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Brando offers up USB-powered Plasma Ball
Yeah, this is just what everyone needed: more pointless electronic rubbish to clutter up your desk. Lacking the charm of other useless USB accessories (USB sushi: it's got cred!), Brando opted to give a regular Plasma Ball the USB connectivity it never wanted. For $16.99, the ability to awe your colleagues and family members with an interactive light show they've seen dozens of times is within your grasp! Hey, at least the base isn't lined with blue LEDs.
Cellphone float keeps your mobile's head above water
Inflatable gizmos meant to save your dog's life and wake you from your bubble bath slumber have been around for some time, but this creation has probably been avoided due to the intrinsic probability of failure. Granted, the inflatable cellphone float would make for a great gift, but in reality, even the most diminutive of cannonballs will have this thing inverted in no time. Of course, for those just looking to float down the lazy river (yet still be attached to world), we could see it coming in handy, but there's no bundled guarantee that it's flip-proof. Still, this thing might not be a bad pickup for just R6.08 ($0.86), but we'll be sticking with the waterproof handset when it counts.[Via Textually]
KornTech's Rogun robot recognizes faces and intruders
While KornTech's Rogun won't go down as the first humanoid that sports both face recognition and intruder alerting functions, it does one-up many of the other prototypes by actually being available for purchase. The Korean startup has developed a kid-friendly one-meter-tall robot that "recognizes people through embedded cameras and high-end face-tracking software." Additionally, the bot can walk on its own and "perform various functions suitable for a security guard or nanny" such as pace the floors at night and give its master a cellphone warning if it recognizes any suspicious behavior. Rogun can even use its camera to show parents what mischief their kids are getting into at home by beaming video via its integrated WiFi chipset, and if watching the big screen is just too 2006, the youngsters can focus on the seven-inch LCD set within the device's chest. Of course, video telephony, internet browsing, and priceless companionship also come bundled in, and while the company hopes to sell these fellows for a mere $5,000 in time, snapping up your own Rogun at the moment will run you a whopping $100,000 or so considering the current BTO nature of production.[Via I4U]
Golden Dragon's Ruyan e-cigarettes deliver nicotine sans toxins
While overseas firms like Thanko and SolidAlliance are kicking out random bits of fun that surely generate a solid profit, China's Golden Dragon has probably found the real road to riches with its toy. The brilliant Ruyan e-cigarette purportedly "feels like a cigarette and looks like a cigarette, but it isn't bad for your health." The battery-powered device is used exactly like a typical, harmful cigarette, but rather than delivering tar and toxins to the lungs along with nicotine, the poisons are stripped away and doses of nicotine are still provided. Interestingly, the company claims that its product is simply the best way to kick the habit, but if these things actually do what they claim, it honestly seems like a marvelous ploy to get folks to shift their funding from tobacco-based cigarettes to the Ruyan. The gizmos are already available in China, Israel, Turkey, and a number of European countries for around $208 apiece, and while profits have "more than doubled" in just a year's time already, bringing this thing to the US would certainly provide a few early retirements.[Via TheRawFeed]
DS Daily: Toys and tie-ins
Yesterday, we showed you some bounty from NCSX: fun little doodads, "lifestyle items," apparel, furnishings, and such with video game connections. We already know you guys are fans of video games (or Nintendogs), so we know you're the target audience for this kind of stuff. We also know that you've got the drive to collect burned into you from a decade of catching 'em all and a few years under Nook's totalitarian regime.But we also know that games are really expensive, and sometimes if you don't have a job (or, in some cases, even if you have two jobs) you can barely afford to buy games, you just have to let the Um Jammer Lammy alarm clocks go unpurchased. Is your desk decorated with game-related toys? Do you have the Famicom-shaped version of everything you can have a Famicom-shaped version of? Or do you prefer to save your game money for games?
Haberdashery for your couch
What is your poor couch to do when it wants to look jaunty for a night on the town? Nothing. That's why your couch doesn't go out. It's ashamed.If you care about your couch at all, you'll buy one of these Mario or Luigi hat cushions from NCSX. It's the least you can do, considering what you do to it all day. You know, the sitting.Alternately, you could buy one of these plush toys for decoration. That would be pretty weird, though, right? Also in today's NCSX update: awesome Bomberman t-shirts and cell phone straps, Chocobo cushions, and even more Animal Crossing toys.
Blow Light: the wind generated LED toy
While the message of living a greener life seems to be pounded into our ears on a regular basis, it's never too early to get your offspring in on the energy-conserving fun. The Blow Light toy from Nigel's Eco Store features a simplistic, kid-friendly design that's sure to require a lot of attention, as the miniature pinwheel doesn't light up and excite without a little effort on your youngster's behalf. The internal blue and green LED lights remain dormant until a gust of wind (or hot air) starts the spinning, subsequently lighting up the device and eliciting smiles all around. Of course, with no batteries required, the price on this uber-green toy tends to be a bit higher than the mass market alternatives, but at least your £9.99 ($20) won't be fueling the proverbial fire.[Via Inhabitat]
Wii toys served hot off the grill
Fast food chain Wendy's plans to pack its Kids' Meals with Wii-related toys soon. The new knickknacks don't look like they're anything to fawn over, but that miniaturized and muddied Excite Truck might make a nice addition to your collection of Micro Machines and Hot Wheels racers. Truthfully, we've never been partial to the restaurant's square-shaped burger patties or its bland french fries. Wendy's chicken nuggets, however, are like the real-world equivalent to Narnia's turkish delight. Families have been betrayed and wars have been set into motion over these bits of meat. The fact that we can get a pocket-sized Wii remote with these nuggets pretty much settles our schedule for where we're eating lunch at when this promotion goes into effect.[Via Infendo]
Castlevania action figures belong in this world
It was not by our hands that these action figures were given "flesh." They were brought here by NECA, who wished to pay Castlevania tribute. Simon Belmont, hero of Castlevanias I, II, and (Super) IV, and Alucard, of III, Symphony of the Night, and (spoiler alert, sort of!) Aria and Dawn of Sorrow, are shown here in unpainted, prototype glory. The link below has more views of Simon, but all we have of Alucard is this one shot-- for which we had to put our biohazard suits on and go into Myspace.They resemble the beefy character art of the first NES game more than Ayami Kojima's work, and Simon's stomach isn't something that should be looked at directly, but these are still awesome. We've been looking for some new decorative items, and these will do nicely. Our desks are as empty as our souls. Blogger-kind totally needs action figures such as these.
Bored and vengeful? Try condemnation!
Roommate leave the milk out again? Some jerk in an SUV cut you off on the way home? Don't waste your time with insults, rude hand gestures, or weak physical attacks. Instead, try eternal damnation! YouAreDamned.com makes damning souls for an eternity of flame-induced suffering easy! Just enter a name, e-mail address, and an optional path to salvation and your most hated enemies will be engraved upon the Burning Wall of Eternal Damnation. Afterwards, kick back and read the wall to learn why so many people deserve a spot in the stone.
More Animal Crossing stuff to fill your house with
With all the stuff coming out based on the Animal Crossing movie in Japan, you can play Animal Crossing for real-- by buying a whole bunch of adorable items and displaying them in your house! NCSX is selling new playsets, each featuring an animal, two matching pieces of furniture, and a house. There are also two special sets containing characters like Wendell and Tom Nook, and, of course, some more furniture.NCSX is also stocking some Animal Crossing plush toys and coffee mugs. We are aware that Animal Crossing strongly promotes the collector mentality in-game, so we hope we haven't just emptied any fans' wallets by pointing this stuff out.
SanDisk Sansa Shaker does MP3s for the kids
We've seen plenty of times where good toys go bad, but SanDisk's latest Sansa music player looks like a pretty solid bet. The forthcoming Sansa Shaker features a tubular design with blue and pink color schemes to appeal to the younger set, and aside from sporting 512MB of internal capacity, dual headphone outputs for BFF listening, an SD flash card slot for loading up additional tracks, an integrated speaker in case you've lent out your earbuds, and unique "band" playback controls on the top and bottom of the tube. Interestingly, the Amazon product page refers to a mysterious "interactive Shake feature" to be included as well, and while no hard release date nor price is currently listed, we imagine SanDisk will try to keep this one in the $50 range and get it here sometime before summer.[Via AnythingButiPod]
Spidey-inspired Spi-Dog wags to your iPod
If you're looking for the perfect way out of getting a real canine in your life, or you're simply one of "those people" who just have to have every single I-Animal that gets loose from the farm, we've got yet another option to add to the fray. The Spi-Dog touts a Spider-Man-inspired motif, as the ominous eyes and perked ears let you know that this crime-fighter means business, but alas, the diminutive 4.75- x 3.25- x 5-inch size, light-up face, wagging motions, and blinking LEDs make this fella quite the softy. Per usual, this I-Dog flashes and busts a move whenever exposed to music, touts a "built-in speaker for playing your iPod" (or any other DAP / PMP), and is available now for the fanboys and Spidey freaks alike for $39.95.[Via iLounge]
Ugliest Luigi ever
Poor Luigi. The lanky plumber already has enough problems dealing with his older brother always stealing the spotlight and Princess Daisy's failure to commit to a serious relationship, but now he has to worry about embarassing photos from 20 years ago resurfacing on the internet. We all have our fair share of unflattering pictures from the 80s, but the images posted for this vintage Super Mario Bros. doll auction are downright embarassing. This 3.5'-tall toy was a promotional item from Nintendo that was never released to the general public. Head past the post break to see what the green guy looked like before he tamed his hair and trimmed his mustache. He really let himself go back then -- look at that hat![Via GameSniped]
Aigo's F989 / MP-E817 PMPs are eying your kids
Let's face it, portable media players are no long reserved for the adults out there, as even Aigo has caved to the kiddos' pressures and produced its own duo of youngster-centric PMPs. Following in the footsteps of Disney and Toy Quest (among others), the F989 rocks a kid-friendly design, handheld gaming system motif, a 2.4-inch QVGA screen, SD card slot, 1.3-megapixel camera, FM radio, microphone, an e-book reader, photo browser, built-in clock / calendar / stopwatch, calculator, and ten pre-loaded games to boot. Of course, it will also play back SFW / AVI files at 30fps, which should be just fine for those converted Spongebob episodes. The MP-E917 (pictured after the break) boasts a slightly sleeker interface, shares the same color monitor and video playback functionality, comes in 1GB / 2GB editions, and includes a miniSD slot for future expansion. No word just yet on pricing or availability, but we're sure your highly intelligent offspring will let you know the minute they find out.[Via PMPToday]
New Super Mario Brothers plush toys are new, super, and plush
We really weren't fans of Mario's blue shell ability in New Super Mario Bros., because it tended to steer us inexorably into a lava-filled grave. But we want to hug this plush Blue Shell Mario. And then maybe toss him into lava. Play-Asia is selling these adorable NSMB toys, produced by Banpresto, for about $11 each. You have your choice of the aforementioned Mario, a Mega Mushroom, Boo, Luigi (in casino minigame regalia) and Toad. Does anyone else find it odd that Luigi still wears his green hat, even when he's in formal attire? [Via Siliconera]
New from First 4 Figures: Sheik!
First 4 Figures have released another well-sculpted, detailed figurine of a Nintendo character. The new figure is the fourth entry in their series of N64-era Zelda characters, focusing on the mysterious, much-cooler-than-Link Sheik.Sheik stands about 9" tall and is in scale with the other figurines in the series. It will cost $109.99 and can be reserved now for shipping in the fall.Ocarina of Time is great, but we really want to get these figures to set up our own trophy table like the one in Super Smash Brothers Melee. But for $100+ each, we aren't sure if we could bring ourselves to make them fight.
Metroid Zero Suit Samus statue -- requires intense scanning
Since we're not sure when Super Smash Bros. Brawl is scheduled to assault us, it's hard to say with any certainty that the above Zero Suit Samus statue -- designed by the prolific folks at First4Figures -- will be ready in time for its launch. With a Q3 '07 release date for the statue, it seems likely that you'll be able to have one before Brawl drops featuring the very same Zero Suit Samus as a playable character. So, why all the concern about getting the statue first? We see it a couple different ways. First: what better way to reward the household's (world's?) reigning Super Smash Bros. champion than to bestow upon them a large (and, at $110, rather extravagant) statue? Oh, and second: you can always practice your moves by getting one of those Metal Gear Solid 4 Snake statues and forcing them to fight to the death ... after making them kiss ... like you weren't thinking that anyways.%Gallery-1699%
Versatile Palm Treo cradle crafted from LEGOs
While we've seen various forms of Treo docks come and go, there's just something magical about those those colorful, timeless blocks, and although we've caught a LEGO-lovin' DS fortress acting the part before, this time it's a Palm getting the homegrown docking station. Envisioned after simply not wanting to shell out the $30 to $50 required to purchase a ho hum dock that didn't exactly fit every need, the LEGO Palm cradle is a true sight to behold, and can at least handle both the 650 and 680 with ease. Although it doesn't sport features that are too far out of the ordinary -- besides the handy earpiece hook and "solar powered WiFi tower," of course -- at least the onboard watchman walks softly and carries a big stick Sony Clie stlyus. Best of all, the project owner took a few snapshots along the way to give us a bit of insight in replicating his masterpiece, so if you've got an estimated 45 minutes and a whole stash of unused blocks, be sure to hit the read link for your next DIY endeavor.
Mattel's IM-Me offers up lame-o messaging, guards against predators
Brand new toys sure have been popping up everywhere of late, and now Mattel's hitting us up with another gizmo being showcased at the International Toy Fair. Presumably designed to latch onto the hard-earned dollars of paranoid mums who watch entirely too many of those "internet predator" spots, the Girl Tech IM-Me is a very restrictive wireless instant messaging system that relies on parental okays in order to operate. Aside from only allowing texts to be sent and received from parent-approved usernames, the gal can only use her purple and pink IM machine within range (read: in the house) of the USB dongle, which must be plugged into an internet connected PC. So while we still prefer PictoChat, we imagine this $64.99 device will sell like hotcakes when it lands this summer -- only to never be used by any halfway sane (and understandably rebellious) teenage daughter.[Via Gadgets-Weblog]
