crave

Congrats to Jamie M. of Portland, Ore., for winning a Vinci Tab II Android tablet for kids in last week's giveaway. Now, down to business: Could your iPhone 5 use a new outfit to wear to all those holiday shindigs? You're hanging out in the right place.

We're giving away a Sector 5 from Element Case, which calls the accessory the "most extreme case" it's ever created. To be clear, the black-and-graphite case can't promise to save your iPhone 5's life in a BASE jump, but it is made from lightweight aerospace-grade … Read more

Congrats to David A. of Torrington, Conn., for winning a Guild Wars 2 Collector's Edition and five game access codes in last week's giveaway. This week's prize is the best Black Friday deal you could possibly get -- a free Android touch-screen tablet designed, tested, and FDA-approved for children 18 months and older.

Yes, the 7-inch Vinci Tab II is a tablet just for children -- or, as my CNET colleague James Martin likes to call it, a "chablet." It comes preloaded with educational material designed to simulate a kindergarten curriculum and aimed at engaging developing minds in areas such as social skills; language and literacy; and math and logical reasoning. Apps can be used in English, French, Spanish, and Chinese. … Read more

Congrats to Marvin P. of Missoula, Mont., for winning a MyCharge Portable Power Bank 6000 in last week's giveaway.

Are you a massive fan of massively multiplayer online role-playing games? Then you'll massively like this week's prize, a Guild Wars 2 Collector's Edition, plus five Digital Edition access codes you can share with friends. Say goodbye to your free time, folks.

The fantasy MMO, released in late August, takes place in Tyria, "an endlessly intriguing place, stuffed with mystery and adventure, gifting you with gorgeous sights and personal stories that etch themselves into your memory," according to a review from our sister site GameSpot. … Read more

Congrats to Tami M. of North Mankato, Minn., for winning a Zooka speaker bar in last week's Crave giveaway.

Ever found yourself with several gadgets that need recharging when you aren't in a position to juice them all up? This week's giveaway's got the power to help.

The MyCharge Portable Power Bank 6000 is a high-capacity 6000mAh rechargeable battery pack that can simultaneously fuel products including smartphones, iPads, e-readers, and Bluetooth headsets. It comes with Micro- and Mini-USB plugs, plus an Apple dock connector and a full-size USB port, meaning it can power a whole lot of different devices. Handy when the gang's on a camping trip and all the working tree outlets are taken. … Read more

Congrats to Zsolt V. of Corpus Christi, Texas, for winning four custom canvas prints of digital photos from Printcopia in last week's giveaway. This week's prize will be music to your entertainment-seeking ears. We're giving away a sleek-looking Zooka speaker that enhances the sound from your tablet, smartphone, laptop, or media player.

The wireless Zooka from Carbon Audio sports a sturdy silicone sound bar design that slips onto the edge of your iPad, or connects via Bluetooth or audio jack to other devices. It has dual speakers and boasts a battery life of 8-plus hours for toting on the go. Did we mention it comes in a bunch of fun colors? You'll be getting one in green. … Read more

Come closer -- if you dare. We want to show you a curious collection of pumpkin carvings that celebrates the geeky side of All Hallow's Eve.

Several weeks ago, we kicked off Crave's first-ever Carve a geeky pumpkin. An impressive number of creative Cravers responded to our call for geeky or technology-inspired pumpkin carvings, vying for a mysterious prize and eternal recognition in a gallery featured on the Web site. … Read more

Microsoft officially launched Windows 8 today, and with it comes a choice for those who use its predecessors: do I stay, or do I go?

My Crave colleague Eric Mack touches on the subject in an opinion piece today titled "The Windows 8 question: To adopt early or not?" Eric owns a perfectly capable Windows 7 laptop and would rather wait for a Surface tablet with Windows 8 Pro to debut before considering new hardware.

Personally, I feel a slight temptation to upgrade to Windows 8. In his review of Microsoft's Surface, CNET Senior Editor Eric Franklin praises Metro -- the primary interface of Windows 8 -- saying it's "innovative, elegant, powerful, and versatile," the last set of words I would use to describe my cluttered Windows 7 desktop. Maybe a new layout would feel like a breath of fresh air. … Read more

First off, congrats to Kenny L. of Apple Valley, Minn., for winning a Cowon Auto Capsule AC1 dashboard camera in last week's giveaway. I look forward to seeing your dashing dashboard videos, Kenny!

Got some Facebook or Instagram photos that would look phabulous on your walls? Printcopia, a service that prints digital photos onto canvas, acrylic, photo paper, and more, is offering four canvas prints to this week's winner -- two 16x20-inch prints of Facebook shots and two 16x20-inch prints of Instagram pics.

All you have to do is pick the photos you want turned into wall art … Read more

Congrats to Jean F. of Gainesville, Fla., for scoring a Crux360 iPad case with Bluetooth keyboard in last week's giveaway.

Do a lot of driving? You and your car (and your insurance company) will love this week's freebie, a Cowon Auto Capsule AC1 dashboard camera.

The 2-megapixel cam with a 16:9 wide screen records and stores high-resolution 1,280x720-pixel high-definition footage in real time at 30 frames per second. When the device's internal accelerometer detects a shock, it automatically captures a video clip ("see, a Tasmanian devil really did dash in front of me!"). … Read more