Gadgets

King C. Gillette, the brains behind the razor and razor blade business model would be proud at TiVo's latest offer: The DVR maker is giving away a free factory-renewed Tivo box for customers who buy a 12-month or lifetime TiVo gift subscription. That means you have to shell out at least $149.99, the price of the one-year subscription.

The offer is good through July 17. The offer was e-mailed to some customers on Tuesday and is featured on TiVo's Web site.

Seems the new Joybee MP3 player is showing up online for sale in Taiwan with more bells and whistles than its predecessors.

The new palm-sized Joybee 220 from BenQ ships in three different versions: a 128MB device that sells for $156, a 512MB version for $181 and a 1GB version retailing for $223. Songs are loaded in through the device's USB cable.

The flash memory device features a 1.4-inch, 65,000-color LCD screen with a bright-colored dock, integrated loudspeakers and separate bass and gain control. Like its cousins, the new Joybee can accommodate MP3 files. But the latest … Read more

We all know the Fab Five have great tips on skin care and couture, but who knew they'd end up being a source for cool products?

Our friend Tim, an editor with CNET's Shopping Services & Advice group, did a little assessment of the gadgets featured on Bravo's "Queer Eye for the Straight Guy" and concluded that the iconic style mavens have pretty good taste when it comes to gear. Tim rounded up the tech gifts given to the straight-guy proteges on the show--an Apple iBook, a T-Mobile Sidekick, Polk Audio speakers and 42-inch Mitsubishi … Read more

Camera giant Nikon is coming out from behind the lens to bolster its imaging business in China, the company said on Wednesday.

The company said it has established Nikon Imaging Sales Co. in Shanghai as a wholly owned Nikon subsidiary. The company--worth an estimated $10 million--will focus on Nikon's import and wholesale imaging products such as its pocket-size Coolpix brand and its larger-size SLR cousins.

Nikon, which regularly dukes it out with Canon for the top spot in the digital camera world, said it is aiming for first-year sales of $92 million and third-year sales $303 million.

China could … Read more

How adorable is the Ebola virus? Pretty darn precious when it's in the form of a stuffed animal-like plush microbe. Yep, start thinking about germs differently, friends. Did you know that a flu microbe blown up a million times looks just like a cuddly green caterpillar?

These stuffed little germs, made by Delaware-based Giant Microbes, come in a variety of ailments: sore throat, syphillis, ulcer, flesh-eating virus, stomach ache, ear ache, mono and more. ThinkGeek, which sells the critters for $5.99 apiece, has an amusing photo gallery of plush microbe owners with their germ of choice. One shot … Read more

Staring at the very aggressive plasma television market, the crew over at Hitachi has decided to establish its plasma display panel division as a separate entity.

The Tokyo-based electronics manufacturer said this week that it will establish its Hitachi Plasma Patent Licensing as a wholly owned subsidiary on July 1. The division, worth an estimated $917,000, will manage Hitachi's plasma licensing portfolio. Plasma TV shipments are expected to grow to 18.2 million units in 2009, up from 2.1 million in 2004, according to analysts at market research firm iSuppli.

Hitachi is looking to differentiate itself from … Read more

After enduring life in headset bondage, it appears freedom for some iPod users could be imminent. Swiss company Logitech announced Wednesday that its wireless headphones with Bluetooth technology will be on store shelves next month.

"Finally," "I've been waiting for this for a while," and "this product sounds GREAT," were among the mostly positive initial online responses to the product launch from users anxiously awaiting liberation from the cords that tether them to their iPods.

Logitech's headphones, which will sell for about $150, have the iPod look and let users walk 30 … Read more

Couch potatoes of the future may just be watching their own potato-shaped television. That's because a Taiwanese electronics manufacturer by the name of Hannspree is designing flat-panel TVs with more personality.

The company is replacing those everyday flat black television cases with bright colors, unique shapes and even materials that are closely related to the viewer's style. For example, the company's soccer-themed model called "Dribbling" is made of black and white leather just like a real soccer ball. Hannspree has licensing deals with Disney, the National Basketball Association and Major League Baseball.

Other television designs … Read more

Can you and I be friends...again?

That's what Teddy Ruxpin wants to know now that he's being reincarnated with digital cartridges to replace his dated analog cassettes.

Some may recall the 1980s animated storytelling toy and TV character with warm childhood memories. I, for one, was a bit creeped out by its moving eyes and mouth and Saccharine-sweet voice. There were also those who enjoyed rigging the toy so it would play AC/DC cassettes instead of telling Teddy Ruxpin adventures. (How long is it going to take some hacker to do that with the now-digital technology?)… Read more