Kids love playing, and so do adults but the latter tend to find less and less time due to a whole host of other commitments. The SmarteBear range of children’s playthings are capable of reading stories, playing games and keeping your little one entertained by even singing songs - all these can be accessed at the press of a paw. I guess this is one toy that you ought to bring during those long road trips in order to avoid the traditional kid question, “Are we there yet?”. The SmarteBear range is also multi-lingual, so it would be great to pick up some Francais as well for both parent and child. This nifty little toy retails for $80 and above, depending on the type of add-ons you choose (sounds like some fast food joint to me).

 Product Page via Red Ferret

Popularity: 31% [?]

For a flashy yet useful GPS system you need to look at the Dash Express.  Utilizing neat plug-ins like MyDash, allows you to customize your experience with the GPS system so that you get what you need at your fingertips.

With two-way connectivity, Dash taps into Yahoo! Local search, among other choices, and allows you to find the location of almost anything.  Most GPS systems come pre-loaded with static locations marked up but you can customize what you are looking for with this setup.

Dash Express also will work to get all the information off the Dash Driver Network and match it up with other sources of data to give you the most up-to-date and accurate feel for what’s coming up ahead as you drive.  Traffic conditions can rapidly change and the Dash will let you know quickly so you can re-route.

This also has a neat feature called Send2Car that allows you or someone you contact to send an address straight to your Dash from any computer.  Two-way connectivity certainly makes this product stand out from the rest.

Technorati Tags: gps,gadget review,dash express

Popularity: 39% [?]

This week has been a very significant one in the format wars as news came from Toshiba that it will stop making HD-DVD players and devices. This means the format war between Blu-ray and HD-DVD is pretty much over, and Blu-ray has been declared the winner. Thank goodness because as you all know high-definition televisions and players will be big sellers this year as we get closer to the DTV transition and the last thing we need is a format war. Now we can focus on buying our Blu-ray discs and players without much worry. But what about those of you who already chose HD-DVD players and bought a bunch of $30 DVDs? Unfortunately, if you bought an HD-DVD player in the last week, you might be out of luck as Toshiba issued a statement saying they wouldn’t be giving any refunds or sweeteners to HD-DVD buyers according to  SMH Australia.“They [customers] understood that there were two competing formats and understood that one of them would probably prevail … so they made the decision to go with HD DVD.”

Hey but at least you can round out your movie collection by buying HD DVD movies for half the price over at  Amazon who’s trying to get rid of them for a low price. The question is would you want to. Prices of Blu-ray players have actually gone up as Ben Patterson notes on
  his post here. He says the Sony BDP-S300 has a $399 compared to the $299 price it had a few months ago, and the Samsung BD-P1400 is also $399 compared to the $270 price it had in December. Obviously, you’re in good shape if you have a Playstation 3, but if you don’t, you might want to hold off on buying that high-definition player until prices go down.  Do tell us where you stand?

Popularity: 44% [?]

Kids have it great these days with tons and tons of different toys to capture their imagination. All I had back then was some scraps of paper and a pencil, the rest was up to me. I know I would’ve died to own a KOTA - a soft walking triceratops dinosaur where tiny tots will be able to ride ala Turok. The manufacturer, Playskool, claim that the KOTA makes authentic dinosaur roars - no idea how they figured that out. KOTA will react to eleven areas on its body, and it ambles along while playing jungle songs and adventure-themed tunes at the flick of a button. Apparently the KOTA will snack on leafy greens as well if you give it, but don’t worry about its digestive system as the only waste it produces are half a dozen D batteries required to power it. The KOTA will be made available this fall for $300 a pop.

Source: Coolest Gadgets

Popularity: 25% [?]

Talk about a hilariously named product - the Air Poo. This wacky porcelain throne might be a concept or not, but it sure as heck takes the cake when it comes to functionality. The Air Poo comes with a MacBook Air dock, a heated seat for those cold winters, a multi-touch flusher, an iPod dock for you to rock on to your favorite tunes while trying to lay a few logs, and an integrated surround sound system so that folks won’t be able to listen to your diarrhea symphony after last night’s dinner at Aunt Ethel’s place. There is also an integrated 802.11n wireless router to help you check up on your email even during the most constipated of moments.

Source: Gearlog

Popularity: 42% [?]

As if recycling isn’t easy enough (seriously, how much trouble does it take for you to sort out where you trash goes to?), designer Woo Seok Park hopes to simplify things even further with his concept recycling bins. Despite the use of easy-to-understand logos to make recycling a whole lot easier found on the majority of our trash, we still tend to mistake some of them and place them in the wrong recycling bin. This concept features a bin for individual recyclable material, where all you need to do is swipe the dubious item in question (tin or paper?) and the bin where its lid opens indicates where your trash ought to go. No idea on how it is going to be implemented though.

Concept Page

Popularity: 42% [?]

I envy the Japanese as they always get the best and coolest stuff first before the rest of the world, and sometimes those of us living across the Pacific also never get to see these hit our shores. Sony’s XDV-D500 portable TV could be yet another one, recently released and is capable of supporting 1-Seg recording for up to 10 hours. You get a mobile BRAVIA engine for enhanced TV picture on its 3″ 432 x 240 resolution display. Choose from two colors - white and black. The Sony XDV-D500 is tipped to be released on April 10th this year for approximately $355 after conversion.

Source: AVing

Popularity: 37% [?]

OK, so this post might not contain any references to circuitry or electronics, but I’m pretty sure a fair amount of science and hard work was put in to get the Aloha Blooming Tea come out right each time you pour some hot water inside. The tea bloom itself will definitely bring images of a grass hula skirt to anyone who sees it in action, while the white Jasmine belt infuses a rich flavor for those cosy afternoons with your girlfriend. Each bloom costs $3 and there are many other blooms to choose from if the Aloha bloom is not your cup of tea (pun not intended). Looks like a pretty good Valentine’s Day gift idea to me.

Product Site

Popularity: 23% [?]

If things get much too warm (or cold) for your comfort, be it at home or at the office, there is always the C2 Climate Control that will help you out. This nifty little desktop companion features a patented, energy-efficient thermal technology that is capable of delivering either heating or cooling from a single unit. It sips 1.5 amps of AC current, which amounts to 10% of the energy used by a typical space heater. Works best when placed 18″ from the user, the C2 is more than capable of increasing air temperature by 32 degrees while lowering it by eight for those sweltering summers. A touchpad is available for you to control the fan’s direction and speed. Thank heavens for the removable filter - sure beats buying a new C2 each time it clogs up. The C2 Climate Control retails for $280 a pop. Continue Reading

Popularity: 20% [?]

I like the concept design of this printer - it definitely frees up more space on the desk for you to fill it up with other clutter of your choice. Most printers are pretty bulky these days, but this Hanging Printer concept takes the road less traveled by placing the bulk of its components right underneath the desk. The paper feed and print head will be the only parts you see sitting on the desk. Heck, even the case comes with an embedded LCD display to indicate the current printer status. Lovely design - hopefully there’ll be a follow through by a major printer manufacturer. Continue Reading

Popularity: 20% [?]