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Need a last-minute gift idea? Check out the hottest toys of 2017

hot toys Nerf Rival Nemesis Mark MXVII-10k
Nerf
Looking for a last-minute Christmas gift for the young (or the young at heart)? If you’re unclear as to what the hot toys are this year, we’ve scoured the web — and solicited a few suggestions from our staff — regarding some of the most popular toys and games this holiday season. Read on for our curated list, which includes gifts that will please friends and family of all ages, whether they’re into video games, gadgets, or getting their hands slimy.

Looking for a more robust list of picks? If so, take a gander at our 2017 Holiday Gift Guide.

Nintendo Switch ($300)

Nintendo Switch review
Nate Barrett/Digital Trends

Nintendo’s most ambitious console yet offers the power of a home console in a device you can take with you anywhere. Suddenly, you can play the latest Zelda or Mario game while on your morning commute, and the sharp visuals blow up nicely when you hook the Switch up to a TV. Whether you’ve got kids, or simply love Nintendo’s reliable, fun-for-all-ages style of games, the Switch is a lovely device that’s chock-full of innovation and promise. It’s so cool, in fact, we officially dubbed it our Product of the Year.

Read our full Nintendo Switch review

Amazon

‘Codenames’ ($15)

Czech Games

Board games are more popular than ever these days, and not just for family game night. A generation of young adults raised on Catan have led to a wave of games that are strategic, and often complex. For those who don’t want to manage an economy, Codenames offers a simple — but surprisingly deep — experience that anyone can grasp. Players sort into two teams, each consisting of a spymaster and spies. Tiles with words on them are arranged on the table, and the spymasters must give clues to lead their spies to their team’s tiles (hopefully without choosing the other team’s tiles). It’s an intuitive game, one that any group, from nuclear families to college friends, can enjoy.

Amazon

DIY Slime Kit ($20)

Image used with permission by copyright holder

It seemed impossible for anything to dethrone fidget spinners as the decade’s strangest trend, yet slime did just that. Today’s social media personalities demonstrated that, with household items like Borax or shampoo, anyone could recreate the set of Nickelodeon’s Double Dare. If you’d prefer your kids not play with potentially harmful chemicals, however, why not buy a kit to keep them sliming it up safely?

Target

Epikgo Classic hoverboard ($600)

Image used with permission by copyright holder

They say you should dress for the job you want, so if you want to be a Silicon Valley executive, try living life on a hoverboard. The Epikgo Classic is fun to ride and can go more than 10 miles on a single charge, and besides, the calories you save from walking can be put to better use designing the next app to disrupt [insert industry here].

Amazon

Power Wheels Boomerang ($330)

Image used with permission by copyright holder

What kid doesn’t love to race? The Power Wheels Boomerang is a beastly, battery-powered vehicle that will let kids tear up the lawn in style — but don’t worry, it tops out at 5 miles per hour!

Toys R Us 

Amazon

Nerf Rival Nemesis Mark MXVII-10k

Image used with permission by copyright holder

Nerf guns are an ageless gift, enjoyed equally by children in the park and employees at Digital Trends headquarters. Regardless of how you choose to use it, the pricey Nemesis Mark MXVII-10k will make you the power player in any Nerf war. With a 100-round capacity and a motorized feed that’s capable of shooting projectiles at 100 feet per second, you’ll lay waste to opponents like Achilles having a bad day.

Amazon

Lego Star Wars BB-8

Image used with permission by copyright holder

If there’s one character in the new Star War films who is universally loved, it’s BB-8, the world’s friendliest rolling orb. If you want to make your own BB-8, this Lego set makes it possible, with superb detail and even a display stand.

Amazon

Parrot Mambo drone ($130)

Parrot Mambo best drones under 0
Image used with permission by copyright holder

Although it’s not the flashiest drone in the world, this tiny quadcopter handles well and comes with a few fun attachments, including a claw for picking up objects and cannons for shooting foam balls. You can control it with a smartphone app, too, or spend a little more for a twin-stick controller. It’s one of our favorite drones to date, and also one of the most affordable.

Amazon

Will Nicol
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Will Nicol is a Senior Writer at Digital Trends. He covers a variety of subjects, particularly emerging technologies, movies…
Juiced Bikes offers 20% off on all e-bikes amid signs of bankruptcy
Juiced Bikes Scrambler ebike

A “20% off sitewide” banner on top of a company’s website should normally be cause for glee among customers. Except if you’re a fan of that company’s products and its executives remain silent amid mounting signs that said company might be on the brink of bankruptcy.That’s what’s happening with Juiced Bikes, the San Diego-based maker of e-bikes.According to numerous customer reports, Juiced Bikes has completely stopped responding to customer inquiries for some time, while its website is out of stock on all products. There are also numerous testimonies of layoffs at the company.Even more worrying signs are also piling up: The company’s assets, including its existing inventory of products, is appearing as listed for sale on an auction website used by companies that go out of business.In addition, a court case has been filed in New York against parent company Juiced Inc. and Juiced Bike founder Tora Harris, according to Trellis, a state trial court legal research platform.Founded in 2009 by Harris, a U.S. high-jump Olympian, Juiced Bikes was one of the early pioneers of the direct-to-consumer e-bike brands in the U.S. market.The company’s e-bikes developed a loyal fandom through the years. Last year, Digital Trends named the Juiced Bikes Scorpion X2 as the best moped-style e-bike for 2023, citing its versatility, rich feature set, and performance.The company has so far stayed silent amid all the reports. But should its bankruptcy be confirmed, it could legitimately be attributed to the post-pandemic whiplash experienced by the e-bike industry over the past few years. The Covid-19 pandemic had led to a huge spike in demand for e-bikes just as supply chains became heavily constrained. This led to a ramp-up of e-bike production to match the high demand. But when consumer demand dropped after the pandemic, e-bike makers were left with large stock surpluses.The good news is that the downturn phase might soon be over just as the industry is experiencing a wave of mergers and acquisitions, according to a report by Houlihan Lokey.This may mean that even if Juiced Bikes is indeed going under, the brand and its products might find a buyer and show up again on streets and trails.

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Volkswagen plans 8 new affordable EVs by 2027, report says
volkswagen affordable evs 2027 id 2all

Back in the early 1970s, when soaring oil prices stifled consumer demand for gas-powered vehicles, Volkswagen took a bet on a battery system that would power its first-ever electric concept vehicle, the Elektro Bus.
Now that the German automaker is facing a huge slump in sales in Europe and China, it’s again turning to affordable electric vehicles to save the day.Volkswagen brand chief Thomas Schaefer told German media that the company plans to bring eight new affordable EVs to market by 2027."We have to produce our vehicles profitably and put them on the road at affordable prices," he is quoted as saying.
One of the models will be the ID.2all hatchback, the development of which is currently being expedited to 36 months from its previous 50-month schedule. Last year, VW unveiled the ID.2all concept, promising to give it a price tag of under 25,000 euros ($27,000) for its planned release in 2025.VW CEO Larry Blume has also hinted at a sub-$22,000 EV to be released after 2025.It’s unclear which models would reach U.S. shores. Last year, VW America said it planned to release an under-$35,000 EV in the U.S. by 2027.The price of batteries is one of the main hurdles to reduced EV’s production costs and lower sale prices. VW is developing its own unified battery cell in several European plants, as well as one plant in Ontario, Canada.But in order for would-be U.S. buyers to obtain the Inflation Reduction Act's $7,500 tax credit on the purchase of an EV, the vehicle and its components, including the battery, must be produced at least in part domestically.VW already has a plant in Chattanooga, Tennesse, and is planning a new plant in South Carolina. But it’s unclear whether its new unified battery cells would be built or assembled there.

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Nissan launches charging network, gives Ariya access to Tesla SuperChargers
nissan charging ariya superchargers at station

Nissan just launched a charging network that gives owners of its EVs access to 90,000 charging stations on the Electrify America, Shell Recharge, ChargePoint and EVgo networks, all via the MyNissan app.It doesn’t stop there: Later this year, Nissan Ariya vehicles will be getting a North American Charging Standard (NACS) adapter, also known as the Tesla plug. And in 2025, Nissan will be offering electric vehicles (EVs) with a NACS port, giving access to Tesla’s SuperCharger network in the U.S. and Canada.Starting in November, Nissan EV drivers can use their MyNissan app to find charging stations, see charger availability in real time, and pay for charging with a payment method set up in the app.The Nissan Leaf, however, won’t have access to the functionality since the EV’s charging connector is not compatible. Leaf owners can still find charging stations through the NissanConnectEV and Services app.Meanwhile, the Nissan Ariya, and most EVs sold in the U.S., have a Combined Charging System Combo 1 (CCS1) port, which allows access to the Tesla SuperCharger network via an adapter.Nissan is joining the ever-growing list of automakers to adopt NACS. With adapters, EVs made by General Motors, Ford, Rivian, Honda and Volvo can already access the SuperCharger network. Kia, Hyundai, Toyota, BMW, Volkswagen, and Jaguar have also signed agreements to allow access in 2025.
Nissan has not revealed whether the adapter for the Ariya will be free or come at a cost. Some companies, such as Ford, Rivian and Kia, have provided adapters for free.
With its new Nissan Energy Charge Network and access to NACS, Nissan is pretty much covering all the bases for its EV drivers in need of charging up. ChargePoint has the largest EV charging network in the U.S., with over 38,500 stations and 70,000 charging ports at the end of July. Tesla's charging network is the second largest, though not all of its charging stations are part of the SuperCharger network.

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