Hasta La Gadget!

Brand new, fresh off the line Tesla Roadsters look almost like toys, especially to their brand new owners. But these Teslas really are toys — Hot Wheels to be exact. So if you can’t shoot for the real thing (and at over $100,000 who can blame you), you can have a scaled down version for just a few bucks.

While the real Tesla Motors is in trouble again, having raised the price of its Roadster by at least $6,700 and screwed some 400 buyers out of their deposits, these tiny replicas should sell just fine. And speaking of replicas, Autoblog Green has it on good authority that the toys are quite convincing, seeing as the Hot Wheels maker “Mattel reportedly had access to electronic files of the Roadster from Tesla.” Tesla Hot Wheels are available in Metallic Aqua, Metallic Watermelon, and Metalflake Silver. The fourth, Metallic Grey model is said to come out on Valentines Day.

Whenever someone comes up with a tech toy or gadget specially made for the feminine persuasion, my knee-jerk reaction is to roll my eyes and snort. After all, I’ve seen a lot of gadgets for the ladies that turn out to be nothing but pink-colored or dumbed-down versions of another device. This toy by Bandai isn’t any better, albeit a bit different from any I’ve seen. If you’ve ever chanced upon any of those “tests” or “tips” for single women in glossy ladies’ magazines, then you’ve got the gist of Bandai moteQ, except this one’s in toy form. Think Tamagotchi with a twist.

The moteQ is a small toy, akin to the size of a compact, with a monochromatic LCD and plastic chassis. It contains some sort of a trivia game to help single women understand the male psyche a bit better by answering questions Bandai asked 1,000 dudes from across Japan. Questions are numerous and diverse in nature, ranging from the more mundane subjects such as fishing to ones more relevant to the aim such as romantic relationships. Of course, to pique interest on the toy, the Bandai moteQ will launch before Valentine’s, on February 7 in Japan for $28 per.

Sadly, the above pictured Lego-cam only looks like it is made from the iconic Danish bricks, but that’s certainly enough to get our nerd toy sense a’tingling. The camera is part of a line that will be rolled out by Digital Blue, the company behind endless tat that has been rebadged for the kid market.

The Lego digicam will be joined by a slew of other junk, including a walkie-talkie, MP3 players, USB drives, miniature boomboxes and clock radios. While these products are clearly awesome in a theoretical way, in practice they look to be a real waste of the franchise — the camera, along with everything else, in made from faux bricks which cannot be taken apart. This will frustrate the target market of boys aged 7-11 along with nerds of, well, every other age. In fact, if read carefully, the press release shows just how cynical this cash-in is:

Our entrance into the youth electronics space will enable our fans to express themselves through photos, videos and music, while displaying their enthusiasm for one of the world’s all-time favorite toys.

Those words are from Lego’s Jill Wilfert, not coincidentally Lego’s senior director of licensing. Making Lego toys that cannot be stripped down and built back up is akin to actually serving up the fake plastic sushi in the windows of Japanese restaurants, only worse. Teasing a curious child like this can only devalue the Lego brand.

The prices are between $20 to $60 — clearly pocket money pricing. If your children actually listen to you, steer them away from this and towards a combo of real Lego and real gadgets. It might cost a little more, but you’ll make huge savings in disappointment and the bricks themselves will last forever.

Press release [Digiblue via PSFK. Thanks, Henrietta!]

Lego’s just announced that it’s teamed with Digital Blue to bring out a line of digital cameras, PMPs, and walkie talkies for children. As you can see, the products will have the familiar “Lego” look to them (though not constructed out of actual bricks), and though we haven’t heard anything in the way of specs yet, they’re said to be arriving this summer with prices ranging from $19 – $60. Our opinion of these is currently hanging out in the “not really excited” file, but outfit these suckers a set of wheels and we’ll probably be sold. Second photo after the break.

Continue reading Lego announces line of digital cameras, PMPs, etc. for your teeny human friends

Filed under: Digital Cameras, Portable Audio

Lego announces line of digital cameras, PMPs, etc. for your teeny human friends originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 13 Jan 2009 02:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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You know something? It wouldn’t be an international tech show without Hello Kitty. A whole lotta Hello Kitty, and, for better or worse, there was plenty to choose from at CES 2009.

We spotted alarm clocks, CD players, lava lamp, toaster ovens, karaoke machines, waffle makes, popcorn makers–even gummi multivitamins.

After the jump, check out a video for some of the show’s Hello Kitty highlights.