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Engadget giveaway: Win an Anki Cozmo robot and Overdrive racing set!
When the holiday season rolls around, it's always a good excuse to get in a little play time. Picking up a few items for yourself or guaranteeing second-hand fun after you gift them is a win-win scenario. This week, smart-gadget maker Anki has passed along some top "toys" for two lucky readers. There's a liquid-metal Cozmo Collector's edition robot, which can be an entertaining companion as well as a platform to limber up your coding skills. When you're feeling a bit brawnier and competitive, there's the Fast & Furious Edition Anki Overdrive racing set. Just connect your mobile device (iOS / Android) to control one of these special edition vehicles, each with special tools, tricks and tactics available to help battle the competition. Anki has provided both a Cozmo Collector's Edition robot and Fast & Furious Edition Overdrive racing set for two winners. Just head down to the Rafflecopter widget below for up to three chances at winning a set of smart Anki products. Winners: Congratulations to Charles B. of Comstock Park, MI and David G. of Indianapolis, IN!
Engadget giveaway: Win an Overdrive smart racing set courtesy of Anki!
Toys are all grown up now and video game-like features have crossed over into the physical realm. So, it's not surprising that when Anki isn't working on more traditional robot pals, it's developing its AI-powered Overdrive racers. Last month the company added the Freewheel and X52 Supertrucks as expansions to its racer lineup. To get a jump start on all the holiday fun, we're giving away two Overdrive Speed Bundles this week, along with the new X52 for a pair of lucky readers. It's easy to build out track set ups beginning with a Starter Kit and moving on to expansion packs to enhance the action. The vehicles can learn the track configurations using infrared sensors, helping you race against friends (using your mobile device) or artificially intelligent opponents. All you need to do is head to the Rafflecopter widget below for up to three chances at winning one of these AI-powered racing bundles from Anki.
Anki Overdrive blends robotic racing with video game hooks
Back in February, Anki gave us a sneak peek at Anki Overdrive, the second generation version of its robotic race cars. It's introducing new toy vehicles, new gameplay mechanics, a new app and new modular race tracks that let players design their own custom race circuits. Today, Anki has announced that Overdrive will start shipping to retailers on September 20th in the US, UK, Germany and Canada. It also offered more details about the new cars and revealed two more game modes called Time Trial and King of the Hill. I had a chance to play around with Anki Overdrive at the company's office in San Francisco, and while I can't say it's perfect, I was impressed at how much simple toy cars could give me the feeling of being in a video game.
Anki's next-generation robotic race cars get modular tracks
Two years ago, Anki introduced itself to the world at the Apple WWDC keynote with robotic race cars that could maneuver around the track all on their own. The company has grown substantially since then thanks to strong initial interest and growing sales -- Anki tells us that it was the second-best-selling toy on Amazon this past Christmas -- but now, it's ready for the next step. Today, the company is introducing a completely new version of its toy cars, and it's called Anki Overdrive. Not only does the second generation of Anki involve new cars, a new app and new gameplay mechanics, but it will also now ditch the rollable mats and incorporate a brand-new modular track system that lets players build their own custom race circuits.
