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
Apparently there's a Macbook in there somewhere, believe it or not. We've covered blinged up laptops before but this one is dolled up as a workstation, not a glitzy fashion accessory. Munk Bogballe has taken a basic Apple Macbook and added an anodized aluminum surface on the top and a European aniline leather underside, plus a sophisticatedly simple (but expensive) leather case to put it in. The 2.4Ghz Macbook underneath stays pretty much factory spec, plus 4GB of RAM and Windows XP pre-installed. £3,500
In the near future you may get to feel like you're in a Mission Impossible movie as you check into your hotel room by first providing a fingerprint and then standing still while a camera scans your iris. High-end hotels are forever seeking the next great thing when it comes to providing their customers with the best service and security, not to mention they're also always looking for new ways to save money and be more environmentally friendly in the process. The commonly used plastic key cards are on their way out in favor new options like paper cards, cell phone frequency identification, fingerprints, and iris scans.
It will be many years before any of these new features are widely available but many hotels are already trying out (or are in the slow process of switching exclusively to) these new high-tech methods, some of which are a little controversial (i.e. privacy is a concern when handing over fingerprints). What do you think -- great idea or don't fix what isn't broken?
Computer Choppers is at it again, blinging up your personal gadgets with platinum, gold, and diamonds. They certainly seem to have a love of everything Apple (and I can't say I blame them) since from iPods to iPhones to Macbooks they've now moved on to the 24" iMac. There's not a whole lot of info available on their site yet except to say in coming weeks they're offering the iMac all dolled up in gold, platinum, and even rose-gold (a Valentine's Day treat for your tech-loving sweetie?).
If you're looking for tall, dark, and handsome then the Eazo tower is calling your name. It's a "luxury" PC that pulls off an elegant air of mystery and ominous technology by keeping things simple on the outside and powerful on the inside. It packs an Intel liquid-cooled 3GHz Core 2 Quad processor, 2 duplexed 8800 GTX video cards, 4GB of RAM, and both a superfast 10,000 RPM 150GB hard drive and a standard one with 500GB.
For $9,000 it's not really my taste, but then I'm not into the tuxedo look on my computers (and if I really had the choice I think I'd go with a laptop anyway).
Do you have a favorite comfy chair? One that you can sink into and suddenly all your stresses seem to float away? Well Hoverit, a British company, is introducing their latest in stress relieving and lounging technology: The Limited Edition Lounger. The concept is that you'll feel like you're floating on air because you will actually be floating on air...in a sense. Powerful magnets set to repel each other make the lounger feel like a big comfy hoverboard, and as an added benefit the magnets may also help with various health issues.
The chair may look cool in a futuristic and techie way, but other than the "floating" part it hardly looks cool in a comfortable way. Why are they so anti-cushion?
Not sure what this beauty costs, but I'm willing to bet it's more than your average furniture mart recliner chair.
There's no doubt that every day something new is being invented and developed in the way of technology, but that doesn't mean industry always keeps up. And although some hotels are cutting edge, as a general rule the hotel industry as a whole has been fairly slow to keep up with the latest technological trends. That is starting to change, but it's not a fast process. More and more hotels are finding that what people want, namely HD TV and high-speed internet access, is what they're going to have to offer in order to stay competitive. Independently owned hotels are leading the charge, but big chains aren't far behind. Do you make decisions on where to stay based on what high-tech perks the hotel offers?
Now here's a high-tech faucet: the Miscea Sensor Activated Faucet. The faucet recognizes through motion alone what you want not only in the way of water on/water off, water warmer/water colder but also soap and disinfectant lotion options. It's made of stainless steel with a laser-engraved glass interface that uses LED lighting to activate corresponding features as you bring your hand close. And it's high-tech in an eco-friendly way by both encouraging a cleaner environment (no touching germy or wet hands to the faucet) and by using 70% less water on average for washing hands.
I love fun techie gadgets as much as anybody, and it definitely looks futuristic (although I generally like things simpler), but I'm skeptical that it can't always be reliable to use -- shaky hands? Don't scald yourself!
A new nightclub in London, twentyfour: london, is designed to appeal to the high-tech "wouldn't it be great if holodecks were real" side of the population: it has walls that can change and morph into whatever you want them to be, via projection technology. A canyon? You got it. A beautiful beach at midnight? You got that too. Want to ogle models strutting the catwalk? No problem. You can even bring in your own videos and pictures, so it really is "whatever you want."
Other features the high-tech nightclub offer include drinks that notify the bartender when they're empty and interactive experiences like a virtual koi pond.
One of the biggest challenges when it comes to combining technology and luxury vehicles is doing it in a way that is user-friendly, because it's about convenience, fun, and safety -- not frustration. These luxury cars can do everything from play your mp3s and DVDs to adjust automatically to treacherous driving conditions and off-road terrain. And perhaps best of all, they look good doing it.
It used to be that part of the fun of staying in a hotel room was extra conveniences and access to technology you may not have had at home, like pay-per-view cable. But now that Tivo and flat screens have become somewhat commonplace, going to a hotel room usually isn't so special as far as gadgets are concerned. And hotel chains haven't only lost their technological edge in terms of "special extras," but they're in real danger of actually falling behind and causing their customers to feel inconvenienced if they're unable to hook up their iPods or access wireless internet. Thankfully, many hotels are making aggressive efforts to upgrade their offerings, installing HD flat screen TVs, clocks with ports for music players, improved programming with more movie options, and other items. What are you most looking forward to?
Who you are is largely communicated by your style, whether you like it or not. Whether you try, or don't try, either way says a great deal. And just what does "style" all include? Many major designers believe it's about more than just clothes and fashion, and are hoping to cash in on some of the other "angles" where their respective brand names can help somebody make a statement. After all, designers are all about style, and style is about a lot more than just fashion.
Specifically designers are branching out into technology and transportation -- and they're doing it in a big way. But then we wouldn't expect anything less from names like Prada and Versace, would we?
State-of-the-art touch screen cell-phones,sports cars, private jets, and even helicopters are just the beginning of this trend. So be on the lookout for more than just clothes bearing designer names and, of course, designer prices.
The University of Tokyo and Japanese company GS Yuasa have come up with this little gadget called the SHOJI(Symbiotic Hosting Online Jog Instrument) which purportedly examines a whole host of physical analytics (light, temperature, humidity, infrared radiation and ultrasonic waves) as well as human variables (presence, movement and tone of voice) and translates that information into a row of LED lights that visually represent the overall 'mood' of the room. While this may prove more of a dorm-room gimmick a few years down the road, Tokyo companies are hoping to use this technology to monitor the atmosphere inside branch locations without actually installing Big Brother.
For the most part, I've felt pretty much left out of the Woot phenomenon. I love a good deal and am a sucker for an impulse buy but a new gadget doesn't always light my fire. Woot has now launched Wine Woot where they offer a California wine per week at a deal price. But for more instant internet satisfaction check out Wines 'Til Sold Out which offers wines from around the world, one at a time for ridiculously tempting prices (30-70% off regular prices). The wine goes on sale at 12AM and each wine lasts only one day. If you purchase two or three bottles FedEx Ground shipping is free. Alas, FedEx only ships wine to 20 states. You can sign up for their newsletter to be alerted of each day's new deal and have a chance to buy it before it goes out of stock. Now if someone does this for purses, I'll really be in trouble.
We knew about the launch of the iPod Jeans from Levi Strauss a few months ago, but thanks to Engadget, we finally know what they look like. The jeans have an iPod docking link attached to a red ribbon wire that is hidden in a side pocket, and a small control unit is built into a higher, hip-height pocket, offering the only real advantage over simply putting your iPod into a pocket of jeans you already own. A retractable - and hopefully detachable - headphone unit is included. Each pair is said to be €199.99 ( $257), but our guess is that you'll have to pay extra for dry cleaning and other special treatment, since these are probably no washing machine friendly.
