Crave

A "cultural engineering" group in France, called the HeHe Association, has come up with a transportation concept that's a whole lot cooler than Segways: a "personal rail service" that puts small single-person vehicles onto abandoned light rail and tram tracks.

It's definitely conceptual, and likely will never see actual implementation, as it would hit plenty of roadblocks (ha ha). It doesn't look like they've made any concrete outline for how they'd be powered, though the creators have stressed on their Web site that it would be eco-friendly. There are also logistical … Read more

Goofy as it may look, the Audex knit cap with built-in MP3 player would still have some practical applications in cold-weather activities. But spring skiing is just around the corner, and you may not want to mess up your mullet with a knit cap if you don't need the added warmth.

One alternative is the Audex Motorola cargo jacket, a waterproof coat with Bluetooth speakers sewn into its collar. The jacket can play MP3 tunes or answer your phone with a built-in hands-free microphone. But for a retail price of $645, we think this garment should screen calls and … Read more

If you're not a huge fan of Bill Gates or Michael Dell, then whose signature should adorn your personal technology? Why, your own, of course--and you don't have to break the bank doing it. As Chip Chick points out, you can get a custom-engraved USB drive for $15 to $70 (512MB to 4GB) from Pexagon. You can further personalize your key from an assortment of colors, including black, gray, blue and, of course, pink. After all, as Time pointed out last year, the most important person is you.

Bill Gates isn't the only bigwig who's putting his John Hancock on limited editions. Not to be outdone, Michael Dell is signing a special line of his namesake laptops that feature an exclusive World of Warcraft theme, according to Laptoping. But unlike so many other so-called special editions, this one is truly limited--to only two, both for sale now on eBay.

"The custom-painted Burning Crusade Edition features (artist Mike) Lavalle's airbrushed re-creation of original composition from the new World of Warcraft expansion," according to the eBay listing. The XPS M1710 gaming laptop also has a … Read more

In technology industry's continuing obsession with special collectors' editions, even Microsoft isn't immune. The "Microsoft Windows Vista Ultimate Limited Numbered Signature Edition" (catching breath) bears the signature of Bill Gates himself, though Engadget rightly speculates that we shouldn't expect a real autograph for the $259 price. How much would a Gates autograph fetch on eBay anyway?

We feel as though you've gotten to know us pretty well here at Crave, so we'll let you in on a dirty little secret: We never learned Photoshop. Yes, it's true. But we've stumbled across something that may help us mess around with images in a way that even our tiny Luddite brain can handle.

Coolicam's "iCam Art Pad," Gearlog says, "turns your digital photos into art"--though, in our case, that may be a loose interpretation. Even if you're no Rembrandt, the Art Pad's clever design may well … Read more

OK, so it may not be the "iKaraoke," but we like this iPod microphone anyway. Mostly, we admit, because of the way the "Micro Memo" looks--it reminds us of a beefeater guarding Buckingham Palace. The mic can record up to 51 hours (in low mode) on an 8GB Nano, but Newlaunches warns that the audio is saved in large WAV formats. Its movable arm can be positioned appropriately when needed, before returning to stand at attention.

Humans can be so inconsiderate. There are tons of fitness products made for people, but what about animals? One item that at least beings to address this glaring disparity is this doggy pedometer from--where else?--Japan, of course. The gadget, as Tokyomango notes, "kills three birds with one stone by being a pedometer, a timer and a dog tag." In our next installment of Crave's Canine Chronicles, we'll discuss personal trainers for your pooch.

When we made our many pleas for wireless entertainment systems, this isn't exactly what we had in mind. In fact, we have to agree with Gearfuse in its assessment of this wireless speaker mouse pad as utterly useless--or, as the aforementioned blog put it gently, "You really don't want crappy speakers at your fingertips." We won't even get into the solar-powered calculator. The broader point here, ladies and gentlemen, is that there should be a limit to the number of functions a device is allowed to have. For its own good, if nothing else.