Crave

In a twist of fate, Sandy Mintz, an audiologist with medical device designer Advanced Bionics, lost her hearing about 10 years ago. Now, she is working with Samsung to help develop a wireless MP3 system so the deaf can enjoy music.

The idea is to link a Samsung MP3 player to the cochlear implant developed and sold by Advanced Bionics, which is a division of Boston Scientific. The cochlear implant consists of a processor worn outside the ear. The processor converts audio streams from the MP3 player (as well as ambient sounds and human speech) into digital data. The data … Read more

Amid all the madness of CES and the impending Macworld, a few distinct trends have emerged. One of those is cross-platform connectivity for all kinds of media: Sony bringing Internet video to TVs, TiVo bringing TV recordings to computers, Motorola spreading TV around the house, and Verizon bringing TV to cell phones. Basically, the big theme of CES '07 is that you don't just have to keep your media in one place. And that's the same message that Avvenu is advocating with its new Avvenu Music Player. But instead of TV programs or YouTube videos, the Avvenu Music … Read more

UTStarcom has a larger-than-life presence here at CES, and the company has a couple of new phones out to go along with it. The UTStarcom CDM8960 and the UTStarcom CDM8935 both made their debut earlier today. Though they're both CDMA clamshell cameraphones, they do have a few notable differences. The CDM8960 measures a thin 3.7 inches by 1.9 inches by 0.8 inch and weighs in at about 3.2 ounces. It is the more multimedia-friendly phone because of its features: a 1.3-megapixel camera, a 262,000-color screen, a microSD card slot, and EV-DO support.

The … Read more

When you think of sleek and sexy cell or smart phones, chances are you probably don't think of Nokia. However, we're betting you'll change your mind once you take a look at the company's new Nokia N76. Heck, it even stopped us in our tracks.

The newest addition to the company's N series, the N76 boasts a beautiful and slim design (available in sleek black or hot red) yet manages to pack in a boatload of features. There's a 2-megapixel camera, a built-in music player (supports Windows DRM, MP3, WAV, MIDI, M4A, AAC, eAAC+ … Read more

Motorola today announced a new music service that partners with Microsoft and Warner Music Group to bring your favorite tunes to select Motorola handsets. MotoMusic eventually will allow users to download music over 3G networks and organize it on their phones with other music-related content. The service will debut initially on the Motorola Rizr, the company's spiffy slider handset based on the Motorola Rizr line and the Linux-based Motorola Ming, aka the A1200.

The Rizr will be compatible with Microsoft Windows Media Player subscription stores. Users will be able to sync Media Player files between their phones and their … Read more

One of the major themes of this year's CES is mobile TV: yesterday, Verizon confirmed it will be bringing live full-length television programming to selected handsets, and then Samsung revealed it had developed a technology to enable local TV stations to broadcast digital programs to cars and mobile devices. For those road warriors who can't wait for either of the these solutions for their fix of Regis and Kelly, the answer might just be KVH's TracVision A7.

Developed in collaboration with DIRECTV, the A7 enables drivers to pick up 185 channels, including local network stations. To do … Read more

I've never been a big fan of the Nokia 770 Internet Tablet, partly because I just didn't see the point and partly because it seemed like a half-baked product. However, Nokia has released a revamped version of the InterneTablet t at CES 2007, the Nokia N800, and I'm digging it.

Sporting a sleeker and more attractive design, the N800 includes some nice enhancements, such as a built-in Web cam (very cool), a faster processor, a full-screen QWERTY keyboard, and two memory slots. In addition, the device retains many of the features that you've come to love … Read more

The name might be crude, but the product is pretty clever. Guitammer's ButtKicker Gamer is a vibrating bass module that puts some thump into your gameplay. The surprisingly heavy ButtKicker device clamps onto your chair, and the included amplifier runs between the ButtKicker and your audio input. When you start playing, the ButtKicker starts jumping, making your seat rock and rumble with every shot and explosion.

Rumble seats are hardly new for gaming; bass-rocking gaming chairs from companies such as Pyramat and D-Box can be had by anyone willing to shell out the cash. They're usually bulky chairs … Read more

Remember Creative's high-end Zen Aurvana earbuds? The company has decided to expand the line with a full-size, DJ-friendly set. I managed to get my hands on a set of these as-yet-unannounced headphones and can attest that they're pretty sweet. They have a high-end look and feel, with a cushy headband, supersoft earcups (that flip all the way around), and brushed metal accents. The coiled cord is long enough to allow for unhindered motion between the decks and your vinyl collection. Plus, they sound great. You can pick up a pair for $99 later this year.