really can be stretched. 

The Yo!Bot Mini-Robot has a rating of 4.5/5 by the Quibly community

Next-Next Generation Consoles
They featured on the wish list for children and adults alike this Christmas and sold just as fast. If there is one thing you can look forward to in 2014 it will be an answer to the question –the Xbox One or the Playstation 4? Have your say on the question.

The Playstation 4 has a rating of 4.4/5 by the Quibly community
The Xbox One has a rating of 3.9/5 by the Quibly community

Google Glasses
Walking down the road while surfing the internet will no longer be a dangerous combination as Google Glasses allow you to not only see the lamp post in front of you but the digital world and the information that surrounds it too.

You might have thought this was a creation of the future but in 2014 Google Glasses will be available to buy. They won’t be at pocket money prices at first – but it won’t stop them asking, will it?   

Google Glasses have a rating of 4.4/5 by the Quib.ly community

iPhone 6
Apple released their ‘budget’ iPhone 5C this year as reports of children as young as five being able to interact with the user interface emerged. As a result it is impossible to ignore whatever Apple release this year.

The App range for children has a rating of 5/5 from the quib.ly community - but that doesn’t necessarily mean our experts would select it over the competitor, however.

The iPhone 5C has a rating of 3.9/5 by the Quib.ly community

Oculus Rift
Augmented reality gaming has been the dream of children for years. One year ago consumer tech expert Simon Munk said it wasn’t quite ready. This year Valve and Oculus Rift have ‘blown away’ tech experts that predict it could soon be ready.