week in review

Big brouhaha over Big Bird

Mitt Romney ruffled a few feathers during the first presidential debate with suggestions that days may be numbered for Big Bird of "Sesame Street" fame, hatching a social media backlash and in turn illustrating the power of sites like Twitter in politics.

A number of satirical Big Bird accounts popped up on Twitter after the Republican presidential nominee implied the famed yellow bird would meet an untimely demise, along with PBS subsidies, if he were elected president.

"100 Retweets and I'm going to make my nest outside Romney's bedroom window," read one tweet from … Read more

This week in Crave: The joy-riding edition

Feeling sad that you can't drive this life-size Lego big rig? At least you can turn your car into a Tardis or NCC-1701 for $15 or less. And more news to cheer you up:

- No bike lane? No problem. Make your own.

- Will we be seeing two new Nexus tablets before year's end?

- A 625-foot tall Ferris wheel? That's a whole lot of Ferris wheel.

- The Ostrich Pillow is your own personal public-nap tunnel.

- Ready for Facebook friend updates to invade your Caller ID?

- TSA officer takes traveler's iPad home for permanent screening. … Read more

iPhone 5 honeymoon over already?

After just a week on the market, the iPhone 5 has owners writing up a laundry list of faults with the new device.

Soon after the iPhone 5 went on sale last Friday, users started filling up discussion forums and social networks with reports of scratches and nicks on their brand-new phones. People say they've noticed the defects around the aluminum band surrounding the phone, with the issue more visible on the black version of the new iPhone.

Those complaints don't appear to bother Apple. "Any aluminum product may scratch or chip with use, exposing its natural … Read more

This week in Crave: The sock-it-to-'em edition

Too busy waiting in line for some gadget this week to keep up with Crave? Now that the wait's over, you have all the time in the world to catch up.

- Speaking of some gadget, is this the most obnoxious iPhone 5 case yet?

- Yap on your cell phone in this movie theater, and you might get ninja-ed.

- Retro-styled 3D-printed sunglasses put pixels right on your face.

- Who needs Helvetica when you can write in a font made from galaxies?

- Hoodie sleeve brings Zuckerberg chic to your iPad.

- What's this oojamaflip that'… Read more

iPhrenzy as consumers finally nab Apple's latest phone

Finally, one of the year's most hyped consumer devices is in the hands of consumers across the globe.

Apple started selling its iPhone 5 smartphone this morning to droves of fans, many of whom waited in long lines -- and even camped out -- in order to be among the first to nab it.

While there were some early reports of dwindling supplies, and preorder delivery dates have been pushed back three to four weeks, lines in front of Apple stores on both U.S. coasts move pretty fast and smiling consumers emerged with their much coveted iPhones in … Read more

This week in Crave: The huggable edition

We'd totally understand if you were too busy hiding from robot mules and cyborg cockroaches this week to keep up with Crave. We're pretty sure the coast is clear now, though, so please come out and catch up on what you missed.

- Give us a squeeze, Hug Me Coat.

- Awesome geek son hacks Kinect to help mom e-mail poststroke.

- Season or no season, NHL 13 gives hockey fans what they want.

- NBA Baller Beats sounds fun -- if you're not a glass fixture. … Read more

Apple harvests new iPhone, iPods

An object of much anticipation and speculation over the last several months, the iPhone 5 was finally announced this week.

According to Apple, the device is 18 percent thinner than the iPhone 4S, measuring just 7.6mm. It's also 20 percent lighter than its predecessor at 112 grams. The company is calling the aluminum backplate -- which has been shown in several leaked images over the last several weeks -- the "slate."

One of the biggest additions is the new 4-inch Retina Display, with the same 326 pixels per inch found in the iPhone 4S. The phone … Read more

This week in Crave: The high-flying edition

Too busy deciding whether you'd rather live in a "Star Wars" or "Star Trek" universe to keep up with Crave all week? Dial back your sci-fi daydreams for a moment and catch up on what you missed.

- Finally! Video proof that Assassin's Creed is really just parkour.

- Grand Theft Auto gets a "Back to the Future" wardrobe.

- What's that we spot overhead? Oh, just 50 flying LED drones.

- We like butt-mounted iPhone bike lights and we cannot lie.

- What if the iPhone 5 and the rumored … Read more

Amazon sets fire to the tablet market

Amazon is heating up competition in the tablet sector with three new models of the Kindle Fire that are clearly aimed at wooing those who might buy a tablet from Apple.

The Amazon assault begins with a new $199, 7-inch model with an HD screen that doubles the built-in storage of the previous entry-level Kindle Fire to 16GB. Amazon has also doubled down on that product line with a larger, 8.9-inch model that has a 1,920-by-1,200 resolution, features 16GB of built-in storage, costs $299 and ships November 20. Topping out the line is a new 32GB model … Read more

This week in Crave: The imposter edition

Too busy trying to keep thieves out of your brain this week to stay on top of Crave? Continue not thinking about your PINs while you ponder the stories you missed.

- Finally! Your iPad can pretend to be a MacBook.

- It's an "iPhone 5," minus just one key feature.

- Stargazers, have a gaze at this massive Mars mosaic.

- A suborbital space flight? Yeah, we'd call that a decent frequent flyer award.

- Ecce Homo: Behold the meme spawned by a botched art restoration. … Read more