While I was snooping round the GRO website I also found that the company has also designed what must be the most stunning table football in the world. A mix of chrome metals (there's a whiff of luxury bath taps) and atmospheric lighting, it really does look stunning. The table is now on sale via this website. The bad news is that it takes 12 weeks before they can ship it to you. Got to be worth the wait though. Take a look at these images.

Click on the image to start the gallery

Fancy a robot vacuum cleaner but not got the dosh for one of these? Well the good news is that that the decidedly low rent version has just started to arrive in the UK. The Brush Robot is essentially a kids toy, but don't let that put you off. You spend a few minutes building it and voila your very own robot cleaner and all for just £9.95.

The robot comes with a battery case, wooden brush, paint brush, motor, a set of plastic mechanical parts and of course those

It is available from a number of retailers including this lot

Rubiks puzzles. I hate them. Never could solve one. Never had the patience to. However, I do appreciate the genius of their design, well, I did. Until I met the Rubik's Touch Cube.

The trouble is that it's exactly the same mental proposition as the original Rubik's Cube only with a completely rubbish interface in the way. From my, admittedly limited, time with the one in the vid, I found the touch effect pretty terrible and, given that they're charging £139.99 for each one when they're launched, I'd chalk it up as "one for the enthusiast".

The answer you're looking for is no. No, you can never have enough Star Wars themed merchandise - certainly not in rainy old England where not even a Jedi mind trick can prevent a downpour.

Instead, equip yourself with the £19.99 lightsaber umbrella. It's got three internal LEDs, which light up the shaft when you hit the button, but, sadly, you'll have to make all the sound effects yourself - probably quite fun when you're cutting through all the pedestrain traffic.

Three AAA batteries are not included, which is a shame because that's what it require to work, and the whole thing is 84cm long. Suitable for those 12 and over apparently.

You know, I don't think I can use the word "shaft" with a straight face any more. How did you fair reading it?

IWOOT

If you don't want a pair of £99 nightvision goggles, you're either Swiss or dead. These are part of the British HM Forces foray into the world of "toys" except these bad boys actually give you genuine, green, infra red-assisted night vision at up to 15m.

Scalextric phoned me earlier. If you were a child of a certain part of the late 80s and early 90s, then you'll immediately be envious. In actual fact, though, all that happened was that my inner eight-year-old immediately took the fore and started babbling excitedly. It was quite embarrassing. All they were trying to tell me is that Scalextric has entered the world of social media.

The company has launched a Facebook application, a YouTube channel and a blog. That wouldn't normally be terribly exciting news, but the app and the channel seem pretty cool. The Facebook app lets you build a garage of cars that you can send to other people using the app. A few people will also win real-life Scalextric vouchers, so you can fill your real-life garage up with that instead.

The YouTube channel is also pretty awesome. There's video of Jensen Button playing with the diminutive cars, but also guides on how to replace the contacts under the cars if they get worn, and footage of an attempt at the world record for biggest Scalextric track.

Lastly, the blog. It's a little clunky, but there's sections for news about the toys and space for news about motorsports. There's also a 'coming soon' section for technical help on Scalextric builds, which I'm sure will come in handy.

The only thing missing in this list is a Twitter account. What's that all about, Scalextric? I want to message @scalextric and not have some bloke from Warwickshire reply.

Blog, YouTube and Facebook App

Awww, poor Pleo. Looks like he might be going the way of his friends very shortly, as the company that makes him has filed for bankruptcy and laid off all its employees.

It's been on the cards for a while, as suppliers have filed lawsuits against the company for non-payment and the company's website has been going down on a regular basis. It's possible that the lovable dino will be saved by another toy company, especially as it's such a powerful brand, but don't get your hopes up too much.

(via Engadget)