PlanJam!From your screen to the scene

Electronics junkies have been raving about online retailer AudioCubes for years, so when the company opened their first physical store at the end of 2007, it was cause for some geeky celebration. The diminutive storefront resides in the middle of NYU country on overdeveloped 8th Street, which is more or less an outdoor shopping mall for first year students and their parents’ money. In short, a brilliant choice of location.

Beautifully-designed gadgets and unusual imports, from simple toys to straight-up robots, are the main event at AC Gears, and half the fun is figuring out what everything does. If you find yourself stumped, the super-knowledgeable and friendly salesmen are always on hand to show you how something works or let you down easy when you ask how much it costs. Oh, to be a freshman again. The majority of AC Gears’ products are Japanese in origin, thanks to their Osaka-based office and warehouse, and that means they’re able to offer awesome and unique items you won’t find anywhere else in New York.

I could write about the cool things they sell here all day. First of all, if you know any Guitar Hero fanatics, the “Takaratomy Air Guitar Pro Acoustic” ($55.99) is just about the most perfect present they could ever ask for. This magical guitar neck (really the upper neck) uses infrared technology to create realistic sounds, and the small size makes it extremely portable. Another item on my wish list is the Segatoys Dream Cat Smile Robot ($149.99), which puts the robotic cat Salem from “Sabrina, the Teenage Witch” to shame. True, having a robot cat creepily smiling at you all day might give you nightmares and/or psychological issues, but it’s so damn cute!

More AC Gears stores are planned for New York and around the country, so soon we could literally have a full-fledged robot takeover on our hands. Don’t say I didn’t warn you.