I recently had the opportunity to review the mCookie 201 Advanced Kit. The DIY electronics and building kit seemed like the perfect fit for my technology programming class. We built two of the provided projects and learned a lot along the way. The $199 kit provides many opportunities for both building and programming projects. Let’s take a look!
Let me begin this review of the new Xtreem Gravity Pursuit 1080p Video Drone by saying I have never flown a drone before. I am familiar with Swann flying products in the form of miniature RC helicopters but this is my first drone. I flew, I crashed, I flew, I crashed…I FLEW!
Summer is unofficially underway and what better way to have a blast during the heat than with a Nerf water gun battle. New for 2016 is the Super Soaker Squall Surge water blaster that allows for a continuous stream of water up to 35 feet away on one squeeze of the trigger!
The Play n’ Trace eWriter is a fantastic use of Boogie Board’s existing LCD writing technology, now targeting improvement in children’s learning and development. With this transparent eWriter, children can practice writing, drawing shapes, sketching freehand, and more. With the included tracing templates and companion iPad app, there is no end to creativity! Play n’ Trace sells for $29.99.
So many of us, especially as we enter the holiday season, fondly remember our favorite childhood toys – Barbie, G.I. Joe, Tinkertoys, Lincoln Logs, Lite-Brite, Legos, etc. For me it was the View-Master, that handheld plastic stereoscopic viewer that connected me with exotic locations around the globe. Now Mattel has relaunched the View-Master for the modern, high-tech era.
Boogie Board, manufacturers of LCD eWriters that write similar to pen and paper, have announced their latest eWriter innovation, the Play n’ Trace. It’s a see-through eWriter for kids that is meant to promote creativity while developing motor, communication, and writing skills through a companion iPad app. Featuring a dual-tipped stylus, Play n’ Trace is available today for $29.99!
When the youngest grandbaby comes over for visits, he (nearly two now) heads straight for the iPad or smart devices, and the four-year old plops down in my office chair at the computer. I see this and wonder, does anyone make “real” toys anymore and if they did, would today’s kids be interested in them? Hasbro has that answer.
What name is more synonymous with summer than perhaps Nerf? Nerf has been contributing to summer fun since 1969 when it released the world’s first indoor ball and since that time Nerf has been soaking us, blasting us, and allowing us to have a “ball” no matter which sport, indoor or out, is our preference.
I always have a blast getting to have my kids join me for a review. It just so happened we were able to obtain the Max Traxx Tracer Racers for review and some old school fun. The side-by-side lighted racers leave a glow trail on the provided glow-in-the-dark track through a loop. Read on to see how the $27.99 kit…
LEGO Maniacs have a full slate of video game releases coming this year including a surprising LEGO set announcement decided by fans. Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment, TT Games and The LEGO Group have set LEGO Jurassic World, LEGO Marvel’s Avengers, LEGO Ninjago: Shadow of Ronin plus LEGO Batman: Beyond Gotham. The LEGO Movie Videogame iOS versions are available now.
Developed by Avalanche Software and published by Disney Interactive Studios, Disney Infinity 2.0 has released the second “wave” of figures, power discs, and other items. This newly released wave includes Merida and Stitch in the Starter Pack and the separate figures Aladdin, Tinkerbell, Maleficent, and Donald Duck plus Hiro and Brymax from Big Hero 6.
It’s my goal to make sure my son appreciates learning. He’s shown an early love of science, as his favorite CD is They Might Be Giants “Here Comes Science“. It’s great to see that as he grows he will have more options, like the soon to be released Trobo, the Storytelling Robot who focuses on Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math!
The Xtreem QuadForce Video Drone comes from Swann and is part of their latest line of products. The drone gives you impressive features at a low price of $89.99. If you have been wowed by all the cool drone video but balked at the price here’s you chance to fly a drone and record HD video while you do.
Here in South Texas, we are in full-blown heat mode. The temps and humidity can bring you down in the summer, unless you find a way to beat the heat. One way to cool off is a good old-fashioned water fight; the 2014 Nerf Super Soakers promise to provide the perfect way to win the battle.
I loved playing with Nanodots when I reviewed them a few years ago. They were a great fidget toy when you are concentrating on something at work. Their new magnetic Gyro Duo product is another example of a great desktop fidget toy; they are also not as easy to lose, since they are much bigger than Nanodots.
Sumo wrestlers aren’t known for their nimbleness, but you might rethink that when you take a look at Parrot’s new Jumping Sumo spy gadget/robot/toy. The Parrot Jumping Sumo is a WiFi enabled robot with a built-in camera, gyroscope, and accelerometer, which make it easy to pilot from your smartphone or tablet. Learn more about Parrot’s Jumping Sumo at Parrot’s website.
A while back I reviewed Nanodots. Nanodots are similar to Buckyballs (which had been recalled by the Consumer Product Safety Commission because they posed an ingestion risk for children and teens). Nanodots has come up with another magnetic toy that looks like it might be less tempting to swallow by anyone, Nanodots GYRO.
One of the things I have learned extremely quickly as a new parent is that some kid’s accessories and toys come with crazy gimmicks. They’re either smartphone-connected for no good reason, overpriced, or they’ll make something simple overly complicated, all in an effort to part parents from money. The Toymail project on Kickstarter appears to nail the trifecta!
Take a look at the modern Barbie doll that Nickolay Lamm of MyDeals.com created; she’s the one on the right, in case you couldn’t tell. It’s been said before that if a human being had Barbie’s proportions, she would be about 5’9″ tall with a 39″ bust, and an 18″ waist. That living doll would have 33″ hips, she’d wear a size 3…
The summer heat is upon us, and it is time to play outdoors. A favorite activity for my boys and me is to have water gun fights. Of course, we only have two guns that are worth using, so I always get stuck with a small, useless water weapon. Getting stuck with the smaller water gun not only means that I…
Take one iPad with front-facing camera, one specialty stylus designed to look like a Crayola crayon, and one kid. Mix them together with some special tech sauce and what do you get? The Crayola Light Marker from Griffin. Here’s a video look at the new offering from Griffin. The Crayola Light Marker from Griffin features: Digital marker and free downloadable…