VTech POWERZONE PLUS DESKTOP User Manual

Dear Parent:

At VTech® we know that a child has the ability to do great things.

That’s why all of our electronic learning products are uniquely

designed to develop a child’s mind and allow them to learn to the

best of their ability. Whether it’s learning about letters, numbers,

geography or algebra, all VTech® learning products incorporate

advanced technologies and extensive curriculum to encourage

children of all ages to reach their potential.

When it comes to providing interactive products that enlighten,

entertain and develop minds, at VTech® we see the potential in

every child.

Copyright © 2001 VTech® Industries, LLC All Rights Reserved. VTech and the VTech® Logo are registered trademarks of VTech®. Power Zone™ is a trademark of VTech® Industries, LLC. All other trademarks are property of their respective owners.

Disclaimer and Limitation of Liability VTech® Industries, LLC and its suppliers assume no responsibility for

any damage or loss resulting from the use of this handbook. VTech Industries, LLC and its suppliers assume no responsibility for any loss or claims by third parties that may arise through the use of this software.

VTech® Industries, LLC and its suppliers assume no responsibility for

any damage or loss caused by deletion of data as a result of malfunction, dead battery, or repairs. Be sure to make backup copies of important data on other media to protect against data loss.

Important!

Please read the VTech® End-User Software License Agreement and other respective license agreements before using the accompanying software applications. Using any part of the software indicates that you accept the terms of the VTech® End-User Software License Agreement.

This product includes software developed by the Apache Software Foundation (http://www.apache.org/).

The Apache Software License, Version 1.1 Copyright © 1999-2000 The Apache Software Foundation. All rights reserved. Redistribution and use in source and binary forms, with or without modification, are permitted provided that the following conditions are met:

1. Redistributions of source code must retain the above copyright notice, this list of conditions and the following disclaimer.

2. Redistributions in binary form must reproduce the above copyright notice, this list of conditions and the following disclaimer in the documentation and/or other materials provided with the distribution.

3. The end-user documentation included with the redistribution, if any, must include the following acknowledgment:

“This product includes software developed by the Apache Software Foundation (http://www.apache.org/).”

Alternately, this acknowledgment may appear in the software itself, if and wherever such third-party acknowledgments normally appear.

4. The names “Xerces” and “Apache Software Foundation” must not be used to endorse or promote products derived from this software without prior written permission. For written permission, please contact apache@apache.org.

5. Products derived from this software may not be called “Apache”, nor may “Apache” appear in their name, without prior written permission of the Apache Software Foundation.

THIS SOFTWARE IS PROVIDED “AS IS” AND ANY EXPRESSED OR IMPLIED WARRANTIES, INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO, THE IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY AND FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE ARE DISCLAIMED. IN NO EVENT SHALL THE APACHE SOFTWARE FOUNDATION OR ITS CONTRIBUTORS BE LIABLE FOR ANY DIRECT, INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, SPECIAL, EXEMPLARY, OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES (INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO, PROCUREMENT OF SUBSTITUTE GOODS OR SERVICES; LOSS OF USE, DATA, OR PROFITS; OR BUSINESS INTERRUPTION) HOWEVER CAUSED AND ON ANY THEORY OF LIABILITY, WHETHER IN CONTRACT, STRICT LIABILITY, OR TORT (INCLUDING NEGLIGENCE OR OTHERWISE) ARISING IN ANY WAY OUT OF THE USE OF THIS SOFTWARE, EVEN IF ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGE.

This software consists of voluntary contributions made by many individuals on behalf of the Apache Software Foundation and was originally based on software copyright © 1999, International Business Machines, Inc., http:/ /www.ibm.com. For more information on the Apache Software Foundation, please see <http://www.apache.org/>.

Contents

Chapter 1.Introduction ............................................................................... 1

Chapter 2.What’s Included ......................................................................... 2

Chapter 3.Setup ........................................................................................ 2

Power Source ................................................................................... 2

Battery Installation ............................................................................. 2

Battery Notice .............................................................................. 3

Backup Battery Installation ................................................................. 3

AC Adaptor Connection .................................................................... 4

Vibrating Mouse Connection.............................................................. 4

Sync Cable Connection ..................................................................... 4

VTech

If Your Unit Doesn’t Turn On or Stops Responding................................ 7

Still Having Problems? ..........................................................................7

Auto Shut-Off ................................................................................... 8

Chapter 4.Mouse, Keyboard and Cursor Control.......................................... 8

Vibrating Mouse ............................................................................... 8

Contrast Control................................................................................ 9

Volume Control ................................................................................. 9

Power Button .................................................................................... 9

Speed Scroller .................................................................................. 9

Keyboard ......................................................................................... 9

Special Keys ................................................................................... 10

Storing the Mouse and Keyboard ..................................................... 13

Chapter 5.Description of Activities............................................................. 13

Selecting Activities .......................................................................... 13

Activities with Levels and 2-Player Mode ........................................... 14

Status Indicators.............................................................................. 14

Training Zone ................................................................................. 14

Desktop Software Installation .................................................. 5

PC System Requirements ............................................................... 5

Inside the CD-ROM....................................................................... 5

Installing the VTech

Desktop Software ........................................... 6

Setting Up a VTech® Desktop Software Account............................... 6

Installing Other Bundled Applications............................................. 7

Cleaning the Mouse ...................................................................... 8

Auto-Navigation ........................................................................ 14

Manual Navigation .................................................................... 15

Word Games.................................................................................. 15

Spelling ..................................................................................... 15

Analogies .................................................................................. 15

Idioms ....................................................................................... 15

Sentence Shuffle ......................................................................... 15

Sound Alike ............................................................................... 16

Antonyms .................................................................................. 16

Synonyms .................................................................................. 16

Parts of Speech .......................................................................... 16

Grammar Quiz .......................................................................... 16

Math Games .................................................................................. 16

Addition .................................................................................... 16

Subtraction ................................................................................ 16

Multiplication ............................................................................. 16

Division ..................................................................................... 17

Basic Math Fun........................................................................... 17

Algebra Attack ........................................................................... 17

Geometry .................................................................................. 17

Common Multiple ....................................................................... 17

Factor ........................................................................................ 17

Math Challenge.......................................................................... 17

Story Problem ............................................................................ 17

Trivia Games .................................................................................. 18

Sports ........................................................................................ 18

Geography ................................................................................ 18

History ....................................................................................... 18

Strange Trivia ............................................................................. 18

Homework Lab ............................................................................... 18

German Tester ............................................................................ 18

French Tester .............................................................................. 18

Spanish Tester ............................................................................ 18

Entertainment ................................................................................. 18

Lab Test 1................................................................................... 18

Lab Test 2................................................................................... 19

Quick Guess .............................................................................. 19

Domino Crisis............................................................................. 19

Memory Block ............................................................................ 19

Golf........................................................................................... 19

Picture Parts ............................................................................... 19

Typing Challenge........................................................................ 19

Clue Counter .............................................................................. 20

Challenge....................................................................................... 20

Mind Challenge.......................................................................... 20

BioRhythm.................................................................................. 20

Tools .............................................................................................. 20

Calendar ................................................................................... 20

Daily Planner ......................................................................... 20

Address Book ............................................................................. 21

Money Manager ........................................................................ 21

Word Processor.......................................................................... 21

Test Trainer ................................................................................. 24

Conversion Pad .......................................................................... 25

Calculator .................................................................................. 25

Logo .......................................................................................... 25

File Transfer ............................................................................... 32

German Translator...................................................................... 32

French Translator ........................................................................ 32

Spanish Translator ...................................................................... 32

Spell Checker ............................................................................. 32

Chapter 6. Smart Cards ........................................................................... 32

Chapter 7. E-mail .................................................................................... 33

Using E-mail ................................................................................... 33

Using E-mail From Your Power Zone™ Plus Desktop With the VTech

Modem ..................................................................... 33

Connecting the VTech® Modem to Power Zone™ Plus Desktop........ 34

First-Time Users: Configuring the Power Zone™ E-Mail

Application ................................................................................ 34

Using VTech®'s E-mail Agent and PC with your Power Zone™ Plus

Desktop ..................................................................................... 35

The VTech

Desktop Software E-mail Agent and Sync ........................ 35

First-Time Users: Configuring the VTech® Desktop Software

E-mail Agent .................................................................................. 36

™

Using the Power Zone

E-mail Application........................................ 36

The Mailbox ............................................................................... 36

The Menu Bar............................................................................. 36

Using the Menu Bar .................................................................... 36

Viewing Additional Menus .......................................................... 37

Writing E-mail............................................................................ 37

Saving E-mail as a Draft ............................................................. 37

Sending Your E-mail to the Outbox .............................................. 37

Sending and Getting E-Mail with a VTech

Modem ....................... 38

Sending and Getting E-Mail with the VTech® Desktop

Software E-mail Agent ................................................................ 38

Reading E-mail........................................................................... 38

Replying to E-mail ...................................................................... 38

Forwarding E-mail ...................................................................... 39

Deleting E-mail ........................................................................... 39

Editing a Draft E-mail ................................................................. 39

Importing E-mail from the Power Zone

™

Word Processor ............... 39

Exporting E-mail to the Power Zone™ Word Processor ................... 39

Using Addresses from the Address Book....................................... 40

Printing E-mail Messages ............................................................ 40

Updating Your E-mail Information and Modem Settings ................. 40

Memory ..................................................................................... 41

Chapter 8. VTech

Desktop Software ......................................................... 41

Add a New User Account ................................................................ 41

Sync .............................................................................................. 42

Syncing Power Zone™ Plus Desktop with Your Computer ................... 42

Adding New Activities into Your Power Zone™ Plus Desktop................ 43

Deleting Activities From Power Zone

™

Plus Desktop ............................ 44

Uploading Files From Power Zone™ Plus Desktop to Your Computer ..... 44

Chapter 9. VT-41 Printer Connection ......................................................... 44

Troubleshooting for VT-41 Printer Errors............................................ 45

Technical Support..................................................................................... 45

Care and Maintenance............................................................................. 46

FCC Notice ............................................................................................. 46

Chapter 1.Introduction

Thank you for purchasing the VTech® Power Zone™ Plus Desktop learning product! We at VTech® are committed to providing the highest quality products to entertain and educate your children. Should you have any questions or concerns, please call our Consumer Services Department at 1-800-521-2010 in the U.S. or 1-800-267-7377 in Canada.

The VTech® Power Zone™ Plus Desktop is an electronic learning aid or ELA. Power Zone™ Plus Desktop offers a wide range of exciting and educational activities for interactive learning! With the VTech® Desktop Software and Sync Cable, you can connect the Power Zone™ Plus Desktop to your PC and add new activities from the CD-ROM. If you have a computer with Internet access, you can download new activities and data files from www.planetvtech.com (using your Internet-connected computer), and then add those files to your Power

Zone™ Plus Desktop.

Volume Control

LCD

ON/OFF

Contrast Control

Button

IR Transmitter

IR Reciever

Category Selector

Keyboard

Mouse Mouse

Pad

Speed Scroller

+ 18 hidden pages