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WowWee Cinemin Swivel, Stick, and Station pico PJs hands-on
WowWee's DLP-fueled Cinemin pico projectors don't really set themselves apart from the other entries in this ever-growing market, but the competitively-priced Swivel, Stick and Station have poised themselves to come out swinging. The Swivel has a 480 x 360 resolution, three-hour battery life, and will retail this Spring for $299. We saw the screen, beaming an iPod nano video at various distances from the screen, and it came through decently despite the bad lighting conditions on the show floor. The Station and pocket-sized Stick both sport 800 x 480 resolution and an SD slot, with supported codecs not yet determined. Those two models are coming this Fall for $399 and $349, respectively. %Gallery-40793%
WowWee mixes it up at CES: Cinemin pico PJ, new Alive Cubs and more
Can you say "diversify?" WowWee can, and it's saying it loudly and proudly here at CES 2009. While the company has surely dabbled in areas outside of straight-up robotics before, it's never taken it upon itself to product a suite of pico projectors nor pets designed solely as sleeping companions. No need to wipe the sand from your eyes -- the same company responsible for Mr. Personality is dish out a Cinemin line of micro PJs (powered by TI's DLP technology) here in the desert. Moving on, we're also informed of the Spyball spy-cam, a remote controller, WiFi-enabled robotic ball that strangely reminds us of American Gladiators. The company's got plenty more in its bag of tricks too, including the Joebot and Roborover robots, FlyTech Lightstar flyer / Hoverpod racer, four new breeds of Alive Cubs and a fresh line of "pajama pals" dubbed Sleeping Cuties. Hop past the break for details on the whole crew. %Gallery-40670%
New app turns iPhone / iPod touch into Rovio controller
Rovio owners have been able to control their all-seeing sentry bot from their iPhone (or any other internet-connected device) from day one using WowWee's browser-based interface, but one enterprising individual apparently found that a tad lacking for his taste, so he decided to take things one big step further by building his own full-fledged iPhone / iPod touch app. In addition to giving you a larger view of the Rovio's webcam feed, the app achieves the inevitable by letting you use the iPhone or iPod touch's accelerometer to control the Rovio, which should let you give your Wiimote a rest for a while. Better still, the app is free -- you know where to get.
Vadersapien has little to do with Darth, much to do with a troubled childhood
Our favorite robot-obsessed entity on these fine internets, RobotsRules, has put out a fairly disturbing video entitled "Vadersapien" as a purported followup to last year's "Elmosapien." What at first might be perceived as a harmless way to enjoy halloween with robots and bit of Vadery goodness quickly devolves into the dark exploration of a mind turned sour by the constant companionship of robots. We're positive [insert name of favorite sci-fi novelist] tried to warn us of this day, but there's really no preparing for a product of so much psychological disruption. It's after the break, of course.
Wow, that's a Wiimote controlling a spy robot!
The WowWee Rovio is quite the little gizmo. A mobile spy bot with Wi-Fi and a webcam, you can use the robot to speak, see and hear anything through the internet. Utilizing a bluetooth adapter and a Wiimote, the folks over at Robodance have come up with a way to control it with Nintendo's innovative controller, as you can see in the video above. Consider us impressed. The Wiimote is a powerful tool. Enjoy things such as this? Then be sure to check out our column, Revolutionary, where Mike Sylvester shows us how to do the extraordinary.
WowWee FlyTech slams into Disney, out pops hovering Tinker Bell
It's true -- we're suckers for anything that simultaneously satisfies our lust for robotics and brings back childhood memories of passing the day with Disney films. To that end, we couldn't resist the opportunity to swoon over WowWee's latest stroke of brilliance, the $39.99 FlyTech Tinker Bell. Entirely more rad than that soulless Bladestar, this here fairy promises to posses that same spirited sassiness as the Disney character, and the flower wand remote control really caps things off. She can buzz around and delight guests for 4-minutes on an 18-minute charge, and her "crash-resistant materials prevent her from getting into mischief." Oh wait, it's appropriate for Earthlings ages 6 years and up? Huzzah!
WowWee's Mr. Personality reviewed, found to like long walks on the beach
It's beginning to sound like a broken record, but WowWee has hit yet another homer with Mr. Personality. The latest from the firm to jockey for your hard earned dollars includes an LCD face and enough jokes / stories to keep you engrossed for hours. Max and Simon -- this creature's very own Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde -- kept critics guessing, and each character was said to be "well developed and play off each other perfectly." Continuing on, reviewers noted that the omnidirectional wheels were "incredible," the remote was "simple and intuitive" and the sensor array was equally impressive. 'Tis a shame -- we bet you were really looking forward to holding onto that $300 of yours...
Robodance enables Wiimote control of your WowWee Rovio
Ah, Robodance -- how would we entertain ourselves without you? Just under a year ago, the software enabled robot lovers everywhere to control their i-SOBOT with an everyday Wiimote. Now, the same ability has been handed down for WowWee's Rovio. You heard right, the latest, baddest robotic sentry on the block can now be dictated with your Nintendo Wii controller, and you can even customize your own button assignments to suit your fancy. Hop on past the break for the demonstration vid.[Via Hacked Gadgets]
WowWee's Mr. Personality robot is now ready to charm you out of $300
WowWee's Mr. Personality bot made its debut way back at CES in January but, like some other WowWee products announced at the show, it's only just now made its way into availability. As you can see above, the bot's a close relative of WowWee's Tri-Bot, with it boasting the notable addition of an LCD screen for a face, which promises to "display his personality with animated and synchronized facial features." The bot also includes an SD card slot than can be used to add additional personalities, plus 64MB of internal memory, a remote control, all the usual sensors and, of course, plenty of fortune and joke-telling features that promise endless hours of fun / annoyance. Just be prepared to shell out for that robot companionship, as Mr. Personality's company will cost you a hefty $300.[Via Robo Community]
WowWee's Rovio gets reviewed: it's one awesome robotic sentry
WowWee goes out of its way to make one thing very clear about the Rovio: "this is not a toy." That being said, it doesn't make the patrolling sentry any less fantastic, as critics over at Robots-Dreams proclaimed that it was "intuitive and a pleasure to use from the moment you first open the box." From the painless setup process to the unparalleled mobility, reviewers sounded like they were grinning from ear-to-ear during the entire writeup process. It performed its robotic sentry duties with vigor and valor, and the review crew couldn't help but note that this bugger was "positioned to be the hottest robot for the upcoming holiday season, and for a long time to come." In other words, if you've been on the fence about dropping three bills on this thing, all your worries about it potentially sucking just got thrashed.
WowWee's patrolling Rovio gets unboxed
WowWee's Rovio isn't due to start shipping to the general populace for a few days still, but the mighty important folks over at RobotsRule were somehow able to procure one a hair early. Thankfully for us, it took the time to neatly unbox this home sentry and give us an up-close look at what it's made of. A full-fledged review is promised within the next few days, but for now, just hit the read link and enjoy the shots.
WowWee's $300 Rovio robotic sentry ships this month
The Rovio -- one of WowWee's finest if we should say so ourselves -- is finally ready to roam around domiciles and keep baddies at bay. First announced (and spotted) at CES 2008, this long-awaited robotic sentry is up for pre-order right now, and it comes packing a 640 x 480 webcam to stream back live video in MPEG4 format. Furthermore, it can snap stills, head out on a customized patrol route and avoid obstacles with its infrared sensor. Get ready -- this sheriff's rolling into your town next Friday for $299.95.[Via Random-Good-Stuff, thanks Juergen]
WowWee's FlyTech Bladestar can govern your home autonomously
Indoor flying toys aren't hard to come by these days, but WowWee's hoping you'll still be willing to drop a little bit of coin on indoor aerial supremacy. First introduced at CES, the $50 FlyTech Bladestar has helicopter-like blades for hovering, and built-in infrared sensors to avoid obstacles. You can control the Bladestar with the included remote, or stick it in autopilot mode to watch it avoid obstacles and even "push" it yourself by walking up to it. If it's war you're after, you can put the toy in "dogfight" mode to use the infrared signal as a weapon against an unfriendly Bladestar: three hits and you'll be testing WowWee's claims of crash-resistance. The Bladestar is available now. Cheesy Saturday-morning advertisement is after the break.
WowWee's Alive Lion Cub dissected, juggled at a Mexican carnival
Turn away before it's too late, we beg you. Don't make the mistake we did by watching WowWee's Alive Lion Cub get splayed for the chuckling amusement of ol' Pig Eye Jackson. Should you choose to proceed, choose to hit that read link then be warned: you'll never eat bot-sausage again.[Thanks, Robert O.]
WowWee's Femisapien gets reviewed, does want to play forever and ever
If you've been on the fence about whether or not you want to spring for a WowWee Femisapien, perhaps a thorough, multi-page review would help. If you truck on over to robotsrule, you'll find an ultra-in-depth look at the female automaton, with explorations into the bot's interface, modes and behaviors, and a variety of other Femisapien idiosyncrasies. The conclusion? We'd have to say the reviewer is pretty much in full gush-mode over the new toy, calling it a "blockbuster hit" that's "destined to take over the world." We assume by "take over the world" they mean "obliterate humanity."
'The Shining' gets remade with WowWee bots, cybernetically invades your soul
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WowWee's Alive White Tiger Cub gets unboxed, showcased on video
It has been a hot minute since WowWee let the Alive animals out of the zoo, but this particular White Tiger Cub has just recently been loosed from its cage. Although it's just dying for an I Can Has Cheezburger? caption (feel free to drop your best in comments below), this cute cat looks to be the perfect play toy for small children or adults hoping to rekindle some of that youthful innocence. We're also told that the eyebrow and mouth movements are "quite realistic," but its the individual personality that really makes it worth coming back to. Check out the unboxing and a brief review in the read link, and peek a video of the feline in action after the cut.
WowWee RoboRemote slips out into availability, gets reviewed
WowWee has been talking up its all-controlling RoboRemote since CES at the beginning of this year, but it looks like it's only recently found its way into availability, and it's now thankfully gotten reviewed as well. According to the folks at RoboCommunity, the remote fully delivers on its promise to control any IR-based WowWee robot, with the software (XP/Vista only, unfortunately) straightforward enough for most anyone to use, but apparently not so basic as to turn off more adventuresome robotics enthusiasts (who'll no doubt find some ways to use this without the basic software anyway). Couple that with the $20 price tag, and they say that this is a "must-have gadget" for any WowWee robot owner.[Thanks, Matt]
WowWee's Femisapien gets detailed, demonstrated on video
Don't deny it -- you blush a little each time you see that image above. If you're secretly eager to learn all that you can about Femisapien and her gracious ways, Robots Rule has the goods. Expectedly, this gal is said to have "the most fluid movements of the WowWee family," and while we won't emphatically agree that including "her own language consisting of emotive sounds" is quite fitting... well, you committed fellows in the house know what's up. The $99 robot is said to be on track for a late summer release, but considering that you just can't wait until then to see her in action, head on past the break for a honest-to-goodness fencing demonstration. There's more where that one came from in the read link, too.[Via SlashGear]
WowWee's Wrex the Dawg reviewed: puts real canines to shame
Unless you've specifically been lookin' out, you may have very well forgotten about WowWee's crazed robotic dog that was uncaged at CES. After lasting through its first few days of training (which we'll call a review for our purposes), we're led to believe that this pup is "the silliest robot you'll ever love." Reviewers weren't shy in calling it like it saw it, as Wrex was hailed as "absolutely terrible at being a dog and even worse at being a robot." Of course, it's fairly easy to see this bugger was meant to provide comedic relief and not sophisticated companionship, so those pointers aren't exactly negative. Overall, Wrex is almost guaranteed to make you chuckle on a daily basis, and if you don't believe that, just check out the video waiting after the break.[Via MAKE]
