Crave

To quote a wise philosopher we once met, this thing is so stupid it might actually be smart. Even so, we're not sure we'd want to look as dorky as the couple in this photo.

The "Quik Pod" is aimed at people like ourselves: those who are either too slow or slow-witted (or both) to use the camera's automatic timer. But if you must prove to your friends back home that you really did go to the Superbowl--and your Photoshop skills are kind of shaky--this may come in handy to record your attendance.

And as … Read more

This sounds almost too good to be true: a wireless technology that can be used to charge all devices simultaneously, regardless of type or brand. Yet that's what a company called WildCharge claims to do with its new product.

All you need to do is lay your cell phone, PDA or other device on or near its "WildCharger," a flexible roll-up pad with a power adapter attached to one edge. The devices, which can even include laptops, then absorb their electrical charge wirelessly, the company says.

Pricing for the WildCharger, which is slated for debut at CES … Read more

We certainly could have used a service like this before experiencing a personal dose of "Black Friday" hell this year. Rather than flip through page after page of newspaper inserts and retailer Web sites, and then gamble on whether the items are really in stock as promised, we would have much preferred the kind of one-stop shopping that iTrackr claims to provide.

The Florida-based company says it monitors the inventory of 8,578 Best Buy, Circuit City, CompUSA, EB Games, Sears and Target stores across the country. Based on your zip code--and a $1.99 fee--iTrack promises to … Read more

Let's say that, by day, you're a thirty- or fortysomething who works in a buttoned-down office setting. But by night, you still get the occasional urge to boogie, much to your children's dismay. (Not that we know anyone like this--it's a strictly hypothetical scenario.)

Griffin Technology may have something that can help you maintain your dual identity. The self-described "creator of all things iPod" says it is introducing two popular cases for the new Nano lines. The "iClear " model holds true to its name, a transparent but durable polycarbonate shell that won'… Read more

A word of caution: If you have kids, don't get this. And if you do, be prepared to it within the first 24 hours of purchase.

As much as we love this robot USB key, we feel obligated to issue that warning from personal experience. But if you're not a parent, guardian or schoolteacher, then by all means have a look at this neat little device from Japan's SolidAlliance. Sure, 256MB isn't much storage space by today's standards, but how many other USB keys can you dispatch to do battle with Ultraman?

We dredged the series of tubes for you! Here's some other Craveable stuff that's going on around the Web.

--ARTS AND CRAFTS: How-To: High-Tech LED Decorations for the Holidays (MAKE)

--GADGETRY: EverGreen !Tude Neon-ish Earphones (Gizmodo)

--GAMING: British Wii shortages expected into 2007 (Joystiq)

--SERIES OF TUBES 2.0: The 8 People You Meet On Digg (Valleywag)

--DIGITAL MEDIA: Buy your DIY (Notcot)

--GREEN TECH: Alliance To Save Energy (Treehugger)

--APPLE: iPod Shuffle survives being run over (Cult of Mac)

--NEWS: Doritos spill hits North Carolina beach (Agenda Inc. via Eyebeam reBlog)

--GAMING: Nintendo 'Are Investigating' Wii Strap Problems (… Read more

Panasonic's gone HD-happy with its recent announcement of two new AVCHD camcorders. The HDC-DX1 and HDC-SD1 are two small, sleek, and sporty high-definition camcorders priced less than $1,500 with some very nice features.

The HDC-DX1 is a DVD camcorder that can record up to 40 minutes of 1080i footage onto a single 8cm dual-layer DVD-R, or up to 20 minutes onto single-layer DVD-RW or DVD-RAM for rewritability. The HDC-SD1 is an SD camcorder that can record up to an hour of 1080i footage onto a 4GB SDHC card.

Both models use three CCDs to record their high-definition video, … Read more

Few categories have been so overdone than iPod speakers. After posting our last item on a pair of these ubiquitous products, we imposed an unofficial moratorium on them. It lasted a lot longer than expected: a whole six days. We figure we missed 40 or 50 speaker announcements in that time.

So why are we breaking the fast now? Just look at the picture, Sparky. It's a speaker shaped like an iron. And a pink one at that, though it also comes in orange and lime green. Even Chip Chick was moved to declare it "the oddest iPod … Read more

(NOTE: Yes, I am aware that this post's headline probably makes no sense.)

By now, it's clear that "user-generated content" is going to be one of the big tech buzz-phrases of 2006. Most of the time, it refers to the antics of AJAX-filled Web apps with cutesy names and cutesier logos, or to grainy YouTube videos of kids breaking TV screens with Wiimotes. But clearly, user-generated content goes beyond the series of tubes and into other niches of 21st-century lifestyle. Boozing, for example. A while ago, we wrote about the WinePod, which lets oenophiles with a … Read more