Crave

Anti-aging products are everywhere. Most of them merit nary the blink of an eye on Crave, as we choose to focus on personal technology, not personal vanity. Sometimes, however, the two intersect. We recently read on Textually that the French cosmetic company Clarins has launched a new product specifically geared toward protecting one's skin from the effects of cell phone radiation. Really? I knew cell phones gave you brain tumors and killed sperm, but apparently now they can give you wrinkles, too. In other words, your Prada phone might be killing that youthful glow! Quel horreur!

But never fear. … Read more

When I hear the phrase 'light-up jewelry,' the image that typically comes to mind is one of flashing plastic rings that were given away as favors at 10th-birthday parties back in the day. (Or of ravers.) However, there seems to be a luxe version of just about everything these days (case in point: Dance Dance Revolution) and as I learned from Yanko Design, luminescent jewelry is no exception.

The "Aurora" accessories designed by Kyeok Kim are intended, according to the designer, to "reinterpret the meaning of ornamentation on the body by projecting various patterns of light on … Read more

Have you ever wanted to see how your game system works? Do you scoff at warranties? Do you not mind risking your $80-to-$600 gadget just so you can screw with it? Then this toolkit is for you.

Modding peripheral companies like Divineo and Mod-chip.com are selling the Zoozen Access Pro Tool Kit v2, a toolkit with virtually everything you need to crack into virtually every game system you have. It includes a socketed handle with standard driver bits for slotted, Phillips, and Torx screws, and specialized driver bits for the "tamperproof" screws many systems use (Ever … Read more

What's a sure sign that a gadget has finally arrived? When you start to see versions of it in chrome.

The Wii has graduated from standard colors to the hard stuff: the chrome "I-Case." XCM Live is taking pre-orders for the shiny console case mod for $38, according to Technabob.

Considering how much color PlayStation 3s have gone for on eBay, that's a relative bargain.

The pages of Crave have seen many a strange clock recently. In fact, we may or may not have imposed a moratorium on writing about creative clocks, even the kind that wake you up with bacon. But this one, featured on Technabob, is really worth a mention because of its sheer convolutedness.

Basically, this Japanese clock, which doesn't even look like a clock, is modeled off that classic old astronomy gadget called the orrery. A number of little aluminum "planets" circle a central body, and you decipher the time by "reading" the position of the … Read more

If there's one trend we see defining the next generation of laptops--or at least the one after that--it's solid-state hard drives. After all, if you take the moving parts out of the most failure-prone part of the laptop, you'll get a more reliable machine, along with better battery life, and a cooler-running system.

Fujitsu is adding solid-state hard drives to some of its ultraportable laptops, starting March 19. Both the LifeBook P1610 and the LifeBook B6210 will be available with either 16GB or 32GB flash-based SSD hard drives. But before you jump on board the solid-state bandwagon, … Read more

I suppose it's unofficially Modernist Monday here at Crave. Yes, I know that's not quite as thrilling as Party Friday, but you have to admit it's still kind of cool to learn about household items that resemble abstract art. With the surrealist power strip earlier this morning and now this wacky air filter, you certainly could say that we're on a bizarre-appliance kick.

A few weeks ago we looked at an air filter that resembles an iPod wrapped in wallpaper (in a good way), and now here's another one to add to the mix of … Read more

We didn't know that there enough of these to create competition, but the "SolarShuttle" claims to be the "UK's largest and most advanced solar boat," according to Gizmag. Plying the waters of the "ecologically fragile" Serpentine Lake at Hyde Park in London, the boat reportedly runs silently and without pollution while ferrying up to 42 passengers. It even stores more than enough power to operate at night, sending surplus solar energy back to national utility plants. That's especially comforting because it means the boat won't get stranded while rented out … Read more

While so many other computer companies are trying to hide their CPUs, a handful of brave mavericks are actually trying to draw more attention to them. But that doesn't mean they're building the standard and deadly boring old gray boxes.

Directron, for example, is selling one that looks more like a rubber ball than a PC--hence its name, the "Ball PC System." Not much is offered in the way of specs, pricing or availability, but SCI FI Tech says the shiny sphere splits open, spaceship-style, to reveal a 40GB hard drive between its hemispheres.

That means … Read more