WowWee Tinker Bell

WowWee's latest stroke of brilliance, the $39.99 FlyTech Tinker Bell. Entirely more rad than that soulless Bladestar,
this here fairy promises to posses that same spirited sassiness as the
Disney character, and the flower wand remote control really caps things
off. She can buzz around and delight guests for 4-minutes on an
18-minute charge, and her "crash-resistant materials prevent her from
getting into mischief." Oh wait, it's appropriate for Earthlings ages 6
years and up? Huzzah!

Article Link (Engadget)

Virginia Tech's IMPASS robot has spokes, but no rims

The bot, with its rimless wheels, is shown dynamically adjusting the
length of each spoke as appropriate to scamper up over obstacles or
cross divots unperturbed. Two motors provide movement while three more
inside the wheels themselves use treads to shift the spokes in and out
based on inputs from laser and IR range finders, ensuring this ride's
height is always precisely calculated.

Article Link (Engadget)

R/C Fin-Fish Blimp

Much like Festo's Air Ray and Airjelly contraptions, this Fin-Fish R/C blimp floats so gracefully through the air that it is liable to hypnotize you at your office desk until quittin' time. There isn't any information on device, but it appears to be an entry in the annual Airship Regatta held in Germany. And, and like the Air Ray, it is probably built with a helium-filled balloon and servo-driven fins.

Article Link (Gizmodo)

Elmo Live

Yesterday marked the arrival of Elmo Live, the rapping, dancing and storytelling animatronic doll
that'll be burning up retail this holiday season, Great Depression or
not. We got one of the little guys, and thoroughly evaluated his MC
skills, jokes and hugging ability. He's a fun little dude, at least for
a short while. Watch this video review before you "decide" to succumb
to the will of your kids and invest whatever cash you still have in
Elmo Live.
Elmo has four touch-sensitive spots—his foot, stomach, back
and nose—and he does different things depending on where you
press. Here's some of the funny things he does when you touch his nose,
such as sneezing and playing the "got your nose" game.

Videos at Gizmodo

Impulse Purchases Most Common at the Grocery Store

* “Shoppers making a ‘quick trip’ to the store to pick up a few specific items usually purchase 54 percent more than they planned.”
* "Forty-seven percent of shoppers go to the store three or four times each week.”
* “Consumers graze at the grocery store, with impulse buys making up between 50.8 and 67.7 percent of total purchase.”

Article Link (Life Hacker)

WowWee's Mr. Personality

As you can see, the bot's a close relative of WowWee's Tri-Bot, with it boasting the notable addition of an LCD screen for a face, which promises to "display his personality with animated and synchronized facial features." The bot also includes an SD card slot than can be used to add additional personalities, plus 64MB of internal memory, a remote control, all the usual sensors and, of course, plenty of fortune and joke-telling features that promise endless hours of fun / annoyance. $300.

Article Link (Engadget)

Hasbro's Kota dinosaur

Playskool's Kota the Triceratops is a robot dinosaur that uses 11 sensors to respond to touch and sound by wiggling its horns, wagging its tail and turning its head. It also plays a few "adventure themed songs." Best of all, it can't stampede or impale anyone; like the animatronic Triceratops in Jurassic Park, Kota can't get up and move around. That won't stop kids from adoring it though. Like Pleo before it, Kota's cuteness overpowers all.

Article Link (Engadget)