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All-in-one 'I-TV' from Italy

Who says the PC-TV is dead? A decade ago, a lot of bets were placed (and lost) on the convergence of television and the computer as a single uber-device for the home. But the concept is alive and kicking in, of all places, Italy.

Coolest-Gadgets says a company called Mc Person has unveiled an "all-in-one" system that will offer "television, radio, Internet, high-definition video, house automation, health monitoring and more." The "I-TV" concept, as it is known, works wirelessly and is controlled through a single remote.

It sounds too good to be true, unless … Read more

Equal-opportunity media

A digital music application that forces Apple, Sony and Microsoft to play nice? It's a Christmas miracle. Or something.

Recently released SimpleCenter 4.1 from Universal Electronics is a PC-only software application that organizes and plays any music, movie and photo format. It's an equal-opportunity program, able to sync media files with a diverse group of devices--an iPod, PSP, Xbox 360, Nokia N80, N93, USB sticks and other PlaysForSure players.

On the plus side, posessors of the Nokia N80 can wirelessly update their media content from their home PC using SimpleCenter, which is cool. However, though SimpleCenter allows … Read more

Create your own starry nights with HomeStar

I guess there are a lot of things you can do with a home planetarium projector, like the HomeStar Pro Planetarium that I read about on Uncrate. You can use it to create spectacular ceiling art for your next party (just make sure nobody spills anything on the $350 projector), or to woo that cute astronomy geek next door. Or, you could (gasp) actually learn about the night sky. It's got all kind of cool stories behind it, you know, like science-y stuff and mythology and whatnot. For real.

But, since it's Monday morning and I've already … Read more

Alarm clock features old-school TV design, incongruous remote

This cute little alarm clock that i read about on Tokyomango looks like one of those little portable TVs that made a brief splash in the '80s. Actually, in my opinion, it looks more like a toy radar device that would be found in a Fisher-Price "My First U.S. Navy Ballistic Missile Submarine" playset. But that's beside the point.

So it looks like it operates just like your average alarm clock. And since this is the Age of Laziness, it comes with a remote control. As Tokyomango's blogger points out, the remote control is, well, … Read more

The campaign to liberate speakers

We generally maintain a no-gloat-zone policy here at Crave, but sometimes we just can't help ourselves. Case in point: Just yesterday we wondered aloud why manufacturers were still touting hard-wired speaker systems for the home. If there's any digital consumer product that begs for wireless connections in multiple rooms, it's the entertainment system. And speakers would seem to be the easiest place to start.

Today, News.com ran a story that addressed this very point, focusing on an Australian company called Avega Systems that promised wireless speakers a year ago but then pretty much dropped off the … Read more

'Rally Chair' a license to daydream

All right, so $300,000 may be a tad steep for a simulated racing system. How does $19,000 sound? $4,000?

OK, you can at least pretend to have a racing system--and probably be a lot more comfortable--while continuing to do your work in a "Rally Office Chair" that sports a "genuine 'Cobra' seat" mounted on a swivel base for around $300 or $400. Depending on your price range, you can choose either geniune leather or "'leather look' vinyl." That's one classy ride.

Belkin TuneStage II: Wireless audio for the iPod and more

The new and improved Belkin TuneStage isn't slated to hit stores for a few weeks, but got our hands on an early unit and give it a test run. Right out of the box, we had the TuneStage II up and running in less than two minutes. Plug in the base station, run a connecting cable to any stereo or powered speaker system, and you're ready to use your iPod as a wireless music box. The new and improved transmitter dongle uses the standard iPod 30-pin connector, so unlike the original TuneStage, the TuneStage II is compatible with … Read more

Forget the chairs--get a massage bed

Anyone who's been to a mall in the last decade or so knows that massage chairs are a dime a dozen (well, maybe a few grand a dozen). But what about a massage bed? Now we're talking.

The "Heated Shiatsu MassageBed" from Relax The Back isn't just one of those vibrating quarter-operated motel beds, as its $1,995 price tag indicates. Not only does it have all the features of a fully loaded massage chair, but it also has 14 rollers made of jade. That's right, as in the jewelry.

"Since jade is … Read more

A case for wireless audio systems

The trend o' the week (or the day, whatever) seems to be multi-room music. First, we saw the "Eos wireless iPod speaker system," which Gadgetell describes as the world's first "whole home audio" speaker system for the ubiquitous music player. Then we came across the "ZON Multi-Room Audio Range," which Automated Home says can also pipe your iPod into every room.

Both systems can be expanded with additonal speakers, depending on the size of your grounds, and both claim to be affordable products meant for the home. But there's one major difference: … Read more