Household

DIY Robolamps are part lamp, part robot, all awesome

irrannash — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 22:50:16 +0000

While we’re mostly concerned with covering the latest in gadgets and technology, there’s occasionally some humble creations that spend months building up enough stream to finally break into the public’s consciousness, and we’d be remiss if we didn’t take notice. One such piece of magic is the Robolamp series of, well, robot lamps that Robert Matysiak has been working on for the past two years, and looks to have recently gone all out with in the last few months. As you can see for yourself in the gallery below, those consist of everything from some fairly recognizable lamp-shaped devices to more elaborate “robots” that can apparently be repositioned and accessorized. Unfortunately, it doesn’t look like Matysiak is quite ready to part with them just yet, but he is looking for a place to exhibit the designs if there happens to be any adventuresome gallery owners out there.

[Via Pocket-lint]

Gallery: DIY Robolamps are part lamp, part robot, all awesome

Withings WiFi Body Scale integrates Twitter, launches in the US

kartridzhej — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 01:44:30 +0000

You know that friend — we all have one — that bores you with incessant tweets regarding his weight, his caloric intake, number of miles jogged, so on and so forth? Well, don’t let him get a hold on this: finally available in the US, the WiFi Body Scale by Withings has received a bit of an upgrade, with its web app now offering Twitter integration. Not only does this bad boy register your weight, body fat, and BMI, but you can now configure it to send your stats to “the Twitter” either daily, weekly, monthly, or each and every time you weigh — and your followers will start dropping faster than even you could imagine. But don’t take our word for it! As our man Cedric Hutchings (the company’s general manager) states, “adding this social functionality makes the WiFi scale by Withings the first true flagship of the Internet of Objects.” Right. He might have added that the company’s given “fail whale” an entirely new meaning. Yours for $159. PR after the break.

Show full PR text
Withings Announces Social Media Functionality to its WiFi Body Scale

Withings utilizes Twitter updates to keep users motivated and help them reach their weight loss goals

Issy-les-Moulineaux, France – November 10, 2009 — Today, Withings is announcing Twitter integration into its first-of-its-kind WiFi Body Scale. As the world’s first WiFi connected personal weight scale, it automatically records the user’s body weight, lean & fat mass, and calculated body mass index (BMI) to their secure webpage and/or free Withings iPhone application, WiScale. Now, with this new added feature, users can set up alerts to automatically post their updates to Twitter accounts, further motivating them by sharing their progress with followers.

“This social media feature was the next logical step in the evolution of the WiFi scale for our customers,” said Cedric Hutchings, Withings General Manager. “Here at Withings we are committed to roll out new features and services on the field thanks to automatic updates. Adding this social functionality makes the WiFi scale by Withings the first true flagship of the Internet of Objects.”

By default, the Twitter feature will not be activated when you purchase your scale, it will have to be enabled by the user on www.withings.com. During the Twitter set up process, a user can set their Twitter alerts to post automatically at each measure, daily, weekly or monthly (see image here). The tweet will read the users current weight and how many pounds they have left to reach their set goal, whether they need to loose or gain! Since the scale tracks up to eight users per scale, only the users that enable this feature will benefit from the online peer motivation. More information on the Twitter feature here: Withings Blog.

With its extra-flat (.9″) black and steel design, the scale is an ideal addition to any bathroom. It’s jam-packed with technology, while still remaining very simple to use. By using bioelectric impedance analysis (BIA), the scale calculates the user’s body fat composition. The scale is the perfect tool for anyone who is concerned about their health and is interested in monitoring the benefits and progress of their diet and exercise plan.

The scale is currently available on www.withings.com for $159.00 USD. For more information on Withings, go to www.withings.com. To request additional information or images of the WiFi Body Scale, please contact PR representative Jessica Darrican at (305) 576-1171 ext.16 or jessica@maxborgesagency.com.

About Withings

Withings is a French start-up established by three executives from the technology and telecom industry. With a focus on the innovation and design for everyday products, Withings introduced in September 2009 its first-of-its-kind WiFi Bodyscale in the United States. For more information on Withings, visit www.withings.com.

Art Lebedev’s Rozetkus 3D vs. Letout Outlet… Fight!

amitg — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 16:26:27 +0000

Just yesterday the internets were buzzing with the latest design from Art Lebedev: the Rozetkus 3D; a standard outlet that pops out of the wall with a simple push to support multiple connections. Lebedev, you’ll recall, made quite a name for himself by taking the Optimus Maximus programmable OLED keyboard from art to part, so to speak. Since posting about the Rozetkus 3D we’ve been informed of another very similar design concept called the Letout Outlet. So similar, in fact, that it would appear that we’ve got a copycat on our hands. Unfortunately for our friends at Lebedev, designer Damjan Stankovic created his Letout Outlet concept in January of 2009 and was recognized with a prestigious reddot design award in the “domestic aid” category back in August. If imitation is the sincerest form of flattery and good artists copy while great artists steal, well, then congratulations to one and all. Unfortunately, only Damjan Stankovic will be on stage during the formal reddot awards ceremony on November 24th in Singapore.

Read — Letout Outlet
Read — reddot list of winning concepts 2009 [Warning: Excel]

Art Lebedev’s Rozetkus 3D socket concept gives you five plugs where once there was one

irrannash — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 15:35:57 +0000

We’re getting ever closer to wireless power, but without a doubt have many years of life with plugs ahead of us. It’s a drag, but fancy concept receptacles help to make our tethered existences slightly more interesting. The UK Folding Plug concept wowed us over the summer, and Art Lebedev’s Rozetkus power strip from a few years ago was great, but now his studio is taking us to a new dimension with the Rozetkus 3D socket. It looks like an unassuming and soothingly blue socket but, push the little button above, and it pops out like a Lemarchand box with openings (and, possibly, eternal damnation) on each face. No word on a possible release, but we’re guessing manufacturers foreign and domestic are flooding Art’s inbox right this very moment.

Gallery: Art Lebedev’s Rozetkus 3D power socket

[Via Yanko Design]

Samsung’s Tango robot vacuum uses cameras to clean your floors, duvet covers

sealliarfarry — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 05:12:20 +0000

Just because a Samsung vacbot never cleaned your floors doesn’t mean they’re not out there somewhere, attacking dust on hardwood and carpet — and apparently Egyptian cotton too if the above picture is anything to go by. This Tango is the latest from the company, following in the tracks of the Furot and Hauzen and sharing their dual spinny brush design. Tango is said to use a 30fps camera to tell where he’s going, a gyro to keep a sense of direction, and crash sensors that now can detect furniture and feet from up to 2cm away. Prices will range from ₩500,000 to ₩700,000 and, though that equates to between $425 and $600 American, the stores these will be available in probably won’t take dollars.

How-to: geek up your pumpkin

kartridzhej — Sun, 01 Nov 2009 04:08:24 +0000

BOO! It’s Halloween and it’s also a Saturday, so let’s not hear any pathetic excuses for not carving pumpkins. While we’re no experts, we’ve got a few tips for making your jack-o’-lanterns better looking and more unique:

Always mark where you’re carving first instead of freestyling, especially for the lid. Once the knife’s in there’s nothing you can do about it.
Want an accurate carving? Draw or print your pattern on paper first and then stick it on the pumpkin, so that you can use a pin to punch an outline.
Use a scalpel. Seriously, it’s so much better than kitchen knives.
Be creative: consider using a variety of carving depths instead of just cutting out holes. It’s best to start off with the darkest areas so that you know where the threshold is. If it’s too shallow you can always scrape the trench.
Don’t use candles — they don’t last and aren’t safe for the kids and animals; many LED candles have a convincing flickering glow, so try those. Alternatively, why not convert a cheap solar garden light into a lid for your jack-o’-lantern? Or go Ben-Heck and try the Cylon mod?
Keep the seeds for roasting — they make a good snack.

Feel free to refer to our gallery for the whole process. Enjoy and have a happy Halloween!

Gallery: How-to: geek up your pumpkin

AlterG’s M300 treadmill: same ‘anti-gravity’ vibe, now ‘only’ $24,500

metrocashcarryry — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 15:55:23 +0000

We’ve always heard that holiday calories “don’t count,” but disregarding urban legend for a minute, we’d say AlterG’s timing here is nothing short of impeccable. Nearly 1.5 years after the outfit’s P200 series was a-okay’d by the FCC, an all new walking machine has entered the fray. The M300 treadmill brings along the same “anti-gravity” feel (useful for rehabilitation and athletic training), but in a machine that’s a third of the price and way, way sleeker. The idea here is to reduce the strain on joints and muscles as one exercises, and while that’s certainly commendable, we’re still thinking it’ll take one or two more iterations to get one priced for the everyman. You know, unless you consider $24,500+ (or $499+ per month for the rest of your Earthly life) “affordable.”

[Via MedGadget]

Qooq recipe and cooking tablet pc launched for French speakers only

offegoalofido — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 15:55:23 +0000

Cooking tablets and recipe readers have been pretty limited (and not very good) in the past — but this one looks extremely promising. Called the Qooq, the 10.2-incher boasts — in addition to a bunch of recipes, of course — complete meal prep videos, instructions and advice on choosing ingredients, shopping lists, meal planners — all which can be updated monthly via a subscription service. Specwise, we’re looking at a glass touchscreen, Ethernet and USB ports, an SD slot, WiFi, and a built-in stand. The custom UI looks pretty attractive, but there are some drawbacks. The Qooq does not have a browser (though it’s got built-in weather, digital photo viewing, and internet radio apps), and it’s only available for French language speakers for now. If you do speak the language of love, you can get one of these puppies for €349 (about $513), with the subscription service running an additional €12.95a month (about $19).

[Via Red Ferret]

Machined Gear Clock makes watching the time pass a true joy (video)

assevedut — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 01:40:25 +0000

We’ve seen no shortage of homegrown clocks in our day, and while most are cute for their time, few are worthy of being lauded in this manner. Alan Parekh’s Gear Clock is a delightful mishmash of machined gears, thrown together in a fashion that resulted in an actual time-telling gizmo. Hop on past the break to watch this thing spin, but be sure to hold the mute button for the lead-in. Clearly ‘Sound Check’ wasn’t activated.

How-to: recycle your old gadgets

amitg — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 01:50:19 +0000

We see a lot of gadgets come in the door here at Engadget. In fact, getting them in the door is actually the easy part… it’s getting them back out that’s a bit confusing. Recycling — something that most of us do on a day-to-day basis with our trash — is a bit stickier when it comes to gadgets. In recent years, however, most major consumer electronics companies have stepped up their games a bit and begun “take back” recycling programs of their own. There are a lot of resources out there if you want to rid yourself of old gadgets in a responsible way, but it can be a pretty overwhelming prospect, especially if (like us) you have an actual pile of old cellphones which has been growing since 1998. We thought about that a lot, and decided to try to make sense of all the wild masses of information out there on the internet, and to provide our readers a central location to look for all that information. Read on and see what we’ve come up with!
Like we said, there is a ton of information available, and countless companies that recycle electronics independently. What follows is a guide to individual companies’ recycling programs (if they have them), and a list of general and governmental resources that are well-respected and reputed within the industry. Every company handles take back and recycling a bit differently, so be sure to read all of their information before making the decision as to how to handle your old gadgets. For instance, if your mobile phone manufacturer doesn’t have a recycling program — check with your carrier, or one of the independent resources listed. We’ve done our best to hit all the bases, but feel free to hit us up if we’ve missed something so that we can add it — and good luck — we hope the list helps you reclaim some storage space!

Note: most of these resources are US (in some cases, North America) only.

Individual companies

Acer – Acer Recycling Program – Acer’s recycling program is limited, and varies state by state. Currently, it accepts any product manufacted by Acer in California, Connecticut, Maryland, Maine, Minnesota, Oregon, and Washington.

Apple – Apple Recycling Program – Apple’s recycling and takeback varies a bit from state-to-state. The company currently offers free old equipment takeback (of any make or model) with the purchase of a new Mac, and also offers anytime computer and iPod mail-in recycling with the purchase of a $30 pre-paid shipping label on the site.

ASUS - ASUS Green ASUS Takeback and Recycling Program - ASUS has partnered with Metech Recycling for free takeback of ASUS-manufactured products. Consumers can fill out an online form, and will be mailed a shipping label to return their old gear. A fee applies for non-ASUS products.

Canon – Canon Recycling Program Canon offers takeback recycling on all of its consumer products. Shipping label is sent via email after registering your product on the website.

Dell – Dell Recycling Dell’s recycling program will take back any Dell-branded product at any time, and if you choose the free recycling option at the time of buying a new Dell product, the company will take away your old equipment regardless of manufacturer. Dell has also partnered with the National Cristina Foundation (NCF) in order to help disabled and economically disadvantaged people get access to computer equipment. You can donate your equipment to the NCF via Dell’s site.

Dyson – Dyson Recycling – (UK mainland-only) Dyson will come by and pick up your old vacuum, regardless of make.

Epson – Epson Recycling Program A flat $10 fee applies for the return of any item, with a $5 coupon good for purchases made at the Epson store.

Fujitsu – Fujitsu Recycling Information Fujitsu complies with the electronic waste laws enacted in California, Maine and Maryland (because it has to), but does not operate a recycling program independently.

Gateway – Gateway Trade-in Program Gateway offers direct recycling in California, Maine, Maryland, Michigan, Texas, Virginia, Washington and West Virginia. In all other states, it is partnered with Dealtree, which offers money in exchange for recycling-bound electronics. If your trade-ins are determined to have zero value, they will still be picked up and recycled free of charge.

Hitachi – Hitachi Recycling Hitachi complies with state-to-state e-waste laws, but does not operate any other programs.

HP – HP Eco Solutions HP’s Planet Partners recycling program covers a wide array of HP and non-HP produced products (some with a charge associated), including batteries, cellphones, ink cartridges, pcs, and monitors. HP provides support and take back on all of its products.

Intel – Intel Environment – Information on Intel’s environmental impact and policies, as well as data on the company’s recycling activities.

Lenovo – Eco Take Back Free shipping and recycling of all Lenovo products and select IBM products.

LG – LG Electronics Program LG is partnered with WM Recycle America to recycle LG, Zenith and GoldStar brands of televisions, monitors, audio equipment, video cassette players and recorders, DVD players and recorders, combination TV/VCR and TV/DVD units, and set top boxes and accessories associated with those products. Customers can drop off up to five of these items at a time, and smaller items can be returned with an LG recycling mailer.

Motorola – Take-back programs Motorola accepts mobile phones and their associated accessories of any brand. Motorola includes mailers with many of its new products, and provides free postage-paid labels on its website.

Nintendo – Product Take back and Recycling Program Nintendo of America provides a phone number for customers to call in and make arrangements for mailing back Nintendo products for recycling.

Nokia USA – Repair and Recycle Nokia customers can drop off mobile phones at any Nokia Flagship Store, and it provides mail-in information on its website. Nokia also has a Trade-Up program where customers can get cash back for their old phone with the purchase of a new Nokia device.

Palm – Palm Take Back & Recycling Palm does not operate its own take back and recycling program, but offers detailed instructions on erasing and preparing your device for recycling.

Panasonic – Panasonic Nationwide Recycling Program Panasonic’s recycling program covers all Panasonic-branded products, and is operated by MRM.

Philips – Philips Global recycling initiatives – Currently, Philips does not have a US-based recycling program. Philips is a charter member of the UN-supported StEP Initiative (see below).

Samsung – Samsung Recycling Direct Samsung has partnered with a number of recyclers nationwide and provides free drop off of all Samsung products at a location near the consumer. Non-Samsung products can also be dropped off for a fee.

Sharp – Sharp Recycling Program – Sharp has teamed up with MRM Recycling for television takeback. Check the website for battery and ink / toner recycling.

Sony – Sony Take Back Recycling Program Sony’s teamed up with Waste Management eCycling centers for free drop off and recycling of all Sony products.

Sony Ericsson – Sony Ericsson Recycle Sony Ericsson provides detailed information and free shipping labels for return of its products.

Toshiba – Toshiba Green Programs Allows for return of any electronics, regardless of brand, for free as a part of its Trade-In Program.

Wireless Carriers

AT&T – AT&T Reuse and Recycle

Sprint - Sprint / Nextel’s Wireless Buyback and Project Connect Recycling Programs

T-Mobile – T-Mobile Handset Recycling

Verizon Wireless – Verizon Wireless Hopeline Phone Recycling

Retail Stores

Best Buy – Best Buy’s Recycling program will take “nearly any” old electronic for free, though there is a $10 charge (with a $10 Best Buy gift certificate compensation) for TVs 32″ and under, CRTs, monitors and laptops.

Costco – Costco’s Trade-In Program offers a trade-in for electronics, with customers receiving Costco gift certificates in exchange.

GameStop – GameStop’s well known games trade-in program includes end of life recycling by the company.

Sam’s Club – Sam’s Club offers a website for registering and returning electronics for members.

WalMart – Operates a free cellphone recycling program. Customers can print a free shipping label on the site. WalMart is also partnered with Gazelle for trade-ins worth WalMart prepaid Visa cards.

General Resouces

US Environmental Protection Agency’s Plug-In To eCycling Program is an extensive guide to national and local resources, partnered with many major manufacturers and service providers to help ensure our “garbage” goes to the right place.

call 2 recycle – a program for mobile phone and rechargeable battery recycling.

Wireless… the New Recyclable – Extensive resources, information, and partnerships for mobile phone recycling.

Greener Gadgets – A yearly conference held in New York City focusing on environmentally sound gadget design, reclamation, reuse, and recycling. The site also has a great list of electronics recycling resources.

Electronics Takeback Coalition – Maintains a site which will help you get rid of some of those old televisions you’ve got hiding in cupboards. Did you know that the EPA estimates that there are almost 100 million of those in the US?

Goodwill Industries, Inc – Goodwill accepts charitable donations of old computers and equipment. When all else fails, give it away!

StEP Initiative – UN organizations initiative to evaluate, legislate, and study e-waste problems around the world.

Basel Action Network – Information about safe, responsible e-cycling, and recycling companies which have been reported as violating safety and shipping policies.

Ecophones – resources for starting up your own recycling fundraiser

Cell Phones for Soldiers – Donate your old cellphone to a man or woman in uniform!