Crave

Gamespot reports that a new "A-Hole Button," so coined by Bungie Studios, will allow Halo 3 gamers to mute unwanted...ahem feedback...from other players.

The new feature will allow the back button on the Xbox 360 controller to bring you to a menu where you can choose to instantly mute other players.

The feature came in response to complaints from Halo 2 community players about poorly behaved players ranting and raving against other gamers on Xbox Live, a community liaison told Gamespot.

The annual 3GSM cell phone extravaganza is under way in Barcelona this week, and though Crave isn't in sunny Spain, we've been blogging away to bring you the top news from the show.

Smart phone diva Bonnie Cha waded through a ton of smart phone news to deliver info on the new RIM BlackBerry 8800, a trio of new Nokia E series smart phones, the Nokia 6110 Navigator, and the long-awaited GSM Motorola Q. Cha also covered the HTC Vox (and accurately pointed out its lack of 3G), the Nokia N77, and the I-Mate Jaq3.

Nicole Lee, who … Read more

Earlier this month we mentioned a prototype dual touch-screen laptop but didn't think we'd be seeing anything like it off the drawing boards anytime soon. Shows you how much we know.

Pennsylvania-based Estari started out as a software company but somehow ended up developing a patented dual-screen computer originally for the U.S. military and is now selling its wares to the public. The specs of its "2-VU" model aren't all that noteworthy--a 1.83GHx Intel Dual Core processor, 1GB of memory, a 60GB hard drive and no conventional keyboard or mouse, according to I4U … Read more

I haven't checked in with Barbie since I was about 10, but apparently a lot has happened since then. Barbie's sartorial choices notwithstanding (satin halter tops?), the fact is, she's getting kind of geeky.

At the American International Toy Fair going on this week in New York, Mattel introduced a Barbie that connects to an MP3 player and can sing the songs that are playing AND answer the phone. OK, the Chat Divas Barbie Doll doesn't actually sing, she lip syncs and dances to the music. But when the phone rings, you can hold the receiver … Read more

Lexar this morning announced its first Secure Digital High Capacity (SDHC) memory card. Part of the company's Professional line, the 4GB card carries a 133x speed rating, which Lexar translates into a minimum sustained write speed of 20MB per second. For those unfamiliar with the new SDHC standard, it was developed to let SD memory cards reach capacities larger than 2GB.

Of course, a new standard also means that SDHC cards aren't compatible with older readers or cameras that aren't SDHC compatible. Because of that fact, Lexar includes a small USB 2.0 SDHC reader with the … Read more

We've had it with monthly subscriptions. It's the reason that we haven't gotten rid of our our old TiVo box, which we purchased with a lifetime subscription in 2001, even though it sometimes seems as if we can store only two or three shows on its tiny hard drive.

And as much as we like the idea of satellite radio, we're too stubborn (cheap) to pay any monthly fees for it. All of which is why we're intrigued by the idea of the "Acoustic Energy Wi-Fi Internet Radio."

Sure, we can tune in … Read more

Shrinking margins on low-end and midrange models. A handful of entrenched market leaders surrounded by a large halo of struggling wannabes. Companies pulling out of unprofitable markets--or pulling out of the line of business altogether. Slowing market growth. Increasing competition from convergence devices. Great opportunity for a newcomer.

That last one threw me, too. I'd think this would be a horrible time for a completely new digital camera company to poke its head through the soil. Clearly GE, and its new protégé, General Imaging, think differently. The latter company, formed by former bigwigs from places such … Read more

"SolidAlliance" sounds more like a light rock band from the '70s than a computer equipment maker--which would explain its taste in USB drive designs too.

Except for the occasional duckies and robots, the Japanese company appears given to all that glitters. The latest shiny material comes from the house of Swarovski, which apparently won't be satisfied until it covers the Earth in its ubiquitous crystals.

A new line of stone-studded USB keys can be made to order with your choice of designs in different storage sizes, according to Newlaunches. It could actually find a whole new market … Read more

Wii Play seems like such a great idea. About $50 for a brand-new Nintendo Wii remote and a collection of games that take advantage of said Wiimote. With games like pool, target shooting, and table tennis, it should be a sure hit. Well, we just got Wii Play in, and after a night of gaming I'm ready to offer my first impressions.

Wii Play is a lot of things, but it's not a sure hit. The games that should be instant classics--target shooting, table tennis, and pool--are instead disappointments.

Lots of nostalgic gamers are excited about the target … Read more