friday

We've been talking a lot about how the next big thing in TVs is 3D tech. But one problem, as my CNET's Erica Ogg points out, is that the sets we've seen all have proprietary glasses, meaning that one brand's glasses may not work with another brand's TV.

This might be a minor problem for some, but it could be a deal breaker for others. Since most households have multiple TVs these days, there may soon be a time at which someone has a Toshiba upstairs and a Samsung downstairs, each with their own pairs … Read more

Right now the Interwubs are all a-flutter with rumors about the forthcoming version 4 of the iPhone OS. Chief among these tittle-tattles is that it will include the ability to multitask, something other advanced phone operating systems can do that the iPhone can't, much to the chagrin of its users.

Other rumors include an updated interface with widgets in addition to apps; speed improvements; and a lock screen that displays texts, e-mails, and other alerts.

There are more things Apple could do to the OS within the constraints of the current hardware, and we'd like to know what … Read more

When we learned about an experimental technology earlier this week that turns your skin into an interactive surface, our collective skin crawled with delight. Skinput, developed by researchers at Carnegie Mellon University and Microsoft, is an acoustic bio-sensor armband that picks up sound patterns created when tapping a forearm or palm.

Specific acoustic signatures from different areas on the hand or forearm can be linked to functions like dialing a phone, operating an MP3 player, or playing Tetris. Pinching and flicking gestures can also be used for commands, and adding a pico projector to the armband can display menu selections … Read more

I've been working for hours with Clearwire--the fancy WiMax ISP we mentioned this week--to get my newer, faster Clear modem up and running.

So far, so good. It's faster than my original Clearwire service. And at $30 a month--down from the $55 I was paying with Comcast--it's a pretty good deal; I really don't need 15Mbps from a cable modem, and I don't have a landline for DSL. (Sorry, Quest!)

But that doesn't mean I don't shop around. I'm a fickle consumer when it comes to certain things and broadband is … Read more

This week Microsoft showed off some of the awesomeness that is Windows Mobile 7. Er, Windows Phone 7. Or whatever we're supposed to call it now. Actually, even though the new mobile operating system looks cool, some people are still confused by the name.

Is Windows Phone the name of the platform? Is it what we call the hardware on which the OS runs? Both?

Actually, I'm going to take a stab at Microsoft marketing here. The company definitely does things "by committee," as they say, so I'm just going to brainstorm and put out … Read more

A year ago, I was a bitter, jaded single guy tasked with writing a Valentine's Day poll for geeks. Here we are, a full year later, and I feel just the same, thanks for asking.

But instead of focusing on the best geeky gifts that you, readers, could get your wonderful, amazing significant others, I want to know what I, as a single nerd, could get myself to attract the perfect geek girl. Or at least make myself feel better. What should I buy during my next round of retail therapy?

Or maybe you have better ideas. If so, … Read more

We saw a few tablet-esque devices at CES earlier this month, and they were getting interesting. Then on Wednesday, as expected, Apple threw its "i"-obsessed hat into the ring with the iPad which, as is typical when Apple does something, caused the tech reporting world to go all crazy.

You heard about the iPad, right? If not you can google it on Bing.

Anyway, there are now tablets--plural--out there. Which means there's a good chance that you, as a gadget enthusiast, will either be buying one or at least entertaining the idea of buying one … Read more

We've covered quite a few eye-catching DIY creations lately, from a pilot who used duct tape to fix his bear-bitten airplane to a toy Star Trek phaser that actually works (and could potentially blind and/or kill you).

We also covered a Super Mario Bros. sweater, a garage-built Antarctic snow chopper, a robot flower girl, and a bridal bouquet that measures biometric data and displays it as crazy changing colors so everyone can see how nervous the bride and groom are. We're not sure why they'd want to do that, but they did.

We can think of … Read more

This week can more or less be summed up in three words (or should we say three acronyms?)--CES, CES, CES. It's virtually impossible to keep up with the avalanche of announcements rolling out of the gadget blowout in Vegas, and if your head is spinning as much as ours, you'd be hard-pressed to list your standouts just yet.

But what if your pushy Crave editors told you you absolutely had to cite your pick for the most exciting or noteworthy news out of CES 2010 so far (or else Crave would only post Hello Kitty gadget news … Read more