bats!

The Crabble is the second generation of folding iPod and iPhone stands from London-based Seskimo. Compared with the BatRest, which was last year's model, the Crabble comes with rubbery grips that hold onto both your device and whatever surface you're resting it on, making it useful for flights or train rides where an occasional jolt would send the old one sliding. This also lets you do things like press buttons and navigate without having to use the other hand to steady the holder.

Despite the addition of the grips, the new model still fits in a wallet or … Read more

Playboy opens up its back catalog of magazines to the Internet for free, and we're all at a loss of words. Tread lightly, buzz brigade. Also, IE8 users are downgrading to IE7 after only one weekend of use. Something smells Vista-ee in here.

Someone pays: Sony charges publishers for PS3 bandwidth http://arstechnica.com/gaming/news/2009/03/someone-pays-sony-charges-publishers-for-ps3-bandwidth.ars

IE 8 users downgrading to IE 7 http://www.informationweek.com/news/internet/browsers/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=216200082&subSection=News

Kindle firmware update http://news.cnet.com/8301-17938_105-10200969-1.html

Skype … Read more

A bat hitched a ride on the space shuttle Discovery and I think it's going to be a long long time till touchdown brings it down again. Of course, IBM apparently wants to buy Sun too. We also cover the hot new features in the latest software update for the Nokia 5800. Oh, and the iPhone too.

IBM to buy Sun? http://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/19/technology/companies/19sun.html?partner=rss&emc=rss http://news.cnet.com/8301-1001_3-10198901-92.html

iPhone OS 3.0: What you need to … Read more

While there are stories about Windows 7, the FCC investigating Cox Cable, and the Palm Pre launching in March, you really need to listen to the story of the Klingon who robbed a convenience store. Really.

Six editions of Windows 7: Better than Vista, still too many http://arstechnica.com/microsoft/news/2009/02/official-windows-7-skus-revealed-six-editions.ars http://news.cnet.com/8301-13860_3-10155943-56.html http://blogs.zdnet.com/microsoft/?p=1890

Vuze calls for FCC probe of Cox Cable traffic management http://arstechnica.com/telecom/news/2009/02/vuze-calls-for-fcc-probe-of-cox-cable-traffic-management.ars

AT&T to … Read more

Last week, I reported on how to make your own iPhone stand using a simple binder clip. I'm still a huge fan of all things free, but if you watch a lot of videos on your iPhone and suffer from a disease that forces you to spend money, get your stand from the folks at Seskimo.

Their foldable "Bat Rest" is roughly the same size as a credit card and is easily adjustable for different viewing angles. It's also very useful for disarming criminals if thrown with trained precision. It comes in three colors (black, white, and translucent) and only costs $3.99, which is pretty darn close to free. Heck, buy two from the Web site and they'll throw in shipping for free! And if for some reason you harbor prejudice against our bat-friends, Seskimo also makes a different stand shaped like a set of bullhorns.

More pictures after the jump, thanks to Barrier Bloor for the link.… Read more

LOUISVILLE, Ky.--The other night, I found myself watching the College World Series on TV, the first time I'd seen any amateur baseball in some time.

But there was something wrong with it: Every time someone hit the ball, there was a loud pinging sound when an aluminum bat connected with horsehide. If you're a baseball fan, you know what I mean.

Contrast that, however, with the pure sounds I was treated to Thursday when I stopped on Road Trip 2008 at the Louisville Slugger factory here and spent a couple of hours on a behind-the-scenes tour of … Read more

Iron Man may be getting all the press these days, but Batman will always be No. 1 in our pantheon of superheroes. (With Mr. Furious coming in a close second.) So even though we're reasonably sure that this Batman MP3 player won't displace the iPod anytime soon, we still wouldn't mind adding it to our collection. Described by Gizmodo as "shaped like a 2.75-inch black bat shuriken," it has 1GB of memory and comes with headphones made to resemble "bat suit hood ear-shaped bat ears." Perfect for late-night viewings in the Bat Cave.… Read more

As more bored millionaires spend untold sums on movie-themed theaters, we're pleased to find that not all of them are based on Star Trek or Star Wars. (Just 99.9 percent.)

Yet none of these, in our humble opinion, can compare with the "Bat Cave" seen on Slippery Brick. The latest custom job by Canada's Elite Home Theater Seating provides an impressive subterranean atmosphere, from its dramatic lighting to ersatz stalactites.

As far as options are concerned, the sky's the limit (to mix a few metaphors). The bat-shadow screen cover, however, should be required.

With the holidays right around the corner, here's something to consider stuffing in that stocking. The Vamp from Inter Active Toy is a great gift for kids age 8 and up. It's essentially a radio-controlled flying bat that can be used indoors and outdoors.

Six AA batteries power the remote, which in turn charges the Vamp via a small plug. A full charge--around 15 to 20 minutes--should give you about 8 minutes of flight time. The Vamp retails for $59 and is exclusive to Radio Shack in the United States and Circuit City in Canada. It is expected … Read more