THE electronic talking computer, Comquest PC ''ushers a breakthrough in the educational toy industry'', according to Allan Chu, chairman of Team Concepts Holdings Ltd.
Be that as it may, the 3,040 dot matrix liquid crystal display (LCD) has certainly one of the finest screen resolutions for this type of equipment on the market. The company's local subsidiary, Team Concepts Electronics Ltd, which won the prestigious Governor's Award for Industry: Export Marketing, also won the Federation of Hong Kong Industries (FHKI) Consumer Product Design Award for the Comquest PC.
''It is one of the new generation of electronic computers for kids,'' said Mr Chu. ''The Comquest PC is designed to help develop comprehension, encourage a child's eagerness to learn, promote basic skills and teach them computer familiarity.'' The Comquest PC features 22 multi-level activities, including language training, a mathematics building segment, one or two-player trivia, memory exercises, a personal data bank, animation program, music-master fun section, and a built-in basic typing exercise. Designed for children of seven years and older, the PC is also expandable with various subject and foreign language cartridges available separately for further learning challenges.
Team Concepts also makes a wide range of electronic toys for children of all ages, including the talking laptop Super Computer (above, right) for boys and girls aged eight and upwards. Apart from its current accolades, the Comquest PC has won two other prestigious international awards this year: the Gold Award of The Good Toy Guide organised by The National Toy Libraries Association of the UK, and the 1993 Toy of the Year Award organised by Family Fun in the US.
The Comquest PC is available locally at various specialist toy and family store outlets and from all leading department stores, priced at $745. Having recorded its success with the children's PC, the company went on to win another award. This time it was a Certificate of Merit from the FHKI for Team Concept International's design of the ''TV Bean''.
The bean-shaped device is an ergonomically designed, hand-held remote control unit for TV sets and cable converters of multiple brands. Convenient to use and easy to operate, the viewer need only activate the built-in, auto-scanning function to set up theremote control, which is compatible with most popular TV controls and cable boxes. Designers of the TV Bean repositioned the device's keys to give easier access and control over the most-used keys, while those less frequently used are recessed at a lower level.
