New Facebook Friends
As if Facebook hasn’t already taken over our lives enough lets add animal cuteness, animal training, and animal voices.
My Desk Friend by arimaz is a small robotic penguin that connects to any computer and combines with your facebook profile to perform actions. Through your profile you can exercise, feed, and play with your “friend”. These actions control your pets mood, which you can read by the changing color of the robot’s eyes. The penguin also alerts you when friends are online, read facebook messages to you, and poke other friends.
The robot itself, other than changing eye color, can also move and interact when you pet it or shake it, or use voice commands. It sounds cool on paper, but I feel like the thing will just end up taking up more desk space than I have. I don’t need anyone to read me facebook messages, reading is one thing I can still do on my own.
New reality technology toy unveiled at Comic-Con
Mattel revealed its new line of toys that use reality technology. The toys will be released in conjunction with a new action-adventure film called Avatar by James Cameron (Dec. 09).
Each action figure, vehicle and creature in the line will come with a 3-D web tag, called an i-Tag which consumers can “scan” with their home computer webcam to access special content onscreen such as biographical information, additional images and animated models of the figures.
Special deluxe figures, vehicles or creatures produce animated 3-D models that will “come alive” through engaging, evading or defending moves. Place two i-TAGs from the “Battle Pack” together and the 3-D images will interact with each other.
According to Fox Licensing V.P. Lora Cohn: “This is going to be a ground-breaking moment for both film and toy with the introduction of one of the most innovative 3-D experiences ever conceived. Mattel has created the perfect complement to a film that is going to wow audiences the world over with its bold new vision.”
Digital Flash Cards?
Reading my local paper last week, I noticed a new toy/tool from Leapfrog to help kids study on the go. It’s called the Crammer Study and Sound System, and it is a digital flash card machine and music player.
Designed for kids ages 8 to 14, the handheld device lets you download flashcards to the device or choose from 16,000 quiz questions to help you study. It also has 1G of memory so you can study along to your own soundtrack of downloaded tunes. You can also buy silicone skins to customize your game.
As a parent you can also keep up with what your kids are learning by connecting the device to the computer and accessing LeapFrog Learning Path, an online tool that lets you see what skill areas your child has downloaded and how much time he or she is spending on each. You can also get email updates and insights into helping your child with his or her learning.
The Crammer has a click-screen and sells for about $60. A $5 off coupon is available if you sign up at Leapfrog.com, and it’s on sale at Amazon for $49.99.
