When looking for electronic gear, try a toy store

If you're in the market for some cool electronic equipment this year, consider checking out your local toy store as well as the electronics shops. <br><br>With all the new electronic toys for children

Tuesday, February 29th 2000, 12:00 am

By: News On 6

If you're in the market for some cool electronic equipment this year, consider checking out your local toy store as well as the electronics shops.

With all the new electronic toys for children coming out on the market this year, there's no reason budget-minded adults can't have fun -- and save some money -- by buying the children's versions of the latest high-tech gadgets.

``Our products are probably more mass-market price than any others,'' said Wayne Charness, spokesman for Pawtucket-based Hasbro. ``If you follow Hasbro becoming a little bit more of a lifestyle company, then certainly, some of these products will be purchased by older kids and possibly some adults.''

Here are some ``toys'' that are pretty good buys for kids of any ages who like electronics:

Yahoo! Cam digital camera, Hasbro's Tiger Electronics, $60, available in the fall. A palm-sized digital camera, the Yahoo! Cam takes color photos you can post to users' Web sites. Equipped with an infrared flash, it can also take pictures in complete darkness. When mounted to a PC, it becomes a real-time video cam. At the Best Buy in North Attleboro, comparable digital cameras range in price from $49.99 to $699.99 for a Sony camera that has video and audio movie capability.

Yahoo! HitClips Downloader, Tiger Electronics, $19.99 to $24.99, available this summer. Users can download or stream music and audio to most computers, including PC and Mac formats.

Lighting Mail, Tiger Electronics, $59.99, available in September. The size of a small cell phone, Lightning Mail lets you send and receive e-mail just by plugging into a phone jack. Thanks to a deal Tiger has with NetZero, e-mail is included free. There are no monthly Internet fees or subscription services. A local phone number is required for access, which may result in charges to your phone bill. Internet usage is restricted to text-only e-mail.

M'e-mail, Tiger Electronics, $24.99, available in the fall. A ``girls' organizer'' in the shape of a cell phone, M'e-mail has functions for personal information, an address lock, a ``to do'' list, clock, alarm, and calculator. Plus, it has some fun things, such as horoscopes and a face-maker. Comparable ``grownup'' electronic organizers at Best Buy range from $9.99 to $99.99.

Quik Writer, Tiger Electronics, $32.99, available in the fall. Quik Writer is another organizer from Tiger. This one is no bigger than a wallet when it's closed, and contains a key pad for typing as well as a pullout stylus on the touch screen to write or draw. Basic organizer functions include address book and scheduler. Quick Writer uses radio frequency technology to send and receive messages within a 50-foot range.

E-Pals, Playmates Toys, about $40, available in September. These robotic dolls come in the form of Homer and Bart Simpson, and the Grinch, and sit nicely atop a PC. The E-Pals follow your computer work activities, and respond to normal operating system commands, adding droll comments, such as a ``Doh!'' from Homer when you misspell a word, or, ``Woo-Hoo!'' when you have e-mail. When you log onto the Internet, Homer comments, ``Ever heard of a little thing called the Internet?''