Steve Jobs action figure is advertised; will Apple respond?

A Steve Jobs action figure? Just what you've always wanted!

Just three months after the death of Apple Inc. founder Steve Jobs, a company called In Icons has put images of a prototype Steve Jobs action figure on its website and the Internet is going crazy.

No one is surprised that the company thinks it can sell a 12-inch-high collectible action figure of Jobs for the proposed price of $99.

That's inevitable.

Rather, it's the borderline disturbing level of detail that the company has put in the figure that is freaking everyone out. The prototype includes the pores on Jobs' forehead, the subtle wrinkles under his eyes, even the veins on his hand.

The prototype also includes two extra pair of hands in case you lose the first pair, which is kind of freaky in a different way.

The Steve Jobs set also comes with two pairs of glasses, one black turtleneck, one pair of blue jeans, one black leather belt, two apples (one with a bite out) and one hard backdrop reading "ONE MORE THING."

In Icons did not return a request for comment. Its website says it will start shipping the product worldwide in February.

However, many media watchers are skeptical that the figure actually will ship.

Back in 2010, Apple blocked a company called M.I.C. Gadget from selling a Steve Jobs action figure on Ebay, saying that the action figure was a violation of its copyrights and trademarks.

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 -- Deborah Netburn

Image: Screen grab of the Steve Jobs action figure pictured on InIcons.com. Credit: InIcons.com.

Fashion industry puts QR codes onto Barbie, couture gowns

For all the value fashion places on being hip and on trend, the industry's been spotty about adopting QR codes -- until now. 

QRs -- those square, matrix-looking barcodes that can be scanned using a smartphone -- have been popping up in and around fashion this season as reliably as sky-high heels and impeccably coiffed hair.

During Fashion's Night Out in New York, QRs were plastered on a pink Barbie-themed bus and on Barbie doll boxes that could be scanned to win human-sized versions of outfits from designers such as Alice and Olivia, alexis bittar and Tracy Reese. Jeweler Tiffany & Co. frosted QR codes onto cookies that linked to a concert invitation with "Gossip Girl" actress Leighton Meester. And the Madison Avenue Business Improvement District handed out postcards printed with QRs for a fashion scavenger hunt.

In Barcelona, Spain, a few weeks earlier, a model trotted down the runway with a large QR code incorporated into the bodice of her silver and black Frans Baviera gown.

The Times has previously written about the growing popularity of QR codes, which are used in marketing campaigns for big retailers like Macy's and smaller brands such as Joe's Jeans.

QR codes as the next fashion trend? It may only be a matter of time.

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--Shan Li

Upper photo: Barbie doll box with QR code for Fashion's Night Out. Credit: Barbie Loves FNO! website

Lower: Model wearing Frans Baviera gown with QR code. Credit: Frans Baviera

'Back to the Future' Nike MAG to hit EBay, fight Parkinson's disease [Video]

The Nike MAG shoes worn by Marty McFly -- er, actor Michael J. Fox -- in the classic film "Back to the Future Part II" have long been an unattainable holy grail for sneaker-heads.

Now, finally, the MAGs have taken the leap from the silver screen into the real world. The self-lacing feature depicted in the 1989 movie is gone, but the MAG will get the movie version's LED-electroluminescent glowing Nike logos.

Most sneaker-heads, however, will never be able to get their hands on a pair.

Nike has produced a limited run of 1,500 pairs of the MAG. Each will be auctioned on EBay at nikemag.eBay.com, and all of the "net proceeds" will go to the Michael J. Fox Foundation to help fight Parkinson's disease, according to Nike. Fox was diagnosed with Parkinson's in 1991.

The auction kicks off at tonight at 8:30 p.m. and will end Sept. 18, with 150 pairs sold through EBay each day.

But the tech-related fundraising around the shoe doesn't end there.

Google co-founder Sergey Brin and his wife Anne Wojciki, who co-founded the DNA-testing company 23andMe, have agreed to match all donations to the Michael J. Fox Foundation -- up to $50 million -- through the end of 2012, according to the blog Nice Kicks.

Michael J. Fox is also set to appear on "Late Show with David Letterman" tonight to talk about the release of the Nike MAG and the fundraising for his foundation, Nice Kicks said.

In the film "Back to the Future Part II," Fox wears the shoes when his character, Marty McFly, travels to the year 2015. Hopefully we'll see a general release of the Nike MAG in four years, at lower prices than the EBay auction will conjure up.

What do you think about the Nike MAG and the fundraising? For sneaker geeks and lovers of the Back to the Future trilogy, does the shoe live up to the hype? Should Mattel follow Nike and produce Marty McFly's "Back to the Future Part II" hover board? Sound off in the comments.

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-- Nathan Olivarez-Giles

Twitter.com/nateog

Images: The Nike MAG sneaker, inspired by the shoe of the same name from the 1989 movie "Back to the Future Part II." Credit: Nike

Shift gears on Toyota's bike with your mind alone

When you're pedaling along the open road on a bike, sometimes shifting gears is a drag. That's when Toyota's mind-controlled bike may come in handy.

The minimalistic-looking bike, made in conjunction with Saatchi LA, Parlee Cycles and Deeplocal, comes with a built-in smartphone dock, a carbon-fiber frame -- and a helmet that reads electrical brain activity.

Developed by human/digital interface specialists Deeplocal, the helmet is stuffed with neurotransmitters that allow riders to shift gears "without using a single one of their appendages," according to the bike's webpage. Think "gear shift," and that command is sent to an iPhone app, which in turn controls the bike and makes it obey your wishes.

It supposedly only takes a few minutes for the helmet to adjust to your individual brain waves to allow for smooth gear shifting on the road. There are also levers for manual shifting -- you know, in case the force is not with you that day.

The Prius X Parlee (PXP) concept bicycle is part of Toyota Prius Projects, which could eventually be a cool incubator for innovative side projects by the folks at Prius, but for now is a mishmash of random factoids about their Prius hybrid, plus some extras.

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Upper Photo: The Toyota mind-controlled bike prototype. Lower: A helmet to shift gears on the Toyota bike. Credit: Toyota Prius Project

Consumer Electronics Show: Sphero, a toy ball driven by smart phone or tablet

Sphero, a small, rolling ball controlled by a smart phone or a tablet computer, is a toy that is being shown off at the Consumer Electronics Show.

But Orbotix, the Boulder, Colo., start-up company that makes Sphero, hopes its baseball-sized invention will end up being more than just a toy and is using the CES to court retailers, the media and developers.

"We see it as a new gaming platform," said Orbotix Chief Executive Paul Berberian. "We have a sumo game app where people drive balls into each other. We're also working on a game where people can solve math problems to allow them to take control over other people's Sphero until that person can solve a math problem."

Xbox or PlayStation this is not, but an affordable gateway into gaming and robotics is what Berberian is hoping will make Sphero catch on with consumers, namely kids.

Sphero is due for sale online and in stores, which have yet to be named, by the end of the year for less than $100.

The ball, which connects to smart phones or tablets via Bluetooth, is controlled by apps on Apple's iOS and Google's Android operating systems.

Users can use their fingers to drive Sphero or tilt the smart phone or tablet itself to move the ball around. Inside the app, a user can change Sphero's color and speed.

Orbotix is also working on an augmented-reality app for Sphero that would display obstacles on screen that a player would have to dodge.

"Inside the ball, we use components from air traffic controllers," he said. "Everything is programmed with open source code, and it's very easy to program for. So, we think this could be great for education too. It's really an inexpensive way to get into programming and robotics."

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-- Nathan Olivarez-Giles
twitter.com/nateog

Video: Sphero at the 2001 Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. Credit: Nathan Olivarez-Giles/Los Angeles Times. Photos: Sphero in hand and a screen shot of the Sphero App. Credit: Orbotix

Consumer Electronics Show: Robots, robots, everywhere!

Though Skynet couldn't make it, there are cleaning robots, massage robots, even robots modeled after dinosaurs at the Robotics TechZone at the Consumer Electronics Show.

Japanese company Cyberdyne is showing off its Robot Suit HAL cyborg at the CES in Las Vegas. The suit senses nerve signals sent by the brain to muscles through the skin and directs the robotic covering to move along with the body.

The suit is able to help users walk, climb, hold and lift and could be used for physical training and rehabilitation as well as to support heavy labor and disaster rescue efforts. Iron Man is also likely interested.

Autom, the robotic weight-loss coach, was there. Vstone Co. has its walking humanoid robots, which can also fight and breakdance. DreamBots brought its palm-size WheeMe massager robot, which silently steers itself and presses using four small wheels.

There's also a slightly more prehistoric but more lifelike option: Pleo rb, the animatronic baby dinosaur that has "feelings." The robotic camarasaurus, which has been around since 2006, constantly developing new responses to his environment.

Each Pleo evolves differently, revealing a wide range of moods and emotions and adapting to its owner with a multitude of noises and motions. The robot is programmed to play tug of war, whimper to show fear, arch its back when stroked, nap and steer clear of table edges.

The price of this inquisitive companion: A cool $469.

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Santa cleared for takeoff by FAA, will deliver gifts in eco-friendly, technologically advanced sleigh

Right about now, Santa’s likely gearing up for his mad dash around the world, his flight path approved by authorities and his sleigh tricked out with the newest technology.

On Monday, St. Nick and his team got the go-ahead from the Federal Aviation Administration for their “delivery mission.”

The sleigh, code-named “Santa One,” has been outfitted with satellite-based NextGen technology to help with cruising altitude, said U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood in a statement, and Rudolph’s nose will feature position-broadcasting avionics.

“Santa’s reindeer-powered sleigh is already energy-efficient, but the NextGen technologies will further reduce Santa One’s carbon hoofprint,” according to a government statement. “The shorter, faster routings means that Rudolph and the other reindeer will consume less hay, resulting in fewer greenhouse gases.”

Perhaps some of the eco-friendly suggestions that General Electric made last year to Claus & Co. became a reality.

The proposed sleigh included spray-on nano-coatings to prevent ice from building up on the super-light frame. That, as well as a smart cruise control function on the dashboard, will also help with fuel efficiency.

The OLED lights would run on thin-film batteries, featured alongside sodium batteries that store energy harvested by the reindeer. A 500-gigabyte holographic disc would record Santa’s long list of gift requests.

But some think the green makeover is a hoot, and not in a good way. A video poking fun at the California Air Resources Board -- using Mr. Claus' sleigh as a model -- has been making the rounds in the blogosphere. RELATED:

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Rubik's Cube built on a 3-D printer unlocks love for one couple [Updated]

Oskar van Deventer, an electrical engineer living in Leidschendam in the Netherlands, has had ideas floating around in his head for toy-puzzle designs since he was 12 years old.

But until he started using a little-known technology called 3-D printing about two years ago, bringing his colorful and complex creations into the world, realizing his imagination was difficult and expensive.

“Since 1988, I’ve sold twisty-puzzle designs and interlocking ring designs and things to toy companies on the side,” said Van Deventer, 44. “But I might do 50 or 60 stages of prototyping, and some designs take more than a year of work that way.”

3-D printers, which can produce one-off items based on computer diagrams, have radically changed that process, he said.

But Van Deventer doesn't own a 3-D printer. Instead, he uploads his designs to Shapeways, a website where budding inventors can sell 3-D-printed products they designed.

Royal Philips Electronics started Shapeways in 2008. Philips doesn't make 3-D printers, but it uses industrial units from other manufactures as a way to bring the technology to consumers who are looking for unique items.

Van Deventer mostly makes elaborate puzzles that retail on the website for $30 to $800. Others sell jewelry, candle holders, artistic sculptures and even iPod stands.

“Currently, when I have a new idea -- say, for a twisty puzzle -- a simple one might take me 5 hours from idea to market,” van Deventer said. “It’s a very quick way to get the design out of my system and into the world.”

One of his best-known pieces was a Rubik’s Cube-type puzzle commissioned by Matthew Farnsworth, a lovesick man inspired by “The Sword in the Stone."

Farnsworth decided he wanted to marry a woman who could solve a Rubik's Cube.

Whosoever could solve the Rubik's cube (and meet some standard requirements) I would then and there ask for their hand in marriage,” he wrote in a blog posted on the Shapeways site.

He had Van Deventer make a puzzle that formed a heart on the top when solved. Then the top of the cube could be pulled off, revealing a ring inside.

Lucky for him, the woman he had fallen for solved the puzzle and didn’t seem to mind his odd quest.

Happy ending: She accepted his proposal, and Van Deventer now sells similar cubes on the site for about $300.

Check out Van Deventer demonstrating his heart-topped gift cube in the YouTube video below, and read this article on 3-D printers and efforts to bring the technology to the consumer market.

[Updated 6:57 p.m.: An earlier version of this post incorrectly stated that Oskar van Deventer lived in Souburg, Netherlands. He lives in Leidschendam.]

-- Nathan Olivarez-Giles

twitter.com/nateog

Photo: Gift Cube designed by Oskar van Deventer. Credit: Shapeways.com

Lego Stores use visual magic to drive sales

Lego Group has assembled a bit of technological wizardry to drive foot traffic into its stores.

Customers can pull a Lego package off the shelf, hold it in front of the Digital Box kiosk and see an animation on the screen of the completed Lego project overlaid on the box in their hands. A camera interfaces with the screen to pull off the augmented reality trick.

If we'd had this when we were 8 years old, our minds would have exploded.

After a trial last year at Disney World in Orlando, Fla., the Danish toy manufacturer is setting up augmented reality stations in its more than 50 shops worldwide. The stores at Disneyland in Anaheim and in the Glendale Galleria have seen numerous shoppers excitedly interact with their Digital Boxes, employees say.

Video: Tips for using an antenna to watch digital TV

Many readers may be surprised at the quality of viewing experience they can get using old-fashioned rabbit ears -- a technology that's been around for the better part of a century. Thanks to 2009's digital TV switch-over, the number of channels and clarity of signal have both increased dramatically. Most shocking of all is that many channels are now broadcasting over the air in high definition, and the picture quality is as good as -- if not better than -- HD over cable.

Here's the longer story about rabbit ears making a comeback. And here are a few tips to help you decide if it's the right choice for your home. In the meantime, watch the video below to see some of the tips in action.

-- David Sarno