Home Automation

Microsoft launches Hohm, a power and resource monitor

Home Automation, Networking & Internet, Tools, DIY, Home, Office / By /

Microsoft Hohm

We’ve seen Google trying their hand at operating systems but what about Microsoft trying to steal power usage market share from Google? Back in February we took a look at PowerMeter – a product from Google that allows users to monitor their power consumption via ‘smart’ meters, but Microsoft has released Hohm (still in beta) to do pretty much the same job.

Hohm will check your levels of electricity, propane and oil consumption within a given time period and Microsoft will look at adding device monitoring (something already offered by PowerMeter) and water monitoring to give a complete picture of your resource usage. When you sign up for your free account you can see how much you’re spending on energy, how it compares to similar users and how it can be reduced.

It’s just a pity they couldn’t get hold of a better domain to host it on.

INSTEON I/O Linc Doorbell and Phone Ring Alert Kit

Gizmo of the Day, Home Automation / By /

Here’s another cool add-on for your INSTEON home automation system – the I/O Linc Doorbell and Phone Ring Alert Kit. Use this kit to generate a visual alert when the phone or doorbell rings.

This is great for when you’re in a noisy environment – listening to music, working in the backyard/garage, partying. Also great if you’re hearing impaired or have trouble with certain frequencies.

This I/O Linc kit is easy to connect yourself and can be linked to a remote INSTEON-controlled device. Remember too that there is a host of I/O Linc kits available, including rain sensors, garage door control, freeze sensors and more.

Buy now!

More info from the manufacturer
Price: $89.99
(Please note prices are subject to change and the listed price is correct to the best of our knowledge at the time of posting)

GfG’s Article Recap for Week Ending June 19, 2009

Computers, Gizmo of the Day, Home Automation, Networking & Internet, Portable, Software / By /

Have Zune begun to copy Apple’s stylish music players with the upcoming Zune HD? We’ve got your weekly fill of format wars – this time focused on home automation and could we really be that much closer to wearable remote controls?

Father’s days coming up and, being such a caring bunch, we came up with a a really great idea! Another idea may be to get him an analog to digital converter so that he can preserve those old video and music sitting in the attic.

Are you aniPhone/iPod Touch user and also a networking maniac? Take a look at Zensify.

The week was capped off by the ever-so-geeky Mac vs. PC poster and a look at the current progress of holographic optics – manufacturer SBG has a very cool prototype of a full-color, heads-up wearable display.

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

Home Automation / By /

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.

Bang & Olufsen 103-inch Plasma HDTV

Audio/Video, Home Theater, Home Automation / By /

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)

Pet Chime Doggie Doorbell

1 Comment / Gizmo of the Day, Home Automation / By /

Pet Chime Doggie Doorbell

Everyone knows the feeling of having to clean up pet accidents because you didn‘t know your precious pet wanted to go outside. The Pet Chime Doggie Doorbell is easy to train your pet to use, but you do need to be diligent in training. It takes time and treats, but in the end it is all worth it. Cats and dogs can both use the doorbell by pressing the appropriately paw shaped doorbell. You can also buy additional “paws“ to put in other rooms, or one for each door. Putting one outside is also an option because all paws are durable and weatherproof.

The Pet Chime Doggie Doorbell is lightweight and easy to pick up and move to a different place. The site claims that the remote can be used at 100 feet, but is better used at 70-80 feet at the maximum. It is also a fun trick to show off to friends. The doorbell turn your pets into automatic genius superstars. The “paws“ are small at only 4.125″ x 5″ x 1.5″ and can easily be camouflaged for any décor.

Buy now!

More info from the manufacturer

Price: $29.95
(Please note prices are subject to change and the listed price is correct to the best of our knowledge at the time of posting)

Freezer Failure Sensor Kit

Gizmo of the Day, Home Automation, Tools, DIY, Home, Office / By /

Freezer Failure Sensor Kit

A little while ago we pondered what a gadget/gizmo actually was and found one of the definition to be a ‘device or control this is very useful for a particular job’ well, I think we can safely say we’ve found something to fit this bill perfectly – presenting the Freezer Failure Sensor Kit.

This nifty little device being offered by Smarthome will notify you if your freezer’s (or any cryonics units you happen to have lying around the house ;-)) temperature goes above 39°F via a range of different INSTEON home automation kits available from their website. Snag this gadget and  prevent food loss or house flooding!

Buy now!

Price: $64.99
(Please note prices are subject to change and the listed price is correct to the best of our knowledge at the time of posting)

GfG’s Article Recap for Week Ending May 15, 2009

Audio/Video, Home Theater, Computers, Gizmo of the Day, Home Automation, Networking & Internet / By /

This past week we took a look at the very beautiful (although perhaps not awfully practical) glass foosball table from Teckell. We reviewed a powerful nutrition scale to help you keep an eye on what you eat.

Virgin Galatic is looking to offer uber short long haul flights and we reported on the new bill that may overturn the current online gambling ban in the US.

Google is always tweaking and improving their products and they’ve added tasks to G Calendar..

In the media center category, we featured the latest Netgear networked multimedia device – the Entertainer Elite, but in even bigger news, it looks like MvixUSA is about to roll out their much-awaited next-gen Media Center Player, successor to the MX-780HD.

A little coupon love to finish things off – $25 off SmartHome!

Review: EatSmart Digital Nutrition Scale

8 Comments / Gizmo of the Day, Home Automation, Recommended, Reviews / By /

If you are ready to start that long postponed diet program, and are serious about the nutritional values (or lack thereof) of what you consume, then the EatSmart digital nutrition scale is the way to go. This thorough review of the EatSmart scale will take you through what the scale can do under real-world conditions.


eatsmart-digital-nutrition-scaleAt a compact 9″ x 7″ and under 2″ high, this user-friendly scale delivers more than you would expect at first glance. It comes with a database of 999 of the most common foods and has the ability to calculate nutrients from thousands of packaged foods. The LCD display is divided into 8 sections, which affords you a lot of information at one glance. Although the nutrient values were easily readable, the one minor drawback was the very small size of the units (e.g. mg).

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