toys

With Pixar, Steve Jobs changed the film industry forever

There's never been a movie studio with an unbroken streak of hit movies like Pixar. From the original "Toy Story" to "Finding Nemo" to "Cars," "Ratatouille," and "Toy Story 3," the animation wizards at Pixar have won over the industry, forcing Hollywood to change how it makes films, and it's made billions in the process.

And it never would have happened without Steve Jobs.

Pixar began as a division of George Lucas' LucasFilm, working on the development of imaging technology and its own imaging computer. But inside, some … Read more

Disney plans 3D party in theaters and on Blu-ray

Disney is doubling down on 3D with a mix of big-screen 3D rereleases and a big "Toy Story" rollout on Blu-ray 3D.

While analysts across the board are wondering if the general public wants movies in 3D at home or at the multiplex, a chorus of "Can You Feel the Love Tonight?" resounded from Burbank as Disney dominated the box office the last couple of weeks with the 3D theater release of "The Lion King."

So, forever an entity eager to make hay while the cartoon sun shines, Disney has announced more 3D rereleases of animated classics. The limited theatrical engagements will include "Beauty and the Beast" on January 13, 2012; Pixar's "Finding Nemo" on September 14, 2012; Pixar's "Monsters, Inc." on January 18, 2013; and "The Little Mermaid" on September 13, 2013.

On the home front, the "Toy Story" trilogy will hit on Blu-ray 3D on November 1. … Read more

Crave 57: Keepon invasion (podcast)

It was only a matter of time before the Crave podcast was invaded by robots. Fortunately, this week's robot overlord is the insanely adorable, soon-to-be-available My Keepon robot by BeatBots. The pint-sized dance bot is joined by its co-creator Marek Michalowski, who explains the robot's origins and its road to commercial viability.

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$49 Griffin helicopter takes flight with iPhone controls

The typical $40 remote-control helicopter comes with a tiny, imprecise controller. Griffin's just-announced Helo TC turns your iPhone into the flight stick , with your choice of onscreen or accelerometer controls. Price: $49.99.

The kit consists of a dual-rotor 'copter and the Flight Deck, a case/sled that cradles your iPhone and controls the flyer via line-of-sight infrared. It also plugs into your iPhone's headphone jack, thus allowing the Helo TC app to communicate with the helicopter.

Want to see it in action? Check out Griffin's promo vid, which is not only surprisingly polished, but also pretty … Read more

Air Swimmer RC balloons let you fly your own fish

Shark Week is over, but the Discovery Channel seems to have forgotten about a new species at the top of the underwater food chain: Air Swimmers. Unlike RC blimps and other flying mechanical toys, these Mylar balloons add realism and movement with moving fins that swish back and forth to propel the fish through the air.

How does it work? It's simple, kind-of: a 1.5-volt AAA-powered motor attaches to a small plastic pod on the bottom of the balloon, and the accompanying controller uses infrared reception to control the tail rudder's speed and navigation.

The set-up requires … Read more

30-foot Hot Wheels playset is every kid's dream come true

Metropolis II is a four-year project by performance artist and sculptor Chris Burden that uses more than 1,100 Matchbox-style toy cars curved around 19 roadways to show the last days of what he calls the "free car"--in other words, the independent ability to simply jump in an automobile and travel.

In advance of a Metropolis II exhibit at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art this fall, directors Henry Joost and Ariel Shulman of "Catfish" fame just released this short documentary that shows the 20-foot by 30-foot art installation in action.

More pictures of Metropolis II after the jump.… Read more

How Lego changed the world of toys

BILLUND, Denmark--Though it's hard to imagine a time without Lego, the world-famous plastic bricks didn't exist until 1949. And today's brick, with its three little tubes that ensure a snug fit with other bricks, didn't come on the scene until 1957.

But the Lego company has been around much longer than that. It may be something most people have never even heard about; Ole Kirk Kristiansen's little outfit began in this small Danish town as a one-man operation turning out wooden toys. Being a world-famous brand was surely not on Kristiansen's mind at the … Read more

How to alleviate Hipstamatic envy

Before I had an iPhone, I did not experience iPhone envy. I liked my beat-up, old cell phone and its inability to text, take pictures, or access the Internet. It wasn't until these cool, retro-looking photos started popping up on my friends' Facebook pages that I started to think the iPhone might have some features worth the price of admission. Now, I didn't end up buying an iPhone because of Hipstamatic, but it was the one app that started to break down my antismartphone defenses. And it was among my first purchases in the App Store.

Feeling Hipstamatic envy? Fear not, I have a cure. Two, actually. Two desktop apps, ToyCamera Analogcolor and CameraBag Desktop, can give your photos Hipstamatic-like effects. They work with either a PC or a Mac and offer free trials.… Read more

OnStar For My Vehicle coming to Best Buy July 24

If you want the benefits of the OnStar system, such as emergency services and turn-by-turn navigation, but your car didn't come with OnStar hope is not lost. OnStar FMV (For My Vehicle) will be available this week.

Launching July 24, OnStar FMV will be available at Best Buy for $299.99, plus $75 for installation. Service plans for OnStar FMV will start at $18.95 a month, or $199 a year.

"The wait is over," OnStar President Linda Marshall said in a press release. "Since we announced OnStar FMV at the Consumer Electronics Show in January, … Read more

The 404 863: Where we're broadcasting live from outer space (podcast)

Anthony David Adams joins us on today's episode in hopes that one of our listeners has the next object that will allow him to trade his way into space. He started with a toy spaceship and five trades later, he already has a ticket for a One Zero G Space Flight, so hit him up if you want to make him an offer.

While he's trading his way up, Anthony's also looking to build space exploration kits replete with Space HD Video Exploration Modules for at least 100 school districts, so sign up your local school at the Students in Space Project Web site. If you'd like to donate to the SpaceKits Project, PayPal donations are accepted at donate@onetoyspaceship.com.

On top of all that, Anthony brings our listeners a chance to win a free Nook and a watch from Nooka, the company designing the packaging for the Students in Space kits! The contest is simple:

Like OneToySpaceship.com Leave a comment on this blog post that answers this question: I want to go to outer space because________ and I am willing to trade ____________. Send out a tweet linking to the contest, and that's it!

Thanks again to Anthony for coming in today, and be sure to listen to the full episode to hear how he got started with the space project, why it's necessary to make redundant backups of our intergalactic hard drive, and how he plans to be the first member of the Parsec High Club.

Episode 863 Subscribe in iTunes (audio) | Subscribe in iTunes (video) | Subscribe in RSS Audio | Subscribe in RSS Video… Read more