Product: Newo USB Missle Launcher
Price: $28.99 @ TechoToys
Author: Bill
Date: 5/29/09

I was curious to see just how much fun these things can be. I’ve seen them on thinkgeek, woot, and in numerous catalogues before and have always been curious. After putting it through a comprehensive characterization process, I think it might be on my Christmas list!

Packaging / First Impressions

If you would like maximumcpu.net to review an item favorably, please take note. Newo did not package the product well, and did not represent the product in the best light. As such, my first impressions were laughably tainted. The product was clearly used (and re-used) by many reviewers before me. It was dirty, covered in dust, and had a few stray hairs clinging to it. It was smashed into a heavily worn box, secured by two pieces of Scotch tape. The box was shipped in a FedEx carton that was of identical size. To accommodate this, Newo smashed the package into the carton, destroying the corners.

The Launcher

The launcher is powered and controlled by a single USB connection, and communicates with a Windows application. Mac is not supported, however the iPhone is – more on that later.

It rotates a full 360 degrees, and tilts down to point nearly at its base. Interestingly, it does not tilt up more than thirty degrees, which I would appreciate in my quest to peg colleagues with foam darts.

The darts themselves are small, foam, and come with a reinforced rubber tip. They fit on hollow plastic tubes at the head of the device, and are positioned close enough to each other that their fins touch and bind against each other. This did not pose a problem, as the darts are sufficiently propelled through any contact interference.

Software

Newo’s apparent contribution to the product is the software that controls it. A Windows application controls rotation and tilt, and includes a firing trigger. Newo has developed an iPhone application which provides identical controls, and communicates to the host computer (which must be running the program) by IP address over a local subnet.

Testing

I tested the unit in my office, alongside my (less-than-willing) colleagues. Firing and operating the unit is a noisy process, with small motors running gear trains that whine with every motion. Firing the launcher drives a pneumatic cylinder, but due to the low torque of the motors, it takes three seconds to wind back the spring before the dart is launched. Darts can fly up to twenty feet, and have an impressive amount of power behind them.

The most effective way to peg my office-mates is to set up the launcher before they will walk by, and time the firing cycle in advance. If everything goes to plan, they should walk right into the path of the dart. Eventually, everyone understood what the rattling whine of the launcher meant, and would wait for the dart to fire before walking past while the next dart charged. I changed my strategy to using the iPhone from a remote location, but the noise of the launcher was always a dead giveaway.

Conclusions

The USB Missile Launcher was amusing, but got old quickly. It’s not built with any degree of quality or forethought, and it doesn’t matter. The manner in which I received the review was less than palatable.

Pros:

+ Amusing
+ Cheap
+ Works as expected

Cons:

- Comes with only three darts
- No Mac support
- Poor construction
- Noisy
- Limited positive tilt

Tags: Dream Cheeky, iLauncher, Launcher, Missle, Newo, USB