Nintendo DS Lite

Costumes are great, but carving pumpkins is one Halloween tradition we'll never skip. Feeling creative? Get out your carving tools and create the geekiest pumpkin of them all — you could win a bag of sweet treats that won't rot your teeth.

We're giving away a fun prize pack for the geekiest pumpkin photo submitted to our Geeky Halloween Pumpkin Carving Contest group. So grab a template (or just your imagination) and get to work! We'll select a winner from all entrants on Oct. 27. Want to hear more about what's included in the prize (of course you do)? Then keep reading!

Included in the prize pack (worth over $430) will be a Powerbag Backpack that will easily carry your books, games, and gear, and even charge your gadgets, a Nintendo DS Lite, five Nintendo DS games, including Kirby Mass Attack, Mario Kart DS, Mario and Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story, Mario Party DS, and Mario vs. Donkey Kong: Mini-Land Mayhem, along with a Pac-Man Fleece Blanket to keep you warm while you game.

Sound like something you'd be interested in? Then enter now! If you need help uploading your pics, check out our community tutorial, and be sure to read through the official rules here. Happy Carving!

You already know about my addiction to Mini Ninjas, which I played on the Xbox 360 at this year's E3, but did you know that this game also came out on other platforms? I haven't tested out the Wii or PS3 editions, but I have been able to get my hands on both the Xbox 360 and DS versions to test and play.

As you may know, not all games are created equal on all platforms. Just take Tomb Raider Underworld for example — although the game is entertaining on both the DS and Wii consoles, when push came to shove, I much preferred the DS version of the game for its controls and fun factor. So where do these two versions of the same game stand? Find out when you read more

• The Metallic Rose, Cobalt/Black, and Crimson/Black DS Lite is on sale for $89 at Target — CrunchGear
• The new $400 Logitech Harmony One remote comes with a charging dock and RF to IR control adapters — Gizmodo
• Ice-T decides to take a hammer to his old aluminum G4 laptop — Switched
• Now that Facebook has scooped up FriendFeed, Facebook is already showing off some feature enhancements and changes — TechCrunch
• Apple has just brought back the matte-finish screen option on the 15-inch MacBook Pro — Wired
• Predictive texting is making kids more prone to impulsive and thoughtless behavior — DailyMail

If you just can't get enough music games in your life (what, like Rock Band, Guitar Hero and all those DJ games weren't enough?), then make room for Band Hero. Activision's answer to all those other hero games ups the ante by including a motion captured country superstar, complete with three hit songs (along with a few other pop favorites) to rock out to. Taylor Swift makes a cameo in the latest band-centric game to hit the market, and she wasn't just emulated in Band Hero, she was duplicated. Taylor spent hours in a motion capture stage to get her performance just right so you can play along as if you were on stage next to her.

Check out the labor intensive process of capturing Taylor's movements for the game, and look for Band Hero to hit the shelves just in time for the holiday shopping rush this November.

I'll admit it, I haven't shown that much love to the My Favorite Gadgets group lately, but trust me, it's not due to lack of options! Worthy of its own entry, I found this DS Stylus pack at E3, and couldn't get over how I haven't seen them anywhere before. I mean, a light up Lightsaber-shaped stylus? Come on, that's too easy!

Although I didn't grab a pack for myself while hitting up the merch booths, I did make a mental note for future birthdays, Christmases, and heck, even anniversaries. There's never really a bad time for Star Wars.

Do you have a favorite gadget you can't live without? Post it to our Favorite Gadgets Group! Find out how to get started when you read more