That removable sensor is supposed to be a salt shaker, painted black.
Gah. Why does this keep happening? If you care enough to pay $60 for a relatively obscure Star Trek item, why would you want it to inauthentically play Spock audio clips? Is it aimed at people in the 70s who don’t already have unlimited access to Spock clips on their phone / watch / GPS / earrings?
The first thought I had upon seeing this was that if it had been an Amazon link there would have been complaints there about this being made in China. Out of curiosity I checked. This precise manufacturer isn’t listed, but they actually have several to choose from. And yes, the “reviews” have comments complaining about Chinese sourcing. But most importantly, they show several models and this particular one is evidently a medical tricorder, so it should have McCoy quotes.
My thought exactly - why doesn’t it just make authentic beeps and burbles?
What’s the sudden goddamn obsession with Spock over every other bloody character in TOS?!?
He wasn’t my least favourite but FFS Jim, I’m a Trekkie, not a Spockie.
Just for fun, then?
You’re taking it too seriously.
Spock is sexy. At least he was my very first TV crush. Just Nimoy’s voice is enough to send a shiver through me.
At any rate, Entertainment Earth sells a purse based on the tricorder, for all your con-carrying needs. I’d buy it, but I’ve already made myself one.
I haven’t exactly reached jihad level. But I dispute the “fun” part. The only reason to have cheesy voice clips is if it’s something you buy for $5 in Spencer gifts and the recipient might need the voice clip to remind them what Star Trek is again. This is something for, like, cosplayers who’d surely prefer it to be like the actual tricorders on the show (and possibly do the Spock impression themselves).
Also, I’m willing to bet the audio clips are all “highly illogical”, “fascinating” and other generic stuff that local news anchors might hilariously say in a Trek-related story.
Don’t get me wrong, it looks like a nice tricorder. But the price of awesomeness is eternal vigilance (against crappy taste).
Yo! If we’re talking sexy voices from TOS, then nobody trumps Takei.
Like I said, I think you’re taking this too seriously. It’s just a silly toy.
I think you are correct that too seriously is being taken here
Sheesh, lower your shields, people. There’s no reason why a tricorder couldn’t play Spock audio clips, since recording and playing back video and audio was one of the tricorder’s functions on TOS. What would have been better is if they had put a halfway-decent camera in this, plus the ability to load video onto it–you know, the same function that the cheapest commodity smartphone has as a matter of course.
On the other hand, if this could be sent back to my childhood, when a lot of so-called “Star Trek” merch consisted of cheesy generic sci-fi toys with a Star Trek sticker slapped on them, that would be great.
I believe you’re supposed to talk back to Spock as if YOU were Bones, with all of Bones’s standard lines.
As nifty as this is, I rather resent that I have to give ThinkGeek as much personal information to simply find out what shipping is (I’m not in the CONUS) as I would to buy the bleepin’ thing. My gift-giving budget is already blown; while the $60 tricorder is way cool, the $16 shipping charge isn’t.
needs more raspberry pi !! and , a cup full of arduino nanos !! and a beagle-bone-berry-board-black ( or 3 ) !! and a lithium battery pack !! and a real display !! ( like from ada fruit or bangberry or other sources ) and , real sensors !! at least !! i mean , c’mon this is like 2015 almost , not 198x !!
Does it play cassettes?
I suppose there’s one way to look at it: It’s a nice pre-fabricated case for putting your own electronics into. Bluetooth proximity sensor in the detachable sensor hooked up to a bleeping and blooping Arduino…
It’s worse than that, he’s dead Jim, dead Jim,
It’s worse than that, he’s dead Jim, dead Jim,
dead.
Dammit, this is STAR TREK, man! As long as JJ Abrams lives, nostalgia is all we have!
