I’m not going to lie. Sometimes writing about a seemingly endless stream of iPhone add-ons can get a little boring. We understand how important a nice case can be, but accessories that are genuinely fun make for a nice break in our routine. So thanks to Griffin for revealing their new Helo TC RC Helicopter, part of their AppPowered line, which is of course controlled by your iOS device. Presumably via Bluetooth or wifi, since IR would require an add-on dongle.
The chopper can be controlled using a traditional on-screen flight stick, or by tilting your device in the “Tilt-to-fly” mode which relies on its accelerometer to detect your movements. And once you think you’re hot stuff you can record up to 3 different flight routines which can be triggered and reflown at the push of a button. On a half-hour USB-tethered charge the Helo TC will fly for up to 8 minutes, and when you eventually crash an included spare set of rotors will get you back in the air quickly. Available just in time to be included on Christmas wish lists this year, for ~$56. (£34.99)
A lot of engineers will tell you that the technology to build a car that runs solely on energy from the sun just doesn’t exist. But that’s simply not true. You most certainly can build one, as long as you don’t need it to be longer than 1.3 inches. It won’t carry you, or any passengers, or any groceries, or probably even a paperclip for that matter. But when you stick Georg Huber’s quarter-sized electric racer somewhere with ample sunlight (and a smooth surface given its minuscule size) it will zip along in circles until the clouds roll in. Available from the Museum of Contemporary Art Store for $25, batteries not included, nor required.
Did you ever spend hours as a kid assembling a LEGO masterpiece only to have one of your siblings come along and destroy it? Well that never would have happened if you had constructed it from these concrete building blocks which resemble, but are in no way officially licensed by, LEGO. In fact, while they might look exactly like your standard 2×4 LEGO building block, they actually appear to be just slightly larger. And I doubt they feature the cutout on the bottom allowing the pieces to stack and connect. So you’ll also need a small trowel and a cup of mortar to keep your creations together.
A set of 6 Concrete Building Blocks is available from Etsy seller studio1015, aka Tara Ketchum, an architecture grad student who fell in love with concrete, for just $8.50.
Awwww, is there anything more adorable than a sleeping puppy? Besides yours truly, probably not. But that cuteness can be short lived when a new puppy has trouble sleeping through the night because of separation anxiety from its mother and siblings. So here’s a high-tech alternative to a ticking clock designed to help them feel like they’re not alone. The Sleepy Bunny is a stuffed toy rabbit with a removable, battery-powered heart that simulates a heartbeat. Presumably using sounds and vibrations. It’s available from Firebox for ~ $25, and once your puppy has gotten adjusted to their new home you can simply remove the electronic heart and use the bunny as a regular dog toy.
While laser tag has been around since 1979, providing a bruise-free alternative to paintball, the ‘sport’ really didn’t get a lot of recognition until Worlds Of Wonder created their misspelled home version, Lazer Tag, in 1986. The brand has passed from company to company over the years, but has pretty much disappeared once the acronym ‘FPS’ entered our lexicon. But WowWee hopes to revive its popularity with its new Light Strike game, which ups the ante by incorporating modern video game features.
First of all the actual guns are available in various sizes, from cheap and affordable pistols, to larger, more intimidating and more expensive assault rifles. And just like the weapon power-ups strewn across video game levels, you can enhance your Light Strike gun with accessories: The ‘Refractor Launch System’ works kind of like a grenade launcher, taking out multiple targets at once. A ‘Rapid Fire System’ increases your firing rate and adds stabilizing bipod legs and there’s even an ‘Enemy Scanner’ which detects opponents around you, in a rather limited 20-30 foot range though.
The rifles and target accessories even let you customize your game, setting up teams or specific types of matches including a capture the flag scenario where you have to secure an I.T.S. or ‘Intelligent Targeting System’ device. The whole system actually looks rather impressive, particularly for those of us who cringe at the thought of getting even a tiny paintball bruise. The only downside of course is that to fully outfit a team for a serious match, you’ll be forking out a lot of dough. The cheapest pistols will run ~$50, while accessories range in price from ~$15 up to $50 as well. Not to mention the need for a constant supply of AA batteries.
I’ve always liked chess but never been very good at it. While the basics are easy to pick up, the ability to scrutinize every situation on the board and think several turns in advance has always eluded me. The biggest obstacle to improving one’s chess game is that it requires an opponent of a very specific skill level. An opponent too easy won’t teach you anything, and an opponent too advanced makes for a very painful game.
Solitaire Chess, however, provides 60 different solo-play puzzles, increasing in difficulty to take you from beginner to expert. The puzzles teach you to think in sets of moves by putting arrangements of pieces on a quarter chunk of a chess board and asking you to remove one piece at a time until only one remains.
The puzzle cards stow in the base, along with two of each chess piece (but just one King and Queen) for easy storage. It’s designed for ages 8 and up and runs for $20 at Thinkgeek or $15 at Amazon.
I actually rather enjoy those spherical mazes that have become popular as of late. But once you successfully solve them by navigating the metal ball through the twists, turns and other obstacles, there’s not a lot of replay value left. Unless you manage to turn it into a competition with other people. Like the Maze Racer does.
While the course isn’t fully 3D like the ones that snake their way around the inside of those plastic spheres, it still measures over 3.28 feet long (1 meter+) with plenty of obstacles to pose a suitable challenge. But completing the maze is less about the feeling of accomplishment, and more about beating the clock since the Maze Racer’s got an electronic timer built in. Now hopefully the timer is somehow integrated in a way so that it automatically stops and starts the clock when the ball leaves the starting point/ends up at the finish line. Because when you’re trying to beat a friend’s time, every last second counts. Available from Firebox for ~$24. (£14.99)
Those of you with kids are probably getting tired of trying to hunt down the latest iteration of Sesame Street’s Elmo every December. But I’m happy to report that things will be different this Christmas. Not only will you be hunting down the new ‘Let’s Rock Elmo’ toy, but also the various instruments he’s now able to interact with. Which are of course sold separately.
Out of the box Elmo’s able to rock out with his included tambourine, microphone and drums, which he’ll automatically recognize when placed in his hands. Once he’s mastered those he can move onto a guitar and even a keyboard. And since he’s so talented Elmo even has a unique song for every instrument he’s given, which you can guarantee will be stuck in your head after the first day. Kids can of course play along too using his instruments, that is if you manage to find him when he goes on sale in the Fall for $69.99.
And as an added bit of corporate trivia: Rock On Elmo is apparently the first Elmo toy to be available under the Hasbro brand who recently won the Sesame Street license from their rival Mattel, who’s represented the property for the past 15 years.
You might recall that not too long ago M.I.C. gadget was marketing a Steve Jobs figurine, complete with an iPhone in his hand, that Apple kindly asked them to stop selling. So it’s not surprising that trying to hunt down the company behind this remarkably detailed, 1/6 scale 12-inch version of Steve is no easy task. I’ve found mentions of the figure, which features a detailed head sculpt of Mr. Jobs (or Wes Craven) on various toy blogs and forums, but everyone seems pretty mum about who’s actually producing it. Obviously they want to be able to get their hands on one before Apple’s legal team puts the smack down on it.
For just $160 (appropriately priced for the Apple community) the figure comes accurately dressed with New Balance 992 sneakers, a black turtleneck and blue jeans. As well as a slew of accessories including an iMac with Magic Mouse and keyboard, an iPhone 4, an iPad 2 and a desk and chair. Oh, and one more thing… that price doesn’t include shipping.
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