Around The Home
Steam bath and shower for Gizmo freaks
For people who are endeared to devices with lots of controls and multiple functions, Comfort Living has a bathroom playground ideally suited to you. Though it goes by the name of a Steam Bath, it is actually a multi-function device and depending on which buttons you press, it is also a bath, a spa bath, a foot massager, a sauna, a body massager and proving that they've thought of everything, it has two shower nozzles for those who like to shower with their friends. Read More
Cordless home phone with integrated camera and MMS
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Siemens Mobile has launched the first home phone with fixed-line MMS (Multimedia Messaging Service). Combining a high-resolution colour display and an integrated digital camera, the cordless phone opens up new ways of communication in the home environment, allowing a family to capture experiences and share them easily. Providing a seamless solution between the mobile and fixed world, Siemens' Gigaset SL740/SLX740isdn offers the same capabilities as an MMS mobile phone - sound clips, pictures and a 640 character SMS. Read More
Clever dustbin - just sweep the dust near the bin
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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
First true 5.1 Surround Sound headphones
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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
$0.08 Untimed Local And National Phone Calls
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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
$195 plug-and-play Snazio turns computer into a video recorder
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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
A shirt-ironing machine from Siemens
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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
First wide-screen all-in-one Multimedia PC
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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
Sony offers location-free portable broadband TV
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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
A razor JUST for shaving your own head
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A new shaver designed solely for shaving heads has been released in the United States - the Headblade. Whatsmore, the US$15 shaver has already received recognition from Time Magazine as one of the best designs of the year. Read More
New Survey Finds Moms Applying Business Techniques in the Home
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The first-ever State of the Home survey from Whirlpool Home Appliances in America has found that American homes are beginning to be run like businesses and women are seeing themselves as 'Chief Home Officers.' Read More
Dream Factory for positive dream outcomes
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Takara, the company that gave us the dog and cat translation machines, has another interesting consept on the way - a machine to assist positive affirmations and dream Read More
Interesting new technologies from Consumer Electronics Show
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Dave Weinstein looks at some of the interesting technologies shown at the Consumer Electronics Show: fingerprint recognition doorlocks, in-wall (behind the plaster) speaker systems, a water-cooled PC case and a set of head-mounted binoculars for the sports enthusiast with built-in radio. Read More
2004 International Consumer Electronics Show Coverage
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The most important show in the world for consumer electronics opened Thursday January 8 in Las Vegas. Dave Weinstein, Gizmo's man on the spot, is reporting daily from the show. ...The most important show in the world for consumer electronics opened Friday January 9 in Las Vegas. Dave Weinstein, Gizmo's man on the spot, is reporting daily from the show ... Read More
Intelligent biomedical clothing enables personal healthcare
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Leveraging their world-renowned expertise in wearable electronics, scientists at Philips Research in Aachen, Germany, have developed a wearable, wireless monitoring system that can warn patients with underlying health problems, assist clinicians in the diagnosis and monitoring of patients at risk, and automatically alert emergency services in the event of and acute medical event. Read More
DVD Server for the Home
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A self-contained home DVD Server that allows you to store all your movies on hard drive and access via an Ethernet connection them from anywhere in the house has just been released in California. Read More
Gizmo gift for wine-lovers
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Dynamo House is offering a new concept wine kit which is billed as a 'Step by Step Introduction to Wine Appreciation for Wine Lovers' and is available in two versions: White Wine and Red Wine. Read More
Bose virtual surround sound home theatre system
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Bose have released a new audio system for home theatre that it claims can deliver a surround-sound experience that is extraordinarily close to a full five-speaker system using just two visible speakers. Read More
Samsung announces 57-inch LCD Panel
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Samsung Electronics have set a new benchmark with the unveiling of a 57-inch TFT-LCD Panel for HD-TVs. The addition of the new screen - which was produced on Samsung's second 5th generation line beginning in September this year - means that the Samsung range of LCDs now spans from 15" to 57". Read More
Ironing board invention overcomes the odds
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Tuesday November 11, 2003: Australian inventor Garry Allen persevered through a five-year court battle against a German corporate giant in order to retain control over his creation - a folding-iron board that can be reduced to the size of a large brief case and fixed to a single wall stud in even the tightest location... Read More
Switch on the TV - it's bath-time
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Friday November 7, 2003: Casio, one of the world's greatest exponents of functional miniaturisation, has released a miniature waterproof television onto the Japanese market. Read More
Turn iPod into a micro-system
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Tuesday October 28, 2003: inMotion is a portable audio system designed specifically for the Apple iPod that provides a platform for quality headphone-free listening in a package that's still less than the size of a paperback. Read More
TransCube Wireless Home Media Station
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Friday October 17, 2003: This all-in-one home network hub that incorporates a HDD recorder, a wireless TV tuner, a movie server and a wireless broadband router, emerged from Toshiba's new line-up at ITU Telecom World 2003 in Switzerland this week. Read More
Nespresso simplifies the coffee equation in style
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We drink a lot of coffee at Gizmag, so when we got the opportunity to sample a machine which was claimed to produce extreme quality coffee which is EXACTLY the same every time, and reduces the time devoted to the ritual of coffee making by several minutes, and eliminates the mess, we jumped at the opportunity. First things first - the name was a significant problem to overcome - Nespresso conjures up pictures of synthetic substances manufactured by unnatural means, of a low-cost substitute for people who don't have any taste and who couldn't tell the difference between good coffee and instant home-brand coffee if it hit them on the head with a hammer. Read More
LG Electronics unveils 76-inch Plasma TV
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Wednesday October 15, 2003: LG Electronics announced that it has developed the world's largest-screen plasma-display panel (PDP) TV at the Korea Electronics Show earlier this week. The 76-inch screen adds 5 inches of real-estate to the largest unit previously manufactured by LGE, and at just 83mm thick, its unlikely to shrink the seating capacity of your home theatre. Read More
Sony PSX details revealed at CEATEC
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Saturday October 11, 2003: Details of Sony's upcoming PSX - a revamped Playstation2 that incorporates a satellite TV tuner, broadband connectivity for online gaming and downloads and the ability to record DVDs and television - have been released at CEATEC Japan 2003. Read More
New device allows monitoring of home electricity usage
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Sunday September 7, 2003: A finalist in Yellowpages Business Ideas Grants 2003, Centameter is a new consumer product that displays the cost of electricity being used on a portable easy-to-read, portable LCD monitor inside the home.Sunday September 7, 2003 A finalist in Yellowpages Business Ideas Grants 2003, CENT-A-METER is a new consumer product that displays the cost of electricity being used on a portable easy-to-read, portable LCD monitor inside the home. Developed primarily as an education tool for promoting energy consumption and greenhouse gas reduction, it was discovered along the way that the device had a very useful secondary effect - the capacity to save up to 25% on the electricity bill. Read More
Screenplay 4800 Home Theatre
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Thursday September 25, 2003: Advances in home projection over the past decade have seen cinema-quality systems that until recently could only be found in the most exclusive home-theatres move within reach of the average image junkie. The Infocus ScreenPlay 4800 can project images with a diagonal screen size of up to 12 feet... Read More
The Home Ethernet Network you didn't know you already had
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The NeverWire 14 Ethernet Port allows the creation of unlimited network extensions to your broadband connection without the hassle of installing additional cable. The device utilises the electrical system to enable your broadband access to be transferred to anywhere in the house where there is a standard power-outlet. Read More
Young Australian Designers
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Thursday August 28, 2003: An alternative to the humble beanbag and a sleek ice-cream scoop with a functional heated base topped this year's Sydney Morning Herald Young Designer of the Year Awards. Answering the award brief to "Chill Out in White", 21-year-old University of NSW Industrial Design student Lan Nguyen-Hoan was the top winner for her entry Knot Cushion... Read More
Lounge room of the future at ACMI
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Saturday August 30, 2003: Dubbed "Pods", the Screen Lounges at the Australian Centre for the Moving Image (ACMI) provide a personalised, interactive "lounge room of the future" for individuals or small audiences. Short films, games, television, interactive works and access to the extensive ACMI collection is available... Read More
Black&Decker Bullseye
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Thursday September 4, 2003: The multi-purpose Black & Decker Bullseye is an effective electronic stud finder that also replaces conventional levels, string and a great deal of frustration with its laser level function. The hands-free laser level design enables the device to be left hanging on the wall at an anchor point while you align your shelving brackets, picture frames or tiles... Read More
Simple solution brings order to cord chaos
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Saturday August 16, 2003: Have you ever accidentally unplugged the computer when attempting to find a spare inlet for your mobile phone charger or printer? Kable Flags offer a solution to these headaches caused by the untidy sprawl of electrical cords and powerboards that lurk beneath many home and office workstations... Read More
Mega PC promises home entertainment convergence
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Tuesday July 8, 2003: The term personal computer may become obsolete over the next few years as devices like the MEGA PC break down the barriers between "computing" and "entertainment". This multimedia PC unveiled earlier this year at CeBIT 2003 in Germany functions as a hi-fi stereo, DVD and video, MP3 and personal computing centre. Read More
Philips HomeLab creates Mirror TV
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HomeLab - Philips' Home Electronics R & D Incubator where home technology prototypes are tested under the most realistic conditions possible - has generated its first commercialised product: Mirror TV. Designed for non-traditional viewing spaces where it can be installed flush to a wall, the Mirror TV is a 17, 23 or 30-inch LCD display integrated into a unique polarised mirror that transfers almost 100 percent of the light through the reflective surface, meaning you no longer need to miss the weather report while your brushing your teeth.Situated in Eindhoven, The Netherlands, Philips HomeLab is a kind of R & D Big Brother house. Read More
