Geek culture

Microsoft Printing Dress: Wear what you tweet

No one ever accused Bill Gates of being a fashion plate, but the company he founded may be developing a new reputation for haute couture.

The Printing Dress is the creation of Asta Roseway from Microsoft Research and Sheridan Martin Small from the company's Xbox division. It's an exploration of wearable technology that also doubles as something you might actually look good wearing. Imagine that.

The material is black and white rice paper, but this is no origami project. Laser-cut buttons that look like old typewriter keys are sewn into the dress. A laptop, four circuit boards, and a projector round out the technology.

The Printing Dress is designed to project what you're putting out on the Internet. Tweets become fashion statements as words flit across the skirt. This sort of wearable technology is not recommended for members of Congress with itchy Twitter fingers. … Read more

Scented Gummi Bear earbuds bounce here, there, everywhere

Fredflare.com sells all manner of fashionable tech-cessories, including USB turntables, LEGO Wii controllers, and the best-selling iPlunger phone stand. But the latest addition to the Web store is more than just eye-candy--it's a pair of earbud headphones made to look and smell like classic Gummi Bears.

Offered in blue, pink, and green flavors, the Scented Gummi Bear Earbuds feature stereo sound, a 4-foot cable and a standard 3.5mm plug at the end.

We don't expect the $18 headphones to challenge our favorite earbuds, but we're sure they're at least worth a couple puzzled looks on the subway.

More pictures of the Scented Gummi Bear Earbuds by Fred Flare after the jump.… Read more

The 404 877: Where you learn a lot about people at the beach (podcast)

Jeff's back in the studio after his vacation week, and any positive vibes floating around in the air are obliterated when he tells us about the things you can learn about people just from spending time at the beach.

Unsurprisingly, none of us plan to see "Rise of the Planet of the Apes," despite its 80-percent "fresh" rating on RottenTomatoes.com. We're also ripping a page from the Obvious News section and talking about TV porn sales going down in recent years, and playing a handful of voicemails carefully chosen by Mr. Bakalar.

The 404 Digest for Episode 877

Big surprise: TV porn doesn't sell like it used to. FBI releases child ID iPhone app.

Episode 877 Subscribe in iTunes (audio) | Subscribe in iTunes (video) | Subscribe in RSS Audio | Subscribe in RSS Video… Read more

Early-access app teases Star Wars Blu-ray set

We're a little more than a month away from the arrival of "Star Wars: The Complete Saga" on Blu-ray, and Lucasfilm is continuing the recent Comic-Con buzz by offering the most detailed sneak peak of the set to date with Star Wars Blu-ray: Early Access App.

September 16 will bring the nine-disc Blu-ray set to store shelves, and Lucasfilm publicity poobahs have effectively been hyping the set since CES in January. Most recently, they made a buzz at Comic-Con by unveiling a trailer of the restored deleted scenes included in the set.

The free early-access app for iPhone, iPad, and iPod Touch offers an early look at the more than 40 hours of bonus footage and other material included in the Blu-ray collection.… Read more

The 404 876: Where 92 percent of our hosts are fake (podcast)

Which would you rather give up for a week, your toothbrush or your iPhone? We welcome CNETer Kenley Bradstreet back on the show today to help us answer this hypothetical question and more.

Of course, Joey Kaminski is here, too, and we have a minefield of a story rundown to test his self-control, such as a nail polish inspired by bruises and bodily fluids, a world-record-breaking attempt going down tomorrow on the corner of Seaman and Dyckman Streets, and a report that 92-percent of Newt Gengrich's 1.3 million Twitter followers are actually robots.

The 404 Digest for Episode 876

Nail polish names inspired by bruises and blood. Report: 92 percent of Newt Gingrich's Twitter Followers Aren't Real. iPhone users would trade shoes, sex for phone. N.Y. lingerie shop to break world record for simultaneous breastfeeding. No lasers were harmed in the scanning of these cats.

Episode 876 Subscribe in iTunes (audio) | Subscribe in iTunes (video) | Subscribe in RSS Audio | Subscribe in RSS Video… Read more

Crave giveaway: Coloud Captain America headphones

First off, congrats to David K. of Aberdeen, Md., who won a Garmin Nuvi 255WT GPS unit preloaded with a Darth Vader VoiceSkin in last week's Crave giveaway. May the Force be with you, David!

Now, on to this week's giveaway, a pair of Coloud Captain America headphones. They may not be made of vibranium, but consider them your own dose of Vita-Rays. The 'phones are part of Coloud's line of Marvel-themed headphones, which also come in Ka-Pow, Wolverine Retro, Punisher, and X-Men styles.

Normally, Coloud's Captain America headphones would cost you around $40, but you have the chance to get them gratis, superhero wannabes.

So how do you try to win this week's prize and stand out from the crowd of standard-black headphone wearers? Let me enumerate the basic rules. Please read them carefully; there will be a test. … Read more

Eco Pod waterproof smartphone case keeps tech dry in wet weather

"I love going to the beach, but hate getting sand on my iPhone. #FirstWorldProblems"

If that tweet sounds familiar, you'll want to add the Grace Digital Audio Eco Pod to your shopping list.

The Eco Pod is an outdoor case for your phone or MP3 player that wraps the device in an airtight valve for complete protection against the elements. It comes with a pair of Grace's Sonar Premium Waterproof Headphones so you can jam without worrying about damaging your gear.

The case features a waterproof IPX7 headset jack that can also pair with any standard … Read more

Thunderbolt vs. USB 3.0: Why it's a lose-lose

Ever since Intel announced Thunderbolt and made it exclusively available to Macs, Windows users have been wondering if they are missing out. The truth is: yes, they are, big-time. I've been working with the first Thunderbolt storage device, the Pegasus R6 from Promise, and find it to be the fastest consumer-grade storage device out there, period. (Stay tuned for my full review, coming up soon.)

On the other hand, since Macs generally don't support USB 3.0, which has been out for a long time and is becoming more and more popular in the PC world, Mac users have also been missing out quite a bit. Many people are wondering which is better, Thunderbolt or USB 3.0. This is a hard question, as Thunderbolt is about more than data storage; it's also about video transport, connectivity, expandability, and synced audio. However, strictly in terms of storage applications, neither is better. Consumers should really have both. The current separation of the two standards is a lose-lose situation for Windows and Mac users alike. … Read more

Late for a meeting? Bike-mounted speakerphone lets you dial in from road

Bluetooth speakers are ideal accessories for outdoor activities where music is a must, but only the Soundmatters FoxLv2 wireless speaker features custom vehicle and bicycle mounts designed by ProClip.

The in-vehicle mount attaches easily to any vehicle model by clipping into the seams of the dashboard. The speaker can rotate freely in the mount to achieve the best angle for listening, and ProClip claims the average installation time is approximately 2 minutes no matter what kind of car you're driving. We imagine this bracket would come in handy for someone who already has a SoundMatters FoxL player and wants … Read more