Tech Digest

Action Lounge SR4 Multimedia Mat - the hi-tech camp bed

Today's "seemed like a good idea at the time" hybrid gadget is the Action Lounge SR4 Multimedia Mat, which promises to combine stereo sound with a place to rest your head.

Except that it's not a bed, more like a doctor's couch without the legs. Unfold the Multimedia Mat and you get to lie down with your music - with the head rest packing in some stereo speakers and a subwoofer. There's an audio input for connecting up your music or sound source, a headphone jack if you want to keep the sound for yourself and a remote control for the volume.

Quite what this offers over and above the classic sofa and stereo combo I don't know, but if it ticks your boxes, it's available now for £35.

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One For All Kameleon Generation III home theatre control - now with added home lighting control

One For All are true to their word with their new Kameleon Generation III home theatre control. Yes, it will control all your home cinema, but it'll also control the lighting in your home too!

In fact, it's the only universal remote control on the market to include light controls - it can switch and dim up to 256 lights if you fancy creating a bit of a 'mood' in the room while you wantch your movie. That's a bonus, the main business is home theatre and it can control all of that kit, including TV, DVD, Sat cable, freeview and amplifier. It's also programmable, so you can use a 'one button' function to switch off your stereo, turn on your DVD, boost your surround sound or dim the lights when the movie starts.

It's also slim, ergonomic and pretty solid in an aluminium casing. Prices vary, depending how many devices you want to control, but start at £69.99

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Ministry of Sound in Car Audio and Accessory Kit - turn your car into a club

Not sure how 'hip' the Ministry of Sound club is these days, but it seems to have maintained its popularity, which means there's a ready-made market for this Ministry of Sound in Car Audio and Accessory Kit.

Yes, you can cover your car in an assortment of MOS logos.For your money, you get the in-car hi-fi, which features 4 x 17 watts RMS, FM/MW digital tuner with 30 station presets, RDS/EON, CD-R/CD-RW/MP3 playback, Multi-coloured LCD display with LED backlight, full sound adjustment and detachable fadcia and carry case. Also included are the MOSCA092B in-car speakers - 6 x 9in 4 way pair of speakers with 350 watts peak output, along with the MOS Gear Knob (aluminium and chrome finish with MOS logo) and a branded aluminium tax disc holder.

Available now, you can pick up the set for £89.99.

Ministry of Sound shop

The Sky Ceiling

Taking the trompe d'oeil one step beyond, SkyCeilings are photographic illusions of real skies that fit into standard ceiling grid systems. Luminous SkyCeilings feature fluorescent or LED lighting that illuminate the translucent images from behind. Ambient SkyCeilings are made from opaque image tiles that are lit by room or cove lighting. They're pretty, but also practical: patients in high-tech health care settings, like radiology suites, register much lower stress levels if they have the illusion of outdoors.  One time when having an unsophisticated brain is actually advantageous!  [GT]

The Sky Factory via Technovelgy

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Accenture Technology's "Persuasive Mirror"

As if it isn't dispiriting enough to look in the mirror at the best of times, Accenture Technology is developing a "persuasive mirror" which inspects your body via cameras on either side, then sends results to a monitor which morphs your image showing what you would look like after a weekend blowout or if you continued smoking.  Undoubtedly the next step will be actually instructing you to get a  haircut, get a real job, and vote Tory.  [GT]

The Register via engadget

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Ultrasone launch limited Edition 9 headphones

Ultrasone claim that they've released the world's best headphones in their limited Edition 9s.

The headphones incorporate S-Logic technology which combine natural surround technology and reduced sound pressure levels up to 40%. They also reduce electromagnetic field radiation by up to 98%. They have a frequency range of 8-35,000Hz, 40mm Titanium-Mylar drivers, SPL of 96dB, 3 metre cable and weighing in at 310g.

Aesthetically, they're done out with black chrome ear cups and nameplates, and they've even used Ethiopian sheep leather in the ear pads and headband pad to ensure maximum comfort (I had no idea Ethiopian sheep were more, err, comfortable)

They're limited edition and are being shown off at the Audio Engineering Society show in San Francisco this month. Not sure if they'll make it over here.

Ultrasone

American Power Conversion launches UPB10 Mobile Power Pack - charge on the go

American Power Conversion (APC) has introduced the UPB10 Mobile Power Pack - a mobile power pack that's smaller than a pack of cards, but can keep your gadgets charged for hours when you're out and about.

The device uses lithium polymer battery cells - which have a higher power density than traditional lithium ion cells - which means a greater power output, so more charge available. It's compatible with a wide range of mobile devices and can generate up to 55 hours of additional music time for an MP3 device such as the iPod Nano, and 8 to 10 hours of additional email and talk time for smartphones like the BlackBerry or Palm Treo. And it doesn't mean loads more weight in your bag - it weighs just 3 oucnes.

The pack includes the actual UPB10, plus an AC to USB power adapter and a USB to Mini B power cable. It's available now for around £44.95.

APC website

Rubik's Illuminate Cube - retro toy becomes light and speaker

Another piece of Japanese madness inspiration, this time taking the Rubik's Cube and adding light and sound to create the Illuminate Cube.

There's one big downside here - it's not a functioning Rubik's Cube, so you can't have a twist when you get bored. But you can hook it up to a music source (or your computer) for a miniaturised novelty sound system. And even better, it's also a lamp that will flash in time to your music - not unlike the dancefloor in the 70s classic, Saturday Night Fever.

The Rubik's Illuminate Cube is set to go on sale in Japan later this month for 5,250 Yen (around £24). The good news is that you'll also be able to buy online at Geek Stuff 4U - and they ship worldwide.

Geek Stuff 4U website

Via Retro To Go

Parrot Minikit hands-free mobile speakerphone

Parrot has a new device on the market for hands-free calling wherever you are (not just in the car) - the Minikit hands-free mobile speakerphone.

The Minikit is small - the size of a wallet - and will work with virtually all Bluetooth-enabled mobile handsets on the market. It's audio quality comes from a built-in two-watt high-fidelity speaker and a built-in omni-directional microphone supported by the latest DSP-2 signal processing technology. It's also the only speakerphone in its category with advanced voice recognition technology, so you can set up your phone book with voice tags for true hands-free voice dialling - important when driving.

It also features last-number redial and for privacy, you can switch a call from the speakerphone to a mobile phone by pressing the green 'call' button - or the reverse to transfer a call back to speakerphone. The Minikit features 10 hours of talk time, more than one week of standby time and will fully recharge in only three hours.  It also comes with both a 12V and 120V charging unit.

Available from late October, it should retail for around £60.

Parrot website

The Smile Helmet

Blogging as I do, I can be grumpy all day and no one will be the wiser. But if you're in a field that requires you to be pleasant to people all day long, you might consider the Smile Helmet, designed by Tim Simpson. A sensor in the front of the helmet detects anybody within a 2 metre range, at which point the mouth is pulled into a broad grin by a small servo motor and some concealed fishing wire. According to Simpson, the helmet addresses the facades of social interaction and explores our responses to affected expressions. You better smile when you say that, stranger. [GT]

Smile Helmet via MAKEzine

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