heaters

YouTube adds a built-in video editor to the site, Dyson releases a room heater called simply Hot, and Facebook's new subscribe button makes the social network more like Twitter and Google+.

Links from Thursday's episode of Loaded:

In the tech world we're always talking up hot new products, but this is the first time we've gotten to report on a new product that actually is Hot--as in, that's its name.

Yes, Dyson's new bladeless heater fan is simply called Dyson Hot and it uses the company's Air Multiplier technology to push a steady stream of warm air into a room, heating it to temperatures of up to 99 degrees. … Read more

Yes, it might seem reasonable to expect that a home theater system will automatically sound equally good with movies and music, but that's not easy to do. With speakers especially, the difference in performance requirements is significant.

And though there are some specific models from Klipsch and Dynaudio that are adept with both forms of entertainment, most speakers skew one way or another. For music, overall sound quality is the top priority, for home theater it's more about clarity and the ability to handle the extreme dynamic range of special effects such as explosions.

For maximum home theater thrills you'll need as much power as you can afford, a potent subwoofer, and speakers that perfectly blend with said sub. With home theater your attention is focused on the picture; sound plays a supportive role. As long as the receiver and speakers don't overtly distort when they're playing at the volume level you want, and there's enough subwoofer bass to make special effects come alive, it's mission-accomplished time. Achieving reasonably good home theater sound isn't all that demanding from an equipment point of view, but careful speaker setup and room placement are crucial for best results.… Read more

Editor's note: CNET editor and Crave contributor Dong Ngo is spending part of December in his homeland of Vietnam and is filing occasional dispatches chronicling his impressions of how technology has permeated the culture there. Click here for more of Dong's stories from abroad.

HO CHI MINH CITY, Vietnam--It took me a few minutes to realize how crowded Ho Chi Minh City is, and a few hours to experience the first power outage. Welcome to the dry season of the South.

The season lasts from November until April. It's when this part of the country experiences its most severe energy shortage, with rolling blackouts taking place in HCM several times a week, if not daily.

(Unlike the four-season North of the country, the South of Vietnam has only two seasons--dry and rainy. Nonetheless, it's generally sunny all year around in Ho Chi Minh City. It's hot, too, with the exception of a few weeks around Christmas when it gets a little chilly, around 60 degrees F. However, it's always humid here and you'd probably want to shower a few times a day.)

Most businesses, and even some households here, have a backup power generator. Drive around the city at any given time, and chances are you'll see some of these in operation.

With the sharp population increase, Ho Chi Minh City, now home to about 10 million, is facing an apparent energy crisis. According to HCM City Power Company, the city's power demand is now in excess of 1,000 to 2,500 megawatts every day.

To battle this, the city has turned to a source of energy that it has a lot of: the sun. Since July, it has been developing a program to support businesses that produce and sell solar-powered appliances, including water heater and lighting systems. … Read more

Sometimes space heaters just don't cut it. They can't be put on flammable rugs, they aren't romantic, and they don't produce warming flames unless they catch something on fire. For consumers who want to soothe the space heater blues, Conmoto's portable fireplace could turn up the heat--for a few thousand dollars.

Retailing for $3,300, the German-made Travelmate is a flue-less, smokeless fireplace contained in what appears to be a see-through briefcase made of steel (a sentiment shared by NerdApproved).

The flames are trapped between sheets of glass held in place by magnets. To … Read more

Winter temperatures can be tough on cars. Here are a few things to keep in mind to ensure your car performs its best in the cold:

Keep battery backup. It takes more electrical power to start a car in cold weather, yet those chilly temperatures also drastically reduce the battery's cranking power. To compensate for the increased need and reduced output, keep a good set of jumper cables or a portable power pack in the trunk.

Check climate controls. Make sure the heater and front and rear defrosters are working properly. If it takes more than a few minutes … Read more

The evil Sanrio empire will stop at nothing in its quest for universal domination. As it continues its relentless assault by land and water, it is also manipulating the elements with such devious schemes as seizing our air supply. And now, as winter nears, it's commandeering our heat sources as well with the "Hello Kitty Space Heater"--an obvious ratcheting up from its USB lap warmer and other guerilla tactics.

A special thanks to Hello Kitty Hell, our spiritual leader in The Resistance, for alerting us to this latest plan. We agree with one of his readers, … Read more

It's one more day closer to Feb. 14, which means another day for companies to pawn off their wares as a special Valentine's gift. The latest is the "truly romantic" Sanyo "Eneloop Kairo" (who could resist such a sexy name?), a palm-sized heater presumably meant to warm one's hands, if not the heart. It's available only in Japan--we had no idea that Valentine's Day was so big there--but fear not, Romeo. You can always spring for a pair of Brando's heated USB gloves. Classy.

We weren't terribly fond of the LED mirror we spied recently, mostly because we thought its scrolling messages might deliver insults about our lifestyle. But just to prove that we don't have anything against such objects, we wholly endorse this combination mirror, radiator and digital clock from Italy's Tubor, a heating device and technology specialist. (Who knew Italy had such stuff?)

Behind the reflective surface is a stainless steel facade that ingeniously hides an electric or water radiator. We liked this item not only for its practicality but also for the black, monolithic design that Trendir accurately … Read more