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Gadget Watch: What's New for the High-Tech Home
A heater fan, robotic vacuum, solar-powered iPhone charger and other hot home gadgets
We can all appreciate products that make everyday life at home a little more convenient — and it's never too early to think about holiday gifts! From a sleek new heater fan to a bonsai-shaped solar powered battery charger, here is a roundup of new gadgets that will have you gizmo-lusting.
Dyson AM04 Dyson Hot™ fan heater
Shaped like a giant magic wand, Dyson’s aptly named Hot is their new bladeless heater fan that will bring heating magic to many homes this winter. Features include: precise temperature control (between 32 and 99 degrees), a low surface temperature (so you can touch or move it without getting burned!), double-duty as a cooling fan, an intelligent thermostat that will instantly turn it off if tipped over, a swiveling base, and a convenient magnet on top to keep the remote control in place.
Hot uses patented Air Multiplier™ technology, where air is drawn in through the bottom and sides then forced through the "multiplier" system, while passing over 20 ceramic stones. This avoids the typical "burning smell" that often accompanies other space heaters that typically blow air over electrically heated coils. WIthout the traditional blades, Hot is child-friendly and appealing for those who live in small spaces.
Hot is available for $399 in two color combinations: iron/blue or white/silver. Click here to watch a video of James Dyson explaining the product in more detail.
Hot uses patented Air Multiplier™ technology, where air is drawn in through the bottom and sides then forced through the "multiplier" system, while passing over 20 ceramic stones. This avoids the typical "burning smell" that often accompanies other space heaters that typically blow air over electrically heated coils. WIthout the traditional blades, Hot is child-friendly and appealing for those who live in small spaces.
Hot is available for $399 in two color combinations: iron/blue or white/silver. Click here to watch a video of James Dyson explaining the product in more detail.
Mint Automatic Floor Cleaner — Mint Plus 5200
Robotic vacuum cleaners are not new to the market, but if you’re considering the switch to an automatic floor-care appliance, you may want to look at the latest from Evolution Robotics: the Mint Plus Automatic Floor Cleaner.
Building on the success of the original Mint product line, Mint Plus offers an enhanced wet-cleaning system with a self-dispensing reservoir and a larger battery with up to four hours of run time. Mint Plus was designed for hard-surface floor cleaning; it automatically dusts and wet mops hard-surface floors using popular cleaning cloths such as the Swiffer brand Dry and Wet Cloths.
Mint and Mint Plus are guided by Evolution's own NorthStar® technology, which means the cleaning robots are smart enough to navigate around a room, keeping track of which spaces have already been cleaned. A handy 'pause' function allows you to change cleaning cloths mid-cycle, and the square design allows for easy cleaning along the edges of walls and into corners.
The Mint Plus is priced at $300; and you can pick up the previous model for $100 less.
Building on the success of the original Mint product line, Mint Plus offers an enhanced wet-cleaning system with a self-dispensing reservoir and a larger battery with up to four hours of run time. Mint Plus was designed for hard-surface floor cleaning; it automatically dusts and wet mops hard-surface floors using popular cleaning cloths such as the Swiffer brand Dry and Wet Cloths.
Mint and Mint Plus are guided by Evolution's own NorthStar® technology, which means the cleaning robots are smart enough to navigate around a room, keeping track of which spaces have already been cleaned. A handy 'pause' function allows you to change cleaning cloths mid-cycle, and the square design allows for easy cleaning along the edges of walls and into corners.
The Mint Plus is priced at $300; and you can pick up the previous model for $100 less.
Chef Stand + Stylus
If you cook from recipes on your iPad, you could probably relate to the inconvenience of trying to keep grease, flour, or spaghetti sauce off the screen while checking off ingredients and following the steps.
The designers at Belkin have come out with the Chef Stand iPad dock to help with this very issue. The anti-slip, hand-washable storage stand comes with a stylus that allows you to scroll up and down and search for alternative recipes without worry of leaving smudges or food fingerprints. The magnetic tip works with any touchscreen, and for just $40, it's an affordable addition to your kitchen.
If cooking with your iPad on your countertop isn’t your thing, a Fridge Mount and Kitchen Cabinet Mount will let you use your iPad on refrigerator or cabinet door.
The designers at Belkin have come out with the Chef Stand iPad dock to help with this very issue. The anti-slip, hand-washable storage stand comes with a stylus that allows you to scroll up and down and search for alternative recipes without worry of leaving smudges or food fingerprints. The magnetic tip works with any touchscreen, and for just $40, it's an affordable addition to your kitchen.
If cooking with your iPad on your countertop isn’t your thing, a Fridge Mount and Kitchen Cabinet Mount will let you use your iPad on refrigerator or cabinet door.
Philips Fidelio SoundRing with AirPlay
Enjoy the sweet sound of streaming music with the new Fidelio SoundRing speaker from Philips. Shaped like a doughnut, the new speaker comes equipped with Apple’s streaming technology Airplay, so you can listen to your tunes from your iPod touch, iPhone, or iPad or PC with a wireless signal. There’s no word on a price or a launch date yet, but two different models will be available for purchase.
When you can get your hands on it, under the hood will be a central bass sound pipe and four high-definition drivers — two front-firing and two side-firing — which will easily fill a room with sound. The DS3880W model (shown) features a 5-hour rechargeable battery and iPhone dock, while the DS3800W model uses the same speaker setup, but lacks a built-in rechargeable battery.
Total power caps out at 16 watts, and a 5-band equalizer is on board, which can be accessed using their free downloadable Fidelio app. The app brings together radio stations and the ability to share what you're listening to via Facebook and Twitter. And you can program music to come on as an alarm, making this circular speaker all the more sweeter.
When you can get your hands on it, under the hood will be a central bass sound pipe and four high-definition drivers — two front-firing and two side-firing — which will easily fill a room with sound. The DS3880W model (shown) features a 5-hour rechargeable battery and iPhone dock, while the DS3800W model uses the same speaker setup, but lacks a built-in rechargeable battery.
Total power caps out at 16 watts, and a 5-band equalizer is on board, which can be accessed using their free downloadable Fidelio app. The app brings together radio stations and the ability to share what you're listening to via Facebook and Twitter. And you can program music to come on as an alarm, making this circular speaker all the more sweeter.
Switch Notes
Do you often find yourself running out of the house only to run back in for something you forgot? Switch Notes, is here to rescue you. A simple pen-to-paper solution for those who have poor short-term memory, these neon-colored sticky notes nestle perfectly over a light switch, so you can jot down those essential to-dos. The shape even provides a little ledge to rest a pen on top so you’ll never forget to call Mom or grab your wallet and phone as you run out the door.
Baby Monitor
If you’re a busy, modern parent who wants to be able to check up on your bundle of joy on the go, Evoz, may be just the thing for you. Evoz is a new unlimited- range baby monitoring system that works over iOS, so unlike traditional baby monitors, you don’t need a separate receiver to use it.
You can simply use your own iOS devices (iPhone, iPad, or iPod Touch) to function as both the monitor and receiver. Available in open beta for now, you can download the app in the iTunes App Store. Beta participants will get two weeks free of the premium service which includes unlimited streaming anywhere in the world, unlimited email and texts, data collection and an exclusive look at new features. If you only have one iOS device, you can purchase the Evoz hardware monitor (which starts shipping Oct. 4, 2011), and then use your own device as the receiver.
Like any other modern mobile application, Evoz will proactively send texts, emails, or phone calls, to alert you when your baby is crying, and collect information to keep track of sleeping and crying patterns — so if you’ve got a colicky baby, that data will easily show it, and you’ll be able to see where your child fits in with others the same age.
Click here for details on pricing and package deals.
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You can simply use your own iOS devices (iPhone, iPad, or iPod Touch) to function as both the monitor and receiver. Available in open beta for now, you can download the app in the iTunes App Store. Beta participants will get two weeks free of the premium service which includes unlimited streaming anywhere in the world, unlimited email and texts, data collection and an exclusive look at new features. If you only have one iOS device, you can purchase the Evoz hardware monitor (which starts shipping Oct. 4, 2011), and then use your own device as the receiver.
Like any other modern mobile application, Evoz will proactively send texts, emails, or phone calls, to alert you when your baby is crying, and collect information to keep track of sleeping and crying patterns — so if you’ve got a colicky baby, that data will easily show it, and you’ll be able to see where your child fits in with others the same age.
Click here for details on pricing and package deals.
More: Guest Blogger Product Picks
Home Tech: Movie Night on the Patio
Well Styled Electronics
Muller is looking for 400 pre-sale orders to make the Electree a reality, so if you're interested in adding this double-duty performer to your windowsill, pre-order one for €299 (~$400) here.