japan on technabob...

I apologize to anyone who has seen Revenge of the Fallen and liked it, but personally I think I got ripped off on that one. My sentiments – and then some – have been represented elsewhere, so I’ll just leave it at that. So let’s look at here’s Robonova instead. Robonova is a programmable, fully articulating 12-in robot powered by 16…

Here’s an odd little gadget fresh from Japan. It’s a digital pedometer with a twist. Instead of just measuring how many steps you’ve walked, it has you play a little Samurai game as you amble along.

From what I can tell, Bandai’s YUU HO KEI pedometer game involves ordering your foot soldiers out to battle with you – by making…

Weighing all of 48 lbs, VPI’s award winning Scoutmaster turntable is a literal heavyweight. But now it’s got a big brother, the TEAC VPI Scoutmaster II, with an aluminum block platter that weighs 19 lbs and a total weight of 53 lbs. According to Akihabara News, the weight of the turntable offsets unwanted vibration to create the “purest sound” possible.…

The Gundam statue isn’t even formally exhibited yet and we already have news on another 1:1 scale giant robot statue that will be built in Japan! Widely acknowledged as the first giant robot ever to be featured in manga, Tetsujin 28-go (”Iron Man 28″) is finally going to live up to its Westernized name, Gigantor.

A 59-ft (18-m) statue of…

If you use Twitter, odds are you occasionally inform your poor followers of some business that just really doesn’t matter. (How’s your sandwich, by the way?) Why not keep them updated on something that might actually matter, like your heart rate?

Thanks to a bunch of Japanese Twitter-lovers, anyone willing to use a heart monitor can update their Twitter feeds with…

Apparently, the folks in Japan have some different ways of chilling out in the tub than what I’m familiar with. Banpresto Fruit Palette are light-up fake fruit that you float around your bathtub while you soak to help you let your mind drift. Ahhhhh… There’s nothing like some oversize plastic citrus to help you relax.

But unlike conventional (or organic)…

This remote-controlled helicopter has the unique ability to be flown by voice command.

Japan’s Taiyo Toy makes these unusual toy helicopters that come with a voice control mode. Just speak into the included microphone, and you can direct the helicopter up and down, and turn the engines off and on.

Of course, it doesn’t quite understand English, so the commands…

Feel the full force of Mastodon on your butt with the MUR-01 rocking chair from Irisohyama. The built-in 8.5-watt 2.1 speaker system will assault your body with sound. Or will it just massage your body? How loud is an 8.5-watt speaker system anyway?

Mr. Smiling Caucasian must be listening to some R. Kelly. Feelin’ on yo booty. Yeah, that’ll massage him…

Remember the BowLingual? Released in the early 2000’s, the device claimed that it could translate your dog’s barks into phrases and emotions that told you what your dog was thinking, or how it was feeling. Now the BowLingual has gotten a 2009 upgrade, which actually gives your dog a human voice.

Just place the bark-sensor collar around your pup’s neck,…

The gadgets that Brando sells are often weird but they’re mostly affordable. GeekStuff4U has it the other way around: slightly weird gadgets that really hurt the pockets. Case in point: handmade frog and duck USB flash disks. Why? I mean, sure, they look nice, but… Why?

Okay I must admit, USB frog looks cool. He looks like a tatooed alien…

Mitsubishi’s L65A90 LaserVue 65-inch Rear Projection HDTV is the world’s first laser-powered television, and the company claims that its laser-lit DLP delivers twice as many colors as the now stupid and old LCD and plasma HDTVs. If I may quote the L65A90’s tech specs…  “Twice the Color Over 200% of HDTV.” WOW. Twice and over 200% in one sentence? This…

The RX-78 Gundam statue is aliiiiiive!

Okay not really but it’s still awesome. It looks like a chunkier Exia. Of course it does. They’re both Gundams. Giant Robot Statue is making me stupid.

And its head moves too! *sobs*

It doesn’t just do “Look at me I’m awesome” poses too, it can also be dramatic, as shown in this shot:…

The RX-78 statue – 8th Wonder of the World, King of all Statues, Future Prime Minister – is finished. It’s done. It’s awesome. It’s bitchin.  Japan the best. Japan is the Michael Jordan of nations. Japan is the knees of the bee’s knees. They make giant robot statues. GIANT! ROBOT! STATUES!

Not even the gloomiest and smoggiest of days can…

Kawasaki’s upcoming 1400 GTR may just be the world’s most technologically advanced bike on the planet, surpassing even the Blue Hawk and the Battle Hopper. Kidding. Expected to be unveiled this coming autumn, the 1400 GTR will be equipped with 2 infrared cameras on its rearview mirrors, giving the rider night vision, which can be displayed either via an onboard…

Rejoice (Japan)! New colors for Nintendo entertainment systems! And at last, new colors for the Wii. Well, new color, singular. Well, sort of a color. It’s black. Well, it’s different, anyway.

The new DSi is decked out in red, which is nice, but not a patch on this sexy black Wii.

While the matte surface is much more practical for…