The PowerUp Electric Powered Paper Airplane Conversion Kit from TailorToys will turn a homemade folded paper airplane into an electric powered propeller driven plane. It comes with one propeller module and a charger module which runs on 3 AA batteries. You will need to supply your own paper to fold your plane. Once folded, clip the propeller module in place and charge it. 20 seconds of charge time will fly your plane for around 30 seconds or so. This looks like it could be a lot of fun for less than $20. You can get yours at Amazon.com

Filed in categories: Do-It-Yourself, Geek Toys, Kid Gadgets, News

Tagged: Toy

Convert a Paper Airplane into an Electric Plane originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on December 30, 2011 at 10:00 am.

These little Radica Fijit Friends from ThinkGeek are cuddly and cute.  ThinkGeek, and the video on their Fijit page, say these toys are for girls, but I think they might appeal to younger kids of both genders.  Be aware that they are recommended for ages 6+ because they have small parts that could pose a choking risk.  They are interactive, recognizing 30 keywords and responding with 150 phrases.  Their faces light up to show they’re listening and ready to play.  Fijits hear and respond to music by dancing.  And they have Sonic Chirp technology that listens for signals from the Fijit Friends website that will unlock new phrases and dance moves.  These robots are 8.6″ tall and weigh 1.6 pounds.  They come in four colors, but you’ll receive a random color.  Each Fijit is $49.99.

Filed in categories: Geek Toys, News

Tagged: Toy

Fijit Friends for Your Daughter originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on August 18, 2011 at 12:00 pm.

This Edge Robotic Arm Kit from ThinkGeek could be the first step in automating your house – or at least dunking your teabag to make your mornings easier…  You won’t have to solder, but you will have to follow instructions carefully.  In about 2 hours, you should have your own, working robotic arm.  The arm has 5 motors with 5 axes of movement controlled by the wired remote.  The gripper will open and close and has an LED spotlight, and the arm has a wrist motion of 120 degrees, elbow range of 300 degrees, base rotation of 270 degrees, base motion of 180 degrees, vertical reach of 15 inches, horizontal reach of 12.6 inches, and lifting capacity of 100g.  The Edge Robotic Arm Kit is $49.99, and you’ll need to supply your own D alkaline batteries.

Filed in categories: Geek Toys, News

Tagged: Robot, Toy

Edge Robotic Arm Kit from ThinkGeek originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on June 23, 2011 at 1:00 pm.

Is there a more prolific and quintessential toy than the ball?  Used in all manner of games and sports (for both kids and adults), the versatile sphere is synonymous with fun the world over.  Well, the deceptively simple ball may be going high tech.  At the 2011 CES, Orbotix unveiled Sphero, a ball that can be remotely controlled via Bluetooth from a “driving” app on your iOS or Android mobile phone.  Dig on this YouTube video for more.  74mm in diameter, it includes an internal color-changing RGB LED light and an inductive charging cradle system.  Slated to be available “late 2011″, you can currently sign up to reserve your Sphero.  Estimated retail price is $100.  Got the balls for this?

Filed in categories: Android related, Bluetooth Gear, Geek Toys, iPhone, iPad, iPod related

Tagged: Android phone accessory, iPhone/iPod/iPad accessory, Toy

Have a ball driving Sphero with your phone originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on June 2, 2011 at 2:56 pm.

For a long, long time now, in households far and near, a battle has raged over whether young padawans would be allowed to play with their parents’ movie-realistic and super-expensive Force FX lightsaber replicas, or be relegated to the clunky, much cheaper toyish versions found at toy stores across the Outer Rim (and here on Earth).  Via StarWars.com, Hasbro has recently announced that in summer 2011 they will be releasing the Ultimate FX Lightsaber.  These elegant weapons will feature a progressive light-up LED blade, authentic sounds and a more realistic look.  Maybe the coolest feature is that they will be sized for kids, not adults.  A good idea, this is.  Initially available in Anakin Skywalker and Darth Vader models with approximate retail price of $34.99.  Anyone besides me going to lay down your Republic credits and outfit your padawans with one of these?

Filed in categories: Geek Toys, Kid Gadgets, News

Tagged: Star Wars, Toy

Your father wanted you to have this when you were old enough… originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on February 11, 2011 at 7:30 am.

Those clever nerds and monkeys at ThinkGeek have done it again.  Continuing their ice planet of Hoth product theme, and as a compliment to their Tauntaun Sleeping Bag, behold the Wampa Rug.  This “bearskin”-style floor rug is about 62″ long by 30″ wide and made of synthetic fur, with pillow head, vinyl claws and non-slip backing.  Slave Leia not included.  $100 Republic credits.

Filed in categories: Geek Toys, Kid Gadgets, News

Tagged: Star Wars, Toy

Wampa Rug Will Warm Your Hoth Hearth originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on January 31, 2011 at 2:30 pm.

I had the opportunity to see the Skitterbot in action last February when I attended the International Toy Fair in NYC. The Skitterbot is a small bug shaped robot that is crazy fast. It can travel at one foot per second. You can control the Skitterbot with the 5 function remote that includes controls for forward, back, left, right, and stop. A retractable USB charger is built into remote and will provide 15 minutes of play
for a 30 minute charging session. Skitterbots come in Red, Blue, Clear, and Green. They are currently available at RadioShack and Toys R’ Us for $19.99. Watch them in action here.

Filed in categories: Kid Gadgets, News

Tagged: Remote Control, Robot, Spotlight Gadgets, Toy

Skitterbot – A Bug You Won’t Want to Squash originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on September 24, 2010 at 9:55 am.

Have your kids asked you for the umpteenth time, “Can I play with your iPhone?”  Then check out the Woogie from Griffin Technology.  Billed as 50% stuffed animal, 50% speaker case, 100% fun, it’s a green asterisk-shaped plush toy with a slide-in iPhone/iPod touch case attached to the side.  Kids can listen via headphones or the built-in speaker powered by 2 AA batteries and its legs can be tucked to use it as a viewing stand.  It also has its own free app in the App Store that can be used to preview Sesame Street books and more.  $19.99.

Filed in categories: iPhone, iPad, iPod related, Kid Gadgets

Tagged: iPhone accessory, Toy

Woogie is fun, plush iPhone protection originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on September 17, 2010 at 3:00 am.

Computer Software Engineer Barbie. Mattel's 126th Career Choice for Barbie aimed at encouraging young girls to consider the computer industry as a career. Photo by Engadget.com

Computer Software Engineer Barbie is officially Barbie’s 126^th Career Choice. Whoda thunk it?   Barbie, that iconic symbol of glamour and the impossible figure (and wardrobe) is now a nerd.  Yes, tech fans, Barbie  the doll by Mattel, is now a geek.   In order to celebrate Barbie’s 125^th career choice (mid life crisis anyone?), Mattel sponsored a Vote For Barbie’s Next Career campaign on their website in effort, ostensibly, to motivate young female minds towards career goals outside of being a fabulously dressed, pimped out car ridin’ glamour girl with the same “out of the spotlight” boyfriend, Ken.

To this end, voters voted and the word was heard.   Almost.   Instead of Barbie’s 125^th Career choice, Mattel is releasing two career dolls that will reflect the voters’ responses.

Aimed at recruiting more females into the computer industry, Mattel has made Barbie (remember, this is a doll that has held jobs like Chief Surgeon, Airline Pilot, Army Medic and an Astronaut) a computer cubicle dweller.   Barbie is outfitted with a pink (naturally) Blackberry, aqua blue Bluetooth headset, hot pink nerdy reading glasses and  a pink laptop (maybe just a hair larger than my netbook) that (don’t say I didn’t warn you) runs Linux.   Yes, Mattel has certainly done their homework.  Obviously gleaning clues from whatever Nerdery they visited, they’ve outfitted Barbie in a cramped cubicle (replete with a picture of Ken) and a fashionable ensemble completely out of step with the togs that your average and sundry computer software engineer  sports these days.  But while Barbie’s ensemble IS fashion forward, she continues to pay homage to the Geek:  her blouse sports binary code all over it.

Sporting binary code fashion and To Die For reading glasses, Geek Barbie's laptop runs Linux. Photo by BBC News Magazine

Computer Software Engineer Barbie is Barbie’s 126^th Career Choice.  This was the Most Popular Career Choice voted in by all kinds of moms, grandmoms and who knows who else.  But.   Mattel does collect demographic information because the Girls’ Most Popular Career Choice?  TV News Anchor Barbie which is the 125^th Career Choice.   Which one will you get for your daughter?

[First photo courtesy of Engadget.com]

Filed in categories: Geek Toys, Kid Gadgets, News

Tagged: Barbie, Spotlight Gadgets, Toy

Barbie Goes Geek originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on February 16, 2010 at 12:24 pm.

Did you collect bugs as a kid? I remember doing an exhibit for the 4H fair one year where I collected various local bugs. Catching them was fun, but I found the whole killjar thing a bit distasteful. Even as a kid, I was a tree hugger… or would that be bug hugger? HEXBUG Nanos are cute little battery operated robotic creatures that behave like bugs, but you don’t have to worry about them stinging you. You can buy your own nano for $9.99

Filed in categories: Kid Gadgets, News

Tagged: Spotlight Gadgets, Toy

Why go outside to collect bugs when you can buy a HEXBUG Nano instead? originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on January 29, 2010 at 10:32 am.

Originally one of ThinkGeek‘s annual April Fool’s product pranks, this “sleeping gag” was turned into a real product and is fully LucasFilm-licensed.  You’ll sleep safe and snug like an injured and delirious Jedi Knight while stuffed into this simulated carcass.  Featuring a built-in embroidered tauntaun head pillow, protruding leg, arm and tail, plush lightsaber zipper pull (for slicing in and out), and arguably the best feature…printed intestines pattern on the inside.  It is 100% machine-washable polyester and one-size-fits-all 33 in x 67 in, so everyone from crusty old Jedi Masters down to wee youngling Padawans can enjoy it.  Available at ThinkGeek for $99.99.  Hoth Rebel trooper gear sold separately of course.

Filed in categories: Geek Toys, Kid Gadgets, News

Tagged: Star Wars, Toy

Your Tauntaun May Freeze, But You’ll Stay Toasty originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on January 13, 2010 at 10:34 pm.

Don’t show these Topobo sets to your kids. They will want a set for Christmas and you won’t be able to afford them. You might be able to afford a starter kit, but their 1000 piece kit will run you $4,999.00. Yowch! That’s the price you have to pay for a construction set that can remember and play back movements that you teach your creations. Build a dog and teach him to walk. Build a robot and teach him to dance. Build a man and teach him to fish and he’ll never be hungry again. Oops, wrong article.

Filed in categories: Geek Toys, News, Reviews

Tagged: Toy

Construction Toy with Kinetic Memory – Topobo originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on November 28, 2009 at 10:56 pm.

First of all– whoa– these are some horrifying  looking little  monsters toys.  The Huru Humi clan feature digital faces, a speaker built into the chest, and since they are marketed towards girls they of course must have interchangeable bodies/clothing and hair.  In a functionality they seem part tamagotchi and part neopet- you talk to them and they talk back (saying what, I’m not sure, but they’re loaded with 45 minutes of speech) and, in a feature that can’t possibly be irritating, will also talk to each other.   Each has its own voice, personality, and online game world to unlock.  There are eight currently in the series (seven females, one male) with more looming on the horizon.  $12.99-$29.99 on Amazon.

Filed in categories: Kid Gadgets

Tagged: doll, Toy

Huru Humi Heidi and Friends originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on September 3, 2009 at 6:03 pm.

How would you like a robotic bug that can react to sound and light? I hate bugs, but I’d take a HEXBUG any day. Diamonds are a girl’s best friend, but you give her a crab and she will remember you forever

Filed in categories: Uncategorized

Tagged: Robot, Spotlight Gadgets, Toy

Spotlight Gadget – HEXBUG originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on February 4, 2009 at 6:49 am.

Over the years, I’ve had the opportunity to play with all sorts of R/C (remote controlled) cars,planes and helicopters. I’ve even flown an
R/C UFO. But until now, I’d never controlled
an R/C submarine. But now I can say that I have, because Trend Times Toys sent me the Sub-Sonic XP R/C Submarine to review.

Package Contents

Sub-Sonic XP Sub
Controller
Charger
Instructions

The submarine is made surprisingly well. The plastic is thick and feels like it can take a lot of abuse. A small on/off power switch is located on top of the sub.

The sub has 3 different rotating blades. Two of them are in the tail section of the sub, pointing towards the back. Another rotor is located in the center.

On the bottom of the sub there is a two prong power connector that is protected by a flexible plastic cap. To charge the sub, you just lift that protective cap and plug the sub into the charging base.

The charging base is powered by 3 AA batteries (not included).

What I like about the charging base is that you just press the sub into the base and it will immediately start charging the sub’s batteries. You don’t have to flip any switches
on the base for this to occur.

Charging takes about 3 minutes. When completed, the two Red LEDs on the charging base will turn off to signal that it is ready to go. A full charge will give you 3 minutes of play.

Controlling the sub is done with the hand held remote. This remote is powered by one 9V battery (not included). The controller reminds me of an Xbox controller as it has shoulder buttons, Left and Right thumb style joysticks and two other buttons that control lights and the center rotor. There is also a channel selector if you have more than one sub.

I guess you could compare controlling the sub with flying an RC plane. You can steer Left and Right, as well as diving down and surfacing. I wouldn’t be lying if I told you that it takes some practice. I actually didn’t have an optimal way to review the sub as most people’s pools are already covered for the season. My bathtub was the biggest body of water that I could come up with, so that is what I used. If you’ve played with other RC toys in the past, this sub is a nice change of pace. I’m guessing kids might be tempted to take more baths if they had a toy such as this one to take into the tub with them ;o) The Sub-Sonic XP is a fun RC submarine that kids and grownups alike will enjoy.

Filed in categories: Geek Toys

Tagged: RC Toy, Toy

Remote Controlled Sub-Sonic XP Submarine Review originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on October 27, 2008 at 6:00 pm.

There are all kinds of small RC flying toys on the market these days. We’ve reviewed our share of them here on the Gadgeteer. They are fun to play with, but I really am not very good at flying them. If I take one outdoors, it ends up on the roof. If I fly indoors, I tend to crash them into walls, people’s heads, etc. Some people can fly RC toys and some can’t. If you find yourself in the same group as me, then you’ll love the Intelli UFO from Trend Times Toys. Anyone can fly this one!

Package Contents

UFO
Controller
Charger / battery pack

The Intelli UFO is really more of a helicopter than a true flying saucer, as it has three sets of rotors. There are two sets of blades that are connected to the top of the saucer and then the little feet on the bottom are actually another set of blades that will rotate while flying.

The saucer is really small, about the size of a 25 cent gumball, or the diameter of a quarter. It’s made of plastic and has a small connector for the charger and a small power switch built into its base.

To fly the UFO, you first have to charge its internal batteries. You do this with the large plastic battery pack. Hmm, it just occurred to me that the design on the top of the battery pack might be a landing pad.

This battery pack requires 8 (yes, I said AA batteries. My suggestion is to use rechargeable batteries. Once the batteries are loaded, you plug the small connector into the matching socket on the UFO and turn the power switch on the charger pack to ON. Both the Green charge LED and Red Power LED will light up. When charging is completed (approximately 20-30 minutes), the Green light will go off, to signal that the batteries in the UFO have been charged.

Like all RC toys, some type of controller has to be used. The one for the UFO is the smallest RC controller I’ve ever seen. It’s powered by 3 AG13 button cell batteries (included) and is about the size of a lighter at 2.5 inches long. On the top are two buttons to control the LEDs on the UFO, a power indicator LED and the throttle. On the side is the controller power switch. As you will notice, there aren’t any steering controls, just a simple throttle.

To fly the Intelli UFO, you unhook it from the charger, flip the little power switch to On and flip the power switch on the controller to On.

When you flip the power switch on the UFO, some LEDs will light up. You can then either set the UFO on a flat surface, or hold the body between your thumb and index finger and use your other hand to slide the throttle on the controller to start spinning the blades. I think it’s easier to hold the UFO and drop it while the blades are spinning. It will then hover or fly higher depending on how far you slide the throttle. If you’re flying indoors, you’ll have to be careful not to crash into the ceiling. If it goes too high, just ease back on the throttle. Doing so, will cause the saucer to start descending. Slide the throttle back up and it will cause the UFO to ascend. Since you can’t steer the UFO in any direction besides up and down, it’s sort of like playing with an RC yo-yo.

On a full charge, you can fly the UFO for about 5-6 minutes. You’ll know when the batteries are getting too weak, when the UFO won’t fly more than an inch or so off the floor.

The row of LEDs in the body of the UFO create an interesting pattern as it spins in flight. If this bugs you, you can turn them off with the switch on the controller.

The Intelli UFO is as simple an RC flying toy as you can probably get. You don’t have to worry about pitch, trim or steering. You just have one simple throttle to increase or decrease height. My only complaints are that it might be priced a bit high for what it can actually do, and then the fact that the battery charger requires 8 batteries… If you can get past those two things, this is a great toy for people with less than stellar RC flying skills.

Right now Trend Times Toys is running a special promotional price of 19.95 each when buying 3 or more UFOs.

the UFOs.

Filed in categories: Geek Toys

Tagged: RC Toy, Toy

Remote Controlled Intelli UFO Review originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on October 27, 2008 at 7:30 am.

I’ve loved playing with magnets since I was a kid. I remember that anytime something in the house would break that might have a motor in it, I would snatch it out of the trash, dismantle it and retrieve the magnets from the motor. I even had a little metal fishing tackle box with tools and scavenged magnets that I kept under my bed. I was an odd child. ) Now that I’m an adult, I’m still odd and I still love  magnets. That’s why I was really excited to be able to review two magnetic puzzle sets. One from NeoCube and one from CyberCube.

CyberCube

The CyberCube is made of 216, 6mm, Neodymium spherical magnets otherwise known as rare earth magnets.

It comes packaged in a simple but nice presentation box in the shape of a 6×6 cube. Unlucky for me, the CyberCube was shipped to my day job and when my boss saw it, he took it out of the box and wrecked the cube shape. At the time, I didn’t know how to get it back into that shape. I actually had to email the company and ask for directions so that I could take the image that you see above. )

Each magnet is about the size of a BB. These magnets are extremely strong and it takes a bit of effort to detach one from the group. Often, when you pull one magnet, you come away with a whole string. In a weird way, it almost makes the group of magnets feel like one living thing.

What’s the purpose of these magnet sets? There isn’t one really… It’s a fidget object. Something to keep your hands and mind busy when you’re bored or need a break from some other task. You can make all sorts of shapes. Above you see a cube in process.

Impressive huh? The videos on  the CyberCube site make this lowly cube look like nothing.

If you set this on your desk at work, people won’t be able to help themselves and will have to pick it up. It’s as if it were a magnet. Sorry, couldn’t resist ;o)

Price: $39.99

NeoCube

NeoCube is another magnet set that uses rare earth magnets. It doesn’t come in a nice box like the CyberCube, but you do get a few extra magnets just in case you lose a few. While CyberCube only sells one set of magnets, NeoCube has a 6×6 cube set (216 magnets) which they call the NeoCube Alpha set and a NeoCube Mini set, that can create a 3×3 cube (27 magnets). You can also buy both sets together if you’re a complete magnet maniac.

Besides the difference in the the number of magnets per set, the only other difference between the NeoCube and CyberCube is the size of each magnet. The NeoCube magnets are smaller.

I didn’t have a set of calipers handy to measure the exact size, but here you see the CyberCube 6×6 cube on the Left and the NeoCube 6×6 on the right.

The NeoCube magnets perform the same as the CyberCube magnets in that you can create all sorts of shapes with them.

So far the shapes that I try to create are super lame. But both the CyberCube and NeoCube sites have videos with someone showing how to create things. They make it look so easy ;o) It’s really not that easy for me – at least not yet.

Price: Alpha and Mini set $34.95, Alpha set $29.95, Mini set $13.95

Summary

Which set should you buy? The combination Alpha / Mini set from NeoCube is the better buy because you get 35 more magnets than the CuberCube set for a cheaper price. The only issue might be the size of the magnets… the Neo’s are smaller. Heck, buy a set from both company’s and then go wild and stick them altogether! Regardless as to which set you might choose, they will keep you entertained for hours and make a great gift for your favorite geek. Anyone else out there have a “thing” for magnets?

Filed in categories: Geek Toys

Tagged: magnets, Puzzle, Toy

NeoCube and CyberCube Neodymium Magnet Sets Review originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on October 16, 2008 at 9:00 am.

This week’s video quick look review comes from the Gadgeteer Kid. He takes a look at the Rechargeable Desktop Mini R/C Ferrari FXX Enzo car from Brando’s Toy Shop.

Features

The Mini RC Ferrari FXX Enzo is officially licensed by Ferrari
Scale 1/43
Effective Control Distance is about 10M
Full Function Remote Controller (6 Ways Controls)
Fast Charging Station (3 Minutes Fast Charging)
HxWxD(approx.): 25mm x 30mm x 65mm
Required 6 AA batteries (not included)

Filed in categories: Geek Toys, Video Reviews

Tagged: RC Toy, Toy

The Gadgeteer Kid’s Video Quick Look at the Mini R/C Ferrari FXX Enzo Set from Brando originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on October 14, 2008 at 8:45 pm.

Last year at this time, I reviewed my very first RC helicopter. It was the PicooZ from HobbyTron. I guess it’s only fitting that almost one year later, that I review a step up from the PiccoZ; today I’m going tell you about the Hornet 3.

Features

15 Step Digital Proportional Controls
Tail Rotor Trim Dial (persists through power down)
EPP Foam CP2 ‘Crash Proof’ Design
Hi-Capacity Li-Poly Battery (7-9 min fly times)
Charges From the Controller
3 Flight Modes (hover, pilot, attack)

Package Contents

Hornet 3 Mini RC Helicopter
Controller
Advanced Tuning Guide
Tool Set
Customizable Decals

Very similar in size, shape and design, the Hornet 3 does have some nice upgrades that make it a great choice of RC toy for those of you that have small spaces to fly in. This is an indoors only RC helicopter. You can ‘try’ to fly it outside, but any slight breeze will play havoc with controlling it.

The Hornet 3 has a more realistic shape than the PicooZ. It’s made of EPP foam, which is dense, but very light weight and crash resistant. Even though this helicopter feels very fragile, it can take quite a bit of abuse and not be any worse for wear.

As you can see in the image above, the Hornet 3 has landing gear instead of foam fins. This is a nice improvement over the PicooZ as it allows you to land more easily.

A nice handheld controller is included with the helicopter. This controller is powered by 6 AA batteries which are not included. The controller has thumb controls for lift up/down and turn left/right. There is also a trim dial that you can use to adjust the rotation of helicopter while flying. For the most part you do not want it to rotate at all. You want it to remain steady as you lift up and down and turn left and right.

The battery in the helicopter has to be charged before you can fly it. This is done by plugging it into the handheld controller. There is a charging cable hidden in a compartment that is accessed by a sliding door on the top of the controller.

The cable plugs into the bottom of the helicopter, next to the power switch. Charging takes approximately 10 minutes, which will yield you about 7-9 minutes of flight time.

You might also notice the vertical lines on the belly of the helicopter. This are the indicators for adding the included stick-on weights. These weights let you change the way the helicopter flies. There are three ‘modes’… Hover, Pilot and Attack. The instructions really don’t explain what the differences are between the modes. I gave each one a try and found that when the weight is the attack position, the helicopter flies with it’s nose pointed down just a bit. In the pilot position, the weight allows you to navigate easier. And in the hover position, the weight let’s you more easily — hover. Who would have guessed ;o)

Of all the RC flying toys that I’ve reviewed thus far, I would have to say that the Hornet 3 is the easiest to control and is the most fun to fly.

Filed in categories: Geek Toys

Tagged: RC Toy, Toy

HobbyTron Hornet 3 Series Mini RC Helicopter originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on December 4, 2007 at 12:50 pm.

Here’s another indoor remote controlled airplane for those of you that have problems controlling RC helicopters. This is the Aero Soarer from Takara Tomy. Brando sent one over for me to tear up. I mean play with. )

The Aero Soarer is very similar in design to the Silverlit Palm-Z RC airplane that I just reviewed.

Package Contents

Aero Soarer plane
Handheld remote
Wall hanger
Instructions

The Aero Soarer is made of very light styrofoam material. It’s flimsier than the material used for the Palm-Z. The Aero has just one wing, whereas the Palm-Z is a bi-plane.

The plane is powered by a rechargeable battery that is located in the mid-section of the plane.

Here you see the propeller and tail rudder.

Controlling and charging the plane is done through the small handheld remote control. This remote is powered by 3 AA batteries that are not included. There is a throttle and Left / Right buttons.

To charge the plane’s battery, you connect it into the slot on the top of the remote.

It takes a firm press to seat the battery contacts into the connector. Everytime I connected it, I was afraid I might accidently snap the body of the plane. Once the plane is connected, you just flip the switch on the remote to Charge. The Red LED will blink while the battery is charging and will turn off when complete. The plane will also beep to signal that charging is completed. The charging operation is very quick. It takes only a couple of minutes.

To fly the Aero Soarer, you just flip the power switch on the remote to On, slide the throttle up so that the propeller on the plane is twirling and then give the plane a little toss to start it flying. At this point, I’ll say that the Aero Soarer is a little easier to fly than the Palm-Z. But, it runs out of spizz way too quickly. It seems like you can get some good height for about 30 seconds or so and from then until the battery dies, you can’t get the plane to climb more than a foot or two off the floor. Per charge you can probably expect to fly the plane for maybe 5 minutes. That includes all the time that it takes to run after it after it’s crashed too.

The Aero Soarer is fun to play with, but if you want a little RC plane like this one, I’d recommend the Palm-Z instead. It’s not as fragile and flies longer and higher per charge.

Filed in categories: Geek Toys

Tagged: RC Toy, Toy

Takara Tomy Aero Soarer RC Airplane originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on October 29, 2007 at 7:56 pm.

In the past 12 months, HobbyTron has
sent me several RC helicopters to review, but today I’m going to tell you about
something a little different. HobbyTron has a new offering; the Silverlit Palm-Z
RC airplane. Silverlit is the same
company that created the tiny PicooZ helicopter.

Package Contents

Palm-Z Mini Plane
2 Channel Infrared Control
3.7V Li-Poly Rechargeable Battery Pack in Plane
Wall Hook
Instructions

The only items not included with this kit are four AA batteries to power the
handheld remote control.

The Palm-Z airplane is made of
EPP Foam. I’m not sure what the differences are between EPP foam and regular
styrofoam, but like styrofoam, the Palm-Z is very light weight and fragile
feeling. It’s really stronger than what you would think though. I’ve been having a lot of fun with
this little plane and have crashed it numerous times without any breakages so
far (fingers crossed).

The Palm-Z is small. It has a wingspan of only 8 inches. This will allow you to
fly it in small rooms without difficulty. The most fragile part of the plane in
my opinion is the small tail rudder piece. It’s made of the thinnest material. I guess that’s the reason why an extra one is included with this plane.

As you can see in the image above, there is a small propeller located behind the
top wing. This propeller is powered by a very small Li-Poly rechargeable battery
pack that is located in the body of the plane. Recharging of the battery is done
through the handheld remote control.

The remote has several controls, including a throttle slider, Left / Right
steering slider, trim control, power / charging toggle switch, and channel
switch. LEDs indicate charging and power on status.

If you look at the top of the remote control, you’ll see a small socket. You can
plug an IR booster pack into this socket, which will give you more range between
the controller and the plane. As is, the controller has a range of approximately
15 feet.

The remote control requires 4 AA Alkaline batteries (not included) to power the
controller and charge the battery in the plane. To charge the plane, you plug
the plane’s connector into the top of the controller and turn the switch to
Charge.

The charging light will glow Green while the battery is charging, and will
turn off once the charge is complete. Charge time is about ten to twelve minutes
and will give you flight times of up to seven minutes.

To fly the Palm-Z, you flip the switch on the bottom of the plane to the On position and push the throttle up on the handheld remote. The propeller on the plane will turn and you can then give the plane a gentle toss like you would a paper airplane and away she’ll go. It takes a bit of practice before you’ll be able to make turns and landings, but flying this plane isn’t very difficult at all. Since this plane is relatively fragile in construction, it’s probably better suited for older kids and adults. That said, it makes a wonderful play thing for rainy days or any day for that matter.

Filed in categories: Geek Toys

Tagged: RC Toy, Toy

Silverlit Palm-Z Mini RC Indoor Airplane originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on October 29, 2007 at 7:15 pm.

HobbyTron sells a lot of really cool RC flying and driving toys. They recently sent me the BladeRunner II. I was really surprised that they would trust me with another RC helicopter as I had totally destroyed the AH-64 Apache helicopter that they had sent me earlier in the year. After I had tried it, I was convinced that RC copters were just too hard to control. I’m happy to report that this is not the case with the Bladerunner II.

The Bladerunner is a medium sized helicopter. Not tiny like the PicooZ that I reviewed last year.

Package Contents

Bladerunner II helicopter
Handheld remote
Antenna for the remote
AC adapter
Instructions

The only thing not included is a 9V battery to power the remote.

The body of the Bladerunner is constructed of painted styrofoam. This makes the copter very light weight. It’s important to note that the Bladerunner is an indoors ONLY RC toy. It’s too light to fly outdoors, even if it isn’t windy.

The co-axial rotor design of this copter is the secret to its stability. If you’ve ever tried to fly an RC helicopter, you’ll probably agree that it’s very hard to control it. Not so with the Bladerunner.

The remote control has two functions. The most obvious function is to control the helicopter during the flight. This is accomplished by using two thumb activated control knobs. The Left controller causes the helicopter to lift up and down, while the Right controller changes the direction while the copter is in flight. There is also a trim control knob that you can use to fine tune how the copter handles. The other function of the remote is to charge the battery in the copter.

A small door on the back of the controller covers a storage compartment that houses the charger cable. To charge the copter, you connect the included AC adapter to the remote and the cable to the bottom of the copter.

In the image above, you can see where to connect the charger cable. Be sure that the copter is not turned on when you are trying to charge it. It typically takes about 75 minutes to completely charge the battery; each full charge will allow you to fly for approximately 15 minutes. Luckily, you do not have to wait that long for your first flight as the copter comes charged and ready to go. Just install a 9V battery (not included) into the remote control, flip the switch on the bottom of the copter and on the remote and you’re all set.

Flying the Bladerunner is a lot of fun! It’s not difficult to master like other RC helicopters that I’ve tried in the past. In less than 15 minutes or so, I was able to lift off and fly forwards and backwards without crashing it into a wall or the ceiling. That might not sound very impressive, but I was pretty proud of myself nonetheless! ) If you’re looking for a remote controlled helicopter that is easy to fly, this one is an excellent choice.

Filed in categories: Geek Toys

Tagged: RC Toy, Toy

Bladerunner II RC Helicopter originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on October 29, 2007 at 10:15 am.

If you’re a fan of tiny RC (remote controlled) race cars, you’ll have a blast with the Q-Steer from Takara Tomy. Brando sent me the Mazda RX-8 version. He carries several car types including a Hummer, Subaru, Nissan and Toyota.

Always popular, these little race cars are great for both the home and office.

The Q-Steer comes with an instruction sheet (includes English instructions), a small remote control and the car.

Each car is only about 2 inches long by 1 inch tall. Yes, they are very tiny. But that means you won’t need much space in order to play with them.

Unlike some of the other miniature RC race cars that I’ve reviewed here in the past, the Q-Steer does not need to be charged before racing. It actually houses 2 coin cell batteries in its base. Two LR44 cells are used in both the car and the mini hand held remote. Brando offers a package with an extra set of batteries for an additional $2.40. These batteries aren’t very expensive, I’ve seen 10 packs on various online sites for less than $7.00.

The handheld Infrared remote is 2 x 1.5 inches. It has a forward and backwards direction button, as well as a left and right steering button. There is also a channel selector switch that you can set if you happen to be racing more than one car. More about that in a minute.

There’s a button next to the IR lens on the top of the remote. When you press it while driving the car, it gives it a little boost in speed.

On the bottom edge of the remote is a pop-out tool that you can use to set the channel on the car.

If you look between the bottom front and back tires, you’ll see what looks like a small slot screw head. This is the channel selector. My little Mazda Q-Steer can be set to either C or D channel. Other cars can be set to A or B channels. This way, you can race several people without having your remote interfere with theirs.

If you look between the top front and back tires, you’ll see a little lever. This is the On/Off switch for the car. This is a really tiny switch, which you can use the tool on the remote to flip (if your fingernails don’t work for you). Once you flip it to the on position, you’re ready to race it. Find a nice flat surface like a hard tile or wood floor. Carpet won’t work well as the fibers will wind around the axels and cause the car to slow down.

The Q-Steer isn’t as fast as some of the RC cars that I’ve reviewed, but it is easy to steer and a lot of fun to play around with. It’s also great for terrorizing your cat! ;o) This little car would make a fun gift for any kid or those of us that will always be young at heart.

Filed in categories: Geek Toys

Tagged: RC Toy, Toy

Takara Tomy Q-Steer RC Race Car originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on October 29, 2007 at 8:00 am.

Did you ever want a drum kit when you were a kid, but your parents vetoed the idea because you didn’t have the space and they didn’t want to deal with all of the crash boom bangs? What about now, do you still fancy yourself as the next Larry Mullen Jr. of U2? If so, I have a nifty little electronic drum pad from Dream Cheeky that just might start you down the path of stardom. Or not…

When Brando asked if I might like to review a roll-up drum kit, I had to think about it for a bit. I’d never really had the ambition to learn to play drums. But I thought what the heck, I’d give it a shot.

The kit basically consists of two plastic drum sticks (not standard size), a Windows software CD and the pad. The pad is a black rubber mat with six white playing areas (for snare, kick, plus 2 toms). The mat is flexible and can be rolled up for storage if desired. FYI: it sorta smells like an old tire. It is nice and compact though, so you will have no problems finding space on your desk for this kit.

Click to see full size image

On its own, this kit won’t do anything when you plug the attached USB cable into your computer (yay, no batteries needed!). You have to first install the application which is included on the CD. Unfortunately, this software is only for Windows users…

The software is very simple, but does have the following features:

3-level learning feature
Play along option
Record/playback and program option
Tone: 6 Levels and Default of (-3 to +3)
Tempo 40-208 Bpm
50 Percussion Sounds
20 Preprogrammed percussion sets
100 Preprogrammed beats

You can choose from various drum samples (Jazz, Rock, Latin, Africa, Waltzes, Country and Electron), so that the sounds that come from the pads when you hit them change according to the style of music chosen.

The learning mode is reminiscent of the Guitar Hero game. Music plays, while colored bars descend down the screen above the pads that need to be hit with the stick. Let’s just say that playing drums is way harder (for me) than guitar! ;o)

You can use your mouse to press the onscreen pads if you like, but it doesn’t work near as well as using the plastic drum sticks.

You can even record your beats and save them as a .WAV file. Here’s an example of my next Top 40 hit. Click to listen…

Drum Test (156k .WAV file)

What do you think? Yeah I know, don’t quit my day job(s) right? ;o)

The Roll-Up Drum Kit is not a professional instrument, but it is easy to use and kinda fun. If you ever wanted to be a drummer, try one of these before you plunk down $100′s for the real thing. Your parents, significant other and neighbors will be happy that you did.

Filed in categories: Geek Toys, Musical Gear

Tagged: Toy

Dream Cheeky USB Roll-Up Drum Kit originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on August 8, 2007 at 11:30 am.

Here are 2 products from B2′s mi Jam series of sound making toys:

mi Jam Guitar

Are you a wannabe guitar god that can’t even play a C chord to save your life? Or do you have a child that keeps touching your shiny new Fender Strat with their little peanut butter and jelly encrusted fingers? Then I have an inexpensive ‘guitar’ for you or them to check out. It’s the mi Jam Guitar from B2.

Ok, before you get all oooh and ahhhy, the mi Jam guitar is not a real guitar by any stretch of the imagination. It doesn’t even have strings. It’s pretty much identical to the small game controllers used for the Guitar Hero games on the PlayStation and Xbox.

Just like those controllers, this little (22 inch long) plastic guitar has 4 buttons on the neck instead of actual strings, and a strum bar.

Before you can play music for all of your adoring fans, you have to open the battery compartment on the back and insert 4 AA batteries that they didn’t see fit to include with the device. The instructions say not to use rechargeable batteries… not sure why though as they worked just fine when I disregarded the instructions and installed them in the back of the guitar.

After the batteries are installed, just flip the On/Off switch on the side to On, plug in a set of headphones and get to wailing. Well wait a minute, there is something else you should know about this product. You can actually use it play along with songs on your iPod or other audio device. You’ll notice that there is a cable with a 3.5mm stereo connector sticking out of the guitar body. Just plug this connector into the earphone jack of your audio player, queue up a song and then start playing. Both the guitar music and audio player music will be heard through your earphones.

Besides the On/Off switch, we also have a volume control knob, pitch control knob and a tempo control knob on the face of the guitar. The function of the volume knob should be self explanatory, while the other two knobs help you match the pitch and tempo of the music coming out of the guitar to that of the music coming out of the attached iPod.

There are two other buttons on the face of the guitar. One is labeled ‘Effects’ and when pressed, it cycles through 4 different music styles: Heavy Metal, Rock, Blues and Bass. The other button is disguised as a whammy bar. When you press or wiggle it, it changes the pitch of the sound to mimic a real whammy bar.

There is also a rhythm switch that you can use to toggle the background drum tracks.

When you press one of the buttons on the neck, you’ll hear a chord strum sound when you move the strum bar down, and you’ll hear a progression of notes if you move the strum bar up. The trick is to mix and match these two actions to make a ‘song’. Each effects style has different chord and note sounds associated to them.

I recorded all the different sounds the mi Jam Guitar can produce and saved it as a 4.9mb .MP3 file. You can listen to it here.

When the guitar is powered on, it has pretty Blue and Green LEDs. You can ooh and ahh now if you like.

Looks more like a ukulele than a guitar doesn’t it? You can’t expect too much from something that is made of plastic and costs less than $40. 8-10yr. olds will probably have fun with it and at least it has a head phone jack so that you don’t have to listen to all the noise they’ll be making ;o) I actually had fun playing around with this product. It doesn’t take much to entertain me though.

mi Jam Mini Mixer

Guitar not your thing? Well B2 has other noise makers that you / your kids might like better. The Mini Mix is another such device.

Like the guitar, this little device will allow you to play along with music on your iPod (or other audio devices with an audio out / earphone jack) or just play with it by itself.

It’s a small plastic oval shaped device that runs on 2 AA batteries (included). The top surface is a touch panel…

… that lights up when powered on.

Flip the Mini Mix over and you’ll see that it has a 3.5mm stereo cable stowed in the shell. Use this cable to connect your iPod if you wish to play along with your favorite tunes.

On the side there is an earphone jack and the On/Off switch. The Mini Mix also comes with a small round external speaker that is used for the demo mode while it’s in the store. But you can leave it attached and play the miJam sound effects through it if you like.

Here’s how it works. Turn it on and press the Beat button to select one of three background drum beat rhythms. The Digi Fx button will play one of 2 digital effects noises and the voice and scratch buttons will change the noises that occur when you rub your fingers on the effects discs. It’s supposed to simulate mixing and scratching records I guess. In reality this doesn’t work very well at all and the mixing sounds that this device generates can get annoying (I like the background beats, but that’s about all I like). If you get this for your kids, hide the little round external speaker. Trust me! ;o)

I recorded all the different sounds the mi Jam Mini Mix can produce and saved it as a 2.3mb .MP3 file. You can listen to it here.

The mi Jam Mini Mix costs less than $20 and is available through Amazon.com, Target, Best Buy and other retail stores. I didn’t find it to be all that fun, but maybe an 8yr.. old would love it.

Filed in categories: Musical Gear

Tagged: Instrument, Toy

mi Jam Guitar and Mini Mixer originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on July 11, 2007 at 5:35 pm.