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Sex Toy or Gadget?

by Chris Morris on May 4, 2010 at 12:40 PM

A.

B.

C.

D.

E.

F.

G.

H.

I.

J.

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Sex Toy or Gadget?

by Chris Morris on May 4, 2010 at 12:40 PM

A. Je Joue SaSi

VERDICT: Sex toy

The SaSi might look more like a mouse than a sex toy, but it actually has more in common with a computer than a peripheral. The device learns the movements its users enjoy most, and remembers them for future sessions. It's designed to fit in the palm of your hand, giving you the ability to quickly switch from vibrations to pulsations and more. (Price: $150)

B. Candeloo

VERDICT: Gadget

Its twin ears might look like the famous "Rabbit" from 'Sex and the City,' but the Candleloo is actually a gadget for kids, acting as both plaything and portable nightlight. Manufacturer Vessel has a habit of making uniquely designed products that stand out from the competition. (Price: $39)

C. Mypressi Twist

VERDICT: Gadget.

You'll get a buzz from the Twist, but it will come from caffeine, not any motorized units. The device is unlike any other coffee maker on the market, as it uses nitrous oxide cartridges and a pneumatic engine to quickly make a pretty good cup of joe, no matter where you happen to be. (Price: $169)

D. Lelo Nea

VERDICT: Sex toy

Lelo was one of the first companies to move sex toys miles away from the bullet design. Its Nea product is built to fit comfortably in small hands, but it's still powerful, with five different stimulation modes and a discreet, porcelain-like finish. (Price: $89)

E. PlayStation 3 Move Controller

VERDICT: Gadget

Go ahead. Make the jokes. Sony's heard them all. The design of the Move controller has creatively been likened to a sex toy with a ping-pong ball glued to the tip. This funny looking gizmo, though, will introduce a new way to play PlayStation 3 games when it comes out later this year. (Price: TBD, but under $100)

F. JimmyJane Form 2

VERDICT: Sex toy

With its docking station and seamless design, this sex toy could easily be mistaken for a wireless signal extender. In reality, it's one of the most powerful adult novelties on the market, with two motors, five power levels and four modes. Design was key to the company, though, which brought aboard Yves Béhar (designer of the Jawbone Bluetooth headset and the Slingbox) for the product. (Price: $135)

G. Logitech MX Air Mouse

VERDICT: Gadget

The space-age design of this peripheral is a bit different that most mice, but, then again, so is its functionality. The MX Air doesn't require a surface to navigate your desktop. Just wave it in the air. Designed with media controls in mind, it's particularly useful when you're playing music on your PC. (Price: $150)

H. RealTouch

VERDICT: Sex toy

Sex toys for men are still pretty rare things. RealTouch is hoping to open up the market with this device, which was made by a former NASA engineer and uses haptic technology to simulate the feel of sex. Unlike some of the other adult novelties in this quiz, though, this isn't one that you could easily leave out in the open without people intuiting its purpose. (Price: $200)

I. Tria Beauty Clarifying Blue Light

VERDICT: Gadget

If you guessed sex toy for this acne fighting treatment, you're in good company, at least. 'Real Housewives of New York City' star Kelly Bensimon made the same mistake at an event earlier this month, according to the New York Post. The system uses blue light and a foam cleanser to clear up skin blemishes. But its unusual design is vastly different from those of other acne fighters on the market today. (Price: $395)

J. nJoy PureWand

VERDICT: Sex toy

nJoy casts all of its creations in 316-grade stainless steel (the same used in fine watches and hip replacements), and the PureWand is polished to a mirror finish. The quality of industrial design is a rarity in the sex toy industry, but has made the company popular with consumers. (Price: $110)

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Sex Toy or Gadget?

by Chris Morris on May 4, 2010 at 12:40 PM

Spurred on by Apple's rethinking of how a computer should look and act, several new companies have launched pleasure items that aren't as obvious as the adult novelties of bygone days. What this means, of course, is that clean, minimalistic design has infiltrated all sectors. The pleasure objects of yore have lost their flesh tones and garish neon hues, because, honestly, no one wants those things on their nightstand. Thanks to attractive, sleek aesthetics, it's now sometimes hard to tell the difference between sex tech and gadget tech. Can you?

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New Security Concerns Floating Around in Cloud Computing

by Chris Morris on April 29, 2010 at 08:25 AM

While cloud computing might be one of the hottest trends in tech these days, it's not without risks. Both consumers and businesses face hazards that most proponents have been reluctant to discuss.

Think of the cloud as a central supercomputer that stores both data and applications. Instead of having to spend thousands on state-of-the-art hardware and graphics cards, you can hook into this machine via the Internet, both accessing programs and storing your files with no space limitations. It's not without risks, though.

"It feels like we're starting security all over again with the cloud," says Chris Drake, CEO and founder of FireHost, Inc., a secure Web hosting company. "The cloud has knocked us back to the stone age of security." Don't misunderstand, though; no one is saying that other forms of Web hosting are flawless. But, when your personal data is being held in the same location as thousands of other people's, it's an inviting target for hackers, and a security breach can have much more profound implications. The ultimate security of the cloud really depends on who's the watchdog. Bigger services, such as Google and Amazon.com, have many layers of security and are considered more reputable. But that's not always the case with smaller providers.

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PopCap Games Explores the Future of Mobile Gaming

by Chris Morris on March 24, 2010 at 12:30 PM

In February, PopCap Games introduced a version of its popular castle defense game, 'Plants vs. Zombies,' to the iPhone. The lure of pea pods battling the undead proved impossible for people to resist, and, within nine days, the game had set a sales record on the device -- selling over 300,000 copies and pulling in over $1 million.

PopCap is a game maker with its fingers in several pies -- including the PC, Xbox 360, Nintendo DS and more -- but mobile gaming is becoming increasingly important to the company. The mobile team is currently working on between 20 and 25 projects, most of which are expected to be released before the end of the year.

While many big game publishers have downplayed the revenue potential of iPhone apps (and those for other smartphones) because of the lower retail price of the games, PopCap says it has found the platform quite lucrative. Andrew Stein, director of mobile business development for the company, says the sector currently makes up 25-percent of PopCap's revenue. "Historically, it has been one of the fastest growing areas," he says. "And I think portable experiences will continue to grow as a percentage of the company's revenue."

PopCap Games

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The Social Gaming Surprise: 'FarmVille' Is Blowing 'GTA' Away

by Chris Morris on March 17, 2010 at 12:21 PM

Every month, roughly 100 million people log into Facebook to tend their virtual farms in 'FarmVille,' or to wage virtual war against their mob enemies in 'Mafia Wars.' To put things in perspective, those numbers roughly equal the populations of France and Canada combined. Anyone who tells you that social gaming is a flash in the pan is wrong... dead wrong. So now, the video game industry is scrambling to catch up.

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How to Get a Job as a Game Tester

by Chris Morris on February 22, 2010 at 12:50 PM

It sounds like the ultimate gig: making a living by playing video games all day. And if you're a true game fanatic -- and we mean a real fanatic -- it can be exactly that. But being a quality assurance tester for a video game company isn't always the nerd-vana it sounds like.

Sony's offering a select group of wannabes a chance at the job via 'The Tester' -- a new reality show being broadcast exclusively through the PlayStation Network. If you don't want to suffer the indignities that go along with that programming genre, though, you can always try to get the job the old-fashioned way. Switched.com reached out to a few folks in the video game industry to learn more about being a game tester and the best ways to become one.

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Facebook's at It Again: More Changes, More Grumbling

by Chris Morris on February 11, 2010 at 02:00 PM

Facebook is the Heidi Montag of the Internet. Just when you get used to one look, it undergoes some radical plastic surgery and changes everything. The latest incarnation of the social network has got users talking -- and they don't have a lot of nice things to say. Some call it slower. Others say it's cluttered. And lots of people seem to wonder where their status-update feeds went. Backlash against Facebook redesigns is a regular occurrence, of course, but this time some of the complaints seem legitimate.

Rolled out on the site's sixth anniversary, the redesign uses links along the left-hand side of the page to improve the visibility of commonly used features, like pictures and applications. It's also much easier to see which friends are online and available to chat. And new messages, requests and notifications now show at the top left of the screen -- making them more noticeable, at least in theory. But as is common with any major redesign, things haven't gone as smoothly as everyone would hope. "Dear Facebook," wrote user Chris Donahue in his status update. "Thank you for making what used to be the simplest tasks on your site infinitely more complicated."

Facebook Design Changes

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Facebook's Biggest Year: The Events and Changes That Defined 2009

by Chris Morris on December 28, 2009 at 08:29 AM

Whatever 2010 holds for Facebook, it's going to have a hard time competing with 2009. The social networking site truly exploded into the mainstream this year -- and suffered some growing pains along the way. As the new year approaches, we take a look at some of the biggest Facebook moments of 2009, and how those instances defined the way the '00s will be remembered. Read on.

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What's the Best Networked Storage Device Under $250?

by Chris Morris on December 24, 2009 at 01:10 PM

A reader writes: I want an easy way to back up my computer's data -- but I would also like to be able to access it securely when I'm on the road. I've heard a lot of talk about cloud computing, but I'm wary of moving my files to a third-party machine. I'd prefer something I can hook into my home network and know will always be there. Just tell me what to get!

There are literally hundreds of backup and storage options out there. Many cater to the tech elite, but a growing number are being built for less experienced users. Among the best of the latter type is Netgear's Stora. With substantial storage space, multiple backup options, and secure file sharing, this home media server lets you protect important files, as well as share pictures and movies with friends and family.

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What's the Best Super Portable Laptop Under $500?

by Chris Morris on December 21, 2009 at 12:48 PM

A reader writes: I've decided to get a secondary computer and want to keep it cheap -- but there are so many netbooks and low-priced notebooks on the market that I don't know where to start. I want something reasonably powerful and comfortable to work with. Just tell me what to get! Dearest Reader: You're hardly alone in your confusion. While the netbook is red-hot this year and being ... Read more »

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The 10 Most Annoying Things About Facebook

by Chris Morris on November 30, 2009 at 01:00 PM

digg_url ='http://www.switched.com/2009/11/30/the-10-most-annoying-things-about-facebook/'; Sure, Facebook can be a lot of fun. It's a great way to reconnect with lost friends and to keep up with people on the fringes of your social circle. And as far as workday distractions go, there's nothing better. It's hardly a perfect service, though. Minor aggravations add up fast and can drive you ... Read more »

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Wacky Gifts for the Holidays

by Chris Morris on November 26, 2009 at 01:30 PM

We've all got that person on our list -- the one who's impossible to buy for. They've got everything they need and most of the stuff they want, which makes them a challenge for any gift giver. You could go the gift card route, but it's much more fun to get creative. We dug up 10 of the more unusual gifts around this year for people in all price ranges. ... Read more »

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Disney's 'Epic Mickey' Goes Back to Mischievous Side of Iconic Mascot

by Chris Morris on October 30, 2009 at 01:34 PM

Mickey Mouse is returning to the video game world in a big way. Disney has officially announced 'Epic Mickey,' a new Nintendo Wii game that's aimed at taking the world's most famous mouse back to his roots. Due in late 2010, the in-game Mickey will be a far cry from the character many people are used to. Instead of the happy-go-lucky mascot, this Mickey will be more akin to the one Walt Disney ... Read more »

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Who Needs a Prepaid Phone?

by Chris Morris on October 29, 2009 at 11:57 PM

9. If you're a homebody... Typical subscription plan providers offer networks that extend over the majority of the country, but some prepaid plans focus their coverage on select areas. If yours is one of those areas -- and you don't travel much (or ever) -- it's worth considering going prepaid, especially if you already have a landline. Call quality might be a concern, but doing a little ... Read more »

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