Gadget news

If you feel bad about leaving Fluffy home alone, consider giving her the laser treatment.

Petcube is stylish box that lets you play with your pet when you're away. It beams leasers around the room while you control it from afar via smartphone.

Connected to your home Wi-Fi network, Petcube is a 4-inch cube that has a wide-angle camera, microphone, and low-intensity laser pointer.

The prototype is made of glass and aluminum and is being developed by robot enthusiast Alex Neskin, along with Yaroslav Azhnyuk, and Andrey Klen. The Ukranian startup recently showed it off at Seedcamp Week Berlin. … Read more

Apple may be checking out displays for its much-rumored smartwatch.

The company has reportedly been examining 1.5-inch OLED screens built by Ritek subsidiary RiTdisplay, a Taiwan-based manufacturer of display panels, according to Taiwanese news source Economic Times. Apple reportedly was initially eyeing a 1.8-inch display but felt that was too large and switched to a 1.5-inch size.

CNET contacted Apple for comment and will update the story if the company responds.

RitFast, a joint venture between Ritek and Taiwan's YoungFast, would supply the touch technology for the so-called iWatch, the Economic Times added.

Another story from … Read more

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This week on Crave, we take a look at Tim-e, an iPhone dock that wakes you up in the most annoying ways possible. We salute Canadian astronaut Chris Hadfield on making space travel cool again, and demonstrate Petswitch, which lets you put your face on your cat's visage. … Read more

ORLANDO, Fla. -- Irony may be funny to the gods of Olympus, but it's a cruel lesson for us mortals. I found this out the hard way at BlackBerry Live 2013. Within minutes of arriving at my hotel I managed to misplace my lovely HTC One test unit. As a result, my backup BlackBerry Z10 was suddenly promoted to first-string smartphone duty. … Read more

Sadly, I find it easier to build a computer than a kick off a successful grill fire. The up-and-coming BBQ Dragon could be the breath of fresh air -- literally -- to change my poor fire-starting fortune.

Essentially working the same way as a fan, the cordless BBQ Dragon shoots a large amount of cool air into a fire and accelerates the burning process. The stainless steel device, which has a variable air speed controller and flexible arm, easily clips onto the side of a grill or smoker. The designers say the Dragon works great with bonfires, the Big Green Egg, wood stoves, and more. … Read more

Leaked from today's 404 episode:

- Wrapping up CNET's coverage of Google I/O 2013.

- Nerd fight!

- Follow Bridget on the Twitter.

- Watch CNET Update every single day of your life.

- Make sure you tune in to find out how you can win one of six MLB/NBA 2K Sports prize packs!… Read more

Twitter launched its official app for Google Glass on Thursday.

The app lets Google Glass users tweet photos and text, as well as reply to, retweet, or favorite tweets and notifications. When you share a photo using the app, it will automatically put the words, "Just shared a photo #throughglas," in the tweet. If you're one of the elite few who own a pair of Google Glass frames, turn on the Twitter option here.

There was already a third-party app that let users tweet from the wearable tech, but it could only share photos. Twitter was caught … Read more

For the snooze kings and queens of the world, an even more annoying alarm clock is a must. Well, here's a droid with a "hilarious personality" that looks like it needs a good kick.

Tim-e is an iPhone dock with arms and legs. It wriggles and dances and is generally annoying. But that's the whole point.

The subject of a Kickstarter campaign that's aiming for $150,000, Tim-e (pronounced "Timmy") uses your iPhone screen as an animated face.

In the promo video below, it has a blue, animated mug and puts on a snarky routine. It recalls the genie from Disney's "Aladdin." … Read more

Leaked from today's 404 episode:

- CNET's full coverage of today's Google I/O 2013 event.

- Get out of the sun!

- Follow Jill on Twitter.

- Check out Jill's new site.… Read more