Prepare for something Unique, something very clever and something that is a whole lot of fun.
Paper Jamz have unleashed their electric guitar to great responses - me included - and this revolutionary instrument looks set to feature on a lot of Christmas lists. Yes, July and I start talking Xmas! You have to believe me though, these guitars are going to be huge!
The guitars feature circuit-embedded paper (the touch electronics is actually in the paper surface of the guitar), allowing Paper Jamz to create ultra-thin instruments that pack a serious sound. Don’t be mistaken by the paper part, this is no flimsy product, it’s a tough little cookie.
A fully playable electric guitar with over 30 major, minor, sharp and flat chords that’s as little as 3mm thick in its bulk. There are five designs in the range and each features a built-in speaker to pump out the tunes and 3 built-in licensed rock hits to jam along to (such as Smoke on the Water, Born to be Wild, You really Got Me, Blitzkreig Bop and more) should you wish to have a backing band!
Yep, I rocked out to the Kinks….A very liberating experience.
Paper Jamz drums (£24.99) are launching next month and feature the same paper-thin technology to create a fully playable 10 piece drum kit. There are cymbals, bass drums, high-hats – everything you need to be soloing but without taking up an entire room! Paper jamz have also just revealed a range of mini amps (£15) which again look just like the real thing only smaller. These will launch at the same time as the drums. Expect a review on these asap!
The beauty about these products is the price versus performance. At £24.99, You get the closest thing to an Electric guitar without shelling out for a real (much more expensive) model. The guitar is instantly playable, and is as educational as it is fun. The question is, who would not enjoy one of these guitars? The Paper Jamz guitar is available now from all good toy retailers.
Check out the Paper Jamz Guitar in action - click HERE
If this is to be the standard of new Christmas gifts to market this year, we are in for treats galore!
Are you looking for some Summer fun?
I have found it, and it comes as the small but perfectly formed Flyro-Gyro. This part plane / part gyroscope is simply awesome.
Fun gadgets such as these need to be easy to master….this is. It needs to provide enough diverting and entertaining pleasure as possible…this does.
You simply make sure you have given the Gyro a good spin when the Flyro-Gyro is launched - the faster the spin on the gyro, the further it will fly.
The level of play is diverse after this, Throw it level for straight flight or sideways for curved flight. You can even throw it at the ground for a bounce-and-fly move or bend its foam wings to customise trajectory.
We gave this a real “road test” down at the seaside, After a minute we had got the hang of the launch - it’s not hard! - and we soon had quite an audience gathered ‘round us. The Flyro-Gyro will fly over 100ft, providing you spin the gyro fast enough.
Yet another well made, perfect product from Firebox.com. At £9.99, you will be hard pushed to find anything that comes close to the Flyro-Gyro.
Fun for all the family this summer can be hard to find. Especially something which allows the grown-ups to join in with the kids. So with that in mind, and two kids in the house (plus the big one!), I just had to check out the Funkix Sonic.
The funkix Sonic is sure to keep your kids busy this summer. Now, this is not a football by any means, but, it is a technology filled sports sac. You can still kick and wack it, but also, you are able to record and playback words and phrases with its inbuilt microphone and speaker.
My household has had great fun from the Funkix Sonic. We play it as a family, or by ourselves, showing off our hitting and kicking skills. It really has been entertaining for us all. And, an added bonus is that whilst playing it, my boys get extra much needed exercise.
You can purchase the Funkix Sonic from http://www.wickedvision.co.uk for £9.99. Other models are also available.
LEGO® continues to be a major player in the world of toys. Some innovative releases, like the New Star Wars range and the LEGO® Batman / Indiana Jones (and others) video game releases have enabled LEGO® to keep right up with the new boys.
LEGO® has now really raised the bar, with the new range of lighting. Fun, tough and practical, I cannot praise these enough, all available from amazon.co.uk and Boots.
Starting with the basic keychain, £5.99, this is a great push and hold torch with strong LED to provide a short term lighting solution - perfect for helping you find keyholes. To give you an idea, The Iconic Lego man is nearly twice usual size.
The Headlamp is a slight variation on the above. With a push and click function you can have a continuous beam. This has the head strap, but also has a very useful clip at the back (my son thinks it’s a jet pack) £7.99.
The Lego brick is a sturdy piece, designed to give out a constant glow. Can also be wall mounted within the home, £9.99.
For the Eco minded, the Dynamo torch is brilliant. The oversized Lego man’s arm is the crank, give it a whirl and you get instant eco lighting…so much better than other dynamo torches on the market today - £14.99
19cm of Lego man, fully poseable, and the ultimate torch. Maybe not as sleek as your standard design torch, but a lot more fun. The beam is surprisingly bright and, as with all these torches, the exterior is robust and would stand up to the tests of little ones (well, they do have a habit of managing to break things…) £14.99.
The Lego Man Lantern is my favourite. Again, a large 19cm man that gives 360 degree light and a fab carry handle makes this lantern portable. Perfect for use by a camp fire and for sleepovers or holidays £16.99.
This new range is as you would expect from LEGO®. The men are all poseable, with moving heads, arms and legs. On the smaller models, the moving legs are great, you can aim your beam to wherever you need it to be.
Value for money these days is a big issue. Just look at the prices above. These are top quality torches that will last. They are manufactured by a well known and loved brand. They are great prices. As gifts, these torches represent tremendous value for money.
I love coffee, I sometimes need coffee! What I find hard to replicate at home, is that lovely cup you get from your favourite coffee shop.
You know what I mean, somehow it’s not the same. My cafetierre gave up on me recently, so I was over the moon when Nigel’s Eco Store sent me the Presso, an Espresso coffee maker. Formed from polished aluminium (can be recycled at the end of its life), The kettle uses the only electricity needed to make an Espresso. No electricity required for the Presso itself.
To make an Espresso, 2 things are required - Boiling water and pressure (ok, 3 things…you need coffee grounds!). This is where the fun of Presso comes in. You provide the pressure by moving the arms up and then slowly down. You become an Espresso professional. There is something in the movement that makes you start to pose a little bit. It’s very satisfying!
More importantly, The Espresso itself is of coffee shop quality. What you get is delightfully smooth, not like my old cafetierre which used to chug out grainy coffee.
And as important again, the electricity consumption is a lot less than normal machines. It looks really cool as well! It has pride of place in my kitchen now - because of two things, it’s looks and it’s performance.
At £79.99, you can get real Espresso’s time after time. There will be no electricty costs and you will be lowering your carbon footprint. Guilt free, perfect Espresso’s from Presso and Nigel’s Eco store.
