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This DIY Furby Echo speaker will probably give you nightmares
Furby is already a tad creepy by itself, but a new DIY mod just stepped up the spookiness: Howchoo has converted a Furby toy into a makeshift Amazon Echo. The project works its dark magic by shoehorning a Raspberry Pi Zero W mini-PC into the critter's frame, giving it the power to run Amazon's open source Alexa Voice Service. Add a USB mic, a speaker and a stepper motor and you get a Furby that can read the news or turn up the thermostat.
When tech nostalgia goes too far
Nintendo had a bonafide smash on its hands with the NES Classic. And it looks like the SNES mini console will fly off of store shelves just as quickly. But it's not the only company looking to cash in on your nostalgia. Nowadays, there are reboots of TV shows like Twin Peaks and MST3K. Oh, and how about Netflix's Stranger Things, a series that's basically a love letter to the 80s? These are all examples of nostalgia products done right. But not everything we've seen in recent years has been as great as you would have hoped. Because, seriously, do you really want one of the Furbys pictured above watching you sleep? And who would be caught dead toting around a Tamagotchi in 2017? You know what, maybe that is you, and who are we to judge? But if you ask us, these 10 things probably took our retro obsession a little too far.
Furby gets smarter, but it's still pretty damn creepy
Hasbro revived one of the late '90s most iconic toys a few years ago, and now there's another new version. We're talking about Furby of course, and the new Furby Connect has Bluetooth to handle regular updates. The idea is to use the wireless connectivity with a mobile app for Amazon Fire, Android and iOS devices to deliver new content to the interactive playmate on the regular. That new content will come from the likes of Kidz Bop and other age-appropriate publishers.
The only thing keeping robots down is you
The robots are coming. And I don't mean to the factory floor, or your kid's toy box. I mean to your living room, your office and your everyday life. The question is no longer a matter of if, but when. Some might even wonder why we don't already have a robot in every home. Designers will tell you they know how to build a successful home robot. They know the key is the ability to build social, if not emotional relationships. And they have a whole bag of tricks and research they can turn to for help. We haven't seen the level of artificial intelligence needed in consumer products yet, but it certainly seems as if we're getting pretty close in the lab. So if it's not a question of technology or design, what's the holdup?
The top tech gifts of holidays past
Remember the mad rush to secure a Teddy Ruxpin under the tree? Or how about how badly you begged your parents for the Nintendo DS as a year-end treat? As we head into another hectic, yet hopeful holiday season, we look back at some of the geeky gadgets and technological toys that stormed the charts (and stole young hearts) over the years.
Dev comedy jam: Cultivated Wit's Hack Day chases laughs, not dollars
There aren't too many hackathons where finalists include an app to improve cunnilingus, a service for high-fives from strangers and a wearable Furby. It's also pretty rare for a hackathon to take top billing at a theater in San Francisco, draw a crowd of over 300 people and characterize itself as a comedy show. Comedy? At a hackathon? You've got to be joking.
The Virtual Menagerie: A look back at our techno pets
Pets are great. But if you're too lazy, busy or overcome with allergies for the real thing, you have a host of digital alternatives. They've found homes on our computers, in addictive little eggs and even housed insemi-realistic representations of actual animals. Their souls may be entirely digital, but that hasn't stopped consumers from coddling and caring for these code-based creatures. Join us as we take a look at some of the digital, virtual and robotic pets that have captured our hearts over the years.
Witness Furby Boom shower, lay an egg, go to the bathroom (video)
Last year, Hasbro reinvented 1998's hottest stuffed holiday sensation for the early 21st century. Furby got a full-on reboot, bringing improved locomotion, wireless communication, a tablet app and some vaguely creepy glowing eyes to the robotic pet. The toy company opted not to wait another decade and a half for an update, offering up Furby Boom for the world to see today. On the surface, the update looks a fair amount like last year's model -- same moving beak, glowing eyes (with more emotional options) and twitching pointy ears. This time out, however, the company's offering "six fashion forward patterns" on its fur, including waves and zigzags, with more coming later in the year. Things have been souped up a bit inside, including more on-board storage. The real upgrades, however, are mostly on the software side of things. The new Furby Boom app, which is coming to iOS and Android, ups the ante for Furby activities. Owners can use it to name their Furby -- a name the toy its Furby friends will learn. It also requires some standard pet maintenance, featuring meters for health, hunger, cleanliness and, yes, bathroom breaks. If your Furby gets low on any of the above, you'll have to help it out. We'll save the graphic description for the video after the break, because really, why read about a Furby taking a dump, when you can watch it in glorious 720p?%Gallery-194298%
Hasbro's Toy Fair 2013 booth tour: Transformers, Furby rockers, Iron Man and more
Oh, the wondrous experience that is Toy Fair. And that particular experience, as you may know, includes anything from NERF hoop games and foam fusillades, to boxing robots and itty-bitty, tinkering novelties. To make things even better, though, Hasbro was kind enough to invite us over to its 2013 showcase in NYC, where the prodigious toy maker was exhibiting some Furby amigos known as Party Rockers, Iron Man's Sonic Blasting figurine and Arc Fx Mission life-sized mask, a Sesame Street play-and-learning system for toddlers, as well as a Transformers Rescue Bots Beam Box which enhances the experience by allowing the toys to mesh into a game that can be played on a TV set. There was also a little Star Wars and Star Trek action, of course -- and the good news is you, too, can see it all, just head past the break to take a look at the vast gallery and a quick video showing off a few of Hasbro's new toys.
Furby pre-orders start at Walmart, threaten your wallet with nostalgia
Overwhelmed with nostalgia for a childish pseudo-creature with a glaringly absent off switch? Sounds like you're looking for a Furby. No, not the old, mangy monster whose batteries died in your toy cabinet all those years ago, we're talking about a new animatronic animal -- one kitted out with capacitive touch sensors, glowing LCD eyeballs and even a companion iOS app. Six colorful variations of the chatty creature are now available for pre-order at Walmart, each commanding a $54 price tag. Not sure if this is the simulated pet you're looking for? Check out our hands-on and see just how much Furbish you can take.
Furby gets a reboot for 2012, we go hands-on (video)
Of all the childhood toys to update for the early 21st century, the Furby seems like a no-brainer. After all, the hairy ball of amalgamated animal strangeness packed in electronics so baffled the general public that it managed to get itself banned from the Pentagon as a threat to national security. After the Furby was first decommissioned in 2000 (managing to sell an impressive 40 million units in its first three years), Hasbro attempted to revamp the line in 2005 with Emtro-Tronic Furbies, bigger versions of the toy that brought increased facial emotions and voice recognition, failing to recapture the success of the original line. The latest addition to the line marks a much more significant update for our old furry pal, bringing him up-to-date for a generation growing up with smartphones and tablets, with revamped aesthetics, new innards and an appetite for Apple's iPad. We managed to get our hands on the squirming and verbose little Mogwai-esque creature -- four of them in fact -- for a bit, when Hasbro popped by our office with a furry blue army packed in a duffel bag. Check out some impressions of the reborn furball after the break.%Gallery-158757%
Video: Furby Gurdy makes "music," trips you out
The Nervous Squirrel's Furby Gurdy (version 2) isn't the first music maker we've seen that's better understood when viewed during an out-of-body experience, but it's certainly one of the strangest. The circuit bent Furby sequencer, which is linked to a Korg SQ-10 in the demonstration vid after the break, combines centuries-old musical methods with some of the strangest characters to ever grace planet Earth. We could talk for hours on end and still not do this thing justice, so just click through and mash play to see what we're referring to. We're warning you, though -- we haven't seen anything this weird since Smash Mouth's lead singer showed up at an Intel press event.[Via Hack-A-Day]
Illusionary Tactics: Dartol's Rod of Transformation
Welcome to the first installment of my new column series, Illusionary Tactics. Each episode will bring you the full intelligence on an item or quest that disguises you, enabling you to better carry out those secret missions -- or at least confuse your friends and guildmates. This time, I'll be looking at Dartol's Rod of Transformation, a perennial favorite of my guild. I've written about this item before, but it's been a while, and it's perfect for this column, so I'm giving it some more air time. What does it do? It turns you into a furbolg for three minutes, with a one-minute cooldown. Unlike many disguises, you can still fight while in furby form, although the form is removed if you are damaged, so it's possible (and I've seen it done) to furbolg-heal and furbolg-ranged-DPS. Just right-click the item in your inventory to activate.
