Abstract
A toy is a product that is intended for play. Common examples of toys include dolls, board games and video games. Based on the reports from the 110th Annual American International Toy Fair, toy manufacturers are increasingly incorporating mobile applications into their products through smartphones. This technological advancement gives users the opportunity to augment the physical world as they play through a user interface of information services. These toys capture the user’s physical activity state (e.g., walking, standing, running, etc.) and store personalized information (e.g., location, activity pattern, etc.) through the mobile device. By adding a digital component onto an analog device, a greater potential for a more personalized and dynamic play experience, such as augmented reality, is unlocked. In addition, this play experience can be further modified after point of sale through a developer’s content or update release through their digital service. As smartphones and mobile applications play a larger role in the everyday lives of their users, toy manufacturers commonly face the challenge of better understanding the modern consumer’s needs as well as their concerns. Issues such as privacy and data encryption, which were not common problems in the toy industry, are suddenly becoming necessary due to these trends. This book chapter also discusses a case study of toy guns in Brazil.
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Ng, G., Chow, M., Salgado, A. (2015). Toys and Mobile Applications: Current Trends and Related Privacy Issues. In: Hung, P. (eds) Mobile Services for Toy Computing. International Series on Computer Entertainment and Media Technology. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-21323-1_4
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