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Tag Archives: Toys

The Chalktrail Bike Attachment For Kids Is Sure To Pretty Up The Neighbourhood

By David Ponce on 04/19/12 • Leave a comment!

By David Ponce

Depending on which side of the child love/hate fence you fall on, the above will either be seen as a brilliant idea or a nuisance to be avoided at all costs. The Chalktrail is a simple attachment for bicycles of all sizes (wheels from 12” up to 29”) that holds onto a street chalk at one end and the bike on the other, and lets kids draw on the street just by pedalling around. Its simple wishbone construction means that it can be fitted to pretty much any bike with no tools, so kids can use them without the help of parents.

It’s smart and simple, although we imagine the process of generating anything more than a bunch of illegible squibbles is a far more daunting task. Should you see this in your neighbourhood, there’s a decent likelihood your eyes will be sore a lot, unless you have yourself a little biking artist next door.

Which, let’s face it, is unlikely.

Anyway, it started out as a Kickstarter project, and got fully funded five days ago. Demand was high and it’s apparently sold out for now. But there are talks of distribution with a major toy chain, so you might see these in stores in time for the Holidays.

[ Product Page (warning: auto-playing video)] VIA [ Gizmag ]

Put Your Head On A Superhero Figurine

By David Ponce on 04/05/12 • Leave a comment!

By David Ponce

We’re not sure whether to be impressed by this product/service, or whether to be creeped out that there are people passionate enough about superheroes to actually want this. It’s pretty simple: you can oder a superhero figurine and have the company send you a 3D printed replacement head that is made to look just like you. You just have to send them two fairly high-res pics of your noggin along with your order, and you’ll get a standard figurine in the mail, along with your plastic head. You have to do the swap yourself for some reason. You can choose from Batgirl, Batman, Superman, The Joker, and Wonder Woman.

It’s $125, which isn’t cheap, but hey… you may not be the superhero Batman needs, but you are the one it deserves.

[ Product Page ] VIA [ 7Gadgets ]

SmartPet From Bandai Could Look Cute If It Didn’t Look So Creepy

By David Ponce on 03/27/12 • 1 Comment

By David Ponce

The SmartPet is being released by Bandai, the same company that made the Tamagotchi. So we know there’s likely going to be an element of long term care and nurturing to this little creation. It uses your iPhone as its brain (and face) and the (free) associated application allows for a variety of interactions. It can make over 100 faces, and uses the front facing camera to try and recognize gestures. As it gets more emotionally attached to you it’ll be able to learn more and more gestures. It can even interact, sing, and dance with other dogs through Bluetooth.

The application will be released March 31st, but you’ll have to wait until April 24th, in Japan, to be able to buy one for $78. In the meantime you can entertain yourself sans dog, but retain some of the dignity you will inevitably lose if you’re anywhere over the age of 12 and in possession of this somewhat creepy toy.

[ Press Release (Japanese PDF) ] VIA [ The Verge ]

It’s Time To Go Medieval On That Office

By David Ponce on 03/21/12 • Leave a comment!

By David Ponce

Nothing says “I’ve been shopping at Thinkgeek!” like showing up at the office with a desk catapult. Or trebuchet. We’re not sure. See, the rubber band says catapult, as does the fact that its mechanism relies on it. Also… the name. But that plastic “weight” at the bottom of the swing arm says trebuchet. We’re going to side on catapult though, since a little plastic nubbin would probably not contribute much weight to anything. So yeah… nerdy discussion aside, what you have here is a device capable of throwing spiky foam balls at up to 40ft. That should be far enough to keep you occupied for an afternoon, after which you might have to spend some time explaining to HR why you spent the best part of a day running around the office picking up little foam balls from the floor.

It’s $15.

[ Product Page ] VIA [ Uncrate ]

Nikko VaporizR Is Amphibious RC Toy

By David Ponce on 02/22/12 • 1 Comment

By David Ponce

With a hip, trendy name like that, the Nikko VaporizR is sure to sell like hotcakes. Just as it’s too cool for the letter “e”, it’s also too awesome to let itself be confined to just one terrain. The oversized wheels on this remote control car act like paddles when floating in a body of water, and provide some additional grip when treading snowy ground. Powered by two electric motors, it’s a true 4 by 4 and is even able to do 360 degree spins. Reaching a top speed of 9mph on ground, it grinds to an alarming crawl in water. But so what? At least it doesn’t sink and short circuit like pretty much any other RC toy out there.

It’s £40 or about $63.

[ Product Page ] VIA [ Technabob ]

ForceFlyer RC Copter Uses Accelerometer Glove For Controls

By David Ponce on 02/13/12 • Leave a comment!

By David Ponce

The toy fair is on, and Engadget is reporting from the show floor. Pictured above is one ForceFlyer RC toy helicopter that uses a special glove with an accelerometer to provide controls. You hold a joystick in your hand to control the throttle while tilting hand movements take care of direction. And while that sounds like a lot of fun, it looks like there’s a bit of a learning curve here: the Engadget editor took about 5 seconds flat to crash it. Representatives of Regal Elite, the company making it, were able to make it fly correctly however, so it’s not a design flaw. And like many toys at the fair, this particular model is a prototype. The full copter should be ready for a late April launch for $50.

If you want to see it in action, hit up that Engadget link for a video.

[ Engadget ]

Lazer Tag Gets An iDevice Upgrade

By David Ponce on 02/08/12 • 1 Comment

By David Ponce

They sure as hell didn’t have cool toys like this when I was a kid. We had to play laser tag wearing body suits almost half as heavy as we were and pay through the nose for the privilege. Kids of today will get to enjoy a better, iDevice enhanced version of the game. Hasbro will be releasing the Lazer Tag Blaster gun (1 player) and Lazer Tag 2 Blaster set (2 players) that feature an iPhone slot at the top. With the related application launched, players will have an HUD giving them an augmented reality view of the game. In one player mode, you can shoot virtual enemies while in two or more player mode (up to 24 simultaneous players supported), you can keep track of ammo, score and the location of your enemies. You can even shoot them from as far away as 250ft. “A virtual leaderboard keeps track of each player’s profile and, with every successful mission, players will gain in-game access to upgradeable attacks, missions and gear.”

The summer’s just around the corner and the Lazer Tag Blaster guns should be available August 1st for $40 for the single gun or $70 for 2.

VIA [ Geeky Gadgets ]

Don’t Call It A Rubik’s Cube, But This Rubik’s Cube Will Kick Your Ass

By David Ponce on 12/22/11 • Leave a comment!

By David Ponce

As you can imagine, the name “Rubik’s Cube” is registered. So this is the “IQ Brick Cube”. And if you were having trouble solving the original, expect to spend countless hours with this. Featuring one regular sized layer, there are then 7 or 9 extra layers which are much thinner. Being no mathematician, we calculate this increases the complexity a few million-fold. And although it looks almost impossible to solve, there apparently is a method to make things easier.

Both the 3X3X7 and 3X3X9 models are $27, available from Brando.

[ Product Page ] VIA [ Technabob ]

Ferrite, The Interactive Liquid Sculpture

By David Ponce on 12/19/11 • Leave a comment!

By David Ponce

“Ferrofluids are colloidal liquids made of nanoscale ferromagnetic, or ferrimagnetic, particles suspended in a carrier fluid (usually an organic solvent or water). Each tiny particle is thoroughly coated with a surfactant to inhibit clumping.” You’ve probably seen it before in impressive videos of it being manipulated by moving magnets around, looking somewhat like an alien substance. It’s an impressive effect and it’s one that you can now reproduce at will on your desk through this Kickstarter project. Coming in two sizes called Ferrite and Ferro, the desk toys are made from a high quality glass tube and an aluminum base. The larger vessel Ferrite stands 8.5″ tall with a 5″ diameter base. The smaller vessel Ferro is 4.25″ tall and 2″ in diameter. You’re provided with a neodymium stylus so you can play around with the material.

Currently 30% funded, $100 will get you the Ferro while $125 the Ferrite. $175 will get you both.

[ Kickstarter Project ]

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