Accessories
Lady GaGa Monster Heartbeats: They're plastic but they still have fun
Lady GaGa is behind the latest entry to the Monster Beats by Dr Dre range of headphones. The artist who brought us such rhyming couplets as, "Eh eh/Nothing more I can say" and, "Mum mum mum mah/Mum mum mum mah" lends her name to the in-ear Monster Heartbeats.
Monster seem to only want to work with artists with titles, perhaps to give the range more respectability. Frankly though, we question whether Dre is a real doctor and -- furthermore -- whether GaGa is in fact a geniune nob. As in, member of the nobility, obviously. Continue reading...
ViewSonic VMP30: Mini media player
If we had a penny for every reader who asked us how to connect their laptop to their big-screen TV, we'd have about £8.73 by now. We've told them all how, obviously, but what we forgot to mention was that you can enjoy digital movies on your TV by using a digital media player such as the ViewSonic VMP30.
The device connects to your telly box via the magic of HDMI and allows you to watch movies, browse photos, listen to music, or view text in relative comfort. Just connect a USB drive or a memory card to the rear of the device, select the HDMI input on your TV and it'll give you access to a wealth of digital file formats, including MPEG1/2/4, RealVideo and H.264, which means Xvid/DivX, Mov, AVI, TS and VOB 1080p files are a go. Continue reading...
USB 3 vs USB 2: Buffalo HD-HXU3 hard drive speed tested
In the beginning, a coalition of the finest tech minds brought us the plug-and-play phenomenon that was USB. Then, a coalition of slightly brainier bods upped its game to bring us the miracle that was Hi-Speed USB 2. Today, Crave has the Buffalo HD-HXU3, the very first external hard drive in the UK that uses the SuperSpeed USB 3 standard. SuperSpeed USB 3, people! Pull up a chair and let's take a butchers'. Continue reading...
LaCie Starck hard drive: Starck stores le stuff 
Design guru Philippe Starck has fulfilled what was no doubt a lifelong ambition by adding the hard drive to his portfolio. LaCie makes a mobile version or a higher-capacity desktop version of Starck storage.
Each of the two drives is wrapped in a 2mm aluminium shell. Inside this oddly textured metal skin is a fluidly curved chrome housing. Continue reading...
Creative MediaBook e-reader to take on Amazon Kindle
Creative is apparently planning to hop aboard the increasingly crowded ebook-reader bandwagon, with a device tentatively titled 'MediaBook'.
According to Creative fan site epiZENter.net, the company displayed a working prototype at its recent annual general meeting. Based on Creative's Zii platform, the final version of the MediaBook will offer a touchscreen, SD card slot, text-to-speech function and Internet access. Continue reading...
Best Bluetooth headsets
Bluetooth has been one of the smartest additions to mobile phones in recent years. It makes it a cinch to use wireless headsets and speakerphones with your mobile, and now with A2DP technology you can also stream music from your handset over the air to a pair of Bluetooth headphones. Here we've rounded up the best Bluetooth headsets, speakerphones and headphones currently on the market. Continue reading...
Parrot Zikmu speakers: Ears-on photos
Renowned product designer Philippe Starck is at it again. The man behind the Microsoft Optical Mouse, various Fossil watches and the Virgin Galactic 'spaceport' -- from which SpaceShipOne will launch guinea pigs space tourists into orbit -- may have just outdone himself with a set of wireless speakers for Parrot.
Admittedly, we don't know much about design, but we reckon the Zikmu speakers, pictured above and in our photo gallery, are gorgeous. They're so gorgeous, in fact, that we'd contemplate undergoing some sort of human-to-speaker species change just so we could dry hump them legally. Continue reading...
Apple Magic Mouse tested, in pictures
Apple's latest foray into the fingery world of multi-touch user interfaces is the Magic Mouse. Although it doesn't outright replace the Mighty Mouse, to all intents and purposes it probably should.
It brings many of the multi-finger gesture controls from the MacBooks to the desktop. The entire surface of the mouse incorporates sensors, so gestures work regardless of where you position your fingers. Continue reading...
Apple Magic Mouse, new iMac and white MacBook hands-on videos
Apple took the wraps off a swishy new mouse and a few new computers yesterday, and while we're off out to see them later to bring you our verdict, our colonial cousins at Crave US have had their hands on them already. First up, Justin Yu gives his first impression of Apple's new Magic Mouse, which allows iPhone-style gesture controls. Watch the video after the jump... Continue reading...
Best iPhone bicycle mounts: Bracket and bike it 
Phones make trusty sat-navs, MP3 players and cycling computers -- as well as handy phones -- so they can replace a pocket full of gear on your daily commute or monthly trek. But short of lashing them to the handlebars with duct tape, you need a decent way to keep them front-and-centre, without them flying off to become the puck in a horrifying game of car hockey. You'll be needing a mount.
With all the mounts we tested, we were surprised how much we enjoyed having our phone at our fingertips while pedalling. Not only did our sat-nav apps benefit from having a clear line of sight to the satellite-soaked sky, but we could answer calls and see texts as they came in, while a quick switch between podcasts was much easier without having to root around in our pockets. Continue reading...
