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Around The Home
Ice Ball Machine - the next round of drinks
By Darren Quick
23:20 February 4, 2010 PST
Ice cubes are so passé. We’ve already seen them challenged in their drink cooling duties by Sippin’ Rocks and now there's a new threat looming. The Ice Ball Mold transforms an irregular shaped chunk of ice into an icy sphere, which its proponents say are more desirable than cubes because they melt more slowly due to their smaller surface area - thereby keeping your drink cooler and less diluted for longer. Read More
Transfer cutting board keeps kitchen benchtops clean
By Jude Garvey
20:50 February 3, 2010 PST
I’m not sure about TV celebrity chefs any more…nothing personal, but they have really raised the bar when it comes to preparing food for guests. Are we expected to smear, tower or stack all our food - or do we just arrange it in one messy heap? Who knows? However, if you do want to look like a professional - the Transfer board could help. Its simple but clever design helps you move chopped food to a single plate quickly and effortlessly - which will make it easier to cook…and to impress. Read More
Neato XV-11 robot vacuum cleans up... logically
By Darren Quick
23:27 January 27, 2010 PST
Contrary to the expectations of the creators of The Jetsons, the robotic vacuums of today generally resemble a floor-crawling disc rather than humanoid Rosie the Robot. The latest device to join the ranks of circular-shaped household helpers alongside the Electrolux Trilobyte, iRobot Roomba and LG Roboking is the Neato XV-11 from Neato Robotics. Boasting Neato's RPS (that’s Room Positioning System) technology the XV-11 uses path-planning algorithms to outline the area to clean, which it then carries out in a systematic back-and-forth pattern. Read More
Control4 launches new energy-savers, a mobile app, even an app store
By Jeff Salton
01:45 January 23, 2010 PST
At CES 2010, home automation and entertainment company, Control4, released a new energy-saving system, an app that turns Blackberries and Droid handsets into remote control for its system, and even added an app store which it is hoping will have the same impact on home automation that iTunes had on music. Read More
Personalize your showering experience – even remotely – with the Moen ioDIGITAL
By Jeff Salton
06:04 January 22, 2010 PST
Currently, your iPod might have your favorite songs personalized the way you like them and your laptop might be customized with your own homepage material. But what about your shower or bath? Do they know what you like? An easy-to-use interface for your bathroom is now available from Moen that gives you the ability to set and maintain water temperature, levels and flow with electronic precision – even remotely. The ioDIGITAL is available for three Moen products: the vertical spa, shower and Roman tub. Read More
Oregon man thrashes local children in treehouse-building contest
By Loz Blain
21:06 January 20, 2010 PST
Everyone loves a treehouse - they seem to inspire a universal feeling of childlike wonder, and done right they really tickle the old 'living in harmony with nature' glands too. We've covered some beauties over the years here at Gizmag, but this one has to be the grand-daddy of them all. The work of architect Robert Harvey Oshatz, the Wilkinson Residence makes use of a steeply sloped block to put the house's main level right up in the tree canopy. Stunning from every angle, it uses curves and waves to echo the owner's love of the natural landscape with a slightly musical theme. Read More
GefenTV Wireless for HDMI 60Ghz is shipping
By Jude Garvey
17:37 January 20, 2010 PST
If you love your home theater system - but despise all the cables and wires associated with it – a new product from Gefen might be of interest to you. The GefenTV Wireless for HD 60Ghz extender allows you to extend high-quality audio signals and high-definition video - at resolutions of up to 1080p - to a remote display which can be up to 30 feet away. No wires – no worries. Read More
The demise of social TV viewing - media consumption patterns changing
By Gizmag Team
13:20 January 20, 2010 PST
We are watching television together less and less often. In the past, watching TV was a social activity that brought people together. The whole family watched the same program on the same TV set, and when people went to work the next day they could be fairly sure that most other people had also seen the same program. This is no longer the case. What once brought us together is now a source of fragmentation. Most families have several TVs, and they sit in different rooms and view different programs - if they watch TV at all. What's more, the channel offerings have become so large and varied that few programs qualify as shared topics in the lunchroom at work. Read More
SilverSTAT 7 touchscreen home energy management solution
By Alan Brandon
00:45 January 19, 2010 PST
SilverPAC has announced a new touchscreen programmable thermostat that not only controls your heating and air conditioning, but can communicate with smart home meters, outlets, and switches to help you manage your entire household energy use. The SilverSTAT 7 features 802.11 WiFi, plus ZigBee and Z-Wave wireless communications. The 7in. (17.8cm) display can show energy use on a per-appliance basis to help you analyze and adjust your home’s consumption and efficiency. Read More
Hammacher Schlemmer introduces picture scanning digital photo frame
By Karen Sprey
21:27 January 17, 2010 PST
While at least 48% of the US still camera market is now estimated to be digital, most people will have boxes and albums full of 'old style' printed photos for many years to come. One way of preserving and storing these pre-digital memories is to scan them and convert them into digital images. Hammacher Schlemmer, the company that has been offering unique gifts since 1848, has introduced a that lets you preserve and view photos 'as easily as feeding bills into a vending machine'. Read More
The Lounge-Tek Lounge-Book laptop stand
By Gizmag Team
19:43 January 16, 2010 PST
This is a very simple product which we suspect will have people across the world saying, “I’ve been waiting for one of those” – it’s a Lounge-Tek Lounge-Book laptop stand and it enables you to work on your laptop without needing to hold it, while sitting in an armchair, on the sofa, on a chaise-lounge or even in bed. Really simple, really practical, and available in a range of colours and materials from standard at EUR99 (US$142) through to Gold-plated at EUR240 (US$350) Read More
Cornucopia: Digital Gastronomy - could 3D printing be the next revolution in cooking?
By Loz Blain
23:49 January 14, 2010 PST
Wouldn't it be great to have a digital food machine sitting in your kitchen that could create any dish, real or imagined, from scratch at the touch of a button? Cornucopia: Digital Gastronomy is a concept design that uses the well-established principles of 3D printing - plus precisely timed and temperature-controlled mixing and cooking - to open the door to a virtually limitless realm of replicable, creative cuisine in shapes and combinations that are simply impossible using our current, centuries-old cooking techniques. It's a wonderful look into the future of cooking, from the creative food lover's perspective. Read More
Sharper Image unveils new iPod docks
By Paul Ridden
10:38 January 12, 2010 PST
Everywhere you look these days, someone is putting an iPod dock into something to try and convince you to play your favorite audio device through their product. SI Products has launched a few interesting variations on the dock theme at this year's CES trade show in Las Vegas including a voice-controlled alarm clock, a "Roman Clock" and a news and weather information center. Read More
Sony launches Dash, the 'personal Internet viewer'
15:17 January 10, 2010 PST
Some may call it a sophisticated alarm clock, but the truth is that the Dash presented by Sony at CES 2010 is simply much more than that. A one-of-a-kind "personal Internet viewer," this device is designed to let you pull all sorts of information off the Internet from its 7-inch touch screen even when you don't have a PC at hand. Read More
Brother’s new Entrepreneur is a state-of-the-art embroidery machine for sewing enthusiasts
By Jude Garvey
11:43 January 10, 2010 PST
A new product from Brother - which is on display at CES 2010 this week - could revolutionize crafting for the home sewer. The Entrepreneur offers all the features of a home embroidery machine but can also transfer designs and photos via a USB stick or computer. A large high-definition, color touch-screen lets you select, edit and move designs and it also offers a wide-angle visibility range so you can see your embroidery creation come to life. And with a speed of up to 1000 stitches per minute, this little beauty can create designs in a flash. Read More
Intel takes Home Energy Management to a whole new level
By Mick Webb
21:36 January 9, 2010 PST
With home energy consumption and ways to reduce and manage it becoming an increasingly important issue, Intel has at this weeks CES shown its Intelligent Home Energy Management concept. Taking the form of a Wi-Fi enabled 11.5” touchscreen dashboard, the wall mounted system enables users to not only track their household’s monthly energy usage, but offers a host of other features like leaving video memos for other family members and a “goodbye” switch that instantly configures all appliances to their least consumptive setting – as well as reminding the user if they have left the stove on. Read More
Klipsch remote-controlled LightSpeaker – let there be light…and sound
By Jude Garvey
21:07 January 8, 2010 PST
A clever idea that meets both your lighting and audio requirements has won a coveted 2010 CES Innovations Award. The Klipsch LightSpeaker unit combines an efficient LED light with a wireless 20 watt speaker that can be screwed – just like a light globe - into an existing downlight fixture. This means consumers can illuminate their rooms and listen to music from an MP3 player or laptop throughout their house without having to cut unsightly holes in their ceiling to install standard speakers. Read More
Audiovox shines new light on outdoor speakers
By Jude Garvey
23:09 January 7, 2010 PST
When did outdoor entertaining and al fresco dining become so sophisticated? Once, most people would be happy with a humble barbecue – now homeowners are adding gazebos and patios, landscaping their gardens, building grills or outdoor kitchens and installing outdoor sound systems. In response to this urge to create attractive outdoor living areas, manufacturers have produced some clever outdoor speaker options – from Rockustics, to Niles Camouflage speakers, to the Sonance rock speaker. The latest audio offering comes from Audiovox - a new range of wireless speakers and wall lanterns that are designed to not only look good and sound great but light up your outdoor living area as well. Read More
Pressed for time? Panasonic’s award-winning 360° Quick steam/dry iron could help you out
By Jude Garvey
21:49 January 6, 2010 PST
If I had to make a list of the most boring and thankless household jobs - then ironing would definitely be in number one spot. So anything that can make that tiresome task a little easier is worth a look. Panasonic’s new 360° Quick Multidirectional iron promises to not only reduce ironing time but it also makes side-to-side movements easier and can be used in any direction. Read More
Skype coming to LG and Panasonic HDTVs
By Tim Hanlon
01:49 January 5, 2010 PST
You might already have Skype on your iPhone, PSP, or desk phone, but 2010 looks to be the year of Skype on your HDTV, with Skype-enabled HDTVs from LG and Panasonic in the pipeline for a Spring release. Read More
The Horizon Fuel Cell Technologies HYDROFILL - personal desktop hydrogen station
By Mike Hanlon
00:54 January 4, 2010 PST
Singaporean company Horizon Fuel Cell Technologies will release a small home hydrogen refueling and storage solution at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas later this week that could kickstart mankind’s transition to a hydrogen-based economy. The HYDROFILL is a small desktop device that plugs into the power supply, a solar panel or a small wind turbine, and automatically extracts hydrogen from its water tank and stores it in a solid form in small refillable cartridges. The cartridges contain metallic alloys that absorb hydrogen into their crystalline structure, a storage method which the company claims offers the highest volumetric energy density of any form of hydrogen storage, even higher than liquid hydrogen. Read More
ChotuKool: the $69 fridge for rural India
23:52 December 28, 2009 PST
Is this the world’s cheapest refrigerator? Launched by Indian conglomerate Godrej and Boyce, ChotuKool's $69 price tag is not the only reason it can be called super economical. The portable, top-opening unit weighs only 7.8kg, uses high-end insulation to stay cool for hours without power and consumes half the energy used by regular refrigerators. This is a product that has crossed several technological barriers and is designed to cross several social barriers as well. Read More
ASUS hoping to clean up with robotic E-Cleaner
By Paul Ridden
15:16 December 23, 2009 PST
ASUS subsidiary AGAiT Technology is the latest to have a bash at realizing the dream of robots performing domestic tasks with the EC01 E-Cleaner robotic vacuum cleaner. As well as offering similar cleaning functionality to that of its rivals, the EC01 also benefits from a sanitizing UV lamp which disinfects as the unit vacuums. Read More
Printing Your Toast: a fun way to start the day
By Jude Garvey
21:57 December 22, 2009 PST
If you have a love for quirky gadgets you might appreciate this toaster concept from designer Othmar Mühlebach. The ‘Printing Your Toast’ design looks like a mini desktop printer – and just like paper, a stack of sliced bread goes into the feeder at the top. Once it has printed…I mean…toasted - it falls onto a plate at the bottom. Read More
CastOven microwave provides bite-sized YouTube entertainment based on your cooking time
By Darren Quick
23:35 December 21, 2009 PST
There’s no doubting the time saving convenience of microwave ovens. But what about the time wasted because of them? Their super fast cooking means there really isn’t enough time to go and do something else while we wait for our food, so we find ourselves loitering around watching the seconds tick down. A couple of researchers from Japan’s Keio University have come up with the perfect solution for those of us who need to be entertained at every minute of every day in the form of the CastOven, which lets users enjoy a bite-sized piece of YouTube goodness while they wait for their food. Read More
Mr Stiffy
- February 9, 2010 @ 06:26 UTC
