(Credit:
Nickelodeon)
In an effort to educate and encourage action, Nickelodeon is set to release what could be the first ever online multiplayer video game that deals with environmental issues. As a component of the broader Big Green Help initiative, the game will tie together an overall theme that the company launched on Earth Day last April.
The Big Green Help Global Challenge will be available for download starting Sunday, and we were able to grab a sneak peek.
Everyone who wants to play the game must take a pledge to reduce their carbon footprint. With that pledge comes a virtual checklist of changes that can be made such as "travelling by foot, bike, etc., instead of by car for four miles each week." At the end of every gaming session, players can track their progress and see how they are making an impact. Keep reading for more on the title including a gameplay video. ... Read More
Nickelodeon parent Viacom is as ever-optimistic as SpongeBob himself. The company is releasing a new line of higher-end consumer electronics branded with ubiquitous characters such as Dora and SpongeBob.
SpongeBob LCD TV goes for $299.
(Credit: Viacom)This isn't Nick's first foray into electronics, but apparently it's the first time the company isn't slapping the images onto schlock, according to an article in The New York Times.
One of the least expensive items in the new lineup is $29 SpongeBob alarm clock. I must say, it could be awfully satisfying to thump SpongeBob on the head in order to catch a few more minutes of sleep.
But a $299 flat-screen TV? It screams garage sale fodder. Televisions are meant to last a long while. It will take quite the naive parent to believe his or her kiddo is going to be interested in a SpongeBob TV for more than a couple of years.
Of course, considering how kids treat their toys, maybe the TV will end up on the bedroom floor, with a cracked LCD, within a few months anyway.
Moreover, using cartoon characters to sell anything cheap is always a sure-hit. But kid-oriented companies, such as Mattel and Walt Disney, have had very mixed results when they've tried to slap characters onto higher-end products, such as PCs.
And it's sad to admit, but SpongeBob himself could hardly afford his own TV, considering his paltry paycheck as a fry cook at the Krusty Krab.
To view more of the new gear, check out "Photos: SpongeBob's electronic evolution" on News.com.
Update and correction at 6 a.m. Pacific time Wednesday: The $10 SpongeBob calculator appears on the same Nickelodeon store page as the other electronics gear, but it is not part of the new lineup.
Regardless, the calculator apparently helped SpongeBob tremendously in back in math class, and he still uses it to balance his skimpy checkbook.
(Credit:
Uber-Review)
I guess you could say that SpongeBob Squarepants is about as close as the U.S. gets to having the equivalent of Japan's Hello Kitty, in the sense that you can plaster its frighteningly cute face onto anything and it's more or less a guaranteed hit. (Full disclosure: I used to keep my pet goldfish in a SpongeBob aquarium. And that was, um, in college.)
So yeah, here's this SpongeBob radio and CD player, which retails for $45. It kind of reminds me of a twisted version of the old boom boxes that the "cool kids" used to tote around on their shoulders in the '70s or '80s or whenever it was before people realized that looked kind of stupid. And, yeah, these days maybe wearing a SpongeBob t-shirt would be "cool" and "ironic" in a sort of pseudo-indie, kinda-maybe-hipster sense. But a boom box with the crazed, maniacal facade of Mr. Squarepants staring at you and blaring loud music?
No thanks, cap'n.
(Via Uber-Review)
(Credit:
Mark-My-Time)
No matter how hard we try to avoid it, bargaining with our children eventually creeps its way into parenthood for many of us. For example: You let them watch TV only if they've read for a certain amount of time. The problem for us, however, is that we promptly forget to check the clock.
That's why we need the "Mark-My-Time Digital Bookmark," as featured on Chip Chicklets. Not only does it help you keep things on schedule, but it also helps children learn to tell time. After all, what better incentive do kids have than figuring out how much time they need to read before watching their favorite cartoons?
(Credit:
A-Data)
Crave has seen all manner of USB storage devices, many of dubious value. But A-Data has recently come out with a USB drive that not only seems well designed but is also practical.
Chip Chick says the 12GB "Mini Cube" (not to be confused with the "Cube Mini") has a plug that folds away into a square case less than 2 by 2 inches that's not really a cube at all, which is a good thing for space-saving reasons. What's most impressive about this $125 device is a "one-touch backup function" that can automatically synchronize the drive with your PC with the push of a button.
It may not be gold or shaped like a religious figure, but we can live with that.
In our sensory-inundated world, multitasking isn't confined to terrestrial pursuits. While you swim with your iPod and transfer USB files, for example, you can also be taking photos underwater.
The newest entry in aquatic photography is a 6-megapixel camera from Japan's Sea & Sea (shouldn't it be "Sea & See"?), which was posted on Engadget. In or out of its protective casing, the camera is no slouch where specs are concerned: It has a 2.5-inch LCD, 3x optical zoom and 32MB of built-in memory contained in a 3.7-by-2.2-inch body that's less than 1 inch thick. But at about $462, we're not sure if we'd want to get it wet.
(Photo: Slrworld.com)
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