Skins

Despite the fact that I finally caved and purchased a second-gen iPod Touch, history will tell you that I'm no iPod fangirl. Still, one thing the iPod has going for it that no other MP3 player can match is a seemingly endless array of third-party add-ons.

There are hordes of cases; gaggles of speakers; and a shocking supply of docks, recorders, FM transmitters, and other feature-adding devices...not to mention all those apps for the Touch and the iPhone.

Over the past several years, there have been a number of iPod accessories that tempted me to bow to the … Read more

'Tis the season to give, but with the current economic crunch affecting all of our pocketbooks, you may find yourself too cash-strapped to go all out on electronic gadgetry. But that doesn't mean you have to shy away from tech gifting. MP3 player accessories make great gifts and the majority of them aren't going to cost you an arm and a leg. In fact, you can find some cases on Amazon for less than two bucks!

If you have a SanDisk Sansa owner in your family, you've come to the right place. We've rounded up a … Read more

The holidays are here again, meaning it's the perfect time to shower your MP3 player with gifts--accessories, to be exact. And while we're getting specific, let's focus on one particular family of players: the Creative Zen. The iPod gets plenty of love in the portable audio accessory space, but it's not the only device that has products made specifically with it in mind.

The Creative Zen Stone, the Mozaic, the X-Fi, and the plain ol' Zen all have a gaggle of gear fine-tuned to fit. But since I know you have enough on your plate without … Read more

Google says it aims Gmail at the technological elite, knowing that the information overload problems they have today will be the problems mainstream users have tomorrow. But apparently the company isn't above appealing to those who are willing to judge a book by its cover as well as its content.

On Wednesday, Google launched themes for Gmail, a feature that lets people customize the appearance of the Webmail application with a variety of new looks. Google is gradually rolling out the new feature to Gmail members "over the next couple of days," said Gmail team member Annie … Read more

I used to be a huge fan of Windows desktop themes. Granted, this was over 10 years ago, when I knew little about computers and was ignorant of the amount of system resources themes consumed. I don't use them today, as I prefer to keep my system clean and optimized, but I still understand the appeal. Customizing your desktop with a new theme makes for a new experience.

The Skins Factory is trying to give its users a new experience when installing desktop themes. It has announced that its Windows desktop-theme software, Hyperdesk, is now DRM-free. According to the … Read more

Well, that didn't take long. ezGear announced on Friday a protective case for Apple's new iPod Touch 2G, which made its debut earlier this week. The case is called ezSkin Plus.

Like all other cases from ezGear, the new case is made of silicon, and designed to fit the new iPod snugly and offer a smooth coating that repels dirt. And it feels nice on the hands.

The ezSkin Plus comes with a long list of extras, including a screen-cleaning cloth, a clear static screen protector, a port cover for the iPod dock, a removable belt clip, and … Read more

With more and more Netbooks appearing by the day, it can be harder to tell one apart from the next.

Skinizi, a French company that makes skins for mobile devices such as laptops and iPhones, is getting in on the customization action with its newest set of skins for ultraportables including the Asus EeePC 70X, Asus EeePC 90X, and MSI Wind U100.

The skins should provide good protection against scratches and add a variety of visual effects, from avant garde to retro to cartoonish. You can choose from a collection of predesigned images, but unfortunately, you can't submit your … Read more

Japanese researchers say they have developed a rubber-like material that's able to conduct electricity, paving the way for robots with stretchable "e-skin" that can feel heat and pressure like humans.

The material, described by Tsuyoshi Sekitani of the University of Tokyo in the journal Science, could be used on curved surfaces or even in moving parts, such as the joints of a robot's arm, the researchers said.

Sekitani's team developed their material using carbon nanotubes, a long stretch of carbon molecules that can conduct electricity. They mixed these into a rubbery polymer to form the … Read more

It's been more than a year since Windows Vista was launched and Windows XP is still going strong. In my opinion, it's still a great operating system--though, it's not that hard to look great when compared to Windows Vista. Once thing is undeniable, however: Windows XP is getting old, especially in its aesthetic.

For this reason, on Wednesday, July 30, The Skins Factory launched Hyperdesk, a software package that will spice up your Windows XP, and turn it into a world of exciting themes, skins, and wallpapers. The software even allows you to create widgets for other … Read more