NYT reports on TV exercise bike for kids

In TV Games, Preschoolers Learn as They Pedal
By WARREN BUCKLEITNER
Game controllers come in many forms — so why not an exercise bike? The Smart Cycle from Fisher-Price is a child-size stationary bicycle that hooks up to a TV. The idea is to get your preschooler off the floor and pedaling to drive over letters on the screen while avoiding potholes.
Once the bike is assembled — four D batteries are required — it is plugged into the audio and video inputs on a TV. A child can steer down a virtual street, matching letters, numbers or shapes, or steering into a pit stop to play one of six early learning games with the onboard joystick. One game, called Number Fields, is like whack-a-mole with numerals, while Letter Creek involves zapping letters as they flow down a stream, spelling out words.
The bike will be available this summer for $100 from major toy retailers. Additional software cartridges ($20) will feature Dora the Explorer, SpongeBob, Hot Wheels and Barbie.
While the Smart Cycle’s music and graphics are quite simple compared with a typical computer game, any toy that can blend TV with mental and physical education can only be a good thing. Perhaps there will be a version for grown-ups. (April 26, 2007)