Crave

What can robots do? Fetch beer, pick up socks and empower rodents.

At the Consumer Electronics Show this week, iRobot will publicly release its latest product, the Create, a programmable robot for entertainment and education. The base of the Create is similar to the Scooba, the company's mopping robot, and the vacuuming Roomba. It comes with wheels, motors for movement, and sensors that prevent it from tumbling downstairs or getting mired in corners.

The brushes and fluid tanks, however, have been removed and, instead, the Create comes with a series of connectors that let users attach reticulating arms, cameras … Read more

At the CES 2007 Pepcom event tonight, Linksys unveiled the first Draft N router that we've seen optimized for gamers. The WRT330N combines Linksys' Draft N technology with four Gigabit Ethernet LAN ports and one Gigabeat Ethernet WAN port. In addition, its Quality of Service implementation prioritizes gaming packets for smoother play. It supports PC and game consoles, online gaming, online multiplayer role-playing games and online head-to-head gaming. The QoS implementation can also improve VoIP and Web cam performance. Even the exterior, with its sleek black design, should appeal to gamers.

Security features include WPA2, WPA, and WEP; an … Read more

Though far from the most exciting thing you'll see at a show like CES, small "backbone" devices like print servers are an indispensable part of a home or small office. At CES 2007 today, Linksys announced the immediate availability of its WPSM54G print server, which distinguishes itself by supporting multifunction printers that fax, scan and copy. A print server takes on the overhead required to network a USB printer, freeing your PC from having to be on 24/7. Not all printers are supported, though; you can find a list of devices supported by the WPSM54G at … Read more

At the CES 2007 Pepcom event tonight, Linksys announced its entry-level NAS (network-attached storage) unit, the descriptively yet boringly named Network Storage System with 2 Bays (NAS200). The SOHO-oriented device offers up two empty drive bays in which you can install one or two 3.5-inch SATA drives of your choice. You can treat the two drives as one large drive, as two individual drives, or set them up for mirroring or striping. Additionally, it sports two USB ports to connect additional drives for increased capacity or for backup. Once you've installed the drive(s), you can connect the … Read more

Sony today unveiled the Bravia Internet Video Link, a small accessory designed to deliver online video to compatible Bravia flat-screen HDTVs. The device is scheduled to be released in mid-2007; pricing has not yet been set. It will only work with compatible Bravia LCD TVs that are scheduled to be released later in 2007.

The Bravia Internet Video Link is a small device about the size of a VHS tape that's designed to snap onto the back of the TV. In addition to the Ethernet port (which interfaces to your home network), the Video Link box includes USB and … Read more

RCA has become the first company to offer an MP3 player that includes wireless listening with its Jet Stream MP3 player ($149)--except the wireless technology isn't Bluetooth. RCA uses a new wireless technology called Kleer designed to transmit high fidelty audio in the 2.4 GHz frequency that consumes less power than Bluetooth by "sipping" power from the batteries in the matching wireless stereo earbuds, ensuring about 12 hours of playback.

We didn't get a chance to play with the Jet Stream to test its fidelity or connection consistency, but we'll let you know … Read more

Over the last couple of years, Samsung has made a real effort to step up its still camera offerings. This year's CES introductions continue that trend with more stylish designs and smattering of convenient features. You won't find any new dSLRs here, but there are six new compact cameras with pixel counts ranging from 6 megapixels to 10 megapixels. Two of the cameras fall into Samsung's L-series, which is aimed at advanced shooters, while the other four belong to the S-series, targeted at the point-and-shoot crowd. All of Samsung's new still cameras include in-camera editing, so … Read more

Nokia's 6131 isn't new but the company announced today that it would soon be the world's first cell phone with Near Field Communications (NFC) technology. NFC will allow users to instantly store and access business cards in their phone, gain access to an event, share information, and make quick purchases for items ranging from coffee to show tickets. Nokia promises that by touching their phone to an NFC-enabled business card, advertising display, or menu board, people can use their phone almost as an ID, a wallet, and a computer.

For example, users could download multimedia content from … Read more

Sling Media is makin' the rounds: first Windows Mobile, then Symbian. Now Palm OS users can sling--or placeshift--their own channels to their smart phone.

This is good news for Slingbox owners who also have a Treo 700p, which utilizes Verizon's EV-DO network. Treo 680 users will be able to sling their TV as well, but Sling cautions that the EDGE network it runs on is not an ideal connection.

But that's not all: SlingPlayer will also be pre-loaded onto all HP laptops in 2007 as part of the QuickPlay feature, which plays music, movies, and now TV, … Read more