Rubik's TouchCube

$150, Smart Toy

Teaches: logic, math, geometry, spatial relations

CTR Rating: 56%

CTR Review

Impressive to watch, but hard to use, Rubik's TouchCube is a second, much more sophisticated attempt to computerize the original twisting puzzle that so many people remember from the 1970s. The first was called Rubik's Revolution, released from Techno Source last year. This version is packed with technology: multi-color LEDs, an accelerometer, rechargeable batteries (with a cradle) and a microprocessor. Rather than physically twisting the ingeniously interlocked mechanical cubes, you swipe your finger against one of the cube's capacitive sides in order to change the colors. So there's no moving parts. Instead, the bright, multi-color LEDs change color with a flipping sound emitted from a tiny internal speaker. The accelerometer knows which side is up, and an internal microprocessor computer can give you a hint, take back the last step, or remember your progress. It can also solve itself while you watch in mathematical admiration. When it is not being used, the cube sits in a charging cradle and blinks for 15 minutes, before turning itself off. Testers found the puzzle to be cool at first, but soon lost interest. It turns off too fast, so you can't study the patterns, and beginners don't understand why every side isn't touch sensitive. Comparing this computer cube to the twisting puzzle isn't really accurate. So much of the experience is the sensation of the twisting; which connects the thinking with your active hands. The TouchCube takes a step toward the abstract, and when this is combined with the already abstract task, it makes the challenge greater. Unless you're into collecting novelties, pass. See the preview from the Toy Fair launch, at www.youtube.com/watch?v=8YEGZzK_F98.