It looks like a teddy bear. It feels like a teddy bear. But Wabi Buddy is no simple teddy bear.
Using the latest wireless technology, Wabi Buddy allows friends, parents and grandparents who are far from home to send a greeting in their own voice to a child through his or her bear.
"Grandma could call and send a lullaby every single night if she wanted to," said Mark Bradlee, the CEO and founder of Wabi Inc, which hopes to have the bears in stores by mid-year. "Or if Mom or Dad's working, they could call and tell their child good night."
PHOTO: NY TIMES
Wabi was unveiled at this year's American International Toy Fair, where toys for both entertainment and instructional uses employ the latest technology.
To leave a message on Wabi, someone dials a designated number, types in a special code for their child's bear, then records a greeting and programs the time it should be delivered.
Children know there's a message waiting when they hear their bear giggle. To hear it played, they push the bear's belly button.
Unlike Bradlee's other creation -- the highly mechanical Teddy Ruxpin -- the Wabi bear delivers plenty of cuteness along with the technology in its plush 30cm body.
But parents should be forewarned that there will be a US$0.10-a-minute calling fee on top of the bear's US$49 cost.
Manufacturers hope such new products will help boost toy sales, which climbed 1.7 percent this year to US$25 billion, by another 6 percent this year.
At the Javits Convention Center, there was technology not only in plush animals, but in lots of items targeted at girls, everything from dancing dolls to light-up hair accents and anklets. It was also in a slew of Game Boy-like devices and in battling robots.
It was in an R2-D2 robot that can sing songs, sense obstacles, and carry a can of soda. The robot will sell for US$100 and be on the market in April just weeks before the release of the next Star Wars movie in May.
In particular, Vtech's showroom was a smorgasbord of electronic eye and ear candy.
Spokesman Jeff Jackson said new sensor-filled toys such as the Discovery Playground are designed to "empower newborns." Just a wiggle of a nearby toe brings the playground magically to life with calypso music and jungle sounds.
"This toy reacts to what a baby is actually capable of doing," Jackson said.
The playground will be available this fall for US$49.99.
Other new Vtech toys seemed to belong more in a briefcase than in a toy box.
For example, the company's new XL Series includes Palm Pilot-like handhelds that can play age-appropriate educational games or be connected to a computer to download information for school projects from the Internet.
"These are a bit like Game Boys, but are educational," Jackson said. "And they have touch screens just like a Palm Pilot."
For preschoolers, the company has pinned its hopes on Smarty's Workshop, featuring Smarty as an interactive friend who moves, talks, and even dances.
Most important, he teaches children to complete simple projects using play areas such as a screw-and-bolt station. Using recognition technology, Smarty senses what area of the workbench children are playing in and asks appropriate questions. Each right answer and each step taken -- such as hammering three times -- is recognized and recorded on an LCD screen.
The workshop will be available this fall for US$69.99.
Also showing off handhelds at the toy fair was LeapFrog Enterprises, which has expanded its Quantum Leap line to fit the needs of high school students.
The iQuest Interactive Talking Handheld helps students study for their math, science or social studies tests as well as prepare for the ACT or SAT with special practice drills.
The company has not forgotten about its popular line of LeapPads, the interactive learning platform that helps children to read. The company is expanding its software selection, with a 10-book phonics line coming out this year.
"All of our items are about learning, but learning in a fun way," said spokesman Tom Prichard.
That's not to say that all high-tech toys displayed an educational bent. Indeed there were plenty of robotic creatures in the spotlight this week as well.
One of the most talked-about toys at the toy fair was from Tiger Electronics, the same company that introduced the world to Furby, the cuddly noisemaker with the microchip heart.
Furreal Friends is a line of electronic cats infused with sensors and animated from the tops of their heads to the tips of their tails. They mimic the movements of real cats when touched, even becoming agitated when you pull their tail. Available in the fall, the cats will retail for US$34.99.
Much more menacing are Hasbro's new AI Dragons, a twist on last year's BIO Bugs. Boasting what Hasbro calls "nervous network technology," the bugs reacted like real bugs whenever they bumped up against a wall or other obstacle.
Operated by remote control, the lifelike dragons are even more advanced. If they hit a wall, they will automatically back up. And they display scary-looking infrared eyes and the ability to fight one another.
"If put in guard mode, they'll just creep around your house," said Josslynne Lingard, a Hasbro spokeswoman.
The Eurovision Song Contest has seen a surge in punter interest at the bookmakers, becoming a major betting event, experts said ahead of last night’s giant glamfest in Basel. “Eurovision has quietly become one of the biggest betting events of the year,” said Tomi Huttunen, senior manager of the Online Computer Finland (OCS) betting and casino platform. Betting sites have long been used to gauge which way voters might be leaning ahead of the world’s biggest televised live music event. However, bookmakers highlight a huge increase in engagement in recent years — and this year in particular. “We’ve already passed 2023’s total activity and
Nvidia Corp CEO Jensen Huang (黃仁勳) today announced that his company has selected "Beitou Shilin" in Taipei for its new Taiwan office, called Nvidia Constellation, putting an end to months of speculation. Industry sources have said that the tech giant has been eyeing the Beitou Shilin Science Park as the site of its new overseas headquarters, and speculated that the new headquarters would be built on two plots of land designated as "T17" and "T18," which span 3.89 hectares in the park. "I think it's time for us to reveal one of the largest products we've ever built," Huang said near the
China yesterday announced anti-dumping duties as high as 74.9 percent on imports of polyoxymethylene (POM) copolymers, a type of engineering plastic, from Taiwan, the US, the EU and Japan. The Chinese Ministry of Commerce’s findings conclude a probe launched in May last year, shortly after the US sharply increased tariffs on Chinese electric vehicles, computer chips and other imports. POM copolymers can partially replace metals such as copper and zinc, and have various applications, including in auto parts, electronics and medical equipment, the Chinese ministry has said. In January, it said initial investigations had determined that dumping was taking place, and implemented preliminary
Intel Corp yesterday reinforced its determination to strengthen its partnerships with Taiwan’s ecosystem partners including original-electronic-manufacturing (OEM) companies such as Hon Hai Precision Industry Co (鴻海精密) and chipmaker United Microelectronics Corp (UMC, 聯電). “Tonight marks a new beginning. We renew our new partnership with Taiwan ecosystem,” Intel new chief executive officer Tan Lip-bu (陳立武) said at a dinner with representatives from the company’s local partners, celebrating the 40th anniversary of the US chip giant’s presence in Taiwan. Tan took the reins at Intel six weeks ago aiming to reform the chipmaker and revive its past glory. This is the first time Tan
RSS