Gadgets

Triple Play Moving to Quintuple Play?

October 10, 2008

If you thought the "triple play" offered by cable and phone service providers was pretty cool, it's time to think again.

Various providers now are looking at ways to bundle not just TV, phone and the Internet, but also a home's security and control systems into a great, big package that is being called the "quintuple play."

For the service providers whose quadruple plays currently include digital television, internet, phone, and wireless, the fifth service in the five-for-one bundle could be home control, remote monitoring and/or safety and security devices and services (sometimes referred to as SMA or security, monitoring and automation).

This new package will bring easy-to-use home control devices and applications into the home, enabling remote monitoring, simple lighting and HVAC control and remotely-accessed home security.

The devices would be available through the service provider in the form of a "starter kit" of some sort, with an up-front cost that may or may not include installation. A monthly fee would cover remote access to the system and -- in the case of the security application -- professional monitoring.

Posted in Gadgets, Internet, Triple Play, Wireless

Is Home Automation Market Set To Go Boom?

October 6, 2008

The number of home automation systems -- both professionally installed and DIY -- will reach more than 4 million in 2013, says ABI Research.

The Home Automation and Security Report says the market will grow more than 50 times its current size in five years. There were 237,000 systems that shipped in 2007.

The study attributes the growth to new approaches: "Mainstream" systems based on standardized technologies and packaged components Home automation as a managed service offered through a broadband or wireless service provider The market is also seeing houses built (or were built) that we designed to accommodate the necessary wiring for these systems.

What does your home automation system look like?

More at CEPro.com.

Posted in Gadgets

Best Buy Selling Musical Instruments -- Making Real Guitar Heroes!

October 3, 2008

Look out Guitar Center and Sam Ash!

Maybe you don't think of them as gadgets, but Best Buy is adding musical instruments to its entertainment repertoire at roughly 85 stores nationwide.

(Didn't I just see you at Best Buy?)

The stores will cater to novice and professional musicians and carry brands such as Fender, Gibson, Roland and Drum Workshop.

The Best Buy in Pembroke Pines, FL, for example, features a 2,500-square-foot store-within-a store with more than 1,000 guitars, bass drums, keyboards, recording equipment and other instruments and accessories.

The Best Buy in Pembroke Pines will have five to seven trained musical instrument specialists and will offer guitar lessons (for all of those Guitar Hero dudes who want to play for real).

There also will be drum and amplifier rooms to test equipment.

Best Buy had offered a smattering of beginner guitars and home-recording equipment, but now it wants a bigger slice of the $7.5 billion U.S. musical instrument market.

More here.

Posted in Gadgets

Ronco's Baaack!!!

October 2, 2008

Remember the Veg-O-Matic, the Pocket Fisherman and the Inside-the-Shell Egg Scrambler? To many baby boomers, those names recall the days when Jimmy Carter was in the White House and Farrah Fawcett starred in Charlie's Angels.

And who can forget the Bass-O-Matic skit on Saturday Night Live (when it really mattered!)?

Now a new generation will be able to form its own memories. The Ronco Acquisition Corporation, the company behind these products, is reviving its in-your-face infomercials, even weaving in historical footage of Ron Popeil, the original pitchman.

(Now if only Crazy Eddie came back, too ...)

Now, under a new owner, Ronco is using old film of Popeil to peddle a new product, the Grillwave, and one that has not seen the studio lights in years, the Veg-O-Matic. Also coming back are some of Popeil's signature lines, like, "But wait, there's more!" "Set it and forget it!" and "Isn't that amazing?"

The Times has more.

Posted in Gadgets

How about Being Your Favorite Gadget for Halloween?

October 1, 2008

With October ringing in today, of course thoughts turn to Halloween -- yes, I know it's nearly a month away.

Wonder why we don't see any trick or treaters dressed up as their favorite gadgets?

Would be pretty easy to be an iPhone (or just about any cell phone for that matter, but those clam shell designs could be trouble?).

TV set or computer monitor is another good one -- at least for head gear.

What do you think?

Does this make any sense?

And if it does, what gadget would you be? And why ...

Posted in Gadgets

Motorola Femtocell Picture Frame Combines VoIP, Video, Bluetooth, Touchscreen and more

September 26, 2008

Check out this cool new converged prototype device from Motorola that combines a picture frame with touch-screen, video camera, Bluetooth headset, VoIP, femtocell, and video streaming. A femtocell is a small cellular base station, typically designed for use in residential or small business environments that allows you to use your mobile phone in your home connecting to your femtocell access point.

Femtocells essentially are an alternative way to deliver the benefits of Fixed Mobile Convergence (FMC) without the need for a dual-mode handset. In the Youtube demo video below demoed by Motorola representative Harsha Hegde, you can clearly see they're using the popular Counterpath Xten SIP-based softphone - also shown in the screen grab above. Motorola also demonstrates a femtocell mobile-to-mobile VoIP call, which is pretty cool.

Posted in Gadgets, Home Entertainment, Mobile Phones, TMCnet, Video Conferencing, Video Hardware & Software, VoIP

Going Green with My Gadgets

September 15, 2008

We all love our gadgets -- some more than others -- but all of those TVs, computers, mobile phones and DVD players suck up energy and end up clogging landfills.

How can you stay plugged in while minimizing the effect on the environment?

Take a look at MyGreenElectronics.com, a website launched last year by the Consumer Electronics Association.

The site offers lists of low-energy-use electronic products, tips on how to limit energy consumption by the electronics you own and advice for making your electronics last longer so they don't have to be thrown out so soon.

If you no longer want an electronic device, the site can help with its list of nonprofit groups that accept them, and an easy-to-use search tool (just enter a ZIP Code) for finding electronics recyclers in your area.

A calculator on the site can help you estimate how much energy is consumed by electronics in your home and what it's costing you.

(Don't know if really want to know all of the gory details, but this is very important -- carbon footprint, you know -- so will have to try it out.)

Posted in Gadgets

Om Interviews Skype CEO

September 12, 2008

Om Malik has a video interview with Skype CEO Josh Silverman. Om asks about Skype on the Apple iPhone to which the Skype CEO simply says "Stay tuned..." Om presses some more, but is unable to get him to crack. Ah well. While we wait for the Skype gurus to get an official Skype client for the iPhone, at least we have some workarounds to get Skype running on the iPhone.

Posted in Apple, Gadgets, Mobile Phones, Skype, TMCnet, VoIP

New iPod touch supports VoIP

September 11, 2008

The Cult of Mac claims that the new iPod touch is VoIP-capable on the hardware side:

With 5 wires connected to the Touch headphone jack (instead of 4 on the previous model), the device now supports the external microphone included with some headsets, according to Kyle Wiens of iFixit, who fully dismantled an iPod Touch on Wednesday.

So who needs an AT&T-restricted iPhone? Course, you'll need to be in range of a Wi-Fi network to use VoIP on the iPod touch.

It is worth pointing out that this is not the first time someone has run VoIP on the iPod touch. Touchmods added a microphone hack to the older iPod touch version. Another group enabled a SIP softphone client for the iPod touch to use with the "hacked-in" microphone.

With the new iPod touch - no hacking required.

Posted in Apple, Gadgets, Home Entertainment, MP3 Players & Digital Audio, Mobile Phones, SIP, VoIP, Wireless

Sling Media SlingCatcher and Slingbox PRO-HD Available

September 10, 2008

The new Sling Media SlingCatcher and Slingbox PRO-HD (Sling Media Slingbox PRO-HD SB100-100) are now available for pre-order from Amazon and SlingMedia.com at $299.99 each. Just in time for the Christmas holiday season! Woot! Ok, Christmas is still 3 months away, so I'm getting a little ahead of myself.

Posted in Computer Hardware, Gadgets, Home Entertainment, Internet, Microsoft, Technology and Science, Video Hardware & Software

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