Is Hasbro planning to buy Mattel?

This might not seem to be the right space to talk about this a few years back but with gadgets and even connected toys taking up more and more of the attention of children, this doesn’t seem too off tangent. A new report from the Wall Street Journal claims Hasbro recently made an offer to purchase Mattel. It wasn’t said how receptive Mattel was to the idea or how much Hasbro offered but the move would put two hot properties side by side: My Little Pony and Hot Wheels. A merger of the two companies might help both sides. Hasbro, who has been taking advantage of the popularity of its Disney-themed toys as well as licenses from TV and movie deals, can help out Mattel, who is trying to turn around years of failed toy lines.

The acquisition will also give Hasbro access to Mattel’s manufacturing facilities. The former gave up its own facilities a while back. On top of that, Mattel could contribute to building up Hasbro’s tech-driven toys, which they need to develop more of now as they compete with top tech companies for the younger audience. Of course, this might raise concerns about how this could violate US antitrust law but whether this will draw as big a scrutiny and opposition as telecom mergers is something we can’t say yet. Both parties refuse to comment about the rumours.

Source: Engadget

Google Store now has a dedicated VR section

Virtual reality (VR) has been at the forefront of a lot of movement in the tech world these days. Google isn’t falling far behind with a new dedicated page to highlight various VR products including the Google Cardboard, Mattel View-Master, and Google Tech C1-Glass VR Viewer. Unfortunately, product sales in the country don’t seem to be open at the moment and there isn’t word yet if Google plans to sell it to our local Google Store. In the U.S. the Cardboard headset and Tech C1-Glass VR Viewer can be bought for US$15 and the View-Master goes for $30 (which is available at Best Buy here).

Source: Android Police

View-Master makes a comeback

Here’s a nice blast from the past. The Google-Mattel event has brought the View-Master into the 21^st century. Using Google Cardboard, Mattel is giving the nostalgic toy an upgrade with the use of a smartphone, of course. If you don’t know what a View-Master is it was an ‘80s toy that lets kids peek into 3D worlds. All you needed were the 3D reels and a good light source and you had hours of fun ahead of you.

This time, the new View-Master will make use of the smartphone screen that will project some of the 3D images made specifically for this purpose in an app. The toy will be available for US$29 this fall but there aren’t too many specifics on what size phones it can accommodate or what graphics chip is needed to render the images. It will come with an experience reel sample but to get more you will need to buy them at $14.99 each.

Source: SlashGear

Mattel, Google partner for mysterious product debut on February 13

Google, together with toymaker Mattel, will be unveiling a new product next week on February 13. Some are speculating that the View-Master might be getting a modern spin because the invite to the event says the attendees will “view what’s possible” and there seems to be the outline of a View-Master reel. Or maybe we’re going to see the Google Cardboard being reimagined for the younger set. The announcement is happening a day before the Toy Fair 2015 in Manhattan so perhaps we might be getting a Google-Mattel-made toy. We just have to wait a few more days to find out.

Source: 9to5Google