Crave

After all the ridiculously over-the-top gaming simulators we've seen lately, it's nice to know that some manufacturers are making some setups that are more affordable (if $700 qualifies, anyway).

The "Hotseat Racer GTX" from Hotseat Chassis isn't a full-scale system but does include surround-sound speakers, as well as built-in steering wheel and pedals, according to I4U News. The stand is sold separately, but the cockpit is still costs a lot less than the thousands you'd spend for simulators from Costco or Ford, not to mention the $300,000 monster from FAO Schwarz.

But if … Read more

Who says the PC-TV is dead? A decade ago, a lot of bets were placed (and lost) on the convergence of television and the computer as a single uber-device for the home. But the concept is alive and kicking in, of all places, Italy.

Coolest-Gadgets says a company called Mc Person has unveiled an "all-in-one" system that will offer "television, radio, Internet, high-definition video, house automation, health monitoring and more." The "I-TV" concept, as it is known, works wirelessly and is controlled through a single remote.

It sounds too good to be true, unless … Read more

When Saturday Night Live premiered in the '70s, I bet its fans never imagined they'd be able to watch clips of the late-night sketch comedy show on their phones. But now, thanks to a deal between SNL parent NBC Universal, Broadway Video Entertainment, and Cingular Wireless, it's happening. The partnership, announced Tuesday, brings various forms of SNL media content, including original mobile-only programming, to Cingular's phones.

It's the second media-related announcement that the carrier has made this week: On Monday, Cingular began a partnership with MySpace to make the social networking site's mobile service available … Read more

So, maybe a few of you are ticked off at Gizmodo for that whole iPhone prank. But in my esteemed opinion, they've righted themselves, because they gave CNET senior editor and fellow Craver John Falcone a cool hat and a totally butt-kicking nickname. He's not just John Falcone anymore, he's John "Wayne" Falcone, the "Sheriff-Geek" of CNET! He can brandish five universal remotes at a time and look darned good doing it. Trust me, you don't want to be running into this guy in a dark alley late at night.

Forget solar-powered fan hats … Read more

It's a good thing we just had another cup of coffee, or we might have posted this photo with the previous portable DVD item by accident. Despite the resemblance, it doesn't have anything to do with DVDs, CDs or anything to do with entertainment at all--unless your idea of fun is monitoring your blood pressure.

The "SmartSync Data Logger" is a new kind of heart rate monitor from Oregon Scientific that goes beyond previous models. Like other monitors, it tracks and displays heart rates on a display in real time, but you can also download up … Read more

Until the world switches entirely to video downloads, it looks as if portable DVD players will be around for awhile. But most of them are still fairly bulky animals with outdated designs.

Hammacher Schlemmer, however, claims to have "the most portable handheld DVD player," with 4.5-inch screen that pretty much takes up most of the surface area on one side. It still manages to cram in an MP3 player and a 2.5-hour battery, as well as some external kid-proof features (as if such a thing exists).

The diameter of the $130 1.25-pound player, which is … Read more

You may have already seen this if you have cable TV (and don't automatically skip over infomercials), but Big Lots is offering a 42-inch plasma TV from Sylvania for $799. That's $400 off the regular price and down $200 from the 42-inch plasma that Vizio cranked out for Black Friday.

Granted, it's always possible that you might find a better deal out there, but this one is pretty good. The store chain has 4,000 in stock, with a minimum of three per store and a limit of one per family. Look at the excitement of the … Read more

If you happen to run into Jonathan Hirshon, president of Horizon Communications, ask for a business card. It's made of aluminum.

For the past two days, we've been trying to figure out all the many uses for it. It's sharp enough to cut carrots. If sharpened a bit more, it could be fashioned into a Ninja star. If this were the '80s, it would have been a status symbol for drug dealers in Miami.

The word "Horizon" isn't painted on the card either. It's a stencil, so you can also use it to … Read more

Of course your PC enrages you from time to time, but you're not supposed to bang on it -- though you would be forgiven if it's housed in a Spotswood Custom Computers case, which is actually a kick drum.

Yes, it's a slightly odd motif for a PC (oh, let's be honest; it makes no damned sense) but the Spotswood folks say a drum enclosure makes for a very quiet PC case with flexible component mounting options. And to be fair, this is the hippest possible way to house a workstation PC in a recording studio … Read more