gadget

The coronation of the heralded iPhone in America's tech/geek capital began 10 minutes before 6 p.m. as the downtown San Francisco Apple store shed its temporary window drapings to the roar of the waiting hordes.

Oversize iPhones in the windows counted down the minutes as Apple employees began a bizarre ritual. Half of the black-shirted workers formed a receiving line while the other half jogged through the front door to high fives and cheers.

As the countdown clocks in the windows hit zero, employees managed to push back the crush of onlookers and reporters, and the first … Read more

As planned, Apple shuttered its flagship San Francisco Apple store at 2 p.m. today to prep for tonight's first iPhone sales.

Apple employees gawked back at the gawkers outside the store on Stockton Street in downtown San Francisco. A constant stream of curious passersby snapped camera-phone shots, local news cameramen hovered, and independent video bloggers galore were on hand for the closing of the Apple store curtains before they'll be raised again this evening for the first iPhone sales in the Pacific time zone.

New Yorkers got their phones earlier this afternoon, and News.com reporter Caroline … Read more

In case you temporarily lost consciousness yesterday, or missed our coverage of the fast-approaching iPhone release day, here's a roundup of Tuesday's Crave-ing of Apple's newest gadget.

• Both The Wall Street Journal and The New York Times' gadget gurus unveiled their reviews of the smart phone.

• Details surrounding the available data plans from AT&T are now available.

iPhone features--some we knew about, others we didn't.

• A new iPhone video demos some new features.

• Apple Stores will host iPhone premieres from 6 p.m. to 12 midnight on the night … Read more

The future hath arrived. Tech enthusiasts have long theorized that video players in the form of glasses were imminent, and it was only a year ago that some of the first models started to hit the market. Now, the category is in full swing, with plenty of versions of the device made specifically for the video iPod. One of them is the MyVu Personal Media Viewer (PMV), a rather ridiculous-looking $299 accessory. Naturally, due to these glasses' ability to make the wearer look uncannily like Geordi La Forge, I had to get them and put them on for all to … Read more

If you're thinking about summer, but hate sunshine and exercise, we've got you covered (automated lawn mower). If your kid sunburns easily and can't remember to lather on that extra application of sunscreen, we've got you covered (UV-detecting skin stickers). If what you really need this summer is a way to enjoy the air conditioning, we've got you covered there, too (Nintendo). If you like grilling out, don't like mosquitoes, have a swimming pool, avoid cleaning it... you guessed it: We've got you covered! Our wide-ranging collection of summer-specific gadgets will convince you … Read more

The iPod may not be as innocent as it looks. And there's something even more dangerous than the terrible music the person next to you is listening to. A study by medical doctors and one inquisitive teenager shows the iPod may interfere with the activity of cardiac pacemakers. No other handheld music players were tested. So the iPod joins a long list of electronic devices that may interfere with pacemakers. They range from microwave ovens (even if you don't stick your head inside) to radio transmitters.

Could we be seeing surgeon general warnings on iPods and their cousins?… Read more

If you weren't one of the lucky 100,000 to grab a pink Zune at Amazon.com during the limited run back in April, you need not hold your breath any longer: the latest iteration of the player--which is swathed in pleasantly pale pink--is now officially available. You can also find the new color at Circuit City and Best Buy, if you'd rather deal with established brick-and-mortar retailers.

To commemorate the launch, Microsoft is offering a collection of pink-themed playlists--such as "Pink Rocks" and "Pink in Fashion"--in Zune Marketplace. In addition, Mandy Moore'… Read more

Google is renaming its personal home page iGoogle tonight. Google is also adding a new tool called Gadget Maker that helps people create their own widgets for use on their iGoogle page. The Gadget Maker comes with seven templates, including two media gadgets to pull in content from YouTube and online and offline photo collections. Users will also be able to organize their personal space with a countdown timer and a simple 10 item to-do list. There's also a free-form widget that lets a user mix together various media such as text and pictures.

This is a step in … Read more

There are two major lessons to be learned from this weekend's fiery freeway collapse in Oakland, California.

The first lesson is that, despite all that concrete and steel, when faced with intense heats close to 3,000°F, freeways built to withstand earthquakes crumble like toys.

The second is that we generally take even heavily congested commutes for granted. San Francisco Bay Area commuters are now looking at months of overcrowded and out-of-the-way alternative routes while contractors and engineers clean up the mess of melted roadway.

Thankfully, software developers are commuters just like you and me. I've … Read more