Ambient

LG's new iPod dock sees red

If home electronics with built-in ambient lighting is a gimmick as some suggest, it's nevertheless a profitable one. We're just not sure about the reasoning behind using it with an iPod dock.

Philips has charged a premium for its TVs with this feature, which supposedly improves viewing. That doesn't help music, of course, but that hasn't stopped LG from incorporating red ambient lighting with its PC12DAB "iDoc."

Sporting an unusual oval design, the dock also has a CD player, DAB radio, alarm clock, and speakers with 10 watts of sound, according to Tech Digest. … Read more

Anti Atlas, 'Spring Lullaby': Free MP3 of the Day

Anti Atlas sounds a little like the music you'd make if you spent too much time around Thom Yorke--which Radiohead manager Chris Hufford surely has. Hufford's return to recording is a narcotic--but never narcoleptic--brew of modern English down-tempo and classical strains.

Download free MP3 now!

 

'Voiceless phone' reads your thoughts

The next generation in voice technology may bypass the mouth altogether. A couple of weeks ago we saw a consumer product called the "Roadrunner" headset with microphones strategically placed next to the voicebox--which readers say was based on military versions--but a new technology takes the concept to a level worthy of a sci-fi novel.

Ambient's "Audeo," which colleague Rafe Needleman saw demonstrated at a conference in September, is described as a "voiceless phone" that uses sensors worn around the neck. A trained individual "can send nerve signals to their vocal cords … Read more

Feng Shui and the art of data centers

Large multinational companies are building data centers designed to flow with their environment. There's something you probably didn't expect to hear five years ago.

Microsoft, for instance, is building a data center in Ireland in which the server rooms and other facilities will be cooled with devices called air side economizers, which pipe outside air inside.

"It uses fresh air aggressively to keep your building cool," said Rob Bernard, Microsoft's chief environmental strategist, in a phone interview. "The ideal scenario is that if Ireland continues to develop wind power and hopefully wave power, you … Read more

A bright idea to compete with Ambilight TVs

Sometimes--just sometimes--we have a thought that isn't so crazy after all. When we first heard of Philips' "Ambilight" TVs, for example, we wondered whether it was worth paying a premium for the feature--and whether it would be possible to develop something similar as a separate product.

Lo and behold, someone else had the same thought. A company called Illuminaire offers an LED system that claims to provide similar backlighting (which supposedly reduces eye strain) in a variety of colors that can change continually or even strobe, according to Tech Digest. Perfect for the first time you … Read more

Ambient Devices pitching Baseball ScoreCast product at CES

Following up on its Football ScoreCast, Ambient Devices has officially announced its Ambient Baseball ScoreCast, which the company describes as "the first dedicated display device that does one, perfect thing for the baseball fan: provide instant, effortless access to line scores for every game, divisional standings and team schedules, throughout the regular and post season."

Like with its Weather Forecaster, you don't have to log onto the Internet or connect to Wi-Fi network in order to get information streamed to the Baseball Scorecast. The wireless transceiver is built into the unit and the device automatically receives information (… Read more

Ex-Palm CEO lands new gig

Carl Yankowski, who piloted Palm during the peak of the PDA boom, was tapped Wednesday to head Ambient Devices, a company that embeds wireless data into everyday products.

Yankowski, who was also president of Sony Electronics and CEO of Reebok in the 1990s, replaces David L. Rose, one of the company's co-founders, who is leaving "to pursue other interests."

Ambient's products include a $125 umbrella that lights up when rain is in the forecast, as well as displays that can show weather forecasts or sports scores.

The company was launched in 2001 to help commercialize technology … Read more

Philips' next generation of Ambilight TVs

There have been some rumblings recently about the next generation of Ambilight televisions from Philips. A number of leaks have now provided model numbers and a few details about the new televisions.

From what we can gather, the new Ambilight technology will no longer just rely on reflecting colour on to a wall--instead, the light will be projected behind the screen as well as shine through the bezel of the TV. The question that we immediately have is: Will that be horribly distracting?

Early details indicate that one of the screens will be a 42-inch LCD, with full 1080p support, … Read more

Ambient Devices' weather-forecasting umbrella now available

The folks from Ambient Devices came by the office yesterday to give me a look at the company's upcoming products and also let me know that their new weather-forecasting umbrella is now on sale. The Ambient Umbrella, which automatically receives weather data from Accuweather.com via Ambient's Infocast Network, has made some appearances on blogs, but it's now an official product with an official price tag of $125--though it's selling for $139 at Hammacher Schlemmer. I saw the thing in action, and while it isn't exactly super high-tech, the handle of the umbrella has a … Read more