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LAS VEGAS--One of my favorite parts of CES is getting beyond the shiny new smartphones and tracking down the quirky mobile accessories that hide in far corners of the enormous show floor.

Sadly, I had to wait until the last day of CES to start exploring, so I was very fortunate to bump into the founders of CaseInity at the CNET stage (I guess they figured it was a likely place to find CNET editors lurking about).

Based in Philadelphia, CaseInity is developing a unique and very convenient case for the iPhone 4 and 4S called Cord-on-Board. Beyond just protecting … Read more

Note: Sorry about the newsletter snafu yesterday! Still working out the kinks, so stay tuned.

Ah, Hulu. For anyone looking to cut the cable-TV cord, the service is pretty indispensable. Unlike Netflix, it lets you watch many, if not most, current TV shows the day after they air.

But here's the thing: If you want access on your Roku box, game console, Android phone/tablet, iOS device, or whatever, you need to subscribe to Hulu Plus.

Normally that costs $7.99 per month, but right now you can get Hulu Plus free for three months. (Note that if you'… Read more

Somebody lucky car collector is going to have a great Christmas this year. An Aston Martin purchased by the late George Harrison in 1965, was sold at auction in London on Wednesday for more than half a million dollars.

According to the auction house, Coys, the winning bid went to an anonymous Beatles and Aston Martin fan from Houston, Texas. The purchaser plans to use the DB5 to raise money for Christian causes, Coys reported in a press release.

The DB5 wasn't the only car formerly owned by a member of the Fab Four this year. In February, John … Read more

The countdown to the new iPhone 5 has begun, and antsy Apple fans want to make sure they are among the first to get the phone.

Today, Apple e-mailed invitations to reporters asking them to join the company on October 4 at 10 a.m. PT for a special event at Apple's Cupertino, Calif., headquarters. Apple didn't specifically mention the iPhone 5 by name, but many speculate the company will unveil one or perhaps two iPhones at the event. Last week, All Things Digital cited unnamed sources who said Apple was planning an October 4 event hosted by CEO Tim Cook.… Read more

Don't you just hate it when your earphones get tangled up? Apparel brand Marc Ecko has a interesting take on the problem with its new "Zip" earphones, which replace the traditional wired cord with a zipper.

Apart from hopefully getting rid of tangle issues, the earbuds also feature a built-in microphone and volume control for use with iOS and Android devices.

These zippy earphones will be available in red, gold, blue, white, pink, and purple. People looking to purchase them will have to fork out a mere $29.99, so we're not expecting much in terms of sound quality from them.

Alternately, you could get Marc Ecko's other new earbuds: Zone ($13), Chaos II ($15), Stomp ($20), Lace ($25), or Chain ($40). Each model features its own unique design. For example, the lace comes with a shoelace-inspired cord. All styles will be available worldwide through authorized retailers.

(Source: Crave Asia via Engadget) … Read more

That loud snipping sound is a greater number of Americans cutting the cord and ditching their cable and satellite TV subscriptions. That's the verdict today in an analysis done by the Associated Press of the pay TV companies' quarterly earnings reports.

The AP tallied lost subscribers from eight of the top nine providers, including Comcast and Time Warner cable, Verizon, AT&T, DirecTV, and Dish Network. Cox Communications was not included because it is a private company and does not disclose subscriber numbers, but AP said it has captured 70 percent of households in its survey and found … Read more

Tired of tangled earbuds? Of course you are; they're one of life's biggest hassles, right up there with newspaper ink that gets on your fingers and highway traffic jams that seem to happen for no reason.

The iAngle is a triangular cord-wrap designed to keep earbud cords neat and tangle-free.

But it also serves a second purpose: to prop up your iPhone, which is great for watching movies, hands-free FaceTime chats, reading your favorite blogs at the breakfast table, and so on.

I love double-duty gizmos like this. The U.S.-made iAngle works with all iPhone and iPod Touch models and comes in black, blue, green, pink, and white.… Read more

For those who have succeeded in cutting the cord on their cable television, solutions for sensible TV streaming are, to say the least, a challenge. The Elgato HDHomeRun, announced today, offers up a small box that connects to a router and TV antenna and streams HD TV content via Wi-Fi anywhere in one's house. More importantly, unlike other Elgato products, the HDHomeRun comes with dual TV tuners for watching simultaneous recordings/viewings of two different channels on two different computers.

The $179 HDHomeRun is a small box that offers a lot of the same features as the small USB-stick Elgato EyeTV Hybrid, which we recently reviewed. The Hybrid, however, required physically interfacing with a Mac or PC via USB. The HDHomeRun more conveniently handles the video transfer wirelessly, and still works with (and is packaged with) Elgato's EyeTV3 Mac software for DVRing and managing TV content and programming.… Read more

Dear HBO,

Hey. It's me, Scott. Remember me? I used to be an HBO subscriber, back when I had cable. That was about a year and a half ago. It's been a while. I miss you a little. Hope you're doing OK.

I mean, I hear you are. Everyone's talking about your latest shows. "Game of Thrones" sounds great. I used to follow some of the others. Now, I've sort of lost track. I've been doing great, by the way. I'm watching TV on Hulu Plus and Netflix, and getting by. … Read more