Part 2

Here are a couple of ideas for the little ones during your Thanksgiving journey:

The VTech Whiz Kid PC Learning System is a portable device with interchangeable activity sheets that let kids play while they learn. The activities are brought to life by the pad, and focus on math, reading, logic and fun. The system can be used as a stand-alone unit or hooked up to a PC, to bring another dimension of play into the mix.

VTech Whiz Kid PC Learning System

VTech Whiz Kid PC Learning System

Little girls will be entertained for hours with the Pixel Chix DollHouse. I've never seen a toy quite like it. There are different rooms that make up the house, and a pixilated figure can be sent from room to room, performing activities and playing games. The house comes with a few friends, and more can be purchased for added fun. This is one of my top picks for the holiday season.

Pixel Chix DollHouse

I can't believe the amount of travel I have to do before December 31. Literally I'm going LA to Vegas, Vegas to Houston, Houston to SF, SF to LA, LA to NY, NY to LA, LA to SF, SF to NY, NY to LA, LA to Utah, then home. And that's Plan A! Needless to say, I need some entertaining on all of these trips, so I'm building an arsenal of gadgets to get me through the frequent-flyer frenzy. 

For Baby Jack I'm thinking a portable DVD player is the way to go, and two come to mind. The first is Disney's Dual-Screen Portable Player. With two screens, it has a very innovative design. The screens fit together like a lunchbox, complete with handle. One screen houses the DVD and feeds the video to the other screen. The genius thing about this device is that each screen has a built-in strap on the back, so it can be easily secured to the back of a headrest. LG makes the other player that I love. The DP781 has an eight-inch swivel screen and a nice long five-hour battery life, making it perfect for any viewing situation. 

Disney Player:

LG Player:

LG Player

The new PSP is a great distraction. The device is now smaller, lighter, has better graphics, and has more games than you can imagine. Another cool fact is that it now comes in three colors: silver, blue and—my favorite—pink!

PSP:

PSP

iHome makes a really cool speaker for your iPod that attaches to your bike! It's called the iHome 2Go (iH85b), and the case is weatherproof, although I wouldn't submerge it in water or anything. Also, because the buttons are covered, you can easily sift through music with the remote. The sound is pretty bumpin', so if you're thinking of traveling anywhere this season and bringing your bike, this is the gadget I would go with.

iHome 2Go (iH85b):

iHome 2Go  

If you're planning on traveling the globe, there's a way to revisit your journey once it has ended. The Sony GPS-CS1 Photo Map Maker is a small device that collects information that syncs with your Sony camera's images to create a virtual map of the exact location where each of your images was taken. Mouse over the pinpoints, and poof, it's like being there all over again! 

 Sony GPS-CS1

Sony GPS-CS1

If you're heading somewhere with water, the Sanyo Xacti E1 is a waterproof (up to five feet) video camera! The camera allows you to film high-quality video and has cool features like image stabilization, two Web-shooting modes (YouTube, anyone?), 5x optical zoom and six-megapixel still cam with flash. This camera comes in color splashes of blue, yellow or white!

Sanyo Xacti E1

Stay tuned—later this week I’ll be posting a few picks for great portable gadgets for kids.