Ultrasonic Sensor Parking Alert
It’s never easy reversing into a garage, especially if it’s full of accumulated junk.
The Ultrasonic Sensor Parking Alert guides you straight in with flashing lights and stops you in the right position. Once you’ve used it, you’ll wonder how you ever managed without it.
Consisting of a Sensor Module which is mounted on the wall at bumper height and a Display Module sited on the wall within easy visibility of the driver, the sensor works ultrasonically to detect when a vehicle is near, monitoring its speed and distance. This causes the yellow light on the Display Module to flash slowly, getting faster and faster as the vehicle reaches the optimum position when the light will change to continual red. You can choose from three different stopping distances at one, two or three feet away from the wall.
Additional features include screws or hook and loop tape, a low battery indicator and auto shut-off after 15 seconds with the 4 AA batteries lasting for up to one year.
DormVault Laptop Safe
A foolproof method to prevent anyone stealing your laptop, the DormVault Laptop Safe not only ensures it stays exactly where you left it but it will prevent flatmates or family from abusing it with their playlists and losing your documents in the process.
Made out of rugged steel, the safe will hold a 17 inch laptop and accessories. With mounting brackets, multiple-size bolts, wingnuts and a combination lock that fastens the laptop to furniture, no-one (with the possible exception of Houdini) will be able to get into it, or move it for that matter.
There’s additional room for valuables like iPods, cell phones, digital cameras, cash or jewellery in the door space. No tools are required to attach the safe to items of furniture and its bracket construction consists of a bracket arm and two inside fastening, locked nut and bolt assemblies. Designed specifically with the student in mind, the safe is lightweight at 11 pounds and can be fitted easily into tight spaces.
URC 3100 Remote Control is the only remote you'll need
Tis the season for the battle to gain control of the TV remote and this baby lends itself to a bit of tussling to and fro because the Energy Sistem URC 3100, unlike most modern gadgets, is reassuringly substantial and robust. It’s also comfortable and straightforward to operate and costs from £9.95.
With a range of up to seven metres, you’ll be able to manipulate the 3100 Remote Control from the furthest recesses of the room. Pre-programmed for TV, DVD, Satellite, VCR, AUX and even CTV settings the 3100 Remote has an ability to learn to control devices of any brand and model with up to 240 pre-programmed demands.
With a sleek, black minimalist design and clear icons, the 3100 Remote Control is capable of storing pre-sets for up to eight devices. It can replace all the other remotes that you can’t find in your living room. Moreover, its non-volatile temporary memory ensures that settings are retained when changing batteries; in fact it’s infinitely less volatile than many family members locked in a disagreement over the choice of Christmas Day viewing. So… take control of the 3100 Remote Control and let the battle commence.
The BeBook e-Reader -download up to 20,000 titles free
The BeBook is an entire library in one book-sized device with epaper technology that allows you to read digital content anywhere in the world, just as you do on paper. With a RRP of £249.99 it represents a revolution for the reading public without attempting to replace books.
Just think how much it would cost you to buy over 20,000 classic books and compare that with the BeBook price. The ebook comes with 150 titles pre-loaded and once you’ve waded through them, there’s the option to download any book listed on the MyBeBook.com website free of charge. Simply select your favourite author or title and download in .txt or .pdf format. All the formats have been adapted to fit the 9×12cm BeBook ereader so the text is clear with three different sizes built in so you can select the one you prefer. Fonts can also be changed quickly and easily.
The BeBook can also be used to read papers, news, catalogues, work documents and guide books or any document you wish. With a long battery life, one charge will last for 7,000 turns of the page with a 512MB flash memory. Supporting many different file formats, the BeBook weighs just 220gr including the battery.
And in the unlikely event that the book you want is not available from MyBeBook.com, the BeBook is compatible with Mobipocket whose eBook files can be bought from online eBook shops with prices around 20 to 30% lower than the paper version, giving you even more flexibility.
The Laser Cosmos Projector provides the ultimate star show
Now you can create your own planetarium in the living room; the Laser Cosmos Projector illuminates any room with a superb light show of twinkling stars.
The whole beauty of the cosmos can be yours with this piece of laser technology. With a green laser and a holographic technology and two built-in precision lenses, the Laser Cosmos Projector creates a panoply of thousands of shooting and twinkling green stars with optional blue cloud formations and an adjustable cloud dimmer.
Measuring ten inches in height with a width of nine inches and depth of seven, the device can pivot to any angle. Shipping with a mains AC adaptor included the projector also has key hole slots so you can fix it on the wall if you like for a more permanent light show. Although it has a recommended retail price of £159.99 we reckon it can be purchased for almost half that amount from our recommended suppliers.
Eliminating the need to venture outside into the cold night air to gaze at the night sky, the Laser Cosmos Projector creates the perfect ambience for a romantic evening or a peaceful environment for a chill-out session. Or you could even use it to soothe the children to sleep at night as the fan has a quiet motor and the system is easy to set up.
Truly cosmic man!
Sony NW-A840 Walkman - the thinnest ever
Now that Sony’s latest portable media player, the NW-A840 Walkman Series has been launched in Japan to wide acclaim, we can’t wait to get our hands on it. Unfortunately, we have to wait a bit longer – when we spoke to Sony in November, we were told that as yet no date has been announced for the launch in the UK or US – but never fear - we’ll keep you posted.
That doesn’t stop us from telling you what delights you have in store once the OLED Walkman is eventually released. Sony has brought the portable media player bang up to date – albeit with retro styling. Available in mahogany brown, reminiscent of wartime radios or in sleek black, the NW-A840 is the thinnest Walkman on the market at 7.2mm. Its slim build doesn’t mean a compromise on display however as it comes with a 2.8 inch OLED and up to 64GB of flash storage.
It ships in three models – the 16GB NW-A845, the 32GB NW-A846 and the 64GB NW-A847. With a 720×480 resolution option to playback video through your TV, the battery lasts for 29 continuous hours of music or nine hours of video. The Walkman incorporates an S-Master digital amplifier and FM radio for crystal clear sound quality but Sony’s digital noise cancellation MDR-EX300SL ear-buds mean that you won’t be annoying anyone next to you on the tube. Note that support Wi-Fi networks are not provided.
With dimensions of 104.9 x 7.2 x 46.8mm, the Walkman weighs approximately 62g and is available in Japan at prices ranging from £160 to £266 – a rival to Apple’s iPod Shuffle if ever there was one.
The Sound Asleep Pillow - ultimate bedtime indulgence
The ultimate in bedtime indulgence, the Sound Asleep Pillow will soothe you to sleep or wake you up in the way you want via an inbuilt speaker cunningly concealed inside the soft, hollow fibre filling.
Whether you want to drift off to the gentle wash of waves on shingle, listening to winsome lullabies or the dulcet tones of Stephen Fry reading your favourite audio-book or even the sounds of Metallica thrashing their guitars, the variations are endless. Connecting to any music source, the Sound Asleep Pillow is compatible with MP3 players, iPods and radios.
There’s no chance of feeling a bulky protuberance sticking into your neck during the night either as the speaker is completely undetectable. In fact it’s a far better alternative to using headphones with the attendant problem of wires that become accidentally wrapped around your throat or of ear plugs embedded in your ears.
Nor is there any danger of your partner being disturbed by your favourite sounds as the noise is inaudible to anyone beyond the realms of the pillow. You won’t be woken once your music is finished as the sound pillow automatically stops playing.
Ideal for insomniacs who can listen to relaxing tracks or for sufferers of tinnitus who can use the pillow to create a distraction the Sound Asleep Pillow is also excellent for parents who want to persuade their children to stay in bed that bit longer or even for those who want to learn another language as they sleep – it’s also great for brainwashing secret agents.
Available in the original version made from cotton and polyester or as an ergonomically designed Sound Asleep Memory Foam Pillow that moulds to your head and neck, the connector cable is approximately 124cm long and the pillows are suitable for ages above 5 years. Prices are from £12.99 for the original version or £24.99 for the foam pillow.
Sound Asleep Rocking Chair connects to games console
Sound Asleep has come up with the perfect inflatable gaming chair that will fit comfortably into any teenager’s bedroom and connects to a games console via a 3.5mm stereo plug.
Easy to inflate and incorporating inbuilt speakers, the chair rocks – literally! With a pocket for your music device the Sound Asleep Rocking Chair is compatible with all music sources such as iPods, MP3 players, CD players and radio and requires no batteries as it is powered from the headphone socket of the connected device.
Made of 100% PVC the Sound Asleep Rocking Chair is also pretty durable, ready to stand up to those long hours of hard gaming. Risks of bottom grooves are minimal however, due to the comfortable and robust flock-lined seating. Measuring 96cm x 65cm x 86cm approximately, the product is suitable for anyone over the age of 5 and is attractively designed in red and blue at the remarkable price of £30.
The only fault is that it may become even more difficult to entice your offspring downstairs into the living room so why not solve the problem by putting a Sound Asleep Rocking Chair in there too?
Wireless devices from Q-waves
Q-waves have launched two innovative devices to enable users to wirelessly connect or share data and online content with TVs or projectors and they’re available from 30th October.
These devices offer salvation for anyone who hates wires; the Q-waves Wireless USB AV Kit and Wireless USB Data Kit, allow you to display or transfer online content on a TV quickly and without complications or hassle. This means you can work or surf on your laptop whilst something completely different is on your TV screen or you can project whatever is on your laptop onto the TV – great for video calls, conference calls using Skype, for using in presentations or for simply playing games or watching iPlayer on the big screen.
The USB Data Kit wirelessly connects a multitude of devices at home or in the office and works by a simple system involving a Master and a Slave USB that are already in synch. Simply plug the Master into the primary device, ie the laptop, Netbook or PC and stick the Slave into whatever you want to pair it with. The products operate on Ultrawide Broadband so are compatible with your home network and work instantaneously.
The Audio Visual Experience Q-waves Wireless USB AV Kit allows users to stream from a PC, laptop or Netbook directly on to an HD TV or projector with full audio. This works in either a mirror mode which projects whatever is on the laptop on to the television or in an extend mode which gives a multi-screen experience. The kits work with AV devices featuring HDMI and VGA interfaces so can be used on all screens and support printers, scanners, DVD and CD players as well as iPod docking stations.
Available from 30th October, the Wireless USB AV Kit costs 99.99 and the Wireless USB Data Kit 69.99.
SteelSeries Zboard Limited Edition Keyset release dates
Now you can get a customised keyset for your AION game with dedicated short-cut keys, stunning graphics and increased actions per minute that will enhance your playing experience and sharpen up your game. It includes a removable standard keyset for everyday use plus the specially developed gaming keyset for AION.
For those not in the know, AION is a multiplayer on-line role-playing game set in a world of epic adventure and celestial beauty seen through the eyes of a winged character with devastating powers and abilities.
The keyset has been developed in cooperation with NCsoft and incorporates a layout that features in-game commands on 69 colour-coded and dedicated action keys, group leader specific commands, and menus that are intuitively designed to speed up reflexes in battle. There are also 24 emote keys that can be quickly accessed to interact with friends or used to taunt or intimidate enemies.
SteelSeries Z Engine software means that the entire keyboard can be customised by dragging and dropping macros on to specific keys. Guaranteed to increase the user’s actions per minute with 7 simultaneous keystrokes as opposed to the industry standard of 2-4 you are destined to become the master of the Aion universe and it’ll only cost you £21.73 exc. VAT.