leds

To those who stepped in late: here at Crave, we like things that light up. So when I saw these huggable light-up pillows at ICFF, I more or less concluded that no matter what they were, they had to be blogged. Turns out they're the inaugural product from designer Diana Lin, and they're called the Rei Huggables (pronounced "ray," you know, like sunlight).

Basically, a Rei pillow is a set of 12 LEDs encased in soft silicone cases that are stashed inside a fuzzy pillow cover. The ellipse-shaped silicone cases give each pillow a sort of … Read more

Just like Yankees jerseys, this is the sort of thing you should keep out of Boston. It's called the SLD, or Suspicious Looking Device, and it's manufactured by Junkfunnel Labs. It has all kinds of fun features, like a character display, buzzer, plenty of LEDs, and touch and distance sensors. Table of Malcontents explains that it's actually Ghostbusters-inspired. (Side note: Why has no one made a video mashup of Ghostbusters and the Great Mooninite Bomb Scare of 2007?)

According to the Junkfunnel Labs product page, "the only function of the Suspicious Looking device is to appear … Read more

One of the most noticeable trends at this year's ICFF was the prevalence of nature-inspired design, whether it be pillows with birds printed on them or wall fixtures with antlers. There was also, predictably, a heck of a lot of "green" design and LED lighting. This prototype, called the Corona Solar Light, was one of my favorites.

Designed by Shane Kohatsu and Emi Fujita, these are long skinny outdoor lights that resemble sunflowers or some other kind of tall, long-stemmed plant. In the "head" is a solar panel, which charges the light during the day … Read more

You've got a Wii, and you like it. A lot. And you want to show your affection by giving it a new wardrobe.

First, you might want to consider getting out more. Second, you have a lot of options, ranging from various colors to a full chrome job. But if you want something that's practical and pretty, there's the "Wii Crystal Cooler" from ever-prolific Brando. Not only does this console stand give off a blue LED light show, but Techie Diva says it also cools the box with a high-velocity fan. And your beloved Wii … Read more

When we told you about several leaked Sony laptops a few weeks ago, there weren't any photos of the ultraportable Vaio TZ11 to share. But Andrew at NotebookReview.com managed to uncover some images and more detailed specs on a French retailer's Web site.

"Anyone think that keyboard redesign looks a lot like the MacBook keyboard?" Andrew asks, and our answer is a hearty yes. We just hope it's comfortable for typing--which is tough to do when the case is only 10.9 inches wide.

Like its TX series predecessor, the 2.6-pound TZ11 is … Read more

A lot of people I've talked to recently (both Mac and Windows users) have been talking about getting a Mac laptop. It's pretty evenly split between MacBooks and the more expensive MacBook Pros, with some of my friends looking for a portable computer to bring with them for common tasks, while others need that extra processing power for music recording and film editing. Whenever I've been asked about getting a new Apple laptop though, my answer more recently has been the same: wait a little bit longer.

Judging from the rumor mill, Apple may announce new MacBooks … Read more

So let's get this straight: Night-vision devices are supposed to help you see things in the dark, like those night dart launchers, right? Not the other way around? That's what we thought, anyway, so we have no idea why anyone would want a "Night Vision WebCam."

This 1.3-megapixel camera has six infra-red LED bulbs "to light any video conversation no matter how dark the conditions may be," Coolest-Gadgets says. Silly us--we would have just turned on a lamp.

Maybe this would be useful in a dorm if you're trying not to wake … Read more

There are those who have an insatiable hunger for adventure, and then there are people like us. So for every item like the head-cam for extreme sports posted here, we feel obligated to offer a recreational item for those of us who are distinguished by our sloth-like nature. And in this case, that would be the "Lite and Motion Head Lite Cap."

Offered on the depressingly appropriate site FirstStreet--"for Boomers and Beyond"--this must-have accessory for adventurous shuffle-boarders features an LED lamp mounted on top of the cap, "making the wearer very visible … Read more

Think of Intematix as a paint store for the energy market.

The company has come up with a way to quickly devise formulas for phosphors for light emitting diodes. Phosphors are essentially a coating for LED lights: put the right kind of phosphor over a blue LED and you get white light. The LED can then be put into a bulb or a lamp to light a room.

The problem is that blue LEDs, which get produced in massive numbers at chip factories, aren't uniform, according to Dave Epstein, a partner at Crosslink Capital and an investor in Intematix. … Read more