gadgets

Crave Ep. 108: Moth-operated robots

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This week on Crave, Japanese scientists teach moths to drive mini trucks, and a new app called Dognition claims to improve our relationship with man's best friend. Also, we decide if a $30 million Death Star Kickstarter campaign is worth it, and Montana is apparently full of badasses! Those stories and more, plus a round of "Into It, Not Into It." … Read more

Crave Ep. 107: Madden NFL 13 predicts Super Bowl XLVII

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Sorry, San Francisco. An annual Madden NFL Super Bowl simulation predicts the Ravens will trump the 49ers in the final seconds of Sunday's Big Game. Get on this, Vegas! And with "Star Wars" in the news, Crave asks if J.J. Abrams can pull off the impossible directing both "Star Wars Episode VII" and "Star Trek." Are you into it or not into it? Maybe a J.J. Abrams and "Star Wars"-themed musical will help you decide.

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Crave Ep. 106: DIY laser cannons

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This week on Crave, we take a look at the deadly do-it-yourself Iron Man Laser Gauntlet and monkey around with Apps for Apes. After playing with monkeys all day, maybe we should consider washing our hands with ManHands manly scented soaps. Our favorite one: Urinal Mint.

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Is your landlord after your electronics?

Sometimes, readers send me things to incite an emotion or two.

Sometimes it's laughter. Sometimes it's nausea. Sometimes, though, it's mere bafflement.

An example of this last one came from a reader in Houston. She sent me a lease agreement created by a company called Fine Arts Apartments.

She asked me to focus on one particular clause: "No use of electronics in common areas."

This seemed so peculiarly draconian that I wondered how it might have come about.

Did it really mean that you couldn't walk along the corridors of one of Fine Arts … Read more

Crave Ep. 105: How to clip your nails in space

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This week on Crave, we're back from CES with a look at some of the wackier stuff we spotted at the show. Then, Canadian astronaut Christopher Hadfield gives us a highly important grooming lesson on the safest way to clip our nails in outer space, and the Hal 9000 computer replica from ThinkGeek refuses to cooperate. … Read more

Anti-loneliness ramen bowl invites your phone to dinner

Normally, you spend dinner over a hot bowl of instant ramen, silently weeping and watching your salty tears mix with the steaming broth. Banish that loneliness by sharing your meal with a companion that won't give you a hard time or ask when you're getting married. The anti-loneliness ramen bowl will hold your smartphone at the ready so you'll never eat alone again.

The bowl is the creation of design firm MisoSoupDesign. The bowl itself is very sculptural, but the highlight is the smartphone holder that keeps your favorite tech buddy at the ready while you're chowing down.… Read more

Recapping CES 2013: Tiny wearable tech hits big

LAS VEGAS--When you think of CES, chances are it's images of massive HDTVs that first come to mind. This year, however, technology on a tiny scale made a big impact. This new product category we call wearable tech consists of gadgets small enough to be clipped, pinned, or looped around your body and worn constantly.

The smartwatch If you thought that the smartwatch died with the demise of Microsoft's SPOT devices over a decade ago, you're in for a rude awakening. With the recent rise of the smartphone, the need for the wealth of information these devices … Read more

Tylt Energi backpack charges gadgets on the go

LAS VEGAS--When you're dodging thousands of CES visitors trying to get somewhere quick in the mile-long South Hall at the Las Vegas Convention Center, charging your mobile gear is probably one of the last things on your mind.

But Tylt is all over that problem. With its green-clad booth ladies in their own spot in the hall, Tylt has been showing off its Energi recharging backpack.

While it's definitely on the bulky side, Energi holds a 10,400 mAh lithium-ion battery that charges in seven to eight hours. … Read more

A rough introduction to Gadgetman 2013

LAS VEGAS--I was sitting in my window seat ready to fly out to CES 2013 when something large and soft landed in my lap.

It was a bingo wing.

A floppy human tricep had somehow bounced onto me without so much as an "Excuse me."

It belonged to a man who was possessed of a bumpered iPhone, a protected iPad and the uncovered manners of a drunken Gollum.

Yes, this was my seat mate, and he'd stumbled a little as he tried to sit. He was holding two gadgets, you see.

Seat mates are like lovers. You … Read more

For all those alone with a gadget this Xmas

All joking aside.

It isn't easy, but I'll try.

Technology doesn't always represent progress. It just thinks it does.

Gadgets inspire an astounding degree of self-indulgence.

They make you believe you have 5,000 friends, when you're lucky to have 5. They let you swear at the president and the pope, without them knowing who you are. They let you taunt, abuse, flatter, worship, preen, boast, and whine. … Read more