Dolls tend to freak me out, but if you’re into such toys, then the Takaratomy Yumel Partner Doll could prove to be a worthy addition to your collection.

Takaratomy presents “Healing Partner”, a lifelike robotic doll. The title name has a purpose, Yumel has 6 different sensors that will track his owners sleeping pattern. In the morning, he will greet his owner. He will also talk and sing to his owner when he is being taken care of. Yumel is designed for everyone. He will fall asleep when his owner goes to sleep. He will wake up when his owner wakes up as well. Available only in Japan.

This Japan-only product will retail for $179.99, and make a doll-collecting kid (or adult) very happy when he/she unwraps the birthday present.

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We just recently covered a story about the One Laptop Per Child (OLPC) program receiving Windows XP, and it appears a new upgrade may be in place. As you can see by the picture, the proposed next-generation XO-2 is a laptop anyone would be proud to own.

The XO-2 uses two touchscreens, and is half the size of the original environmentally-friendly XO laptop that we have all come to appreciate. I guess someone is trying to introduce the OLPC program to Asus Eee type laptops, or UMPCs.

Other features on the XO-2 include bright displays that are usable in sunlight, and can toggle between vertical, horizontal, and tablet displays. All of this works on the very low power of just one watt.

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Kids aren’t given enough credit for the hardships they have to deal with. Since they can’t function fully on their own yet, there’s always someone telling them what to do, or just doing it for them. It might sound like a dream, but when it comes to bath time, having others do things for you can get messy.

One of my worst childhood fears was getting soap in my eyes. At that time in my life, that was the worst pain I had ever felt. I’d scream and complain, trying to delay my bath time as long as possible, but it would inevitably come time to step into the water. Lil Rinser is a goofy, yet effective little gadget to get bath time done in a flash, without the risk of burning corneas.

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The noble One Laptop Per Child (OLPC) project recently revealed that the Windows XP operating system from Microsoft will, in the future, be available on XO laptops in addition to the current open source Linux operating system which they are currently using. The Windows-based XO systems will be released in the upcoming pilot programs from June onwards, and it is nice to see that the OLPC group and Microsoft finally come to an agreement where everyone can win. After all, the decision as to whether to include Windows XP or not did take a rather tumultous route to date, where both software and hardware on the XO were specially designed to offer special features that were only supported by the Linux-based software stack previously, but it is nice to see Microsoft take the effort to customize their own Windows to enable to run on the XO without sacrificing on the laptop’s capabilities such as dual-mode screen, camera, writing pad and WiFi connectivity in the process.

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Summer will soon rear its head, and boy am I looking forward to a more sunny disposition. The 32 Foot Water Blaster will be perfect for any poolside activities if you happen to hold a party then.

This water bazooka uses air-powered pump action to safely fire 32′ streams of water, allowing you to drench your target from long-distance. The gun has two nozzles that rotate as the gun is pumped, firing a wide spray to soak multiple combatants simultaneously. The stock rests comfortably on your shoulder, preventing excessive kick, and the smooth pump-handle allows rapid fire. The barrel holds up to 1 3/4 quarts of water and is easily filled under a faucet or spigot. Made of ABS plastic.

Perfect for kids as well as adults who are still kids at heart, the 32 Foot Water Blaster offers you a splashing wet experience for $49.95.

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Bathing your baby can be quite the bonding experience for either father or mother, and it makes perfect sense to get just the right temperature as you wouldn’t want to scald or shock the little one now, do you? The Bear Baby Bath Thermometer certainly comes in handy, helping you measure the current temperature of the bathwater by turning on automatically the moment it floats. Since it is made out of soft plastic, it doubles up as an impromptu bath toy as well. The Bear Baby Bath Thermometer will retail for $12, and I am pretty sure this can be used whenever you want to bathe your dog, too, although I’m rather skeptical whether it will be able to stand up against the chewing power of any pooch.

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Parents who find it difficult to manage their kids at airports when traveling to far off exotic places might be able to find some relief with the Trunki ride-on suitcase for kids.

Colourful, fun and super-stable, Trunki features integrated wheels, steering ‘horn’ grips and a contoured saddle allowing kids to safely ride their luggage through the terminal. And if they tire of yee-hah-ing around duty free they can take Trunki for walkies using its sturdy towing strap. Genius! Available in several characterful colour schemes (blue, pink and special spotted cow) Trunki is the perfect size for children aged around 3-6. And before you ask, no, it doesn’t come in adult sizes. Bah!

The Trunki will retail for £29.95 and £34.95 for the Terrance/Trixie and Frieda designs, respectively.

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So you think you’re a whiz at Tetris and all things puzzle - why not give the DIY Terrestrial Globe a try then? This is one interesting jigsaw puzzle that shouldn’t take up too much of your time, but it will definitely be a fun and imaginative way to teach your kids about geography. Granted, knowing how the world looks like when flat in the form of a map is one thing, but fleshing it out in 3D is another. Perfect to develop the spatial recognition part in kids (and adults, too!). There are 60 pieces in total, so it could take a few long attempts before it becomes second nature to you. The DIY Terrestrial Globe can be purchased for $16.

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