ToyFair2010
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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!
Beamz laser instrument allows even the tone deaf to rock out for $199
Truth be told, we weren't sure what to make of this laser harp-looking contraption when we saw it across the room at the International Toy Fair. Eloquently dubbed the Beamz Interactive Music System, it has six laser beam "strings" that when struck by a hand or finger produces one of 100 instrumental sounds. Here's the catch, though: the standing instrument must be connected to your PC via USB so that it can use its speakers. We think it's sort of a bummer that you have to be attached to your computer to rock, but the PC software (we're told Mac is on the way) lets you easily assign an instrument to the laser strings and also includes a variety of popular songs to jam along with. Though it's been around since 2008, Beamz seems to have wised up and lowered the original $600 pricetag to $199. We realize we could continue to describe this digital instrument in length, but we'd rather you just watch us "play it" and royally embarrass ourselves after the break.
Zibits mini remote control robots spin right 'round, baby
We've seen plenty of toy robots at the International Toy Fair this week, but none quite have moves like Senario's Zibits. The salt and pepper shaker-sized bots, which will be available for $9.99 a piece at Toys R Us in March, come with a small AA battery powered remote that lets you drive the three wheeled little guy forward, but also spin him around in circles. Apparently these R/C toys are meant for eight to ten years olds, but us really mature adults are itching to buy a couple of these Zibit characters along with some Hexbugs, and stage the ultimate battle of $10 bots. Stop judging us and our Star Wars lunch box and watch the handheld bot in action after the break. %Gallery-85732%
Building Bioloid Premium doesn't look easy, even if you do have $1,199 to do it
Remember Bioloid? How could you forget, right? Well, we had the pleasure of meeting his more expensive brother and Avatar-inspired-sister Bioloid Premium at the New York Toy Fair. Meant for hobbyist robot builders, the kit comes with everything you need to build and program the plastic and metal humanoid, including Robotis' AX-12 servo actuator and 'C' programming software. But getting Bioloid to walk, run and dance to Lady Gaga is going to cost ya a whopping $1,199. That seems like a lot of dough for us non-robot builders, but this guy's heartwarming demeanor and balancing act almost has us forking it over. You'll see what we mean in the video just past the break. %Gallery-85589%
HexBug's robotic creatures are the creepy crawlers of the future
Okay, so it isn't as artsy as making gooey bugs in a miniature oven, but HexBug's little micro-robotic tchotchkes are a good time in their own right. The digital entomologists at HexBugs decided to unleash the new Ant Micro and Nano Newton at New York City's Toy Fair, and for some peculiar reason we were quite enamored with watching these autonomous, high speed creatures run around the carpeted show floor. Powered by two button cell batteries, $11.99 Ant Micro has front and rear touch sensors that allow it to maneuver around objects in its path and it's hard, colored transparent exoskeleton casing was durable enough for the little guys to crash into a wooden plank and reverse course. The $9.99 tiny motor powered, 12-legged Nano Newton holds a special place in our heart, and the Jolly Rancher sized caterpillar vibrates uncontrollably and is able to flip itself over and walk forward. HexBugs will also sell different Habitat sets so the creatures can run around on their own without adult supervision. Luckily for you, these little guys weren't camera shy -- check the pics below! %Gallery-85583%
Quasi robot melts hearts at Toy Fair, Interbots promises toy version soon
You'd have to be heartless to walk by Interbots' Quasi and not crack a smile. Q, as we like to call him, isn't an autonomous bot, but instead everything from his facial expressions to his speech are controlled wirelessly via a tablet PC. As you can see in the video after the break, his master can change his eye color and arm / hand movements with just a touch of the stylus. So, why did Quasi, who was born at Carnegie Mellon in 2006, make an appearance at the 2010 Toy Fair? Interbots is planning to bring an affordable child-friendly version of the $80,000 bot to market by the end of the year, and the reps on hand told us that it'll even have similar puppeteering capabilities. Sounds like a potential nightmare for parents, but there's something about this guy that makes us sure about his future as much-adored, bona fide family member. %Gallery-85595%
Tamagotchi renamed TamaTown Tama-Go, no change in amount of attention it requires
That's right, grab the tissues and take some time to mourn the death of the Tamagotchi as we knew it. The guys at Bandai have gone and totally revamped the beloved virtual pet, giving it the new name of TamaTown Tama-Go to match that of the already existing Tamatown.com virtual world. Though there have been very minimal changes to the purpose of the toy -- you still have to remember to keep your little character well fed and rested -- the $20 pocketable keychain has morphed into an Easter egg shaped device with a slightly larger and higher contrast four-grayscale display. Why make a portable device larger than before? Well to accommodate attachable collectible figures, of course! Obviously sold separately, the $7 TamaTown figures attach to the top of the Tama-Go and are preloaded with two character specific games and goods. We understand that these sorts of changes are better processed in images (and dreams), so hit the gallery below for more miniscule figures than you can (probably) handle. %Gallery-85485%
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-85483%
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-85490%
Puppy Tweets will turn your Pooper into a world-class twitterer (Updated: with hands-on pictures!)
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. Update: We had to check this thing out for ourselves at the Toy Fair today. Unfortunately, there wasn't a real pup on hand to demo, but we did confirm that this lightweight plastic collar can, as previously mentioned, tweet everything from licks to resulting carpet stains. Included in the box is a matching USB dongle which contains software that works with the collar to enable the Wi-Fi updates. It won't hit shelves until June, but check the gallery below. %Gallery-85482%
