Samsung Soundbar HT-X810T Due For Release In May

Samsung will release its all in one Soundbar HT-X810T next month. First announced at CES 2008, the all in one wall mountable home theatre system is the perfect accompaniment to a wall mounted LCD TV. The Soundbar itself includes an upscaling DVD player that takes standard DVDs and essentially converts them for top notch HD viewing. A wirelessly operated sub woofer is also included to maximise your audio experience.

Despite being a single unit, the latest Soundbar will deliver an impressive 300W of 5.1 surround sound. Plus, it will deliver the depths of sound that only a dedicated sub can produce making your home theatre enjoyment even more enjoyable.

The DVD Player is an impressive piece of gadgetry goodness too. It upscales virtually any DVD, in a majority of formats (including DivX, WMA, WMV, and all the recordable formats) up to 1080p.

In terms of form and design, the HT-X810T is designed to sit neatly below 40-inch wall mounted televisions and larger so not exactly ideal for your 15 inch portable.

Alas, there’s no real indication of a price as yet, which makes me a little apprehensive but I guess if you have to ask then you probably can’t afford it, right?

Home Networking Using Phone, Aerial, And Electrical Wires

Home networks aren’t exactly renowned for being intuitive to set up. In fact success can come at the price of family relationship breakdowns and years of trauma counselling. No matter how plug and play a new bit of kit claims to be, this is rarely the case unless you have the exact computer running the precise software on the appropriate platform with the necessary hardware.

Then, of course, there’s the wireless or ethernet debate. The fact is that wireless networks are more convenient unless you have one of those peculiar homes that uses walls as a form of partition between rooms.

In all honesty, the ways of wireless home networks have improved markedly in recent years and they look set to improve a little bit more. Four major manufacturers (Panasonic, Intel, Texas Instruments, and Infineon to be exact) have waged war on the current wireless networking setup.

The aim is to create a simple and enjoyable experience for everybody that wishes to network their home appliances. They want to do this by introducing a standard that uses the existing wires already installed in your home. Your aerial coaxial cables, electric wiring, and phone wires could take the place of precariously balanced wireless routers that are positioned in the optimal position away from electrical items, bluetooth devices, and elevated at a suitable height.

The new super group predict that the first items using this standard will be available for purchase some time next year.

A Wireless Router Without A Single Green LED - Belkin N1 Vision

OK, first things first – I’m a complete nerd and an unashamed geek when it comes to home networking. It’s truly one of my big loves in life, although such is the way with home networking equipment that it can also pretty quickly become on of my biggest waking nightmares.

The fact is that you can pay a fortune for pretty much any gadget and then struggle endlessly to actually understand just what it’s supposed to do.

Then, at the other end of the spectrum, are the absolutely essential items that make your home network tick but are far less glamorous. Typically, this lack of glamour means we pay much less heed to their features and trimmings.

The wireless router is one such glaring example. A bad one will limit your download speed and make connecting any device more than 3 feet away a near impossibility.

And, as for the blinking lights, just what are they trying to communicate to us? They serve, in most cases, to do little more than cast an eerie glow around the back of the television.

The Belkin N1 Wireless Router is different. In fact, it’s almost worth getting excited about because it does a damn good job at letting you wirelessly hook up your 802.11n home network. It also does away with the front room illuminations, and replaces them with a genuinely useful display.

The display shows you your current broadband speed (please don’t start me on how irritated I get over advertised and actual broadband speeds), your bandwidth usage, and the status of any and all connected devices. What’s more, it does it without the inclusion of a single green LED.

Prepare For A New Spate Of Wii Related Injuries

Finally, it’s here – the Wii Fit. Following a slew of software and uniquely entertaining additions to the Wii line up, the Wii Fit hit UK stores today. Bearing in mind the number of broken bones, smashed televisions, and assorted injuries already attributed to Wii gamers, this latest addition looks certain to attract a more cardiovascular range of injuries. But, it does look like it should provide a few giggles along the way.

Unfortunately, like all the latest video game fads, actually finding one might prove more difficult. Over quarter of a million unites are available throughout the country but if you haven’t already pre-ordered then you need to act quickly or face paying well over the odds on Ebay.

The Wii Fit includes the Wii Fit balance board and while the whole thing is unlikely to instantly convert anybody into an ultra-fit Adonis, combined with an hour or two of Wii Sport workout it will make an excellent introduction. What’s more you don’t have to embarrass yourself in front of the gym regulars.

The Wii has become renowned for being more accessible to a greater range of people compared to other games consoles. As well as looking certain to continue this trend, the Wii Fit board looks like being yet another popular addition to an already successful line up.

Landmann 3 burner gas BBQ

Landmann 3 burner gas BBQ only £99.99

We have been having some great weather over the past couple of days and it has got me thinking about barbeque’s and garden parties.  I am glad to announce that the days of praying the charcoal will light are over.  As it seems that the only way to BBQ these days is by ‘cooking on gas’. Read more

Cordless qwerty phone with IM Facilities

If your anything like me, then instant messenging plays a pivotal role in your day to day existence. So when I heard of the Vtech’s IS6110 cordless phone which they say is the ‘worlds first cordless phone to enable instant messaging using a QWERTY keypad’. I just had to blog about it.

The phone offers free access to MSN Messenger, Windows Live Messenger and AOL Instant Messenger. but wait, here’s the catch, the base unit needs to be connected via a USB port to the PC. So if again your like me and are a complete ‘peripheral whore’ then using up one USB exclusively for the base unit, is a real draw back.

It sports a high-res color LCD and full keypad to read messages and text buddies simultaneously. Additionally, the “click-to-talk” feature enables instant voice (peer-to-peer) chats with friends. not forgetting about the actual phone which offers handset speakerphone and phone book directory.

So if you have a spare $99.95 / £50 and are addicted to IM. this one’s for you.

Hoverit Magnetic Chair

We have found an amazing chair that levitates using the power of magnets.  The chair appears to be floating in mid air! It would look at home in any futuristic home with its clear design and angular edges. The chair is designed and built by a company in West sussex, they also take on bespoke work so you could own a truly unique chair!

Samsung VC-RE70 Auto Vacuum Cleaner

I must be one of the only people who actually enjoy hoovering/vacuuming but I rarely find the time with all the gadget hunting and reviewing up I get up to :-). So I have found a solution to my problems (and cleaning haters every where!!). Meet the Samsung VC-RE70 vacuum cleaner.

This little beauty will go on dirt patrol and automatically hoover your whole house without you having to lift a finger. The vacuum runs on a rechargeable battery which when low will tell the hoover to go back to the charging station to recharge - it’s very clever and saves time so it’s a thumbs up from us!

Washing Machine Toilet is a Great Space Saver

The Washup is a combination of a toilet and a washing machine and is designed as a space saving device. What’s more the wash up washing machine/toilet reuses the water from the cycle to flush the toilet.

Now I haven’t used the washup but I can think of some questions that I would like answered.

• 1. Does the washup have to be placed above the toilet, I can see it is space saving but it looks wierd and could be mighty uncomfortable when going to the toilet, especially if the machine is on spin!
• 2. Do you have to wait for the machine to finish before flushing?

I presume the answer to question number 2 is no, or your number two would be around for way to long. Either way we like this idea and can see it being a hit in places where space is a premium.

R2D2 Dustbin - How Flipping Cool

A dustbin is also known as a trash can - they are usually as exciting as watching paint dry, so we thought we would find a gadget based version to keep us and our readers happy!

Here is the R2D2 dust bin/trash can, the coolest bin in the world. All you have to do is lift little R2’s head to deposit your unwanted stuff and when it is shut it looks just like the iconic R2 from the amazing star wars films, we think it is ace.

Is this the coolest bin in the world? Please let us know.

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