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Sonos Zone Player S5 Plays Nice With Your iPhone

Filed under: Gadgets

sonos zone player s5
Need a new buddy for your iPhone that takes advantage of your music library? The Sonos ZonePlayer S5 is an all-in-one wireless music system designed to work with the iPhone to bring all the music the internet has to offer to every corner of the home. Unlike traditional docks, you don't have to leave your iPhone connected and unavailable for use to enjoy music. With the S5, you can queue up whatever you'd like to hear from your own iTunes library collection or any of the major online music sources and slip your phone back in your pocket.

The S5 has a five-driver speaker system-- two tweeters, two mid-range drivers and a built-in single subwoofer – each individually powered by a dedicated digital amplifier and optimized to deliver room-filling sound with smooth tonal balance and deep bass. The free Sonos Controller for iPhone app lets you choose the music and control the volume. The S5 also includes free Sonos Controller software for your Mac or PC. It sells for $399 and will be available starting at the end of this month. Check out a video of the S5 in action after the jump.

Bionic Motion i:wing

Filed under: Decor


When I first saw the video above I wasn't sure what to think. Is the i:wing from BIonic Motion a fan? Creator Robert Spillner was quick to disabuse me of that notion. He says it's better than a fan. The i:wing offers ventilation with no draft, the two wings swing slowly back and forth creating small, recurrent waves, setting the area in the room in motion. It is also designed to be soothing and relaxing. It works by remote control and can be set to beat softly or more vigorously and can be used all year round to both cool or warm a room. The experience seems a little akin to being fanned with palm fronds in a gentle and calming rhythm.

Spillner worked as a development engineer for the automotive industry and was a development partner in hydraulic power steering for the F1 teams. The i:wing will sell for 2280 euros and is set to launch this October.

The BeoVision 4 From Bang & Olufsen: Rapture on the "Small" Screen for $112,000

Filed under: Gadgets



The New American Heritage dictionary defines the adjective "superlative" as: "Of the highest order, quality, or degree; superior to all others; 2. Excessive or exaggerated." The third entry should read "The BeoVision 4." The television from Bang & Olufsen presents these credentials: it spans 103 inches; the screen alone weighs 580 pounds, the floor-standing base adds another 600; when the BeoVision 4 isn't being viewed the screen lowers itself to the floor via dual gas shocks and actuators, hiding the center speaker; sixteen years of research have gone into it; oh, and it costs $112,000.

Luxist recently took a trip to Beverly Hills Aston Martin to get a good look at just how much TV you could get for the price of an Aston Martin V8 Vantage. The story is here.

BagTV

Filed under: Gadgets, Handbags

BagTV is, you guessed it, a handbag with a screen in it. The handbag, which is available in Britain, an integrated seven-inch screen on the side that plays videos and films from an attached multimedia player. It plays up to 2.5 hours before recharging and has a USB port and SD card slot so you can also use it as a digital photo frame displaying scrolling images. The bag comes in a range of colors and fabrics and the screen is behind a a protective transparent shield (a flap covers the screen when it is not in use). The bag sells for £295 and they do offer international shipping if you need to get your hands on one.

[via SlashGear]

Stuff a Stocking with a Zippo Hand Warmer

Filed under: Gadgets


I think this just might be the coolest (and cutest) little gadget if you're looking for the perfect stocking stuffer to round out the usual candy and scratch-off lottery tickets. The Zippo Hand Warmer is fun, useful, and perhaps best of all probably a little unexpected. It's smaller than your average hand warmer (looks like I could easily have one stuffed in each glove while I'm scraping ice off my car's windshield) and is very similar to a Zippo lighter in size and shape with a sleek, smooth chrome finish on the exterior. Fill it with Zippo premium lighter fluid and it will provide heat for up to 24 hours at a time. $29.95

Via Book of Joe

Light for Life Flashlight is Fast, Green, and Pricey

Filed under: Gadgets


Flashlights are not an exciting or even particularly interesting part of life but they certainly are a necessity when the power goes out or you hear something creeping around in the backyard at night. So whether for yourself or as an interesting gift for the gadget-lover on your Christmas list, the Light for Life flashlight is certainly worth looking at. Thanks to its ultracapacitor technology it has the longest uptime and fastest recharge available in the market today -- which amounts to 90 minutes of light after just 90 seconds of charging. And because it's made of a durable polymer and will never need new batteries this could just be the last flashlight you ever buy -- which is good for the environment. $169.99

Via Dvice

Samsung's Armani Night Effect Phone

Filed under: Gadgets


Armani and Samsung have released their latest joint effort cell phone. The Samsung Armani 2 Night Effect gets its name from the wraparound LED light on the phone. The candybar-style phone has a 3.2 megapixel camera, FM radio, 120MB of memory that is expandable with microSD, and Bluetooth. It will be sold in Europe in November with sales in Southeast Asia and the Middle East to follow. It will sell for around 300 euros. Tech pundits don't seem to be loving this one, finding the Armani logo on the back a bit garish and the overall look to be a bit clunky.

Vivienne Tam's Digital Clutch

Filed under: Gadgets


When Vivienne Tam posed with Miss USA during New York Fashion Week she had an interesting accessory tucked under her arm. That peony-printed clutch that matched her dress was no purse, it was the new mini notebook from Hewlett Packard. HP collaborated with Tam on the fashion notebook which also appeared on the runway with Tam's clothing. The "digital clutch" has a 10-inch screen. No details on specs or pricing have been released yet but it is supposed be available in early 2009. Laptop Magazine has a great gallery of close-up shots of the new gadget.

Handpresso, Make Your Own Espresso on the Go

Filed under: Dining, Gadgets

The name might not be particularly sophisticated but the idea is a fun one: portable espresso whenever and wherever you want it. No need to rough it the next time you go camping! Well, not in the hot beverage department anyway.

The Handpresso works by using your own personal manpower to create the necessary pressure by pumping the handle, after which the machine produces one shot of espresso. And according to our sister site Slashfood's product review, the espresso isn't half bad.

For me part of the fun of camping is drinking something different, like coffee made in a steel pan over the fire, and laughing about how bad it is. But then I can't remember the last time I actually went camping so maybe there's something to bringing a little bit of home out with you to the wilds. $155

Via Shiny Shiny

The Outrageously Expensive Freewheeler Wireless Outdoor Speaker

Filed under: Gadgets


It's called the Freewheeler, and it's a wireless outdoor speaker that won't do anything unexpected or special except roll around a little and 'freewheel' you out of $20,000.

Features include: wireless up to 656 ft, recharging station, and the capacity to project the quality stereo sound you'd expect from two speakers out of just the one unit. And apparently it's pretty good sized (as big as small car tire???) and that could be a pro or a con, depending on your taste.

It's got a nice contemporary design, and the "roll it around the yard" feature certainly is convenient, but I'm still not sure why the price tag is so high at £10838.74. Anybody have any idea?

Limited Edition On/Off Light Switch For Gadgets

Filed under: Decor, Gadgets

It's cool to spend lots of money on fancy electronic gadgets but it's totally not cool to spend several minutes fishing around for a remote control to (gasp) actually have to get up off the couch in order to turn them on manually. Of course The Clapper could do the trick but who needs such a startling way to adjust the mood when you could have this gold (that's one of the last places you thought you'd see bling, isn't it?) electricity switch by Tobias Wong. Put it wherever you want (it works wirelessly) and you'll be having lights, music, and whatever else whenever and where ever you want -- no fumbling required. $150

Disney's Mplayer Swarovski

Filed under: Gadgets


Who wants a plain old Mickey-shaped mp3 player when you can have one all decked out with ribbons and Swarovski crystals? The Mplayer Swarovski is the same Mplayer it always was on the inside (1 GB, up to 9 hours of play time), but the outside is now all jazzed up with a variety of different colors, themes, and accessories (this one is called "Little Girl"). Available in limited edition of 500 they're now available in Japan for about $137-$150 each (the standard versions sell for around $50).

"I Am Rich" iPhone App

Filed under: Gadgets

The latest hot iPhone application that has caught everyone's attention is the "I Am Rich" app by developer Armin Heinrich. The app costs $999.99 and displays a glowing ruby-like light. and the words I Am Rich. Open it and it will load which Heinrich calls a secret mantra that may help you you to "stay rich, healthy, and successful." Ridiculous? Certainly, but rather clever too and subtler than having Amosu hook you up with a diamond or gold-covered iPhone.

Technologizer is conducting a poll on whether or not the app should be pulled from the App store. So far it looks like most are in favor of keeping it.

UPDATE: And it's gone. Apple has pulled the app from the store.

Diamond Nokia 8800 Sapphire Arte Phone

Filed under: Gadgets


While you are waiting for your new diamond-covered iPhone you might want to consider this sparkly gadget. Swiss luxury designer and jeweler Knalihs Athem has recently created a diamond encrusted Nokia 8800 Sapphire Arte. This phone is decorated with 1000 finest quality brilliant cut diamonds that weigh 6.75 carats in total. There will only be 20 handsets made and each will be accompanied by a official diamond grading report from a gemological lab. It can also be personalized with your name or whatever you would like. The Nokia 8800 Sapphire Arte by Knalihs Athem has a starting price of $20,000.

$800 Speakers = Smaller than a Strawberry

Filed under: Gadgets


Smaller has always meant better (and more expensive) in the world of technology, and it would seem that it's no different for the world of surround sound speaker systems. Sony's new Bravia Theater Micro System has speakers so small they make me giggle -- they look like something that was experimented on in that old movie Honey I Shrunk the Kids! With side, surround, and a center speaker that each barely measure up to a good sized strawberry, the system claims to sacrifice nothing in the way of sound and everything in the way of cumbersome space-gobbling size. The catch is that the collection's subwoofer is monstrous, but working to hide just the one piece seems like a small (pun intended) price to pay for such an "out of sight, out of mind" sound system. $799.99

Via Dvice


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