accessories

Admit it, you're selfish. You never think about the needs of your cell phone. You drop it, pound the keypad, and constantly take it out of your pocket/holster/garter belt without thinking about the toll it takes on your phone.

But this plush cell-phone bed gives you a chance to rectify your self-centered ways. For about $10 you can give your hard-working phone a stylish way to relax. The bed also comes with two pink slippers that work as screen cleaners. Your cell phone isn't the only device that can catch some rest, as your iPod can … Read more

OK, OK, I'm harsh. I know. The recently launched Clix Cradle from iRiver isn't all that unattractive. Indeed, it looks to be reasonably useful. It includes a single speaker and seems to prop up the player at a handy viewing angle for video watching. But is it just me, or does this new dock look like a serious step down from the original Clix cradle?

First of all, the old version (pictured below) included dual speakers for stereo sound and had a cool snooze button on top for using the player as an alarm clock. It also came … Read more

Considering our "love" of all things Hello Kitty and all things pirate-related on this blog, you might think that this post is a joke. In fact, when Tim Moynihan heard about it, he said "holy s-burgers!" and expressed the emotion that perhaps this is the Crave gadget to end all Crave gadgets. And Erica Ogg said, "I think Crave might explode when you post that."

(I said no. It would be the Crave apocalypse if it were a Hello Kitty pirate toy that changed color when you plugged it into a USB port. So … Read more

That loud creaking noise you hear is the sound of enormous floodgates opening: The era of the iPhone accessory has arrived.

Not even a full day has passed since we mentioned that the first cases for the iPhone were on the market, and already two more are supposedly rushing our way from an outfit called BeyzaCases. Gear Diary says these models come in leather and a lot more colors than the first batch.

Now can we please see the phone before we get any more accessories?

I've missed plenty of calls when my cell phone has been in my pocket, so I can imagine that people who carry a phone in a purse or bag have the same problem. But with the Phoneflasher line of charms, missing calls can be a thing of the past.

Simply clip the trinket onto your purse and whenever you receive a call or text message, the charm wirelessly picks up the signal and flashes. The Web site offers no specifics on how this works, so you'll have to take the company's word for it.

You can choose … Read more

Well, it's about time. It's been nearly five months since Emperor Jobs anointed the iPhone, and only now are we seeing its first cases.

After all, it took only about 5 minutes for a Bluetooth headset to come out. Such is the perverse order of events in the world of high tech, where accessories can often precede the star attraction. But we digress.

EBcases has released two new lines, the eNovo iPhone Clip and the eCopilot, according to Textually.org and iPhoneFreak. The Copilot is offered only in "Rouge," but the eNovo case comes in a … Read more

Now that the Xbox 360 Elite has been released, let's take a look at which accessories are must-buys. The actual amount of accessories you'll want ultimately will be up to you, but some decisions should be made depending on which version of the Xbox 360 you have. An Xbox 360 Core System owner will need to buy more accessories than an Xbox 360 Elite owner simply because of the difference in the items bundled with each system. Here's a list of what you should consider when in the market for Xbox 360 add-ons.

Extra controllers and batteries: … Read more

HDMI isn't just for HDTVs any more. As the high-def movement continues to march forward, HDMI connections are becoming standard equipment on everything from cable and satellite boxes, DVRs, game consoles, AV receivers, and DVD players to network media devices, PC video cards, and even camcorders. That means even a fairly modest home theater setup--say, an HD DVR, PlayStation 3, Apple TV, and a DVD recorder--could have three or more HDMI-equipped AV sources. While many higher-end TVs and AV receivers are beginning to sport three or even four HDMI inputs, the industry standard is still stuck at around two.

Traditionally, HD aficionados suffering from an HDMI deficit would bite the bullet and run their sources via component once they ran out of HDMI inputs. But doing so obviates the whole advantage of HDMI to begin with; in addition to losing any fidelity advantage offered by HDMI, you quadruple or quintuple the cable needs (three separate component cables, plus one or two for audio) per source. But there's an easy and straightforward solution: an HDMI switcher. Switchers have one simple task--toggling between multiple inputs--and they can expand the number of available HDMI inputs to your HDTV or AV receiver by a factor of two, three, or even four. … Read more

Need that next on-the-go gaming session to go all night? The new Extended PSP Battery from Blue Raven Technology may be your dream product. The snap-on, lithium-polymer, 4,500mAh battery pack aims to deliver as much as 15 hours of PSP playtime--a big step up from the 3 to 5 hours offered by the PSP's default battery. But the increased playtime comes at a cost: The Extended PSP Battery is about the same size and weight as the PSP itself (5 ounces for the battery vs. 6.2 for the PSP), and it costs a whopping $90. On the … Read more