Technoglam

Luxury TVs, Blu- Ray and more

If you've heard about the latest cinema TV, don't know your Blu-Ray from your DVD or want to know the latest on digital recorders, snap up a copy of Woman&Home this month for my guide to the best.

Pictured: Philips Cinema 21:9.

Hi-tech gadgets for your trainee geeklings

How old should you be to get into tech? From birth if these gadgets have their way. We've taken a fun look at the gadgets for hi-tech kids...

Combi iPod Bouncer with built-in sound, vibration and rear-mounted controls and a toy bar, usable from birth for $79 ThinkGeek; Lego digital camera made to appear as if it's built from Lego bricks, out this summer around $60 Lego; rechargable Kid-Tough DVD player in pink or blue $150 Fisher Price; the Plasma 7 iPod buggy with padded speakers and an iPod pocket for sound whilst you're out and about, £230.99 at Little Butterfly; Crayola MP3 player with 2GB storage and powered by a single AA battery, around $50 and clock/radio dock, around $30, out this year from Crayola.

Like this? More for children

Park Lane TV bed - on sale!

When Keris spotted this bed for our sister site Hygge Nook she said if she had it, she probably wouldn't bother getting up. Neither would I. Available in king or super king sizes, there's a 26" Samsung LCD TV snuck into the foot board along with a DVD player - perfect for weekend morning TV or a late night movie. Furniture Village has a video of it in operation here where it is currently on sale from £2995.

Quick Guide: How to use Technoglam

Hello, I'm here, what now? Hello! You are indeed here and that's the first step. Welcome to Technoglam's little corner of the web. What you're reading is a blog. That means you'll get daily news and updates on gadgets and technology with lots of tips and heads up to keep you in the know.

Can I ask you a question? Sure, you can. See the 'comments' button at the end of this post? Click on that and you'll be taken to a page where you can add a comment or ask a question. You'll be asked to verify your comment by typing a few letters just to prove you are a human and not a spammer. I'll do my best to answer questions and respond. If you've got a techie question for our columnist Alex, you might just find your question answered in the weekly 'Ask a techie' slot. Here's our caveat, we prefer to keep it clean in these here parts. A dialogue is welcome, rudeness is not and any comment that will make your fellow readers blush will be deleted.

How is Technoglam different from other gadget blogs? There's a whole ton of blogs out there and more than a few gadgety ones. However, we have a focus on family-friendly home entertainment and technologies. If there's something you'd like to know about, you can ask us too.

How do I navigate this site? We've tried to keep the design as simple as possible. Look at the top of the page and you'll see a horizontal bar with buttons that give you more general information such as about the site and it's writers with links to the Quick Guides and Jargon pages plus the 'subscribe' button will take you to our RSS feed where you can sign up if you have a RSS reader. Now look to the left, see the category cloud. Every post is categorised and by clicking one of these links you'll be taken to the page that groups these items together be that cameras, computers or tech news. These categories are also listed under each post.

On the left there are also links to our 'sister sites', these links will take you to externgal pages of sites that complement this one. The 'blogroll' is sites that have nothing to do with us but we think you might find them interesting as they are about gadgets too.

I like that MP3 player/TV/ phone you just wrote about. Where can I find out more information? If you look in the post, you'll almost always find a link leading you to either the promotional or sales page for that item. We try and include all the relevant information but if you want to ask a question, do feel free to make a comment.

What are all the little buttons at the end of each post? These are our social networking buttons. If you want to show us some love, click on one of them to tell that site  - Digg, Facebook, Stumble etc - that you like this story and want to share it with other readers. Sometimes a post might say 'continue reading' this means it's a longer post and ocntinued overleaf, just click 'continue...' to keep reading.

Like this? More Quick Guides

Swarovski TV from M&S

This TV is far enough from your standard silver or black design to be interesting but not so way out there that it could be tacky. Instead the Swarovski encrusted 19" HD-ready LCD screen has an integrated DVD player and Freeview tuner plus there's a green power-off button on the remote to turn the set off entirely, rather than just switching it to standby.

It's a limited edition and priced at £399 from M&S.

Like this? More TV and home entertainment

CES 2009: LG Blu-ray player with BD Live technology

 LG's latest Blu-ray player has the useful BD Live technology that allows viewers to access video on demand from YouTube along with access to other features on their Blu-ray discs plus live chat and multi-player games.

Viewers can still play their standard definition DVD discs thanks to HD upscaling. There's also a USB memory stick slot for loading and storing new media plus it will play music files in MPEG4 video, JPEG, MP3, and WMA formats. The Blu-ray player will be out in April 2009.

Like this? More TV and home entertainment
 

CES 2009: LG's Blu-ray home cinema systems

LG have their finger on the pulse with a new selection of Blu-ray home cinema set-ups. As we're all staying at home a bit more, home entertainment is certainly of increased interest. The HB954PB and the HB354BS models combine Blu-ray technology, BD Live and specially tuned audio by expert Mark Levinson to give virtual surround sound. The interactive BD Live technology allows users to download and unlock special extras from Blu-ray discs including bonus features, deleted scenes and gag reels.

Both home cinema systems are fully iPod compatible, allowing the iPod to charge whilst playing music using the remote control. Standard DVDs are also HD upscaled to give a better picture. Both models will be out in May 2009.

Like this? More TV and home entertainment

CES 2009: LG reveals 3D TV to be here 'as early as next year'

The next stage in TV viewing could be here as LG unveiled a 3D TV at CES. The TVs will be for mainstream viewing and will cost extra (around $1000/ £615) plus viewers will need to wear some kind go viewing glasses to get the best from the broadcast. LG's head of technology, Woo Paik, told the Daily Telegraph, "Without glasses it can be very tiring for your eyes. You can sacrifice too much resolution. It's good for gaming, but for movies you need to settle down with the glasses."

Films are already being made with 3D technology anmd include Shrek Goes Fourth and Toy Story 3. Both games companies and Sky are also making headway with the technology with Sky suggesting that 3D broadcasts could be transmitted in time for the 2012 London Olympics.

However, there is some scepticism. As people watch their money, will anyone be prepared to spend an extra $1000 on a TV set. Would you?

CES 2009: Linksys by Cisco Media Hub for home entertainment

 

The Linksys by Cisco Media Hub wants to simplify your home entertainment storage needs by providing a one stop data bank for all your home entertainment needs by it storing films, MP3s or photos and all manner of digital media. And you don't just have to be at home, the hub can be accessed where ever you may be in the world. The hub will search for all networked devices, then collate and organise the files. Automatic backup keeps your data safe and there is room for two drive bays plus USB ports for adding extra storage.

It's out in the US and expected t be available in Canada, UK, Germany, Denmark and the Netherlands during the first quarter of 2009.

Like this? More CES here

Spice up your commute with a TV bag

You can quite literally bag yourself a TV with this novel but not very practical idea. For those of us who hate logo strewn bags and practically self-flagulate when we see knock-offs, the idea of having a 7" flatscreen TV with DVD player embedded into your bag might seem like a much better plan, especially if the commute is boring the socks off you.

Bag TV are launching these bags in matte or patent leather with black, navy, white, red, pink and tan colourways. If you're already wondering how you'll outrun the muggers, the screen comes with a protective security flap to cover it when not in use. The bags cost from £195 (bag only) then add in £145 for the DVD/MPEG4 player which isn't that expensive when you consider how much a designer bag might set you back. [via Popgadget]