Today is going to be Modular Construction set day, because I am going to be celebrating the launch of my sixth book, which is about Lego Mindstorms EV3. I'm going to talk about the MOSS Robot Construction System, which, unlike the Mindstorms kits, require no programming. The MOSS Robot Construction Kit appears to be designed for the Minecraft generation, and not for the … [Read more...] about MOSS Robot Construction System
Toys
Tosy DiscoRobo
Some of you might remember last year when I talked about the dancing robots at CES 2013 with Tosy. Man, was I impressed. I dropped by the Tosy booth to discover that the company abandoned the dancing robot, but they do have this, the DiscoRobo. The Tosy Disco Robo uses beat detection technology for music and dance. It has 8 facial expressions for dancing with beatbox, … [Read more...] about Tosy DiscoRobo
Ozobot dazzles at CES 2014
Whenever you attend CES, there tends to be booths with all kinds of cool stuff that try to entice you to learn more. In the case of the Ozobot, it was the cool thing. I knew that I just had to report on the Ozobot when I saw this tiny little robot be trained to follow a dark line. I also knew that I wasn't going to be able to describe it very well, but just imagine a … [Read more...] about Ozobot dazzles at CES 2014
Hasbro presents the Furby Boom, with a special guest reviewer!
I'm sure some of you remember Furby's, as they were the must-have holiday gift back in the late nineties, along with the Tickle Me Elmo of the mid-nineties. After that, I don't know what toy is the must-have. I am assuming that this year's must haves were the Xbox One and the PS4, but Hasbro, makers of Transformers Constructo-Bots and Angry Birds Star Wars toys has the … [Read more...] about Hasbro presents the Furby Boom, with a special guest reviewer!
Moleskin combines Lego with a journal
I suppose that this next product isn't really a gadget per se, but I'm pretty certain I have made many mentions on this blog of my love of all things LEGO. This LEGO notebook from Moleskine is with it to have if you want to journal more for the new year. Moleskine, a company that makes a lot of quality notebooks, planners, and journals, has created a LEGO notebook. This … [Read more...] about Moleskin combines Lego with a journal
Hasbro puts a new spin on Transformers with Construct-Bots
In addition to the Angry Birds Star Wars toys, I also had a chance to review some of the Transformers toys as well. Transformers is one toy that has really been done to death, and I am not talking about the Go Bots. Just when I thought that I had seen everything with the Transformers, along come the Construct-Bots. The Construct-Bots are a new set of Transformers that … [Read more...] about Hasbro puts a new spin on Transformers with Construct-Bots
Hasbro goes all out with Angry Birds Star Wars toys
I suppose that I could have entitled this post with "Hasbro goes to a galaxy far, far away with the Angry Birds Star Wars toys". Get it? It's a Star Wars joke, and...they've been done to death. I had a chance to try out some of the new toys that Hasbro has to tie-in with the major franchise of Angry Birds, which ties in to one of the most popular franchises, ever. Let … [Read more...] about Hasbro goes all out with Angry Birds Star Wars toys
Kinetic Sand is a very cool creation toy
I'm sure that we all have played with stuff like Play-Doh, but this kind of construction toy that is not as messy as that. Yeah, my kids have Play-Doh, but I am not exactly in a rush to take it out. The weirdest thing about this product is it is sand. Actually, it is 90 percent sand, and 2 percent I am not sure. You can see from the video that it comes apart and then … [Read more...] about Kinetic Sand is a very cool creation toy
Sifteo Cubes means Intelligent Play
The Sifteo is one of those products that you really have to see in order to believe, or even just to describe. I will make my best attempt. Imagine three tiny touchscreens that you can put together to create all kinds of games. For example, you can "neighbor" two Sifteos together in order to create an effect of moving from one screen to the other. You can also flip, tilt, … [Read more...] about Sifteo Cubes means Intelligent Play
Leap Frog presents the LeapReader Reading and Writing System
If you are familiar with Leap Frog, then you probably know it as a company that makes education electronic toys, usually with a green and white color scheme. I recently had a chance to try out the LeapReader, which isn't really made for my age group, but for those learning to read. The LeapReader would best be referred to as a smartpen. This isn't one of those pens that … [Read more...] about Leap Frog presents the LeapReader Reading and Writing System
Introducing the Lego Rental System of Pleygo
I think I have seen several sources call Pleygo "the Netflix for LEGO sets", and I guess this is as good of a description as any. I think that the existence of Pleygo shows the typical consumer's use for Lego. That is, most Lego users, who are usually kids, like to open the set, put the model together, and that is about it. It is similar to the way we watch a movie: we … [Read more...] about Introducing the Lego Rental System of Pleygo
LEGO now has Back to the Future models
I don't know if you are familiar with Lego Cuusoo, but it is a site devoted to showing off Lego creations. Some of them get voted on, and become official toys for the number one building block company. Such was the case for the Back To The Future collection, and you can see the iconic time-traveling Delorean from all three movies. It looks like they have three separate … [Read more...] about LEGO now has Back to the Future models
VTech InnoTab 3, for kids!
It seems like we live in an age where parents have tablets, and kids want to play on them more than adults want to work on them. Two weeks ago, Leap Frog unveiled the LeapPad Ultra, and it is a real trend to see tablets targeted for children. VTech, makers of a lot of educational electronic toys, have unveiled the InnoTab 3. It has a 4.3 inch touchscreen display, 2GB of … [Read more...] about VTech InnoTab 3, for kids!
LeapFrog unveils the LeapPad Ultra
I'm sure that most of you have heard of Leap Frog before, and if you haven't, you should note an entire aisle of your local Wal-Mart toy department devoted to it. LeapFrog makes electronic, educational toys that are usually green, which would is befitting their Leap Frog name. They are also kid-tough, which means it can handle little hands and what they can dish out. The … [Read more...] about LeapFrog unveils the LeapPad Ultra
Backpack can transform into a scooter
I always like to see any innovations in transportation, and I will have to say this one created by Gustavo Brenck is very cool. As you can see, it is a foldable kick scooter integrated in a nylon backpack. Now, you might be wondering why in the world someone would make this when you can just wear a backpack and go on a scooter? I'm not certain. Perhaps putting the … [Read more...] about Backpack can transform into a scooter