The Internet was up in arms this week protesting SOPA, PIPA, and the sudden takedown of Megaupload. At times, things got downright nuclear, so we can understand if you missed out on some Crave-y goodness. That's why we've rounded up a few highlights for you to enjoy this weekend.
Some couples commemorate their love with romantic getaways and nice dinners; other couples get shrink-wrapped and pose for pictures.
Is this the look of love?
(Credit:
Photographer Hal)
If vacuum-sealed humans isn't your idea of art, perhaps you'll find more beauty in these X-ray images.
A wary Rich Brown goes hands on with the new Alienware X51 gaming desktop.
Ding dong. "Who's ther... [Read more]Related Links:Google will protest SOPA using popular home pageAnonymous goes nuclear; everybody loses?Wikipedia to join Web blackout protesting SOPADNS provision pulled from SOPA, victory for opponentsWSJ comes out for SOPA, more lawmakers pull support more..
Info-starved no more--home energy gadget clues you in
A looking glass into your electricity meter--a sensor that reads data and send it to a Wi-Fi gateway for reading online.
(Credit:
Martin LaMonica/CNET)
You may think you know how much electricity you're using, but there's a whole lot more you could--and should--know.
Despite living in the information age, most of us are basically in the dark when it comes to electricity bills, with just a rough idea of how much we consume every month and what it will cost.
Over the last few weeks, I've been testing a whole-house energy monitor from startup Wattvision, which actually answers basic questions, such as how much and when you consume electricity and how it trends over time. I also hooked up my home's real-time electricity feed to another startup's analytics Web service called PlotWatt to get more detail on what's consuming energy.
How to get electricity meter data online (photos)
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A couple of hardware gadgets made it all possible, but using the services showed me that a lot o... [Read more]Related Links:Five fitness-tracking apps for AndroidTendril opens up home energy Web servicesPower-wasting battery chargers to go on energy dietCNET's soothsayers tackle 2012Lowe's muscles into smart home more..
Games that make you rage on iOS
(Credit:
CNET)
Old-school gamers will remember an age when there were no continues, no checkpoints, and no respawns. If you died during a level, that was it--you went back to the beginning of the level to do it all again. The craziest thing about it? You liked it even though it drove you crazy.
These days, a gaming purist might say games have gotten too easy and gamers have gotten too soft. When dying in a game doesn't mean anything, how can you truly enjoy the game? I'm not sure it matters, but I can see both sides. Maybe after checking out this collection--if you don't throw your iPhone through your computer screen from frustration--you can tell me what you think in the comments.
This week's collection of iOS apps is all about games that are both frustrating and addictive. The first is a favorite of mine from 2011 that is sure to induce rage seizures (not really, but you know what I mean). The second gives you some easy levels to start with but quickly gets extremely hard. The third is all about collecting weapon crates (or at least attempting to) for high scores.
It may look peaceful, but it took me about 10 restarts to get this point--not even close to the finish.
(Credit:
Screenshot by Jason Parker/CNET)
League of Evil ($1.99) has been aroun... [Read more]Related Links:Best apps for iPhoneFive startup predictions for 2012Easy video effects apps for iOSiMessage bug swats iPhone owners who switch to AndroidPhoto collage apps for iOS more..
Can the education-focused OLPC XO 3.0 tablet teach consumer manufacturers anything useful?
Will the OLPC XO 3.0 start a trend of inexpensive, waterproof, low power tablets? I hope so, just as long as I don't have to deal with the consequences.
(Credit:
Eric Franklin/CNET)
Nearly 18 months ago, One Laptop Per Child (OLPC) laid out plans to introduce a $100, education-focused tablet. While the design and features of that original mockup have changed, at CES 2012, OLPC and Marvell finally introduced a working model, the X0 3.0.
We briefly covered the announcement during CES week, but in getting some hands-on with the device and speaking with the developers of this unique tablet, it got me thinking. With its low power, low cost approach to tablets, is there anything useful the XO 3.0 can teach consumer tablet manufacturers?
Honestly, to avoid burying the lede too much here, I'll say that I'm not sure it can. What sets the XO 3.0 apart from consumer tablets is that consumers won't actually have access to it.
OLPC's ultimate goal is to one day provide every child in the world with a connected computer, tablet or otherwise. Most of these children are from developing nations, like Uruguay, where buying a personal tablet isn't the highest priority for most families... [Read more]Related Links:$100 OLPC tablet to debut at CESTablets: Bruised and confused at CES 2012The 404 at CES 2012: Where we put it all on black (podcast)Honeycomb: What went wrong?The big picture: What truly stood out at CES 2012 more..
Meizu MX hands-on: iPhone style, Android power
(Credit:
Brian Bennett/CNET)
When I first caught wind of the Meizu MX, I have to say I was skeptical. That's because Meizu is known in gadget circles, and especially to iOS fanboys, as that evil Chinese company that copies Apple designs to create its own Android handsets.
Meizu MX hands-on (photos)
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Serious Android adherents, though, the sort who spend time loitering in dark corners of the Internet and seedy tech forums like XDA Developers (a great resource, by the way), have a different view of Meizu. To these bold folk, Meizu is a daring champion of innovation with the mission of proving that what Apple does is nothing special. In fact, Android phones can do much more than iPho... [Read more]Related Links:iPhone sales strong in U.S., U.K., but declining elsewhereOh, Windows Phone, why is Android winning? An ex-GM lamentsiPhone 4S helps iOS close the gap on AndroidAT&T goes big with first 4G Windows Phones, six Android devicesCheap, eco Samsung Replenish sprouting up at Boost Mobile more..
Finally! The 'Star Wars Uncut' director's cut is here
It may look like the normal end of the scrolling text at the beginning of 'Star Wars,' but when George Lucas released the film in 1977, there was no blog commenter declaring First!
(Credit:
Screenshot by CNET)
For nearly three years, "Star Wars" fans everywhere have been coming up with their own takes on the beloved film's many famous scenes--15 seconds at a time.
This is "Star Wars Uncut," a project to remake George Lucas' 1977 classic, entirely from fan-made scenes. And while the in-progress results have been available all along for all to see, the project's developers had never publicly released their finished product. Until now.
Today, as Laughing Squid wrote, Casey Pugh and Jamie Wilkinson, the "Star Wars Uncut" creators, finally released their director's cut of the work. And while you're no doubt intimately familiar with Lucas' original version, the crowdsourced approach may leave you feeling like you've seen a film that's at once very familiar and altogether new.
Since the project began, in 2009, Pugh and Wilkinson have invited fans to submit their 15-second scenes, and thousands have done so. Along the way, Pugh and Wilkinson came up with a project that was both very popular, and very ... [Read more]Related Links:Princess Leia headphone covers: What took so long?Tech CEOs 2011: The best and the worstWindows Phone's Siri rival off to a good startThe 404 at CES 2012: Where we have the power (podcast)Anti-loss device for the careless more..
iPads in classroom provide 20 percent jump in math scores, study says
After a yearlong pilot program in California initiated by publisher Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, the math scores of students using iPads jumped 20 percent compared with classrooms that used traditional paper textbooks.
(Credit:
Apple)
HMH Fuse: Algebra I was instituted at Amelia Earhart Middle School in the Riverside Unified School District as the world's first iPad-driven algebra curriculum. According to the HMH official press release, 78 percent of students in the pilot program scored "proficient" or "advanced" on the California Standards Test for spring 2011.
Compared with the 59 percent of students that had the same rating using traditional textbooks, the iPad program seems to have been quite successful. HMH also notes that students in the pilot program were "more motivated, attentive, and engaged than traditionally educated peers."
"By engineering a comprehensive platform that combines the best learning material with technology that embraces students' strengths and addresses their weaknesses, we've gone far beyond the capabilities of an e-book to turn a one-way math lesson into an engaging, interactive, supportive learning experience."
Since Apple's announcement of iBooks 2 and iBooks Author, the education world has been buzzing. The two sides essentially boil... [Read more]Related Links:Apple unveils iBooks 2 for digital textbooks, self-pub app (live blog)Apple launches iBooks 2 digital textbooksApple iBooks in schools: Devil is in the hardwareReading, writing, arithmetic, and...robots?Apple to host January 19 'education event' in New York more..
Apple patent application details redesigned, thinner batteries
Apple has long been at the forefront of battery technology, especially for mobile consumer electronics. One of Apple's most recent patent applications details a new line of thinking for battery design that could lead to thinner, more efficient power on the go.
(Credit:
Patently Apple)
Apple believes that the current standard for battery design is approaching its maximum limitations. But, not to worry, the geniuses in Cupertino seem to have a plan. Using electrode sheets of differing shapes and sizes, Apple would be able to build thinner batteries that fit any number of shapes, instead of having to be constrained by the typical rectangular shape of today's mobile device batteries.
In a practical case, imagine if the iPad 2 was able to build out the battery capacity in the total space of the device, instead of having to constrain the power source to a particular rectangle. That would allow for greater packaging efficiency and could give the device more battery life while not having to sacrifice design.
All-in-all, it sounds like Jony Ive's greatest dream.
Currently, batteries take up the majority of any mobile device's size. As our iPhones and iPads demand more power for services like 4G LTE, longer worker days, and more intense gaming, any technology t... [Read more]Related Links:Cheap zinc air battery promises beefier power gridApple fuel cell patent applications envision 'weeks without refueling'iPhone 5 rumor roundupThunderbolt headed to iOS devices? Patent pitch says soApple patent application details password-protecting power adapters more..
Aftermarket device takes control of distracted driving
CellControl automatically blocks distracted features and apps on a paired smartphone.
(Credit:
CellControl)
An aftermarket device now available to consumers could put an end to distracted driving.
CellControl has released an anti-distracted-driving technology to the consumer market that automatically blocks specified mobile phone features and applications when a paired vehicle is in use. The technology has been used in the U.S. since 1996 mostly by commercial driving fleets that need to track and monitor drivers. Today the Louisiana-based company announced that it has partnered with automotive aftermarket retailer Scosche to sell the device to consumers.
To use the solution, customers download and install CellControl's software onto a driver's phone, and a small device is fitted into a vehicle's onboard diagnostics (OBD) port. The hardware is equipped with a Bluetooth engine that automatically detects and pairs the target smartphone when it's within range, and limits the device's functionality when the vehicle is in use. Functionality is limited based on the rule set by the administrator; typically the vehicle owner or a parent chooses.
Rules can block texting, limit outgoing and incoming calls to a white-list of approved phone numbers, or allow calls only when the phone is paired with a hands-free headset. It's ... [Read more]Related Links:Dear NTSB, please don't sterilize Siri and her friendsWhy headphones are hazardous to your healthAha Radio partners with Honda and Subaru, streams tunes to the BRZSnapkeys' quest to assassinate QWERTYFord talks up connected cars at CES more..
Hands-on with the Alienware x51
(Credit:
Matthew Fitzgerald/CNET)
To its credit, Alienware's new x51 has introduced some real innovation to slim tower desktop design.
I was wary of the x51. Slapping an alien-themed case around a Core i-series motherboard doesn't really bring anything new to the table. This system does more than the slim towers we've seen from Acer, Lenovo, HP, Gateway, and others. Its competitors all have standard motherboard layouts, and because of their size, they require half-height, lower-power graphics cards. The x51 has a full-size card inside of it. In the case of our review unit, it has a respectable double-wide GeForce GTX 555.
Alienware X51 hands-on
That graphics card should give the x51 a demonstrable gaming edge over other... [Read more]Related Links:New Alienware PC lands tonightAlienware pursues mainstream gamers with x51 slim towerThe big picture: What truly stood out at CES 2012Origin stands up for high-end PC gaming at CES 2012, with new Eon 17s and 15s laptopsHey, there you are! Razer Blade gaming laptop re-emerges at CES more..
Source: CNET