confused

Acer's next-gen Aspire One Netbooks available now

We've already seen them previewed with the rest of Acer's upcoming lineup back in April, but the official release of the next generation of Aspire One Netbooks is finally here. Most notable is the inclusion of a new, bigger 11.6-inch model, the Aspire One AO751h; also new is a revamped 10.1-inch system, the Aspire One AOD250. (Confidential to Acer: we're available as product naming consultants for the low, low price of free).

Both new Netbooks are thinner than Acer's previous models, and the 11-inch AO751h has a full-size keyboard, along with a 16:9 … Read more

We like this watch but can't tell the time

Crave is always thankful to see an innovative watch design that doesn't involve LEDs or have the word "pimp" in its name. And we're particularly fond of retro designs that shun unnecessary technology.

But even though we're intrigued by the "Cabestan" from Vianney Halter and Jean-Francois Ruchonnet, it unfortunately falls into the ever-growing category of watches we don't understand. Gearfuse's brief description alone is enough to boggle our tiny minds: "The displays are controlled through chain links and fusee wound by a winch." (Isn't that sailing lingo?) And … Read more

Best Buy and the case of the mysterious Apple TV release

Is Best Buy selling Apple TV now? Well, that seems to depend on where you shop.

If you'll recall, last week Best Buy told us that Apple TV would be available starting Tuesday in all of its 800-plus stores a full two weeks before any other retail chain (excluding, of course, Apple's own stores, which have had it for sale since the end of last week).

Then, Best Buy took back its claim of an exclusive the next day.

Then Best Buy customer Chad Stutz of Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio, told Crave that he went to his local Best … Read more

Even watches join the hybrid trend

The evolution of language moves so quickly wherever technology is concerned. Some day soon, the term "hybrid" may come to refer almost exclusively to alternative energy for automobiles (and maybe the occasional train or golf cart). But until then, it could apply to any number of combinations in any number of products--even watches.

Tokyoflash is selling a timepiece called the "DT1" from Fusion, which it describes as "a hybrid LCD/LED." That, we're afraid, is where our respect ends. The site, which says the watch is "very simple fo read" (yeah … Read more

Numbers still don't help us tell time

No longer content only to grouse under our breath, we've decided to launch a formal campaign against indecipherable watches. And this latest so-called timepiece only reinforces that we've made the right decision.

At first, we had a glimmer of hope because the watch at least had numbers on its face (what a concept), unlike so many that have fallen victim to the LED craze. But then we read the description on Cool Hunting: "Using three spinning disks to create a triple-tier display of time, the top circle spins fastest with the seconds, the second disk rotates the … Read more

We can't tell time anymore

We're beginning to think that some avant-garde watchmakers are pulling our legs. In just the last few weeks we've seen watches with fake radiation meters, weird LED scopes, pimped-out displays and systems that tell time backwards.

Now the latest model from AudioCubes, called the "Eleeno Graphic 9Blocks," is about as easy to understand as its name. In fact, its "time reading instructions" don't even include any text--just pictures. We think the joke's on us.