wishes

The time for holiday shopping has just about come to a close. With just four days until the Big Day, all that's left now is to hope Santa got your letter in the mail -- and thinks you've been a good little gadget hound this year.

So, what did you wish for? What gadget are you most hoping to find under the tree on Christmas morning? Something tablet-shaped, perhaps? Or maybe something boxy (or Boxee) that streams video? How about a Bluetooth speaker, or a new camera, or even that big TV you've been eyeballing at Costco?… Read more

There has been an increasing number of holiday decorations appearing in my neighborhood recently, not to mention the many photos of Christmas trees I've seen posted on Facebook this week. I'm am left with only one conclusion: the holidays are upon us.

Have you started your holiday shopping yet? Better question: do you know what you are getting that certain someone who is particularly hard to buy for each year? If that person uses Amazon, then you might want to sneak a peek to see if he or she has an Amazon Wish List.

Your gift recipient will … Read more

Two years ago, on the heels of the iPhone 4, CNET's David Carnoy asked readers to vote for their most-wanted features in the next iPhone. When Apple introduced the iPhone 4S a year later, we just kept this wish list going.

With over 40,000 votes collected at this point, I think it's safe to say that we have an adequate sample of what iPhone 5 features you want most. In this Top 5 video, we count them down. Simple as that.

… Read more

Calling all Jedis! Grab your lightsabers, lace up your running shoes, and come embark on what's sure to be an epic journey to Comic-Con 2012. Even better, you'll get to use the Force to help some young Padawans in need.

Lucasfilm, Nerdist Industries, Octagon, and Machinima have teamed up to put on an Olympic torch-style relay race called Course of the Force that will help kick off this year's Comic-Con in San Diego and benefit the Make-a-Wish Foundation.

The 136-mile run/walk will begin in Santa Monica, Calif., on July 7. At every quarter-mile marker, participants will hand off the official Course of the Force lightsaber to the next runner until they reach San Diego on July 11, which just happens to be preview night for Comic-Con (the show officially kicks off on July 12). … Read more

As great as online wish lists are, maintaining more than a few of them can get cumbersome. This is especially true during the holidays, when your shopping lists are long and you're visiting every single site to find the best possible deals.

Fortunately, there's a way to create and maintain a universal wish list. A feature available for a few years now, Amazon.com allows you to add products from another retailer to your Amazon.com wish list. Here's how:

Step 1: Install the Add to Wishlist add-on from Amazon.com. There are versions available for Firefox, … Read more

I had been looking forward to multitasking on the iPad for a long, long time.

Back when iOS 4 was first detailed, the potential for iPad users was clear. However, while iPhone and iPod Touch owners got to flaunt multitasking, the delay until the final release of iOS 4.2 on the iPad was agonizing. Now the day has come and gone, and for an iPad owner such as myself, the rewards of the iOS update have been somewhat worth the wait.

Having folders to organize the endless grids of apps is a long overdue welcome addition. Background streaming of Internet radio on an iPad is a great add for anyone, and I've found it great for simultaneous radio news and newspaper browsing. AirPlay is intriguing, although you'd need an Apple TV to take advantage of its potential. Threaded, unified mail inboxes are, needless to say, time-saving.

And yet, there's a lot I wish the iPad version of iOS still had.

For one, the whole OS feels entirely too similar to the iPhone edition. The multitasking bar, folder system, and functionality are nearly identical. Most features translate well, but for anyone hoping an iPad can transform into something a little more like a computer, most of these features don't cut it.

My wish list from months ago has only been halfway met. Here's what I'd like to see...in iOS 5.… Read more

I'm not the first to report this, but it's hit me hard over the last few weekends: it's getting a bit difficult to be an iPad owner amid all this iPhone 4 to-do. As if a front-facing camera and higher-res Retina Display weren't already envy-inducing, to add insult to injury the iPhone already has iOS 4, with multitasking, folders, and other features that aren't available on the iPad yet. So, after a few months, has it come to this, Apple?

There is hope: first of all, the iPad doesn't have a problematic antenna. Secondly, … Read more

The Kindle e-reader, the Nintendo Wii, and an Asus Netbook were among the top tech items for Amazon customers in 2009.

The retail giant touted three "Best of 2009" lists on Wednesday, revealing the best selling, most wished for, and favorite gift items chosen by Amazon consumers for the year. The company also introduced its Bestsellers Archive, which can show historical popularity among several categories, including print books, Kindle books, music downloads, movies and TV shows, and video games.

Amazon has been relentlessly proclaiming the popularity of its Kindle device, though it just as steadfastly has declined to … Read more

We Crave contributors see (and touch) hundreds of products over the course of a given year. Picking just one tech-related item to top our holiday wish lists, therefore, can be a bit daunting.

Will it be a new phone, laptop, e-reader, television, digicam? What about a house-cleaning robot, biometric bracelet, secret-knock door lock, or Boba Fett USB drive? And what of our more amorphous desires, like finally getting our moms off of AOL or collecting 100 feathers in Assassin's Creed 2? How, oh how, to decide?

Well, in the spirit of the holidays (and consumerism), we managed to narrow … Read more