This week I was invited to attend a Dell press preview for their Holiday line. When I walked into the cocktail party, I was immediately attracted to their Nickelodeon corner set up to show off the brand’s newest addition – The Dell Inspiron Mini Nickelodeon Edition.

Yes, kids will enjoy the green slime evident on the case and screensaver, but that’s not what makes this product such a buy. It really is a perfect fit for parents of children between the ages of 6 and 13. Besides the 15 month McAfee virus protector and parental control built into the machine, this brand also boasts pre-packaged game suites and widgets that will provide hours of fun for your little ones and automatically update each quarter.

I had the chance to spend some time with Whyville’s Chief Visionary Officer, Jim Bower, who gave me a walkthrough of his software which is included in Dell’s pre-install. I instantly fell in love – not with Jim… with Whyville.

It’s an online community for children that is heavily guarded and deemed safe by a variety of parenting groups. While your child navigates through this virtual world meeting friends, they will also be able to start up their own businesses, sell products they create online to other Whyville members and take part in educational activities. They are learning while they are playing! Priceless.

The new Dell is also wonderfully compact and lightweight. Your child will have no problem carrying around the 10 inch notebook which weights just 3 pounds!

The Dell Inspiron Mini Nickelodeon Edition will exclusively be available at Walmart and online at dell.com starting this October. Price will be released at launch.

Upcycled Computer Keyboard – Funky Fresh – $40