Around The Home
January 17, 2005 Imagine a home with "smart" walls responsive to the environment in the room, a digital camera sensitive enough to work in the dark, or clothing with the capacity to turn the sun's power into electrical energy. Researchers at the University of Toronto have invented an infrared-sensitive material that could shortly turn these possibilities into realities. Read More
Las Vegas January 10, 2005 CEIVA is a company we expect you'll be hearing a lot more about as digital camera sales contnue to skyrocket. The company already has its digital picture frame service operating and announced several important new features at CES including the ability to send images directly from a camera phone to the frame, anywhere in the world. Designed to resemble traditional picture frames, the CEIVA Digital Photo Receivers display photos they receive nightly through a phone line. Read More
January 8, 2005 Being an early adopter has never been a budget affair. When significant functionality is first offered, it is almost always at a premium. That was again evident at the Consumer Electronics Show this week when TMIO launched its much-awaited Intelligent oven and announced a retail price of US$7500. The TMIO Intelligent Oven features a professional cooking system, built-in refrigeration, built-in ethernet and TMIO's control technology that enables some compelling functionality. For example, food placed into the oven stays refrigerated until a pre-programmed cook time, or you can directly start the cooking over the internet or from your mobile phone. Read More
January 3, 2005 FireOrb Designer Doug Garafalo has created one of the most interesting and flexible heating appliance designs possible with the beautiful FireOrb. “I like that it’s a fire that people can actually gather around”, he says. “This kind of fire has echoes in the history of human culture. It creates a social space – it lets the fire be central again.” Read More
December 2, 2004 Consumers had their first glimpse of the modern marvel of freezers in the 1920s and 30s when the first electric refrigerators with ice cube compartments arrived on the US market. Mass production of modern refrigerators began after World War II and helped transform the home with a wave of electrical appliance connectivity. And now in 2004, Electrolux has unveiled a Frost Free Chest Freezer that offers a significant upgrade to existing freezer design. Read More
November 29, 2004 The Dyson DC08 'telescope' vacuum cleaner is a new addition to the ranks of innovative household appliances that cater for compact living in urban environments. Traditionally, barrel vacuum cleaners have come with bulky wands and unwieldy hoses which are cumbersome to carry and store. The DC08 features a fully telescopic wand that reduces to a quarter of its size and clips onto the machine, while the hose wraps neatly around the body for easy storage. Read More
November 23, 2004 Whirlpool Europe has unveiled its vision for a new style of built-in kitchens that are more highly integrated and lifestyle oriented than those currently available. Entitled "in.kitchen: design landscapes for a new built-in experience", the design concepts are glimpses of possible domestic environments that could be achieved in the near future through well-orchestrated partnerships within the kitchen industry. Read More
November 16, 2004 Dedicated Devices (DDi) has released a new generation of digital home networking solutions that utilise a 120gb hard-drive hub to create a complete digital entertainment system and provide a secure and reliable way to access and manage digital content. Private home networks promise the ability to share music, video, photos, as well as internet access, files, printers and other equipment in a fully realised digital environment, enhancing living and facilitating working from home. Read More
November 15, 2004 Mathmos, the company that brought out the LavaLamp in the 60s has released a new white light lamp controlled by motion detection. Slowly pass your hand horizontally through the air above the Airswitch and the lamp turns on or off. Raise your hand vertically and the Airswitch will brighten or dim accordingly. Read More
November 15, 2004 A novel range of limited edition ceramic alcohol decanters in the shape of a motorcycle frame, oil drum and bowser, engine motor and eclectic objects like an eightball are now available from Australian based Ceramic Innovations. The decanters are designed to catch the eye of the discerning Aussie bloke and cosmetically enhance the home or office bar. All 'Eclectic Vessels' feature a brass tap, a chemically inert grommet, a ceramic body for the decanter, food grade glazes and hand made wooden or metal stands to complement the shape. Read More
