Gizmag: Around The Home

Giving dead lightbulbs a new lease on life

Mon, 23 Nov 2009 00:26:25 -0600

Everything (well, one thing anyway) old is new again, and vice versa with an oil lamp made from a reclaimed incandescent light globe. The work of industrial designer Sergio Silva, the Oyule lamps are his attempt to “send the bulbs back in time”, at a period when the incandescent bulb is itself being replaced by newer lighting technology...

Tags: incandescent, Industrial design, Lamp, Lighting, Oil

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ChillChaser adds a little entertainment to outdoor heating

Mon, 16 Nov 2009 17:26:48 -0600

As winter approaches, it’s hard to reconcile with the fact that it won’t be long before it’s too cool for outdoor entertaining. A range of outdoor heaters from UK company ChillChaser, might have you enjoying the great outdoors for many more months. The heaters generate warmth from patented carbon fiber tubes which, according to the company, reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 50% when compared to gas-powered heaters and the latest model, Poseidon, features an inbuilt media player and speakers...

Tags: Eco-friendly, Energy, outdoor, Weatherproof

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Rihanna kitchen scales with in-built iPod dock

Mon, 16 Nov 2009 16:45:23 -0600

Kitchen scales are essential for making sure your culinary delights turn out as expected. ADE-Germany has included another ingredient in the soon-to-be-released Rihanna model which is squarely aimed at those who like to listen to music while they rattle about in the kitchen. Currently in the prototype phase, the Rihanna kitchen scale is claimed to be the world's first to feature an iPod docking station. A recipe for success or iPod overkill?..

Tags: Dock, docking station, iPod, Kitchen, LCD, Music, Prototype, Scales, Sound, Speaker

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The bathroom scale evolves with wireless and Twitter integration

Thu, 12 Nov 2009 18:05:35 -0600

Bathroom scales are one of the more unlikely beneficiaries of the technology revolution and you’ll now find all manner of weird and wacky additions to standard weight readouts – check out Omron’s space-aged number that houses a built-in pedometer for example. Withings has now stepped things up a notch by producing the world’s first WiFi enabled body scale, capable of uploading your vital statistics to a secure webpage or iPhone. ..

Tags: Bathroom, Scales, Twitter, Wifi

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The Labyrinth Aquarium - we're a bit lost

Mon, 09 Nov 2009 17:36:43 -0600

We’ve shown you the washbasin aquarium, a fish-n-flush toilet and some designer wall-mounted fish tanks. Now there's the Labyrinth Aquarium - a maze of interconnecting aquarium bowls with which to confuse your fishy friends and bemuse your human ones...

Tags: Fish

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Bodum’s Bistro Flatbed Toaster expands your breakfast options

Wed, 28 Oct 2009 19:17:29 -0500

Bodum’s Flatbed Toaster can not only toast a piece of humble bread, it can also warm the most delicate of French pastries and take care of late-night munchies and cravings – just don’t try and find the toaster slots!..

Tags: Kitchen

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Dribbling teapot enigma solved

Wed, 28 Oct 2009 00:10:20 -0500

You may not be entertaining the Queen of England but when pouring someone a cup of tea from a proper teapot it’s annoying, nay embarrassing, when the tea drips down the spout and splashes into the saucer or onto the cucumber sandwiches (well, at least a plate of biscuits). French scientists know this feeling only too well and have employed technology to put an end to this horrendous social faux pas...

Tags: Dribbling, Teapot

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Delta’s Pilar kitchen faucet offers unique touch-technology

Tue, 20 Oct 2009 18:06:49 -0500

With the rise and rise of celebrity chefs and cooks on our screens, more home cooks are getting down and dirty in the kitchen, which (like it or not) may include using hands as mixing utensils. This is all well and good – until hand-washing time - when it is almost impossible to avoid covering the taps with your latest culinary offering. Help may be at hand - Delta has recently released its Pilar kitchen faucet - which can be turned on or off by a simple tap or touch anywhere on the spout or handle...

Tags: Design, Faucet, Kitchen, Pilar, Touch-technology

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Dyson ditches blades on Air Multiplier desk fan

Thu, 15 Oct 2009 16:45:36 -0500

The humble desk fan wouldn’t be top of many people’s list when it comes to modern technology that needs reinventing, but James Dyson, who knows a thing or two about manipulating airflow, has decided that it’s time to do away with those pesky blades that would seem a fundamental part of any design...

Tags: Dyson, Fan cooling, Office, Technology

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The Finger Hinge prevents fingers being caught in the door

Thu, 08 Oct 2009 13:20:28 -0500

Children and adults can suffer painful injuries, or even risk amputation, from getting their fingers caught between a door and the door jamb. A unique door-hinge design from an Australian inventor could prevent these injuries from occurring. The Finger Hinge is a full-length door hinge that completely eliminates the gap between the door and the wall and therefore removes any possibility of getting crushed fingers when the door is closing. ..

Tags: Australia, Design, Home

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Brinno's Digital Peephole Viewer lets you see who's knocking at your door

Tue, 06 Oct 2009 02:08:34 -0500

If you enjoy your privacy and like to keep unexpected guests at bay, then a new security device from Brinno might be just what you need. Simply press a button and the Digital Peephole Viewer gives you a clear, wide view of your visitor via an LCD screen. Another press and you can zoom in for a closer peek. It gets better though – unlike regular peepholes, this one doesn’t darken whilst viewing – so your visitor will never know you can see them...

Tags: Brinno, Digital, Peephole, Security

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Pump off the jam with the Onis ultrasonic dishwasher

Wed, 30 Sep 2009 19:12:49 -0500

The fight for more environmentally-friendly ways of living continues and this time household appliances are getting a boost from innovative French manufacturer De Dietrich, which has come up with an efficient new way to clean the dishes - less power, recycled water and detergent-free...

Tags: Appliances, Dishwasher, Environmental, Ultrasonic

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Hourglass coffee maker cold-brews your joe, very slowly

Tue, 29 Sep 2009 00:13:36 -0500

If you like your coffee hot, strong, and fast, then the Hourglass coffee maker is not for you. Another topsy-turvy coffee brewer, the Hourglass uses cold water to reduce acid and improve the taste of your coffee. The catch? It takes 12 to 24 hours to brew your cup of joe...

Tags: brew, Coffee, extract, Flip, Hourglass

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Ravi cools wine at the very moment it is poured

Mon, 21 Sep 2009 19:28:05 -0500

Most of us know the feeling of having a bottle of wine we wished was a good few degrees cooler. So what do you do? Hurriedly throw the lukewarm bottle into the freezer? Make (another) mental note to keep the fridge stocked? Or drink it warm (no, of course you're not that desperate). If you've got a Ravi in your freezer, you need never face this situation again. This nifty Canadian invention cools wine as it is poured and the level of cooling can be adjusted according to the type of wine being served...

Tags: cooler, Ravi, Wine

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The multimedia Athena sofa

Sun, 20 Sep 2009 19:19:51 -0500

Call me crazy, but isn’t a sofa meant to be a place of relaxation? Apparently, it’s not any more. Swiss-based Artanova has created a modern, upholstered sofa that incorporates multimedia into its design. Featuring creamy upholstery and stainless steel feet, this is one stylish-looking piece of furniture on its own, but it also boasts a computer, wireless MP3 player and iPod/iPhone dock, as well as subwoofer and loudspeakers...

Tags: Computer, Design, iPhone, iPod, MP3, Sofa

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VW enters the home power market

Tue, 15 Sep 2009 23:28:22 -0500

Volkswagen has recently announced a rather ambitious project that, for a change, has nothing to do with cars. Teaming up with regenerative-power company Lichtblick, it aims to install 100,000 co-generation power units in Germany as part of a concept called ‘SchwarmStrom’ which, literally translated, means ‘swarm power’. Successful application would allow Germany to abandon the use of nuclear and coal power stations and provide adequate backup to renewable energy sources, reducing carbon dioxide emissions by up to 60%. ..

Tags: Emissions, Frankfurt Motor Show, Generator, Home, Lichtblick, Nuclear, Power, Renewable Energy, Schwarmstrom, Volkswagen

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Dyson DC31: looks cool and sucks at the same time

Mon, 14 Sep 2009 04:48:56 -0500

Looking more like a power tool that just transported from the Starship Enterprise, the latest hand-held vacuum from Dyson has a 10-minute battery life and a digital V2 motor that delivers constant, strong suction - ideal for small cleaning tasks around the home or in a car, boat or caravan. The DC31 has a dual power mode that gives the operator a six-minute burst of power for higher suction at the flick of a switch. Dyson demonstrated its two models, the DC31 and the DC31 Animal to our team at IFA this month, and gave Gizmag's Kate Seamer an exclusive interview. ..

Tags: Boats, Car, Caravan, Cleaning, DC31, Dyson, Handheld, IFA 2009, Vacuum

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Philips Robust Collection – kitchen appliances and warranties that impress

Fri, 11 Sep 2009 03:09:00 -0500

Our crew on the ground at IFA, though not exactly master chefs, still know a good kitchen appliance when they see one. And they were very impressed by a demo of the Philips Robust Collection, five premium kitchen appliances fashioned from modern materials such as shockproof glass, plastics and metal die cast, with couplings made of Zytel plastic, a light metal replacement used by BMW and Mercedes for their sports cars. The result is a blender, food processor, hand blender, juicer and mixer that Philips says proved virtually unbreakable in drop tests, as well as looking good in any modern kitchen. ..

Tags: Appliances, Blender, Handblender, Juicer, Kitchen, Mixer, Philips, Processor, Robust

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LG’s Roboking robotic vacuum cleaner gets smarter

Thu, 10 Sep 2009 13:18:03 -0500

Ever since Electrolux introduced the couch-potato to the Tribolite, vacuum cleaner manufacturers have been coming up with progressively smarter, more efficient ways to automate this common chore. iRobot has been busy refining the Roomba and Dyson came up with something that looks more at home on the battlefield in the DC06, but this time it’s LG’s chance to get involved and the new Roboking promises intelligent cleaning using a range of advanced sensors. ..

Tags: Cleaning, IFA 2009, LG, Robot, Sensors, Vacuum

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LG adds UV lamp to dishwasher to improve family health

Sun, 06 Sep 2009 22:25:39 -0500

LG Electronics has just released a dishwasher with an hygienic edge. Designed to target and improve family health, LG designers incorporated a distinctive UV lamp to prevent bacterial growth and eradicate 99 percent of remaining bacteria after a wash cycle. The UV lamp allows dishes to be hygienically stored inside the tub for up to four hours after the wash cycle. ..

Tags: Direct Drive Motor, DUAL Washing system, Family health, Hygiene, LG, UV lamp

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Metz mecaHome+ home automation from the TV for USD$270

Sun, 06 Sep 2009 05:49:53 -0500

Metz demonstrated its new home automation management system at IFA in Berlin this week and there are some highly enticing aspects to its mecaHome+ methodology, most notably that it uses the Xcomfort wireless system from electrical engineering specialist Moeller (hence no wires) and it allows control of the home’s electrical functions to be managed centrally by a Metz television. ..

Tags: Automation, Home Networking, IFA 2009, mecaHome, Metz, Moeller, Remote Control, Xcomfort

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LG’s 11kg washing machine – big load, small space

Sat, 05 Sep 2009 06:30:16 -0500

If you have to wash for a large family or find that you’re constantly in charge of the whole team’s soccer uniforms – or if you’ve ever tried to wash king-size bedding - then you should be interested in what LG has to offer. And while it mightn’t be as sexy as 108-inch flat screen TV or the latest 12-megapixel smart phone, an 11kg washing machine that still fits inside a standard 24-inch cabinet should delight consumers who are burdened by laundry tasks...

Tags: LG, Washing Machine

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Saeco Xelsis - high-end coffee for all tastes

Sat, 05 Sep 2009 00:30:48 -0500

There’s no doubting the popularity of coffee and, like creating a fine wine, the process of perfecting that ultimate brew can be somewhat complicated. Domestic coffee machines have made the job of getting a café quality coffee at home so much easier, and now Saeco has gone that extra mile by releasing a machine that allows family members to individually tailor coffee to their tastes. The Xelsis automatic coffee machine features six personalized profiles so everyone can customize their own brew at the touch of a button...

Tags: Automatic, Beverage, Coffee, Saeco

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Ergorapido 2in1 – the pregnant battery-powered vacuum cleaner

Fri, 04 Sep 2009 17:13:00 -0500

No, it's not really a pregnant vacuum cleaner, it's the latest AEG Ergorapido 2 in 1 – a battery-operated vacuum with a hand-held mini-vacuum in the handle that home appliance manufacturer AEG is showing at this year’s IFA in Berlin. The pick-of-the-litter is the EUR 210 (USD$300) Ergorapido plus which has an 18-volt lithium ion rechargeable battery and outperforms its sister models by 20%, enabling around 30 minutes of cleaning...

Tags: Ergorapido, IFA 2009, Rechargeable battery, Vacuum

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Miele's hybrid unplugs vacuum cleaning

Wed, 02 Sep 2009 08:01:06 -0500

The doors to the world's biggest consumer electronics show - IFA 2009 - opened to the press this morning and one of the first companies to showcase its latest wares was home appliance specialist Miele. Among the highlights was this very sensible hybrid compact vacuum cleaner that, like your laptop, provides the flexibility of both mains power supply and a rechargeable battery. This system provides a cord-free solution for quick clean ups and also means that when you inevitably reach the end of your tether and pull the plug out, the vacuum automatically switches to battery mode so you can finish the job uninterrupted...

Tags: Consumer Electronics, IFA 2009, Vacuum

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