High Tech Toys for the Home by Barbara Neal Varma


High Tech Toys for the Home by Barbara Neal Varma Keeping up with the Joneses just got high tech. Be the first on your block to have the latest in home-control automation, entertainment-ware, 007 surveillance systems and a whole gift bag full of glittery gadgets that do more than just glow in the dark: they could also save your life. It's true: your home can do magic, and all at a touch of a button, maybe two. Now if only you could find the remote… Safety and Surveillance Cool Gadgets that Keep Watch and Keep you Safe Sure, it’s all shiny and new – even the dog is intrigued – but did you know your latest techno-gadget is handy to have in an emergency? These days, cell phones are used to send heart rhythm data to the ER, video phones display life-saving techniques for emergency CPR, and that cute little toy penguin latched on to little Olivia’s stroller holds her complete medical history ready to grab and go when needed. These and other innovations in the home make it easier for you and your family to live long and prosper:
ICE PALS - The promise: The ICE Pal™ penguin digitally stores your child’s complete medical records within its base, ready to download to a medical facility In Case of Emergency (ICE). The payoff: Is your child allergic to penicillin? No worries; the toy tells the ER staff in record time. What could go wrong? No time to update the data while racing to the hospital. Solution: Keep the penguin informed and up-to-date on your children’s medical data before an emergency occurs. Cost: Subscription costs $29.95 for the first year, $20/yr thereafter, toy included. www.icepals.com
SMARTWATER HOME CODING SYSTEM - The promise: Mark your home’s valuable possessions with this invisible liquid straight from the labs of CSI. Ha ha, Mr. Thief; the SmartWater Tracer contains a unique forensic code that glows under ultraviolet light, making the recovered items and their rightful owners easy to identify. The payoff: Quicker identification means quicker recovery of stolen goods. What could go wrong? The SmartWater company is based in far-off merry-old England . Solution: It’s a small world, after all. Today’s global communications brings SmartWater’s services close to home. Cost: About $65 per year. www.SmartWater.com
LUKWERKS DIGITAL VIDEO SURVEILLANCE SYSTEM - The promise: This six-camera system plays well with your home’s existing equipment. Simply turn on your PC and watch live, full-color digital-streaming video of the action in and around your castle. The payoff: Not just for catching crouching burglars, this system can be set up for caregivers to check on elderly loved ones from afar. What could go wrong? Both a power outage and loss of Internet connection would stop the feed. Solution: Keep at least one land line phone in the house to stay connected with family and emergency personnel when needed. Cost: Starts at just under $300 ($230 for every additional camera). www.SmartHome.com
AMX CONTROL AND AUTOMATION SYSTEMS - The promise: An AMX wireless wall panel lets you control your home world: manipulate climate, set surveillance, and let there be lights at times you decree. The payoff: Going wireless also means you can check on your home’s welfare via cell phone while you’re away. What could go wrong? Your cell’s dead and you forgot to pack the charger in your rush to catch the sunset flight to Vegas. Solution: Keep gambling – that’s what you bought an automated system for, right? Cost: Starts at $8,000, not including programming and installation. Contact an AMX representative for an in-home estimate. www.amx.com
DIGITAL CARBON MONOXIDE DETECTOR - The promise: Sure, smoke detectors can detect, well, smoke, but this little gadget alerts you to the invisible threat of a carbon monoxide leak. The payoff: The digital display is easy to read and the backlight makes placement choices unlimited. What could go wrong? It’s battery operated so make sure the charge is in fresh supply. Solution: The batteries can be replaced from the front without removing the unit from its mounting. Cost: Around $35 dollars, not including shipping if you order it online. Best price listed on Amazon.com
No Suits Allowed High-tech Support for Working from Home Do you work from home? Do you want to? Are you fed up with going into The Office with its cast of characters that make Steve Carell’s team look corporate normal? Then high-tech it over to your nearest neighborhood geek store or Web site and survey the options for virtually working from home. Let these and other high-tech tools help get you out of the rat race – better yet, out of traffic – for good. Pajamas not included.
GOOGLE APPS – This Google good deal offers a menu of applications and services: share and edit files, calendars, voice and text messages, etcetera, etcetera. Log on to your account from anywhere in the world that has Internet access. Of course, you have to BYOE (Bring Your Own Equipment): computer, phone, fax, all the usual home office supplies. But the cost for the standard Google Apps option can’t be beat: it’s free. www.google.com/a/
NABAZTAG SMART BUNNY – This little bunny makes a great personal assistant. He reads e-mail, reports on the weather, gets stock market quotes, pulls RSS feeds, and (yawn), if he must, even tells you the time. Get him really going and he moves his ears, plays music, talks, whistles, and best yet: his tummy shows off hundreds of light patterns just because. Smart Bunny is easily configured and customized through a Web browser. Free and subscriptions services available. $170, www.BestBuy.com (purchase online only)
MELITTA SMART MILL & BREW COFFEEMAKER AND WEATHER FORECASTER – Coffee’s on! And so is the weather. Get your work-at-home day started with a cuppa fresh-brewed coffee, and while enjoying that first sip, check out the MSN® Direct display screen on the coffeemaker’s side panel for today’s forecast. No Internet set up or subscription needed, plus the coffeemaker is fluent in English, Spanish and French – ooh la la! $180, www.everythingkitchens.com
PARROT BLUETOOTH WIRELESS TELECONFERENCING SYSTEM – Advertised as the first-ever hands-free teleconferencing system specifically designed to work with cell phones, this starfish-shaped desk phone boasts clear, echo-free conference calls due to Parrot’s “advanced digital signal processing technology with full duplexing.” We’re not sure what that means but it sounds good, and isn’t that the point? But we do know it’s fully integrated with SKYPE audio and videoconference calling. No more shouting into the phone’s dinky speaker, either. Five-watt amplifiers let you and your conference buddies use your indoor voices. $299, www.parrotshopping.com
DIGITAL PHOTO FRAME – Nostalgic for the days of endless vacation slide shows? Pine no more. This digital photo frame lets you store and enjoy up to 1,000 photos then view them individually or in an automatic slide show. Just insert your camera memory card—automatically resizes your photo files for display—no computer needed. This digi-photo frame displays photos in portrait or landscape, and plays two types of automatic slide shows – even short AVI-format videos with sound. Accepts most camera memory cards. $199.95, Brookstone.
High Tech Too Cool to Resist These Are Not Your Children’s Toys Some things come once in a lifetime or at least every five years or so when science figures out how to make a better widget. For those of you who like a good deal – a good deal more that is, these techno-toys are for you, guaranteed.
KEYSPAN AV DOCK FOR iPOD - The buzz: Turn your home into a concert hall or movie theatre. Many folks have iPods but few have docking stations strategically strung around the house to connect the Pod to the home’s computer, stereo or TV for ultimate audio/visual output. Sex appeal: Guaranteed to increase your desired download and display options. Bank: $70. Add to cart: Buy at Amazon.com.
ION iTTUSB TURNTABLE - The buzz: Transfer both 33-1/3 rpm albums and 45 rpm singles to digital formats and bring your beloved old records with you anywhere. High-tech turntable takes those vinyl classics you just knew would be worth something someday and loads them onto CDs or an MP3 player. Sex appeal: The recording software is compatible with Macs and PCs. Bank: $150. Add to cart: Circuit City .
HOTSEAT RACING CHASSIS - The buzz: The HotSeat Racer GTX simulator puts you right in the action on your favorite video game. Each model is equipped with 5.1 digital surround-sound and a subwoofer unit (now you’re talking!) built into the chassis’s underside. Sex appeal: Patented seat slider adjusts to accommodate gamers of all sizes. Bank: $850. Add to cart: Buy it online at HGTV MarketPlace: www.marketplace.hgtv.com.
SKYSTREAM 3.7 RESIDENTIAL WINDMILL - The buzz: Plant this tree-high windmill in your backyard and watch it take care of almost all of your home’s electrical needs. (Top that, Mr. and Mrs. Jones!) For an average household, the windmill will pay for itself in about seven years; after that, you’re home free. Sex appeal: It’s good for the environment. Bank: $8,500 including installation. Add to cart: Buy it at www.windmonkey.com (based in Irvine , CA ).
GASBAG APPLICATION FOR iPHONE - The buzz: GasBag is a free Apple iPhone application for finding the cheapest gas near you, with price data submitted by customers. Sex appeal: Directions to cheaper gas literally right at your fingertips plus really cool features like a gas mileage and expense manager to track how much you’re saving when you fill up. Of course, you do need an iPhone to host this nifty cheap gas-nuzzling application – but then you wanted to buy one anyway, and here’s your cost-saving excuse. Bank: The application is free. Add to cart: Download online at the iPhone App Store.