Toys

How to get rid of aliens for good

Japan's SolidAlliance is a company often known for its USB storage devices of dubious value. So it's of little surprise that it was the manufacturer behind something called the "Yu-tan Radar Strap"--which, according to CNET Asia, is being marketed as a "UFO detector and alien sniffer." If the radar senses the presence of a UFO, it will beep loudly and its red LED will begin to spin; if it detects an alien, it will blink and beep at full volume. You should memorize this so you can respond appropriately when the time comes.… Read more

'Pac-Man' belt is a wow find at WonderCon

While I was at the three-day WonderCon convention in San Francisco this past weekend, not only did I get an eyeful of loads of comics books and celebrities like the original Lois Lane, Noel Neill; Cassandra "Elvira" Peterson; and Chase Masterson (Leeta from Star Trek: Deep Space Nine). I also got some great schwag.

Standing toward the back of the hall at Moscone South was what appeared to be a majestic Borg cube-esque structure of T-shirts, hoodies and the like. It was there that I not only found a classic Amazing Spidey shirt, but a Namco Pac-Man belt. … Read more

The shoe phone lives!

Maxwell Smart would be so proud. While we've seen other high-tech uses for footwear, most notably GPS devices, what we've really craved is an authentic shoe phone.

So even though we'd prefer that it come in the form of an oxford or loafer, we'd be happy to have a tennis shoe version like this Sports Illustrated collectible found by Red Ferret. Unfortunately, it's corded, which would definitely put a crimp in our sit-com spying missions. But for top-secret conversations in person, we at least have the "Cone of Silence."

Remote-controlled water cannon

Warm weather will be back before we know it, so it's not too soon to start thinking about water toys and beach gadgets. (For therapeutic distractions from the cold, if nothing else.)

This has got to be our favorite so far: a remote-controlled water cannon. Uber-Review suggests getting 10 of them to have a water war.

With backward, forward and spin movements, the water cannon can supposedly shoot streams as far as 10 feet. For our money, that's $129 well spent.

You too can talk like 'Optimus Prime'

We don't care how much our kids love Transformers: There's no way we'll ever let them have one of these. They'd sneak around the house with it and scare us into the coronary ward.

Hasbro's "Optimus Prime Voice Changer Helmet," according to Pocket-lint, "converts the most gentle of voices into the powerful, fearless tones of Optimus himself." The $30 toy, which is scheduled to come out in June, also can be set for "battle phrases" and "conversion sounds" as it transforms from truck to robot and vice-versa. … Read more

Robot laser ball boogies on its own

Gadgets that light up to musical rhythms are everywhere, but they're generally stationary. That's where the "Robotic Laser Ball" has them beat. This disco bot actually hits the dance floor on its own and "gyrates violently and flashes lights in time to your music," according to Red Ferret, for 50 seconds at a time. But keep an eye on it--the ball measures only about 4 inches in diameter, so it could get stepped on.

'Phaser' remote for lonely Saturday nights

Apparently, attraction to the opposite sex isn't nearly as important as it used to be. That's the only explanation we can fathom for the continuing trend of new Star Trek items on the market.

The latest date repellant is a $70 "Phaser Universal Remote Control," which claims to feature sound effects from the original series provided by Paramount. Alas, Red Ferret notes that it's already sold out. (What a surprise.)

But don't despair, Sparky. If you play your cards right, you might still be able to score a "Lightsaber Umbrella."

This week in imminent doom at the hands of cyborg animals

What the hell is going on these days? Seriously.

All of a sudden, scientists have created living remote-control pigeons, monkeys that can control huge robotic arms using only their brains, and cats that are getting pimped-out bionic eyeballs. And then there's that gaming helmet that can read your mind. It's awesome, but it's also creepier than 70 clown Draculas.

Here is what I'm talking about, yo.

Real-life pigeon cyborgs: Simply by placing a bunch of electrodes and red wires in a pigeon's brain, scientists at the Robot Research Center at the Shandong University of Science … Read more

A foam football that keeps stats

Sonny "Molasses Hands" Frankfort. Lou "250 Rushing Yards Before Dinner" Melvin. Morton "Grass Stains" Phillips. Max "Banana Legs" Shaughnessy. These are the legends of backyard football, and now your name can join them in the pantheon of leisure sports.

The foam Virtual Distance Football, available from the Discovery Store, measures how far you can huck a Nerf-like football. The ball's "advanced sensor technology" calculates the in-air yardage of your pass, then displays it on an LCD screen right on the ball.

Unfortunately, the ball does not calculate "yards … Read more

New York Comic Convention news roundup

From Friday through Sunday, the New York City Comic Convention took over Manhattan's Jacob K. Javits Convention Center, and Will Greenwald and I were there to brave the hordes of Star Wars cosplayers to bring you plenty of super sweet news coverage. Actually, scratch that. We get along just fine with Star Wars cosplayers. No horde-braving is necessary.

--Digital age plays villain, hero in future of comics (CNET News.com)

--Halo ActionClix and other nerd games (Crave)

--Web comics, print comics, and really really big print comics (Crave)

--More than comics at comic convention (CNET … Read more