Crave

Media sites are watching how we consumers spend our money this holiday season. And it looks like a double victory for the tech world.

First, online sales are up more than 25 percent from last year. Consumers are apparently comfortable now with last minute online buys.

Second, HD flat screens and Nintendo's Wii were both big sellers this season. This week tech gadgets will have to compete with even more heavly discounted general merchandise.

I'm hearing some analysts on CNBC today saying brick and mortar discounters were not even making a profit on the flat screens they sold. … Read more

If CD players like this had been designed earlier, the pending extinction of the disc might have been put off for years.

The "Square CD" player from Yanko Design is as much a work of art as it is a piece of technology, similar to the "Cuboglass" TV. (Both are designed in Italy, of course.) In each case, the appliance is meant to be displayed as part of the decor even when turned off.

Unlike most products created with this concept in mind, however, the Square CD looks even better turned on. That's because the … Read more

Once you've reached your golden years, that's no reason to put all your toys away--you just may have to find other ways to show them off. So while the gold-plated Hummer may have to stay in the garage a little more often than it used to, you can still get your bling on at age-appropriate venues. Such as the golf course.

The H2 Hummer golf cart comes with a chrome grille, alloy wheels, custom stereo and cooler boxes to keep your Metamucil chilled. If you choke on the $38,000 price tag, Lussorian says there's a much … Read more

It's only a matter of time before phones join the alternative-energy trend in earnest, and some companies are already trying to get out front with designs before the onslaught begins. ModeLabs, for one, has released three concept designs for mobile phones that use renewable and kinetic energy, according to Electronista: The wearable "YoYo" (kinetic energy from bouncing around the neck); the "U-Turn" (energy from opening and closing the keyboard, and the "Runaway" (to be worn on the wrist and recharge itself like a self-winding watch). We have only one question: Why wait for … Read more

If music-sharing Zunes are getting off to a slow start in the United States, they may face an even tougher go of it in Japan because of some unlikely competition: a digital pet.

The "Otoizm," which Tokyomango says is like a Tamagotchi but less needy, can beam an infrared signal to find others of its kind nearby and "determines whether you'd be a good match with another based on similar tastes in music."

And if you can't find a new friend that way, Konami's Otoizm will keep you company as it evolves from &… Read more

The timing for this is perfect, as parents all over the world face the prospect of sticky-fingered kids running amok on sugar highs from an oversupply of holiday treats.

The mere thought of grubby little mitts everywhere is enough incentive for some of us to leave Christmas dinner early just so we can order one of Unotron's wired or unwired washable keyboards, which SCI FI Tech says "can be sprayed over and over with disinfectants, submersed in cleaning fluid, rinsed under a faucet and then blow-dried." It's an ideal alternative for kids playing on the computer … Read more

Making retro-style phones seems to be an obsession with some companies, for reasons that continue to baffle us. We've seen updated phones from the 1930s to the 1960s, sometimes with just parts of them available.

But UncommonGoods has taken the concept to its truest form, restoring actual phones with modern wiring, cords and microphones. If you're interested in getting one of them, be aware that availability is limited: Like so many other things, there isn't an abundance of phones that survived the '60s.

Probably owing to the sensory overload of the holidays, we at Crave feel compelled to repeat our mantra that less is more. Just after posting an item on an elegant special edition of LG's "Shine," we came across another example of a well-designed handset in the form of a VoIP phone.

What is most appealing about Lexon's "Lexphone" is the consistency with its surroundings. If you appreciate the clean lines of your MacBook or Sony Vaio, for example, the last thing you'd want to do is have some garish phone plugged into it, … Read more

Competition is usually a healthy thing in the marketplace, except when it comes to design. Companies have gotten so desperate to distinguish themselves that they too often resort to "special" or "limited editions," whether it be an 18k gold camera or a diamond-covered Mercedes. The result is often a monument to bad taste.

LG, thankfully, is an exception--and we're especially relieved because its new offering involves one of our favorite phones, the stainless-steel "Shine." The limited edition is essentially the same phone, save for a Korean poem engraved on the back in designer … Read more