Crave

So your kid is getting older, and you want to protect him from the hazards of skateboarding. Good luck.

It may be almost impossible to keep boys from undergoing this rite of passage, but you might be able to limit their board time by offering a virtual version as a part-time substitute. This skateboard game plugs into the TV and "translates a child's motion into real-time tricks and movements as players navigate multiple urban skateboard challenges such as timed races, slalom and obstacle courses, half-pipe environments, free skating and tournament play," according to Hammacher Schlemmer. And they … Read more

The other day we were complaining (yes, again) that electronics manufacturers sometimes seem determined to disguise their products, making them look different devices altogether. Well, we're apparently not alone.

Mobile Magazine makes a similar observation about the "Neo 808i" phone, which it says looks more like a media player because of its landscape screen. Even more notable, though, is how many features it crams into its diminutive frame. Among those are a 1.3-megapixel camera, an MP3 and MP4 player, FM radio, 128MB of memory, 3D graphics and Bluetooth connectivity. All this in an almost-miniature case that … Read more

It's not often that Crave gets freaked out, but we were a little thrown by this coincidence.

The other day we ran a small item about a small device, a robot USB key. Certainly nothing unusual about that, except for a random reference to Ultraman--a character we probably hadn't recalled more than two or three times since childhood. Then Saturday, only a few days after the robot USB item, what do we spy? An Ultraman USB key.

Fareastgizmos reports that the 256MB storage device is part of a 40th anniversary commorative set of collectibles dedicated to the … Read more

With so many products going under water these days, the only thing we can surmise is that people are really taking this whole global warming thing seriously. That would be at least one explanation for the proliferation of gadgets like this waterproof digital movie camera.

Gizmag says the Sanyo VPC-CA6 has a resolution of 6 megapixels and a 5x optical zoom, retailing for around $250. It does take stills as well, but if you're not satisfied with the quality you can try any number of waterproof point-and-shoot cameras. Either way, you can transfer your shots with your waterproof USB device … Read more

Few times have so many accessories come out so quickly for something so small. That's just one distinction that belongs to the iPod Shuffle, as evidenced by this Marware travel dock that plugs directly into a USB port, according to iLounge. But if you're really trying to save space--after all, isn't that what the Shuffle is all about?--you might want to consider the IncipioBud, which forgoes the need for a dock altogether.

This cute little alarm clock that i read about on Tokyomango looks like one of those little portable TVs that made a brief splash in the '80s. Actually, in my opinion, it looks more like a toy radar device that would be found in a Fisher-Price "My First U.S. Navy Ballistic Missile Submarine" playset. But that's beside the point.

So it looks like it operates just like your average alarm clock. And since this is the Age of Laziness, it comes with a remote control. As Tokyomango's blogger points out, the remote control is, well, … Read more

The Wi-Fi bunny has done what rabbits do best: multiplied.

Formally known as Nabaztag--it's Armenian for 'rabbit'--the toy from French company Violet that last summer grabbed geek attention worldwide has gotten an upgrade already.

The new guy is called Nabaztag/tag, and besides reading e-mails, RSS feeds through a Wi-Fi connection to a computer, acting as an alarm clock or playing music, he can now respond to sound via a voice-recognition device in its belly. That means owners can talk to their bunny, but it also means it knows when its owner is in the room. When it … Read more

Hey everyone. At lot of you have written in, asking what the fate of the Crave video podcast will be after the loss of our dear friend and Crave cohost, James Kim. Obviously, it's very hard for me to imagine doing the show without him, but it's also something that I love doing and care about very much.

For the next couple of weeks, we're going to give you a preview of some of the neat stuff that we'll be looking at during CES, and I also intend to podcast from the show itself. We'll … Read more

As the mobile phone continues to evolve, traditional keys may eventually become the handset equivalent of prehensile toes. That, at least, appears to be the case with LG's latest designs.

According to Slashphone, the "LG KE850" has no keypad and instead relies solely on a touch screen to control its functions. Little else is known about the phone, other than it apparently won an award from the International Forum Design in Germany (which is probably why photos of it are being circulated today).

The handset does bear some resemblances to its famous cousin the Chocolate, though there'… Read more