iD

Tamagotchi 15th anniversary pet can still die

Fifteen years is a pretty good life span for many pets. Tamagotchi is celebrating the birth of its digital critters with a limited-edition anniversary model.

In case you missed the Tamagotchi craze, they are little egg-shaped gadgets with small screens that house electronic pets. Each one starts from an egg, and has to be fed, cleaned up after, and disciplined as it goes through its virtual lifecycle.

Bandai's Tamagotchi spawned the sale of 78 million units and taught a lot of kids about the virtual joys, tribulations, and sorrows of digital parenthood.

Tamagotchi may be 105 in dog years, but it has learned a few new tricks along the way. The Tamagotchi iD L 15th Anniversary Model features a full-color screen with new characters and games.… Read more

Summer camp for kid techies

When I was a kid, I went to my fair share of educational summer programs: language camp, clay animation camp, invention camp (and I loved them all). But those are so 20th century. These days, the hot, educational activity during the summer months is tech camp, the obvious choice for kids who are obsessed with playing on their computers, conquering video games, and mastering the thousands of apps for their iPods, tablets, or smartphones.

Now in its 13th season, iD Tech Camps is a ubiquitous program that offers summer courses in a wide range of techie topics at 60 universities … Read more

Case-Mate I.D. adds extra pouch to iPhone

I'm not a fan of protective case for gadgets (which, as long as they function, are fine the way they are, even with a few scratches). For this reason, the only things I've put on my iPhone 3GS so far, and only when I travel, are the Mophie Juice packs, which add more battery life to the phone.

I just, however, found a new protective case that I actually am going to use more regularly, for the sake of convenience. It's the Case-Mate I.D. case.

Unlike other protective cases that try to be as slim as … Read more

Fallout publisher scoops up classic Doom/Quake developer

A bit of consolidation going on in the video game biz today, as ZeniMax Media, parent company of Bethesda Softworks (Elder Scrolls, Fallout 3), is acquiring id Software, developer of the classic Doom, Quake, and Wolfenstein franchises.

While responsible for some of the most important PC games of all time (and essentially creating the first-person shooter with 1992's Wolfenstein 3D), iD has struggled in recent years to find the same relevance among console gamers and develop new properties. The company has also needed to form a more mutually beneficial relationship with a publisher (which is why there are very … Read more

Hands-on with the Canon EOS Rebel T1i

Eventually, it'll become old hat, but for now, the addition of video capture to dSLRs still merits some oohing and aahing. Especially as it comes down to the less expensive models--you know, the ones within reach of the rest of us. So let us buzz eagerly about Canon's latest consumer dSLR, the EOS Rebel T1i, which becomes the cheapest dSLR thus far to support video capture.

Slipping neatly into the company's dSLR product line between the XSi and 40D, the T1i pushes the XTi off the edge of the bed into discontinuity. When it ships in May, it will occupy the popular $800 price segment: $799.99 for the body and $899.99 for the kit with the veteran f3.5-5.6 18-55mm IS lens. … Read more

T-Mobile debuts Sidekick Slide and Sidekick LX

OK, kids--hope you've been nice this year, because here's something you might want to add to your holiday wish lists. Today, T-Mobile announced not one, but two new Sidekicks to be added to its lineup: the T-Mobile Sidekick LX and the T-Mobile Sidekick Slide.

Let's start with the latter since it brings something new to the mobile messaging device: a slide-up screen (all together now: oooohhh, ahhhh). Unlike previous models, which have been manufactured by Sharp/Danger, the Sidekick Slide is made by Motorola and features a smaller design. It measures 4.6 inches wide by 2.… Read more

T-Mobile announces Sidekick iD--a phone for Britney Spears' sister

Ahh, I can just hear all the tweeners now asking mommy and daddy for this new phone. Yes, today T-Mobile introduced the new T-Mobile Sidekick iD, a watered-down and more affordable version of the Sidekick 3. The Sidekick iD features a customizable exterior to match your "style, mood, or that evening's outfit," and strips out the 1.3-megapixel camera, music player, Bluetooth, and expansion slot found on its bigger brother. Other highlights include:

Support for AIM, Yahoo, and Windows Live instant messaging clients, e-mail, and a full HTML Web browser Exchangeable bumpers in black, yellow, blue, white, … Read more