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Gadgets & Toys

Bei Bei: She’s More than Just a Small Pig

Posted Monday, November 17th, 2008 in Gadgets & Toys

In my last post, you got to watch the interview I had with Jack Sheng, a remarkable eBay seller who reached a milestone of one million positive Feedback. Now, I want to show you some of the interesting items his company Eforcity sells.

Check out my new favorite pink pal, Bei Bei. This small baby pink toy instantly becomes an FM radio once plugged into your USB port. Its squiggly tail controls the volume and her ears control the stations. She also comes with an audio jack, so you can use her as a speaker for your iPod. Check out the video of me opening her up!

To see all the electronic accessories you could ever want, check out Jack’s eBay store.

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Meet Jack Sheng: eBay’s Very Own “Millionaire”

Posted Thursday, November 13th, 2008 in Gadgets & Toys

Imagine what it would feel like to receive over one million positive Feedback ratings on eBay. Now, imagine you’ve reached this milestone four times over.

Last week, I was lucky enough to interview a man who has done both - Jack Sheng, co-founder of Eforcity, a successful eBay store specializing in consumer electronic accessories. In total, Sheng has four eBay IDs, which have all reached the one million Feedback milestone.

Personally, as an eBay user and electronics guru, talking to Jack was extremely insightful. Listening to him describe his path to success demonstrated how his hard work, determination, and faith in eBay have transformed a home-based business into a facility that ships over 30,000 units out the door each day. Pretty amazing!

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What “The Office” Knows About Kids

Posted Monday, October 27th, 2008 in Gadgets & Toys

Have you been watching “The Office”? The episode about the baby shower really got me. I was laughing so hard when Dwight decided to test the limits of the Orbit stroller.

He was flabbergasted at the price. Could a $1,200 stroller be worth it? He decided to test it out with a series of endurance tests. He threw the stroller against a barbed wire fence and pushed it down a heap of trash. My favorite one, though, was the bumper test. Dwight tied the Orbit to the bumper of his Thunderbird and hit the gas, stopping short over and over again.

I felt like I’ve put my stroller through these tests! The hundreds of tosses into the back of the car, the multiple juice spills, and worst of all, the unknown damage it’s faced under the plane – poor thing.

The Orbit seems to perform quite well – both in real life and on TV. I was proud to see the show used such a fine choice in strollers. I love my Stokke, but next is definitely the Orbit.

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Get Smart with a Pen? Yes!

Posted Monday, October 20th, 2008 in Gadgets & Toys

The Livescribe Pulse SmartPen is truly one of the best (and smartest) gadgets I’ve ever encountered. The pen records and recalls both audio and handwriting. It has the potential to turn a C student into an A in no time.

Here’s how it works:

Step 1: Using the pen’s special paper take notes in class, during a business presentation, or record deep thoughts.

Step 2: When you go through your notes and find a line that doesn’t make sense just tap the pen at the beginning of the confusing line.

Step 3: A recording or audio reading of your notes automatically begins to play. How amazing is that?!

Bonus: Connect the pen to your computer and it will turn your chicken scratch into a legible Word document!

This thing just blows me away. Take a look.

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Toy Wishes 2008

Posted Tuesday, October 14th, 2008 in Gadgets & Toys

My NYC gadget-girls just got back from Toy Wishes with the scoop on hot toys for the holiday. Check it out:

Yo Gabba Gabba, one of my son’s favorite TV shows (and mine too!), came out with this really fun Dance Time Brobee. Just press his foot and he dances and sings. I love it!

Crayola’s new “Glow Station” is amazing! Kids can create fabulous-looking glow in the dark drawings using special pens and a pad. The toy also comes with special pen tips that can enhance the fun by giving kids the option to use pre-made shapes in their designs. What will they think of next?

Fischer Price has gone above and beyond cool with the interactive Spike the Ultra Dinosaur . Spike is a radio-controlled dino that can stomp around a room making loud sounds and big movements that will cause major smiles this holiday. Hasbro roared into the space by once again showing off Kota, the dino that comes to life, reacting with animated motion to touch and sound. Little ones can sit on Kota’s back for a real-life dino experience.

What toys are making YOUR holiday wish lists this year?

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Congrats eBay!

Posted Tuesday, October 7th, 2008 in Gadgets & Toys

Last week, I got to celebrate eBay at a video game event. This week, it’s eBay that is being celebrated by the tech community! Last Tuesday, eBay was awarded the nation’s highest honor for technological and scientific achievement: The National Medal of Technology and Innovation.

eBay Marketplace President John Donahue was in Washington, D.C. and was presented the award by President Bush at the White House September 29. The National Medal of Technology and Innovation “recognizes those who have made a lasting contribution to America’s competitiveness, standard of living, and quality of life through technology innovation.”

I’ve met many eBayers who make their living by selling on the site, have found long-lost items from childhood on eBay, or developed long-lasting friendships from a simple sales transaction. The award is well-deserved and I’m excited to see what eBay comes up with next!

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My Video Game Event Rocked!

Posted Wednesday, October 1st, 2008 in Gadgets & Toys

Last week in NYC I hosted the “Get Your Game On!” eBay event. It was beyond any party I’ve ever had! I was blown away by the set-up, the staff, and the pictures of me everywhere I looked!

The theme of the party was video games. I picked out a bunch of my favorite video games which were set-up around this cool bar called Blue Seats. In addition to various lots purchased on eBay (Atari System Lot with 8 games, $160; NES Lot with 16 games, $70; Nintendo 64 with 12 games, $35; and more!) there were gaming consoles set-up all over the room. Everywhere you turned you could play Grand Theft Auto San Andreas, Frogger, Guitar Hero, or Space Invaders. Plus, EA/Nintendo kicked us a sneak-peek version of the new Wii game “Celebrity Sports Showdown.”

Throughout the night I met with television producers, magazine editors, and newspaper journalists. After the party was over, I was lucky enough to tag along to the new Gawker office with Joel Johnson from Boing Boing and John Biggs from Crunch Gear. The office was amazing! On the roof deck, I spotted all kinds of high profile tech reporters and video game peeps. What a night!

Here are some of the pix!

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Dolls Have Fun in the Sun Too!

Posted Wednesday, September 24th, 2008 in Gadgets & Toys

I love when a gadget comes along that combines both play and gadgetry. The Solar Powered Dancing Doll is just that. These solar-powered dolls use the sun’s rays to power up and dance.

You can buy these dolls in a range of characters. My favorites are the Nohohon Dancing Hidamari no Tami dolls. Some of them sit on swings while others have arms that move in addition to their heads.

So what exactly do you do with them? They have a sticky bottom so you can place them securely on any surface that gets sun exposure – car dashboard or workspace. Once the sun comes out, the little body and head starts rocking!

It’s very entertaining, especially if you have a bunch of them dancing together. Kids love them and with no battery needed to operate, the environment loves them too.

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Explore NYC with the Stokke

Posted Monday, September 22nd, 2008 in Gadgets & Toys

I’m in NYC this week and was contemplating which stroller I should bring while packing. I did a quick look around the Net for “cool, high-tech strollers” to see if there was anything new out there. What did I find? The stroller I’ve been rockin’ for past two years: Stokke Explore.

I love this stroller for many reasons. First, the Stokke serves many functions, transforming from bassinet to upright stroller, then from a high-chair to sleeping chair. You can literally place your child in over three different strolling positions, plus you can push it easily with one hand.

Next, you can place the upright chair high up on the chassis, almost eye level with Mom. This way, your child doesn’t feel as isolated as they might when low to the ground.

I tend to think, though, that some of the best uses of the stroller are ones that you won’t find in the Stokke handbook. For traveling this stroller is a God send. In New York City, passengers are exempted from car seat laws because setting up a car seat in every cab is literally impossible.* The thought of driving in a cab with Jack on my lap completely freaks me out, though. To solve the problem, I use the Stokke seat, which pops off the chassis and can be used as a car seat. I use the same move on the plane so he’s more comfortable.

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GoGo: Flying High with Wi-Fi

Posted Thursday, September 18th, 2008 in Gadgets & Toys

Finally! Internet on airplanes has become a reality. I’m literally posting this at 30,000 feet. Right now, I’m on American Airlines using their GoGo service. The price for using the service during trips over three hours is a flat rate of $13.00, and is less than $10.00 for trips less than three hours. It was really easy to launch and works just like when you access the Net from a public spot or hotel room.

One of the best things about getting on the Web up here is that fact that I can communicate with all of my Skype contacts! When using GoGo, you can chat on Skype to friends, family, or coworker, but can’t access the video or voice chat feature. I was a little bummed about that, but I understand how it could be distracting/annoying to the people around me.

Overall the service has been great, fast, and hasn’t dropped once. Next time you’re headed through the air on American Airlines (and soon Southwest and Alaska), bring your Wi-Fi enabled laptop or cell phone and you too can work the whole way. I must admit, as excited as I am about this, I’m a little sad that I can’t use the excuse “Sorry, I’m traveling and can’t get you that document” ever again.

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