Gearfuse

Slick marketing is an evil and effective way to get things done your way. Take for instance the Pixos Super Studio I found on Random Good Stuff. At first, it looks like a cool kids toy that uses water and beads to paint “pixelated” pictures that can turn into toys. The product description states:

Just add water, and watch in amazement as the PixOs beads magically fuse together to create a work of art. When you’re done with your creation, finish it off by using the studio’s built-in dryer. Studio comes with 500 PixOs, two design trays, five double-sided templates, two instruction booklets, spray bottle, super studio unit with built-in storage, dryer and pen dispenser. Refills sold separately.

Then I noticed it looked oddly familiar. Where had I seen this before? Oh yes, that’s right. The previously recalled Aqua Dots! Remember? The little beads that you draw with were coated with date rape drug GHB, enabling kids to slowly die and teenagers to slowly trip out. Don’t believe me? Hit the jump for the proof.
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Recalls seem like they are turning into the cool thing for companies to do when they need an image improvement. While Nintendo doesn’t really need an image improvement like Sony does, they are now recalling 200,000 DS lite adapters. While there have been no incidents reported yet, Nintendo has said that there are problems with the power adapters overheating and causing burns, not that they are exploding. This report has come after the recall of 3.2 million Wii Remotes because of the weak wrist straps that have a tendency to snap and break TVs during Wii Tennis. It is nice to see companies recalling products instead of letting the devices fail because it would be cheaper to ignore the problem (ie. Ford Pinto) and letting accidents occur. Money-wise, this recall of adapters will cost Nintendo about $848,600-$1.7 million. Because the power adapters are not manufactured by Nintendo, it is expected that Nagano Japan Radio (the makers of the adapters) will split the cost with Nintendo. — Nik Gomez

Nintendo Recalling DS Lite Chargers in Japan [1UP]