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Around The Home
Kwikset update touchpad doorlock
By Darren Quick
00:15 November 18, 2008 PST
Keys have served mankind well for thousands of years yet we all know the horrible feeling associated with misplacing those ubiquitous chunks of jangling metal. Now Kwikset, the makers of the SmartScan biometric keyless entry system, are looking to lighten the load on people’s keyrings with their next generation SmartCode Signature Series keyless entry deadbolt. Read More
GE twin oven cooks two different meals at once
By Darren Quick
20:53 November 17, 2008 PST
If the proliferation of cooking shows on TV and celebrity chefs is anything to go by, people either like to cook or they like to watch people cooking. I fall into the latter group but for those of you in the former, GE have unveiled an oven that can cook two dishes at two temperatures at the same time. The new GE Profile 30-inch single/double wall oven fits two ovens into the space of a single standard wall oven by including a 2.8-cubic-foot lower oven and a 2.2-cu.-ft. upper oven to provide a total of 5.0-cubic-feet of capacity, making it the largest oven of its kind. Read More
Samsung French Door Refrigerator with 7-inch touchscreen
By Emily Clark
22:10 November 4, 2008 PST
The latest addition to its kitchen suite of appliances, Samsung’s new RFG299 French Door Refrigerator transforms the humble fridge into an interactive, digital lifestyle centerpiece. The RFG299 features a 7” LCD touch screen above the ice and water dispenser and boasts exceptional internal storage at 28.5 cu. ft. in a standard footprint. Read More
Six-bladed Rolling Razor ups the ante against sharp competition
By Loz Blain
21:29 November 2, 2008 PST
If you watch a lot of TV commercials, you could be forgiven for thinking that today's top white-coated science professionals have no higher goal than delivering you and I the perfect shaver. Gillette, having almost reached the logical conclusion of its "more blades = more sales" policy, currently touts the "Fusion Power Phenom" as its flagship stubble eliminator, packing no fewer than FIVE blades, one precision trimmer, 15 microfins and a battery-powered, microchip controlled micropulse generator that improves "razor glide." But Rolling Razor are fighting back with a rubber-grip ring mounted, double tilting headed monster featuring no less than SIX blades mounted in opposing directions so you can shave UP as well as DOWN. Read More
Mirror image: Specchio Wi-Fi digital photo frame
17:39 October 27, 2008 PDT
Parrot has collaborated with French artist Martin Szekely for its latest digital photo frame offering - Specchio. The frame sports a range of connection options including Wi-Fi but its unique feature remains hidden until it's switched off - rather than showing a blank screen the Specchio becomes a minimalist mirror. Read More
Sushi that you sit on
By Emily Clark
21:32 October 23, 2008 PDT
SUSHI is a multifunctional furniture design that doubles as both a sofa and a stool from Australian University student Winaya Suwarnaga Kamaputri. The elegantly simple and ergonomic concept uses a high gloss finished fiber glass base with fine fabric upholstery and its unique pattern was created using a laser cutting technique. Read More
WaterMill provides energy-efficient alternative to bottled H2O
By Emily Clark
17:05 October 20, 2008 PDT
The WaterMill from ElementFour is an atmospheric water collection device for the home that produces up to 12 liters of clean drinking water each day using only air. Once the drinking water is ready for consumption it can be fed directly to your sink, an existing bottled water system, your refrigerator, or a custom dispenser. Read More
Universal remote control with built-in WiFi, color screen
By Emily Clark
01:17 October 16, 2008 PDT
There’s no point hauling yourself off the couch to go outside only to find that the weather’s terrible, right? The Universal Smart Remote Control from Acoustic Research eliminates the guess work displaying up to date weather information, plus news, sports and TV listings using a built-in WiFi connection. Read More
Fingerfood: hold on to your hors d’oeuvres
By Emily Clark
23:04 October 12, 2008 PDT
This adorable idea takes the notion of “finger food” quite literally. A tiny plate attached to a ring that slips over your finger, the Fingerfood is the perfect way to balance your snack and glass of wine at a party. Read More
WoodStation: weather with a difference
By Emily Clark
18:37 October 12, 2008 PDT
The function is familiar, the form definitely isn't. WoodStation uses LEDs embedded just under its surface to transform what appears to be a solid block of timber into a digital weather station and clock. Read More
Portable party: the BoomCooler
By Emily Clark
21:02 October 9, 2008 PDT
Take a 36" x 18" x 17 cool-box, add 2 x 240 speakers, a 10” Subwoofer, a 4-Channel Amplifier, then throw in wheels and a towing handle and you have yourself an ideal summer entertainment solution with which to terrorize the neighborhood. Read More
Sonance updates outdoor speaker line
By Emily Clark
18:47 October 7, 2008 PDT
Here's one for those looking to entertain outdoors without upsetting their back-yard's natural ambiance. Sonance is expanding its Landscape Series of outdoor audio speakers with the addition of three new models. The new products include two smaller rock-like speakers and a larger boulder-like enclosure to house Sonance’s Mariner outdoor speakers. Read More
Get world wide weather via the world wide web
By Emily Clark
19:05 October 6, 2008 PDT
The Hama WDS-300 takes a conventional digital weather station format and links it to the Internet to enable easy access to weather forecast information from around the globe. The device offers one touch access to the weather details of your five favorite saved locations chosen from over 20,000 cities and data is synchronized every time you go online. Read More
Liebherr's ZKes 453 cigar storage unit
By Emily Clark
00:29 September 12, 2008 PDT
Storing and maturing cigars successfully relies heavily on the regulation of air temperature and humidity, and the new ZKes 453 humidor from Liebherr achieves this using a stainless steel housing lined with Spanish cedar wood that incorporates sensitive electronic control system in conjunction with temperature and humidity sensors, all operated via an electronic SoftTouch panel. Read More
New coffee machine joins expanded Kenwood kMix range
By Emily Clark
19:17 September 9, 2008 PDT
Kenwood has unveiled a new addition to its kMix range; the CM 020 Coffee Maker. As well as aiming to be a colorful complement to your kitchen decor, the new caffeine machine features an Opti-Temp function which uses a separately heatable hotplate to constantly maintain coffee at an optimal temperature. Read More
DVR now indispensable technology
By Jack Martin
03:53 September 4, 2008 PDT
September 3, 2008 Anyone who has ever owned a DVR will attest to the usefulness of the device, so we were interested to see the results of a new survey commissioned by global digital pay-TV technology solutions provider NDS. Though such surveys are often clearly contrived to generate obvious promotional fodder for the benefit of the commissioning company, the responses from the UK, US, Australia and Italy clearly demonstrate that the DVR has moved into the indispensable household technology category for those who have experienced it, and equally, that it improves family harmony. The vast majority of respondents would rather give up their landline phone, dishwasher, radio or MP3 player than their DVR due to how much it has improved their enjoyment of television. Read More
Grundig announces return of Audiorama spherical speakers
By Kyle Sherer
23:41 September 1, 2008 PDT
September 2, 2008 Grundig's disco-ball-esque speakers blasted funk in the 70s, and now the company is releasing a model for a new generation to enjoy. The Audiorama 9000 is set for an October release, for an RRP of €1100. The speaker set consists of two deep mid-range chassis, and incorporates a hyperbolically diverted treble system that provides clear 360 degrees surround sound without the “lattice fence effect”. Read More
The Gorenje SmarTable - beautiful, functional and a killer wow factor
By Jack Martin
03:54 August 31, 2008 PDT
August 31, 2008 Emanating from a small Slovenian village of the same name in 1950, Gorenje is quickly forging a name for itself in the manufacture and design of quality and innovative household goods. Its SmarTable will not harm that cause. The SmarTable is a unique prestigious table with a remotely controlled refrigerator and lift, integrated in the table's central cylinder foot.The SmarTable's fundamental value is in freeing the table from its direct environment of the kitchen, in the common sense of the word, and in paving the way for its placement into any room of choice. If your guests were not aware of its capabilities, the SmarTable is capable of a spectacular entrance when its platform raises up with the next course. Showtime indeed, and very clever, and an innovation certain to find its way into some of the world’s most exclusive dinner parties. Read More
Wake up to the (artificial) sun
By Emily Clark
12:12 August 29, 2008 PDT
Philips has shown the second generation of its Wake-up Light at IFA 2008, while Lenco, is displaying a multi-colored approach on the same theme. Both lights are designed to mimic the natural process of waking up with the sun and, hopefully, make it just that little bit easier to get out of bed in the morning. Read More
LG unveils N4B1 Total Network Attached Storage Solution
By Jack Martin
23:07 August 28, 2008 PDT
August 29, 2008 Gizmag’s Noel McKeegan reports that one of the more interesting products to see first light of day at IFA this week was LG’s new N4B1 Network Attached Storage (NAS) for home and small business users. The system goes beyond just data sharing and provides advanced integrated data management including a built-in Blu-ray drive and version management. Available in two- and four-bay configurations, LG’s N4B1 accepts hard drives as large as one terabyte and makes it possible to share a single Blu-ray, DVD or CD among many users by creating a virtual disc library. After inserting a disc, the NAS can create and store an image of the disc which is then accessible by all of the users on the network. This not only saves time, but also reduces wear and tear on discs. Very cool! Read More
Siemens showcases new fast drying dishwashers at IFA
By Emily Clark
10:24 August 28, 2008 PDT
At this year’s IFA (the world's largest Consumer Electronics trade fair) in Berlin, Siemens unveiled its new speedMatic dishwasher featuring Zeolith drying technology for speedier drying times. The triple-A energy efficiency rated dishwasher can complete a standard 50C program in just 125 minutes or use its varioSpeed function to reduce program time by a further 50%. Read More
Sony announces 200 frame per second Bravia LCD TV
By Mike Hanlon
09:43 August 28, 2008 PDT
August 28, 2008 Sony has announced a 200Hz LCD TV at IFA. The new Z4500 LCD TV uses Sony’s proprietary Motionflow 200Hz system to calculate three additional frames for every original, upping the frame rate from 50 to 200 frames per second. A complementary image enhancement technology called IB Reduction (Image Blur Reduction) boosts the sharpness of the final picture by improving the original, frame by frame, before it is processed by the Motionflow 200Hz. The result is the smoothest and clearest motion reproduction to be achieved by an LCD to date. Read More
Sony Bravia ZX1 – ultra-thin LCD TV with separate wireless Media Receiver
By Mike Hanlon
09:04 August 28, 2008 PDT
August 28, 2008 Sony is showing an extraordinarily slim new 40-inch Bravia HD LCD TV at IFA this week that measures a barely believable 9.9mm at its slimmest section. The compelling elegance of this wafer-thin display is hugely enhanced by a super-fast wireless connection so there are no signal cables to spoil the elegant simplicity of the design. Instead, the screen uses what Sony has dubbed ‘Bravia 1080 Wireless’ to carry the audiovisual signal from the separate Media Receiver to the screen in real time. Read More
The De’Longhi Perfecta Living Room limited edition - Coffee-making moves to the living room
By Mike Hanlon
20:28 August 27, 2008 PDT
August 28, 2008 The coffee lifestyle is one that continues to evolve with the free thinking that comes with the technophiles who are driving the current revolution in technology – our readership and viewing statistics suggest that our readers emulate the caffeine-induced heightened awareness to emulate the ever-increasing clock speeds of our microprocessors. So it seems quite natural (at least to us) that the coffee machine would migrate from the kitchen to the living room - De’Longhi is facilitating the move with titanium, burl wood and leather look Perfecta Living Room limited edition machines that promise harmonious integration of a fully automatic espresso maker into the living environment. Read More
Miele CAVE -VR design for around the home
By Mike Hanlon
17:07 August 27, 2008 PDT
August 28, 2008 The use of synthesised Virtual Reality to train people using frightfully expensive machinery where mistakes are not an option was pioneered by the aviation industry with flight simulators and the technology found application in the automotive industry to refine the development of human-machine interfaces and is beginning to be applied to all manner of high value pursuits. Undoubtedly, the use of a CAVE (Computer Aided Virtual Environment) in the design of products and carefully-crafted user environments is certainly the way of the future for all industries once the enormous expense can be justified, and now German premium household appliance designer Miele has introduced the technology into its design process, becoming the first company in the sector to avail itself of the technology. Read More
matthew.rings
- November 23, 2009 @ 02:00 UTC
