from www.examiner.com – The AVN Novelty Expo kicks off tonight and will run through Wednesday July 15 this week at the Sheraton Universal and Hilton Los Angeles in Universal City, CA.
The highlight, for folks not directly involved in the adult products/retail industry, will be the inaugural “O” Awards on Tuesday, recognizing outstanding achievement in the industry. Last week I examined the nominees for Outstanding Boutique and Outstanding Online Retailer, and today I’d like to feature the nominees for the Outstanding Innovation Award.
The Outstanding Innovation Award for 2009 recognizes the best new product released in the last year. I have not personally reviewed ANY of the following products yet, so please don’t take any of the below as an endorsement.
Here are the nominees (click through the slideshow
www.examiner.com/x-1916-Sex–Relationships-Examiner~y2009m7d12-Sexy-Biz-Sexy-Toys-The-O-Awards-nominees-for-Outstanding-Innovation-Award-at-Adult-Novelty-Expo
for images and descriptions of all but the April Flores’ Voluptuous CyberSkin and the O Yeah! by The Screaming O, mentioned briefly below):
April Flores’ Voluptuous CyberSkin®, Topco
Topco’s primary innovation with its Wildfire Celebrity Series is to mold its CyberSkin toys directly from adult entertainment stars, in this case the plus-size pinup April Flores. Much as I love April Flores, this particular product doesn’t do much for me personally and I’m not sure how much it would appeal to men either. Still, it’s a fun way for an adult film star to get a signature product, and an interesting way for a fan of a specific star to get his rocks off, I suppose. Thoughts? (Photo not included in slideshow below. Click through – NSFW – to see the product on the Topco site).
Bottle Rockets, Evolved Novelties
This product looks a bit more my style: Sleek, discrete, waterproof vibes available in four different shapes and eight different colors, and shipping in the cutest little message-in-a-bottle packaging ever (Evolved is also up for an “O” @DangerousLillyAward for Outstanding Marketing). DangerousLilly.com reviewed the Bottle Rockets Orion here, and Sammi reviewed the Bottle Rockets Apollo for EdenFantasys.com.
Club Vibe, OhMiBod
This update on the original OhMiBod vibrating iPod accessory takes the concept – OhMiBod products vibrate to the beat of the music – to the dance floor: The Club Vibe is a wearable “ambient” bullet vibrator that ships with a thong for you to smuggle it in under. It picks up ambient noise – ie., the bumping bass from the club speakers –and dances to the music. Next time you see somebody totally tripping out on the dancefloor, it’s possible they’re on a different kind of Ecstasy than you might think.
Eleven, njoy
A lot of sex toys these days are starting to like like works of art, and the njoy toys are about the sexiest I’ve seen yet: Sculpturally detailed dildos cast in 316 grade stainless steel. The Eleven – 11 inches long and weighing it at nearly 3 pounds – is the newest addition. njoy received a total of five “O” Awards nominations: The curvy Pure Wand in the Oustanding Non-Powered Product category (reviewed here by ToyWithMe.com), as well as nods for Packaging, Marketing, and Overall Product Design.
Little Su, Joya4U
Great-looking female-specific and non-phallic design from a cool female-owned company, this vibrating double-dildo is made of medical grade silicone and designed for both personal use and girl-on-girl partner play. (CarrieAnn at ViewFromTheFloor.com has a nice review here).
Original ToiBocks, ToiBocks
Once you’ve built up a nice collection of sex toys, you’ll start to run into a new problem, especially if you have kids or other meddlesome snoopers in your life. The ToiBocks is a nice storage solution: A handsome jewelry box with a secret compartment big enough to stash some unmentionables and a crafty puzzle-like locking mechanism to keep your sex toys from becoming just plain old toys. Not just for adult toys: I’ve also seen these reviewed in High Times Magazine. To each her own stash!
O Yeah!, The Screaming O
This is a stretch-to-fit waterproof ring (worn by male partner, or on a strap-on) with a long, textured bullet vibrator for clitoral stimulation. Product not yet featured on The Screaming O site, for some reason. Click through to SensualAdviser.com for more details or to order.
Real Touch, AEBN
Here’s some serious sexy tech for all you sci-fi and futurist fetishists out there: The Real Touch is a male masturbation virtual sex device that uses haptic technology synced up with encoded video from certain video-on-demand porn titles available from the Adult Entertainent Broadcast Network (AEBN) to simulate the sensations of oral, vaginal, and anal penetration seen on-screen. In other words, it will help porn surfers feel like they’re in the middle of the action. Available now for pre-order at $199.95, which includes 30 minutes of Real Touch content (encoded videos in the initial offering will include performances from Sasha Grey, Bree Olson, Gianna Michaels, Jenna Haze, Jada Fire, Ashlynn Brooke, Lisa Ann, Natassia Dreams, and Tia Tanaka). They should totally do This Ain’t Star Trek XXX next– sounds like some kinky holodek stuff to me!
SaSi, Je Joue
The customizable SaSi “smart vibe” massager combines vibration and kneading movements – think of the technology behind those high-tech massage chairs, put to a more intimate and pleasurable purpose – and also “learns” what you like best: If you typically skip over certain vibration and massage modes, the SaSi will remember your preferences in the future. Swap out the silicon covers for further customization. RedSneakerDiaries.com has a great review of the SaSi here.
Tenga USA line, Satistec
These are, as they say, big in Japan, where they’re known as “onacups”: Disposable male masturbation sleeves that simulate the sucking sensation of oral sex, now reengineered for the American market. The Tenga 8.0, aka “Lip Service” is 7.25″ with a 3 inch diameter. Are American men ready to drop $14.95 for a single-use sex toy? (Bucking Bill reviews the Tenga Flip Hole for EdenFantasys.com here).
Treeze Vibe, Don Wands
The chief innovation behind these hippie sticks is in the materials: Hybrid wood wands made of oak, redwood, and other woods saturated with urethane to prevent splintering and create waterproof, lube-friendly sex toys that are also eco-friendly: Replaceable vibrator motors mean you can reduce/reuse/recycle. (My Twitter pal @Epiphora has a full review of the Treeze Wave here).
We-Vibe, Standard Innovation
Built for two: The We-Vibe has dual motors to reach the G-spot and the clitoris at the same time, with a thin enough profile to also allow for vaginal intercourse. Among its other innovations, this one is hands-free, strap-free, and conforms to a woman’s body, meaning you can walk around with it on, if that’s your thing. My Examiner colleague Chuck Altmix and his wife favorably reviewed the We-Vibe in April. For other great reviews of the We-Vibe, check out ToyWithMe.com, and TheSexCarnival.com, and see a less stellar take from DangerousLilly.com.