Gadgets

Halloween's over and done with, the cold November rain is here, and the mercury is dipping. But the gadget ninjas at Tokyo's Thanko do not rest.

They've been preparing for winter, when millions of Japanese face less-than-cozy conditions at home and in the office. Central heating doesn't really exist in Japan, so people use everything from kerosene heaters to blankets to keep warm.

Add to that Thanko's USB Heated Futon Mouse pad.

This cute twist on traditional futon floor bedding, which is, of course, very different from the Western concept of a couch futon, comes in three parts: a mouse-pad mattress, a heated quilt, and a wrist pillow. … Read more

In the past week, CNET has reviewed three separate media devices, each costing $300, and one of them was a television. And guess what: the TV wasn't terrible.

The three products were the TCL L40FHDP60 ($309), the 3M Streaming Projector ($299), and the Apple iPod Touch ($299). Seeing them all together got me thinking: which one of these would I actually buy if I had the money? Is there something else I'd rather do with my $300?

Until we find out whether the Apple iPad Mini exists, I cast the net out a bit farther and two other … Read more

You say the word "pop." A piece of popcorn comes flying directly at your mouth, as if by magic. You catch it and eat it. You are truly a god among men.

This isn't just a lazy football weekend snack fantasy. The Popinator is a project/publicity stunt from bagged popcorn maker Popcorn, Indiana. … Read more

I imagine there's someone out there whose sole job it is to think up ways to make power tools even more manly. That person dreamed up the Drill Gun Power Screwdriver from Gadgets and Gear.

The Drill Gun is a power screwdriver in the shape of a snub-nose revolver. This tool is clearly pandering to the stereotypically testosteroned crowd, the kind of guys who might buy advance tickets to "The Expendables 2."… Read more

Subscribe: RSS (SD) RSS (HD) iTunes (SD) iTunes (HD) CNET's popular list of the 16 most-anticipated tech products for 2012 is running out of ammunition. The year has already produced a new iPad, Android 4.0, new ultrabooks, and new Macbook Pros, but there are still some big products expected this fall.

In this CNET Top 5, we're here to give you a refresher on the tech everyone's going to be talking about this fall. If you can think of one we missed, be sure to leave a comment.

AC Gears sells a wide variety of headphones and gadgets in Greenwich Village in NYC. It's not a huge space, but half of the store is devoted to in-ear and full-size headphones, and I recently spoke with founder Kohn Liu to learn more about his business. The brands and model lineup change from time to time, but right now he has around 50 headphones on display. Many are in the affordable range, but there's also a decent selection of high-end brands as well. AC Gears has most Grado models on display, including the top-of-the-line PS 1000. They also … Read more

Apple is once again a part of the Electronic Product Environmental Assessment Tool group, which rates electronics for their greenness.

Last month Apple quietly ended its participation with EPEAT. In a statement earlier this week, Apple said its products were still made to meet the Energy Star 5.2 guidelines and that it posts extensive information about its environmental efforts on its Web site.

In a new letter, Apple's soon to be outgoing hardware engineering chief, Bob Mansfield, said the company will once again have its products rated by the organization:

We've recently heard from many loyal Apple … Read more

What a week for Panasonic. Of all the products CNET reviewed this week, the company scored the best ratings for both the most expensive gadget and the cheapest. There must be some sort of award for that. (Actually, there isn't, but there should be.)

The Panasonic TC-P65VT50 (affectionately known around these parts as the "VT50") is a 65-inch plasma TV that nabbed the hardest-won praise of all: A glowing review from our own David Katzmaier. Katzmaier gets right to the point in his review, explaining that the whole line of TVs in the VT50's series have &… Read more