Toys

Another reason watch the game at home

Anyone who's witnessed the flash-bulb fusillade that accompanies every swing of Barry Bonds' bat knows how distracting they can be to the rest of the crowd. So we shudder to think what a massive LED barrage would look like if it becomes a stadium standard.

The "Fan Light" from FoxFury--which is already trying to make coal miners out of all of us with its headlamps--is peddling its latest bulbs as a way to show your team's true colors, or at least two of them, while in the stands. "With each shake of the arm, … Read more

A motorized barstool to liven up the commute

We didn't think it was possible, but we've finally come across a conveyance that outdoes the "Armchair Cruiser." In the tradition of the motorized cooler, ladies and gentlemen, please welcome the "Flying Barstool."

OK, so maybe "flying" is an exaggeration, but Lussorian does say it can hit a top speed of 30 mph on the asphalt. To avoid any confusion, we're talking about the new model with a 6-horsepower Suburu engine, as opposed to its 4-horsepower predecessor.

Best of all are the options, which include "rear light, front light, foot … Read more

All CES, all the time

The 2008 Consumer Electronics Show doesn't start until tomorrow, but Crave and our sister site CNET.com have a gigantic team of editors on the ground, already scouring the still-being-assembled show floor for the newest, most exciting, and weirdest tech of the new year.

Can't make it to Vegas yourself? Enter the magical world of our CES special package, either by clicking here or on the banner at the top of this page. We've already stuffed it with blog posts and videos about shiny new TVs and amazing speaker sets. Keep coming back for the latest in … Read more

Relive glory days with your own drive-in speakers

Now this is what we call retro chic. Forget those boombox remakes and arcade replicas--we're talking drive-in movie memorabilia here.

You too can own your own pair of free-standing speakers that look just like the kind we used to wedge into the fog-shrouded windows oif our misspent youth. All that's missing are the beat-up station wagon, decaying intermission hot dogs, and a cheap date.

Sure, $330 is a bit steep to bring back some teenage memories, as OhGizmo observes, but no one ever said the price of a midlife crisis would be a bargain. As for the … Read more

A spy bot that's begging to be caught

We won't venture to guess why spy bots are so popular on the consumer market, but there's just one question that continues to nag us: Is anybody really fooled by their appearance? It's one thing if they're pawned off as some sort of RC robot or toy, but the design of this latest entry pretty much broadcasts its intent.

The "Spy Snooper Robot Vehicle" from iiRobotics has what looks like a mini-satellite dish and antenna mounted atop a six-wheeled tank, ready to capture every word from the subject under surveillance. It does have a … Read more

'Story of Stuff' a must-see for material Scrooges

Do the halls of malls give you a case of the jingle hells? You could kick back for a 20-minute break from rampant consumerism to learn more about the toxic mess it makes of the planet.

Fun, right? Actually, it is with The Story of Stuff. It's a short, friendly movie covering the ABCs of consumer culture. The sky may be falling, but we can prop it up, the film suggests.

The Story of Stuff was produced by Free Range Studios, makers of the Meatrix. That entertaining, animated diatribe against factory farming has attracted more than 15 million viewers. … Read more

Donate to a 'Second Life' Christmas

If you're a Second Life user and you're feeling charitable in these last days before Christmas, I've got something you may want to look into.

And that is the appropriately named Second Life Christmas initiative (free Second Life account required to connect). It's an island in the virtual world full of opportunities to donate to various causes, as well as to bid in a silent auction on a number of different items.

Money collected through the program will be donated to the Province Empty Stocking Fund, a charity that helps various organizations in the Canadian province … Read more

Hands-on with Tenori-On

All my ranting and whining must have finally paid off because this week I finally got some time with Yamaha's mystery-enshrouded Tenori-On music sequencer.

Prototypes of the Tenori-On have traveled the globe, popping up in the U.K. and Germany, but rarely in the United States. I couldn't believe my luck when San Francisco electronic musician retailer Robotspeak (my former employer) gave me the heads-up that Yamaha would be dropping by the shop for a rare demonstration.… Read more

Tokyo green fair highlights Sony wind-up camera

Sony's prototype, wind-up Odo digital camera is among the gadgets attracting attention at Tokyo's largest green products fair this week. We're spying from afar at Eco-Products 2007, which includes more than 500 exhibitors.

The Odo looks like a giant, plastic toy sprout when plugged into a planter-shaped base to transfer images to a computer. The camera takes 15 seconds to recharge, either by rolling the charger wheel with fingers or running it over surface. Sony's Spin N Snap takes still photos while the Crank N Capture shoots video.

Other future-forward products attracting attention at the fair … Read more

Waking up Pleo

Is it possible to love an animatronic dinosaur?

I don't know yet, but I'm likely to find out over the next few days.

That's because I'm road-testing Pleo, the new animatronic dinosaur robot from Ugobe. Though much talked about since it was unveiled at Demo last year, Pleo is only just now being officially released, and I was lucky enough to be among the first to get a review unit.

What I'm dreading is the moment in a week or so when I have to put Pleo back in its box and send it back … Read more