Crave

We initially blew right past the "Origami TV Remote Control" headline at Trendhunter because we'd rather waste our UMPC's pathetic battery life on something more vital than controlling our TV. But a closer look revealed that this remote control had nothing to do with the Origami Project and everything to do with actual origami--as in, folded paper.

On display at the Design Interactions Work in Progress Show in London, the paper remote control looks like the "fortune teller" you no doubt encountered in middle school. But rather than inaccurately predicting the name of your … Read more

Gone may be the days of remembering passwords or scanning your fingerprint to log on to your PC. If NecSoft's new authentication software catches on, all you'll need is your face.

The NecSoft BiodeLogon system uses a Webcam to take your mugshot, then matches it up to your assigned user photo. If it's a match, you're logged in. So if you need to change your password, just get a haircut or pierce your nose.

Sounds easy...maybe too easy. If you have an identical twin, can they access your PC? What if you're just not … Read more

Kodak's PR folks have been working hard to get the press to turn out in force for an event tomorrow at the NBC studio where Saturday Night Live is filmed. We know SNL-vet Molly Shannon will be there, but in a nod to Apple and Steve Jobs, Kodak's PR folks aren't revealing what the product is that they're hyping.

If you read the Kodak tea leaves (and The Wall Street Journal), there's a good chance what we'll be seeing tomorrow is a new inkjet printer--or even a couple of new inkjet models. That in … Read more

This morning, when I wrote up a post about The Go! Team's music video featuring live-action Pac-Man, I traced its roots back to a 2004 phenomenon known as Pac-Manhattan. Little did I know that the history of guys in Pac-Man suits goes back even further than that: extending, in fact, to a silent film made by fellow Craver Tim Moynihan in 2002. Called "The Current Adventures of Pac-Man," this flick features a 37-year-old Pac-Man, now alcoholic and "haunted by the ghosts of his past."

Tim is behind the camera, so unfortunately that's not him … Read more

A show of hands, please: When Panasonic's consumer division announced its $1,500 HDC-SD1 SD-based HD camcorder at CES, how many of you thought "That's too cheap--I want to pay more!" Well, here's your chance. Panasonic's Broadcast division has just announced the nearly identical 3CCD camcorder for the bargain price of $2,099.

There are some differences, of course. The pro model is a nonreflective gray with an anodized filter ring. The pro model carries a one-year parts-and-labor warranty, while the consumer model has a mere three months on labor. They have different default … Read more

The biggest origami news of 2007 has nothing to do with Microsoft or ultramobile PCs.

Instead, thanks to centuries-old telescope technology reapplied to camera lenses by engineers at UC San Diego, the origami lens takes the cake.

At just one-seventh the thickness as a traditional lens, the origami system could significantly raise the resolution bar for camera phones. It might also make today's slimmest ultracompact cams seem like anvils.

The system borrows the folded optical system found in Cassegrain telescopes, but uses a single, diamond-cut optical crystal instead of a series of mirrors. The origami system bounces light through … Read more

Looking for a new Windows Vista laptop but don't want to break the bank? For about the same price as, say, a PlayStation 3, you can actually take your pick of a couple of new models.

The catch, of course, is that these systems use Vista Basic, the extremely stripped-down version of Microsoft's new operating system. No Aero interface, no Media Center, and so on.

For $498, you can get the new Everex Stepnote VA4101M (available at Wal-Mart, of all places). This 15.4-inch laptop includes Vista Basic, an Intel Celeron M processor, and only 512MB of RAM, … Read more

Did you know the average person spends 11,862 hours out of his or her lifetime in the bathroom? That's equal to 1 year, 4 months and 5 days in what's usually a boring room, absent comforts like TiVo, video games and a stocked fridge.

Roto-Rooter is coming to the rescue! (Thanks to BoingBoing for pointing it out.) North America's largest provider of plumbing and drain-cleaning services is offering an online sweepstakes for its "Pimped Out John," a bathroom throne for the gadget junkie.

The fully loaded Kohler commode comes with a Philips 20-inch LCD … Read more

No, the Soundbomb isn't a lo-fi, post-modern iPod speaker. And no, you definitely don't want to leave one under a bridge in Boston. But if you're an artist or a prankster, you may want to get on the waiting list for one.

The idea is simple: record the sound of your choice to the Soundbomb, hide it somewhere, and enjoy as the motion detector-based Soundbomb greets/annoys/scares the crap out of passersby by blaring your audio recording.

Imagine recording ghost noises to it and hiding it in a dark basement, using it as a stolen-beer alarm … Read more