Japan seems to have a soft spot for weird alarm clocks. First the fly-away alarm clock, now this: At the end of October, Bandai will start offering an awesome alarm clock that can only be silenced with a special gun that will be sold along with it. The so-called Gun o’ Clock has two modes: In the time mode, the clock will wake users up with a normal alarm sound but also a voice message… → Read More
If you like spoiling your kids and buying them things they will use for a week and then lose, then Bandai’s Smart Barry is worth a look. If you’re wondering why I’m being so hard on this device/toy, read on. The Smart Barry is a game/text messaging device that allows you to send messages to 4 other devices that are no more the 10 meters away. On top of that your message can only for 64… → Read More
Today Bandai announced they will start selling robotic crabs [JP] in Japan starting August 9. The so-called Hex Bug crabs will be available in red and blue (price: $25). Bandai wants to replicate the success of their robotic bugs [JP] and claims the crabs behave like real animals. Watch an impressive promo movie here. The robo crabs are even able to hide in dark areas, thanks to a built-in light… → Read More
Bandai plans to release a piggy bank with a sugar mama theme in Japan starting September 6th. The Ikemenbanku (handsome man savings box) [JP] features an LCD screen displaying up to 5 different male characters: – old, wise man – athletic and young boy – nice schoolboy – cool model – funny comedian Each time the player deposits a 500 yen coin, a voice coming out of the savings box rewards the saver… → Read More
Today I went to Odaiba, a strangely futuristic island just off the coast of Tokyo Bay, to cover this year’s Tokyo Toy Show. The event takes place every June and is one of the biggest and most important toy exhibitions in the world. Last year’s show attracted over 110,000 visitors. The picture above shows a huge crowd watching a Power Rangers dance show. Sorry, I didn’t see any… → Read More
Yesterday Japanese toy maker Bandai presented their newest product, a stop watch called “5-second stadium”, which will go on sale in J-land on July 27th for $9. The watch features 3 modes: game, practice, and challenge. The game mode works like this: Stop the time after exactly 5 seconds. That’s it. If you fail, the 5-Byou-Man (5-Second-Man, pictured below) will appear on the… → Read More
I’m not sure what you could actually use this for, except to keep a close eye on your pet at home, but this is Bandai’s NetTansor WiFi Webcam on wheels. It’s a funny-looking little robot with useless arms that can be controlled from your PC. You couldn’t really use him to spy on people, because I can’t imagine that anybody wouldn’t notice the 11.4-inch… → Read More
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