Kid Computer Reveals Cybernet Station

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When I was a young lad, my parents let me learn about computers by messing around on the family’s IBM PS/2, but I guess today there is a big market for computers built for and marketed towards kids. Kid Computer sells a number of kid aimed computers, although most of them are regular desktops with special cases. However, they unveiled the Cybernet Station, a specialized All-In-One desktop model.

The Cybernet Station is being pushed heavily towards classrooms, libraries and daycare centers. It all comes in a 19-inch touchscreen LCD display. For the specs, its running an Intel Dual-Core processor clocked at 2.5GHz. It has 4GB of DDR2 RAM, a 500GB Hard Drive, a DVD drive on the side and integrated graphics.

It’ll come running Windows 7, as well as a large number of preloaded kids software. It would be disappointing if that was just trialware, as I suspect it is. It also includes Kid Computer’s Peanut Butter Software, which provides a “sandbox desktop” environment for kids using the computer, which is probably a good idea.

As you can see, the keyboard is pretty colorful in sort of a bizarre pattern. I’m sure the seemingly random colors are highlighting shortcuts. Granted, I haven’t tried the Cybernet Station and probably never will, but I’ve got to take them to task for a few problems that I see with the computer. There is no mention of anti-glare or anti-smear filaments on the touchscreen – kids like to touch regular LCD panels enough, I can’t imagine how dirty a touchscreen panel would get.

Secondly, the asking price for the computer is $1,999 – which is fine, it is sort of a niche product from a boutique manufacturer, but the Intel Dual-Core processor line is extremely cheap – about $70 a chip. That’s putting quite a premium on the AIO form factor and the kid-safe software.