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Winebot, Pass The Wine and Cheese
Posted by Sheila Franklin Categories: Smart Home, Misc. Tech, Science, Toys,
NEC and Mie University have teamed up in Japan to create the 2-foot Winebot, a cute little bugger that can not only discern good wine from bad, it can also name the brand and suggest a cheese.
“There are all kinds of robots out there doing many different things,” said Hideo Shimazu, director of the NEC System Technology Research Laboratory and a joint-leader of the robot project. “But we decided to focus on wine because that seemed like a real challenge.”
Speaking in an underage voice, the robot names the brand and adds a comment to its taste. It can also be programmed to recognize wine that its owner prefers. Because of its ability to analyze the chemical composition of wine or food placed next to it, it could caution its owner about such health-related factors as fat or salt content.
Winebot doesn’t come cheap. “Buying one of these would cost about as much as a new car,” Shimazu said. “We’d like to bring that down to 100,000 yen ($1,000) or less for the tasting sensor if we were to put it on the market.”
We figure that if you can afford the wine and cheese, you can afford the Winebot.
Read More 
| USA Today
Gallery: Winebot, Pass The Wine and Cheese
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Samsung Unveils New Product Line at IFA
Posted by Sheila Franklin Categories: Corporate News, HDTV, Home Entertainment, Smart Home, Music, Portable Audio / Video,
Gee Sung Choi, President of Samsung Digital Media Business Electronics, delivered the opening address “The Next Step in the Digital Renaissance – Creating Rich Digital Experiences” at Berlin’s IFA 2006 consumer electronics exhibition this past Friday.
“By displaying Samsung’s products matched to European furniture and interiors, customers can really feel the experience of the newest designs of digital products,” Choi said.
An amazing array of products will be displayed at the IFA, including a full HD 1080p LCD TV, the first Blu-ray disc player for the European Market, a new concept MP3 player, and an extensive array of products for mobile TV. In addition, the company also is exhibiting 70” full-high-definition LCD panels, 82” digital information displays (DIDs) and other cutting-edge products.
Read More | Samsung Press Release
Gallery: Samsung Unveils New Product Line at IFA
Making your Cellular Service More Reliable
Posted by Brian Viele Categories: Accessories, Smartphones, Smart Home, Peripherals, Transportation, Wireless / WiFi, Gizmatic,
In today’s world, land line phones are becoming ancient technology. More and more customers are leaving phone line systems for VoIP systems, while others, myself included, operate solely through their cellular service. It never ceases to amaze me, however, that the quality of cellular service at home leaves something to be desired. I have moved three times in the past two years, and haven’t been able to average more than a 2-bar signal in any of my homes. Excessive dropped calls, poor reception and sound quality, and the especially hated voice mail notice from calls that never rang. Sound familiar? Well it may be time to invest in an amplification system to boost cellular signal while around the house.
The setup is simple, intuitive, and available for purchase from several manufacturers. It consists of a pair of antennas, one high gain and one low gain, and an amplification system. The system works best if the large gain antenna is mounted outside of the house, but it is not necessary. The system improves your service by relaying the signals from the high gain antenna, through the amplifier, through a smaller antenna mounted somewhere inside the home and out to your cellphone . Transmitting works in the reverse fashion starting from the cell phone, to the small antenna, then through the amplifier and out the large antenna to the service tower. The benefits to be gained here are two fold. First, the antenna that communicates directly with the tower will have a much stronger response (higher gain) to the signals, both in and out, than the cell phone because of its sheer size. Secondly, the signal is being amplified again through an in-line amplifier. The result is a serious increase in local signal to your cell phone resulting in better battery life, fewer dropped and missed calls, and just plain better quality service. This type of setup is not limited to the home either. There are also systems available for installation in your vehicle which operate on the same principle.
Popular Science has a full length article describing these setups and even points out some manufacturers and models of devices available today.
Images:
Home Configuration
Automotive Configuration
Read More | Popular Science
Gallery: Making your Cellular Service More Reliable
Amina AIW5 In-Wall Loudspeaker
Posted by Sheila Franklin Categories: Design, Home Entertainment, Smart Home, Movies, Music,
Talk about getting plastered! NXT has announced the US debut of Amina Technology Ltd’s In-wall loudspeakers. With a combination of high definition audio reproduction and some serious designing, these 16” speakers can be placed within any wood or metal stud-work wall. Sounds are recreated in a less directional, more evenly based way than traditional cone speakers so that no matter where you sit, you get the same great sound as everyone else.
The AIW5 can handle 80 watts of continuous power while generating 105 db of sound after applying plaster. Check with Amina for pricing and special sizing. The loudspeakers will be formally introduced at Denver’s CEDIA Expo 2006 starting September 13. In the meantime, think about all that room you will have for your next party.
Read More | AIW5 Speaker Product Page
Gallery: Amina AIW5 In-Wall Loudspeaker
Belkin continues their surge protecting ways with the Compact Surge Protector. This one uses a unique design, offering a total of 11 outlets - 6 regular, 4 BlockSpace, and 1 convenience (for cell phone chargers, etc.) - in a compact (go figure) enclosure. The Compact Surge Protector offers a six-foot cord, a closing cover to protect pets and the kiddies, 1-in/2-out phone/fax/modem protection, and 1-in/1-out for coaxial cable and ethernet. Oh, and if it messes up your gear, you can rest easy knowing that it comes with a $300,000 Connected Equipment Warranty, sho ‘nuff. The compact surge protector will hit retail for $39.99 USD.
Gallery: Belkin Compact Surge Protector
Belkin aims to please those who hate crawling under their desk to plug things in. The Clamp-On Surge Protector is the first of it’s kind, hooking on to the edge of your desk, workbench, or other similar area, allowing you to simply plug and unplug things from the comfort of your chair, if you so choose. Aside from the whole clamp thing, the surge protector also has a ten-foot cord, and 6 outlets - four normal, and two “BlockSpace.”
“Most of the time, surge protectors are made for placement on the ground,” says Kelly Berg, Sr. Product Manager for Belkin. “By adding the clamp-on feature, you can move and mount the Surge Protector to an easy-to-reach spot—whether it’s your computer desk or your workbench in the garage.”
The Belkin Clamp-On Surge Protector will retail for $34.99 USD, and will ship in North America in October, with launches in Asia, Europe, and Australia to follow shortly thereafter.
Gallery: Belkin Clamp-On Surge Protector
Groovy Banana: Chair, Books, and a Relaxed Attitude
Posted by Dave White Categories: Home Entertainment, Smart Home,
Want to hunker down for a good read without having to get up every so often to get something else to peruse? A design company called Umamy has you covered.
The name of this super-comfortable couch is the Groovy Banana. We’re guessing that it’s named that because of it’s look. We’re also guessing that we’d be very comfortable rocking back and forth in its rubbery depths. Notice the “shelves” underneath, on which you can store your books, magazines, even an e-reader or laptop.
You certainly would not want to do tricks on this baby. For one thing, your books would go flying. For another, you might not be able to get back up if the Groovy Banana landed on you. Better not to monkey around.
Wondering about price? So are we ...
Read More | Umamy
Gallery: Groovy Banana: Chair, Books, and a Relaxed Attitude
Knock-Knock Door Chime: No Doorbell Needed
Posted by Dave White Categories: Accessories, Smart Home, Wireless / WiFi,
When is a door chime not a door chime? When it’s a knock.
Check out the Knock-Knock Door Chime, a device that doesn’t show itself off as itself. You install it on the inside of your front door, on an adjoining wall, or up to 100 feet away, and let the chime do the rest. When a friend or neighbor or door-to-door salesman knocks on the front door, the chime sounds inside the house, alerting you to the presence of someone you do or do not want to see. No wires are needed, and you can pick one up for $49.99 USD.
Read More | Gizmocity via Coolest Gadgets
Gallery: Knock-Knock Door Chime: No Doorbell Needed
As summer continues to melt our non-air conditioned office, we often find ourselves thinking about technology related to the season. When we were sent news about the Del Mar Magma Grill, we laughed at how much it resembled a podium, but then realized the draw. Most grills are either too small, or just way too big and bulky. The Del Mar Magma grill goes against the grain. This thing has a small footprint, and is made out of 18-9 stainless steel. Standing 41-inches tall, it takes a very functional approach to grilling and can be doubled as an oven or stove, and you can choose from natural gas or propane models. If you want one, they sell for $400 USD. A bit pricey, but that is the cost of style, we guess.
Read More | Magma Products
Gallery: Del Mar Magma Grill
D-Link Securespot Begins Shipping
Posted by Nino Marchetti Categories: Accessories, Smart Home, Internet,
D-Link today rolled out the Securespot, an Internet security device designed to provide business-level threat protection for up to four computers on a home or small business network. This new device is priced at $99.99, the price of which includes one-year licenses for the computers being protected.
The Securespot, according to D-Link, uses a combination of hardware, software applications and Web-based management services to prevent unwanted content from breaching a protected network. Features included in this Internet security device include firewall and intrusion detection, a plug and play design, web-based control panel, multi-layer security, support for Windows and Mac based operating systems and content filters for 82 categories. The Securespot is powered by Bsecure Technologies.
Read More | D-Link Securespot Product Page
Gallery: D-Link Securespot Begins Shipping
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