8ball

8 Ball Pool is an addictive billiards app for iOS featuring colorful graphics and a robust online community. Developed by Miniclip and optimized for the iPhone 5, this billiards game lets you play with friends from both the Miniclip and Facebook communities.

I have to admit that before I started playing 8 Ball Pool, I was a bit worried I wouldn't have much luck against the other players. I play the game in real life about as often as I go to the dentist, not because I don't like it, but because the opportunity rarely arises.

Fortunately, I … Read more

How do you get from point A to point B without your favorite backseat driver spewing commentary and driving tips? Well, now you can enjoy that familiar nagging even when you're alone in your car.

The new Mary On Board, a humorous dash-top device, gives criticism, driving tips, and navigational "advice" in two languages.

Mary On Board creator Dan Finkelstein said he was inspired by his wife (named Mary) to create a device that would "backseat drive" for him when she wasn't around.

Finkelstein explained that he was distracted by a phone call one day while driving, only to be reminded to move into the right lane by his wife, who was "motioning wildly and saying repeatedly, 'right lane!'"

So Finkelstein, who had been laid off from Unisys after 25 years, took on the task of inventing Mary On Board. The device was developed through the aid of a Utah-based company, Design My Idea.

The device is about as helpful as a Magic 8 Ball when it comes to dispensing actual directions. Instead, it offers about 15 preprogrammed sayings in English or Spanish, including "I so need a brake pedal on my side," "Admit it! You're lost because you wouldn't ask for directions," and "Don't you think you should slow down?"

The gadget retails for $19.95 on the company's Web site and through Things You Never Knew Existed. For every unit purchased, $1 will be donated to the National Kidney Foundation, Finkelstein said.… Read more

Gameplay Pool Break features four main billiards modes: Pool, Snooker, Carrom, and Crokinole, each with their own variations (such as 8-ball in pool or Snooker 6-Reds) and table options. All of the modes feature options to either play solo, against the computer (appropriately named Droid), and network play. Pool Break Pro also includes manuals to explain the basics of each game for those new to the world of billiards.

Features Graphically, this game is gorgeous for an Android game. Pool Break simulates a full 3D environment with four scenes to choose from. Although the game runs extremely well, options are … Read more

Shaky Advice from Samwell is an advice-giving app--in the spirit of Mattel's famous Magic 8-Ball toy--in which you get metaphysical guidance from the putatively sassy Web celebrity Samwell.

Internet-famous for 2007's "What What (in the Butt)," Samwell can be seen here channeling the same sauciness, albeit with more G-rated, "butt"-free content. The interface is fittingly Magic 8-Ball-style: you shake your iPhone or iPod Touch, and within seconds Samwell appears with a short video that answers any yes or no question. Each of the videos (more than 30 in all, accompanied by quick sound … Read more

One of the first criticisms people had about the iPhone was that it was too hard to type effectively using the touch screen. It was all over the tech news sites and even here at CNET. Of course, as time went on and anyone who had the iPhone for a while figured out, you eventually got used it. Now, I can rattle off text messages and e-mails faster than I ever could using a regular mobile phone. But there are still some who find the keys on the touch screen too close together (or have large fingers) and no matter … Read more

Forget about that combo TV-fireplace. The ultimate all-in-one entertainment system is in the billiard room.

The "The Executive" is a full-size 8-foot table that's a dream come true even if you've never picked up a cue stick in your life. Just look at the specs: "LCD TV set, stereo with flat-paneled speakers, games/DVD player, library rack, ball storage rack" and--get this--a "mirror-backed bar." BornRich notes that it even has "night lights for uninterrupted play," but the bar is our favorite feature without a doubt.

All of which leads us … Read more

What works better: hard, cold technology or arcane, mystical powers? We put that question to a test by seeing which would better help us get home, a Magic 8 Ball or the GPS navigation system in a Honda Accord. We made our start point in the midst of suburban streets near Tiburon, and tried each method to direct us back across the Golden Gate Bridge, into San Francisco. With the Magic 8 Ball, we asked it at each intersection whether we should go right. Using the GPS navigation system, we merely input the address in San Francisco where we wanted … Read more