Crave

Once again, the tech world is abuzz (well, haters aside maybe) with talk of a new Apple product that could debut in the next eight months.

French designer Philippe Starck, whose portfolio includes hotels, restaurants, and even toothbrushes, revealed today to France Info radio that he's working with the Cupertino, Calif.-based company to create a "revolutionary" new product.

Of course, he didn't provide any additional details on what that product might be, citing Apple's "religious cult of secrecy," but Starck did say he met with the late Steve Jobs once a month for seven years to collaborate on the project and talk about "all things interesting." The designer added that he continues to travel to California to meet with Jobs' widow Laurene Powell.

Now, we wouldn't fault anyone for thinking this product might be the much-rumored Apple TV set, but some sites, like Hardmac, think it could be a remote control for the TV. Maybe the iPhone will get a radical makeover?

Apple, for its part, has put a kibosh on the whole thing, so we're not sure if we'll actually see this revolutionary product, but hey, why should that stop us from dreaming? … Read more

Smart watches are not a new concept.

In June 2003, Microsoft announced its grand plan to bring the Internet to wristwatches using its Smart Personal Objects Technology. The company partnered with various watchmakers, including Citizen, Fossil, and Suunto, to create timepieces that allowed you to check messages and calendar appointments, as well as weather, news, stock prices, and sports scores, all from your wrist.

While novel and interesting, the watches never took off, and in April 2008, Microsoft decided to pull the plug on the smart-watch business. But were those watches really a bad idea or simply a case of an idea being ahead of its time?

It may be the latter, as smart watches seem to be making a comeback.… Read more

Congratulations to Richard H. of Winston Salem, N.C., for winning the Samsung Galaxy S II, Epic 4G Touch (Sprint) in last week's giveaway! We have another phone-related prize for you this week, and this one will help you organize all the gadgets around your house.

We are giving away the Zero1.tv's VooMote One for the iPhone and iPod Touch. The accessory and complementary app turn your mobile device into a universal remote for your TV, DVD player, stereo, and other home electronics. The app offers a number of features, including the capability to organize devices by … Read more

Remember on the first day of grade school when your teachers would ask you to come up to the front of the room and tell your classmates what you did during your summer vacation? Inevitably, there would be tales of frolicking at the beach, camping at national parks, and other cool activities, but we think 9-year-old Caine Monroy just might have the greatest story of all.

A big fan of arcades, Monroy spent his summer creating his own arcade (called Caine's Arcade, naturally) at his dad's auto parts store in east Los Angeles. Using cardboard boxes and the … Read more

Embroiled in a war of words with a fellow Instagram user? Please guys, it's just an app. Do yourself a favor. Step away from the keyboard, pour yourself a soft-serve beer, and relax with this week's top stories from Crave.

• OMG, is President Obama really a Vulcan?!

• Speaking of which, this captain's chair will let you sit long and prosper -- as long as you're under 120 pounds.

• Dear Apple, it's time to dump the iPod Touch. Sincerely, Donald Bell

• Ashton Kutcher will play Steve Jobs in a new movie (whaaaat?), but who should play Woz? My vote is still Zach Galifianakis.

• BioWare buckles to pressure, releases enhanced Mass Effect 3 ending. … Read more

Congrats to Dianna S. of West Sacramento, Calif., for winning the IoSafe Solo G3 in last week's giveaway. The external hard drive should come in quite handy for backing up all her data, but this week's prize will come in handy in case you need to call for back up.

Up for grabs is the Samsung Galaxy S II, Epic 4G Touch for Sprint. Aside from having the longest name in cell phone history, the Android smartphone offers a spacious and sharp 4.5-inch Super AMOLED Plus touch screen, a dual-core processor, and support for Sprint's 4G … Read more

Who would have thought a Java-based game about creating a world out of 3D blocks would blow up like it did? But with more than 5 million copies sold and 25 million registered users, Minecraft is still going strong and spawning new ventures. Can its creator duplicate this kind of success? Well, we may soon find out because a new game is in the works.

Minecraft maker Markus "Notch" Persson revealed his plans for a new game, temporarily called "0x10c," that has roots in hard-core science fiction. Still in early development, 0x10c is based on the idea that a group of humans were accidentally put into a deep sleep in 1988 and are now finding themselves waking up in the year 281 474 976 712 644 AD in a parallel universe that's nearing extinction. … Read more

Webcams and video-conferencing software like Skype have really enhanced the way we communicate with friends, family, and colleagues around the world. Even so, talking to a floating head on a computer screen can still feel pretty cold, and it doesn't look like we're going to get a teleportation device any time soon (le sigh). However, researchers at Stanford University are hoping to make that interaction a little more lifelike with a computer that can mimic human motions.

David Sirkin and Wendy Ju from Stanford's Center for Design Research created a motorized flat-screen display that copycats various human motions like shrugging, nodding, and laughing. The team did so by adding motors to the Apple iMac G4 and then linking it to software that reads a person's movements and instructs the G4's moveable arm to perform one of nine motions. … Read more

I'm just going to put this out there. The Playa Case for the iPhone 4/4S just might be one of the dumbest things I've ever seen.

Created by Australian company Annex Products, the brainchild behind the Opena bottle opener case (which I'm totally onboard with, by the way), the Playa Case features a slide-out compartment where you can store -- wait for it -- condoms!

That's right, no more rings on your wallet. Instead, you can now flirt worry-free with this classy and discreet rubber dispenser. Just imagine how impressed your lady friend will be when you slide open the Playa Case to reveal a selection of condoms as if you're offering her a mint. You're sure to get lucky in no time like Chris in the video below. Yeah, no. … Read more