pop

Amuse co-workers and friends

The Talking Moose is a desktop utility that features a funny animated cartoon-like moose that will pop up when least expected and deliver a funny line, a witty quote, or insult the user. There are versions of The Talking Moose for the Mac and mobile devices as well as Windows, and the moose even has his own Facebook page and Twitter accounts.

The Talking Moose has been around in electronic form since 1986 and was one of the first animated figures on computers. Once installed the user will see the interface with links to the official Talking Moose Website and … Read more

For a big launch, Microsoft readies tiny holiday pop-up stores

It's lucky the Microsoft Surface RT is small, because Microsoft's coming pop-up stores look like they're going to be very compact.

Microsoft is planning to open 34 holiday pop-up stores in the U.S. and Canada. (The just-added two, announced this week by the company, are a Chicago and Times Square New York.) They are opening on October 26, the day that Windows 8 and Microsoft's Surface RT tablets/PCs are generally available.

I guess I was envisioning temporary full-size Microsoft stores -- like two-dozen-plus permanent brick-and-mortar stores they are operating already -- when I … Read more

FreedomPop launches free 4G service in beta

A while back, startup FreedomPop declared ambitious plans to give every American the chance to get online for free. The company's beta subscription program is now live.

Via one of two modems -- a Photon mobile hotspot or a Bolt USB dongle -- customers can use up to 500MB of data per month without billing. That's not much, but it could be adequate for email and careful browsing.

The hardware is technically free, according to the company. However, to get your hands on the free data allocation, you need to put down a "fully refundable" deposit … Read more

Chill out with a bottle of wine chilled from the inside

The turning of the seasons signifies a time of change. Yet just because the weather will soon start to turn cool, doesn't mean it's time to toast adieu to chilled wine.

The Cork Pops VinOice Wine Chiller uses a gel-filled stainless steel chilling rod to cool down open bottles. It doesn't need to be removed to pour a glass since a gravity-hinged lid covers a pour spout that is attached to the chill rod, so wine can be served without the need to mess around with any wet accessories.

To use, the chilling rod should be placed … Read more

Microsoft announces plans for 32 holiday pop-up stores

Microsoft officials have gone public with the full list of its planned 32 holiday pop-up brick-and-mortar stores.

We knew about a dozen or so of these from earlier leaks. But there are going to be more pop-ups than we expected in both the U.S. and Canada.

Other than saying these stores will open "this fall," Microsoft isn't providing exact dates as to when they will go live. I asked if any of them would be open by October 26, as this is the launch date for Windows 8 and Microsoft's ARM-based Surface RT tablets, but … Read more

Crave giveaway: Canvas-mounted Instagram pics from CanvasPop

Congrats to Melvin A. of Palm Coast, Fla., for winning a Tokyoflash Kisai Upload wristwatch in last week's giveaway. Into Instagram? Then you'll be into this week's prize. The winner gets two Instagram photos printed on canvas by CanvasPop.

CanvasPop's Instagram printing service creates gallery-quality photos you can hang on your wall. If you're anything like the Crave readers who submitted their amazing Instagram shots for our gallery series last year, you've done some Instagramming that deserves to be shown off. The winner of this week's giveaway gets two 20x20-inch prints of their … Read more

Jot down quick notes and passing thoughts with Pop for iOS

This post could be more accurately titled, "How to not be disappointed by Pop for iOS."

I say this not because I dislike the app. I do think it can be useful if you are the type of person who often employs sticky-notes reminders or scribbles down notes throughout the day. If you have yet to abandon your reliance on pen and paper for your iPhone because note-taking apps require too much tapping and a file hierarchy you'd rather not deal with, then the 99-cent Pop for iOS might hold some appeal. But be warned: it's … Read more

'Call me Maybe' gets 'Star Wars,' 'Star Trek' treatments

What's better than a summer pop hit? How about Han Solo, Darth Vader, and the whole "Star Wars" crew serenading you with a summer pop hit? That's a million times better. As it turns out, Yoda is quite the crooner.

YouTube user jamesconvenant rejiggered the Carly Rae Jepsen hit "Call me Maybe" with footage from the "Star Wars" franchise. He even managed to work in some subtitled Jabba the Hutt contributions.

Not to be outdone, the "Star Trek" fan contingent got on the case and intrepid YouTuber Zyphorg put together a version featuring Captain Picard and the Next Generation Enterprise crew. It's a little choppier than the "Star Wars" version, but impressive nonetheless.… Read more

Microsoft pop-up stores coming this holiday season

Microsoft officials said earlier this summer that they planned to open a number of temporary "pop-up" holiday stores this year. At the time, they didn't specify where these stores would be.

Braintree, Mass. Chicago (downtown) Cleveland, Ohio Manhattan, N.Y. Miami, Fla. Natick, Mass. Portland, Ore. San Antonio, Texas San Francisco St. Louis, Mo. Vancouver, B.C.

Microsoft Stores sell Windows PCs, Windows Phones, Microsoft and third-party software, games, peripherals and more. Microsoft also is going to sell its recently announced Surface PC/tablets through its Microsoft Stores in the U.S. and through select online Microsoft … Read more