Ad: Manage updates with the Download App
ie8 fix

remote

A secret remote to drive men crazy

Few things are more closely associated with domestic male behavior than control of the TV remote. Sad but true.

So if you really want to mess with the man of the house, consider the "Covert Clicker"--a tiny but devious universal device that Chip Chick says can work on 90 percent of all TV sets (and probably 99.9 percent of all men).

Change channels and mute stations at will with one of these in your pocket, with no one the wiser. But you'd better practice your poker face, for the consequences could be dire.

A remote for the front door

We can't count how many times we've wished for something like this. If car makers have long known the convenience of an electronic remote key, why haven't homebuilders figured out a similar concept for the front door?

Locca Access is one such remote system made by a U.K. company that can unlock your door from up to 50 meters away. (That's about 164 feet to us Yanks.) It can store up to 19 keys and promises to work even in a power outage, running on its own battery for 48 hours.

The kicker? Red Ferret … Read more

A remote just for the kids

Be honest: Can you work all the buttons on your TV remote? If your household is anything like ours, you may well have four or five of them to master.

A company called Fobis Technologies has distilled the functions to their simplest forms with their line of "Weemotes" aimed at children (not to be confused with the homonymous "Wiimote.") But we frankly think the concept--and perhaps these products--could well find a market among addled adult viewers like us as well.

The Weemote can be programmed for up to 10 channels, as Chip Chicklets notes, so it … Read more

Origami remote: You know, for kids

We initially blew right past the "Origami TV Remote Control" headline at Trendhunter because we'd rather waste our UMPC's pathetic battery life on something more vital than controlling our TV. But a closer look revealed that this remote control had nothing to do with the Origami Project and everything to do with actual origami--as in, folded paper.

On display at the Design Interactions Work in Progress Show in London, the paper remote control looks like the "fortune teller" you no doubt encountered in middle school. But rather than inaccurately predicting the name of your … Read more

The Internet refrigerator has arrived

Next to the mythical Internet toaster, one of the most parodied digital appliances has been the wired refrigerator. But that's precisely what this item is about--a wireless one, actually--and it comes from a decidedly un-dot-com brand: Whirlpool.

Gearlog says the "Centralpark Connection" can control MP3 devices, DVD players, cell phones, digital photo albums and other gadgetry from a hub built into its door. Why the fridge? Because, as anyone in the housing industry will tell you, the kitchen has increasingly become the focal point for entertaining and family gathering alike, especially in newer homes. That means you, … Read more

3-in-1 mouse claims to do it all

There have been many attempts to create a mouse that doubles as a presentation device, borrowing designs ranging from pens to guns and often lacking along the way. But we've never seen one quite like this three-in-one device by a Chinese company called Vavolo. (Sounds like a motor oil company.)

It claims that the gadget is a mouse, a remote, a laser pointer and a keyboard (?)--that's four in one, not three--all housed in a slim design that can fit in a PC card slot for $40. It also looks like a large-button calculator for the sight-impaired, but … Read more

A robot vacuum for rednecks and Will Ferrell junkies

Here at Crave, we tend to be skeptical about creative vacuuming solutions. There was that "Buster" prototype, which looked like more of a way for kids to terrorize pets than for a house to get cleaned. And then there are the "chic" vacuums that look like lawn gnomes. And now here's the latest, thanks to BornRich: a remote-controlled vacuum shaped like a NASCAR race car. It even comes with audio features to make it sound like it's straight out of Talladega Nights. I admit, I may be too much of a yuppie to understand … Read more

Nyko's new Wiimote charging station

The Nintendo Wii is fun, but its controller eats up batteries like nobody's business. Once you get hooked on Wii Sports or Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess, you'll probably spend as much on AAs as you spent on the system itself before you even notice. Finally, peripheral manufacturer Nyko (not to be confused with R2-D2 manufacturer Nikko) has unveiled a solution.

Kotaku and GameTrailers recently posted a video highlighting some of Nyko's upcoming products. Most of these gadgets were lackluster, like stylii for the Nintendo DS or fans for the PlayStation 3, but one device shown above … Read more