Gadgettes, the blog

We found tons of little gizmos that either brought us thoughts of "awww cute" or thoughts of "awww really?" Also, man babies and sticky mats. What, you really want me to explain that in further detail? Really?

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Angel. Baby. Pinocchio. Witch. Webcam

Battery-bot breaks world record at Le Mans

Are they just messing with us now? The strangest Wii accessory yet

HotCans prove that canned food need never be cold-n-stale

Aroma USB drives away memories of bad odors

Hot Asian Gadgets
A good way to fight crime? Anti-burglar door mat

Pink Watch
Sony Ericsson Conducts Rigorous Analysis of “Women,” Presents Findings In Phone Form

What the hell?
The PRC is your Personal Rockin’ Chair

Potty Time
Portable Toilet Speakers offer you relief of the music kind

Tool Time
Make New Friends With The Portable Tap Dispenser

HELLO COUGAR SUBMISSIONS

Hello Cougar contest

Two months worth of Twilight talk has resulted in this homage that we lovingly refer to as "goth-lite." Take a walk on the dark side with the Gadgettes and special guest Natali Del Conte.

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EPISODE 146

Skull phone shows just how wild and crazy you are

Report: U.S. military developing robots that eat human flesh

Gory intercom system a savagely funny concept

Meet the black Wii

iKey's AK-39 wearable keyboard is about as weapon-like as it sounds

Sense and Sensibility and Sea Monsters

Sometimes, in order to grow, you need to take a step back and look with adoration and respect to the things you took for granted as a child. It also helps to mock them incessantly.

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EPISODE 144

“Grease” game coming to Nintendo

Cool lunchbox for hot food

Retro video games in Legos

6 high-tech ways to upgrade your barbecue from start to finish

Pretttttyyyy (Jason edition)
Vacuum-tube chess set

What the hell?
The Microsoft vomit ad saga

Kill Me
The most expensive 16 gigabytes on the planet: The Mnemosyne USB cube

Tool Time
Video mask allows you to film underwater hands-free

Gender gap
thereifixedit.com

It’s about time (childhood nostalgia edition)
iPod clock terrorizes hobbits

Whether you're BBQ'ing, lazing by the pool, or showing those (un)fortunate souls all of your summer vacation photos, this episode has a little something for everyone.

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EPISODE 139

Livio Radio review: Pandora streaming, with a high-end look

Bose unveils SoundDock Series II for iPod–and iPhone

TomTom GO 740 Live is our GPS Editors’ Choice

Sharp’s sun-powered phone almost beach-ready

Powerbrella juices up your gadgets while you lay in the shade

Pico projector roundup

What used to be romantic tends to be seen as just plain creepy these days. And quite possibly somewhat stalker-ish too. So of course, we do what we always do when it comes to gadgets and accessories that have the potential of abuse...we mock them endlessly.

EPISODE 124

Wii Fit for Valentine’s Day: It’s ok. Really.

10 Valentine’s Day gifts to get you dumped

Valentine’s Day gifts for the geeky girl

USB Plasma Heart spectacularly displays your love

Nokia Cupid - the anonymous way to say “I want you”

Blow a Valentine’s kiss with your iPhone

I got the Wii Fit for Valentine's Day. And yes, I know that the Wii Fit is verboten as a Valentine's Day gift, and is in the same category as like, sugar-free candy or the 30 Day Shred DVD (which, by the way, is a fat-burning miracle). But here's the thing: my husband isn't trying to tell me I'm fat. He just knows I want a Wii fit. Therefore, I am happy that I got a Wii Fit. It's fun. Can we please, ladies with geek leanings, please try to get the message out there that fun is fun, and the Wii Fit is fun, and not some sort of insult that just shows how men just do not understand?

OK, maybe it's not the top Valentine's Day gift idea for the general population (I've got a long history of getting practical, geeky gifts for V-Day, like a VCR and, one year, a self-scooping litter box--it's kind of our thing). But I've seen hints that women are planning to get offended by receiving the Wii Fit for Christmas or birthdays, too. That's just silly. If you're not in an emotionally unhealthy relationship, like the kind where your significant other mocks your weight or otherwise belittles your appearance, then what's wrong with bringing a little Wii Fit into your lives? It's fun, it's a good little gateway drug to overall health and fitness, and if you want it, you should be happy to receive it, whatever the occasion. Odds are that your husband just loves you and wants to get you something that's fun and good for you and a little more original than a heart-shaped necklace from Kay Jewelers (ew). Odds are, too, that he went to quite a lot of trouble to find one of the damn things, especially one that doesn't come as an overpriced bundle. Just say thanks, open it up, and try to see who can dodge more flying panda heads. It's surprisingly romantic.

This time of year, most men are thinking the same thing: another Valentine's Day, another overpriced necklace. Well, gentlemen, us girls are tired of the same old bling, so it's time you ditch the Tiffany's box and get us a gift that's as geeky as we are.

1. Juicy Couture Heart USB Drive. Even though your girl is a little geeky, it doesn't mean she can't be fashionable, too. For $65, you get a measly 1GB of storage, but everyone knows you have to pay a price for fashion. Bonus: it comes gift-boxed!

2. HP Vivienne Tam Netbook. We love this red, pink, and purple Netbook at CNET, and your valentine will too. It has an ultra-comfortable keyboard, and a 10-inch screen. Be careful, though--it may just be the new love of her life.

3. Chocomiis. Are you more of the traditional type? Well, you can still gift her with chocolates, but these ones have a twist: chocolate Wii avatars. This may be the geekiest Valentine's Day gift yet, because it also comes in a box that looks like the Nintendo Wii.

(Credit: Paul Pepe Designs)

4. Nintendo DS accessory pack. This is when I wish I still had my Nintendo DS. The set comes with a flashy rhinestone case, a pink stylus, and an earbud case that doubles as a compact mirror--just to make sure she looks good while she plays. Not into the whole set? You can order just the case from Amazon.com.

5. Elecom jeweled earbuds. If you'd still like to give her jewels this year, try these heart-shaped, rhinestone earbuds. They're a great substitution for those boring iPod buds, and she'll be thinking of you every time she puts those little hearts in her ears. They're available in pink, white, and black for $24.95.

Two decades ago, video games, like comic books before them, were written off as a form of entertainment strictly for children. Just like the comic book industry eventually produced mature, extremely-not-for-kids books like Alan Moore's Watchmen or Garth Ennis' Preacher, the video game industry has produced mature, extremely-not-for-kids games like BioWare's Mass Effect and 2K Games' Bioshock. These games can have violence, sex, and very strong language, and are not appropriate for children.

Fortunately, each of the three major video game consoles (Xbox 360, Nintendo Wii, and PlayStation 3) include built-in security features to lock out mature games and ensure that kids can't play anything you don't want them to play.

The Xbox 360 and Wii use the Entertainment Software Rating Board's rating system. The ESRB classifies video games into a variety of age and content-based categories, like movie and television ratings. Games rated E or E10 are appropriate for most audiences, and can be compared with G- and PG-rated movies. Games rated T are most appropriate for teens and older gamers, and can contain violence, suggestive situations, and occasionally strong language. They're the game equivalent of PG-13 movies. Games rated M are intended for users 17 and up, and can include nudity, extreme violence, and very strong language. These are the R-rated titles of the gaming world.

The PlayStation 3 (and Sony's portable gaming system, the PlayStation Portable), use numeric levels. These systems can set security levels from 1 to 11, where 1 only lets the most tame games through and 11 plays nearly all titles. Though they can require a little more experimentation than the Xbox 360 and Wii, the PS3 and PSP can still help control what games your kids can play.

These three guides will walk you through setting up parental controls on each of the three major systems, along with the PSP.

• Microsoft Xbox 360
• Nintendo Wii
• Sony PlayStation 3 and PlayStation Portable

The Nintendo Wii has plenty of great games for children and adults. However, it also has a handful of incredibly violent titles that can be fun for adults but completely inappropriate for children. While Super Mario Galaxy is a fun, cute game children can enjoy, No More Heroes is an ultraviolent gorefest and Manhunt 2 will probably give them all nightmares. Fortunately, the Wii has a built-in parental control system that lets you limit what games your children can play. This handy guide can help you set up your Wii to make certain your children will only play appropriate games.

Please note: The Nintendo Wii uses game ratings designed by the Entertainment Software Rating Board. Like the MPAA and movie ratings, the ESRB divides games into age-based categories, including E for Everyone, T for Teen, and M for Mature. For more information on the ESRB rating system, visit their Web site. ... Read more