taser

For those who want some personal security without resorting to an Avurt IM-5, the phone stun gun may be a more discreet alternative. But many of those on the market are fairly obvious even to the untrained eye. (The prominently labeled "STUN" button might have something to do with it.)

But British authorities have confiscated one that looks particularly real, and for good reason: It apparently is. Nottingham police seized a potentially lethal weapon disguised as a Sony Ericsson W700 handset, according to Newlaunches, one that's capable of delivering a 900,000-volt jolt. The BBC reported that … Read more

Special report: Are we getting iPhones soon? http://crave.cnet.com/8301-1_105-9886460-1.html

Taser party! http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=19353066

Ford Fiesta! It’s back! http://crave.cnet.com/8301-1_105-9887525-1.html

You cook, Readybot cleans http://crave.cnet.com/8301-1_105-9887236-1.html

Robo-lawnmower goes hybrid http://crave.cnet.com/8301-1_105-9887567-1.html

Rotating Sphere Lounger http://dvice.com/archives/2008/03/claustrophobia.php

Toy for children who want to grow up to work at the TSA http://www.core77.com/blog/object_culture/ toy_for_children_who_want_to_grow_up_to_work_at_the_tsa_9059.asp

A propos (of) nothing (Oh, my god edition) Squeezebox Duet http://reviews.cnet.com/digital-media-receivers/ logitech-squeezebox-duet/4505-6739_7-32815168.html… Read more

If washing machines and George Foreman Grills can be used to play MP3s, then why can't the Taser? Everyone's favorite stun-gun maker has found a way to do just that, with a new "music player holster."

The accessory comes with 1GB of memory so you can blast away while blaring The Ride of the Valkyries or whatever else you choose for your theme song, according to Audio Junkies. The black leather case would be the perfect complement to the new Taser C2 "self-defense electronic control device," which can zap a perp up to 15 … Read more

Not all of us are NRA card-carrying members at Crave, but we do appreciate the art of self-defense--especially at a distance. Yet we fully acknowledge the impracticalities of toting around certain Tasers and other non-lethal weapons, the sight of which could make some people feel a tad uncomfortable especially on the subway or other confined public spaces.

One solution comes from a site called SecuritySafetySpy.com--whose slogan is "Because it's a jungle out there"--in the form of a stun gun that looks like a harmless mobile phone. The "Immobilizer" could be as menacing … Read more

Where many of the devices from Taser International are a little like dueling pistols from the 18th century--basically, you get one shot to hit a target standing in front of you--the new Shockwave from Taser is more like a Claymore mine.

Unveiled Monday at the annual Taser Tactical Conference in Chicago, the Shockwave is described as an "area denial system," spraying its six projectiles all at once over a 22-degree arc. In addition, users can stack the Shockwave units vertically or side by side ("like Legos," the company says) to cover a larger area or "… Read more

This could be almost as much fun as a blowgun and curare-laden darts. Except, of course, that the kinder, gentler weaponry from Taser International is intended to have nonlethal results.

Up to now, Taser stun guns have been short-range gadgets that deliver their jolt of electricity through wires linking the gun and the projectile. (Think Ben Stiller and Dustin Hoffman getting zapped in Meet the Fockers.) On Monday, the company plans to introduce its first-ever wireless device in Chicago at the Taser Tactical Conference for members of law enforcement and military organizations,

Taser International, the people who make the stun guns, and iRobot have kicked off a collaboration to develop machines for the military and police agencies that ideally will incapacitate, but not kill, suspects.

Thus, instead of sending a rookie cop into a strip club to break up a fight between a bouncer and a coked-up drummer from a heavy-metal band, the robot can do it for him.

And think of the improvements in crowd control you could achieve at those messy Greenpeace rallies.

The two companies have already integrated a Taser X26 stun gun--also known as "an electronic control … Read more

Greetings Podypusses, it's episode 30 and golly gosh do we have some plush content for you this week! Resident mobile phone limpet Andrew Lim lays serious cusses on the Motorola Motofone and Rory Reid tries hard to convince us all that operating systems are redundant--such as Windows and Linux--in the face of Web-accessible software.

Meanwhile, Chris Stevens probes the latest outlandish Apple rumors and Kate Macefield keeps the motley crew under control with Tasers and her rusty medieval torture equipment.

Tune in and bong out to the 30th edition of the world's finest audio experience. It's all … Read more