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ie8 fix

tomy

'Meowlingual' claims to translate cat-speak

There are a fair number of gadgets on the market that are aimed at controlling dogs, perhaps owing to that best friend's reputation for occasional unruliness. Yet there are relatively few technologies designed specifically for their feline counterparts (with one notable exception, of course),

In an effort to rectify that disparity, Japan's Takara Tomy has developed what it calls a "Meowlingual Cat Translation Device," which, as its name implies, is designed to decipher what kitty is trying to convey when destroying the living room furniture. It sounds too kooky to be true, but Inventor Spot says … Read more

Soundwave import-only MP3 player

You may have heard that Transformers director Michael Bay, in his infinite wisdom, decided to exclude the beloved Soundwave character from his film (the poor guy took the news pretty hard). I guess the kids today don't care about portable cassette players, even ones that turn into gigantic robots capable of blowing your head off with a sonic concussion cannon. As a side effect, the film's merchandising machine is not cranking out any affordable Soundwave toys for us to clutter our cubicles. I even resorted to buying this cheap piece of crap. Japan, as usual, has the solution. … Read more

A sound idea: Little birds have plenty to say

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