Pop bubble sheets

This almost falls into the chindogu or un-useless inventions category, though not quite. The Japanese have once again come up with a weird gimmick that might actually find a sizeable market in people who feel compelled to pop the bubbles on bubble wraps. You know who you are.

Toymaker Bandai's cute-sounding Puti Puti even simulates the sound of a bubble wrap airpocket popping. It's particularly great for those with Monk-like OCD (obsessive compulsive disorder) since this lets the user pop bubbles till the cows come home.

Via Japan Today

Price: 819 yen (US$7)
Availability: At Puti Puti, Bandai

Hands-on with the Wii Zapper

EA Games held a preview event recently in Manhattan, showing off the company's latest big-name games, from The Simpsons Game to Half-Life 2: Orange Box. While most of the action took place on the various screens around the room, my eyes were drawn to a large, funky-shaped piece of white plastic at the Metal of Honor Heroes 2 display. They had an actual Wii Zapper set up to demonstrate the game's on-rails shooter-style Arcade mode. I couldn't resist the chance to try Nintendo's new Wii peripheral, not scheduled to hit stores until November.

The Wii Zapper is fundamentally just a white plastic shell in which you place your Wiimote and nunchuk and hold like a machine gun. That said, it's a very nice white plastic shell in which you place your Wiimote and nunchuk and hold like a machine gun. It feels solid, and both controller parts fit snugly into the device with no noticeable wiggling. A trigger on the front of the Zapper counts as its only moving part, activating the Wiimote's B button when pressed.

I used the Zapper to play Medal of Honor Heroes 2 in its Arcade mode, a variant that feels more than a little like Time Crisis. The Wiimote picked up some interference from the numerous other Wiis and light sources in the room (a problem you probably would only experience at an event like this), but once I got the hang of it, the Zapper control worked pretty well. It felt relatively comfortable while I aimed at the screen and shot at Nazi soldiers. While Arcade mode felt well enough, I can imagine more traditional FPS gameplay feeling disorienting to get used to, with the nunchuk and its analog stick mounted on the back of the Zapper.

Like I said before, though, the Zapper is just a plastic shell and aiming with it didn't feel very much different from aiming with the Wiimote as usual. You still have to point the Wiimote at the screen and adjust your shot for wherever you put the sensor bar. It feels pretty cool and gun-like, but it doesn't really change the gaming experience.

Granted, I played with the Zapper for only a few minutes, and with only one game. Future Zapper-compatible games may take advantage of the accessory to provide some as-yet unheard-of change to gameplay. The US$20 device comes with a Zelda-themed crossbow target game, too, so it's not like you're dropping a Jackson on only a piece of plastic. Either way, I'm not ready to either condemn or worship the Nintendo Wii Zapper yet. It may be fun, or it may be a useless gimmick. We'll find out in November.

Via CNET Crave

A sheet of shelves

So you thought Ikea's clever when it comes to flat packing Well, check out the Piegato. This shelf/magnetic board from Matthias Ries, a design firm out of Germany, makes every other shelf space-wasters in comparison.

Out of the box, the Piegato looks like an oddly designed magnetic board. With a few folds of this metal sheet, you can customize it to become a shelf for all your books and junk. And because you decide which parts to fold out, you can have just one to three shelves depending on how much wall storage you need.

Because of how cleverly efficient it is, it should be perfect for students in dormitories. But it costs more than some cheap shelves you can find elsewhere, so poor students may just have to settle for plain and bulky.

Click for more images:
           

Via NOTCOT

Price: 129 euros (US$182.60)
Availability: At MRDO products
Device: Slim shelf
Specs: 100 x 66 x 2cm, 8kg, in white, black or gold

Betavoltaic: 1, Duracell bunny: 0

Finally, batteries that never say die. Ok, we exaggerate. But with a newly touted 30-year lifespan without ever recharging, this cell would probably outlast 10 laptops and witness the next generation of new plugged-in superkids. If reports hold true, Betavoltaic batteries may even render the whole idea and development of fuel cells absolutely useless. Fuel cells' golden promise is a supply of up to 40 hours of continuous power, something the world has been holding its breath for. However, betavoltaics may not only emerge earlier--if all goes well, we could be looking at two to three years'--it's very similar to a photovoltaic (solar) cell. Which means you're not likely to blow up your dog Fifi and your entire neighborhood should your laptop battery catch fire. Lovely thought. Funny enough, this eco-friendlier cell is funded by the US Air Force.

For tech geeks who like to find out how things work, next Energy News has the nitty-gritty.

Via Newlaunches.com

Prince tries to ace some Wii marketing

After witnessing so many cheesy Wii accessories flood the market this year, it comes as welcome relief to see some decent equipment finally being made for the console. Prince has solved that problem, at least where Wii Tennis is concerned, with its own branded racquet contoller designed to fit the Wiimote snugly in its handle.

The pint-sized racquets, which come in various colors, put to shame accessories such as the Brando version introduced earlier this year. Given the Wii's enormous success, it's somewhat surprising that more sports equipment brands haven't gotten into the act for the obvious marketing value. But maybe they just want to avoid the attention of personal injury attorneys.

Crave is...

The name says it all. Crave is our new blog about cool gadgets and other crushworthy stuff.

Drop us an email if you have tips or suggestions.

Crave for...

» Mobile Phones (744)

» Digital Cameras (406)

» Notebooks (466)

» PC & Peripherals (482)

» Handhelds (254)

» Printers (44)

» Home AV (496)

» Music & Play (428)

» Gadgets (953)

» Future Tech (161)

Previously...

2008

2007

2006

2005

2004

Subscribe to
Crave

Today on CNET |  Reviews |  Crave |  Blogs |  CNET TV |  Digital Living |  Downloads