Tag: Toy
For the Apple fan who has it all : The Steve Jobs action figure
I'm not sure we should be encouraging this sort of thing, but if there's an Apple fanboy or fangirl in your life who sleeps with a little picture of Steve Jobs and refuses to eat anything other than McIntosh fruit…
Video Review: Sound Machine noise boxes
Sound Machines are the latest sound effect boxes available from IWOOT.com. Available in three different themes (horror, football and cartoon), each box houses 16 different sounds. Check them out in action in the video review above….
SHINY PREVIEW: Rubik's Touch Cube
Rubiks puzzles. I hate them. Never could solve one. Never had the patience to. However, I do appreciate the genius of their design, well, I did. Until I met the Rubik’s Touch Cube.
The trouble is that it’s exactly the same mental proposition as the original Rubik’s Cube only with a completely rubbish interface in the way. From my, admittedly limited, time with the one in the vid, I found the touch effect pretty terrible and, given that they’re charging £139.99 for each one when they’re launched, I’d chalk it up as “one for the enthusiast”.
Timewasting website of the day: Tonematrix
Tonematrix is a site that generates sinewaves in a pattern that you determine. If that sounds complex, then go ahead and click here, then draw something on the grid. It’s far easier to understand if you just give it a try. Far easier than understanding the developer, who says:
“The sound generation is basically a polyphone synthesizer with a simple delay with a variing read-offset to make the tones vibrating in the end.”
Despite the fact that the first thing everyone will do is draw a penis, there’s actually quite a sophisticated synth running in the background. It’s possible to make loops that sound pretty awesome. What would be even more awesome is if you could adjust the BPM on the fly. Or use it to play Battleships with a friend. Either would do.
Tonematrix (via @scdsoundsystem)
Hexbug: Robotic scurrying insect wants to be your friend
Forget useful accessories for your desk and instead invest in one or more of these funky little critters.
The Hexbug is a little creepy-crawly robot (6 x 5 x3.5cm in fact) with touch sensors on its feelers and a built-in microphone. Upon hearing a loud noise it will scurry away in the opposite direction, and any time it makes contact with something it will step back from it…
Voice-controlled toy helicopters coming later this year
Evil geniuses, take note. Your army of drone planes that currently need to be controlled by an army of assistants will, in March, become obsolete when Tokyo-based Taiyo corp releases a voice-controlled toy helicopter. It’s going to understand English and Japanese, and understands “”start engine,” “up,” “hold,” “down” and “stop”. No “forward”?
It’s battery-powered, 18cm long, and can fly 10m away from the operator. You need to wear a headset to control it, too. Still, it’s likely you’ll be able to mod it to carry tiny miniguns, and hack it to fire on voice command, too. If everything goes wrong, you can control it by conventional remote, too. It’ll cost $60 (£42 or so).
(via CrunchGear)
Related posts: Libelula: Rocket powered helicopter back pack – er, wow! | The DIY helicopter powered by a Honda Civic engine
Xiao Digital Camera – Polaroid for the 21st Century
I was having a discussion with my girlfriend the other day about Polaroid Camera. She’s a big fan, but I always thought they represented the worst of both worlds between analogue and digital. Still, some people adore them, and if you’re one of them, then this product, straight out of Japan from toy company Tomy, might excite you.
At its core, it’s essentially just a camera with a printer strapped on. That might not sound particularly impressive, but it replicates exactly what the old Polaroid cameras used to do. The camera is a five megapixel jobby, and has infrared so that mobile phones can send their pics to the camera for printing purposes.
Bunny Webcam might just get you in the night
In a straw poll I just conducted with a few former colleagues over Skype, I asked five people whether this product is cute or creepy. Turns out that four out of five rated it as “cute” – surprising, because I think it’s one of the the scariest things I’ve ever seen. Place your vote in the comments.
It’s a plush bunny toy, with a webcam in its nose. The webcam’s not that great – 1.3 megapixel, and it captures in 640×480. Not awful, but not brilliant. Still, if you’re buying a plush bunny webcam, then let’s face it – you’re not doing it for the specs.
There’s a wide range of these webcams, from the cute (cow, penguin) through the obscure (supposed-to-be-a-mole) to the utterly trouser-browningly-terrifying (“Angel Baby”).
Bunny-in-a-wittle-hat webcam
Related posts: Microsoft launches two new LifeCam webcams | Canadian “Robot Doctor” is little more than a glorified webcam on wheels
SHINY VIDEO REVIEW: Swinxs – 21st century party games
Occasionally we actually get to see some sunlight here at Tech Digest. The video above chronicles the results – we all get a bit giddy and descend to the intellectual level of 8-year-olds. Lucky Swinxs was around to save the day…
Philips launching "Warm Intimate Massager" sex toy for couples within weeks – and the UK is first to try it
The top secret Warm Intimate Massager SEX MACHINE from Philips will be going on sale in the UK later this month, according to business reports from The Times.
Aimed at couples, the baffling and as-yet-unseen gadget will be “nonpenetrative” for your enhanced comfort, available in single and double configurations…
