gadgets

Tag Heuer Link Android smartphone a mere $6,750

And you thought your iPhone was so cool. Tag Heuer, known for making lux watches, has released one of the cooler-looking smartphones we've ever seen. But don't get too excited--one Tag Heuer Link Android smartphone will set you back $6,750.

What's with the price? The Link Android, which runs on the old-generation Android 2.2 (Froyo), comes with a steel, 18-carat rose gold- or titanium-finished case. (It kind of looks like it belongs to a Jedi knight, right?) Trims come in calfskin, alligator, lizard, or carbon leather. (Fancy!)

It features a Gorilla Glass screen, a high-strength thin sheet of glass used as a protective cover with scratch resistance and durability, and offers up 256MB of RAM and 8GB on a memory card to save the pics you take with its 5-megapixel auto-focus HD camera. It can also house 11 hours of music playback. The phone goes on sale this month TAG Heuer retailers.

So OK, you're paying for the look and feel of this gadget, not the tech specs. Is it worth the price? You tell us!

This story originally appeared on CBSNews.com.

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Vanity Mirror Watch: A timepiece for narcissists

You know you look good, but sometimes you just want to double-check. You could excuse yourself and go to the bathroom. You could find a reflective window and stare intently. Or you could subtly gaze at your watch.

The Vanity Mirror Watch is a chunky, shiny accessory that looks like it has been designed for a substantial man-size wrist. The marketing photos of a hairy arm sporting the watch are another tip-off that the target customer is a vain male. That probably won't dissuade a fashion-forward woman from picking one up.

It's hard to tell what the $69.… Read more

Study: DVR, set-top box use most energy at home

The Natural Resources Defense Council has ranked the biggest energy hogs in the home, and the thing that's gobbling up the most is probably not what you think: the pairing of your digital video recorder and set-top box.

The environmental monitoring group released a study today that says that a high-definition cable or satellite set-top box when combined with a high-definition DVR uses up 446 kilowatt hours per year. That's more than a new Energy Star rated 21 cubic-foot refrigerator, which uses 415 kWh per year, according to the NRDC's data.

The combination of an HD DVR … Read more

E3 after hours: Gadgets you won't see on expo floor

LOS ANGELES--At the ShowStoppers expo last night, some E3 presenters got the chance to show off their wares in a more peaceful, intimate environment than the bustling show floor. Reporters were invited to the LA Icon Ultra Lounge after the opening day of the expo wrapped for a gathering of game hardware and peripherals designers offering new products this summer.

About 100 reporters enjoyed food and drink while sampling new gadgets and high-end tech offerings from Alternativa, G5 Entertainment, Gioteck, Jakks Pacific, Mad Catz, Plantronics, Plextor, PNY Technologies, Reverb, Rude Gameware/Cyber Snipa, Samsung Consumer Memory and Storage and Samsung Mobile.

Some of the more popular items on display included the new, mobile-game-friendly Samsung Galaxy Tab and Samsung's 470 SSD internal drive to power more advanced PC gaming systems. Also, the sexy line of Gioteck peripherals offered gamers headsets and control pads with sleek stylings and swappable color and design schemes.

See images of other products from the under-the-radar event in the gallery above.… Read more

Selling old gadgets: Buy back services compared

At the pace that new e-readers, tablets, and smartphones are released, it can be disappointing how the latest gadget can make that shiny new iPad or Kindle you bought last year seem obsolete.

If you don't have an endless budget for tech purchases and would rather not just dump the old one in the trash, or are looking to raise some funds, one way to recoup some of what you paid for old tech is through buyback services. They're popping up all over, on the Web, in-store recycling kiosks, and even at major electronics retailers.

The appeal is … Read more

Keep your Angry Birds, we'll take something a bit more classy

Birds and weapons? Sounds like a certain smartphone-game-turned-cultural-touchstone, right? Well, don't worry; we know you've heard enough about that particular phenomenon to last a few lifetimes.

No, this little blog item is about something far less widespread than a popular iPhone app. In fact, the "gadgets" in question here--if one dare call them that--are truly rare. So rare that they're expected to draw $2.5 million to $5 million at a Hong Kong auction later this month.

And though they were created in the early 19th century, and are anything but digital, they still manage to impress with the obvious technical mastery of their makers. … Read more

This Day in Tech: More rumors about the next iPhone

Too busy to keep up with the tech news? Here are some of the more interesting stories from CNET for Wednesday, May 18.

Neat trick: Wireless laptop dock Samsung's Central Station senses your computer is nearby and--without any silly, tangled cords--connects to it wirelessly. Ain't that cool? Seriously, it's the little things in life that bring CNET editors joy. Read the full review

WritePad 5 buddies up with Evernote for app marriage New WritePad 5 app for iPad, Android adds ability to sync with another popular app, Evernote. Marriage points to future where unrelated apps from diverse … Read more

Xobni Gadget Store offers add-ons for your add-on

Xobni, the popular and highly rated plugin for Microsoft Outlook has today announced the Xobni Gadget Platform and Store, which offers apps that add on to your add-on. With close to 20 big-name partners, including Dropbox, Evernote, Google Translate, Salesforce, LinkedIn, and so on, Xobni hopes to boost your productivity by souping up your Outlook inbox to yet another level.

To give you an idea of some of the platform's possibilities, the Evernote gadget puts the popular note-taking service's functionality into the Xobni sidebar. With it, you can view and take personal notes on a contact right from … Read more

How to kiss your Facebook friend online for real

While the rest of the world is rapt by news of international terrorists and stealth special ops missions, perhaps we should offer a little thought to kissing.

Our new Web-oriented world has brought people together in ways never before possible, but we're still missing some elements of human connection. You know, like the physical kind.

The Kajimoto Research Laboratory at the University of Electro-Communications, however, believes it can bring us that nirvana.

It has create a device that looks like a straw, which doesn't seem entirely sensual. Still, you mimic your kissing motion (everyone's is different, naturally). … Read more