Lifestyle

Despite all the tablet computers in the world, few people would choose to write longhand using a screen and a stylus when paper is an option, as fellow Craver Leslie Katz observes. Taiwan-based Genius knows this well, which is why it has developed the G-Note 7100, a digital tablet that MobileWhack says will let you store your chicken scratches on the computer through a USB connection.

That's hardly unique--it's really the point of having such products, after all--but the Genius model does have some other convenient features. One is that it can use any letter-sized notepad, unlike some … Read more

From Basra to Kabul, no environmentally aware burkha babe is going to be able to resist this 4x4, turbo-charged, hybrid, diesel-electric recon hotrod.

Created by General Dynamics Land Systems (GDLS,) the Shadow RST-V (Reconnaissance, Surveillance and Targeting Vehicle) boasts stealth, survivability and low mileage. That's big, considering that about half the military's money--and a third of its manpower--is devoted to hauling stuff around, 70 percent of that stuff being fuel.

The aluminum-bodied RST-V seats four (seating by Oregon Aero), does 70 mph and has a 470-mile range. Bulletproof windows and armor are optional. Weaponry includes your standard machine … Read more

So the rumors are true: Dwyane Wade is adding cell-phone designer to his resume.

Already an NBA champion with the Miami Heat, a shoe designer for Converse, and currently working on a line of athletic clothing that will also bear his name, Wade is apparently the first pro athlete to have a hand in designing a piece of consumer electronics hardware.

The T-Mobile Sidekick 3, D-Wade Edition is set to hit shelves Feb. 21 for $399, or $299 with a two-year contract. That's $100 more than the other Sidekick 3 phones. Maybe that's because Wade actually picked out … Read more

It's not exactly the highest tech, but many of humankind's greatest advances have come with few moving parts. We think this is one of them: the "Pad Concept" baby car seat.

This ingenious invention allows frazzled parents to change their kids' diapers while they're still in the seat. The seat reclines and swivels, turning it into an instant changing station that can be positioned for easy access. If you don't have children, this won't sound very interesting, but those of us who do could well find this a life-changing (and Huggies-changing) experience.

It'… Read more

It's one more day closer to Feb. 14, which means another day for companies to pawn off their wares as a special Valentine's gift. The latest is the "truly romantic" Sanyo "Eneloop Kairo" (who could resist such a sexy name?), a palm-sized heater presumably meant to warm one's hands, if not the heart. It's available only in Japan--we had no idea that Valentine's Day was so big there--but fear not, Romeo. You can always spring for a pair of Brando's heated USB gloves. Classy.

A lot of the "conceptual gadgets" we feature here are just for laughs. Case in point: Buster the snail vacuum. But this one, called Coo.Boo, I think is actually pretty neat. It's shaped like a spatula, but it's actually a "digital cookbook" that wirelessly collects recipe information or even audio-visual cooking lessons from your computer and displays them on its screen.

I love to find recipes on food blogs and recipe sites, so this could be really cool so that I don't have to either jet back and forth from the stove … Read more

This retro business has got to stop. Phones, radios, TVs, even alarm clocks we can understand (sort of). But humidifiers?

Frontgate, whose pretentious and overpriced catalog items often exemplify bourgeois waste (and questionable taste), remains true to itself with its "GermGuardian Digital Humidifier." Red Ferret sums it up cheekily as "just perfect for recreating those Amazonian jungle safari memories," which says it all to us. Where is J. Peterman when we need him?

Remember that bird-watching gizmo that interprets bird calls for you? I could've sworn it would be considered anathema to the whole raison d'etre of the pastime. But then one of our editors, Harry Fuller, who happens to be really serious about bird-watching, said that it was actually a cool device. So maybe I'm wrong when I think that certain classic professions are being corrupted by geeky gadgets.

Nevertheless, I think this one is a little much. Called the FishCam, this device is a $362 souped-up fishing rod with a camera attached to the line so that you … Read more

I know. I know. It's too cold for ice cream. (My weather widget currently reads 12 degrees.) And this is a gadget blog. But I really couldn't resist this one. Apparently, the rumors might be somewhat true (truthy?) that famed ice cream manufacturer Ben & Jerry's is releasing a Stephen Colbert-inspired flavor. Why is this at all relevant? Recall that Mr. Colbert is one of the Internet's foremost renegades, eager to transform Wii Boxing into a political statement, hack Wikipedia for his own benefit, and master the art of YouTube self-promotion.

So that's why I … Read more