Lifestyle

There have been more than a few boats running on solar power that have made headlines, but we shouldn't forget that some plain-old electric vessels are plying the waters as well. And one in particular bears a name that's legendary in the world of private transportation, albeit not aquatic.

The "Lear 204" is the product of a partnership between boat builder Terry Baylor and his wife, Shanda Lear, whose father happens to be the founder of Learjet. Their 20.4-foot vessel, which runs on an electric motor, can do about 6 miles per hour and last … Read more

LG isn't fooling anyone. In developing its first vacuum cleaner, the electronics maker predictably touted all kinds of techie features, such as "a RotaBlade that is in the rocket shaped drum, which is attached to an additional motor moving side-to-side compacting household dust into solid cubes," according to Pocket-lint.

But we know the real strategy: It wanted the "Compressor Vacuum Cleaner" to look like a Transformer. And it's done a splendid job, by the way--at first glance, we were sure it was a new version of "Optimus Prime" or some other mechanical … Read more

We loved the floating MP3 player showcased recently by fellow Craver Tim Moynihan, despite his rather graphic description of its design (which, we suspect, says more about Tim than the device in question). But it's got some competition in the hypercompetitive aquatic music market.

The "Drop Speaker" from Zumreed has waterproof controls so it can be handled alongside the bath, pool, hot tub or any other venue where you typically splash your electronics. And beyond the unique droplet design (get it?) that conceals an iPod dock insider, Technabob says the speaker comes in blue, white and orange … Read more

Thanks to Leo Laporte over at This Week in Tech (TWiT), we recently got our heads under the ScottEVest TEC Hat 4.0. Leo doesn't make the hat, but he ordered a run of TEC hats branded with the TWiT logo.

Billed as the ultimate hat for gadgeteers, the TEC Hat helps clear up pocket space normally consumed by keys, change, credit cards, and the like. It has a side compartment roomy enough to hold a small MP3 player (an iPod Nano fits nicely), as well as an under-the-bill pocket for loose change and a key or two.

Two … Read more

Let it be known that Crave is always looking out for your communication needs. Last week, you may recall, we offered up the "Memo Motion Sensor," which automatically plays a message to anyone who walks into your office at work. But as fond as we are of this idea, it's not the most practical for most households.

So to leave messages for your loved ones at home, we suggest something like the "Message Magnet," a simple but effective way to leave the equivalent of a 10-second voicemail for up to six individual recipients (or all … Read more

We've seen a fair number of gadgets designed to assist the hard of hearing, but they usually involve emergencies of one kind or another. (First things first, we suppose.) Few have been dedicated to everyday life, much less any form of entertainment.

That's why an invention by scientists at the University Carlos III of Mardrid caught our attention. It's a technology that projects subtitles onto eyeglass lenses in real time for deaf moviegoers. And as Pocket-lint points out, it could also find a broader market because they could be used by hearing people who want to view … Read more

Admit it: At one time or another, you've tested your breath to see if it's lethal (and if you haven't, maybe you should). But the traditional unassisted olfactory methods--hand cupped over mouth and nose, etc.--are questionable at best.

"Breath Alert" to the rescue. When you're all out of gum or Binaca, this erstwhile gag gift could suddenly become as serious as a meatball sandwich with extra onions.

The device, which Coolest-Gadgets says "measures the volatile sulfide compounds and hydrocarbon gas that are present when breath is bad," assesses the grade of … Read more

Nintendo has figured it out: Why should it let others take all the glory for the Wii's supposed health benefits? Tech Digest says the company is developing a game called Wii Health that will "test your fitness and send the results off to an unspecified UK hospital for analysis."

Not everyone is on the Wii's fitness bandwagon, daring to suggest that real-life exercise is better for kids than playing games regardless of how serious they are about them. But at least one personal trainer has created a workout routine based on Wii play, and others say … Read more

We're not terribly big on wine, preferring single-malt scotch for our imbibing pleasures, but we couldn't resist beating Caroline McCarthy to the punch on her favorite subject. (Well, one of her favorites, anyway.)

GE's "Monogram Walk-in Wine Vault" is the ultimate oenophile gadget, combining the convenience of a home cellar with security for a vintage collection, according to Gearfuse. From a tech standpoint, one of the most impressive features is its digital inventory system, which the vault's Web site describes this way: "In just seconds, you can locate wines and determine whether bottles … Read more