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Alan Reiter

Multi-Personality Toys & More From Startup Conference

Written by Alan Reiter
9/15/2009 Post a comment
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The two-day TechCrunch50 conference is featuring some fascinating startup companies as well as new wireless products.

The one I liked the most was ToyBots, which provides a software platform to change a toy's personality. The company demonstrated a furry "Woozee" that includes 3G, WiFi, GPS, and an accelerometer.

The toy's personality can be transformed via an over-the-air software download. Also, a parent can record a message on a cellphone and transmit it to the toy, which speaks it in the parent's voice at a specific time.

Tickle the virtual toy in a computer game and the physical toy reacts. It can work as a controller, interacting with computer games.

One conference panelist said he would like to see a "Chucky" toy. I love it! One day a toy is a Ken-type doll, and the next day it's a killer.

ToyBots says it soon will announce partners with a telecom provider and a toy manufacturer.

Another startup, Story Something, offers personalized stories. Using the Web, a parent enters personal details: names of family members, ages, location, etc. The parent selects a theme, and the personalized story is created with the child as the hero. The story can be emailed to a computer or a phone.

Not everything presented during the conference was from a startup. Google Labs' Fast Flip allows browsing (flipping) of graphical Web pages on a computer, iPhone, or Android phone. Google optimizes pages for quick loading, and has deals with specific content providers to feature their pages and share revenues.

I viewed it on an Android handset. I can imagine the future of flipping through entire publications, tapping an article, and zooming to read.

Suggestions or questions about my Weblog? Email me: reiter@wirelessinternet.com

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