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A lot of the energy-conserving lamps we've seen look like something out of a Cold War-era Soviet office building. But the "Lightening Stick" (sic) by "green" home designer Oliver Heath is a refreshing exception. This steel fixture has "a row of color-changing LEDs down its spine" that can be set to your preferences, according to Shiny Shiny. But do be careful not to mistake it for the "Lightning Rod."

The KEF FiveTwo Series speakers got a lot of coverage when they were announced in the fall. "Two speakers, sounds like five," declared Gizmodo, and that was indeed the draw. Available in two versions--the 15-inch-high Model 7 and 40-inch-tall Model 11--the FiveTwo Series speakers are KEF's first stab at virtual surround. Using multiple drivers (each model is named for the number of drivers it utilizes), the FiveTwo speakers deliver the five (front left/right, center, and surround left/right) channels of a true surround system from just two front speakers.

CNET was able to put both FiveTwo … Read more

Now this is just insane. It's one thing to have a plasma TV rising from the foot of your bed, but the massive "Underbed" from MK-1 Studio somehow rears its flat head out from under your box spring, like your very own Loch Ness monster. Engadget says the mount can fit a 50-inch plasma under a bed that clears the floor by only 8 inches. But even if it works, this we wouldn't want one. Beyond reminding us of the death-defying "Ergo 500" contraption, it would bring back childhood nightmares of monsters under the … Read more

The Leopard update of Apple OS X will be able to wirelessly transmit the Mac desktop to any HDTV that's connected to an Apple TV box--at least, that's the word according to LoopRumors (as spotted on Digg). Of course, the report is nothing more than a rumor: no source is cited, and there's no way to know if this is based on genuine inside information or whether it's just another fanboy fantasy. But chewing on wild, unsubstantiated rumors is half the fun with Apple products, so--with a massive grain of salt firmly in place--let the speculation … Read more

This is either an ingenious invention or a sad testament to the hopeless laziness of modern society--or, in our opinion, both. The "SmartShopper" is a voice-activated shopping list designed to put an end to the illegible Post-its you leave all over the kitchen.

Just tell the device what items you need as you think of them and print out the list before leaving for the grocery. Gadgetell says it even has 2,500 items already programmed in its memory.

The downside: You no longer have any excuses for not picking up any embarrassing hygiene items requested by other … Read more

I could have used this handy device about three summers ago when I had no kitchen. Instead, we had to make due with a garden hose and a BBQ rigged out of bricks, rocks, the grill from an old Land Rover and charcoal.

I guess German ingenuity is a little different than the American kind.

The À la carte from Stadtnomade is a portable modular kitchen that works as an electric stovetop and sink. Just plug it into to electricity and water sources and you are set. At full set up the kitchen is about 7 feet long, 3 feet … Read more

Next to the mythical Internet toaster, one of the most parodied digital appliances has been the wired refrigerator. But that's precisely what this item is about--a wireless one, actually--and it comes from a decidedly un-dot-com brand: Whirlpool.

Gearlog says the "Centralpark Connection" can control MP3 devices, DVD players, cell phones, digital photo albums and other gadgetry from a hub built into its door. Why the fridge? Because, as anyone in the housing industry will tell you, the kitchen has increasingly become the focal point for entertaining and family gathering alike, especially in newer homes. That means you, … Read more

High-end home designers may be trying to on cash in on the flat-TV trend but, as plasmas and LCDs become increasingly common, so too will their furnishings. Witness the "rotating TV wall" featured on Gadget Review, which is available not from an Italian design house but from Costco.

Yes, it does cost $3,600, but think of it this way--you're adding a room to your home (sort of). Anyway, while you're shopping for it, you can at least gorge on the free samples.

Universal, currently the only studio that releases titles exclusively on HD DVD, was eerily quiet at CES, fueling speculation that its support for HD DVD was waning. Well, late yesterday, the studio helped quell those rumors by announcing that it would be releasing 100 new exclusive titles in HD DVD format in 2007, including a CNET office favorite, The Big Lebowski.

The company didn't reveal all the new titles--or their release dates--but said that 40 to 50 would be available in the first half of the year and that 90 percent of them will be DVD/HD DVD combo … Read more