I'll be appearing on the Today Show on August 27 to talk about Back-to-School hi-tech for kids from preschool to high-school. Follow the link for some of the products I'll be demoing.

With the economy in tough shape, the Today Show asked me to come up with four back to school tips that won't break the bank. I decided this was an opportunity to include free, top-notch, open-source software, a topic that has rarely gotten major play in the mainstream media. You can see the video here.

Does the Nintendo DS have a role as a learning platform? For over twenty years computers have been used for drill-and-review of math and spelling. Disney, Learning Company, Knowledge Adventure and others have transitioned from computer to dedicated portable systems like Leapfrog, and onto the internet. What about the Nintendo DS? Perhaps, but Crave’s $19.99 spelling program doesn’t make the case very well.

Guitar Hero: On Tour (Activision $50) is a valiant attempt to bring faux-instrument rock gaming to the mobile platform. It almost works, and the technology used is certainly innovative. A special accessory fret board plugs into the Nintendo DS supplying the traditional color buttons that are depressed to play the notes and chords. You “strum” the guitar with a special stylus dressed as a pick.

The twenty-four arcade style mini-games in Majesco’s Turn It Around provide rapid fire, short attention span fun. However, it does make me wonder about the ESRB’s rating system This “E” rated game features one activity where the “entertainment” is helping a “subordinate” get a drunken boss through a maze of people, muttering “pretty girl” at the women he runs into.

It comes as no surprise that Mario Party DS represents one of the best family fun games of the year for the Nintendo DS. Often copied, but seldom equaled, Nintendo has a history of success with mini-game collections. There are many aspects that set this title above the others.

Reader’s of this site know that I love programs that offer open-ended, creative play, but come down hard on coloring books. Sadly, there is much more room for creative growth and exploration with a small box of crayons than in this “officially licensed” electronic version costing much more. In addition t

Aspiring Houdinis will find some fun in this collection of tricks and card games for the Nintendo DS. Players must earn magic tricks by playing various card solitaire card games.For would-be magicians more interested in learning tricks than cards, this dribbling out of tricks will certainly be frustrating.

Diddy Kong Racing DS shows just how far portable gaming has come in the past few years, demonstrating incredible wireless networked gameplay in a form factor that would have been unthinkable until only recently.