toy
You are browsing the toy tag archive.
Music Planet waterproof speaker ball makes bath time more melodic
Remember that waterproof Bluetooth speaker that you picked up last summer after none other than Billy Corgan endorsed it? Here’s comes round two. Available exclusively in the Land of the Rising Sun (surprised?), the Music Planet speaker ball is IPX7-certified to shrug off water damage for up to 30 minutes at a depth of one meter, and it’s designed so that the speaker itself sits just above the water line. Internally, you’ll find an FM radio tuner, an SD / SDHC card slot for loading up MP3 files, a USB socket (good luck with that non-waterproof thumb drive) and an alarm clock. You know, in case you fall asleep underneath two feet of soapy water. Power comes from six AA cells, which provides enough juice for 13 straight hours of your own jams or 28 hours of whatever’s on the radio; it’s up for order right now at ¥10,500 ($117), but sadly, no fancy shower gels are bundled in. Opportunity, missed.
Music Planet waterproof speaker ball makes bath time more melodic originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 08 Mar 2010 21:26:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Permalink 
Impress, Coolest-Gadgets | 
Idea Online Shop | Email this | Comments
Japanese ‘age prediction machine’ is really just a mosquito tone test
And this, folks, is yet another reason why the Land of the Rising Sun is truly one of the world’s greatest places. Japan, which is famous for having ridiculously polite citizens and some of the zaniest toys known to man, has just delivered its latest gem: the Age Prediction Machine. As you might expect, the device simply emits the now-famed “mosquito tone,” which is an exceptionally high pitched frequency that can’t typically be heard by older humans. Depending on the intensity of the sound, you’re able to determine where the cutoff is between hearing it and not, thus discovering the age of whoever would be gullible enough to stand around and actually engage in this sort of lunacy. But seriously, don’t use this the day before your mother’s birthday — just ask pops which number she’s about to celebrate / not celebrate, cool?
Japanese ‘age prediction machine’ is really just a mosquito tone test originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 27 Feb 2010 14:32:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
VTech launches kid-friendly MobiGo handheld gaming system, Flip e-reader
You may be 32 36, but that’s not to say that the kid in you is long gone. At this week’s Toy Fair in New York City, VTech took a welcome step away from the landline handset department and tried its hand with a few swank toys. Up first is the $59.99 MobiGo (shown after the break), a handheld gaming system designed for minds within humans aged 3 to 7. Seen as a little tike’s GameBoy, the device supports touch inputs and even features a QWERTY keyboard, both of which can be used to fish, color, draw, play on-screen instruments and generally enrich those malleable brain cells. Potentially more interesting, however, is the Flip; described as the planet’s first children’s animated e-reader, this $59.99 device has a 4.3-inch color touchscreen, a built-in dictionary and a QWERTY keyboard. Look out, Kindle!
Continue reading VTech launches kid-friendly MobiGo handheld gaming system, Flip e-reader
VTech launches kid-friendly MobiGo handheld gaming system, Flip e-reader originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 18 Feb 2010 22:16:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Permalink Chip Chicklets | PR Newswire | Email this | Comments
$2 Sensory chip could give toys (and other products) improved speech recognition, additional capabilities
Sensory Inc. may stay behind the scenes most of the time, but the company’s speech recognition chips are already used in toys from JVC, Mattel, Hasbro and others, and it’s now announced a new chip that could lead to toys with some significantly improved capabilities. Costing just $2 apiece (in quantities over 100K/year), the company’s NLP-5X chip not only boasts support for speech recognition and text-to-speech that lets it “generate thousands of voices on the fly,” but support for sound samples and MIDI playback as well. What’s more, the chip uses what’s described as an “incredible algorithm” that allows it to be on all the time and simply listen and activate itself when needed — or when you least suspect it. Of course, while toys are one application, the company also sees the chip being used in a whole range of other consumer electronics — Sensory even gives the example of an internet-connected oven that could let look up a recipe and then have a conversation with your oven about how you’d like to cook it.
$2 Sensory chip could give toys (and other products) improved speech recognition, additional capabilities originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 17 Feb 2010 01:56:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Fisher-Price iXL is a tweener that no kid needs convincing of
“But mommy…it’s like your Kindle and Daddy’s iPod Touch! I want one NOW!” Yep, that’s how the discovery of Fisher Price’s iXL is going to go down in the Toys R US aisle, like it or not. In what we can only compare to a shrunken Entourage Edge, the $80 clamshell device is meant for 3-to-6 year olds that are just learning to read and write, and it packs a color, resistive touchscreen and a plastic stylus. While some tots may complain about the not-very-finger-friendly display or the rather chunky and heavy design, Fisher gets that it’s all about the software. In addition to the “app based” home screen (which we were told was modeled after the iPhone or iPad), the iXL comes preloaded with games, an animated story book and other applications — additional children’s e-books will be available for download from its online store when the device goes on sale this summer. Using a Mac or a PC, parents can also sideload those illustrated titles, as well as pictures and MP3s using the onboard USB port. Well, you heard the kids… they want it now!
Gallery: Fisher Price iXL hands-on gallery
Fisher-Price iXL is a tweener that no kid needs convincing of originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 15 Feb 2010 10:48:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Permalink | | Email this | Comments
Lego Cubestormer robot solves Rubik’s Cube in sub-12 second whirlwind (video)
Robots born with the sole purpose of solving the Rubik’s Cube are nothing new, but we’re pretty sure we haven’t seen one crack the code in under a dozen seconds before. The Cubestormer, which is built from a myriad Lego Mindstorm kits, recently took hold of the famous block and lined up every color without breaking a sweat. Oh, and did we mention that it took less than 12 seconds? It’s worth noting again, either way. Hop on past the break and mash play to have your mind blown, not to mention your own intelligence insulted.
Continue reading Lego Cubestormer robot solves Rubik’s Cube in sub-12 second whirlwind (video)
Lego Cubestormer robot solves Rubik’s Cube in sub-12 second whirlwind (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 15 Feb 2010 00:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Barbie slides into the cubicle, becomes a computer software engineer
It only took 126 career hops — the first one being a soulless teen model — for Barbie to land a job as a computer software engineer. All we know now is that she has a dual monitor setup and a picture of Ken at her cubicle. Oh, and she uses Linux on the world’s smallest netbook.
Gallery: Computer Software Engineer Barbie
Barbie slides into the cubicle, becomes a computer software engineer originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 14 Feb 2010 23:22:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Permalink | | Email this | Comments
Puppy Tweets will turn your Pooper into a world-class twitterer
If you thought the downfall of Twitter began when Oprah said it was the best thing ever, well, you’re probably right, but this latest toy from Mattel won’t help to improve the situation. It’s called Puppy Tweets, a little clasp that hangs from your pooch’s collar and detects what it’s up to — presumably making wild guesses based on accelerometer and microphone readings. It was announced last month and is being shown off at the NY Toy Fair, where Mattel is pledging it can detect 500 different activities and turn them into 140-character witticisms, like: “It’s not the catching of the tail, it’s the chase,” and “Guess what I’m licking right now.” Yep, a real product, and $30 will get you yours in either pink or blue.
Puppy Tweets will turn your Pooper into a world-class twitterer originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 13 Feb 2010 15:48:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Recent Comments