The area of home entertainment is a gadget lovers paradise. So funnily enough we have a section dedicated to that very area.
This is a very nice idea that was promised long ago but has taken many years to materialise. Devolo have launched a range of products that will give you an ethernet network in your house by using your mains wiring to carry the data around.
Setting up a network is a simple as plugging in an adapter at each location you want an ethernet port.
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Are you tired of trying to hear your favorite television shows with all the noise in the house? Do you always hear your wife tell you to turn down the TV while you are watching the big game? Do you wake up in the middle of the night and wish you could turn on the television without disturbing your spouse? If you answered yes to any of these questions then you need the infrared cordless TV headset system.
This cool gadget allows you to watch TV and hear it without any disruptions and without distributing others. Anyone else in the room will be able to do their homework, read their favorite magazine, or even sleep while you enjoy watching your favorite television shows.
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As you can probably tell by the picture this is one strange gadget, if we had to guess what it was just by looking at it we’d also struggle. According to the inventors of the iZ the green alien looking thing is an “interactive animatronic DJ/speaker” which basically means it’s a speaker that moves and you can interact with :).
You can connect it to your favourite music player using a standard socket and the iZ will serve as it’s speaker. The iZ’s eyes will bounce up and down and it’s nose lights up in time to the music (a very strange site).
I’ve long been a fan of SlimDevices and their Squeezebox line of networked audio streamers. I’ve been using them for years and although they are more expensive than the competition the quality of the package (hardware, software and community/support) can’t be beaten.
What do they do? They … err… stream audio over a network! Basically the squeezebox is a bridge between your PC hard drive full of downloaded legally bought music and your normal stereo.
I’ve always seen Slim Devices as a technology driven company - that is, they put the effort into getting the inside of the box right first and foremost rather than concentrating on looks. Their early designs were perhaps a little “industrial” for some people but I’m pleased to see the new version 3 squeezebox has matured to the point where they can spend some time and money on the look and finish.
I like Naim. They’re a uniquely British hi-fi company who insist on doing things their way because they claim it’s better. For example they are one of the few (only?) companies to still use 5 pin DIN connectors for their interconnects because it’s supposed to sound better than the standard phono jack the rest of the world uses. Convenience? Pah! “Whatever it takes to make it sounds good” seems to be their guiding principle. The kit lasts for ever too - ten year old amplifiers still change hands for scary amounts of money.
After dipping a toe into the home cinema waters with previous offerings it looks like they’re ready to leap enthusiatically into the 21st century with the announcement of the n-vi. Combining a DVD player with a 5 channel amplifier this should be on every audio/videophile’s shopping list.
The price? We don’t know yet but it’s a safe bet that if you have to ask, you need to do some more saving….
Gaze lovingly at more kit you can’t afford here
If there was ever “One gadget to bind them” this might well be it. A tablet PC with a decent screen (8.4″), browser, email client, movie and video players etc plus WiFi, bluetooth AND to top it all an infra red blaster that can be programmed as a learning remote.
It looks like it’s got a small but useable keyboard over on the left panel with a number pad on the right.
They also claim it’s “water resistant”. I don’t know what to make of that - I’m not sure I’d take my expensive piece of electronic equipment waterskiing! Although given it’s intended use it’s probably quite likely that it will have beer or coffee spilled on it at some point so that feature could come in handy.
And eHomeUpgrade are reporting that they’ve just started selling them in Best Buy for you lucky guys who live in the US and have 850 bucks to spend (or don’t have the money but just want to check it out anyway)
More specifications here
I’ve seen musical keyboards which try to teach you how to play by lighting the keys you should press at the right time to play different tunes. With these I’ve find a can play tunes like happy birthday to near perfection :). You can now get a guitar that follows the same principle.
If you find it difficult to awaken kids on school days you can take revenge with this nasty little alarm. Simply pull the pin out, throw it through the bedroom door and cover your ears. In 20 seconds the sonic alarm will let out an ear blistering racket which will be sure to wake the heaviest of sleepers.
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