Who
is the best-known hip-hop artist in the fictional land of Chub City? Chub C
of course. At least that's what it says on the box. Just don't tell Hype. He's
the white version of Chub C (a la Eminem). What the hell am I talking about?
That's a good question.
Both Chub C and Hype are
interactive toy characters called
i-Playaz
from a company called
Jada Toys. i-Playaz connect to any music source including your iPod,
CD player, computer or even an old school Sony Walkman. Just plug in an
i-Playaz character and play some music. The i-Playaz characters will
then dance to the beat and even play your music through a built-in
speaker in their heads. There's also an audio output if you want
to connect better speakers to your i-Playaz character.
The
Bar Test
When
I first got Hype in the mail, I was already on my way out and brought
the box along with me to a bar down the street. I figured I'd just test
him out for this review when I got home. But while I was waiting for
some friends to show up, the people at the bar kept asking me what was
in the box. I was curious to see what my
i-Playaz
could do anyway so
I took Hype out and set him up on the bar. With his sideways
hat and flashy bling, it's no wonder that everyone at the bar started
calling him K-Fed, after Britney Spears wannabe hip-hop ex-husband.
So Hype is sitting on the
bar and everyone is looking at him and waiting to see what he can
do. There's only
one problem, the
i-Playaz
characters
require batteries. So after borrowing a screwdriver from the store
next door (to open the battery compartment) and buying some AA batteries
across the street, Hype was finally functional. Now
all we needed was some music. The bartender was kind enough to let me
borrow her iPod Mini and we began testing out K-Fed's dance moves.
The first couple songs were Nina
Simone. Too slow. Then I queued
up "Know
Your Enemy" by
Rage Against the Machine. Perfect. K-Fed, I mean Hype, went crazy
to the beat. If you are unfamiliar with the song, it has lots of fast
parts as well as some pauses and slower sections. Seeing Hype go
crazy during the fast parts and then get dramatically slow for the
mellow parts was very funny... especially for a bunch of drunks.
Overall,
I found the dancing of the i-Playaz surprisingly sophisticated and
well-coordinated. Jada Toys obviously spent a lot of time and research
on getting the i-Playaz characters to react well to music.
NERD
NOTE: You'll need a Philips head screwdriver
in order to access
the battery compartment inside
the feet of Hype and Chub C. This was kind of annoying but
probably necessary if this toy will be around children.
No Music
Source? No Problem.
If
you don't have access to an iPod or music source, you can still make
Chub
C (black) or Hype
(white) dance. Just use the beat/scratch buttons
in their bling, hat and feet to mix your own jams. If you want to
see your i-Playaz character show off some moves, just press the little
crystal emblem on his hat and he will enter demo mode.
In
this video, Hype is dancing in demo mode on my desk at work.
Sound Quality
Don't expect
much from the built-in speaker in the heads of the
i-Playaz
characters.
It's a small speaker that's only powered by a few AA batteries. But
each i-Playaz characters has audio in and out jacks located behind their
legs. Just loop your i-Playaz character through your computer speakers
or sound system for a more robust auditory experience.
Other
Models
If you don't like Chub
C or Hype, Jada Toys also makes a Volkswagen Beetle, called i-Ridez,
with similar interaction and functionality as the i-Playaz. Adults
will probably prefer the cars over the i-Playaz.
Final
Thoughts
Overall,
the i-Playaz and i-Ridez are a cute and inexpensive addition
to an otherwise boring desk. Young teens will probably find
these toys the most fun. Adults will probably opt to keep
their i-Playaz and i-Ridez in "lights only" mode.
Both the
i-Playaz
characters have a three-position switch that toggles between the two
playback modes (with or without motion) and off. I usually play music
all day in my office with iTunes and keep Hype looped through my JBL
Encounter speakers [read review] with his motion turned
off. Just like in the bar, everyone in my office likes to
call Hype, K-Fed, and push his buttons to make him dance. If
you know someone who is trying to pull off the K-Fed white hip-hop
thing, Hype will bring you and your friends hours of entertainment.
Hype is sitting on top
of my PowerMac G5 right now with the motion off and doing a light
show to "Ice
Ice Baby." Honestly...
I think Hype is more talented than K-Fed.
This item is
available for purchase from Amazon.com
A
company called Jada Toys manufactures the i-Playaz.
Brainchild of leading die-cast and radio control manufacturer
Jada Toys, Chub City was launched in July of 2005 to great
fanfare and is currently supported by Wal-Mart, Toys R
Us, Target , Kmart, and Kay Bee Toys, among others, and
is on 11,000 shelves globally.
OtterBox
for iPod Mini On
the run, in the car, or at the gym, our iPods have gone with
us to the ends of the earth... except places near water. But
thanks to the OtterBox Mini you can now safely take your
iPod Mini near or even underwater.
The Torch Wicked Lasers named their new flashlight the TORCH... and for good reason. The "TORCH" is technically a flashlight. It looks like a flashlight. Operates like a flashlight. But this is no ordinary flashlight. The TORCH is so bright that its beam can ignite flammable objects as fast as fire.
Flip Mino Camcorder The super-portable, super-simple Flip Mino makes it easy to capture and share high-quality video anywhere and everywhere. And thanks to its flip-out USB arm and intuitive, built-in software, Mino lets you view, edit and upload your videos to popular video-sharing sites instantly.
Apogee Duet What if you could find a relatively inexpensive interface that could easily convert that analog signal to a higher quality digital output for all your apps? Well, the sleek, portable aluminum-cased Apogee Duet may just be the answer.
Radius Atomic Bass
Earbuds If you're looking for an inexpensive, lightweight pair of earbuds with fantastic bass, then Radius' Atomic Bass earbuds are the earbuds of your dreams.
JL421 Badonkadonk Land Cruiser You The JL421 Badonkadonk Land Cruiser (ba-donk-a-donk) is a custom made tank that looks like it was modeled after Jabba the Hut's Sail Barge from Return of the Jedi. Nicknamed the "Donk," the JL421 Land Cruiser made its debut in 2002 at the Burning Man festival in Nevada.
Nintendo Wii Nunchuck Controller Is a weak arm or physical stamina keeping you from taking your Nintendo Wii gaming experience to the next level? Perhaps you should look into getting the Nintendo Wii Nunchuck Controller. This accessory adds even more innovation to the next generation of gaming and does it all with less physical movement.
JBL
Creature II Speaker System What's
the point of downloading your favorite songs on iTunes if they sound
like crap on your computer's built-in speakers? The sound quality
and volume these little babies emit, much to the chagrin of my neighbors,
is truly phenomenal.
Apple TV Review You may have heard of that new Apple product, I believe it's called the, uhh, Apple TV. I understand that newspapers, other blogs, and your Aunt have already reviewed this thing, but I thought I'd add my two cents.
Mod
Your iPod Are
you a victim of the iPod's blossoming popularity? Feel like just another
pair of white headphones in the crowd? Maybe it's time you got
an iPod Mod.
H20
iPod Mini Case
H20 Audio has created a waterproof and impact
resistant case so that we can take our iPod Minis anywhere we
want… including the ocean free.
Digital
Picture Frames Why
give someone a single still framed picture when you can give them
an entire slide show? Most Digital Picture Frames can playback a
series of digital photos and videos on high-resolution screens.
JBL
Encounter Speakers In
a world of boring shelf speakers that are as fascinating
as the wires that connect them, the JBL Encounter draws people
towards it with its innovative tongue-in-cheek design and
then lavishes them with deep warm sound.
Wicked
Lasers Review What makes a Wicked Laser "wicked"? How impressive
is a military grade laser imported from China? Let's test it and find
out...
iTrip
Auto
Play your music through any car FM radio.
Email or 
feed.
The
Bar Test
JBL
Encounter Speakers
Software
Otterbox
for iPod Video
On
the run, in the car, or at the gym, our iPods have gone with
us to the ends of the earth... except places near water. But
thanks to the OtterBox Mini you can now safely take your
iPod Mini near or even underwater.
Wicked Lasers named their new flashlight the TORCH... and for good reason. The "TORCH" is technically a flashlight. It looks like a flashlight. Operates like a flashlight. But this is no ordinary flashlight. The TORCH is so bright that its beam can ignite flammable objects as fast as fire. 
The super-portable, super-simple Flip Mino makes it easy to capture and share high-quality video anywhere and everywhere. And thanks to its flip-out USB arm and intuitive, built-in software, Mino lets you view, edit and upload your videos to popular video-sharing sites instantly.
What if you could find a relatively inexpensive interface that could easily convert that analog signal to a higher quality digital output for all your apps? Well, the sleek, portable aluminum-cased Apogee Duet may just be the answer.
If you're looking for an inexpensive, lightweight pair of earbuds with fantastic bass, then Radius' Atomic Bass earbuds are the earbuds of your dreams.
Is a weak arm or physical stamina keeping you from taking your Nintendo Wii gaming experience to the next level? Perhaps you should look into getting the Nintendo Wii Nunchuck Controller. This accessory adds even more innovation to the next generation of gaming and does it all with less physical movement.
What's
the point of downloading your favorite songs on iTunes if they sound
like crap on your computer's built-in speakers? The sound quality
and volume these little babies emit, much to the chagrin of my neighbors,
is truly phenomenal.
You may have heard of that new Apple product, I believe it's called the, uhh, Apple TV. I understand that newspapers, other blogs, and your Aunt have already reviewed this thing, but I thought I'd add my two cents.
Are
you a victim of the iPod's blossoming popularity? Feel like just another
pair of white headphones in the crowd? Maybe it's time you got
an iPod Mod.
H20 Audio has created a waterproof and impact
resistant case so that we can take our iPod Minis anywhere we
want… including the ocean free.
Why
give someone a single still framed picture when you can give them
an entire slide show? Most Digital Picture Frames can playback a
series of digital photos and videos on high-resolution screens.
