Crave

It's taken decades, but it all makes sense now.

When we were kids, TI calculators seemed as common as No. 2 pencils, but they were used basically as extensions of multiplication tables and other rote learning. Now, Texas Instruments claims to have finally made the leap into the interactive future with the "TI-Navigator."

This handheld device lets students send their work instantly and wirelessly to teachers' computers in the classroom. Not only can instructors review answers in real time, but they can also analyze student thought processes as they observe the keys being punched to "understand … Read more

The iPod may not be as innocent as it looks. And there's something even more dangerous than the terrible music the person next to you is listening to. A study by medical doctors and one inquisitive teenager shows the iPod may interfere with the activity of cardiac pacemakers. No other handheld music players were tested. So the iPod joins a long list of electronic devices that may interfere with pacemakers. They range from microwave ovens (even if you don't stick your head inside) to radio transmitters.

Could we be seeing surgeon general warnings on iPods and their cousins?… Read more

The iPhone isn't even here yet, but a newly revealed patent filing could shed light on Apple's next move.

The filing--which we noticed on Unwired View directed by Crunchgear--shows what an iPod Nano would look like with a touch screen on the back of the player. The touch screen interface looks quite a bit like the iPhone, with a QWERTY keyboard and phone pad dialer as options that can be brought to the surface, suggesting that the next iPhone might be smaller and thinner than the current plan.

Apple patent filings (check out the headache-inducing wording used … Read more

To be clear, that's a Dell computer, not Michael Dell now on display in the halls of the Smithsonian.

Dell, who earlier this year was reinstalled as CEO of the company he founded, donated his employee badge, a new Dell PC, and an original computer from PC Limited (Dell's original brand) made in 1985 to the National Air and Space Museum. The collection of items opened Thursday in Washington, D.C., as part of a temporary exhibit called "Treasures of American History."

An Altair computer, first-generation IBM PC and original Apple Macintosh are already in the … Read more

Cable industry executives on Wednesday showed off a superfast cable-modem technology called "channel bonding," and wowed the crowd at The Cable Show convention in Las Vegas.

According to an Associated Press report on the demonstration, the CEO of communications technology specialist ARRIS Group, Robert Stanzione, downloaded a 30-second, 300-megabyte television commercial in a few seconds and watched it well before a standard modem worked through a download time of about 16 minutes.

Known as DOCSIS 3.0 among the engineers at Cable Television Laboratories, the cable industry's research arm, the technology can offer download speeds as quick … Read more

We can finally put all the rumors to rest--the Palm Treo 755p is real, and it's officially arrived on Sprint's doorstep, looking all dapper in burgundy or midnight blue, might we add. The 755p will be available starting May 14 and replaces the older Treo 700p. The Palm-based smart phone not only sports a more compact form factor similar to that of its GSM cousin, the Treo 680, but it also brings a collection of small but notable enhancements--instant messaging and Google Maps for Mobile, just to name two. But are the extras enough to warrant the expensive $… Read more

The Slingbox is known best for its ability to let consumers watch their home TV channels remotely using a laptop or smart phone. But a local San Francisco news station has found a way to utilize the trapezoid-shaped set-top box to cheaply and easily deliver live news, traffic and weather updates wirelessly back to its studio.

The news operations director at CBS 5, Don Sharp, devised a way to replace more than 20 of its cameras affixed to the tops of local bridges, freeways and buildings that use microwave technology to relay video back to the station with smaller cameras … Read more

Along with Sony Ericsson's other announcements today, the company unveiled its fifth-generation P-series smart phone, the Sony Ericsson P1. The P1 is 25 percent smaller than its predecessor, the Sony Ericsson P990i, but that doesn't mean it skimps on features. The smart phone is based on the Symbian and UIQ operating systems and has a 2.6-inch touch screen, a 3.2-megapixel camera, and push e-mail support for Exchange ActiveSync and BlackBerry Connect. Other goodies include a dual-function keyboard (like the one found on the Sony Ericsson M600i), Wi-Fi and Bluetooth, and VoIP support. The tri-band (GPRS 900/… Read more

Greetings and felicitations, Bubblenauts! This is Episode 3 of our new gadget show, set aboard a tiny bubbleship floating in geostationary orbit far above the planet. This week you can feast your tentacles on an exploration of whether robots deserve human rights, and witness everything there is to know about the socio-cultural evolution of the beat 'em-up videogame.

We'll also give you a bunch of good reasons to hate the Motorola Motofone F3--a mobile for the third world that's distinctly third-rate. Thrill as we blast it into a gabillion plastic shards. Subscibe to the podcast through iTunes, … Read more