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PowerUp releases its phone-controlled paper airplane
PowerUp first previewed its smartphone-controlled paper airplane back in 2014, but now it's finally available to everyone. The startup has announced that a retail version of its Dart aircraft will ship in February, and is running a pre-order campaign for barebones (just the propeller module and two templates) and standard (wheels and Japanese aerobatic papers) kits that start at $29 and $37 respectively. Higher-priced packs offer additional modules and stands for your aeronautics-minded friends.
Mattel will launch a redesigned VR View-Master this fall
Mattel refreshed the View-Master for virtual reality last year with a version based on Google Cardboard, and this weekend it showed off an updated design at the New York Toy Fair. The View-Master Viewer DLX has better optical lenses, focal adjustment and, most importantly, a headphone connector. Gizmodo got some hands-on time with the device during the show, and also noticed a redesigned smartphone bracket that's ready to deal with more phones no matter what size or shape they are. It will also apparently see a price bump from $30 to $40, but the changes seem worth an extra $10 -- hopefully we'll be able to give its VR / AR capabilities another look before it goes on sale later this year.
Cut the Rope and Where's my Water getting toys, more content
The New York Toy Fair is on this week, and so collectors and toy buyers alike are hearing about all sorts of new products. And given that the iPhone is one of the largest brands around, it's probably no surprise that iOS-based game properties are very popular this year. Disney's Where's My Water is the latest iPhone game to get toys made for it. There are plush dolls coming soon of the main alligator character, as well as rubber duckies modeled after the duckies you collect in the acclaimed physics puzzler. And Cut the Rope's Om Nom Nom already has a plush made of himself, but there's even more on the way. Mattel has signed a deal to provide a board game based on the popular iPhone title, and it will apparently interact directly with the Cut the Rope app on your iPad as you play. Jakks Pacific has signed a deal to bring the game to your TV, with a dedicated toy that plugs in with the game pre-installed. And we can't leave the game itself out: There's an update coming (actually for the Cut the Rope: Experiments spinoff) called Bath Time, that adds some water-related puzzles to the mix. It's a sign of just how big Apple's App Store has gotten that these iPhone developers are able to spin properties off the games on this platform. Certainly both of these games have a lot going for them (EA owns Chillingo, which publishes Cut the Rope, in addition to Disney's Where's My Water), but the fact that these toys are being made at all speaks to how big the audience for these games is.
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%
