Toy helicopters have been around for a while, but it seems that they have really surged in popularity these last couple of years. Even so, the control scheme has remained largely the same. Force Flyers changes that, because you fly these ‘copters with a wave of your hand.

On display at the 2012 Toy Fair in New York City, the Force Flyer helicopter doesn’t look like anything special until you see the control scheme. You get fitted with a glove-like sleeve where you have a thumb control for throttle and you tilt your hand to make it turn. We’ve all had the experience of “flying” toy airplanes by running around the room; this is a more technologically advanced version of that old pastime.

Realistically, since the remote control is really only using an accelerometer, it probably wouldn’t be all that difficult to devise a smartphone app to do the same. In any case, this little flying machine gets about 10 minutes of flight time on a 20 minute charge. For $50 in May, it will make a nice toy you can smash into the wall and collect the pieces up afterwards.  The larger outdoor version will sell for $100. But for serious flyers, the E-flite blade mCPx heli is the way you want to go (video far down below).

[ source, Photo: engadget ]

The post $50 R/C Helicopter Uses Accelerometer Glove for Controls appeared first on Mobile Magazine.

On display at the Toy Fair 2012 in New York, TheO is a foam ball that can house your iPod, iPhone, or Android device. It’s about the size of a standard soccer ball and they say that once your device is inside, it’s virtually indestructible. You then load up a compatible app, sync up your phone with a secondary display (like a Smart TV) and have at ‘er. Just bear in mind that the slot won’t fit larger Android phones, so don’t even think about stuffing the Galaxy Nexus or Galaxy Note in there.

One prime example is the bowling app where you quite literally roll the ball, with phone and all, down your hallway or toward your HDTV. They also have a digital hot potato game and a “socially interactive game” that comes bundled with TheO. Personally, I think this is a terrible idea. We already have the Wii and Kinect for this kind of thing, and neither of those require me to put my $600 smartphone potentially in harm’s way.

[ source ]

The post New Game Lets You Stuff Your Smartphone in a Foam Ball and Chuck It appeared first on Mobile Magazine.

Nintendo has long since been the leader in the realm of portable gaming. I still remember how excited I was to play Tetris on the original Game Boy, even though the display was only capable of that spinach green monochrome. My, how far we have come since then.

The Nintendo DS eventually paved the way for the DS Lite and the DSi, but what will the future bring? Is Nintendo concerned about Apple infringing on its mobile gaming world with the iPhone? That appears to be the case, because the codenamed Nintendo DS2 looks like it will have a accelerometer enabling full tilt control.

This is based on the early development kits that are being shipped out to some of Nintendo’s favorite game developers. A way for them to get started on those incredibly important launch titles. Among these developers is the Pokemon Company. Yes, Pikachu is still popular.

Details surrounding the Nintendo DS2 gaming handheld are slim at best, but we can probably assume the double-display configuration is to stay in place. Dual touchscreens would be an interesting addition this time around. Either way, it seems that the tilt sensor is the newest thing, but the DS2 won’t hit retailers still for quite some time.

The post Nintendo DS2 to feature accelerometer tilt control appeared first on Mobile Magazine.

The Pool-Mate Watch may look like another one of those cheap $10 watches that you find at the kiosk in the mall, but it comes with a very special feature beyond simply telling time. Yes, it seems to have the usual timer and chronograph functions, but there’s one more feature specific to swimmers.

You see, like the iPhone, the Pool-Mate Watch has an integrated accelerometer. You would think that it would just detect the change in direction when you turn, but that’s not how it works. Instead, it detects the glide portion after each turn. That’s the part when you’re not actively going through strokes.

In this way, it probably won’t be the most useful of watches for the doggy-paddle, but it’ll be just fine for front crawl, back crawl, breaststroke, and butterfly. The battery lasts about a year.

The Pool-Mate Watch goes on sale next month for $114.

Source: PopSci

The post Swimmer’s Watch Tracks Your Laps Automatically appeared first on Mobile Magazine.