Crave

Da-na-na-na, na-na-na-na, Batmobile!

SAN DIEGO -- To paraphrase Jack Nicholson's jealous Joker in the Tim Burton 1989 Batman flick, "Where does he get those wonderful cars?"

The answer, apparently, is: on the Warner Brothers studio lot.

To celebrate next week's release of the final Chris Nolan-helmed Batman movie, "The Dark Knight Rises," Warner put on display the six Batmobiles built for TV and film at the 2012 San Diego Comic-Con. From the iconic 1966 Batmobile used in the Adam West TV show to Christian Bale's tanklike Lambo-Humvee mashup "the Tumbler," fans could get up … Read more

Sony readying super slim PS3? More clues emerge

It's been nearly three years since Sony released the first redesign of the PlayStation 3 -- dubbed the PS3 Slim. Now we're seeing more evidence that a new, even smaller PS3 might drop before the holidays, presumably ready to disrupt seasonal sales with an even lower price point than ever.

To catch you up on the latest leaks, almost two weeks ago, Sony submitted a round of FCC documents regarding a mysterious new version of the PlayStation 3. Observers found the filing quite confirming, as the model number read above the current PS3 nomenclature (CECH-3000) -- the Japanese … Read more

The 404 meets David Hasselhoff: A car and a stud

Comic-Con is filled with memorable moments, but nothing could prepare The 404 guys going face to face with The Hoff himself, legendary pop culture icon David Hasselhoff.

David was at Mattel's Comic-Con booth to help promote the Hot Wheels 30th Anniversary Limted Edition K.I.T.T. car which was being sold exclusively at the show. After getting to sit in Michael Knight's magic ride ourselves, we asked The Hoff a few questions about the timeless Knight Rider franchise. Just as expected, we got some eye-opening answers.

But before we got to speak with David, we interviewed some … Read more

This week in Crave: The haute couture edition

Too busy trying on futuristic fashion this week to keep up with Crave? Well, take off those crazy 3D-printed shoes, step away from the catwalk, and take a moment to catch up on what you missed.

• Windows Mobile still more popular than Windows Phone? Ouch.

• Bright idea: Print on fabric using sunlight.

• More than $2.5 million in 24 hours? Yeah, we'd call that a good day for gaming console Ouya.

• Look "Doctor Who" fans, a sonic screwdriver remote!

• Have bicycle and life-size skeleton, will travel. … Read more

Flying drones getting smaller, smarter, cheaper, and scarier

A little more than a year ago, we did a Roundtable episode on aerial drones and UAVs. The discussion mostly focused on how remote-controlled and robotic vehicles were getting bigger, more capable, and more scary. Since then, a funny thing happened. The drone revolution downsized. Today we're talking about cheap and small drones. Today, perhaps, a collection of a hundred $1,000 drones can be just as capable -- and just as scary -- as a $100,000 drone.

It's not all Skynet doom-and-gloom, though. Small robotic flying vehicles can be used to save lives, keep repressive governments … Read more

Light day at Comic-Con? What's your neighbor wearing?

SAN DIEGO -- The bad news about Comic-Con Day 2 was that there wasn't the usual, noticeable uptick in energy and chaos from Day 1. The good news is that it gave us a chance to check out some of the cooler homemade costumes from around the show floor.

From a professional seamstress sporting Victorian Wonder Woman threads, to the original suit that Marlon Brando wore as Jor-El in "Superman: The Movie," to the saddest Darth Vader you've ever seen, there was plenty to look at and admire.

Bizarro world! Print comics boom as digital sales rise

SAN DIEGO -- Digital comics went boom last year, driven by as many reasons as there are varieties of Kryptonite. But defying the trend set by movies, music, and TV when they went digital, print comics sales in North America recently have been estimated at jumping nearly 18 percent since last year. How the heck did that happen?

Driven by a saturation of iPads and other tablets among people with disposable income, a massive line-wide reboot by DC Comics that encouraged other publishers to fully "go digital," and the obvious sales benefits of being able to buy a … Read more

Friday Poll: Have you traded your laptop for a tablet?

For many years, the laptop served as the de facto anchor for techies on the go. Then the tablet came along.

These days, it's possible to use a tablet as the main portable squeeze, since it (usually) delivers incredible battery life and apps that can do just about anything (within reason). In a column today, CNET's Marguerite Reardon addresses the question, "Could I really ditch my laptop for an iPad?" And that got us thinking more about the subject.

Does the ever-increasing functionality of the tablet make you second-guess bringing a laptop along? It did for … Read more

Flash mob breaks out at Twitter cafeteria (it's Friday)

Resist the temptation to play the part of an overly harsh "American Idol" judge.

This was the scene in Twitter's cafeteria, sometime on July 12. A few -- well, maybe more than a few -- of the folks in the flash mob dancing to "Baby" by Justin Bieber were slightly out of step with the beat. But the dance involved more than 140 steps, so don't judge too harshly. Besides, it's all in good fun.