SONY WALKMAN MP3 NWZ-S616F The iconic Sony Walkman has evolved with the times and now no longer sports a tape-deck but a video MP3 player with 4GB storage space. www.sony.co.za
RUBIK’S 360 The latest brainchild of inventor Erno Rubik is being launched worldwide in August 2009. But this one’s not a cube, it’s round. And it’s not solid, it’s transparent. Like the classic, the new Rubik’s 360 has but one solution and it’s as addictive as its predecessor. Instead of three vertices, this toy has three spheres to work around. It involves manoeuvring six different coloured balls from a central sphere into colour co-ordinated compartments in the outer layer by shaking them through two holes in the middle sphere. Unlike Rubik’s Cube, this requires less math and more physics, the trick being in the weight and balance. True to Rubik’s reputation, the 360 will keep you puzzled and preoccupied so prepare to have your patience tested. www.rubiks.com
BATHING SUIT BARBIE DOLL Recreated in her signature black-and-white swimming cozzie and heels to celebrate her 50th birthday this year, Barbie remains the world’s most popular doll. This despite incalculable attempts by other doll manufacturers to replicate her fame – proof that an icon cannot be predicted but lies entirely in the eyes of its beholders. www.barbie.com
one small seed
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