obsessable

At this point, I've looked at sites that have given me the power to create fake hair, Wii-free Mii avatars, and one that did virtual makeup. Now it's time to try one that does fake tattoos. Is the human body a sacred thing? Yes, but certainly not on the Internet.

Meet Obsessive Ink, the latest site to create a "virtual you" that can be modified with realistic tattoos. It lets you see what you'd look like with a tattoo, given you put in enough effort to make its virtual avatars look like your own face … Read more

Randall Bennett, co-creator of The 404 and now the host of TechVi, joins us on today's show to talk about his journey around the globe, a few of his new projects, and how he's saving the world one post office box at a time.

We've had Randall on the show before, but this is the first time we've seen him since he moved back to New York from his brief but productive stint on the Left Coast. What the heck has he been doing this whole time? Well, Randall is a man of many many talents, and he tells us that he's been using those talents for projects including Tech Vi (pronounced vee), a constantly updated tech news outlet with frequent guests that include industry pundits from Engadget, Popular Mechanics, and a couple of lame dudes that have no idea what they're talking about.

Randall also lets us in on some big news in the works for TechVi that actually involves the CNET departed, so be sure to listen closely to hear it first!

Per usual, the second half is all about the latest news in the world of silly tech and beyond. Following up on yesterday's story about the young woman falling through a manhole while texting, we discuss an even worse occasion: a different woman has twittered through a bank robbery! How is that possible? Well, mainly because the trackball on her BlackBerry smartphone fell off, rendering her incapable of doing anything on her phone but twittering out asinine messages like "cant figure out how to call work without a trackball... police just arrived. maybe theyll let me go now." Me, I probably would've twittered something useful, like "OMFG call the cops frealsies, there's an effing gun in my face."

Be sure to listen to the entire episode to hear Randall's hilarious story about how he saved the lives of countless Netflixers by stopping a man from burning down a post office box. New York needs more good Samaritans like you, dude! Also, feel free to leave us a voicemail (a clean one we can actually play on the air, sans caviar) at 1-866-404-CNET!

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It's probably just coincidence, but the timing of this offering from luxury phone maker Vertu is interesting. Just yesterday we noted the resemblance between its handsets and those of rival Obsession, and today that perception was reinforced by Vertu's new "Signature Yellow & White Diamonds" model.

True to form, the company spared little expense in creating this handmade tart, embedding 2.4 carats of yellow diamonds another 4.4 carats of white diamonds in its 18k gold case, according to Sybarites. Even the battery cover is adorned with yellow diamond studs.

Not surprisingly, this is yet … Read more

It's not enough for U.K.-based Goldstriker to churn out custom wares in gold, platinum, and diamonds. The eponymous phone-customizing shop is now marketing products from Obsession, the English purveyor of ultra-high-end mobiles phones. (Not to be confused with Calvin Klein's much-parodied fragrances.)

First up is the "Aphrodite" model, which comes in either platinum or 24k gold and diamonds totaling 2.1 carats, according to Luxurylaunches. It looks similar to Nokia's luxury Vertu line, which makes sense given the market they're going after, and even uses leather as part of the phone's … Read more

Whenever something's a legitimate social phenomenon these days, you can typically follow the zeitgeist on Craigslist. The impending Apple iPhone is no exception.

I was inspired by a recent Cult of Mac post to hunt on Craigslist for some of my favorite "Buy me an iPhone!" or "I'll buy you an iPhone!" ads, which I've detailed below. Interestingly enough, they were restricted to the biggest of big cities, as far as I could tell (New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Chicago, Boston) and I could track down only one that promised a genuinely … Read more

Just between us, one of our colleagues has this inexplicable fixation on radiators. Yes, we think it's odd too, but we try not to be judgmental here at Crave.

In fact, to show our support, we'll even contribute to her eccentric cause with an item of our own, the "Modum" from Italy's Tubor, maker of the LED mirror radiator and other unique heating appliances.

What distinguishes this latest offering, however, is not just another weird design: The Modum has a built-in AM-FM radio and can even be ordered with a perfume diffuser and an ionizer, … Read more

Our hypochondriatic society has given rise to all manner of bacteria-resistant computer equipment and even gadgets that claim to have germ-eliminating lights so you can lay waste to evil kooties wherever you go. But some of us aren't quite at that level of obsessive-compulsiveness (yet) and just like to keep our workspaces tidy.

Philips understands that and is putting its clean genes to work on the most used and abused item on the desktop: the lowly mouse. The company is offering a new line of "dirt-free mice" that have a "wipe-clean, high-gloss casing to prevent dirt … Read more

If the term "Apple fanboy" were in the dictionary, a line drawing of Jeremy Mehrle could well appear beside it. Chip Chick says the St. Louis resident has 74 Macs on display, including 30 that adorn the bar pictured here. "His collection contains 18 different CRT-based iMacs, a Next Cube, four different Apple II computers, and a 20th a Anniversary Mac," she says, citing MacLife Magazine as her source. It's even more impressive when you see the photos of the rest of the abode, which can be found on Flickr.