Page 1 of 20 Next »
Fancy music servers are great, but you still need to scroll through lists of files to find the music you want. Now, following in the path of Ford's SYNC voice command car system, a company called Avoca has introduced the VIP Music Edition server that you control by talking into a hijacked HP Ipaq. The server's 160 GB hard drive (larger drives are optional) stores your CDs as lossless FLAC files, then downloads metadata and cover art from AMG and displays them on the Ipaq. You can also add an iPod dock, and the server will download your playlists automatically. The main catch I see is the system's steep $3995 price tag.
Spotted at CEDIA this weekend, were these new table radios from Tivoli Tangent Audio of Denmark. First we have the Model One Uno, a retro styled AM/FM model with analog tuning selling for $120 $199. The Model Three Duo $299 $279 adds an analog clock and alarm so it becomes a clock radio. Then there's NetWorks Tangent Quattro $599 $399, which can tune in thousands of Internet radio stations using either WiFi or an Ethernet connection.
Other models include the Cinque which includes a CD player, and the Uno 2Go portable.
While few audiophiles have even heard of Professional Home Cinema, this Huntington Beach CA company makes the kind of speakers you might find in Tom Cruise's home theater. Using the same type of horn technology you'll find in commercial theaters, the systems are actively driven using thousands of watts of digital amplifier power. Here designer L Paul Hales stands next to a new model that could probably be used for building demolition. During a demonstration at the Denver Athletic Club during CEDIA, Hales used the much smaller SCR-15s to shake and rattle everything that wasn't tied down on the third floor of the club. Despite that smaller model's 130 decibel capability, the sound was amazingly clear and undistorted. Price? Think upper five figures for a 5.1 channel surround rig.
One of the most annoying things about installing a killer home theater or multi-room audio system, is snaking wires through the walls and ceilings to install the speakers where you want them. We've seen a few dedicated systems that include wireless speaker hookups, but until now there wasn't an easy wireless solution that you could use with any speaker.
The new WEM-1 from legendary speaker company JBL transmits two channel audio up to 70 feet over a 2.4 GHz wireless connection, allowing you to send music to a second room, or to connect the rear speakers in a surround rig without snaking wires. The transmitter has RCA, mini-jack and speaker level inputs, while the receiver has a 50 watt per channel amplifier, and a subwoofer output. A remote lets you control the volume, or switch to a local input like an iPod in the second room.
The WEM-1 will be available later this month for $359
This week marked the end of both the Democratic and Republican national conventions. Sure, there were speeches made and all that good stuff, but we had our eye on who took better advantage of the technology available.
Google made headlines by launching Chrome, its shiny new browser. We dig it, though we're wondering if Google really does. The company-turned-verb isn't the only one confused, either: check out Microsoft's bewildering push for Vista using shoes and churros. We also saw two contenders to the iThrone: one a solid phone by Nokia, the other, a plain ol' scooter. Yeah, think Vespas.
Check out more goodies from this week:
Post-game report: Live NFL football on the Web
The NFL finally manages to make first down on the net.
Dell Studio Hybrid hands-on: the perfect home theater PC?
The PC-savvy and the uninitiated should definitely give the Studio Hybrid a look.
Orator Briefcase PA System
Anyone can make speeches anytime, anywhere. Oh, great…
Japanese homes from the future: 'Un Sui'
Does your house look like a sci-fi movie set? This one does.
Most powerful magnet ever being built in Florida
Your fridge magnets suck.
Neuton CE 6.2 electric mower
It mows, munches and mulches through your lawn — and your carbon footprint.
Government Facility or Secret Lair? Tokyo's Tower of Wind
A high tech, secret tunnel in the middle of the water? Suspicious.
I guess we'll have scrunching or modular cars in the year 2030. It wasn't too long ago that we showed you this French car concept for the year 2030, and now here's Mihai Stamati of Chisinau, Moldova with a design simply titled 2030.
Stamati's vision of 2030 has us driving in solar-powered, four-seater, door-slidin' boxy cars with green windows and plenty of visibility. A cylindrical add-on can be fixed to the rear of the vehicle for extra seating (complete with a bar-style desk), and, also located at the rear, there are two electric engines. Both engines must be a bit on the weak side as the 2030 future car tops out at 20 miles per hour. That means it's probably only good for short-range urban driving or for use in special situations, such as at large amusement parks. Come to think of it — looking at the 2030 — you could also slap some bulletproof windows on there and you got the Pope's next glass-cage-on-wheels. And this one actually looks good to boot.
Check out the gallery below for more of Mihai Stamati's 2030 car concept.
I'm looking over at my clock right now and all it's doing is telling me the time. How lazy. It's 2008! You think it'd be able to show me a map of the stars or launch toast into the air — or do anything other than tick and tock — yet there it sits, being lazy.
The Chococlock is a lot like the cuckoo variety, though instead of a little bird popping out, it gives you a treat. Despite its name, said treat doesn't have to be made of chocolate: pour whatever you want into the hatch on the back of the clock that is remotely M&M shaped. You could even just dump stones in there, and rock around the clock.
At $35, the Chococlock is a little expensive. That and it's European, so there's importing to deal with. Still, it's adorable, and you'll get ridiculous mileage out of every bag of candy.
Firebox, via Elit Alice
Here's a watch to go along with your $2.2 million Bugatti Veyron Faubourg Par Hermes car: the $233,900 Parmigiani Bugatti Faubourg watch. The odd angle of its dial makes it so you can keep your eyes on the road when exceeding 200mph in that supercar, gas mileage and safety be damned.
Check out the gallery to see the styles in which this watch is decked out, or go with the simple Hermes band you see above. Either way, you'd better get your order in soon because Parmigiani is only making 20 of them. I would suggest getting one for each of your houses (if you can remember how many there are), with bands to match each chalet's resident Bugatti toaster.
Monster Cable needs a new load of cash to put on more of its tradeshow parties featuring the likes of singer Mary J. Blige, so it's decided to gin up tiny containers of ScreenClean, five different $10 bottles of glorified Windex. Looky there! It's a special cleaner for the iPhone!
While we liked Monster's Dr. Dre Beats headphones, these five cleaners use the same con as Monster's $120 HDMI cables that you can get for $10 elsewhere: ripping off suckers who don't know any better. We've tried similar screen cleaners, and there's no difference at all between them and everyday household Windex. Buyer beware.
UPDATE: All right commenters, calm down. Here's the test I did a couple of years ago on another ripoff screen cleaner preying on people's fears called PixelClean. In a 4-step test on a non-functional LCD screen, I compared PixelClean, everyday household Windex (granted, it was ammonia-free), a microfiber cloth alone, and water, spraying the liquids on a microfiber cleaning cloth and then applying it to the display.
I saw no streaking, etching, or damage whatsoever. Have any of you kooky commenters ever done a similar test? I didn't think so. However, sorry I was unclear in the post, not mentioning that we don't really like ammonia around here and never use it for anything. -CW
Now laugh along with us as you read the company's press release:
continue »
Krell has long been known in audiophile circles as making some of the most uncompromising electronics out there, but few are aware that they also make some of the gnarliest speakers. Shown here next to Krell co-founder Dan D'Agostino, is the new Modulari Duo, unveiled at the CEDIA show on Thursday. Hook them up to a pair of Krell's $25,000 each Evolution One amps, and you could probably stun small animals from a distance of 100 yards.
Hewn from solid slabs of aluminum and weighing in at around 300 pounds each, it's unlikely a burglar will be making off with your Modularis anytime soon. Still, if you can swing a $65,000 pair of speakers, you probably have pretty good security system.
Sure, you could simply buy peanut butter in a jar, if you were lazy and didn't care about peanut butter. Alternately, you could take a pound of peanuts and turn them into a pound of delicious, creamy, homemade peanut butter that'll make your PB&J's the talk of the town. The choice is yours.
If you chose the latter option, good for you! All you need is this awesome-looking Peanut Butter Machine. Simply load it up with nuts, crank it up, and you'll have a thick stream of peanut butter cascading down into either a cup or your mouth, depending on how you have the contraption set up. It makes both creamy and chunky peanut butter, so you have a choice there, and I want one so, so, so badly.
Lighter Side, via Boing Boing Gadgets
Mobile chargers, small devices with batteries that you can plug a dying cellphone into, have been around for a while. But because they serve just one purpose, they haven't caught on that well. People need to remember to carry them around with them so when the time is right, they have it on hand. Easier said than done.
This new charger, however, is different. It's actually a functioning pen that also charges up phones. Simply pop in a single AA battery and you'll be set to give your dying phone enough juice to make 100 minutes of phone calls. No need to recharge the pen, since a simple battery replacement is all it needs. It's a smart idea, one that will make it much easier for people to always have a mobile charger on hand.
Gadget4all, via Textually
See if you can make any sense of this teaser ad starring two of the richest guys in their respective fields. Ad agency Crispin Porter & Bogusky takes a sideways approach at salvaging the reputation of Microsoft Vista with this 90-second flight of fancy starring Bill Gates and Jerry Seinfeld, not exactly advertising the company's products, but making an impression nonetheless.
The spot debuted last night during the NFL opening game on NBC. Without taking a swipe at any other companies, it manages to create an edgy atmosphere of borderline mental illness. I like it. It almost makes me feel guilty to laugh. I get it. This spot is so odd, it will create buzz all across the blogosphere, arousing the ire of haters while amusing those with a satirical sense of humor. That's success in any adman's book. Can't wait to see the rest of these.
Via Ad Age
NBC blasted out of the gate with the debut of its NFL Live webcast last night, offering multiple camera views and interactive features that gave viewers more options for football watching than ever. We tested the Adobe Flash-based interface in our New York HQ at 30 Rock and our Midwest Test Facility, putting it through its paces as the season opener between the New York Giants and Washington Redskins kicked off in Giants Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey. How was it? Click Continue for our hands-on review.
We enjoy sci-fi inspired styling here DVICE, and the OSIM uSpace doesn't disappoint. It's a full-body massage chair with a warmed seat and sensors that guide its airbag-style massaging cushions. Rather than just nubs that push into you like your average massage chair, the airbags surround whatever is being rubbed and apply an enveloping sense of pressure.
Sure, that's cool, but you're probably wondering what's up with that crazy escape pod shell at the head of the chair. Well, that's kind of what it is: It's a music-playing enclosure that will cycle through three different mood lighting programs, and sync up with your MP3 player to boot. On its website, OSIM says the shell was inspired by butterfly cocoons.
The OSIM uSpace seems well equipped to help you getaway for a little while, though it also costs as much as a vacation at $6,000. (Just between me and you, I'm hoping a uNaming meme doesn't become the next iSore.)
OSIM, via Selfridges & Co
editor@dvice.com
Gee...
My good old trusty Ma
... more »