(Credit: Arcam)

Arcam has a reputation for producing meticulously engineered high-end audio products, so I was curious to try its iPod speaker, the rCube.

I've shied away from reviewing all that many iPod speakers, mostly because they don't offer the best possible sound for the money. That's my beat, finding great-sounding gear, and iPod speakers rarely qualify. Convenient, you bet, sound great, well, that's another story.

The Arcam rCube is a portable iPod dock. Fit and finish are upscale; it's a truly elegant design. The top of the cube has five touch-sensitive buttons--source select, wireless on/off, volume up and down, and standby--arrayed in front of the flip-up door that conceals the iPod dock and the speaker's carry handle. The rCube is available in a black or white finish, and I think the white one looks great.

Arcam rCube

(Credit: Arcamz)

It's pretty small, just a 7.9-inch cube, and it weighs 11 pounds. Connectivity runs to one 3.5mm input jack and composite and component video outputs. There's also a small bass boost button on the rear panel, but it sure would have made more sense to put that on the small remote control. Other design specifics are sketchy: the rCu... [Read more]Related Links:Improve the sound of your iPhone/iPod with the NuForce iDoWhere are the truly beautiful speakers?Monstrous Behringer iNuke Boom will rock your socks offBest portable Bluetooth speakersiMainGo XP: Big, portable sound for your iPad 2

(Credit: Sarah Tew/CNET)

Sony's launch of its PlayStation Vita portable gaming device in Japan has apparently gone off without a hitch.

The Associated Press reports that the gadget landed in stores today, with thousands of anxious gamers queuing up hours ahead of time to get their hands on it.

"I'm so happy to see so many people lining up for PS Vita so early in the morning," the AP quoted Sony Computer Entertainment Japan President Hiroshi Kono as saying on his official blog. "I can tell they had anxiously waited for today's launch."

That may be, but Sony's decision to release the Vita so late in the year--and, indeed, delay its U.S. launch till February--could certainly undermine the overall splash the device makes and curtail Sony's efforts at a post-PlayStation Portable comeback.

In terms of the casual gamer and consumer, Sony faces increasing competition from smartphones, tablets, and games-as-apps like Angry Birds.

Still, the Vita has the advantage of Sony's technological expertise and the promise of integration with the PlayStation 3 console.

So, will the Vita have legs? Check out the following CNET and CBS Interactive pieces for insight:

"... [Read more]Related Links:Can the PlayStation Vita succeed?Another round with the PlayStation VitaPS Vita's user interface picturedPS3 firmware 4.0 makes it a hub for VitaWhat will CES 2012 have in store for gaming?

My best attempt at a frosty message on a white background.

(Credit: Screenshot by Eric Mack / CNET)

Google has hidden a special holiday "Easter Egg" that turns your screen into a winter wonderland.

Simply search for "let it snow" on Google and prepare yourself for an HTML5 blizzard--actually, it's more like a few flurries. The cool part comes after a few seconds, when your screen "frosts over" and your cursor can be used to trace messages or doodles like a finger against a window on a chilly day.

It might not quite have the wow factor of Google's famous "barrel roll" bonus, but it's bound to make your friends and family feel a quick burst of holiday cheer, while also giving more ammunition to the Scrooges in your clan. Some Bah Humbugs are sure to declare something along the lines of "Oh great, another way to waste time on the Internet!" or "So this is what those people at the Google do with their bajillions of dollars?"

Fair points uncle Carl, but you clearly need to have some more egg nog.

Check out the video below or try the search query yourself to see it in action.

[Read more]Related Links:Google+ Hangouts come to posts and mobile devicesGoogle to you: Embrace your inner mustache!Mac App Store downloads reach 100 millionShare your Google Blogger content through Google+TeleNav puts GPS navigation into your phone's HTML5 browser

Operator TEPCO has completed construction of this cover on the Unit 1 reactor at Fukushima.

(Credit: Video screenshot by Tim Hornyak/CNET)

TOKYO--The Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant has finally been stabilized after it was crippled by a tsunami in March, the Japanese government said yesterday.

Engineers working under operator Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO) have brought the plant to a state of "cold shutdown," meaning the reactors can be safely kept cool and that radiation exposure is limited to 1 millisievert per year at the site's boundary.

"We are now moving from trying to stabilize the reactors to decommissioning them," Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda told reporters, emphasizing the importance of the achievement.

"This is a challenge to not only our nation, but also the whole of humanity. I believe there will come a day when Fukushima will be remembered as the place where our future was founded by the bravery, the commitment, and resourcefulness of all our people."

Explosions occurred at four of the six reactors when cooling systems failed. They released massive amounts of radiation into the environment, forcing the evacuation of an estimated 88,000 people from a zone roughly 150 miles north of Tokyo.

Related stories ... [Read more]Related Links:Talking Geiger counter developed for blindStill plugging new nuclear power tech post-FukushimaGates-backed TerraPower pitches new nuclear techBill Gates calls for massive increase in energy researchAim carefully with $130,000 crystal toilet

Looking for gift ideas for that special audiophile in your life? Here are some, priced from affordable to crazy expensive. Let's get started!

"Miles! Live at Montreux - The Definitive Miles Davis at Montreux Collection, 1973-1991"

This historically important 10-DVD set ($150) captures all of Miles Davis' performances at the Montreux Jazz Festival between 1973 and 1991. The final concert features Davis paying tribute to his collaborator and close friend Gil Evans, who died in 1988. The audio and video quality of the collection varies, but most of it is surprisingly good.

Audio Technica ATH M50 Headphones

These headphones are nearly impossible to fault; they're extremely comfortable, great-sounding, ruggedly built, and fairly priced. The ATH M50 ($199) is a closed-back design and provides nearly as much isolation from external noise as noise-canceling headphones, but sounds better than any NC headphones I've heard to date.

Audio Technica ATH M50 headphones

(Credit: Audio Technica)

Pioneer SP-PK21BS subwoofer-satellite package

... [Read more]Related Links:Awesome-sounding under-$100 audio gift ideasCar tech holiday gift picksBest tech gifts for under $50Laptop holiday gift picksPortable audio holiday gift picks

With his manipulated Street View imagery, photographer Aaron Hobson hopes to take viewers to "enchanted and remote lands."

Plenty of photographers have tapped Google Street View for imagery.

Doug Rickard travels the byways of the U.S. via Street View to find images that, in the words of the Museum of Modern Art, "comment on poverty and racial equity in the United States, the bounty of images on the Web, and issues of personal privacy."

Michael Wolf became a flashpoint for controversy when his project "A Series of Unfortunate Events" received kudos from the World Press Photo competition--could Wolf's Street View-based approach truly be called photojournalism?

And Jon Rafman, discussing his own Street View work, has cited "hard-boiled American street photography," Depression-era Farm Securities Administration photos, and the work of famous "decisive moment" photojournalist Cartier-Bresson, among other things.

Aaron Hobson, however, seems less concerned with the... [Read more]Related Links:At Burning Man, architecture is artThanksgiving cooking apps for iOSPhase One IQ180: 80 megapixels of lavish colorGoogle's WebP crosshairs target PNG, not just JPEG'Chromatic Typewriter' turns keystrokes to brushstrokes

Too busy trying to beat your pet lizard at a game of Ant Crusher to keep up with Crave? Well, put your game on pause and grab a seat, because here are this week's hottest stories.

• Have you met Mrs. Violence? Don't say girls can't play games.

You don't want to mess with Mrs. Violence.

(Credit: Jonathan Heier)

• This year's 10 best games. Period.

• So, just how hot is police-grade pepper spray, anyway? (Hint: a heck of a lot hotter than a jalapeno.)

• Pop that collar and get rambunctious in some '80s Apple fashion.

• Or perhaps you're interested in fashion that's a little more revealing?

• These laptops keep going and going and going.

... [Read more]Related Links:iOS shopping apps: bar code scannersHow to get your holiday music fix onlineDigital camera and camcorder holiday gift picksThanksgiving cooking apps for iOSCrave 68: We're all out of bubblegum (podcast)

(Credit: Antuan Goodwin/CNET)

I know what you're thinking, "Haven't GPS-enabled smartphones rendered the portable navigation device obsolete?"

True, an Android, Windows Phone, or iOS device running a navigation app such as Google Maps, Bing Navigation, GPS by Telenav, or Waze will handle the turn-by-turn needs of your average smartphone-toting techie. However, there are plenty of circumstances under which a standalone navigator still has its advantages and may be the best device for the job.

Click through to check out our list of Top GPS devices for navigation gift ideas.

(Credit: Josh Miller/CNET)

Portable navigation devices (PNDs) often feature screens that are larger than your average smartphone (although the latest batch of megasize phones and small tablets is starting to eat away at this advantage). Those screens are also usually glare-resistant and use technology that allows them to be used by drivers who prefer to wear gloves. Global positioning is more accurate thanks to more sensitive GPS antennas.

Meanwhile, locally stored map data allows navigation to continue in areas where wireless data is unavailable. Spoken turn-by-turn directions can be more clearly heard over the din of road noise, thanks to the PND's larger, louder speaker. Additionally, as a discrete dev... [Read more]Related Links:Car tech holiday gift picksCan the PlayStation Vita succeed?Kindle Fire vs. Nook Tablet: How to chooseHelp! Santa can't afford the iPad. Will the Kindle Fire do?Portable audio holiday gift picks

(Credit: CNET)

Are you a puzzle gamer? My iOS devices have a mix of gaming genres, from action arcade titles and racing games, to FPS shooters and role-playing adventure games. But sometimes I also like to focus in and test my logic and problem-solving skills with puzzle games.

Some great games have come out recently that are worthy of any puzzle-gaming fan's iPhone. All of these titles are worthy of checking out, because they have plenty of challenge, are all very polished graphically, and are perfect for when you want to put your brain-teaser skills to the test.

This week's iOS app collection is all about arcade puzzle games. The first combines lessons from past iPhone games to make for a great brain-teaser. The second has you blowing up ice sculptures using different types of bombs. The third challenges you to divert water to a cute little alligator's tub.

You'll need to drag and attach the eerie tendrils to the eye to get it to the goal.

(Credit: Screenshot by Jason Parker/CNET)

Contre Jour (99 cents) is an arcade puzzler that veteran gamers will see as a mashup of game mechanics and inspiration from several other popular titles. Though it's been out for a while, Contre Jour is a well-executed and challenging puzzle game with polished art an... [Read more]Related Links:Kindle Fire: Got game?Help! Santa can't afford the iPad. Will the Kindle Fire do?ChuChu Rocket blasts from Sega Dreamcast to AndroidAnother round with the PlayStation VitaGooey physics-based fun for Android

CNET reader Diana F. writes:

I have a new 65-inch plasma, and I just hooked up an HD cablebox from Comcast. In the setup menu I can't access the HD Size (grayed out) What's wrong?

Thanks, Diana

Well, Diana, TV companies just don't want you changing things. Just kidding, there's more to it than that, and it's far more common than you'd think.

Modern televisions have dozens, and in some cases hundreds, of different settings for you to adjust. This is one of the less obvious ways TVs have changed over the past decade.

Ten years ago, many manufacturers were reluctant to give suckers end users consumers access to the more complex picture adjustments. One of the main reasons was they didn't want additional service and complaint calls from adventurous users who messed up their TVs and couldn't figure out how to get them back.

For years, when in the Vivid mode (the out-of-the-box mode), many TVs wouldn't let you adjust many functions. As most people never leave Vivid mode, TV manufacturers figured this was an easy way to hide things from an unsuspecting (and uncaring) public.

Apparently they got over it, as today most TVs give you access to ... [Read more]Related Links:Why does my receiver mess up my TV's picture? (Morrison's Mailbag)How to set up an HDTVBuying an HDTV: Online or in-store?Myths, Marketing, and Misdirection: HDTV editionHow not to get ripped off buying an HDTV online