Lifestyle

It seems logical to bestow the computer mouse with security features, as it's already a natural gatekeeper standing perennially at the ready like a loyal sentry guarding the palace. There have been a number of models on the market, for example, that authenticate fingerprints. But an iris reader?

Maybe it's just us, but we're not in the habit of peering into the mouse--or anything else on our desktop--closely enough for our eyeballs to be identified. That's what would apparently be required to get past this picky peripheral from Qritek Japan, which Plastic Bamboo says has a … Read more

Crave got so sick of silly alarm clocks that we once considered imposing a moratorium on them. But we were sure that Caroline McCarthy would have protested.

Then, much to our shock, we came across one that's actually useful for a change. Why? Because it's simple: The "RiteAlarm" from Rayna Creations doesn't have tons of features or inane gimmicks like defusing fake bombs. Instead, it concentrates on waking you up (how novel).

Gadgeteer points out one of its most practical aspects, an easy way to set different wake times for weekdays, Saturday and Sunday. But … Read more

It's depressing, but the steady growth of asthma sufferers worldwide has given rise to more everyday products to deal with the disease. A few months ago, for example, we even saw a snorkel made for those with the affliction. Now, taking some design (and marketing) cues from the gadget world, a U.K. creative team has come up with the "Apod," a line of cases for the pocket inhalers used by those with the chronic respiratory ailment. The brightly colored Apods could prove especially important in de-stigmatizing the inhalers because so many asthma sufferers are children.

This is one of those accessories that made me think, "Wow, I'm surprised nobody came up with this before." The Bevy case for the iPod Shuffle, manufactured by Mophie, is a key ring that holds your itty bitty music player, lets you neatly wrap your earbud cord around it when you're not listening in, and throws in a bottle opener for good measure. Yes, a bottle opener.

It's actually the product of a design competition that took place at Macworld earlier this year.

Personally, I think attaching the Shuffle to a set of keys is … Read more

The notion of "frequent gamer rewards" has been tossed around by trend specialists and pundits (like MAKE Magazine's Philip Torrone) for some time now as online gaming becomes more and more profitable and increasingly entrenched in mainstream culture. Now, it's a reality with the World of Warcraft Visa credit card.

You can apply for it now. With your first purchase on the card, according to the World of Warcraft site, you'll earn a free month of game time.

But you won't be able to buy yourself new weapons by using this card. The WoW … Read more

If you're a parent like us, you may have discovered a couple of dirty little secrets: Diaper Genies break and most baby monitors suck. We can't offer much about the first issue, but we're told that the second is making some significant advances.

U.K.-based Digitally Fresh, for example, has combined a video monitor and a wireless Webcam so that you can watch your precious creations as well as listen for them from anywhere in the house, according to Gearlog. But the best part? It has a night-vision camera so you make sure they're not … Read more

How quickly things can turn. Only yesterday, we discovered that we have a mild interest in remote controls (as a lifestyle, not just gadgets); today, we learn that it's already on the verge of becoming a full-blown obsession.

What was our first clue? When we came across an item on BornRich, an innocent writeup on something called the "ThermaSol Steam Shower." It's pretty great, in and of itself: You can have a restort-style steam shower in your home, turning the bathroom into a mini-spa, complete with "a light system, a slick handheld remote, a metallic … Read more

The new Tesla Roadster is getting some buzz. Being built as an all-electric car, Tesla's engineering aims to minimize resource consumption per mile. CNET News.com reporter Stefanie Olsen watched a Tesla engineer answer questions from a roomful of Silicon Valley engineers. He said his Tesla will go 4,900 miles on 1 megawatt of energy while a hydrogen car would go about 1,800 miles because of the energy needed to produce the hydrogen.

The Tesla on display was the second engineering prototype. Last fall, CNET captured video of an earlier prototype.

Tesla has already sold 180 of … Read more

Sometimes we get the feeling that we missed our calling in life. Rather than writing about gadgets, or anything else for that matter, we could easily see ourselves working for an outfit called something like "The Lazy Store" or "Remotes R Us."

But as long as we have to rely on a day job, our passion will have to be confined to featuring such items as the "RemoteLinc," which can control a variety of household staples--electronics, kitchen appliances, the garage door, for example--from anywhere in the home. Ubergizmo says the remote can even be … Read more