Home

Print advertisements for home theater systems aren't always the most exciting to look at -- visualizing surround sound on a printed page isn't easy, after all.

The recent ad campaign for LG's latest home-theater-in-a-box systems, which feature "3D" surround sound, however, is among the more creative we've seen. The ads are pretty accurate copies of the original movie posters for the Hollywood blockbusters "Kill Bill: Volume 1," "Forrest Gump," and "Pretty Woman" -- if posters were made in 3D. … Read more

First off, congrats to Craig S. of Yuba City, Calif., for winning a Zero1.tv VooMote One in last week's giveaway. Looking to turn the volume up to 11? Then you'll want to tune in to this week's giveaway.

We're giving away an Aperion Audio Zona Wireless Surround Speaker System, which consists of two powered speakers and a wireless transmitter for broadcasting audiophile-quality sound throughout your home.

It's a versatile little system. You can use the Zona speakers to blast audio from your computer or mobile music player. Or you can use them as wireless surrounds for your home theater or as a stand-alone stereo system for your office, bedroom, den, or secret hideout. … Read more

Apple sells Air laptops and has geniuses working in its stores, so at first glance you might think the new AirGenius 5 has some sort of Apple pedigree. But no, it's just Honeywell's new high-tech air cleaner, which hits Target stores today for $239.99.

The product has a few highlights, the most important of which are that it's quiet; has five different cleaning settings (Sleep, Germs, General, Allergen, and Max); and has a washable honeycomb-style filter that you don't need to replace like some filters (Honeywell says it doesn't restrict airflow like paper filters do and still captures up to 99 percent of particles 0.3 microns and larger).

I actually saw and heard the AirGenuis 5 in action a couple of weeks ago and can attest to it being quiet. As for cleaning the air in the room around me, I'll have to take Honeywell's word on that. If nothing else, I'm now more cognizant about just how much breathing I do. … Read more

Ikea has long sold affordable and attractively styled stands for TVs and home-theater components, but now it's taking things up a notch, integrating both furniture and electronics in an all-in-one system under its Uppleva brand.

The base unit comes with a "smart" 1080p LED TV, Blu-ray player, and 2.1 virtual surround system that includes a wireless subwoofer that can be positioned anywhere in the room. You'll then be able to customize the TV size and cabinetry and even change the color of the frame for the TV. Prices are expected to start at about $950 for an entry-level unit and TVs will range in size from 26 to 46 inches, which may not be quite big enough for some folks -- in the U.S anyway. The displays are reportedly being supplied by Chinese manufacturer TCL.

No word on exactly when Uppleva entertainment systems will hit U.S. stores, but they're set to roll out this June in in select stores in Stockholm, Milan, Paris, Gdansk, and Berlin, with more stores in Sweden, Italy, France, Poland, Denmark, Spain, Norway, and Portugal added in the fall. A broader release is expected for 2013. … Read more

A world without K-Cups? The horror! While a K-Cupless world may not befall the caffeine-addicted anytime soon, single-serve coffee giant Keurig recently debuted a next-gen successor called Vue that could warm the hearts and hands of geeky java lovers.

For those wondering what I'm talking about, these small plastic capsules sell in the billions annually. They contain coffee (or another beverage) and a filter; putting a K-Cup in its specific brewing device creates a single serving of that drink in less than a minute without a mess.

We checked out a Vue test unit at a Bed Bath & Beyond, the first retailer to carry the new V700 brewer (other big retailers will sell it soon). Keurig's pricey $249 Vue roaster looks similar to existing K-Cup machines, and bears many familiar components, but it doesn't take long to spot the differences. … Read more

Ikea wants to build you a house. Not a pine bookcase, not a nice little side table, not a quirkily colorful kitchen implement -- an entire house. LandProp, the property development arm of the Swedish furniture company, is building and renting out an entire neighborhood of homes in London, according to The Globe and Mail.

No, really. The Ikea neighborhood -- Ikeahood? Ikeatown? -- is to be located in east London, near the Olympic site. It will be named Strand East and filled with families and leafy pedestrian boulevards.

Read more of "Ikea building and renting an entire neighbourhood in London" at Crave UK. … Read more

The world needs more luxurious gaming furniture and less of those gaudy leather gamer chairs with built-in speakers.

Gaming decor goes to the next level with this coffee table that actually works as a fully functional Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) controller. Talented woodworker Charles Lushear sells the massive controller table on Etsy for $3,500 (plus shipping). The exotic item's 42 inches long, 18.25 inches wide, and 18 inches high, and you might want to seek permission from your significant other before purchasing it. … Read more

Amazon today added used CDs to its trade-in program, which means that those old copies of Boyz II Men's "Cooleyhighharmony" or that first CD by the Strokes are finally almost as good as cash.

Don't have enough funds to get Mom something for Mother's Day? Better dig up your old Four Non Blondes and Spin Doctors collection if you know what's good for you. (Younger readers, please substitute Pink and Panic at the Disco for the artists in the previous sentence.)… Read more

File this under the bizarre but potentially life-saving category of new tech: an intelligent floor that knows who is doing what on a given surface, and can alert police or first responders in the event of an intrusion or medical emergency.

IBM, which filed for a patent describing such a system in February 2009, is now, just more than three years later, the proud holder of said patent. What it does with it remains to be seen, but the initial vision is clear.

From the patent abstract, IBM reports on an approach that "uses an electronic multitouch floor covering that has numerous sensors to identify shapes."… Read more