Author name: William Appleyard

Zensify – Social Networking App for iPhone and iPod Touch

Zensify

Zensify is an app available for both iPhone and iPod Touch that brings together all your social networking sites in one, easy to view page enabling you to view all your social network updates simultaneously without having to load each page individually.

Currently only available for iPhone and iPod, if you dig a little deeper to the sole investors of Zensify – Ipex – they say that other mobile platforms will be supported later this year. Stay tuned.

NTT DoCoMo tests out Wearable Remote Controls

Wrist watch remote control

NTT DoCoMo, a Japanese mobile operator, have been working on some wearable gadgets that can be programmed to react to your movements. Applications have been demonstrated where a user can simply ‘dart’ their eyes in order to fast forward to the next track on an MP3 player (might get some odd looks when you’re out in public) by sensing the electrical current produced by your eyeballs, and a wrist watch that allows wearers to use their arms as a programmable remote cotrol! NTT DoCoMo have also suggested that these may be adapted for mobile use to play video games, read their email and even shop online – watch this space!

via InventorSpot

ZigBee’s latest spec, ZigBee Pro aims to consolidate Home Automation market

ZigBee

We all got a little fed up of hearing about HD-DVD battling Blu-Ray and various other format wars we’ve had over the years, but we seem to have found ourselves caught in another – ZigBee, INSTEON and Z-Wave are battling out to try and win you over for your home automation needs. Both ZigBee and Z-Wave use RF networks to allows you to control various home automated appliances around the home and now ZigBee has a new update to their offerings.

ZigBee are soon to be releasing their new update, ZigBee Pro, which allows communication across numerous different manufacturers’ products, most notably Control4, LG and Black & Decker (door locks, not power tools!) and will be available with a simple firmware update for these appliances. Perhaps the future will see some of the bigger home automation companies jumping on board as well which may help ZigBee to get the market leader title.

Microsoft Zune HD – coming this Fall

Zune HD

While style is usually an Apple trait and is typically last on Microsoft’s mind, they seem to have got it right on this one – the Zune HD. This is the latest in the line of Zune players and is beautifully angular to fit in with the modern world. This new 3.3-inch OLED touchscreen Zune can browse the internet via WiFi, play movies and snag digital radio feeds – hang about, this is starting to sound like an iPod Touch (bar the design). The player is available in silver (pictured) and black.

When hooked up to the TV, playback can be produced at 720p for a superior high definition image and a hookup between the XBox Live Marketplace TV/video service has been confirmed. The limited announcement from Redmond has left many users wondering whether or not this is some sort of PSP rival and will support XBox games and is it going to develop into some sort of Zune phone? Let’s just wait for the release in the fall!

More info at Zune.net.

GfG’s Article Recap for Week Ending June 12, 2009

First up in the ‘what the … ?!’ category from the ever-inventive Japaneses were the  Fuwarinka Candy, which changes your body odor by eating a piece of candy or chewing a piece of gum.  Apple had their WWDC conference and rolled out new MacBooks and a new iPhone.

Internet traffic could reach 2/3 of a Zettabyte by 2013 and speaking of the Net, you better grab your Facebook username before it gets snapped up by someone else.

More gadgets: The Lacie d2 Network File Server can store tons of photos and videos on your home network. Amazon released its latest Kindle, the DX, while Microsoft is close to beta testings its new free anti-virus software.

Wrapping things up, we compared some wireless 802.11 USB adapters so you could retro-fit that old laptop or desktop cheapily and easily.

Bang & Olufsen 103-inch Plasma HDTV

103-inch B&O Plasma HDTV

Bang & Olufsen have launched their new very top-of-the-line plasma HDTV coming in with a screen size of 103-inches, making it one of the biggest on the market today and with Bang & Olufsen you know you’re getting quality… and that you’re going to have to pay through the nose for it.

The BeoVision 4, to give it is proper title, sits comfortably on the floor when not in use and as soon as you want to power on, it will raise itself off the floor to the optimal viewing position and mysteriously grow its 10-channel Integrated BeoLab loudspeaker out of nowhere, bringing it up to screen level, a process which reverses when it’s put into standby or switched off. Seemingly the ultimate couch potato system, the Beo5 remote can be programmed to control equipment from all over the house from the basic use of AV equipment, right up to closing your curtains or covering your pool over.

If you’re after one, you better order quick as there is a 3-4 month waiting list because every one is built to order with customer specifications and installed specially at every location. As for pricing, the floor model comes in at $111,000 the wall-mounted (no motorized stand) version comes in at $93,000 – providing you can still afford a wall to put it on.

More info from the manufacturer
Price: starting at $93,000
(Please note prices are subject to change and the listed price is correct to the best of our knowledge at the time of posting)

Review: Oral-B Triumph vs Sonicare Elite Electric Toothbrushes – Power vs Sonic

OralB Triumph with Smartguide

The Oral-B Triumph line is a popular line of power electric toothbrushes that we have featured before, and we thought we’d bring you up to date with the latest news and provide you with an Oral-B-Sonicare comparison; this is mainly a Triumph vs Elite showdown. We had previously reviewed the Triumph 9400 power toothbrush and featured the Triumph 9100 power toothbrush (pictured). If you’ve done searches, you may have also come across many other Oral-B Triumph model numbers, but they all feature the same toothbrush but just in different bundles (ex: additional toothbrush heads, carrying cases, etc.).

Another very popular line of electric toothbrushes are the sonic Elite line from Sonicare, a Philips brand. We’re going to take a quick look at how the Oral-B Triumph 9100 compares against the Sonicare Elite e9500 – both very highly rated toothbrushes in their respective ranges. So let the Sonicare vs Oral-B battle begin! …

Motorlight Wall/Floor Lighting System – improves your mood

Motorlight Floor

The Motorlight lighting system is a high end state-of-the-art lighting system designed by Jake Dyson – son of the legendary multi-billionaire UK inventor, and founder of Dyson, Sir James Dyson. So it seems the creativity has been passed down from father to son. His innovation is far from just vacuum cleaners and hand dryers. This lighting system has variable light projection angles to create a multitude of moods in your room with a simple remote.

The lighting system comes in 2 forms – a floor standing version and a wall version (presumably mounted on or placed inside a wall) and can be run on their own or with another 29 lights in series – provided you have the money to buy 30 of these at £495 ($800) for the floor version or £249 ($400) for the wall version.

More info

USB 802.11n/g WiFi Adapters

Belkin Wireless N+ Adapter

Most modern laptops today have their WiFi adapters built in, but if you have an older laptop and would rather not shell out just to get WiFi, here are some USB WiFi adpaters models that will help you get online without wires.

The fast…

If it’s speed you’re after, the Belkin Wireless N+ 802.11n USB adapter (~$75) shouldn’t do you far wrong – the adapter takes 802.11n connections (as the name suggests), is MIMO (multiple input, multiple output)  enabled, but is also backwards compatible with wireless-g and 802.11b routers. It comes with a very pleasing desk stand should you wish to use it for your desktop.

Buy now

LaCie d2 Network File Server

Lacie d2 Network File Server

LaCie have long been a provider of top hard drive solutions and the d2 is no exception – this is a professional file server built for office use as it allows up to 50 users to be connected, with a maximum of 15 being able to use it at any one time. Available in 500GB, 1TB or 1.5TB  – Amazon appears to have a 2TB version also, but LaCie confusingly doesn’t display this on their website. This should see any small office run perfectly and would also be suitable for the power home user that wants more storage and flexibility in their wireless network.

The d2 supports Windows, Mac and Linux users alike and supports multimedia playback through iTunes and other DLNA multimedia devices. Naturally, TimeMachine is supported for Mac users. Two (2) expansion ports on the back allow for additional storage to be connected to the d2, as well as data imports and external backups all via USB 2.0 or eSATA. A nice touch is the inclusion of a BitTorrent-compatible torrent server.

Buy now!
More info from the manufacturer

Price: $243.99 (1.5TB model)
(Please note prices are subject to change and the listed price is correct to the best of our knowledge at the time of posting)

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