Oregon Scientific SmartGlobe Elite Announced

Written on Feb 14, 2009 by Brian and filed under News, Oregon Scientific

The SmartGlobe line from Oregon Scientific is consistently regarded as one of the best geography learning toys on the market. Their latest effort, the SmartGlobe Elite, adds Wi-Fi, which lets the globe get content updates on a regular basis.  

With the SmartGlobe Elite, children can play age-appropriate activities while learning history, geography, culture and more. With the new Wi-Fi Internet connection, the SmartGlobe Elite is the first globe ever to feature an Internet connection for content updates. Oregon Scientific will be publishing updates on a weekly basis that correspond to real world changes.

Kids interact with the globe via SmartPen and LCD screen. The wireless SmartPen lets kids poke the globe to get information on a specific area (population facts, weather data, currency information), or they can select two locations for instance, to get an estimated flight time.  There’s also an LCD screen that displays relevant videos and information. The globe has a speaker and a headphone jack for quiet play. The system is also bi-lingual, letting kids play the games in either English or Spanish.

While the SmartGlobe Elite is designed for ages 5 and up, the content is customizable by age group: 5-8 years old, 9-14 and 15+. The system also works with multiple SmartPens. Coupled with the regular content updates, the SmartGlobe Elite has a great deal of flexibility and should grow nicely with kids.

Oregon Scientific has not announced pricing or availability yet. The current SmartGlobe lineup tops out at $179, we’d expect the Elite to cost more thanks to the Wi-Fi and related enhancements, possibly finding it’s way to the $250-300 range.

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