Games and gear

If you're an "America's Next Top Model" watcher who can't get enough of the CW network reality show, you might be interested in this. Thanks to a new tie-in, you can play your own version of the game on your cell phone. It's a product of CBS Interactive, the new-media wing of CW co-parent CBS; and Hong Kong-based avatar and mobile-game company Artificial Life--yes, the creator of the V-Girl cell phone girlfriends. (Artificial Life also created the far awesomer V-Penguins.)

But the "ANTM" collaboration doesn't seem to be a virtual-girlfriend … Read more

Now that smoking is out and gadgets are in, the car lighter has evolved into a different kind of lifeline. But what if you don't have a car?

The TripleCharger can power mobile phones, PDAs, personal media devices and portable gaming consoles from a car, wall outlet or batteries. You do need a converter head for each type of device you want it to charge. There is a small USB connector for an iPod or DS Lite, for example, and other heads for various phone models, but they are not that pricey.

The TripleCharger Bundle from ElectronicMetro for $20 … Read more

It's a problem that so many people must face these days: what kind of stylus to use with your Swarovski crystal-encrusted DS Lite. Not just any stylus will do, of course, especially when it's being used with an item reportedly designed by Paris Hilton.

Luxurylaunches says this Nintendo DS Lite gold stylus "gives the feel and performance of the most luxurious stylus on the market in the present day. And it's apparently real 18 carat, not some cheesy plated product, and can work with any PDA. That means more bang for your buck (if you can … Read more

At this rate, our well-documented paranoia over eggs will soon be eclipsed by fears of Swarovski crystals taking over the world.

The latest victim: The Nintendo DS Lite. Gadget Candy reports that a version of the gaming device encrusted with 1,200 stones--all pink, no less--has been spotted at the Multipazz boutique in London for 200 pounds (that's nearly $400, for those of us who don't get out much). The kicker? It was apparently designed by none other than Paris Hilton herself, which would explain the dog.

When we started seeing remote-controlled mini-helicopters and mosquito choppers buzz into the market, we kiddingly warned that a locust-like invasion must have been imminent. We're now sorry to say that the joke may be on us.

RoboCommunity is reporting that WowWee--maker of the hugely popular Robosapien--has submitted applications with the FCC for a remote-controlled "FlyTech Dragonfly." Quoting a user manual submitted to the agency, RoboCommunity says the device "has wings (like a dragonfly) and a tail rotor like on many helicopters, and is supposed to be 'crash-proof' due to what they term the 'high-flex' design. … Read more

Perhaps the best thing about this mouse is its name: DeathAdder. Now that's marketing.

The serpentine theme is continued with the blue logo of gaming gear maker Razer on the black mouse, which Electronista says delivers high performance with its "third generation infrared sensor." Other features include five programmable buttons and a Teflon base for quicker action that's obviously invaluable when you're blasting through enemy lines.

And even if you're only mildly into gaming, we think it would be the perfect accoutrement for those of us who multitask while watching our favorite episodes of … Read more

It's too bad that Halloween is over, or you could have gone as Star Trek's Lt. Cmdr. Geordi La Forge with these new high-resolution video glasses from RelaxView.

Similar products have long been on the market, of course, but these weigh less than 3 ounces without the bulk of other devices. The glasses have two LCDs with 640-by-480-pixel resolution and can project a 57-inch screen at distances of about 6.5 feet. As is the case with most things tiny, however, you'll need to pay for the privilege of wearing them--to the tune of about $600.

When Crave launched its Wii Disaster Watch mini-feature a little over a week ago, many of you scoffed (light-heartedly) that you had to be a total idiot to bash up your TV or yourself with a video game controller. Well, that just doesn't seem like the case, unless you want to argue that humans are innately stupid. (Over here, the jury's still out on that one.) The latest news outlet to pick up on Wii disasters is Yahoo. Even the normally celebrity-gossip-focused Best Week Ever is on it. And in case you haven't seen it yet, there'… Read more

Like the Onion's Jackie Harvey, we incorrectly referred to AMD's quad-core desktop platform as " Socket 4x4" when we first learned about it, mostly because we couldn't get confirmation of the name of the thing during the investor phone conference in which it was announced. Our bad on that. But with AMD's unveiling today of Quad FX, aka simply "4x4," we can finally address the whole package with a little more clarity.

Aimed strictly at PC enthusiasts, AMD's answer to the Intel Core 2 Extreme QX6700 is a bit more convoluted than … Read more