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Thursday, December 8, 2011

Give your homely headlamp a sexy makeover

Give your homely headlamp a sexy makeover | Crave - CNET CNET 2011 Holiday Gift Guide Home Reviews Cell Phones Camcorders Digital Cameras Laptops TVs Car Tech Forums Appliances Cell Phone Accessories Components Desktops Games and Gear GPS Hard Drives & Burners Headphones Home Audio Home Video Internet Access Monitors MP3 Players Networking and Wi-Fi Peripherals Printers Software Tablets Web Hosting You are here: News Latest News Webware Crave Business Tech Green Tech Mobile Security Blogs Video Photos Media Cutting Edge Apple Politics & Law Gaming & Culture Microsoft Health Tech RSS Download Windows Software Mac Software Mobile Apps Web Apps CNET TV How To Phone Tablet Computer Web Home Theater Marketplace Log In | Join Log In Join CNET Sign in with My profile Log out .mad_center {text-align:center;} .mad_center div, .mad_center table, .mad_center iframe, .mad_center a img {margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;}
CNET News Crave Give your homely headlamp a sexy makeover Amanda Kooser by Amanda Kooser December 2, 2011 12:57 PM PST Follow @akooser Princeton Tec Spectrum Fuel headlampYour "True Colors" are shining through.

(Credit:Amanda Kooser/CNET)

Headlamps are undeniably useful, but they are typically dull-looking entities with an emphasis on function rather than fashion. That's changing with Princeton Tec's Spectrum program for customizable headlamps.

Princeton Tec gave me the opportunity to customize a $35 Fuel light. I could have gone with something tasteful, like black and gray. Instead, I went '80s retro with a mix of pink, green, yellow, orange, and blue. It's the Cyndi Lauper of headlamps.

The online design tool is simple and accurate. (Click to enlarge.)

(Credit:Screenshot by Amanda Kooser/CNET)

The Fuel has four LEDs that spit out 43 lumens. There are three brightness settings and a flashing setting. It runs on three AAA batteries and goes for up to 146 hours.

The headlamps are hand-assembled in the U.S. to your color specifications. The online design process gives you a very accurate idea of what the final product will look like.

There are 10 colors to choose from, ranging from screaming orange to subdued gray. You can select different colors for each individual part, including the body, battery door, end cap, and bracket.

Currently, the Fuel headlamp is available to customize, but the stronger $45 Remix is expected to be added soon. A non-customized Fuel costs $30, so you're looking at a $5 premium to choose your own colors.

Princeton Tec didn't leave out the social media tie-ins. You can Facebook and Twitter your design so that all of your spelunking friends can be envious or deride your fashion sense.

Sporting the Fuel headlampI'm ready to lead an expedition to the Mountains of Madness now. Anyone want to join me?

(Credit:Amanda Kooser/CNET)

One of the biggest advantages of having a color-customized headlamp is that nobody else will accidentally pick it up. The pink monstrosity I created doesn't look like anyone else's.

Since it arrived in the mail, the Spectrum Fuel has been pressed into use to search for a lost dog, fix a cracked pipe under the bathroom sink, and locate a baking pan hidden far back in kitchen storage. It's comfortable and plenty bright for these sorts of uses.

I know I should be doing more glamorous headlamp things like exploring cave systems, discovering urban tunnels, and launching expeditions to the Mountains of Madness.

I consulted with my brother, an actual research caver in New Mexico, about headlamps. He owns both the Fuel and the Remix headlamps in regular colors. The more powerful Remix gets the most use when he's working underground. Keep that in mind when you're deciding which model to customize.

Amanda Kooser Freelance writer Amanda C. Kooser covers gadgets and tech news with a twist for CNET's Crave blog. When not wallowing in weird gadgets and iPad apps for cats, she can be found tinkering with her 1956 DeSoto. Amanda is a member of the CNET Blog Network and is not an employee of CBS Interactive.

Follow @akooser Topics: Fashion, Lifestyle, Geek culture Tags: Fuel, LED, Princeton Tec, headlamp, Remix, Spectrum

Reporters' Roundtable: Holiday tech buying update

Reporters' Roundtable: Holiday tech buying update | Reporters' Roundtable Podcast - CNET Blogs CNET 2011 Holiday Gift Guide Home Reviews Cell Phones Camcorders Digital Cameras Laptops TVs Car Tech Forums Appliances Cell Phone Accessories Components Desktops Games and Gear GPS Hard Drives & Burners Headphones Home Audio Home Video Internet Access Monitors MP3 Players Networking and Wi-Fi Peripherals Printers Software Tablets Web Hosting News Latest News Webware Crave Business Tech Green Tech Mobile Security Blogs Video Photos Media Cutting Edge Apple Politics & Law Gaming & Culture Microsoft Health Tech RSS Download Windows Software Mac Software Mobile Apps Web Apps CNET TV How To Phone Tablet Computer Web Home Theater Marketplace Log In | Join Log In Join CNET Sign in with My profile Log out
CNET Reporters' Roundtable Podcast Reporters' Roundtable: Holiday tech buying update Rafe Needleman by Rafe Needleman December 2, 2011 1:10 PM PST Follow @rafe

We are in the middle of the holiday buying season right now, between the first rush of gift-buying that happened on Black Friday and Cyber Monday, and the "Oh, crap, I need to start buying presents!" feeling that happens in about a week.

This is the most important month for the consumer tech economy, but this December will be different from all the ones that came before it.

Why? Mobile devices, online shopping, social networking, improved analytics, changing tax laws, and changing behaviors among both buyers and sellers, among other reasons. Today we are talking about how the gadget economy is evolving.

My guests are: Claire Cain Miller, a reporter at The New York Times who's been writing about this topic, and a returning guest to the Roundtable; and Mike Fridgen, CEO of one of my favorite tech startups, Decide.com. This company runs a service that can tell you if the price of a tech item you're looking at is good today and if it will be going up or down in the near future.

Ep. 102: Holiday tech buying update

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Discussion points:

First, the numbers: How'd the gadget industry do at the opening of this season?

How has gadget shopping and buying changed in the last five years?

Related storiesCyber Monday Sales Give Retailers a Holiday Shopping Boost (NY Times) A Look at Apple's Spot-the-Shopper Technology (NY Times) Decide.com: For gadget buyers, timing is everything BlackLocus levels online prices

Is the store as we know it dying? Are stores becoming just showcases for people with smartphones?

Will online and offline pricing models merge?

WalMart may be known as a heartland company, but Walmart.com is here in Silicon Valley. Why?

Why are Best Buy prices so ridiculously high?

Who's most aggressive in dynamic pricing?

How can smaller retailers compete, online?

Impact of deals and coupons, or of social networks?

Apple stores: Why do they work? Why don't other companies do this right? (Sony tried...)

Impact of sales tax changes.

Advice: Best mobile tools for smart shoppers? Best sites?

Rafe Needleman Rafe reviews mobile apps and products for fun, and picks startups apart when he gets bored. He has evaluated thousands of new companies, most of which have since gone out of business. Feeling lucky? Send pitches to rafe@cnet.com. And watch Rafe's tech issues podcast, Reporters' Roundtable, every Friday.

Follow @rafe Topics: Podcasts Tags: Commerce, Roundtable, Cyber Monday, Buying, Gadgets, Black Friday, Retail

Traxxas XO-1: A radio-controlled supercar


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30 best iPad games

30 best iPad games | iPad Atlas - CNET Reviews .mad_center {text-align:center;} .mad_center div, .mad_center table, .mad_center iframe, .mad_center a img {margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;} CNET Reviews 2011 Holiday Gift Guide Home You are here: Reviews Cell Phones Camcorders Digital Cameras Laptops TVs Car Tech Forums Appliances Cell Phone Accessories Components Desktops Games and Gear GPS Hard Drives & Burners Headphones Home Audio Home Video Internet Access Monitors MP3 Players Networking and Wi-Fi Peripherals Printers Software Tablets Web Hosting News Latest News Webware Crave Business Tech Green Tech Mobile Security Blogs Video Photos Media Cutting Edge Apple Politics & Law Gaming & Culture Microsoft Health Tech RSS Download Windows Software Mac Software Mobile Apps Web Apps CNET TV How To Phone Tablet Computer Web Home Theater Marketplace Log In | Join Log In Join CNET Sign in with My profile Log out .mad_center {text-align:center;} .mad_center div, .mad_center table, .mad_center iframe, .mad_center a img {margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;}
CNET Reviews iPad Atlas 30 best iPad games David Carnoy Scott Stein by David Carnoy and Scott Stein December 2, 2011 5:03 PM PST Follow @DavidCarnoy Infinity Blade II: this season's iPad headliner.

(Credit:screenshot by Scott Stein)

Editors' note:Updated December 2, 2011, with five new games.

Wondering which games to buy for youriPad? Well, we've taken our best shot at putting together a list of top titles that we feel meet the criteria for a good iPad game.

And just what does make a good iPad game? We debated it for a while and narrowed it down to these five factors:

It's gotta be fun (obviously).Ergonomics (are the gameplay and control scheme well-suited to the iPad?)Uniqueness (though many iPad games play well as upconverted, higher-resolution versions of theiriPhone predecessors, we respect new, iPad-exclusive games).Value (some of the best iPad games currently carry high price tags, but we also tried to include titles we thought were simply a good value).Show-off quotient (extra points if the game flat-out looks good).

With that in mind, here are our current favorites, displayed in alphabetical order. Feel free to sound off with your own picks (or criticize our choices). With new games coming out almost daily, we update this list frequently and take your suggestions to heart.

This holiday season, it's hard to avoid Infinity Blade II. However, there are a few other recent games we're excited about as well: Aquaria, W.E.L.D.E.R., and others. And, as always, there are plenty of fantastic games buried in the App Store that are worth checking out.

Click on any image to start the slideshow.

30 best iPad games (screenshots) 1-2 of 30Scroll LeftScroll Right

David Carnoy Hunkered down in New York City, Executive Editor David Carnoy covers the gamut of gadgets and writes his Fully Equipped column, which carries the tag line "The electronics you lust for." He's also the author of "Knife Music," a novel that's available at Amazon, bn.com, and as a Kindle, iBooks, or Nook e-book.

Follow @DavidCarnoy Scott Stein Scott Stein, a CNET senior editor and laptop reviewer, is a bit of a New York Jets fan. He has written about tech, entertainment, video games, and viral culture for publications including Maxim, Esquire, and Men's Journal, and is a co-host of the CNET Labscast podcast. He's also been known to occasionally improvise in underground venues.

Follow @jetscott Topics: Games, iPad Tags: Top iPad Games, iPad Games You Want, Best iPad Games, Scott Stein, David Carnoy, iPad Games, Must-Have iPad Games