Crave

With all due respect to our fellow Cravers, we weren't exactly huge fans of speakers recently incarnated as penguins and hogs. It's just that they seemed so ... predictable.

But how often do you see stuffed animals with their own working headphones? Now that's original. The 'phones, in this case, are actually speakers that connect to your MP3 player. These iFlops come in a menagerie of bears, elephants, frogs, pigs and monkeys, as seen in this photo from Chip Chick. No penguins, though. (Sorry, Caroline.)

Eons ago, before free Wi-Fi networks existed (yes, there was once such a time), we experimented with a wireless laptop modem that theoretically worked with our Motorola cell phone. It was a bizarre-looking setup that would have had us clip the handset to our notebook screen if necessary to get a better signal.

Naturally, it was an unmitigated disaster that ended up costing more than the phone itself. And, of course, we never were able to browse the Web even once. So imagine our delight at learning of Novatel's "Ovation" USB modem, which Engadget notes is available … Read more

Wireless digital video connections are all the rage these days. Or at least saying you've made the appropriate chipset is. Companies keep putting out press releases promising that one day soon your television will be able to receive high-definition signals sans wires, but consumers have been, for the most part, left hanging.

Though many have claimed to be first, Texas-based WiQuest Communications says its WQST100/101 chipset is "currently shipping to customers." That still doesn't give us an actual date as to when these will be sold as adapters for TVs, game consoles or DVD players, … Read more

Automobiles have paved the way for hybrid and alternative energies in transportation, but other vehicles are quickly following their tracks. We've seen trains, golf carts and even wheelchairs running on non-fossil power sources in recent months alone. But one there's one category we hadn't anticipated: toys.

Horizon Fuel Cell Technologies first made headlines with its hydrogen-powered "H-racer" remote-controlled miniature car, which Gizmag says is the "best-selling fuel cell product in the world." Now, Horizon has developed what it calls the "H-cell" power source, which it claims allows miniature cars to reach … Read more

You're a road warrior, and your laptop is getting dangerously close to becoming your best friend. But this relationship is giving you neck and shoulder pains, and you're not going to take it lying down anymore.

That's why your head will undoubtedly be turned (albeit creakily) by the "FlyBook VM" from Tokyo-based Dialogue. This lightweight laptop (3.6 pounds) is beautifully designed with a 12.1-inch that can be raised or lowered to your line of vision by a telescoping arm. We too were seduced by the sleek form and practical functionality of this digital … Read more

Sometimes, it seems that iPod speaker makers are just trying to outdo each other with the tallest models they can get away with. (Not that we have anything against tall models.)

The "Philips Docking Entertainment System DCM270" appears to be entering the contest, though its dimensions have not yet been revealed. In fact, not much of anything about it has been revealed, other than that it will work with Philips' GoGear MP3 player as well as the iPod (big surprise). One thing we do know: Like the Intempo Digital's Stereo Tower, the Philips system is at least … Read more

So much of the electronics industry is defined by opposite extremes--the smallest of the small and the biggest of the big. Nowhere is that more evident than in TVs. On one hand, we lust after displays the size of a billboard; on the other, we covet things like this combo LCD TV and DVD player with a 7-inch screen.

There are other TVs and DVD players in this size and smaller, of course, but Hannspree has combined the two into one product that weighs less than 2 pounds. And unlike portable products made primarily for the car, as Popgadget points … Read more

Technology's anorexic trend in has claimed another victim, this one a GPS device. Taiwan's Power Digital Card claims that its "Guide Dog" is the world's thinnest navigation kit, according to Navigadget. Even if it's not, this dog still hunts. Its roster of impressive features includes a 4-inch display, built-in antenna, 3D gaming, Web browsing, e-mail and a "parking sensor," whatever that is. We can't verify all these claims, but they already had us with the 4-inch screen.

Competition and commoditization are driving hardware makers further into niche markets all the time, but this product is bordering on the absurd: a mouse for households with left- and right-handed people who share the same computer. It doesn't get much more esoteric than that.

With all due respect to ambidextrous families, is this really a burning necessity? We humbly suggest that R&D money might be better spent on other things, such as designing an injury-proof Wiimote. If you must have one of Elecom's "M-EKUR" dual-control mice, Electronista says it can be had for $22 … Read more