I’d resisted the hype until now, but with the launch of the new-generation 3GS, it was time to finally give the iPhone a try.

Our brother site Gizmodo can give you the full rundown on the technical specs and performance of the device. Bottom line? It’s fast. That ‘S’ stands for speed. Other improvements have been made to battery life, camera resolution and the addition of voice-controlled dialling and video recording.

But what people really like about the iPhone – and this is only enhanced on the new version – is that it is fun. More on applications later.

In typical Apple style, the iPhone 3GS comes beautifully packaged. Vodafone have loaned me one with a Vodafone SIM for internet browsing, calls and text (sometimes I forget that it is primarily a phone.)
The device is shiny, slim and relatively light-weight, I can picture the thing sliding out of my hand when balancing a load of groceries and a baby, so a shatterproof case is probably a good optional accessory.

Usability wise, the touch screen is a whole world away from the standard Nokia I’m used to. It’s all about touching, tapping and sliding, but it’s intuitive – my two year old knew what to do instinctively. You’d think all that handling would leave a messy screen but, jam-covered little hands aside, the new fingerprint resistant oleophobic coating is a success.

Typing, however, is still proving difficult after a week’s practice. Typing with two thumbs is fast, but terribly inaccurate. Better results are achieved with one finger-tip, but it’s a slow process. Without the tactility of actual buttons it can be hard to hit the right letter. Turning the screen to horizontal mode seems to help, although I still find it hard to believe you could blog on the thing.

Now back to the fun stuff. Along with the groovy pre-installed applications like YouTube, Weather, Maps + Compass and iPod +ITunes, you can customise the phone infinitely to your family’s needs with free and paid apps from the iTunes App. Store.

For my own enjoyment, I’ve had fun with Sudoku, Air Hockey, Wordfu (a Boggle-like game) and Shazam (which identifies songs playing on the radio or over a speaker system).

For social networking and working, email, Facebook and Twitter have all been easy to install and trouble free, while the Dictionary.com and Note applications have come in handy. Although the voice recording application seems to record in high-quality, it does not record phone conversations, which would be most useful for journalists and, err, professional blackmailers.

As for keeping the toddler amused, I found a wealth of fantastic applications for kids. Wheels on the Bus ($AU1.19) has received rave reviews from around the world for its interactive educational features. Cooking Mama Lite (free) is a whole lot of fun to play together and uses a lot of movement – shaking the phone to ’stirfry’ a dish etc to provide a fun and surprisingly enthralling game.

Scribble Lite, Bubble Wrap, and Chase the Dot (all free) are basic and brief diversions while much musical fun can be had with Shaker and Mini Piano (also free).

The favourite here though has been SmackTalk ($AU1.19), a ridiculous application which records your voice then has an animated guinea pig, kitten, puppy and chihuahua ’speak’ back to you in a high-pitched squeal. It is beyond amusing to watch a two-year-old argue with an animated chihuahua about going to bed.

Of course, there are way too many applications to review here. There’s quite a few for household budgeting for example, and for travel organisation and planning and even a few for breastfeeding and timing labour contractions!

The standard phone features – address book, SMS, calendar, calculator, camera etc are all slickly delivered. Internet browsing is a breeze and cleverly switches to wifi where available, sparing your mobile data allowance. Vodafone network coverage has been decent, only dropping out through tunnels and occasionally in lifts. Browsing speed over mobile internet is reasonable, but much faster when connected to wifi.

I am told you can set parental controls on each application or install another, family-friendly browser to use instead of Safari.

All in all, the iPhone 3GS, when combined with the seemingly infinite variety of apps available, is a remarkable family communication and entertainment device. The only problem being that you may not want to share it!

The iPhone 3G S 16GB is available free on Vodafone’s $69 iPhone Cap (24 months), which includes $400 value, unlimited free Vodafone-to-Vodafone calls during the evening and on weekends and 1GB of included data downloads. The iPhone 3G S 32GB is free on Vodafone’s $114 Cap (24 months), which includes unlimited calls and a massive 2GB data.

For the first time, Vodafone now also offers the iPhone to prepaid customers. The 8GB iPhone 3G is available for $759 up front, the 16GB iPhone 3G S for $929 up front and then 32GB iPhone 3G S for $1129 up front. Customers who purchase and register their Vodafone Prepaid iPhone and mobile number before 31 August, 2009 will receive a bonus $500 Flexible Credit ($100 bonus Flexible Credit on each of their next 5 Prepaid Recharges on $49, $79 or $149 Flexi-caps).

For pricing plans from other carriers, as well as more news and information about the iPhone, check out Gizmodo AU.

Disney have now released new DVDs of three of these titles - Mickey Mouse Clubhouse: Detective Minnie, My Friends Tigger and Pooh: The Nature of Things and Little Einsteins: Animal Expedition.

They’ve been on rotation in our house over some very rainy weeks, so with the help of my trusty 2-year-old reviewer I give our verdict.

My Friends Tigger and Pooh: The Nature of Things

Winnie the Pooh has changed a little since the books we read as kids. Christopher Robin has been replaced by a 6-year-old “tomboyish” red-haired girl named Darby, who is now the star of the show, along with her two main buddies Tigger and Pooh and back up characters Piglet, Eeyore and new friends Lumpy and Buster (an elephant and dog respectively).

The stories on the DVD (which runs for about an hour) are all about teamwork as the friends explore Hundred Acre Wood. Simple facts about nature are revealed, like why snow melts and what is an echo. My son loved the various songs sprinkled throughout the episode and in fact I’ve got the theme tune stuck in my head right now! This was our favourite DVD out of the three, as I suspect it is the one best aimed at under 3s.

Mickey Mouse Clubhouse: Detective Minnie

Mickey and Minnie have also changed substantially over the years. The current incarnation of the cartoon is all shiny, reflective and rainbow-coloured, and with CGI technology appears almost 3D. Similar to Dora and other modern shows aimed at the 3-5s, the series focuses on interacting with the viewer to stimulate problem solving, like identifying shapes and counting through ten. In this headline story, Minnie has to locate 12 party hats that have gone missing.

Australia has never shared the obsession with all things Mickey as the US does, and I struggled to engage with the characters and story here. My son was also less than impressed and has not requested a repeat viewing! Nevertheless the show should be commended for interactivity and encouragement of early leaning skills.

Little Einsteins: Animal Expedition

This educational preschool series was developed by a team which includes Emmy Award-winning director Olexa Hewryk and Dora the Explorer co-creator Eric Weiner, and is co-produced by the Baby Einstein Company.

So with that kind of pedigree, as you’d predict it’s a quality show with  many educational elements. The ‘cast’ of four Einsteins are entertaining and their expeditions are interesting. In this show, the four set out with their trusty rocket ship to explore animals around the world – from Indian elephants to Australian kangaroos. I think this is a DVD my son will enjoy more and more as he gets older.

All three Playschool DVDs are rated G and include a Fast Play feature, so kids can pretty much pop the DVD on and wait for it to play – no more looking for the remote to find the menu buttons. This was a great addition, as we all find it frustrating to sit through ads and various intro reels waiting for the main feature to start.

Yo Gabba Gabba, (also known as crack for toddlers) has brought its world premiere live concert tour to the East Coast of Australia.

Last Friday I was lucky enough to attend the first leg of the tour, at the State Sports Centre in Homebush.  Think thousands of toddlers and parents hyped up on chocolate cupcakes and caffeine respectively, grooving along to punk-electro tunes, led by a man in a strange furry orange hat.

I was up in the stands with an unfortunately out-of-sorts toddler, so I’ve left it to one of our Gabba competition winners, Nerida, to review the concert.

Listening and dancing to music with our friends iiiiiiiiiis AWESOME!!!

DJ Lance Rock and his friends Foofa, Brobie, Muno, Toodie and Plex were joined by house band the Pookynoos  for a high-energy musical sprint through Gabbaland.

The show featured two 40 minute sets, both opened by the Pookynoos playing friendly happy music and warming up the crowd and followed by the Gabbas themselves.

My two year old was initially overwhelmed by the live event — Yo Gabba Gabba is meant to be on TV! — but she soon got over the shock and was jiving away to such classics as Dancey Dance, Shake the Sillies Out and Party in My Tummy. Not to mention trying to hug every child in the general vicinity, which, along with the flashing light merchandise that was everywhere around us, made the ambiance resemble an early 90s dance party… Plus, DJ Lance Rock (AKA Lance Robertson) high-fived her so she was in heaven.

The sequenced music of the main event was supplemented by the Pookynoos, local musicians playing guitar, bass and drums and supplying extra crowd participation. The show was slickly choreographed with plenty of audience involvement, including a Cool Tricks segment dance featuring a little boy called Kaylan who danced to rapturous applause.

My only quibble would be that the 20 minute intermission (which was probably needed by the performers more than the crowd) lost a bit of the show’s momentum. The show was definitely long enough with toddler (and parent) energy flagging by 11.30. Yo Gabba Gabba was AWESOME! Thanks to Babble for the free tickets!

I’d just add that parents yet to see the show should pack plenty of snacks and a little extra cash for the highly popular merchandise stand.

The performance is centred around a simple premise – a cradle on the stage holds a baby, who the orchestra is trying to get to sleep using lullabies from such far-lung palces as Egypt, China, India and Scotland.

Our ‘mother’ is soprano Heather Lee, who deftly uses a few simple props to switch between ‘locations’, equally as skillful as her vocal switches between Chinese, Egyptian and Indian tongues.
I had warned my toddler that there would be no dancing at this concert, but it was far more interactive than anticipated, particularly the stirring “Bila Bila” from the Gulf of Carpentaria, and our favourite, “Naami, naami” forn Egypt, which began with the premise of a bumpy camel ride through the desert, replete with hand actions.

The real magic in the Babies Proms series is the opportunity to hear and see orchestral music performed at very close range, and at an affordable price. Joining the Babies Proms Orchestra for this performance are world music composer Kim Cunio and Liew Kiek and Tunji Bier, who between them play all sorts of weird and wonderful instruments such as the oud, tavil, daff and zarb.
The children are transfixed by the instruments, and jump at the chance to have a closer look at the end of the concert.

I can’t say that many children slept during the show, but nor did they scream. Most were seemingly hypnotized by the gentle rhythms of the lullabies.

Sweet Dreams is at The Sydney Opera House until February 16. Tickets are 50% off if booked today only. Visit the SOH website for more.

At first glance the system is a little complicated. Each week there are six dinner recipes, which can be cooked in three ’squares’, so every second night you are just preparing pre-cooked food (’combos’). Saturday nights are excluded, assuming that many families will eat about at least once a week.

Using the portion sizes in the book, a couple could eat leftover dinner meals for lunch the next day, for greater cost savings.

So what kind of food are we talking about? It’s standard, seasonal family tucker. Not the kind of recipes you’d bookmark in Gourmet Traveller, more the standard fare most families eat anyway — pasta, stir-frys, burgers and quiches. A weekly summer menu plan is as follows:

Lamb Souvlaki Wraps
Chicken Curry with Naan Bread
Ham and Cheese Omelette with Butter Bean Salad
Salmon Tomato Rice
Creamy Chicken Crepes with Roma Tomato Salad
Cheesy Macaroni Bake

The value in the book is not so much the recipes themselves (although they look straight-forward, unprocessed and tasty), but in the organisational approach to the chore of daily meal preparation.

Anything that promises to shorten my shopping trips, cut down on my washing up and save my money has got to be worth a look. And if you fancy something a little, um, fancier, unleash your skills on a Saturday night dinner party.

Table Tucker can be ordered online for $27.45 + postage.

Written by paediatric nurse, nanny and parenting expert Jo Ryan the book comes replete with celebrity endorsement by cookbook guru Donna Hay.

The heart of the book lies in the ‘Babybliss Technique’ which is Ms Ryan’s patented method of establishing a sleep routine. She says that she aims for something in between attachment  parenting and controlled crying with her technique, which centres around teaching a baby to self-soothe (five minutes crying is permitted after six months of age).

Where the book differs from other routine-oriented baby bibles like Gina Ford’s Contented Baby Book is that a flexible routine is stressed, rather than exact times for feeding and sleeping.

Ryan states that parents should, “have a plan, but rather than looking at the whole day, you should focus on each cycle of feeding, activity and sleep… these cycles can be anywhere between two and four hours long but you need to feed your baby when she is hungry.”

Her insistence from “teaching” a baby to sleep from day 1, including keeping a log book and recommending that it may be easier not to go out during the day so you don’t over-stimulate your baby may not sit well with more free-and-easy new parents.

However parents who are keen on order and structure in their lives may find the book a handy, no-nonsense guide to implementing a routine with relatively gentle methods.

Ryan is quite insistent that all new babies need 16-18 hours sleep every day and that toddlers should be sleeping 11-12 hours a night. As always with parenting books, some parents may fret if their child is not in sync with these guidelines.

Baby Bliss fulfills a gap in the Australian market for the routine-oriented approach to sleep and parenting. Some readers may find it interesting to note that Ms Ryan, despite her extensive experience, does not seem to have children of her own. This should not be a reason to discount the book but it induced a couple of eye-rolls from this parent. Sure it’s easy to claim that babies are just a “blank canvas” at birth and you can train them to do anything you like — but it may be a little harder dealing with that baby day in and day out.

Also included in the book are tips on preparing for a new baby; feeding (breast, bottle and solids); developmental milestones and activities for each stage. A resources list gives a handy list of numbers of support services for issues such as breastfeeding, PND and premature babies.

Baby Bliss is due for release on February 1. The book may be pre-ordered from Harper Collins for $29.99.

It’s not what you expect to hear at a children’s performance, but then Dan Zanes & Friends are not your typical, cutesy children’s act.

In Australia for the Sydney Festival, Grammy-award-wining Zanes and his Brooklyn-based band set out to convert a new continent of kids to his irresistible mix of folk, country, early rock ‘n’ roll and Latino grooves.
Performing in the delightfully whimsical Speigeltent, Zanes got the show rolling with an old singalong slave tune “Pay Me My Money Down”. Hits from his extensive back-collection followed, including a toe-tapping rendition of Bonnie Lou’s “Tennessee Wig Walk” which saw two adorable audience members doing the do-si-do.

Particularly delightful was Mexican guitarist and vocalist Sonia de los Santos, who features on Zanes’ new Latino CD, Nuevo York! Indeed, it is the casual multiculturalism of Zanes’ band which mark them as a truly international act.

Zanes himself has been described as the crown prince of contemporary kids’ music. Former lead singer of The Del Feugos, an 80s garage-style pop band, his indie credentials have continued to serve him well since making the tradition to ‘family music’. How many of his contemporaries could name artists as Lou Reed, Nick Cave and Debbie Harry as cameos on their albums?

It is not surprising then, that at this concert the adults seemed to be having just as much – if not more -fun than the young ones. This reviewer was quite aghast that her almost two-year-old decided that the forklift and water fountain outside the Spiegeltent were more exciting than the musical act and so a small portion of the concert was spent chasing said child around Hyde Park.

At 1 hour 10 mins, the set was not long by adult standards, but it is a long time for a child under three. The over-fours and under tens seemed to be having the most fun, but almost all ages from toddlers to grandmas joined in the dancing snake around the tent during one of the more raucous songs. In fact, the audience was probably on their feet for at least half the show.

Any great entertainer knows how to make not just a great entrance, but a great exit. And so it was as the green-suited Zanes and his merry music makers exited, still singing, down through the audience and out the front door, leading their acolytes on to a grassy patch for autograph signings and photos.

We joined several other families at the nearby water fountain for a refreshing dip, the tunes still ringing in our ears.

A lovely end to a lovely afternoon.

Voiced by John Travolta, Bolt is one tough little pooch, truly believing that the special effects on the show are proof of his amazing powers. Like a doggy version of The Truman Show, Bolt lives his entire life on set, committed to protecting his owner and TV co-star Penny, voiced by Miley Cyrus.

When he is accidentally shipped off the soundstage when looking for Penny, Bolt ends up in New York City. And here begins his biggest adventure yet – a good ol’ fashioned road trip. Along the way he teams up with a sardonic cat named Mittens (voiced by Curb Your Enthusiasm actress Susie Essman), and a chubby TV-obsessed hamster in a plastic ball named Rhino.

Of course no road movie is complete without an accompanying inner journey for the lead character. Bolt has to learn that he doesn’t need superpowers to be a hero.

This is a surprisingly entertaining film which I’m sure would be even better in 3D (not available in the session we saw). A chorus of wise-cracking birds provide witty banter for the grown-ups while kids will enjoy the hijinks of the animal trio trying to find their way back to LA. Rhino (voiced by Mark Walton) is particularly entertaining and gets all the best lines. The relationship between Bolt and Mittens is endearing, and there is a lovely scene where the wise ol’ kitty teaches Bolt how to act like a real puppy – showing him the delights of hanging out of a car window with his tongue flapping in the breeze.

A warning for parents of younger children – the opening scenes of Bolt’s TV adventures are quite loud and scary for the under 8s. Perhaps the director had a Michael Bay fetish as the scores of fiery helicopter crashes seemed slightly out of place in a family flick.

The film does manage to redeem itself with an emotional finish featuring the climactic reunion of Bolt and Penny.

Bolt has been nominated for two Golden Globe awards, for best animated feature and best song for the country-tinged Miley Cyrus tune “I thought I Lost You”.

 
Zoobie Pets come in many exotic but lovable favorite animal types: Hada the Hippo, Ellema the Elephant and Bobo the Baboon to name a few. We like Mashaka the Monkey (seen above) and his impish smile and especially like how easy it transitions from stuffed animal to useful travelling companion. So it’s no wonder Zoobies have won a plethora of awards from the iParenting Media Award to being Hot Mom Approved. That’s right, there’s even a seal for that one  – and we're wondering how we can get our hands on it. – April Peveteaux

Get it at on sale at Ekidna Kids for $AU46.99. 

So it was with education and culture in mind that I booked tickets for the latest Baby Prom Series at the Sydney Opera House, part of their splendid ‘Kids at the House’ program.

Held in the Utzon room at the SOH, it’s a madcap race as 100 pre-schoolers scramble out of their prams and head for the top spots on the floor in front of the band. Getting in is a battle in itself.

Neither the carpark nor the SOH foyer have obvious accessible access points, so myself and other pram-wielding parents have to drag our buggies up several flights of stairs — the worst being the large set leading up from the forecourt.

Inside I spot more than one pair of fairy wings, several superheros and lots of party dresses in the crowd — toddler chic in fine display. But ‘prom’ in this instance does not mean ball, it’s from the word ‘promenade’ (to walk), so most adults are more casually dressed in jeans and t-shirts.

Kinderjazz are the band for the day, a 12 piece live swing orchestra fronted by a very pregnant chanteuse, Debra Dicembre. Vocalist George Washingmachine plays MC, introducing the various instruments like the magic walking Double Bass (a favourite).

The kids soon settle down for the be-boppin’ performance, a musical journey through the jazz spectrum from 70s funk to swing. A lively ‘Teddy Bears Picnic’ and swinging ‘Cat Got Your Tongue’ were popular with the dancers in the crowd, a group of older children forming a jiggling front row.

Many of the children, including my out-of-sorts 19 month old, are happy to sit on laps, in awe of the band and the crowd. Up the back, mothers rock their babies in slings, nary a squeak to be heard.

After the 30 minute performance — the average attention span for this age group – the children are invited up the front to see and touch the instruments and pose for photos with the band, an opportunity once again relished by the older kids.

I choose to make an early run for the pram parking bay in preparation of the descent of Mount Opera House Stairs, passing the next sold-out session on my way.

I have my doubts on how much my son absorbed today, he seemed far more taken with the colourful Jorn Utzon tapestry on the wall, but he did head straight towards his Wiggles drum when we got home, banging out a rhythm that would surely impress Kinderjazz’s conga player.

I may not have a future Miles Davis on my hands, but for a fun outing that gives parents the opportunity to enjoy a music concert at a bargain price, in a beautiful venue, it’s a winner.

Jazz Hot Baby is at the opera house until November 2. Bookings via the Sydney Opera House website.