sewing

This week was a pretty diverse one here at Crave. We covered all the mobile news out of the CTIA 2009 trade show thoroughly, but there was plenty of other stuff going on.

• On Thursday, we brought you news of a robot that came up with its own genetic hypotheses--and then tested them on its own. If they call it Skynet, we're screwed.

• We also told you that AT&T would start selling subsidized Netbooks for $50, which is something I modestly predicted last year.

• We had some fun with Nintendo's new DSi, and marveled at how … Read more

Seamstresses may find themselves out of job soon if Brother continues to develop sewing machines like the Innov-is 6000D. This multitalented gadget commemorates the Japanese company's 100th anniversary, and is probably what clothes makers and fashion designers dream of at night.

The Innov-is 6000D can not only sew, it is also capable of embroidery, quilting, and crafting. But what really sets this machine apart from its competitors are the advanced technologies that aid users in operating it.

The Innov-is 6000D has three USB 2.0 ports to attach compatible peripherals (such as a computer mouse, which we will touch on later) or to plug a USB stick in to transfer downloaded stitching patterns or upgrade the firmware. It also has an 8.5-inch touch-screen LCD where the menu can be navigated by using a mouse.

There is a camera built-in near the needle which gives you a closeup look at the stitches on the screen if you need to reposition or make amendments to the work piece. Brother has also incorporated a row of LEDs below the sewing arm to illuminate the work space and to facilitate the view for the camera. … Read more

Standard black laptop cases: boring. Fancy laptop cases: expensive. Sewing your own laptop/iPod case: Probably totally inconvenient, but in the end perhaps rewarding--if, that is, you like bobbins and seam rippers, or even know what they are.

Still not convinced? You probably can't buy a laptop case in crazy tattoo-inspired fabric (see below), but you could make one. And because this is a family friendly-ish blog, you'll have to click through to some of the other, ahem, interesting fabrics you could pick. Of course, sewing your own will require a few hours of precious time and owning … Read more

Several CES booths had the telltale orange and black HD Radio sign, designating that they were selling at least one device with an HD Radio receiver in it. There was also some buzz over a new feature that lets you flag a song for later purchase on iTunes (this works only on models with an iPod dock). I stopped by iBiquity's booth--they're the developers of HD Radio technology--to get an overview of all the supported devices out there, and it's a pretty impressive list, including home radios from Creative, JBL, and Sony, plus automotive radios from many … Read more

Sure there are flashy tvs, phones that vie for the iPhone's status, more flat screens than you can shake a stick at, but at today's CES sneak-peak, I noticed some of the more random things at CES 2008 that caught my attention:

Juice This!

Duracell, battery manufacturer galore, is making plugging in easier with these plug-in-able packs. Maybe it's me, but with brown-outs, black-outs and white-outs lately, it may be worthwhile to think about.

Sew This!

Maybe it's Project Runway's fault, but I even saw Brother sewing machines at CES. Maybe they're Wi-Fi enabled … Read more

On-screen instruction for household activities has been around for years, especially in the kitchen for cooking and such. So Bernina got the bright idea to apply the concept to other domestic chores--namely, sewing.

Its "Artista 730E" has a color touchscreen built right into the machine at eye level and is loaded with Windows software, according to Chip Chick, to help with sewing patterns, quilting and embroidery. It even has a "stitch library" that includes 850 stich types and more than 100 embroidery patterns.

All of this is well and good, but don't think you'll … Read more

The idea of a fabric keyboard sounded kind of nutty to us until we saw the photos of this one on Engadget. jkOnTheRun reports that Glen Evans of PocketPC Solutions has tried out this working model from Eleksen, which doubles as protective case, and found it "very usable on a daily basis"--despite its decidedly weird look. It's not that we have anything against this concept, but what's with that electric lime color?

(Photo: jkOnTheRun)