Asus + Disney + Toys R Us = Kid-Safe Netbook

Asus and Disney are teaming up to create the Disney Netpal. The Disney Netpal will be available in two models- the MK90 with a 16Gb solid state drive, and the MK90H with a 160Gb hard drive- and will only be available from Toys R Us and Amazon.com for a suggested retail price of $349.99. Both models will come in either 'Princess Pink' or 'Magic Blue', following the stereotypical gender color coding. The target market for the Disney Netpal is boys and girls age 6 to 12.

The next logical question is 'why would I spend $100 more than a comparable netbook that isn't branded by Disney?'. The answer is that Asus and Disney have worked to make the netbook safer for kids. First, it has a reinforced case and design to make it more 'kid-proof' from a physical perspective. Second, it is designed with a unique Disney user interface (built on Windows XP) with more than 40 parental control options.

According to this ZDNet article, "the system’s Disney browser is preloaded with numerous kid-friendly Disney websites for kids to explore, and the 2D “gadget tray” (think Windows taskbar, or OS X dock) displays visual icons for easy access to applications. There’s also a collection of 15 widgets, including a stopwatch, a digital memo pad and a calculator."

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