Crave

OK, so you think $842,000 is a wee pricey for a cell phone strap (tightwad). All you bargain hunters out there may be pleased to know that you can get a cheapo alternative for chump change-- just $250--that features a 24k gold charm as seen on Tokyomango to commemorate the "Year of the Boar" (or pig, if that seems more appropriate for this bit of conspicuous consumption). If you're so inclined, you can even get a set of genuine gold and silver USB keys as the perfect accessory. And at this level of decorative wastfulness, it'… Read more

iPods are nice, but if you can afford your own tux and you travel in your own chauffeur-driven Bentley, then you need an MP3 player as sleek-looking as this one, showing at CES 2007.

The three models in the Philips GoGear series are thin, but otherwise standard-featured Flash players. Dressed up in high-gloss black polycarbonate with silver, cigarette case-like contours, they could make Britney Spears look like royalty. Almost.

Each PlaysForSure-compatible GoGear model--the 1GB SA5115 ($99.99), the 2GB SA5125 ($109.99), and the 4GB SA5145 ($139.99)--has a 1.8-inch color LCD screen; red-backlit, touch-sensitive controls; Philips' SuperScroll … Read more

If Steve Jobs pulls the trigger today at Macworld on Apple's long-rumored new video iPod, said to feature a color touch screen covering its entire front surface for PMP-like video viewing, DLO will be ready with a new TransDock car FM transmitter/charger cradle combo.

This new TransDock, which jacks into a cigarette lighter, has a cradle that completely exposes the front of the video iPod, on the current or the rumored model. The cradle also swivels 90 degrees horizontally for viewing wide-screen video on this maybe-maybe not iPod. Versions are available in black or white.

Even if Jobs … Read more

Sometimes you chat. Sometimes you listen to music. Sometimes you alternate between the two on your music phone. And sometimes you alternate between the two using two different devices. Oh, why can't there be one Bluetooth earphone to handle all these situations?

Well, there is--the Jabra BT8010, to be released in the next couple months. First, it's a regular, single, over-the-ear Bluetooth earpiece with an OLED display that shows caller ID. You can also transfer up to 30 contacts to the headset in case you don't want to reach for your cell phone to make a call. … Read more

Though Verizon Wireless has yet to announce officially that it will start offering the Motorola Slvr L7c, Motorola demonstrated such a phone this evening at a CES press event. Motorola reps declined to comment, but it's clear Verizon will join Sprint in offering the candy bar version of Moto's slim handset line. And in any case, bloggers have sighted the Slvr L7c on the carrier's prerelease Web site. Clad in silver, Verizon's Slvr L7c will be similar to both Sprint's model and the GSM Slvr L7 for Cingular. Features should include a VGA camera, Bluetooth, … Read more

Samsung is no slouch when it comes to music phones, but at CES 2007, the company is doing everything it can to top its efforts of previous years. Instead of offering new music features, however, the Samsung Ultra Music brings an innovative music phone design. And if our hunch is correct, we should see it from Sprint by March.

While most music phones barely give a thought to music functionality in their designs, the Ultra Music takes a more Jekyll-and-Hyde approach by combining elements of both devices. Yes, dedicated music controls are here but you'll find dual displays and … Read more

If you like the Mac-style white look for your computer hardware, you're going to appreciate Toshiba's initial entry in the Windows Vista laptop category. The Portege R400 is a beautifully crafted convertible tablet laptop, one that is every bit as expensive as it looks.

The R400 has plenty of high-end features, such as built-in EV-DO support and a small LED readout on the front edge that shows the time, battery level, and wireless signal strength. It can also alert you to new e-mail messages when the lid is closed.

The Portege R400 has a 12.1-inch screen and … Read more

A Pennsylvania start-up says it has the answer to one of the biggest problems in mobile phones: battery life.

After three years of keeping its technology under close guard, Powercast has come to CES 2007 to get consumer and manufacturer attention. Powercast is a radio frequency that is transmitted over a small area, and its energy is "harvested"--wirelessly--to give power to small devices like cell phones.

While it's presented as wireless power, Powercast isn't just a replacement for a universal charger. Instead, it's meant to either continuously charge a battery or replace the need … Read more

Nobody loves staring into a sea of red brake lights while enduring their daily commute, but TeleNav and Sprint are hoping to relieve some of that headache with TeleNav Traffic. A new feature of TeleNav GPS Navigator, a GPS-enabled navigation service for cell phones, TeleNav Traffic alerts you to congestion and accidents with voice and visual prompts on your mobile phone. In addition, customers can get alternate routes by pressing "0" on their phone, and can receive an estimated time of arrival based on real-time traffic conditions. Swanky.

TeleNav Traffic is currently only being offered to Sprint customers … Read more