watch

Samsung accused of labor violations by watchdog group

Samsung is up against a slew of labor abuse accusations in China, according to a report from China Labor Watch.

An investigation conducted by the watchdog group in October and November uncovered worker violations at several factories, those owned directly by Samsung as well as by its suppliers.

The report is in contrast to the one that Samsung itself released this week. Samsung's own internal audit of suppliers found no child labor violations, a key concern among watchdog groups and Samsung itself. However, Samsung's own audit did discover other issues at supplier factories in China, including overtime hours … Read more

Samsung finds no child labor, promises fixes to supply chain

Samsung has released the results of a four-week audit of 105 suppliers involved in the production of its devices across China.

According to the company, the Samsung audit team was comprised of 121 employees tasked with ensuring that the company's suppliers were compliant with local laws and its own regulations. The company's auditors found no instances of child labor -- a major concern of watchdogs -- but did discover instances where rules and regulations were violated.

"The audit identified several instances of inadequate practices at the facilities, including overtime hours in excess of local regulations, management of … Read more

Access the hottest TV shows and movies on the Web with Netflix

Having access to a potentially infinite cache of media files at your fingertips is a nice thought. However, you need a stable app that can deliver those files quickly and efficiently to your Android device, and that is exactly what the Netflix app is designed to do.

Placed on a throne as the world's leading Internet subscription service for streaming movies and TV shows, Netflix went an extra mile and created its mini version for Android devices. The interface of the Netflix app is more or less straightforward; there's a shows option, a search bar, and some account-based … Read more

Artist creates stunning insects from old watch parts

Despite my small fear of bugs, there's just something creepily cute about these mechanical insects by Justin Gershenson-Gates.

Gates, a self-taught tinkerer, usually sells jewelry accented with watch gears on his Web site A Mechanical Mind, but people can't seem to get enough of his occasional arthropods made from watch parts, tiny lightbulbs, and other bits and bobs.

In an e-mail interview with Crave, Gates revealed the inspiration behind these creepy designs: a recent trip featuring a freak spider encounter -- "with a leg span of about 3 inches," he says -- prompted the idea. After returning from vacation, Gates created a set of spider legs with watch-winding stems and tacked on other watch parts to create his first spider. … Read more

Leo GPS watch locates your child in an emergency

If you've ever lost track of your child or an elderly relative, it's hard to forget the panic of not knowing where he or she is. This GPS watch is designed to help prevent your loved ones from going missing.

Besides telling the time, the Leo wristwatch from Guardian Lion Wireless is also a phone, GPS locator, and 911 panic button. It can be used as a tracking device to find your wayward child or older relative with dementia.

As an option, the titanium strap can be locked. It has a tamper alert, so you'll know if anyone tries to take the watch off. A criminal would need bolt cutters to remove it. … Read more

Say 'Cheep'! Bird Photo Booth for high-tech bird watchers

Wild birds are notoriously fickle photography subjects. Getting up-close pics usually requires an expensive camera, a honking zoom lens, and the ability to hold extremely still for long periods of time.

The $149 Bird Photo Booth on Kickstarter combines a bird-feeding platform with a place to stash a camera for taking avian glamor shots without upsetting the skittish subjects. The device comes with foam insert adapters for iPhone, iPod Touch, and GoPro cameras. A universal Android insert is under development.… Read more

Discover the Higgs boson particle -- on your wrist

Much like the epic quests of yore, the hunt for the Higgs boson particle has inspired stirring music, Stephen Hawking wagers, and now a timepiece for your wrist.

The Higgs Boson Watch is the God Particle taken the form of a personal accessory. The face of the watch depicts the Higgs decaying into other bosons during a collision. The hands move in a hypnotic spiral. If you stare at it long enough, you may gain an understanding of the very fabric of our universe.… Read more

New York Web sites remain offline following Sandy

Hurricane Sandy may have passed the Mid-Atlantic region, but its effects are still being felt online.

The storm knocked out power and caused severe flooding across the Northeastern United States. New York City power companies pulled the plug on parts of lower Manhattan yesterday, shutting down Web sites without redundant servers. Many of those data centers remained down today, and power provider Con Edison said power likely won't be restored to Manhattan for about four days.

Those in Bk and Manhattan should have power back w/in 4 days. All others in areas served by overhead lines will take … Read more

$15,900 DeLorean watch won't go back in time

With $16,000 in 1983, you could buy yourself a post-bankruptcy DeLorean and cruise around with Irene Cara on the radio. Today, you can blow the same sum on this chunky wristwatch manufactured from real DeLorean parts.

The automaker went under in 1982, but its DMC-12 sportscar was immortalized as the time machine in the "Back to the Future" films. Swiss watchmaker RJ-Romain Jerome recently announced its $15,900 DeLorean-DNA, which shares the look and some parts of its namesake.

"Entirely made of brushed stainless steel, this chronograph uses the same materials as the original bodywork of … Read more

Netflix and deaf-rights group settle suit over video captions

Netflix and the National Association for the Deaf (NAD) have come to an agreement about captions for the company's streaming videos: 100 percent must be captioned by 2014.

The agreement comes by way of a class action lawsuit filed by NAD in 2010 that alleged the streaming service was "failing to provide adequate closed captioning on 'Watch Instantly' streaming video programming," and therefore was in violation of the Americans with Disabilities Act.

After back-and-forth between the lawyers -- and Netflix working to get the case thrown out -- the two sides finally settled this week.

"We … Read more