Crave

A fair number of U.S. college students have been known to make pilgrimages to Amsterdam for more than the historic value of the city: it's a well-known fact that a tantalizing number of activities that are illegal in the States are permissible or semi-legal for the Dutch. But now, according to the AP, you can't ride a Segway around on Dutch streets anymore. The "human transporters," once touted as the most significant technological advance since the Internet but now widely considered to be a universal symbol of dorkiness (its prominent role on "Arrested Development&… Read more

We've been accused of paranoia more than a few times, but we really do believe that there's a conspiracy afoot when it comes to earphones. We submit that earbuds and the like never fit anyone (especially us), but people are too embarrassed to admit it. They instead just constantly fidget and adjust them, pretending that it's "normal."

This is why we appreciate Bluetrek's new "ST1" Bluetooth earphones, which have a novel wraparound design that's actually meant to keep the buds in your ears. Mobile Magazine says they also have built-in controls … Read more

Well, here's something new. We've seen smart phone manufacturers integrate GPS into their devices (such as the HP iPaq hw6945 Mobile Messenger), but we haven't really seen GPS companies produce any nav-savvy phones--until now. Today, navigation specialist Pharos announced its Pharos GPS Phone, a Windows Mobile-based smart phone that comes preloaded with maps of the United States and Canada and an integrated SiRFStarIII GPS receiver. The palm-size device supports voice-guided, turn-by-turn directions, multidestination trips, automatic rerouting, and other standard navigation features. In addition, you get a free three-month subscription to Pharos's Smart Navigator Web-based location services, … Read more

Shoe phones are so passe. If Maxwell Smart were around today, he'd most certainly have some GPS footwear instead.

A company called Quantum Satellite Technology plans to market a pair of shoes with built-in satellite transmitters and "panic buttons" that can immediately signal the location of the footwear, according to The Raw Feed. Let's hope that they can't be hacked to penetrate the "Cone of Silence."

It's resolution season, as we know all too well, and that means the dreaded twins Kitchen and Carbs have reared their larded heads once again. But those of us who are looking to shed that holiday padding too often find ourselves weak of will, if not appetite.

That's why we'll be giving some serious thought to the "Fridge Alert" spotted on Uber-Review. Although it's being marketed as an alarm that sounds when the door is left accidentally ajar, we suspect that its true use is to bust the perpetrator who lingers too long--and too … Read more

A variety of eclectic art will be up for auction online starting Wednesday, with 100 percent of the proceeds going to the James Kim Memorial Fund.

Arts and crafts by dozens of artists will be available on the 5-day auction--among them, Jill Bliss, a featured artist at Doe, the Kims' boutique located in the Lower Haight district of San Francisco. Along with Bliss, 43 other artists have contributed their work in efforts to raise money for the Kims.

In addition to painted goods, there will be prints, pottery, soft toys, stationery, clothing, jewelry, home accessories and more. All of the … Read more

Soundmatters' last virtual surround effort, the $400 MainstageHD, did an excellent job of delivering a faux surround effect from a single box. Now that more established players such as Yamaha, Polk Audio, Niro, and Sharphave joined the single-speaker surround-sound fray, Soundmatters has upgraded its product portfolio to compete accordingly. As evidenced by the name, the Slimstage promises to deliver a surroundlike effect from a thin, flat-panel-friendly form factor. Despite measuring a mere 39 inches wide by 3.3 inches high by 3.4 inches deep, the single enclosure encompasses four main drivers plus nine "bass drivers," including three … Read more

During this week's inauguration of actor and Hummer fan Arnold Schwarzenegger to the California governor's office, guests will be driven to a multitude of events in zero-emission fuel cell vehicles. The California Fuel Cell Partnership is organizing a fleet of fuel cell vehicles from manufacturers such as DaimlerChrysler, Ford, GM, Honda, Toyota, and Volkswagen. There will also be a few fuel cell buses from Oakland's and San Jose's public transit fleets. The inaugural celebration starts in the state's capital on Thursday, January 4, with an afternoon event titled "Leading the green dream," which … Read more

It takes some doing to create a significant buzz among jaded bloggers, but BMW has managed to do just that (and just as it had planned, we assume). The minicontroversy centers on a special Flash page that teases what looks to be some kind of uberdevice that "touts the ability to play MP3s, DVDs and CDs, has USB and Bluetooth connectivity options, can recognize voice commands, and has a 65,000-color LCD to boot," according to Engadget.

The question, of course, is universal: What is it? And BMW has done little to answer it, naturally, thereby heightening the … Read more