Feb 15

Rockstar Mickey in Action – Video

Posted in: Tech Toys, Today's Chili, Toys

rock star mickey.JPG

The most amusing experiences of this year’s Toy Fair? Watching Rock Star Mickey in action was certainly up there. Disney’s public domain-proof rodent was strutting his stuff in the Fisher-Price booth, to a customized version of the 60s Kinks jam, “You Really Got Me.” 

Mickey does the Chuck Berry duckwalk, bobs his head, does the splits–everything short of a full Pete Townshend windmill, really. He’ll hit the market in September, priced at $49.99. 

Video (the best part, naturally) after the jump.

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Feb 15

Angry Birds Rubber Balls, Flip Flops, Keychains, and More

Posted in: Tech Toys, Today's Chili

toy fair 2011 angry birds pig.jpg

Well, that didn’t take long. Last year, we saw Rovio’s first stabs at merchandising its absurdly popular mobile game Angry Birds. The company released a few small plushes based on game characters. Last month at CES, we showed you a new Angry Birds board game from Mattel, and now this week, it’s no holds barred, thanks for a merchandising company called Commonwealth.
After the jump, check out Angry Birds, rubber balls, flip-flops, blankets, beanbags, and more. 

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Feb 15

LEGO’s 2011 Line: Star Wars, Harry Potter, Pirates of the Caribbean

Posted in: lego, Tech Toys, Today's Chili, Toys

toy fair 2011 lego pod racer.jpg

Toy Fair 2011’s here! Gearlog was on the floor of the show yesterday at the Javits Center in midtown Manhattan. As always, a trip to the convention wouldn’t be complete without a stop at the LEGO booth, a walled-off, appointment-only spot in the middle of the showroom floor. And, as always, LEGO didn’t disappoint.
After the jump, check out a gallery of some of the highlights from the show. We’ve got shots of upcoming products from popular lines like Star Wars [the pod racer is above], Harry Potter, Spongebob Squarepants, Ninjago, and more. Also, some images from the company’s new Pirates of the Caribbean line, which includes scenes from the upcoming Pirates of the Caribbean: Stranger Tides.

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Feb 11

Duke Nukem Forever “Balls of Steel” Collectors Edition Announced

Posted in: gaming, Tech Toys, Today's Chili, video games

Duke Nukem Forever - Balls of Steel Edition

If you’re having a difficult enough time believing that Duke Nukem Forever is actually going to come out, much less be released later this year, the news that Gearbox and 2K Games have unveiled a very special collector’s edition of the game will be even more difficult to swallow. The Duke Nukem Forever “Balls of Steel” Edition was announced first over at the First Access Club this morning and currently only members of the club have pre-order rights. Pre-orders for the general public haven’t been opened just yet. 
The Balls of Steel edition will set you back $99.99 retail price, about $50 more than the regular game, but for your added cash you’ll pick up a ton of Duke Nukem related loot. 
The package includes a certificate of authenticity, a Duke Nukem comic book, stickers and paper craft, Duke Nukem poker chips, a deck of cards, a set of dice with the radioactive emblem on them, Duke Nukem postcards, a 100-page hardcover book chronicling the story of the game over the past decade or so and concept art, a copy of the game, and what must be the biggest trophy: a bust of Duke Nukem himself, in all his glory. 
When the collector’s edition is available for the public to pre-order, it will be a GameStop and Amazon exclusive, so you’ll have to act quickly before they sell out. 
[via Forbes]
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Feb 11

A Foot’s-Eye Tour of the PCMag.com Labs With the Spy Video TRAKR Spy Car

Posted in: Tech Toys, Today's Chili, Toys

Wild Planet Spy Gear Spy Video TRAKR.jpg

Here’s a look at the PCMag.com Labs as only an electronic toy can see it. This video was shot with the Wild Planet Spy Gear Spy Video TRAKR, and while it doesn’t look all that great, just the fact that it can shoot it is pretty neat. The remote control spy video car is available for $129.95, but Wild Planet might have something even more advanced coming down the line. 

We’ll find out this weekend, at Toy Fair 2011. In the meantime, check out the video, after the jump. 

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Feb 07

8-Bit Memory Turns Nintendo Cartridges into USB Hard Drives

Posted in: diy, Games, hard drive, Miscellaneous Tech, nintendo, Tech Toys, Today's Chili, usb, video games

NES Hard Drives

If you’re like me, you have a bunch of old Nintendo and Super Nintendo game cartridges lying around. They’re not good for very much these days, especially if you don’t have your old consoles plugged in to your television. Over at 8-Bit Memory, they decided to do something special with all of those old cartridges: turn them into external USB hard drives. 
The cartridges come in multiple sizes and flavors, and some are even USB 3.0 compatible. Simply select the game cartridge you want attached to your computer for extra storage, and how much space you want in it. For example, the Dr. Mario Nintendo game cartridge will set you back $129.99 retail for a 500GB drive, $149.99 retail for a 750GB drive, or $179.99 for a 1TB drive. 
If you’re not a Dr. Mario fan, you can choose the original Metroid Nintendo game, Excitebike, the original Super Mario Brothers, Killer Instinct for the Super Nintendo, and more. If the game you’d like isn’t listed, you can request it, and 8-Bit Memory will find the game and turn it into an external drive for you.
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Feb 07

Wild Planet’s Spy Gear Security Scanner: Teach Your Children Patdowns in Your Own Home!

Posted in: Tech Toys, Today's Chili

Security Scanner

If you want to prepare your children for their next TSA checkpoint, Wild Planet has just the thing. The company’s Spy Gear series includes the Security Scanner, a handheld metal detector that’s not for finding loose change on the beach, but instead for finding hidden weapons in your pants.

The Security Scanner acts just like a real security wand, beeping when it moves over metal. Of course, it’s not nearly as sensitive (though a dial lets you adjust the sensitivity), but it’s surprisingly functional. The Scanner found belt buckles, glasses, loose change, and even metal implants with ease. 
The box really says it all. A happy child holding his shirt open for a security officer with one hand, raising his hand in a high-five with the other. It’s like a Hot Wheels commercial directed by Josef Stalin. 
Wild Planet’s Spy Gear line isn’t all unsettling security role-playing toys. They actually have some pretty fun gadgets, like the Spy Video TRAKR, a remote-control car with a digital camera built into the car itself and a screen and speaker built into the controller. Not only does it let you see where your car is going, but you can record videos and take photos through the car. They didn’t have toys like this when I was growing up. 

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Feb 07

10 Geeky Gift Ideas for Valentine’s Day

Posted in: iPhone, laptop, LED, Mac, Miscellaneous Tech, Tech Toys, Today's Chili

Thumbnail image for I 'LIKE' You-Facebook Valentine.jpg

It’s that time of the year again. Stores are wall-to-wall with boxes of chocolates, roses, and cheesy Hallmark cards. If you’re reading this blog, chances are you’re on the nerdier side of the divide, and there’s a good chance your significant other is on that side, too. With Valentine’s Day only one week away, it’s time to start shopping for those V-Day gifts.

If you’re married to or dating a geeky guy or gal, chances are they’d rather get an upgrade in RAM than jewelery or boxers. From cute plush stuffed animals, to bath time fun, we scoured the Web and we were not surprised to find a plethora of geeky gifts perfect for Valentine’s Day. Check them out after the jump!

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Feb 02

Keepon Robot Coming to a Toy Store Near You

Posted in: Robots, Robots Robotics, Tech Toys, Today's Chili, Toys
Keepon, the adorable yellow robot that made waves in viral videos and Spoon concerts a few years back in the United States and Japan may be headed to your local toy store. Keepon was originally designed to be a soft, cushy robot that responded to sound and movement and used in therapy sessions for autistic children. The original robot’s price tag is about $30,000, but the new My Keepon robot that’s destined for store shelves will reportedly set you back $40 when it’s unveiled this Valentine’s Day. 
The My Keepon robot will obviously differ from his high-tech cousin, but he just has to get close enough to the original to woo at least a few of the four million people who have viewed Keepon’s antics on YouTube, including the original video of Keepon dancing to Spoon’s “I  Turn My Camera On” that got him started. I spent a little time with him at CES 2010, and if My Keepon is anything like the original, I’m sold. 
[via BotJunkie]
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Jan 27

Control Your Parrot AR.Drone with a Surface Table from Microsoft

Posted in: iPhone, Microsoft, Miscellaneous Tech, robot, Tech Toys, Today's Chili, Toys, videos
Most people have seen the Parrot AR.Drone at this point. It made a splash at CES earlier this month, and was the star of the show last year; the little iPhone-controlled quad-copter is a combination toy and reconnaissance drone is perfect for fun neighborhood spy missions. However, what if you could control your Parrot AR.Drone with a Microsoft Surface table? 
These French researchers from Winwise have created an app that uses the same commands as the AR.Drone’s iOS app, just laid out on a Microsoft Surface table that you sit in front of to control. They claim the idea came to them when they were thinking of a way to build a cockpit for the drone, and that the Microsoft Surface was a great way to blow up the image from the drone’s camera. 
The controls work well enough, but considering the drone retails for $299.99 and Microsoft’s Surface systems are “ask if you want one” when it comes to price, it’s unlikely we’ll start seeing them show up in living rooms anytime soon.
 
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