Toys

If you're a serious Star Wars fan and you're in Southern California, your street cred is on the line if you don't get your kiester down to the Los Angeles Convention Center. Stat.

That's because, the Associated Press reports, beginning this morning and going through around 2 a.m. Thursday, all six Star Wars films, the good three and the, ahem, not so good three, will be showing there.

Ah, George Lucas and his creative mind. Bless his heart.

The marathon is part of the 30th anniversary Star Wars Celebration IV, which kicks off Thursday and … Read more

A partial track list for the long-awaited third installment of Guitar Hero was released by Activision today.

As usual, the 11-song list offers a nice blend of time-tested rock anthems by the Rolling Stones, Fog Hat, and Alice Cooper, as well as new classics by the likes of the Beastie Boys, Weezer, and Smashing Pumpkins.

In keeping with the inclusion of a Spinal Tap song in Guitar Hero II, the new game will include a song by Tenacious D.

Notable is the fact that seven of the songs on the list are original recordings. In previous versions of Guitar Hero, … Read more

Apple's legal team appears to have its panties in a twist over an unusual subject: sex toys. We all know that there are a few things that Apple likes to keep to itself. Its name, for example--remember that little Beatles spat?

Now, Macworld is reporting that Apple's not, shall we say, excited about an ad campaign for the "iGasm" from naughty-appliance manufacturer Ann Summers. (WARNING: You might not want to click on that link at the office.) It's a little $60 gadget that encourages open-minded consumers to "take your appreciation of music to a … Read more

Japan's Tomy is making little plastic replicas of American birds that, in an interesting cultural twist, will sing with an American accent. Northern Cardinal, American Goldfinch, you name it. Tokyomango says they're "touch sensory," meaning that the song begins as soon as the bird is handled. (I still like Tomy for the corny basketball-suspended-in-water games it made eons ago.)

Before you invest in one of these plastic twerps, you'll want to select the proper birdsong to match your mood or decor. Check out real calls at Whatbird.com or the best American bird sound library … Read more

There's certainly no shortage of hype surrounding this summer's Transformers movie, but one of its stars has hinted that it may end up having an unlikely main attraction: an iPod-like character.

Citing an MTV News interview with actor Josh Duhamel, iLounge says an iPod-resembling bot could steal the show. "It's pretty cool. It's like this crazy little 12-inch iPod that turns into this little killing machine," he's quoted as saying.

It's apparently possible that he was talking about a villain that changes from a robot into a tape deck. If it's … Read more

We've never been big on skateboards, but it probably has something to do with our age bracket. When we last tried riding them, they were made of split logs and stone wheels.

We might have given it more of a chance if we had one of these: the "E-Glide Powerboard," an electric skateboard. That's right, surfers aren't the only ones who deserve motorized boards; T3 says landlubbers can cruise in power-driven style with a plank of their own with a 400-watt motor.

It's a more than a little pricey at $514, but something tells … Read more

The "Megatouch Elite Edge Ion" may sound like a Sharper Image air filter, but the prosaically named machine could make game arcades look like the floor of the Bellagio. (OK, maybe the Flamingo.)

Although it resembles those irritatingly chipper video slots that feature dozens of ways to empty your wallet with every spin, the Megatouch is designed to play all types of non-gambling games--102, to be exact--ranging from trivia to sports, according to Chip Chick. It even has a joystick to go along with its touch screen, something you won't find among the nickel slots in … Read more

Just when we thought we'd found the best pool toy ever with the remote-controlled water cannon, another one comes along to run (or swim) circles around it. The "Remote-Controlled Omnidirectional Submarine" supposedly can "dive and surface like an actual naval submarine," including 360 progressive rolls.

The mini-sub can accomplish these mighty feats with three high-powered motors and can even see where it's going at night with its LED headlamps. Oh well, our cannon can still blow that puny yellow submarine out of the water. Tough luck, Caroline.

If you haven't noticed by now, we had a blast at this past weekend's Maker Faire. The above photo links to yet another gallery of some choice projects we found Crave-worthy.