Around The Home
Poggenpohl Porsche kitchen designed for men
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October 9, 2007 Since the world’s marketers have become aware that women account for more purchasing power than they’ve previously been given credit for, there’s been a distinct lack of “women’s domain” appliances designed for men. Recognizing that men are showing an increasing interest in developing the kitchen as part of their habitat, Porsche Design Group and Poggenpohl Mobelwerke have taken the covers off their first co-designed kitchen, the P’7340. Read More
Applications open for first UK Boklok housing
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October 8, 2007 IKEA has accepted applications from potential homeowners for the first release of Boklok houses in the UK. Gizmag has been following the progress of this innovative housing development that aims to create affordable and sustainable housing to offer space and flexibility to low income families. Read More
iRobot release Looj gutter cleaning robot
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October 1, 2007 Cleaning the gutters is an unloved yet necessary - even dangerous - household chore that is inevitably given the lowest priority until gutters are clogged and overflowing with leaves. The latest offering from home robotics specialists iRobot uses remote control to solve the problem – the Looj blasts out debris and brushes gutters clean while your feet remain firmly planted on the ground. Read More
Celebrating 40 years of microwave cookery
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September 20, 2007 After completing a 6 feet (1.8 m) tall, 750 pound (340 kg) prototype in 1947, the Raytheon Corporation introduced the first commercial microwave oven to the world in 1954 and 13 years later Amana brought us the very first domestic bench top microwave. In the 40 years since is inception the microwave has fundamentally changed the way we live, shop and eat. Read More
Low-profile Weibel projector lift
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September 8, 2007 Rising projector sales on the back of lower prices and constantly improving technology has seen increasing numbers of consumers bringing the big screen feel into their homes. But when it’s not offering a visual feast, a projector can be a bit of an eyesore. The Weibel Precision Projector Lift is designed to address one of the issues that arises when trying to solve this problem - build depth - by requiring only 15 centimeters of space to be built into the ceiling. Read More
Hydrogen based power offers green alternative for homes
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September 7, 2007 In a development that marks another step towards the vision of a sustainable, clean future for home power generation, UK company ITM Power has announced the upcoming release of a device which can generate hydrogen in the home to fuel central heating boilers and cookers while drastically cutting CO2 emissions. Set to go into production next year, the ITM electrolyser is designed to utilize off-peak or renewable electricity sources to create its own hydrogen fuel which can then be stored and used as a conventional gas to burn in central heating boilers as well as a fuel for cooking.
Meridian iRIS Universal iPod Dock - high-quality video on HD screens
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September 5, 2007 Meridian Audio is set to unveil a product later today at the 2007 CEDIA Expo which could have quite some significance if it delivers on its claims. A unique new enabler for the Apple’s iPod family, the Meridian iRIS Universal Dock for iPod accepts the full range of current iPod models and delivers battery charging and home audio-system integration and control. More importantly, the design features high-end video up-conversion processing (up to 1080p) that produces what it claims are astonishing images with clarity and detail, delivering true big-screen performance from iPod Video. The company claimsthe new dock can play iPod videos on the big screen, with big-screen quality, clarity, and freedom from video-noise, “jaggies,” or blocking-artifacts. Read More
Surface computing meets home automation: ROSIE Coffee table touch-panel
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September 5, 2007 Surface computing is moving full steam ahead and this latest release from Savant is another reminder that even the wireless mouse is becoming an outmoded piece of technology. The ROSIE Coffee Table Touchpanel Controller offers an easily accessible interface for home automation coupled with interactive multimedia capabilities, connecting to iTunes, digital cameras, IP network cameras, business card readers and various high-tech devices around the home. Read More
The Microwave television
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September 4, 2007 One of the first kitchen appliances to have an integrated LCD was LG’s much celebrated refrigerator which began show appearances seven years ago and though it was a star in its day and is still around in a subsequent design, it still strikes us as something for people with more money than tech savvy. Seven years later, at IFA in Berlin this week, the Holland Electro Wave TV made its first appearance. While the product in the press handouts looks impressive, HE showed what appeared to be a prototype at IFA and quite frankly, they shouldn’t have because it looked like exactly what it is – two different consumer electronics products bolted together. Read More
Brownie baking pan has the edge
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September 4, 2007 True brownie lovers who savor the edges of chocolatey treats will love this new pan from Baker’s Edge. The 9” x 12” x 2” Edge Brownie Pan was designed specifically with “edge-lovers” in mind and is promoted as the only one of its kind. Read More
The Porsche-designed Eton P9110 emergency radio
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One of the stand-outs on the floor at IFA was the new Porsche-designed Eton P9110 – in function, it’s a AM/M/Shortwave radio with LED flashlight, cell phone charger, emergency siren, flashing red light and a crank handle so you can generate your own power, but it is more than just the sum of its parts. Made of cast aluminium, its considerable (1.74 pounds - 0.74 kilograms)weight and the feel of its precision knurled nobs, and the look and feel is … quite extraordinary. That’s before we even get to what it looks like, which is a metallic sculpture of great beauty. Read More
Day Clock offers a hand for the memory
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August 31, 2007 Since the advent of the sundial people have relied on clocks of all shapes, sizes and functions to tell the time. A new type of clock designed for people suffering memory difficulties breaks with convention and goes one step further by telling you what day it is. Read More
Polymer Optical Fiber home network on display at CEDIA
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August 30, 2007 For centuries one’s house has been one’s castle, it’s just that now the castle of choice is also a fully networked entertainment and communications hub. With the aim of making this easier in terms of both installation and performance, Mitsubishi International Corporation and Firecomms have announced a live home network demonstration using Polymer Optical Fiber (POF) at CEDIA Expo in Denver. The demonstration will take the form of a fully networked living room showcasing the advantages in connectivity, flexibility, and up to one Gigabit data rate capability of POF. Read More
Pottery Barn’s Daily System with Recharge Station
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August 23, 2007 Isn’t it strange how people who are masters of the digital realm often struggle with arranging real world objects into a functional office. For these proponents of the geographic strata method of desktop filing (aka anarchy) who would like to get organized but just can’t find a spot for everything, Pottery Barn’s Daily System is well worth a look. It has a series of modular components (corkboard, letter bin, magazine rack, magnetic chalkboard, whiteboard calendar, an office organizer with three hooks for keys, slots etc) which can mix and match to suit even the most dyslexic brain. Pick of the bunch is a new Recharge Station that incorporates Smart Technology so you can organize electronic devices and recharge MP3 players, handhelds, mobile phones and laptops all in one place. Read More
Roomba vacuum cleaning robot range updated
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August 23, 2007 Five years since the launch of its original Roomba vacuum cleaner, robotics manufacturer iRobot has released new improved versions of the vacuum cleaning robots. Read More
Sustainable House Day 2007
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August 22, 2007 Australia will again be celebrating sustainable housing at this year's Sustainable House Day to be held on Sunday 9 September 2007. The event, organized by the Australian and New Zealand Solar Energy Society, is a national open house day for sustainably designed houses and will take place only in Australia this year. Read More
The UER3200 CIMA Ladder
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August 21, 2007 Ladders are one of the earliest examples of technology for the common man and have been in use for tens of thousands of years, perhaps even predating the wheel. Ever improving materials technology has enabled the ladder to take on many new shapes in the last half century but the Cimaladder is the first of a new breed. The single piece carbon fibre composite ladder is extremely strong and weighs just a kilogram making it easily transportable. At EUR 3200 it’s in no danger of revolutionizing the ladder marketplace but it sure is a looker. Read More
"The Rave” massage and music chair
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August 17, 2007 New technology isn't all about mobile phones and processing speed - along the way its also given us some elaborate ways in which to recline in style while relaxing, working, or doing both at the same time. This new addition to the comfy chair genre from Tranquil Ease combines four different types of massage that can be synchronized with music to deliver optimum relaxation. Read More
IKEA housing development steams ahead in UK
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August 15, 2007 Work has now begun on the first BoKlok "flat-pack housing" development at St James Village in Gateshead, UK. Previewed in Gizmag in May this year, the project aimed at delivering fast, affordable, energy efficient and stylish housing has just moved into its construction phase. Read More
Solar reflective film boosts home heating efficiency
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August 13, 2007 A rural family home built recently in Massachusetts has used, among other eco-friendly technologies and systems, insulating glass units that will significantly cut the amount of energy used in the home. The Heat Mirror insulating glass unit from Southwall Technologies is a solar reflective film applied to a window’s interior that prevents the loss of radiant heat through the window at least three times more efficiently than double-pane glass. Read More
PalmPeeler tackles last frontier of kitchen chores
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August 11, 2007 Peeling vegetables has to rate right up there with taking out the garbage and cleaning the latrine as one of the least popular household duties and given the vagaries in the way vegetables grow, a cost-effective machine that does it automatically is probably still a few decades away. In the meantime there’s the PalmPeeler - a gold medal winning device at the Business Week IDEA 2007 awards that promises to reduce global misery by just a few percentage points. Read More
Zarafina Tea Maker Suite: A consistent cup every time
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August 10, 2007 Those of us that drink tea can be quite particular about it, in fact sometimes getting someone to make a cup on our behalf can be something of a gamble. The Zarafina Tea Maker Suite is designed to keep the tea making process consistent so you can have tea the way you like it every time. Read More
The Sorapot Teapot - everyday item, stunning design
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August 7, 2007 Through the years, Alcoa aluminum has been used in everything from airplanes to food packaging to Ferraris, but recently the metal was again cast into one of the first items it had originally been used for over 100 years ago – a teapot. New York-based industrial designer Joey Roth’s unique Sorapot design chose to use Alcoa aluminum for the Sorapot because of its advantages over other materials. Aluminum's light weight and better flow rate provided Roth with the freedom to design exactly the shapes he had in mind, plus the ability of the metal to transfer heat without allowing the water to get too hot for delicate tea leaves is also an advantage. Read More
SolCool’s solar powered air con: fight global warming while keeping cool
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August 5, 2007 Any renewable energy product that can compete with traditional systems is worth applauding and SolCool’s solar powered, Millennia 4.0 HVAC (Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning) air conditioner falls squarely into this category. The two-ton air conditioning system uses 75 percent less energy compared with equivalent high efficiency conventional systems according to the manufacturers and with a 6 to 18 hour battery bank capability, the Millennia can run 24/7 whilst relying very little on renewable energy to deliver near zero emission climate control. Read More
Americas most wanted: the self-cleaning garbage can
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August 5, 2007 Inventors and entrepreneurs take note; a new study in the United States has revealed that Americans are craving new technology that would enable them to relinquish more of their household chores. This seem a little obvious, but the catch is finding someone to invent the laundry folding dryer or the self-cleaning garbage can to meet the growing demands on the wish list of time-poor consumers. Read More
Staircase Drawers: a brilliant storage idea
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August 3, 2007 Storage under staircases has been around for years. But as reported by Inhabitat this new system takes it one step further and leaves you wondering why you didn’t think of this first. A simple yet obvious idea from Unicraft Joinery in Australia has resulted in an innovative under-the-staircase drawer solution using each step as storage drawer. The space underneath each staircase step is used as a drawer which is a great way to utilize a generally overlooked space. Step up and open the drawer which can be used for many and varied purposes with the only problem being remembering which drawer held what. Read More
LLC’s Cool-or-Heat Pad – an electric blanket that’s useful all year round
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August 3, 2007 Electric blankets are a boon for those who want to avoid the winter cold but they quickly become redundant during the warmer months of the year. LLC has pounced on this gaping hole in functionality by producing an electric blanket that can switch between both ends of the temperature scale, helping slash air conditioning bills in the summer as well as heating bills in the winter. The quiet, slim Cool-or-Hear Pad can oscillate between a 70 and 96 degrees Fahrenheit (21 - 35.5 degrees Celsius) and is available now for US$200. Read More
Vornado room air circulator
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August 3, 2007 From palm leaf waving ancient Egyptians to the punkah fans of the Middle East and the first appearance of the electric desk fan in the late nineteenth century, the quest to keep cool has undergone steady improvements over time. The Vornado room air circulator is continuing this tradition with a design tailored to operate more effectively than a normal fan by circulating air around the whole room for constant air movement, rather than just blowing air in one direction. Though not an entirely new concept, the latest design achieves a tight vortex airflow that is drawn back around the perimeter of the room and recirculated to provide constant airflow and a more even temperature throughout the entire area.
The AirTensity Grill acts as a flow-straightener and further assists in focusing the outward stream of air into a tight vortex airflow. This high velocity Vortex Beam of Air actually projects across the room pulling even more air into its beam. As the beam of air reaches the other side of the room, it is drawn back around the perimeter of the room and ultimately back to the circulator to be recharged again through this continuous cycle.
Where else but Dubai: the Pentominium to be world’s tallest residential tower
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July 31, 2007 The enormous and still skyrocketing wealth centralized in Dubai has seen some absolutely outrageous construction projects taking off. From the world’s tallest building and a ski slope in the desert to custom-built islands and rotating skyscrapers, the international commerce hub seems to have ingenious developers fighting each other over who can make the biggest show of material excess. The latest jewel in Dubai’s extravagant crown will be a 516-metre tall apartment building, more than twice as high as the previous biggest residential building and with no expense spared on pure luxury. Even its name, the Pentominium, drips with treacle-thick exclusivity. Some floors will be uniquely suspended in mid-air, giving the impression that you’re living in a floating penthouse in the sky, with residents having access to a fleet of luxury automobiles and yachts for transport and entertainment. The ancient Egyptians defined their era with the impossible pyramids of Giza – could the fantastical architecture of Dubai be the defining monument of our era? Read More
New Singer prints embroidery patterns straight from PC to fabric
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July 26, 2007 The Singer company has a spectacular and storied history of firsts. Founded in 1851, the iconic company produced the world’s first portable sewing machine in 1921, and built and then demolished the world’s first and tallest skyscraper on the site of New York’s World Trade Center as its head office. Singer was one of America’s first truly globally marketed brands with an unprecedented advertising budget, and the company made the first computer-controlled sewing machine in 1978. Now, Singer has built on its impressive past by creating a sewing and embroidery machine that allows you to design a multi-coloured embroidery pattern on a PC, and “print” it directly to the fabric through a USB connection. The new Singer Futura machine is designed to make complex and beautiful embroidery a simple, quick and controllable task for any home craftsperson, and brings the old-world craft into a distinctly new-age technology. Read More
Gesture recognition yields the virtual remote control
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July 23, 2007 As we move towards the home entertainment systems of the future, we’ll no doubt be looking for more elaborate ways of interacting with these systems than the simple remote control. ‘Wave of the hand ‘ technology is a box that lets television viewers change channels, switch on the DVD player or simply switch off an irritating presenter or program with the wave of a hand. The controller’s built-in camera can recognise seven simple hand gestures and work with up to eight different gadgets around the home. The developers, Dr Premaratne and Quang Nguyen, believe the device could be on sale within three years. Read More
No-touch toilet tissue dispenser
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July 10, 2007 Public restrooms are not always the most alluring locations in which to deal with nature’s calling and in an effort to make them more hygienic we’ve seen the progressive introduction of touch-free hand-dryers, sinks and soap dispensers, but one key element has been overlooked – toilet tissue. Now Kimberly-Clark Professional has found a way complete the hygienic no-touch restroom with the release of the JRT Electronic Coreless bath tissue dispenser, a system that automatically dispenses a pre-defined amount of toilet paper when users place their hands under the unit. Read More
Presso mechanical espresso coffee machine
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July 4, 2007 Making a well-extracted espresso coffee should be a simple process and the Presso espresso machine is certainly elegant in its simplicity. Despite the many variables that go into a good brew such as water pressure, temperature and the grind of the beans, the ideal machine should be reliable and robust, with moving parts kept to a minimum. The Presso meets these criteria by using an entirely mechanical design based on leverage that by-passes the reliability problems often associated with the use of electric pumps in smaller consumer oriented espresso machines. Read More
Domestic rainwater tanks with style: LUMI, the functional water feature
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June 3, 2007 Long-term droughts in places like Australia have put water-saving solutions at the forefront of designers' minds - and while some manufacturers are keen to hide their domestic rainwater catchment tanks out of view, others are taking a very different approach. Melbourne's Full Tank has designed a household water tank that not only serves to cut domestic mains water usage by 20%, but also acts as an attractive and modern architectural design and lighting feature. The LUMI rainwater tank is a glowing sculpture in celebration of responsible water use. Read More
Mow-Aerator: simple solution enhances lawn-care
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June 28, 2007 There’s more to maintaining a healthy lawn than just jumping on the ride-on mower now and then, but time-consuming and labor intensive tasks like aeration of the soil are often left undone. The solution is one we always like – do two things at once. The Mow-Aerator is a simple collection of brackets and one-and-a-half-inch spikes that attaches to a mower's tires and allows you to mow and aerate at the same time. The weight of the mower – whether ride-on or push - forces the spikes into the root zone to aerate the soil without the clods of dirt left behind by conventional aerators. Read More
