Since we’re big geeks here at SlashGear, we’re allowed to get unduly excited at the first inklings of WowWee’s upcoming holiday range. The toy and robotics company has revealed their latest ad campaigns for their new remote-controlled gadgets, including an update on the FlyTech Dragonfly, the CrashFX plane we saw back in April and a mini UFO with LED messaging.
Video demos after the cut
What’s better than a remote-controlled truck? Why, a remote-controlled truck with a hidden remote-controlled helicopter inside it, that’s what! The Silverlit Heli-Mission SWAT Truck is a full-function toy truck, the rear section of which flips open to reveal an indoor helicopter on a rising launch platform.
Video demo after the cut
Robot-maker WowWee’s latest toy has been previewed, and if piloting their Bladestar helicopter left you in fear of your walls, lights and pets, then the WowWee Hoverpod should prove a little more manageable. A micro-hovercraft made from impact-resistant EPP foam, the Hoverpod uses WowWee’s usual IR remote for controlling and recharging.
Proxdynamics have been demonstrating their PD-100 Black Hornet remote-control helicopter, the latest chopper from their stable and the smallest in the world to come equipped with a video camera. Just 15g with a blade-span of 10cm, the PD-100 is controlled by a 6-inch LCD-equipped handset that can also record all wirelessly-received footage for later review.
Video demos after the cut
Mark another one up for the iPhone’s hacking potential: using the cellphone’s accelerometers to remotely control airplanes and helicopters. FliPhone is a home-grown app by Josh Ziering, which allows him to link his iPhone to a Linksys WiFi router onboard the R/C planes.
Video demo after the cut
We kicked off the week with some high-profile reviews here at SlashGear, putting the latest MacBook and MacBook Pro laptops through their paces. If you’re considering one of these slick new machines – or are wondering what style features other manufacturers will be copying over the next six months – make sure to check them out! We also played with a more budget computing option in the shape of the ASUS Eee PC 1000HA.
Meanwhile cellphones have been on the test bench, with Sprint’s pair of new Samsungs – the messaging Rant and the musical HighNote – squaring up against Velocity Mobile’s 103 smartphone. We had to leave our desks to try out Blackline’s GPS Snitch, however, but were back in before curfew to play with some toys: WowWee’s Bladestar remote control helicopter, for one, and a rather more unusual review of the WowWee Femisapien.
We’ve something of a history with remote control helicopters here on SlashGear. They don’t crop up all that often, but when they do we find that readers go for them in a big way. Developments in contra-rotating blades and other cleverness has done a lot to minimize what user expertise is required, and now WowWee have stepped into the fray with their own, super-simple Bladestar remote control helicopters. Can they carry over their tradition of straightforward, right-out-of-the-box fun to historically finnicky flight? We put on our best pilot’s goggles and silk scarves and took a look.
Students at Humboldt University in Germany are working on developing autonomous hovering platforms capable of using patterns and responses more usually observed in adapted insect behaviour. Traditionally such helicopters – often used for surveillance or remote monitoring – are controlled via preset routes, direct remote control or GPS.
We love remote control helicopters here at SlashGear, and we love DIY projects too. So imagine the unbridled glee at seeing this tutorial for building your own R/C helicopter, complete with parts salvaged from CD drives, hand-crafted blades and a wireless spy-camera mod.
You may have been impressed by previous offerings from the Draganfly series of heli cams, but the just announced X6 is sure to knock your socks off. Sporting a carbon fiber body (triple-tipped!) and two carbon rotors, this flying camera can move in any direction fast, indoors and out.
Chrome OS: Waiting Is The Hardest Part…Though Necessary
Apple is no longer the Nordstrom of Tech, they’re the “New Nordstrom”
Can Anything Replace Windows XP As the Best Netbook Operating System?
Hey, Premium Notebooks or Netbooks, Get the Basics Right!
SlashGear Japan
