Crave

When it comes to in-flight movies, it's hard to beat the convenience of an iPhone or iPod Touch.

But comfort? That's another story. Either you're holding the device upright for 2 hours or propping it awkwardly on the tray table (where the slightest turbulence can knock it over).

I speak from experience when I say that both methods can leave you with strained eyes and a sore neck.

Enter SeatBuddy, which straps your iPhone or Touch to the seat in front of you for comfortable, hands-free, close-to-eye-level viewing.

As you can see in the video, the SeatBuddy is basically a rubberized case with straps that allow it to hang over the top of the seat-back tray table (which must stay closed, natch).

What you don't see in the video is that you can affix Velcro tabs (included) to each strap, thus allowing you to secure the SeatBuddy to a treadmill or the back of a car seat (by wrapping the straps around one of the headrest's poles).

I think this little gizmo is reasonably priced at $19.95 (plus $3.95 for shipping), though obviously there are other solutions that cost less.

For example, if all you need is a stand that'll keep your iPhone propped up on a tray table, it's hard to beat the $5 GoGo Stand (which, incidentally, fits in your wallet).

And don't forget my all-time favorite: The do-it-yourself iPhone business-card stand.

Of course, those solutions don't have quite the same go-anywhere appeal as the SeatBuddy, which also leaves you more room to move around in your seat and reduces the eyestrain that comes from looking downward for hours at a time.

What do you think? Is this the answer to a frequent-flier's prayer, or is $20 too much to pay when you can accomplish more or less the same thing with an airsickness bag?

Goodbye, FlyWire: The now-cancelled product will never see store shelves.

(Credit: Belkin)

Belkin will not be releasing its FlyWire wireless HDMI accessory.

CNET has learned that the company has decided not to offer the FlyWire for sale. A Belkin spokesperson confirmed the product's cancellation, saying that "its retail price of $1,499 would be out of line given the current state of the economy."

The FlyWire was introduced at CES 2008. The unit was a transmitter/receiver combo: the transmitter toggled between multiple audio and video sources (HDMI and analog), which were then wirelessly beamed to a receiver. Since the tiny receiver required only AC power and utilized a single HDMI output, it could be stealthily mounted behind wall-mounted flat screens or ceiling mounted projectors, eliminating the need for long unsightly cable runs. At one point, Belkin was mulling two versions: an initial high-end, multiroom-capable $1,499 version for multiple AV sources, followed by a less pricey single-source transmitter.

Early demos of the FlyWire impressed us--enough that we nominated it as a finalist in the Home Video category for Best of CES 2008. (It was edged out by the Dish Network DTVPal DVR.) But the FlyWire's premature death is just another indication that wireless HDMI technology is all but stillborn at the consumer level. Other notable no-shows, at least so far: the Philips wireless HDMI kit (introduced January 2007) and the Monster Express HD System (announced summer 2008).

What seemed to be yet another fantasy flying vehicle may have moved closer to reality this week when a test version of the three-wheeler PAL-V One took off publicly in Holland.

Accelerating just some 500 feet along the A1 highway near the city of Amersfoort, the three-wheeler took off easily in front of the Dutch Minister of Traffic Safety and Water Affairs, Camiel Eurlings, and a massive group of curious journalists.

The test version of the PAL-V One three-wheeler that took off in Holland didn't look quite like this mockup provided by the company.

(Credit: PAL-V Europe)

According to the Digital Journal, many had hoped to see a real prototype of the flying-and-driving vehicle, which is aimed at consumers. What actually took off was a proof-of-concept vehicle, to show that the tiny three-wheeler could both drive and fly for real, which it apparently could.

On the other hand, as the autogyro technology it's based on was invented in 1919 by the Spaniard Juan de la Cierva, and flew for the first time in 1923, this was no hugely sensational news. Minister Eurlings, whose ministry is involved in the project, also said that despite some people's hopes, the vehicle would not be a solution to traffic congestion, but a possible alternative to helicopters for emergency services.

(Credit: VHoldR)

Yes, you could, in theory, strap the Flip MinoHD to your ski helmet, hit record, and see what happens. But a couple of companies are making extreme YouTube-friendly camcorders, and VHoldR's second-generation model is billed as "the first HD wearable camcorder."

VHoldR says it maintained the simplicity from its earlier standard-definition camcorder, but "seriously improved" the video quality, field of view, memory capacity, and the audio experience in the ContourHD. The camcorder is powered by a removable, rechargeable, lithium ion battery. It has a slot for a microSD card (it accepts cards up to 16GB for 8 hours of recording time), a wide-angle lens (135 degrees), and a laser-guided alignment system.

The ContourHD will be available in May for $300. To view video samples, visit VholdR.com.

Also worth checking out: the GoPro Hero, a competing extreme video recorder.

It may look like a Volkswagen Beetle in the belly of a carp, but the Terrafugia Transition (at right) is a bona fide flying car.

(Credit: Terrafugia)

This story has been updated. See below for details.

The start-up Terrafugia first popped up on our radar screens in early 2006 with a one-fifth scale model, $30,000 in prize money, and an urge to build a car that could fly. Or is that an airplane you can take on the highway?

Some signs point strongly to the latter. Terrafugia describes its Transition vehicle as a "roadable aircraft" and is pitching it in part as giving private pilots an easy travel alternative when bad weather makes flying a bad idea, or simply to avoid having to take a separate car to the airport. Also, in the eyes of the Federal Aviation Administration, the vehicle falls into the light sport aircraft category.

On March 5, Terrafugia got to show that--whatever the eventual business prospects--the Transition can indeed fly. The maiden voyage (the duration wasn't specified) took place at the Plattsburgh International Airport in New York, with a retired U.S. Air Force Reserve colonel in the pilot's seat. The flight followed six months of static, road, and taxi testing.

As a car, the two-seat Transition is designed to be easy on garages and oncoming traffic--its wings fold up quite snugly. In folded mode, the approximately 19-foot-long vehicle is 80 inches wide, and 6 feet, 9 inches high. As an airplane, it stands a few inches shorter and has a wingspan of 27 feet, 6 inches.

The vehicle runs off unleaded fuel from your run-of-the-mill gas station for both terrestrial and aerial travel, cruising at highway speeds on land and better than 115 miles per hour in the air.

But Woburn, Mass.-based Terrafugia (Latin for "escape from land") still has a long road ahead of it. The vehicle that flew earlier this month is still just a proof of concept, and a production prototype has yet to be built, tested, and certified. The company says it expects to make the first customer delivery of a Transition in 2011.

Photos: Terrafugia's flying car flies

Update March 20, 9:41 a.m. PDT: Terrafugia CEO/CTO Carl Dietrich rolled out the Transition for an appearance on the CBS Early Show. He said that the price tag for the carbon fiber-built vehicle is $194,000, and that the (refundable) deposit is $10,000.

In the video below, you can get a look at the controls inside the cockpit--er, at the driver's seat?--and watch the wings unfold.

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For some reason, the last couple of months have seen us covering a number of flying cars. It's 2009 and about time they started rolling out, isn't it?

We've got a couple of futuristic concepts, one made from a Ferrari, one that's gearing up for production, and a relic from a utopian past.

I know which one I want, but this isn't about me. Cravers, which flying car do you want to own in the next five years?

Two British adventurers are about to head off on a 3,600-mile maiden voyage that could well give new life to the phrase "from here to Timbuktu." They'll be traveling alternately by land and sea in what they're calling the "world's first bio-fueled flying car"--the Parajet Skycar, which is essentially a dune buggy with a fan motor and paragliding wing attached.

Pilot Neil Laughton plans to leave from London Wednesday and journey through France, Spain, Morocco, the Western Sahara, Mauritania, and Mali, returning home via Senegal. Joining him for part of the journey will be engineer Gilo Cardozo, who created the two-seat, road-legal vehicle. The Skycar will be accompanied by a team of overland adventurers in all-terrain vehicles carrying fuel and supplies.

Have a look at the gallery below for more details on this crazy car, which has a take-off speed of 60 mph, and in flying mode, supposedly can hit a cruising altitude of 2,000 to 3,000 feet and a maximum altitude of 15,000 feet.

Photos: From London to Timbuktu--in a flying car

Flying your Bell Ranger in a ball cap is something of a fashion statement. But it lacks that iconic, ant-head panache that until recently only military pilots wearing restricted, government-use-only night vision-equipped helmets could pull off.

(Credit: Nivisys)

The NVAG-6 Night Vision Goggles change all that. They're the first night vision goggle certified by the FAA for civilian use, according to manufacturer Nivisys. Of course, looks are not what will sell this gear. It's the safety margin they can potentially add to low-light and nighttime flying (PDF).

"This is a historical moment for civil aviator night vision safety. Nivisys is now the first and only company certified for the production of night vision goggles under FAA TSO-C164," said Nivisys CEO Allen Harding.

The unit can be used with fixed and rotary winged aircraft, according to the company. You'll probably want one just to avoiding doing a "Bill Graham," but the company foresees wide use in many after-dark flight operations, such as offshore oil rigging, logging, power line and high-rise work, and search and rescue.

The NVAG-6 comprises a lightweight binocular made of anodized aluminum that can be mounted to a variety of helmets. The 25mm eye relief eyepieces are individually adjustable and even work for operators wearing prescription glasses or contacts. A flip-up base allows for fine tuning for fore/aft adjustments.

The goggles automatically turn off when the helmet mount is flipped up, which prevents tube damage in case of exposure to bright lights. They run on AAs, which are presumably not included.

(Credit: eBay Motors)

It's no Ferrari, but an original 1956 Aerocar--the first flying car to be deemed street-legal in the U.S.--is listed for sale on eBay. And it's only $3.5 million--if you use "buy it now."

It's presumably in good shape, with the auction stating that its engine was inspected a couple of years ago, but if you plan on flying this car anywhere I'd recommend a tune-up first--the engine hasn't been officially inspected since 1976.

Of course, for that money you could buy a top-of-the-line personal jet as well as a rare super car, but that wouldn't be nearly as neat as this thing. I want it.