AppBlaster from AppToys

Today I was walking around the store and I happened to see the AppBlaster toy.  At first I thought it was the new Nerf Lazer Tag because it was in the same area as the Nerf guns.   I almost picked it up, but decided I should wait a little longer (and make sure my old iPhone still works).  

This gun is for iPhone/iPod only, and since I have been using Andriod for so long I have to see if my old phone still turns on.  But now I have to decide which one I should get.  You have the AppTag (a kickstarter project I wrote about a while back that can use either iPhone/iPod or Android phones.  Next you have the Nerf Laser Tag which only uses iPhone/iPod but they state they are working on an Android version.  And then you have the AppBlaster.

At 19.99 the AppBlaster is probably the cheapest one out there, followed closely by AppTag, and then Nerf.  I think I might just pick up all three and see which is the best.  Right now I think that the sway point will be what apps are available for each of these systems and how much they cost.

Also I would like to see how they hook up to the guns, and out of curiosity are the apps usable all around.   Say I bought the AppBlaster could I use the apps that are for the Nerf Lazer?  If anyone has picked up the AppBlaster let me know how it is.

AppTag - LaserTag for your Smart Phone

While I am in search of a cool LaserTag I found another interesting one over at Kickstarter called AppTag  currently seeking funding of 30K which they have 14.2K pledged for the project.  Overall it looks pretty interesting.  It is sort of like the Nerf LaserTag in that its LaserTag that you can add your smartphone into the mix.

From the start AppTag will be usable with your iPhones, iPod Touch, and Android phones.  Another cool thing  is that its rail based so you can add this to your old Nerf guns if you want.  From what I understand that it works well with and of the Nerf guns that have accessory rails. The device uses high frequency sound to communicate between each other and provide an augmented reality on screen with items available like medkits, and ammo.

This looks like a great item so get over there and support them so we can all be using these this summer.

Update to the Nerf iPhone Laser Tag

Last night after posting about the Nerf iPhone LaserTag I stumbled upon a comment over at http://technabob.com from their post on the Nerf iPhone Laser Tag.

A snippet of the comment from the post is as follows:

TagFerret writes: 

Couple of corrections, from the inventor/developer/whatever dude:

It’s not that it doesn’t work with Android, it’s just that we won’t do the Android App development until after all the wrinkles are worked out of the iOS App (fewer different devices to have to qualify it on for the initial release). Most Android devices will probably only need a different cradle insert for the phone and depending on their audio connection a cable adapter.

Well this is promising news for me.  I will have to wait and see how long it takes to get the Android App out and then a new cradle.  I can see how there might be a few issues with building a cradle for Android phones as there is no standard placement on ports on these phones unlike the iPhone.  

If it takes to long well then I can hope someone else takes the reigns and make it work with Android.   

Hasbro Nerf iPone Laser Tag

The Hasbro Nerf Laser brings us back to our childhood, and as we try to show our children the games we played its nice to see its been modernized for today's technology.  My only gripe with it is that its for Iphone/Ipod Touch only.

I am a fan of Android and am hoping that they will shortly announce or release one for Android, or at least have a way to use our Android phones.  If the company doesn't provide the support for Android I hope that some creative folks can get their hands on some of them to convert them to be used with Android even if that might mean creating a new App just for Android.

I would probably go so far as ordering one for someone to convert them over to Android.  I am sure that it would require more work then just changing out the Iphone standard data connection with a normal micro usb connection.