Furby, aliens and jigsaws: Top toys get techy for Christmas

As Christmas fast approaches, the lists of little girls and boys the world over are expected to be dominated by techy toys - including the return of some familiar favourites, BBC News reports.

It was 1998 when the world first met Furby.

Cute, talkative little creatures, the Furby range featured a revolutionary feature: infrared eyes which meant the toys could communicate with each other.

It could also "listen" to conversations, and would, with a little pat-on-the-head encouragement, be taught to say a selection of words.

At the time, Furby was considered so advanced, that the US government banned the toys from its National Security Agency offices - lest it repeat top secret information to unofficial ears.

Thankfully, there were no confirmed reports of intelligence leaks, and years later, the Furby is making a comeback.

This time, its infrared eyes have been replaced with two small LCD screens, its body has more motors and sensors than before and - here's the clever bit - the Furby of 2012 comes with its own smartphone and tablet app, allowing for a much more interactive experience.

The app will even translate Furby's warblings into English.

"We've reinvented Furby with advanced technology that brings a whole new way to play to kids," the company gushed.

"The personality of each Furby appears to evolve by the way children play with it, and every unpredictable action and reaction helps make each Furby seem unique."

'Wow factor'

But Furby certainly isn't the only toy to be making use of mobile apps to enhance the play experience, says John Baulch, editor of Toy World magazine.

"The best of these app toys, they really do significantly enhance the play value of what you get out of it," he says.

"It adds a real wow factor to toys. It's what kids really want these days."

"Toys have always harnessed new technology - because kids are getting more technologically savvy and literate."

Among the most exciting, he says, is Wowwee - a Hong Kong-based firm specialising in robotic toys and other hi-tech playthings.

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