TING… and the world of games becomes brighter!

ASS Altenburger presents three brand new TING card games at the International Toy Fair 2012

• Audio and play adventures for the very young: Brockhaus fan “Die Farben” (Colours) becomes audible
• Memory and trivia fun for discoverers: trivia fan “Learning English” and new animal sound game of pairs with exciting audio variant

There is nothing better for young and not-so-young puzzle enthusiast and Concentration aficionados than exciting games for puzzling, deducting, guessing, searching and finding. Thanks to TING, the new reading pen, ASS Altenburger’s trivia and Concentration games reach a whole new dimension. In addition to the widely popular classic games now different audio variants induce a few exciting changes. “Just in time for the International Toy Fair 2012 we introduce three innovative card games and card fans. The new products are audible and playable thanks to the new TING technology,” said Susanne Thomas, marketing manager. „Take the new animal game of pairs for example: It features animal sounds, animal names, little hints and information on individual animals that can be found with any standard TING pen.” For the very young aged 2+ a TING card fan provides a whole new audio-visual experience of colours. Trivia enthusiast and beginning learners of English test their knowledge with the new trivia fan “Learning English” and playfully acquire the correct pronunciation. All three TING concepts will be introduced to trade experts at the 2012 Toy Fair in Nuremberg and will hit retail shelves throughout Germany from end of March 2012. The beginners’ fan “Die Farben” will be available at a SRP of 8.95 Euros, the trivia and Concentration games will cost 14.95 Euros.

TING… an audio technology sets off to conquer the toy market
 
The idea behind TING is rather simple – the way to a playable audio game, however, was far from easy. TING is Chinese for “to hear, to listen”. And that’s the very essence of the new TING pen: The pen makes books and games speak, it provides hidden information, opens up new horizons and its use is as easy as ABC. How does it work? Each TING pen has an optical sensor and a smart mp3 player inside. Books and games from different publishers that feature the innovative TING technology contain optical codes invisible to the human eye. Each code is linked to one of the various audio files inside the pen. Now the TING sensor recognizes the code and plays the matching file over its integrated loudspeaker. To make a game audible, the audio files first have to be downloaded from the TING server. Today, more than 20 different publishing companies from toy and book business use the TING technology – so TING provides consumers with a large portfolio of games and books. Complexity and themes range from products for the very young (ages 2+) and audio products for adult through to games for the whole family. Since 2012 ASS Altenburger is part of the TING family and introduces one of the first ever TING toy lines to the German market.

Brockhaus fan “Die Farben”… TING audio adventure for the very young   Red, red, red are all my clothes … cherries are red and so is Santa Claus. Bananas are yellow; plums are blue, brown is the colour of a kangaroo. Rhymes, information, songs, little questions and challenges are hidden in the new TING card fan “Die Farben” (Colours) by ASS Altenburger. “The new Brockhaus licensed audiovisual card fan presents eight colours from red to green, from blue through to brown in a child-appropriate way and teaches preschoolers aged 2+ basic skills of colours,” said Susanne Thomas. “Each chapter ends with a little trivia game or puzzle to practice newly acquired skills.” More than 200 different audio codes – including sounds, texts, songs and rhymes – have been integrated into the new card fan and invite children to discover and play. “Die Farben” will be introduced to trade experts in early February 2012 and will hit retail shelves throughout Germany from end of March at a SRP of 8.95 Euros. Another Brockhaus fan using the TING technology is already in the pipeline – “Die Tiere” (Animals) will be available from autumn 2012.

Audio trivia game “Learning English”… made easy
 
“I have a big sister, a mother and a father, a husband and a little son”. The new trivia fan “Learning English” develops basic skills of the language, especially vocabulary, comprehension and pronunciation. 40 child-appropriate, illustrated tasks at varying levels of difficulty help learners of English aged 7+ to acquire a basic vocabulary, invites them to use first words, reads phrases aloud and thus practices the correct pronunciation of English words. In addition to the basic discovery mode the fans comes with two different play variants – here players win points against the clock. The questions’ level of difficulty varies and trains different skills. Players use the included navigation card to choose their level of difficulty, define their play mode, ask for translations and check their winning points. “Learning English” will be introduced to trade experts in early February and will hit retail shelves throughout Germany from end of March 2012 at a SRP of 14.95 Euros. Another trivia game using the TING technology is already in the pipeline: “Kinder fragen” (Children’s Questions) with more than 100 everyday questions will be available from autumn 2012.

Animal sound game of pairs … and Concentration becomes louder!   Who is croaking on the kitchen table? And what is the elephant doing in our living room? TING makes games speak and – in the case of the brand new animal game of pairs from ASS Altenburger – TING makes games bark, moo, bell and hiss, too. TING makes every game a real adventure – thanks to different variants, every game is different from the one before. Animal sounds, animal names and clear hints are hidden on the back of the cards. The front sides provide additional information and knowledge about each animal. TING adds a whole new dimension to classic children and family games. Today it’s not only: “Watch out, look closely!” but also: “Listen carefully!” The 54 loveable illustrated cards can be used to play five different TING variants and one discovery mode. Children use the included navigation disc to choose variants and play modes. The game comes in a sturdy slip-lid box. In addition to the included print book of rules the game also features a digital audio file and will be introduced to trade experts in early February 2012. End of March the game will hit retail shelves throughout Germany at a SRP of 14.95 Euros. Another trivia game using the TING technology is already in the pipeline: “Sprachen-Memo” featuring everyday objects, sounds, additional challenges and an English play mode will be available from autumn 2012.