homer

If you own a TomTom GPS and you're a "Simpsons" fan, you're in for a treat.

For the past couples years, you had the option of putting the voice of Homer Simpson into your nav system. Now, TomTom has landed two more "Simpsons" cast members: Julie Kavner and Harry Shearer, who lend their considerable vocal talents to Marge Simpson and Mr. Burns, respectively.

Excellent.

These "Voice Skins," which sell for $12.95 apiece, take the place of the stock voices contained in your TomTom. (Actually, you can switch back and forth between … Read more

"Doughnuts. Is there anything they can't do?" OK, that isn't one of the famous Homer Simpson quotes drivers will now find on the TomTom GPS app for the iPhone. But with Homer as a co-pilot, drivers need to get in the spirit of Homer-isms: "Make a U-turn. Ha ha, you've goofed. D'oh!"

TomTom today announced that the voice of Homer Simpson, (Dan Castellaneta) of the long-running TV series "The Simpsons," can be downloaded for $5.99. The Homer Simpson voice requires version 1.7 of the TomTom App (available for $49.99) installed.

"Homer's skills will help keep drivers and fans entertained in a light-hearted and familiar way. It's exciting to have him onboard!" said Alain Pakiry, senior vice president of marketing at TomTom.

The Homer Simpson voice for the TomTom App is available in the U.S., as well as Australia, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Finland, Ireland, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Portugal, South Africa, and Sweden. And, of course, Springfield.… Read more

SAN FRANCISCO--If you were walking down Second Street here yesterday morning, and thought you might be losing your mind, let me reassure you: Those really were life-size Lego Chewbacca and R2-D2 models and the world's-largest Lego Millennium Falcon.

On March 31, Legoland California will pull back the wraps on its brand-new "Star Wars" Miniland, an all-new interactive area at the amusement park that will feature more than 2,000 individual models from the George Lucas-created universe.

And yesterday, as part of a small tour to promote the new attraction, several Legoland personnel swung through CNET's headquarters … Read more

Update: Sorry, folks, looks like Newegg sold out. That happens with many of the deals I post, so as always, if you see something you like, hurry before it's gone!

The best GPS deals these days fall in the $50-60 range, but sometimes it's worth paying a little extra. Case in point: Newegg has the refurbished TomTom One XL-S wide-screen GPS for $89.99 shipped.

So why is this model worth a few extra bucks? Two words: Homer Simpson. Like many TomTom nav systems, the XL-S lets you install (for a nominal charge) various celebrity voices.

The latest … Read more

A new car company in Louisiana, the latest on the Cash for Clunkers law, a car gadget that will prove you're an idiot, and a ride in a little hot rod we don't really like.

• Cash for Clunkers: What you need to know

• New car company starts up in Louisiana

• 3D maps and more impress us in the Eclipse AVN726e

• Homer Simpson can be the voice of your TomTom

• Put a video "black box" in your car?

This week was FILLED with conceptual ideas that were sometimes pure genius, and sometimes pure WTH. Seriously, Pornisonic, we are talking to you! Natali Del Conte and Gknee join the party to make this extra-long episode 80 percent female, 20 percent male. Has this ever happened at CNET before?!

Programmable doorbell blends soothing chimes with real wood craftsmanship

Panasonic’s limp remote concept is both cool and unsettling

Tennis star Maria Sharapova dons geeky light-up phone dress

B-Touch cell phone with Braille touch screen is an iPhone for the blind

Nested cellphones track techno-evolution

Power outlet wall solves your electrical needs… Read more

Those on a diet who can't resist the temptations lurking in the refrigerator will appreciate the Homer Simpson Talking Fridge Guard. Meant to sit on one of your fridge shelves, Homer will recite one of his six canned phrases ("Uh oh. Someone's gonna have a tummy ache!" "Mmmm...fattening") every time you open the door.

Aside from giving guests a good laugh, this battery-operated gadget will shame you when trying to reach for that soda or cheesecake while trying to lose weight. There's nothing quite like the world's most famous slob to … Read more

For about an hour Saturday morning, Google listed every site on the Internet as potentially harmful to your computer. At first, Google blamed the problem on StopBadware.org but later had to eat crow. Marissa Mayer, Google's vice president of search products and user experience, attributed the problem to "human error" and to a URL list provided by StopBadware.org. But about 30 minutes later, a blog posting on StopBadware.org disputed her explanation. An hour after that, Mayer posted Google's mea culpa. All of which raises the question of what some now describe as the &… Read more

Former Netscape executive Mike Homer lost his battle with a rare brain disease on Sunday, reported Kara Swisher of All Things D. He was 50.

Homer suffered from Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease, a degenerative and fatal neurological disorder that leads to dementia (a variant is known as mad cow disease).

Among other things, Homer steered the creation of Netscape Communications' Netcenter portal until Netscape's acquisition by America Online. The Silicon Valley stalwart also worked at Apple.

Before his illness, Homer had been investing in and mentoring a series of start-ups. But he had also been focusing on philanthropy and spending time … Read more