blaster

Creative makes multiroom wireless audio setup more affordable

If you're finding that your notebook is pulling double duty as productivity machine and audio server in your home, Creative has a new tandem of products that may hold some appeal: the Sound Blaster X-Fi Notebook sound card and Wireless Receiver.

The $90 Sound Blaster X-Fi Notebook sound card fits into an ExpressCard slot and, on its own, promises to restore details to compressed audio files. It also delivers an approximation of surround sound to gamers using headphones.

Add the Creative Wireless Receiver to the mix, and you can broadcast your iTunes library or other audio files stored on … Read more

Featured Freeware: SpywareBlaster

SpywareBlaster started out as a malicious-software blocker focused on ActiveX-based attacks. It has kept that component and expanded, and now can block all kinds of spyware that gets delivered through your Web browser, although its defenses are most useful for Internet Explorer users.

The dedicated IE tools are useful. Users can block all Flash content, create encrypted backups of the Hosts file, manage browser page settings, block cookies, and create customized ActiveX blocks. Firefox and Netscape-specific protection only offers cookie blocking, but you can create a customized blacklist that will function across multiple browsers. Users can also create a system … Read more

Lasonic i931 iPod ghetto blaster review

It's hard to imagine an iPod-related fashion statement bolder than the Lasonic i931 boom box. Pair this monster iPod speaker system up with a pair of British Knights, a cut-off Alf T-shirt, a flux capacitor, and the soundtrack to Breakin', and you might just rip open a time portal to the 1980s.

With all the high-fives and retro street cred you're likely to attract using the Lasonic i931, you probably don't care if the $200 boom box is actually any good. If you just have to know, you can check out our review.

USB device may upgrade sound without hassle

Being obsessed with gadgets doesn't equate to hardware handiness. In fact, some of us at Crave are loath to remove the back of a computer for fear of the havoc we might wreak--a sorry state for upgrades.

Creative Technology has a solution in at least one category, sound cards. It has just released its "Sound Blaster X-Fi Surround 5.1," which allows dolts like us to upgrade audio quality by just plugging the device into a USB port. The small box, which goes for $60, could be a good solution for casual gamers and music lovers … Read more

Hasbro reveals details about Nerf Wii blaster, even more Nerf overkill

Hasbro showed off its entire upcoming Nerf line at Toy Fair, including more about the fabled Nerf Wii blaster revealed last week. No longer just a photo and some passing speculation, the Nerf-branded Wii peripheral now has a name and even more details.

The Nerf Wii blaster is officially called the Switch Shot EX-3, and is part of the Nerf N-Strike line of blasters. The Switch Shot EX-3 functions both as a Wii remote Zapper-like gun peripheral and a Nerf dart blaster, thanks to a removable dart module that clicks into the remote slot. The lower half of the … Read more

Nerf Wii Blaster holds Wiimotes, launches darts

When it comes to plastic toy guns, two names tend to come to mind: Nerf and the Zapper. Thanks to the new partnership between Electronic Arts and Hasbro, those two are about to collide. Kotaku and Shacknews have reported that EA Hasbro has revealed Nerf N-Strike for the Nintendo Wii and DS systems, along with a Wiimote-based Nerf blaster.

Wii Zapper clones aren't exactly new. Nyko's Perfect Shot offers a satisfyingly gun-shaped alternative to the Zapper, and CTA Digital's torrent of inexplicable gun grips give even more choices. Nerf's Wii blaster puts a new spin on … Read more

First Look: Take a peek at SpywareBlaster

There's a reason why SpywareBlaster made last year's list of best free security and spyware programs. The free spyware prevention utility blocks ActiveX controls, tracking cookies, and ads on Internet Explorer and blocks cookies and ads on Firefox. Take a look at the program's features in the video below, and check out other First Look videos on popular software products.

Lasonic updates vintage boombox

In a move that just might reignite Mr. T's breakdance career, Lasonic has announced plans to update their classic '80s full-size boombox design to meet the demands of the iPod-toting modern world. That means no more flipping tapes over between headspins and popping routines. It also means that you can fit the soundtrack to Breakin 2: Electric Boogaloo and several Africa Bambaataa mixes onto your Nano to keep the party rockin' 'til the break of dawn.

Wondering if this thing has a mic input so you can bust your rendition of "Rapper's Delight"? Of course … Read more

Another gun accessory takes shot at the Wii

As recently noted by Will Greenwald, one of Crave's resident gaming experts (not to be confused with Resident Evil), the "Wii Zapper" wasn't exactly what virtual gun slingers had anticipated. Perhaps that's why others are seizing the opportunity with alternative shooting controllers like the "Wii Blaster," which looks a little more convincing.

Coolest-Gadgets says you work it by using the Wiimote as the barrel, attaching it kind of like a bayonet but on the top of the pseudo-weapon, while the Nunchuk slides into the handle. It's not bad for a little over $… Read more