Hasta La Gadget!

Altec Lansing new Orbit Stereo IML247 laptop speakers are USB-powered, lightweight, and cost $49.99.

The new iMac comes with Thunderbolt ports

The 3.2GHz Core i3 iMac on which I am typing this post is now an old, lumbering dinosaur thanks to an update by Apple. The new iMacs use nothing but Core i5 and i7 processors, pack new graphics chips, HD cameras and not one but two (on the 27-inch model) Thunderbolt ports.

The line now maxes out with a 3.1GHz quad-core Core i5 in the 27-inch iMac (the “slowest” model has a 2.5GHz quad-core Core i5). Graphics processors run from the AMD Radeon HD 6750M (512MB) up to the AMD Radeon HD 6970M (1GB), and you get one or two Thunderbolt ports depending on the size of your machine. These ports also act as a way to hook up an external display with a Mini DisplayPort cable (up to 30 inches at 2560 x 1600 pixels).

You also get the HD FaceTime camera already seen in the new MacBook Pro. I don’t really care for this as it benefits other people when they get to see my stubbly, haggard face in hi-def. I’d rather that they bought new HD computers instead.

Otherwise, things remain the same: 4GB RAM, 1TB hard drives on all but the baby of the bunch, SD slot, FireWire 800, 4 x USB and so on.

Prices run from $1,200 up to $2,000, with the 27-inch 2.7GHz quad-core i5 — the replacement for my machine — at a sweet $1,700.

I shall hopefully show more resolve than I did when upgrading from my perfectly good iPad 1 this weekend. For those weaker souls, the new iMacs are available now.

iMac product page [Apple]

See Also:

• New Aluminum iMac: Details

Jaryn Miller has tried to crack that age-old problem, locking up a bike. It’s a problem so intractable that even the Lady, normally not given to speaking about such “dull” things, had something to say when we visited a local bike shop. “Somebody should design a strong lock that doesn’t weigh so much,” she whispered in her wonderful Catalan accent.

Miller’s answer is to make the lock part of the frame. This not only obviates the need to carry extra hardware — it also means that the bike is useless if the locks are cut. In this case, the ends of handlebars come off and are joined together onto a single hoop-shaped shackle. Destroying the lock means destroying the handlebars, although judging by the cut-down bars I have seen on some “fixies”, this mightn’t be a problem.

The second lock, made to secure the rear wheel, is integrated into the frame, although its not clear just where it is stowed when you’re riding.

I think the only real way to keep a bike secure is to suck it up and buy a pair of really big locks, preferably of different types. If your ride is too fancy to be left in the street, then don’t plan on locking it in the street, and if you really, really can’t face carrying lock, then buy a Brompton or other folding bike. Even then, you’ll end up carrying a bike instead of a lock.

Senza Bike Lock [Jaryn Miller via Fast Co Design]

See Also:

• TiGr Bike Lock: Thin, Strong, Stylish
• Handlebar Bike Lock Possibly More Effective Than String
• Hiplok Bike Lock Is Worn Like a Belt
• Custom Bike Features Built-In U-Lock
• Exploding Lock Marks Thieves, Ruins Bike

The Numi toilet is a throne fit for a constipated king

Since I got an iPad, I have been able to easily spend a good part of the morning sat on the lavatory, catching up on news and sinking just one more putt in Super Stickman Golf. But if I somehow managed to install Kohler’s Numi toilet in my ancient, crumbling bathroom I’d probably spend the entire day in there (I might also need to install an opening window).

What makes the Numi so special that Kohler calls it its “most advanced toilet”? Pretty much everything, that’s what. When you first enter the bathroom you can wave a hand like Ben Kenobi and the lid and seat will lift. Then you can settle onto the seat, which is heated to your preferred temperature.

Vents at floor level send out warm air to keep your feet warm as you catch up on the latest tech news on your tablet computer, and glowing light panels illuminate the room softly enough that you don’t see distracting reflections in your glossy screen.

As you empty your bowels, you can do so to the soundtrack of your choice, thanks to the built-in speakers with FM radio and input jack. I prefer Wagners’s Ride of the Valkyries, but Brian Eno’s 1/1 would be more soothing.

Then, when you are done, the bidet kicks into action, swooshing your nether regions with pulsating or oscillating water jets (or a combination of both). An air dryer will then take over, and finally a deodorizer sucks foul air through a charcoal filter. All you need to do is pull up your pants.

The Numi comes with its own touch-screen remote, which sits in a magnetic docking station. Should you accidentally flush the remote, there are a few buttons on the toilet itself which control the basic functions. Finally, the settings can be customized for each person in the house.

How much will this amazing throne cost you? That’s the $64,000 question. Actually, it’s the $6,400 question ($6,400 is the answer). You’ll probably save that much in 100 years, just by not buying toilet paper.

Oh, and you really, really have to go see the video on the product page. The Numi is placed in a glass-walled room which overlooks the city at night, and the camera swoops sensuously around the toilet and a waiting man and woman. It’s a hilarious attempt to make taking a dump look sexy.

Numi product page [Kohler via Uncrate]

See Also:

• Toepener: Open Bathroom Door With Your Feet
• Sat Lav: Toilet Locations Via Cellphone in London
• $75000 Toilet Made Of Crushed Glass
• Bathroom Mirror Packs iPod Controls, Clock, Barometer

Electronic House just announced its pick for 2011 Home of the Year, and from the look of things, this iOS-enabled abode has the stuff to put your robotic butler out of work. The mammoth craftsman’s interiors, designed by OCD poster boy Jeff Lewis, were automated by HD Media Systems using the Savant app. Everything from lighting to shower temperature are controlled using wall-mounted iPads or a series of unencumbered iOS devices. A pre-programmed “party button” immediately adjusts lighting and temperature, and bumps music to the 15 different Sonance in-ceiling speaker zones while displaying a slideshow on monitors dispersed throughout the house. Among the extravagant extras at work here are a switch in the master closet for flipping on the iron in the laundry room, a chandelier that flickers when it’s time to switch out the toilet paper, and a virtual butler that warns of impending visitors. Looks to us like Rosie the Robot’s days are numbered. Check out the source link for more automated overkill from this year’s runners up.

Electronic House crowns iOS-equipped dwelling 2011 Home of the Year originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 03 May 2011 07:28:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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