think

Your baby's face: The final frontier

Any parent can use the old "here comes the airplane into the hangar" ruse to get a kid to eat, but why not go one better with "here comes the Enterprise into a wormhole"?

I don't have any kids this young anymore, but ThinkGeek is really making my ovaries tingle with the Star Trek Enterprise Light-Up Feeding System. The bib has motion-activated LEDs on what looks to be a scene from "The Trouble With Tribbles." It doesn't specifically say so, but that looks like Space Station K-7 to me. The spoon is a replica of the old-school Enterprise ("NCC 1701. No bloody A, B, C, or D.") complete with flashing LEDs on the warp nacelles.

The $24.99 bib and spoon set is aimed for ages 12 months and older (insert your own hacky "still living with parents" joke here), and comes with three dishwasher-safe spoon attachments. You supply your own dramatic music. … Read more

Lightsaber candlesticks add geek ambiance

Coming this December, they're the perfect touch for you romantic geeks out there: Darth Vader Lightsaber Candlesticks. Unsurprisingly, they're from the folks at ThinkGeek, the geniuses who also gave the world tauntaun sleeping bags.

The candlestick is an 8.5-inch-long metal replica of Darth Vader's lightsaber hilt, and it comes with three no-drip red taper candles. You can, of course, use standard tapers after you burn through those in the event that you have lots of romantic dinners. Now you're free to re-enact Anakin Skywalker's best attempt at romantic talk: "I don't like sand. It's coarse and rough and irritating and it gets everywhere. Not like here. Here everything is soft and smooth."

You can preorder them now; each candlestick will set you back $39.99, but they're worth it if you like your dinner lighting on *cough* the dark side. … Read more

The 404 910: Where we are baked fresh every day (podcast)

When Steve "The Audiophiliac" Guttenberg tells us he has ideas for the 404 Podcast, we listen. We invited him to sit down with us today to talk about Netflix splitting in half, which "high-end" audio manufacturers are making impossible claims about their products, and the headphones that just earned Steve's award for "Worst-Sounding Audio Ever."

Be sure to keep checking The Audiophiliac blog on CNET for the latest hardware reviews and news, and follow up with Steve on Twitter @Audiophiliacman.

The 404 Digest for Episode 910

A $25,000 'bookshelf' speaker from Magico. The award for 'Worst-sounding audio product' goes to... Steve endorses these $74 5.1-channel home theater satellite speakers. And these $1 HDMI cables from Monoprice, too.

Episode 910 Subscribe in iTunes (audio) | Subscribe in iTunes (video) | Subscribe in RSS Audio | Subscribe in RSS Video… Read more

Lenovo ThinkPad Tablet arrives as HP departs

As Hewlett-Packard retreats from the tablet market, Lenovo continues its assault. The first ThinkPad Tablets are now available for purchase, the company said today.

The 10.1-inch ThinkPad may have a better shot at success than HP's now-defunct webOS-based TouchPad. It is built around Android, the most popular alternative to Apple's iOS, and is aimed at business, not the dicey consumer tablet market.

Part and parcel of Lenovo's appeal to business is the pen-based handwriting recognition technology to "digitally write, draw, and create content," according to Lenovo.

In the productivity department, typically a tablet weak … Read more

Lenovo says 'mainstream' Ultrabooks coming

Lenovo, which reported first-quarter earnings in Hong Kong on Thursday, discussed its upcoming strategy for Ultrabooks--ultraslim, light Windows laptops that compete with the MacBook Air.

During the earnings conference call on Thursday, Chief Operating Officer Rory Read spoke about Lenovo's Ultrabook strategy in response to a question from an analyst. "Lenovo will invest in innovation to be a leader in that space and that will drive demand. No doubt," he said, referring to the Intel-based laptops.

Read continued. "You'll see us introduce over the coming quarters the ability to reach mainstream price points with [Ultrabook] … Read more

Updated Celluon virtual laser keyboard just 'clicks'

I'm going to take entirely undeserved credit for improving the laser-powered virtual-projection keyboard offered by Celluon and ThinkGeek.

In a pinch to turn my iPad into a fully functional writing tool, I tried out a variety of Bluetooth-capable, iPad-compatible keyboards on deadline. One of them was ThinkGeek's original Bluetooth Laser Virtual Keyboard, which projects a full-size keyboard onto any flat surface.

It paired. It worked. But it threw me off as a writer because--for whatever neurotic reason--I needed that ole-fashioned keyboard "click" to prevent me from hunting and pecking my way through articles.

Now, Celluon and ThinkGeek are lauding the arrival of the Cube Laser Virtual Keyboard. Not only does it use a prettier, almost liquid interface for its laser projection, but it brings the "click" as the gesture recognition software employs sounds to indicate keystrokes and control gestures. … Read more

Electric car maker Think revived from bankruptcy

Long-struggling electric car maker Think has been acquired by one of its investors, Russian businessman Boris Zingarevich, who plans to relaunch the company again.

Norway-based Think, which makes a small all-electric sedan, had filed for bankruptcy for the third time last month after failing to raise money to continue operating. According to a statement from Think today, a court-appointed trustee picked Zingarevich as the winning bidder for Think's assets. That includes Think North America and Think U.K., which are separate entities and had not filed for bankruptcy.

The move creates a new Norway-based company called Electric Mobility Solutions … Read more

ThinkPad and IdeaPad K1 Android tablets, hands-on

You can now officially add Lenovo to the list of computer manufacturers pushing out Android tablets this year. In fact, put the company down for two.

Meet the Tango & Cash of tablets. The ThinkPad Tablet is the business-minded one of the pair, with its optional digital pen and suite of DocsToGo software. The IdeaPad K1 is the party animal, with certification for Netflix streaming and a SocialTouch app that puts all your social networks within easy reach.

Both tablets are set for major release in August, though the IdeaPad K1 can be ordered directly from Lenovo and select partners starting today. The base price on the ThinkPad Tablet is $499 (16GB), and the IdeaPad K1 starts at $449 (16GB).

For the ThinkPad, that $499 gets you a Wi-Fi-only connection to the Web. Other options, such as 3G data modules, preinstalled software, and keyboard portfolio cases, can all be added to your bill. An extra $30 will get you the N-trig digital pen, which can be neatly tucked away inside the tablet frame. Because Lenovo is ultimately targeting the enterprise market with the ThinkPad Tablet, it can be tailored in hundreds of different ways to suit the need. So whether you need VPN-secured desktop virtualization software, or a custom app store filled with company-approved software, Lenovo has your back. … Read more

Do we really need sexed-up business laptops?

We've seen a number of redesigned business laptops lately. "Not your father's business laptop." "A business laptop for the cooler set." Whatever you want to call them, these notebooks are defined by thin profiles, sleek bodies, and features more often seen on "consumer" laptops. In other words, they're trying to be business laptops in disguise.

The ThinkPad X1 and ThinkPad Edge E220s. The Dell Vostro V130. The HP ProBook 5330m. All of them are, in their own way, worth considering for nonbusiness users.

Why, then, call them business laptops?

Lenovo launching Android and Windows tablets

Lenovo plans on hitting the tablet market this year with devices aimed at both Android and Windows.

In an interview with Dow Jones Newswires reported this week by The Wall Street Journal, (subscription required), Lenovo president and Chief Operating Officer Rory Read revealed that the company will launch two 10-inch Android tablets this summer followed by a 10-inch Windows tablet later in the year.

One Android tablet, named the IdeaPad, will be geared for the consumer market, while the other, with the ThinkPad name, will be marketed toward the business crowd. Both tablets will run Honeycomb and be priced anywhere from $450 to $900 depending on their configurations, according to the interview. Lenovo's current tablet, the Android-powered LePad, is only available in China.

Some tech sites, including TechConnect and Pocket-Lint, are pointing to the IdeaPad tablet as the IdeaPad K1, a device that's already received some buzz and was reportedly listed on a few retail sites, such as Buy.com, according to Engadget.

TechConnect describes the K1 as powered by a Tegra 2 processor with… Read more