The LG Prada II

Last month, we showed you a sneak peek of the LG Prada II, which will supposedly have a slide-out QWERTY keyboard as well as touch-screen controls. Well, the Boy Genius Report has dug up some supposed specs of the Prada II, and ...

Is Yanko's concept design for a Zune smartphone intriguing, or frightening?

(Credit: Yanko Design)

It's a fake, folks. The "Zune Contact" phone dreamed up by Adam Huffman from Yanko Design is pure fantasy, and it's not the first.

If you like what you see, don't ...

As someone who regularly councils consumers to avoid overpriced after-market repair services for computer hardware, I was intrigued by a report from Glassdoor.com (a Web site where employees anonymously dish about their employers) that compares the purported average salaries for Apple and Best Buy front-line tech-support personnel.

Both the ...

The PC maker and the once notoriously embattled digital-music pioneer announced Friday that Lenovo customers will get a free, 14-day trial subscription to ...

The LG gets approval from the Feds.

Last week, Nicole Lee told you about the rumored LG LX600 for Sprint, and this week we see that it has received the official nod from the Federal Communications Commission.

Only the most passionate cell phone geeks know that the FCC ...

(Credit: Nyko)

At first glance, the new Wing Wireless Classic Controller from Nyko looks like it's everything the original Nintendo Classic Controller should have been. While the Nintendo controller is oddly rounded, the Wing looks much more ergonomically satisfying with its edgier sides and form factor. It's almost as if they combined the Nintendo Classic Controller with a PlayStation DualShock.

Most noteworthy, the Wing will use a wireless dongle system, similar to the Kama Wireless Nunchuk setup where a dongle is attached to the Wii remote. This will eliminate the awkward wired connection that the Nintendo Classic Controller uses, but will also require two AAA batteries to work. However, if you decide to use rechargeable batteries, Nyko has fitted the Wing with a mini USB port that will allow for convenient charging.

Like the original Nintendo Classic Controller, the Nyko Wing will work with all Virtual Console games, select Wii games, and the recently added WiiWare library of games.

The Nyko Wing Wireless Classic Controller will ship sometime in October for $30, about $10 more than the Nintendo original. Check CNET in the coming weeks for a full review. For now, click through for some more photos of the Wing....]]> http://news.cnet.com/8301-1_105-10033887-1.html Fri, 05 Sep 2008 19:53:00 GMT Jeff Bakalar http://news.cnet.com/8301-1_105-10033770-1.html?part=rss&tag=feed&subj=Crave

Touching Lenovo's new concept external hard drive shows its capacity.

(Credit: DesignLaunches.com)

I reviewed the WD My Passport external hard drive recently and thought it was really cool with the storage gauge that lights up when plugged in to show how much storage space has been used. ...

Find your way around the Big Apple.

When my colleague Josh Lowensohn wrote his original and well-received 10 Absurd iPhone Apps blog, I agreed with most of his picks. Yet there was one application with which I rather sheepishly had to take issue. I love maps of all kinds so I was dismayed when I found "public transit maps" in the No. 8 slot. Yes, Josh makes good arguments that transit maps are free online, and that you can plan your route before you leave the house, but I thought it sounded like a cool idea. So, during a trip to New York City last week, I packed CNET's iPhone armed with the CityTransit NYC Subway Guide by Magnetism Studios. I put it to heavy use during my stay and definitely thought it was worth the $2.99 price. Here's why.

Don't look like a tourist
I know New York somewhat well, but if I need to get from 39th Avenue in Long Island City to 14th Street in Manhattan, I'll need to look at a subway map to do so. While I can plan out the route before hand, my short-term memory seems to vanish while on vacation. With the complete subway maps on my iPhone, however, I can check my route while on the train (remember that you can't get the Internet while underground), but I can do so on the sly. I can avoid being the gawking tourist, craning my neck around seated riders to read the map on the side of the car. For all they know, I'm just reading my e-mail.

You also can look at a list of all stops on each line--very useful if you get on an express train accidentally. My only suggestion is that you can't zoom in on the maps very far. And even when you can zoom in, the maps can be blurry.

Motorola U9

Though Motorola has succeeded in making a series of reliable, practical cell phones this year, the company hasn't been working the style angle that hard. Sure, the Z9 and Rokr E8 are attractive, but even those handsets put function over form.

The ...