crave

Crave giveaway: Boe-Bot DIY robot kit from Parallax

Congrats to Gary M. of Las Vegas for winning a pair of Pick-Pocket Proof Pants from Clothing Arts in last week's giveaway. This week's prize is for the young tinkerers out there.

We're giving away a Boe-Bot Robot Kit from Parallax, a company that specializes in DIY robotics. CNET's Donald Bell and Seth Rosenblatt visited the Rocklin, Calif., electronics manufacturer earlier this month, and returned bearing this gift and others (stay tuned for another Parallax giveaway soon).

The Boe-Bot kit, recommended for ages 14 and up (and that includes you geeky grown-ups) lets you build and program your own rolling robot with a BASIC Stamp 2 microcontroller for a brain. The bot uses touch, light, and infrared sensors to independently navigate its environment. … Read more

Crave Ep. 125: Jam surveillance cameras with these 'fashionable' LED glasses

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The National Institute of Informatics has developed infrared LED glasses that let you slip through an airport undetected by the NSA. We take a quick look inside home theaters built for a king, and Crave introduces a new segment called the Lego Block. Can you guess what it's about? … Read more

Crave giveaway: Pick-Pocket Proof Pants for safe travels

Congrats to Ron G. of Chittenden, Vt., for winning a SwingTip golf-analysis system in our June 7 giveaway, and to Katie D. of Rockaway, N.J., for winning a package of Kanex travel tech last week. This week's prize would help Katie keep all that new gear safe as she trots the globe.

We're giving away a pair of P^cubed Pick-Pocket Proof Pants, which, as their name suggests, help keep your gadgets and other valuables safe from thieves while you travel.

The pants have a number of high-capacity pockets that both zip and button, with a triple-secure hidden passport/money pocket that provides three possible levels of security between your wallet and the world. Two front pockets accommodate smartphones as large as the giant Samsung Galaxy Note. … Read more

Crave giveaway: Travel gear aplenty from accessory maker Kanex

Got any summer trips planned? This week's prize would like to join you. We're giving away a package of travel-friendly gear from Kanex, maker of connectivity products for Apple gadgets.

Here's what the winner gets:

A DualRole, which adds to your laptop three USB 3.0 ports and a connection to a secure wired network using gigabit ethernet. A mySpot travel-size wireless access point that lets you set up your own private, secure Wi-Fi network. A DoubleUp dual USB wall charger that lets you power two mobile devices at once.… Read more

Crave Ep. 124: Obscenely overpriced phones and tablets

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Crave has compiled a list of some of the most ridiculously opulent smartphones and tablets from around the world -- and surprisingly, they do a lot less than a cheap Android phone. Plus, a plush toy and app combo that turns your phone all cuddly. And a warp-speed look at Windows updates from Windows 1 to Windows 8. … Read more

Crave giveaway: SwingTip golf gizmo for analyzing your game

Congrats to Allan N. of Port Richey, Fla., for winning an Incipio Atlas case for the iPhone 5 in last week's giveaway. This week's prize is coming out swinging! We're giving away a mobile golf analysis tool to help you improve your game.

The SwingTip from Mobiplex is a tiny 3D Bluetooth motion sensor device that clips on to your golf club and transmits real-time swing analysis to your smartphone or tablet. The sensor pairs with a free mobile app for Android or iOS that reproduces a 3D photo-like animation of your swing along with performance metrics like swing speed, tempo, and path, and where the ball's hitting your club. … Read more

Crave Ep. 123: Seeing the world through porn-colored Glasses

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In you-knew-that-would-happen news, an adult app store called MiKandi is building apps for Google Glass. A robot refills your beer glass when you're ready for another round. And "Arrested Development" is proving popular, especially with pirates. All that and more on this week's Crave extravanganza. … Read more

Crave giveaway: Rugged Incipio Atlas case for iPhone 5

Congrats to Thomas W. of Dayton, N.J., for winning a Boombotix Boombot Rex portable speaker in last week's giveaway. Got an iPhone 5 that you'd like to take camping or swimming? This week's prize is for you.

We're giving away a rugged waterproof Atlas case from Southern California device accessory maker Incipio. The adventure-ready case for iPhone 5 has been engineered with a hard-shell exterior and water-resistant enclosures while maintaining access to all ports, buttons, and controls. It meets U.S. military standards for drop protection and water and dust resistance and is waterproof up to 6.56 feet for an hour. … Read more

Crave Ep. 122: When the moon hits your 3D-printed pizza pie

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This week on Crave, NASA awards a $125,000 grant to 3D-print a pizza; UCLA Health live-tweets and Vines a man as he has brain surgery; and we wish the Ethernet a happy 40th birthday. … Read more

Crave giveaway: Boombotix Boombot Rex portable speaker

Congrats to John D. of Fruitland Park, Fla., for winning a Crucial M500 SSD and copy of Iolo System Mechanic in last week's giveaway. This week, I asked you for help deciding whether to give away a mini action cam, a waterproof iPhone 5 case, or an ultraportable speaker. The speaker won by a few tweets, so here you go, readers. Ask and ye shall receive (and don't worry; those other prizes will be coming soon).

We're giving away a pocket-size Boombotix Boombot Rex, which connects via Bluetooth to smartphones, tablets, laptops, and any other device with a 1/8-inch standard headphone jack. It's got built-in voice control so you can ask the time, dial a contact, or play a song, all while keeping your handheld device in your pocket. How you'll look talking to your speaker? Well, that's your business. … Read more