Wheels

We really didn't think anything like the motorized monocycle "WheelSurf" would ever be marketed to the masses, but now we find out that one is being offered by mainstream gadget shop Hammacher Schlemmer of all places. Of course, it's selling for nearly twice the price listed back in September, for $13,000.

Even if you do have that kind of dough to blow, you won't be able to commute in this unicycle on steroids because it's not street-legal, as BornRich points out. But still, talk about making your buddies jealous: After all, how many … Read more

Many start-ups don't have profits when they go public. Some don't even have any significant revenue to speak of. But Acquicor took things a step further. It didn't even have a business.

The company, launched by three former Apple executives, was what's known as a blank-check company. Rather than have a business plan, such firms instead ask investors to bet on their management's track record, in this case that of former Apple CEO Gil Amelio, company co-founder Steve Wozniak, and former CTO Ellen Hancock.

Still, that was enough to land the company more than $160 million in a stock offering. … Read more

If you really want to immerse yourself in the gaming experience, what better way to do it than in a 10-foot-tall, 400-pound steel sphere?

The "Vitusphere" is a futuristic apparatus that's right out of a sci-fi movie, kind of a cross between Rollerball and Mad Max: Beyond Thunderdome. Those who dare to enter the giant steel ball, according to Newlaunches, "can run, jump, roll, or crawl over virtually unlimited distances without encountering real-world obstacles."

Under development for more than a decade, the Russian-made Vitusphere works with a headmounted display and handheld controller for the ultimate … Read more

Online stores like Hammacher Schlemmer are turning into little Harrods. To prove the point, one needn't look any further than this two-person, three-wheeled scooter coupe on its virtual storefront.

In addition to a retro-chic design, it has all the trappings of a miniature car: a 50cc air-cooled, four-stroke engine can reach 30 miles per hour on a 1.5-gallon fuel tank that's good for 100 miles with two riders up to 400 pounds. The coupe sports a steel tube frame covered in a fiberglass body and comes with 13-inch alloy wheels, rubber tires, front disc brakes and rear … Read more

If you think you're seeing iPods wherever you turn, there's good reason. Not only do people carry them everywhere, but their design is being copied increasingly for household appliances.

In the bedroom, for instance, we just saw the "Dr. Light" alarm clock with its iPod-wannabe appearance. And now we've gotten word of a Williams-Sonoma kitchen timer, of all things, that sports the ubiquitous click-wheel look as well.

Gadget Labs notes that the "Triple Timer" will be particularly comfortable for the iPod veteran to use, as long as it's not confused with the … Read more

Webware's Josh Lowensohn spends his days reviewing Web sites, while the rest of us get to play with an endless stream of newfangled gadgets. While most of the Crave and CNET reviews team have become jaded to the perpetual parade of gizmos coursing through our office, Josh greets each rare tech toy bestowed on him as if it were handed down by Santa himself. So when an unsolicited pair of Learning Curve Battle Wheels RC samurai appeared on Josh's desk, there was no way to avoid a full-scale battle royale. Lucky for me, I had my camera on … Read more

Perhaps the most noteworthy aspect of Ferrari's latest marketing creation is that it actually involves cars, albeit virtual ones. Until the racing legend came out recently with a co-branded Segway, many of the products bearing its storied stallion logo--from binoculars to boomboxes--had nothing to do with transportation at all.

Appearing first on the U.K. market is the "Thrustmaster Ferrari GT Experience, which can work with the PlayStation 3, PS2 and PCs. In addition to various features that are sure to open up gamers' throttles the world over, Shiny Shiny says it has realistic gear shift levers … Read more

AUSTIN, TEXAS--Joseph Pred is carefully eyeing the giant rolling ferris-wheel-like carnival ride as it begins to head down the first hill it has encountered since being built three years ago.

Known as the Star Wheel, the bicycle-technology-powered ride is glorious fun. But since it carries three pedaling people in its interior, Pred is very interested in making sure that the Star Wheel's creators are in control of it as it starts to head down the hill.

Pred is the safety officer for Maker Faire, the weekend-long celebration of do-it-yourself culture that's wrapping up here today. He's in … Read more

AUSTIN, Texas--I'm high in the air, aboard a carnival ride cum Burning Man art piece cum bicycle-tech-powered people mover known as the Star Wheel.

It's hard to describe this: It's a giant wheel, maybe 20 feet high that has three seats built into the middle of it--independent of the outer frame--that are geared to spin around when their occupants pedal like crazy. As they pedal, the wheel moves slowly forward while those inside whoop and scream their way through rapid 360 degree rotations.

It's quite the experience. I had first seen this at Burning Man 2004, … Read more