Around The Home

14:03 March 29, 2008 PDT

March 29, 2007 The digital tools available to designers, architects and home decorators continue to grow by the day. Nowadays you can apply digital images to carpet, tiles, curtains, wall surfaces and even complex shapes such as cars, but until now, you couldn’t render a digital image onto brick. Digital printing pioneers VgL have developed a new textured wall film that is heat applied directly to brick work (internal, external, painted or unpainted) and takes on the surface texture of the surface its applied to. UK-based Surface View was recently launched by VgL with a view to becoming the go-to-guys for the use of digital printing for interior decorating. Read More

Electrolux Inspiro intelligent oven - “auto-focus for chefs”

00:03 March 19, 2008 PDT

Electrolux Inspiro intelligent oven - “auto-focus for chefs”

March 19, 2008 Electrolux is launching an important new oven called Inspiro - the first oven that automatically determines the right way to cook a dish to consistently achieve the desired result. A heat management program automatically selects the right heating mode based on the contents of the oven - the company is selling the technology by likening the way the Inspiro manages heat to the auto focus of the camera. Read More

Liveboard - the live, wireless baseball scoreboard

23:44 March 18, 2008 PDT

Liveboard - the live, wireless baseball scoreboard

March 19, 2008 In terms of need-to-know-NOW, there’s nothing quite like sport – baseball, football, basketball, cricket and motor racing provide the most compelling scheduled live news events on the planet, so they’re a natural for ambient media devices. Now an entrepreneur has begun building these stunning retro scoreboards using Bluetooth and internet technologies. The $200 Liveboard displays the score, inning, batter count, and base occupancy of the game of your choice – live and without any ongoing fees! Read More

The ultimate loungeroom golf simulator - now including online tournament play

By Loz Blain

22:37 March 16, 2008 PDT

March 17, 2008 High flying, deal-making business and the leisurely sport of golf have gone hand in hand for decades, the high-class country club being an exclusive refuge for the wealthy and powerful. With so much money behind it, golf is one of the few sports that can support blue-sky, no-expense-spared technology like the Full Swing Golf simulator. Built into a wall in your home, office or place of business, this immensely popular boys' toy allows you to play over 50 of the world's most famous courses, from the Old Course at St. Andrew's to Pebble Beach, using your own clubs and never losing a ball. A new online mode allows you to play over the Web against your buddies... Provided they have the US$50,000 to $80,000 you need to set yourself up with a system! Read More

Water saving Water Aid Top Load Washer from Electrolux

17:23 March 16, 2008 PDT

March 17, 2008 Top loaders have generally been considered the water wasters of the washing machine world, but the new Water Aid Top Load Washer from Electrolux addresses this issue by delivering water savings of up to up to 7,800 liters (over 2000 gallons) per year using sensors that determine the load size and only supplying the exact amount of water needed to wash and rinse. Read More

HDTV, digital cookbook and digital photo frame kitchen combo

17:03 March 13, 2008 PDT

Pandigital Kitchen HDTV/Digital Cookbook/Digital Photo Frame

March 14, 2008 As the popularity of digital photo frames grows, so does the shapes, sizes and specific applications of the products on offer. The latest example comes from Pandigital, which has taken things to a new level with a frame that incorporates HDTV and a digital cookbook for the ultimate kitchen companion. Read More

Sharp's new air purifiers combine purification and humidification

18:28 March 12, 2008 PDT

Sharp's new air purifiers combine purification and humidification

Sharp has released two new air-purifiers that combine three technologies to quietly and efficiently clean and refresh air in the home. The KC-C100U and KC-C150U use a triple filtration system, Sharp’s Plasmacluster technology and a humidification function to trap dust and pollen, decrease odors, and freshen and humidify the air. Read More

Husqvarna reveals solar electric hybrid robot lawn mower

16:33 March 7, 2008 PST

It's a green solution for a green problem. Husqvarna has unveiled a new version of its Automower™ that not only allows you to maintain a neatly trimmed lawn without lifting a finger, but achieves it using combination of solar power and electricity. Like its fully-electric predecessor, the Automower Solar Hybrid works by cutting the grass with small blades in an irregular pattern within an area defined by a pre-laid boundary cable that ensures the mower wont turn your flowering garden beds into mulch. According to Husqvarna the new Automower only uses the energy of a standard light bulb, and to ensure it remains green even at the end of its life-span, it is constructed from 90% recyclable material. Read More

Control4's energy saving wireless light dimmer

17:09 March 3, 2008 PST

March 4, 2008 Creating more artificial light than we actually need is a significant contributor to energy waste in the home. The solution - dim the lights. In the case of the Wireless Dimmer from Control4 this is achieved automatically as the device uses ambient light sensors to adjust brightness to an optimum level. Read More

The Krank lamp: funky, functional and eco-friendly

By Jude Garvey

17:11 March 2, 2008 PST

The 2008 Greener Gadgets Design Competition produced a number of eco-friendly, innovative designs, amongst them was the standout design of the “Krank”, a light-weight lamp which is powered by hand. Read More

New Band expands the uses for DaysAgo timer

By Jude Garvey

19:08 February 29, 2008 PST

New Band expands the uses for DaysAgo timer

March 1, 2008 There’s nothing worse than finding a jar in the back of the fridge and testing the contents with your nose only to discover the contents have turned rancid or pouring milk into your morning coffee and seeing it curdle before your eyes. DaysAgo, the digital day counter which attaches to opened food containers and tells you when the contents need to go straight to the trash can, has a new accessory. “The band” is designed to be used on non-metal or odd-shaped containers, allowing you to use the timer on many more items. Read More

ONELink wireless, talking, networked smoke alarm

22:19 February 28, 2008 PST

ONELink Carbon Monoxide and Smoke Detector with Voice

February 29, 2008 When it comes to home safety, you can never be too cautious, and every second counts in the event of an emergency. The ONELink Carbon Monoxide and Smoke Detector with Voice from First Alert not only provides a wireless way to network your smoke detectors, it actually tells you what you’re dealing with. Identifying both the location and type of danger in the home, the voiceover alerts those in the house to give them the best chance of escape without harm. Read More

Dryer Miser: energy-saving clothes drying technology

20:32 February 13, 2008 PST

February 14, 2008 In another innovation that promises to aid us in reducing our carbon footprint, Hydromatic's new energy saving technology targets one of the biggest energy guzzling appliances found in the home - the clothes dryer. Launched at the 2008 International Builders’ Show in Orlando, the Dryer Miser system uses a specially-engineered fluid in the heat exchange process to reduce energy consumption by up to 50% and cut clothes-drying time by up to 41%. Read More

Tefal Quick Cup: hot tea in seconds

16:01 February 13, 2008 PST

February 14, 2008 Increasing awareness of the urgent need to address global carbon emissions is leading to changes in the way we consume energy in our day to day lives. It's a classic "every little bit helps" scenario - from turning off appliances at the power point to using the "eco" function on the washing machine - and following this philosophy, Tefal has introduced a great little energy saver known as the Quick Cup. This device offers a fantastic alternative to traditional kettles that take an average of three minutes to boil (and often heat excess water that isn't utilized) by delivering the exact amount of hot filtered water needed for a cup of tea or coffee in three seconds flat while using only a third of the energy of an ordinary kettle. Read More

Singer Curvy tackles sewing's biggest challenges

16:50 February 12, 2008 PST

February 13, 2008 Singer, the company that invented the world’s first portable sewing machine in 1921 and its first computer-controlled machine in 1978, has released a new line designed to eliminate two of sewing's key frustrations -

threading the sewing machine and threading the bobbin. Read More

First BoKlok display home opens at Gateshead

16:29 January 31, 2008 PST

Alan Prole, Managing Director of Live Smart @ Home in BoKlok display apartment

February 1, 2008 In the latest news from the IKEA affordable housing project in the UK, the first BoKlok display home has been unveiled in Gateshead. A two-bedroom apartment has been fitted out, along with a two-bedroom unit converted to an office/marketing complex that features a BoKlok exhibition area. The apartment and the unit are open now for the public to view. Read More

Radio-controlled hybrid GOAT grass-muncher

By Loz Blain

18:06 January 29, 2008 PST

January 30, 2008 Humans love grass - an obsession that sees us spending an inordinate amount of time and effort tending to its needs. If you don't mind the time part, the Evatech GOAT radio-control mower can certainly help reduce the effort inherent in keeping your lawn manicured – and its hybrid petrol/electric motor gives it the power to pull a fertilizer spreader, climb 45 degree inclines, or even operate as a snowplow in winter. Read More

Armchair immersion: Ace Bayou's Wireless Audio Recliner

21:18 January 28, 2008 PST

January 29, 2008 Media furniture manufacturer Ace Bayou has unveiled the latest addition to its Xfunctional platform - the Wireless Audio Recliner. Designed to utilize the space inside the chair to amplify sound, the new recliner includes wireless capabilities and built-in sound system with two forward-facing speakers and a subwoofer. Read More

Hoverit releases magnetically-suspended floating lounger

21:33 January 23, 2008 PST

Hoverit releases magnetically-suspended floating lounger

We’ve written before about the EUR 1,200,000 (US$1,750,000) floating bed which uses permanent opposing industrial-strength magnets to enable it to float, so this exquisite floating lounger is by comparison a bargain basement remainder with pricing starting at GBP 5,875 (US$11,500). The British designed, precision engineered Hoverit Lounger is the first of the company's built-by-hand, magnetic ‘hover’ furniture range. Almost magical with its use of magnetism to offer a genuine floating sensation and no-fixed-means-of-support, it’s the ideal thing for a design studio or advertising agency reception area, and the perfect gift for the person who has everything already. Read More

Jun Murakoshi's multi-functional Shelving Chair

19:14 January 22, 2008 PST

Jun Murakoshi's multi-functional Shelving Chair

January 23, 2008 Having guests over but not sure where they will sit? Why not use the bookshelf. That's the theory behind the Shelving Chair from Jun Murakoshi Design which subverts the idea that chairs lose all usefulness when stacked away. Read More

Calair wildfire protection system

22:17 January 16, 2008 PST

January 17, 2007 Wildfire has long been a difficult and dangerous problem to manage and weather extremes around the globe in recent years have seen have seen large-scale fire disasters effect the lives of people from California to Greece. In Australia, the world's driest continent, where bushfire is a familiar threat, a D.I.Y., from-the-ground-up protection system for homes has been developed incorporating dedicated sprinkler heads for different areas of the house linked to strategically placed, automatic heat sensors. Read More

Sleep diagnostics meets serious entertainment: the Starry Night™ Technology Bed

22:40 January 7, 2008 PST

January 8, 2008 It's not the first thing that springs to mind when you think consumer electronics, but this high-tech bed from Leggett & Platt is nonetheless making its mark at the 2008 International CES. The Starry Night™ Sleep Technology Bed packs in a range of entertainment hardware to play with when you are not asleep including Internet connectivity, an iPod docking station, a 1080p projector and a surround sound system with four eight-inch subwoofers. And when you do drift off, there's plenty of technology left over to help you make the most out of your rest - dual programmable temperature control, a diagnostic system that monitors body movement and breathing pattern, plus anti-snore technology which detects vibration caused by snoring and tilts the bed to encourage you to stop. Read More

Lasershield to unveil Sparrow home security Internet adapter

18:16 December 26, 2007 PST

December 27, 2007 Home security specialist LaserShield Systems, Inc. will introduce what it describes as the first Plug & Go wireless instant home security system for the Internet at the upcoming Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas. Read More

Waterfall Audio's striking glass loudspeakers