Crave

One of the more popular gadgets on the market these days is the home planetarium, and Crave has responded with items ranging from the handheld version to egg-shaped aliens. But all these pale in comparison to the Meade RCX400 with its robotic Max Mount--a combined 500 pounds of star-gazing equipment.

As any amateur Galileo will tell you, it's nearly impossible to get a decent image of the heavens because of exposure issues and planet rotation. The solution, according to OhGizmo, is a robotic mount like this one that can track objects in the sky while they're moving.… Read more

Now you have an alternative to your programmable VW bumper sticker if you want to communicate digitally with other road users. Roadmaster has unveiled two scrolling LED message systems that enable drivers to program up to 99 preset messages and five user-edited messages to share with other drivers. The system comes in two models: the Roadmaster Scrolling Digital License Plate Frame, and the Scrolling Rear Deck Message System, which sits on the car's parcel shelf; both are priced at $69.

Preset words and phrases can be called up using numbers on the systems' TV-like remote controls. According to Roadmaster, … Read more

If you're thinking of building or buying a home theater PC, you might consider looking for a motherboard that has AMD's new 690G chipset, announced today. The reason is because the new chipset will come with both a DVI video output, as well as an independent HDMI output for connecting your computer directly to an HD television. It also comes with HDCP support built directly into the new, onboard ATI Radeon X1250 graphics chip, which should ensure digital encryption compatibility for playing HD-DVD or Blu-ray movies.

The other model in the new series, the budget-oriented 690V, is more … Read more

Looking for the perfect gift for the prisoner in your life? Consider the so-called prison pen, which is made from a soft rubbery material that bends under the slightest pressure, making it virtually impossible to do lethal damage with it.

The pen may not be good for stabbing or shivving, but you just know the ingenious Andy Dufresne from Shawshank Redemption would still be able to incorporate it into some impossibly brilliant escape scheme. The product, which is already in use at U.S. federal prisons, according to Spycatcher, sells at that site for $10. And truthfully, prison references aside, … Read more

Way back before Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and other wireless technologies, some people touted electrical power lines as the next big thing for digital transmissions. But even though it was feasible, few companies marketed products that used the technology.

Despite this unknown potential, Pioneer Japan has gone ahead and released its "Music Tap" series of power-line products for the Japanese market, according to Newlaunches. The line doesn't include an actual media player but provides the equipment necessary to turn an iPod into a sound system connected by electrical outlets.

We applaud the effort, but it may be too late … Read more

Skrbl is a delightfully simple whiteboarding tool that lets you draw, type notes, and share files without a software download. Admittedly, my use for and experience with whiteboard products is limited, but Skrbl really impressed me with how quickly I was able to begin a whiteboard and share it with others.

Skrbl also allows you to host files and secure your session with attendees, as long as you register. What's nice is that any unregistered attendee can download your shared files; Skrbl only requires registration to upload. However, one thing to note is the limit on uploading, which is … Read more

If you've got teenagers in your house, you've got loud music. Lots of it. But be aware, it could be worse: They could have a bed that plays music too.

The "Tune-In Bed" from PBteen essentially turns an entire headboard into a sound system with two 4-inch stereo speakers and a control panel for connections to an iPod or MP3 player. (Maybe there's a way for parents to hack the volume levels.)

This "biggest iPod dock in the world," as Red Ferret calls it, doesn't come cheap--it's $700. But that's … Read more

Wolverine Data has released a new 160GB portable multimedia player that photographers can use to offload images from memory cards while in the field.

The $550 Wolverine ESP Model 5160 has a 3.6-inch LCD and slots to accommodate Compact Flash, SD, xD, Memory Stick Pro and other flash memory cards. And it can display JPEG images as well as those in "raw" formats taken directly from an image sensor without in-camera processing.

The 10-ounce device supports raw formats from Canon, Nikon, Fujifilm, Olympus, Kodak, Pentax, Minolta, Konica Minolta, Panasonic, Contax, Leica and Sony, Wolverine said. Photographers also … Read more

Taking a page from Nikon's playbook, Olympus is offering glimpses of new digital SLRs it appears likely to announce in conjunction with the Photo Marketing Association (PMA) trade show next week.

An image at Olympus' European Web site shows two dimly lit SLRs labeled March 5, 2007--three days before the PMA show begins--and a larger hulking silhouette with no date.

Olympus trails Nikon and Canon in the digital SLR market. The company has allied with newcomer Panasonic, though, and the same "four-thirds" system lenses can be used on either company's digital SLR cameras. Olympus also uses … Read more