-Voice Activated Lock....Your child makes up the password they want and the diary will only open to that phrase and their voice. -Customizable intruder alert....My daughter set this up for her brother. She left a warning telling him she knew what he was doing and that she would tell! If the person trying to open the diary's voice does not match then the intruder alert will go off -Journal records intruder voice.....This function will record the voice of the person trying to open the diary. When little brother tried to get into her journal and denied it she was able to drive it with his voice!
Those were the top three things my girls loved about this product. We had several little ladies play with do get a somewhat broad reaction base. The youngest being 8 and the oldest 12. The girls absolutely love the invisible ink, they had never seen it before and spent hours playing with it. There is a secret little compartment to tuck little treasures and a light to allow them to write in the dark.
There is a function which allows the user to record ideas to write about or just thoughts. The journal/diary is slightly heavy, but with the electronic components that is almost to be expected. They seem to have gotten it much more compact that the previous versions but still feel they could go slimmer. The packaging is a bright and eye catching as well as the colors and design on the journal itself. I had received a pink and purple version, perhaps offering a couple more color combinations would be fun as well as the flower design on the front. My girls and their cousins had a blast with this toy and I know I will be purchasing at least 2 more for christmas presents this year.
I figured an electronic journal is a perfect product for this day and age. The minute I received the product to test I handed it over to my 11 year old daughter. She at first was hesitant to try it out. It took her approximately 15 mins to figure out how to set up the password. She then recorded her thoughts for the day. On day two I asked her if she used the journal again and she responded with a no and said she didn't want to use it anymore. My 8 year old son however thought it was pretty cool that it was password protected by voice and I encouraged him to play with it instead. Beyond the appeal of voice password protection he didn't like the fact that he would have to talk to record his thoughts. For my kids this product didn't appeal to them. They preferred to write down their thoughts instead of recording it. However, I feel that this product has great quality and would be appropriate for other kids who like to voice their opinions and are not shy like mine.
Cons: could have a place to store a pencil, could have a larger secret storage compartment, some difficulty with recognizing voice to unlock
My almost 7 year old daughter thought this password journal was "the best!" It knows her voice and only allows her to open the book with the right password, and includes a super-cool hidden storage compartment inside behind the book, as well as a special invisible ink marker with a spot to store it that allows girls to write a secret message inside, and a 2 way light, one that allows you to read normal writing, and a second light that reveals the secret messages written with the invisible ink! This would be the coolest birthday gift for any girl who loves secrets and loves to write or draw! You can easily change the password whenever you want too! And if someone tries to break in to read those treasured words, watch out! An alarm with a personalized message will sound. My daughter created an alarm message that said, "You're under arrest!!!" It is so cool, because even if she isn't around, you hear her saying it! Even if someone "hears" the passcode, it recognizes only the password in my daughter's voice so it won't open with someone else saying the password.
The things that I noticed could be improved on this item are: 1# there is not really a good location to store a regular pen or pencil inside, unless it is really small and fits in the storage compartment #a space for a standard pen/pencil could #and should# have been added inside the journal case#, 2) the diary or journal notepad itself is very small compared to the unit and will fill up quickly, and I am not sure if there are replacement note pads available to purchase, 3) the voice activated unlock is very sensitive, and sometimes the unit does not recognize my daughter's voice with correct password and will say "that's not the password" even though it was--on further attempts it will finally recognize it so this issue is intermittent and background noise in the room can cause this issue, 4) my daughter's journal did not want to lock initially #even after activating the password and alarm words#, so we almost thought it was broken, but then suddenly it started locking so it did work, 5) the journal case is much larger to store than the tiny notepad and the secret storage space beneath it is rather small and would be nice if the inside were a bit bigger so it could hold a little more. For example, new crayons do not quite fit inside it #used crayons are shorter and do fit# but it would be nice to be able to store a few art supplies inside it if your child is artistic and likes to color pictures in her journal. It is big enough to hold pretty stones, a tiny doll, necklaces, trinkets, or other small treasures, but as a reference for size, it cannot quite fit a deck of cards. Also, on the front, it seems like on the cover there could be a larger gem looking button to push to gain access. The buttons you push to gain access are just the small ones in the corner. Perhaps it would be neat to be able to choose from a variety of colors for the front, or add your own gems to decorate it, or have a spot to slide a child's photo. But overall, the cover looks really pretty and is eye-catching for girls.
Other than these concerns, my daughter has been absolutely delighted with this super cool diary and has been the envy of her older brother and sister. She is so excited to have something cool that they cannot access! She LOVES the light and the secret invisible ink, and the little compartment under the notepad. As a mom, I am hoping that there will be standard notepads that can fit in this for replacement, and replacement markers with invisible ink, other than that, we are all having fun with this journal, trying to make it think we are "her" and it always knows that we are not her! And then it sounds the alarm so we cannot open it! She feels VERY special because only she can! Smart reset button allows for opening when the password is forgotten and there are 3 volume settings. Great gift idea for friends' birthdays, especially the 7-12 year old range I would say. Perfect gift for a granddaughter or niece, etc. Super fun gift for that special girl! They really do feel special with this "just for you" journal! Takes 3 AA batteries.
This product was given to my 12 year old, who used it when she first received it and then kind of forgot about it. The toy was "kind of hard" to figure out when she first got it. I really don't think she bothered to read the instructions. My 16 year old stepped in and actually read the instructions. After that, the younger one was able to use the Journal. She was interested in the beginning, particularly liked the light and the fact that her brothers couldn't open it. After a few days, she put it down and lost interest in it. I had my 6 year old try it, just to how she'd do with it. She needed help to learn how it worked, but was able to open and write in it after that. She had very low interest in writing or drawing in it. She did like the fact that her brothers couldn't get it open to see what she'd put in it. I'd say this would be best for a 9-11 year old who enjoys writing.
