Around The Home

23 October, 2004 Sometimes the simplest ideas are the most effective - so sayeth Gizmag after seeing the SweepEZE, a dustbin which uses infrared technology to detect dirt and debris you sweep up to it, and automatically sucks it up, saving you all the hassle of a dustpan and brush or getting out the vacuum cleaner. Containing a powerful 600-watt motor, the SweepEZE sucks up dirt you sweep near it. Once an infrared beam detects the debris, the unit automatically turns itself on, and sucks up the dirt.  Read More

American company NetStreams has announced a new line of distributed audio products, known as DigiLinX - a multi-room audio system distributed over an Ethernet network using TCP/IP protocol and providing web access control  Read More

Gizmo tries out Mentor's sensational new headphones which offer true 5.1 Surround Sound by surrounding each ear with six independent chambers, creating the sensation that each sound is coming from a particular direction. The result is extraordinary.  Read More

With the modern kitchen becoming more a feature of the modern living area, it was only a matter of time before designers began to do something more stylish with its components, and the Elkay Mystic Sink is a shining example of innovation in design.  Read More

VoIP arrived in the Australian market this week with the launch of the Comindico VoIP service, which has slashed call costs local and national call costs slashed to eight cents and injected some serious competition into the $9.6 billion business call market  Read More

The Snazio Pocket PVR is a miniature personal video recorder that plugs into a Windows PC and enables you to watch TV (or any other external video source), record TV programs to your hard disk in DVD quality or capture video from your video camera or VCR onto your hard disk, ready for playback and editing. All that for under $200.  Read More

It might look like a dress dummy, but it could be the ironing lady of your dreams - it's an ironing machine designed to iron shirts and it has just gone on the market in Germany for EU' 1.029,00. Apparently, it works VERY WELL! Research shows it takes the average person eight minutes to iron the average shirt according to Seimens, the makers of the Dressman, the world's latest attempt at building a machine to iron shirts. For those busy professionals amongst us, that represents a saving of at least 40 minutes a week, not to mention the opportunity to avoid one of man's least favourite chores (again according to research from Siemens). The 'dressmann' irons completely on its own and has a number of other attributes which make it worthwhile - it can 'freshen up' jackets that have not been worn for a while, and can actually dry a freshly washed blouse.  Read More

We are spending a greater percentage of our lives viewing screen media than ever before - we work on the PC, we play on the PC and we watch TV and recorded video on a variety of screens. Hy-tek's new 30' multi-function LCD panel with Bose speakers is aiming to offer the very best screen available for all media functions (computer, TV, VCR, DVD, CD).  Read More

Anticipating the broadband age of mobile lifestyles and high speed network connectivity, Sony Electronics has shown what it calls the 'LocationFree concept', a portable personal broadband LCD television system that can be carried virtually anywhere. Innovative Dual Band Wireless Transmission Technology enables the lightweight, touch-screen LCD monitor to provide video and TV viewing and full internet connectivity including web surfing and email. Comprised of a 12.1-inch wireless touch screen LCD monitor and a base station, the personal TV system uses the industry's first dual band wireless connection and high speed Ethernet port to transmit data, transforming it into a mobile video entertainment powerhouse that allows users to enjoy television, video, internet browsing/streaming, video, e-mail, and digital photos - all without a PC.  Read More