Hasta La Gadget!

Philips today announced that it is adding yet more products to its popular Hue line of wireless-controlled LED lamps. Three new products were introduced, including a less expensive white-only bulb, a wireless switch, and a line of 3D-printed lighting fixtures.

The Hue Lux works just like other Hue LED bulbs, but it only outputs pure white light. This allows you to add more remote-controlled bulbs to your network in rooms that just don’t need mood lighting. Philips hasn’t mentioned what color temperature the bulb will output, but I’m assuming it will be pleasing to the eye based on Philips’ other LED bulb products.

The Lux bulb is also $20 cheaper than the standard Hue bulb, selling for $39.95(USD). A starter kit will also be available with two Hue Lux bulbs and a Hue Bridge for $99.95. The Hue Lux will ship sometime “after Summer 2014.”

The Hue Tap is perfect for those times that you don’t have your smartphone readily available, or if you want family or guests to be able to control the lights. The small switch can be wall mounted, and lets you turn lights on and off, and can store preset scenes from the Hue app as well.

While you can currently approximate similar functionality by purchasing a LivingColors lamp and reprogramming its remote like I’ve done, it’s nice that Philips is finally addressing this need with a dedicated product. Incredibly, the Tap’s switch requires no batteries, it gets all the power it needs from the kinetic energy captured from your finger taps. Hue Tap will also be available later this year for $59.95.

Perhaps the most interesting addition to the line-up are the new 3D-printed luminaires. These dramatic lighting fixtures were created in collaboration with the design teams of WertelOberfell and Strand+Hvass, and they are in a word – stunning. The lamps offer the full wireless control found in Hue bulbs, casting colorful shadows through their complex geometric structures.

Unfortunately, the 3D-printed luminaires are extremely expensive, with the pendants going for €2,999 (~$4113 USD) and the table lamps going for €2,499 (~$3427 USD). Philips will be taking pre-orders for the lamps starting on March 31.

In addition the U9000 UHD TV series, Samsung has unveiled the pricing and availability for its 2014 home entertainment product lineup, which includes a slew of curved UltraHD and LED … Continue reading

I have been using a Dish Network Hopper whole home DVR system for about a year now and I will never go back to a normal DVR. I can record a lot of shows at the same time on the system as it is now, but at times I run into issues and have to cancel stuff. This is mostly because my daughter records every episode of SpongeBob SquarePants and anything that has the word “horse” in the title.

Dish has announced that the Super Joey that was unveiled during CES is now available for people to have installed in their home. The Super Joey works in concert with the Hopper DVR system and when installed significantly expands the number of shows you can watch or record.

The Super Joey adds two more tuners to the three that come in the Hopper. One of the tuners in the Hopper automatically records ABC, CBS, NBC and FOX primetime shows, so you can theoretically record eight shows at once – or at least four programs you really want, plus four that you maybe want.

Hopefully, this means I can keep watching my shows when my daughter’s endless recordings kick off at the same time.

When it comes to speakers and TVs one of the fashionable things to do is hide them so that when they aren’t in use, you can’t tell speakers or a TV are in the room. We have seen TVs hidden by art on the wall in the past. Now, a company called Soundwall is now offering a speaker that is a work of art.

The speaker is called Soundwall and it hides a high fidelity speaker and amplifier in plain sight. Interestingly, there are no speakers hiding behind the canvas. The surface itself IS the speaker. Specs for the speaker are 40-20,000Hz frequency +/- 1.5dB on the largest size Soundwall, and the it’s powered by either 2x25W RMS or a 2x100W RMS Class-D amp, depending on the size of the artwork. They also include a subwoofer output if you’d like to place one on the floor to improve bass response.

Each Soundwall unit has a Raspberry Pi controller inside that supports AirPlay and UPnP formats for wireless streaming. The Soundwall speakers can play individual tracks when multiple units are installed in one location or they can be set up to all play the same track.

Buyers can choose from a variety of sizes, a gallery of existing art, or even upload their own photos. You can also order one with a blank canvas if you want to create your own painting. Prices range from $949(USD) for the smallest poster size Soundwall to $2499 for the largest 40″ x 60″ unit. Some of the original paintings can increase the price of the speaker as well.

Roku has unveiled a new version of the Streaming Stick that we talked about back in January of 2012. When the original launched a couple years ago, you needed a HDMI port that was MHL enabled. This greatly limited its popularity. The new version is redesigned and appears to work in any HDMI port and is simply called the Roku Streaming Stick (HDMI Version).

While MHL TVs can provide power via their HDMI connector, most sets don’t offer this. The HDMI version has a microUSB port on it, so it can be powered via the included AC adapter, or if you’re fortunate enough to have a TV that puts out enough voltage via its USB ports, you can plug it into one of those.

Aimed squarely at Google’s popular Chromecast, Roku’s new Streaming Stick supports over 1200 channels and gives you all the streaming content from Netflix, Blockbuster, and others that you could want (assuming you subscribe to those services, naturally). The device supports content at resolutions up to 1080p and ships with a new remote, which uses RF signals so you can use it without aiming at the TV.

Roku says that the new compact Streaming Stick is ideal for TVs that are wall mounted. You can pre-order the device in the U.S. now for $49.99(USD) for April delivery.