If It Prints, I'll Let You Know

If you are a parent looking to get the “Most Popular” Mom or Dad award come Christmas morning, then you may want to cough up around $350 for a Disney NetPal by Asus or a Dell Mini Nickelodeon Edition.

Let’s face it, this is the age of technology and a second grader is definitely quite as adept at surfing the internet and using the computer as his or her parents. If this kid is turned loose in an adult’s PC, then he or she will undoubtedly end up in virtual places that you would rather not find a kid in.

The Disney NetPal, which we featured in a previous post back in July, certainly convinced me that the most logical solution is to provide an entirely controllable, kid-friendly computer that will exclusively be for a child’s use. Disney has equipped the Netpal with its own parental controls that do not expire, as opposed to the 15-month trial subscription of McAfee’s Family Security Center of the Dell Mini Nickelodeon Edition, which can be had at about $20 cheaper than the Disney Netpal.

This may be your kid’s laptop, but as far as controls is concerned, you still are the master. For the Disney NetPal, your child will have his or her own Windows user account, while you will get a separate “master” account which is locked with a password. You can choose which e-mail addresses your child can send or receive e-mails from, block Websites and manage an approved list. Parents can also restrict access to the Web or programs during certain times and days of the week; you can, for instance, restrict access to the web from 8 am to 3 pm on weekdays.

You cannot expect both laptops to be a perfect fit for adult use, however. Both are rather small for an adult’s use, although you may find the Dell Mini Nickelodeon a more comfortable fit. This Netbook, after all, is for the kids, and the tiny keyboard and screen are just right for them.

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