Toys
Toys are always fun and the older you get the more fun and expensive toys you can buy.
Swann Helicopters with Wireless Cameras – Say Cheese!
I remember flying model airplanes with my dad, filling them with fuel and running around the field with the rather large control box with an antennea on it… not to mention the little orange ribbon tied to the top of it, I guess to protect others from flying into it. I also remember our plane ending up on someone elses frequency and flying into a tree. Good times they were… good times.
My how times have changed, Swann, the guys that bring you advanced security sytems, proudly introduces three new additions to its line of RC helicopters: two that feature on-board wireless video cameras and another that is controlled by your iPhone, iPod or iPad. The Sky Eye and Black Swann actually let users record their flights as videos or you can opt for still photos all with the touch of a button and then you can easily share them with friends via the included USB cable. Continue reading » Swann Helicopters with Wireless Cameras – Say Cheese!
Precision Gyroscope mesmerizes
The $11.99 Precision Gyroscope is something that will definitely capture the attention of anyone within close proximity to you, wondering whether you have some sort of secret mutant ability that you have kept as a secret all these years, or if you come from a long line of wizards, or are simply just a science junkie. After all, the lines of science and magic do cross sometimes depending on the time zone, and with the Precision Gyroscope, you are now able to perform gravity-defying stunts with the power of science. Tiny ball bearings within will help the gyroscope maintain near perfect balance most of the time – all you need to do is pull the strap and it is good to go, spinning for several minutes before its momentum fails and it is subject to a fall.
What makes ThinkGeek’s gyroscope better than the others in the market? ThinkGeek claims that this particular model is made from superior materials and crafted to more exacting standards. This is one cool tool that you can get for your little one to keep him or her occupied for some time while you attend to another chore, returning often to keep it spinning and balancing yet again. Any takers?
Don’t Run with your iPod, Okay, maybe you Should.
I’ve always loved Paint Ball and Lazer Tag, they both have been around for a while and there hasnt been too much new about them, but they have always been a good weekend standby for getting a bit of exercise and having some fun with friends, but with all the gizmos and gadgets out there today, couldn’t some of our old standbys be just a little more exciting?
Yup! Nerf and Hasbro have resurrected the game of Lazer Tag by adding some well known technology… your iPod or your iPhone, that’s right, just by mounting your iPhone or your iPod touch in a special holder on the brand new lazer “Blasters” a downloadable app enables an extension of the firing range to 250 feet and introduces a heads up display that shows, trajectory and gaming stats and even provides an updating leader-board for you and up to 23 of your closest friends. Continue reading » Don’t Run with your iPod, Okay, maybe you Should.
Upside Down Helicopter
Since the world is getting more and more topsy turvy these days (the Arab Spring of 2011, snow that was supposed to show up in Christmas making an appearance only now, the works!), why not go with the flow by picking up the $79.95 Upside Down Helicopter? This remote controlled helicopter, as its name suggests, is capable of flying upside down. Boasting two pairs of contra-rotating coaxial main rotors that can unclip easily from each swash plate, when you invert and reattach them, the rotors will deliver a similar amount of lift as well as gyroscopic inertia to prevent it from crashing down to the ground.
Heck, it will even be able to move up and down, as well as make its way left or right in mid-air. There is a switch on the infrared remote that does away with the need to reverse joystick directions or remove the horizontal tail rotor. The rechargeable battery delivers up to seven minutes of flight time, although the law of diminishing returns apply here since it will take a good 50 minutes to juice it up fully. At least it plays nice with USB charging, making it a viable option while you work at the office to take 7 minute breaks each hour with an Upside Down Helicopter to go with your upside down workplace.
The Descender – Never be “board” again
I am a big fan of Winter, I love the snow and everything that comes with it, like sledding, skiing and skating. Truth be told, I often get a little sad when it becomes obvious that the last flakes have fallen. It means I need to wait another year to feel the wind in my face as I fly down a hill, only to run back up, breathless and ready for my next ride… well this year I wont have to wait…
Welcome our friends over at Rockboard, who have taken boarding to an all new level with the totally never before seen ”Descender”, the very first of its kind! It’s not a sled, its not a skateboard and it features some innovative high-performance treads never before applied to the boarding experience, this unique cross-over board bridges the gap for summer and winter outdoor sports enthusiasts and enables riders to “surf” down grass and all-terrain hills. Continue reading » The Descender – Never be “board” again
World’s Largest Scrabble Game
Is there some sort of obsession with the world’s largest, longest, smallest, fastest, object? Are such superlative adjectives really important in determining the value of a particular thing? With the Guinness Book of World Records, that seems to be the case – and the $12,000 World’s Largest Scrabble Game certainly has a strong case going for it. It spans more than 49 feet square, and is nearly 5 times the size of the original. Being the largest wall-mounted Scrabble game in the world, there are only nine in existence, and is handmade by John Kahn, one who is famous as a mixed media artist and creator of colossal pop art.
Carefully made from Russian birch plywood, the 3/4″-deep back board is overlaid with the classic purple-hued background of the original game, laminated with a .023-gauge galvanized steel sheet, and covered by a heavy vinyl print of the playing board that obtains additional protection thanks to a satin laminate. It will be bordered by a 0.75″ x 2.5″ birch frame which will wrap from the front to the back, while the board attaches to a wall with included hardware. I wonder how those who are prone to temper tantrums overthrow the board with this in the living room…
Fisher-Price gets into the Portable DVR act
I’m sure that we all associate Fisher-Price with hard plastic toys, but at CES, they have now shifted into a different market with their Kid-Tough Portable DVR.
The Kid-Tough Portable DVR comes with a base unit that connects with the television, and serves as a charging cradle. It can then record your children’s favorite shows, provided you leave the television on that channel. Just to let you know, you can program it 24 hours before the broadcast.
It can accommodate about 2 hours of content, with additional memory via micro SD card slot. It can accommodate about 4-6 hours worth of playing time. Unfortunately, you cannot watch a program saved on the SD card from any other device except the Fisher-Price Kid-Tough Portable DVR (it’s a copyright issue).
Continue reading » Fisher-Price gets into the Portable DVR act
Parrot AR.Drone gets a 2.0 model
We have been following the status of Parrot’s AR.Drone since it was first revealed at CES two years ago. At CES this year, Parrot has officially introduced the AR.Drone 2.0.
The flying quadricopter has a new camera, software, as well as a new look. What you see in the picture is its “outdoor hull” which is designed to reduce wind resistance. It still has the old mod with secondary hull to protect the blades.
The camera for the AR.Drone 2.0 is in 1280 x 720 resolution, to show a view from the sky. A piloting application known as AR.FreeFlight 2.0 allows the user to record their own HD videos, to watch or share with other AR.Drone users.
Another development is “Absolute Flight” which allows the AR.Drone 2.0 to connect to a device via Wi-Fi, and all on-board instruments will appear on screen with a cockpit view. The AR.Drone 2.0 will also have some light-emitting diodes positioned on the landing gear that will help the pilot track the orientation of the AR.Drone 2.0 in flight.
The AR.Drone 2.0 also has some new stabilizers so it will stay in flight, and Parrot is working to provide developers with a new software development kit. You should be seeing the AR.Drone 2.0 sometime in Q2 2012 for a price of about $299.
