Washing online
The wired kitchen, where connected appliances download new programs and recipes, is almost a reality -but only in Korea. Hot on the heels of the internet fridge which it launched several months ago, LG has debuted its first internet washing machine. The LG Internet Turbodrum aims to keep up with advances in washday technology by offering the user the chance to download new programs from the company's website. As it has no modem, the washing machine has to be connected to a PC to undertake the upgrades.
LG is hoping to deliver a home network modem that will enables users to monitor and programme all their home appliances remotely. And the fridge and washing machine will soon be joined by an intelligent microwave oven that can be connected to the net to download recipes. Britons will have to wait a little longer for the connected kitchen. The internet fridge goes on sale in the UK in January 2001 priced at around £6,000, while the internet washing machine (expected price £1,000) is due at the end of next year.
Zip-ah-de doodah
If you sense a feeling of déjà vu when you see Iomega's new Pocket Zip storage disks, you're not going mad.
They are actually a re-branded version of the company's Clik! disk. The big difference is that Iomega has found new uses for its technology.
Next month Iomega debuts its first personal digital music player, the £289.99 HipZip. The player stores MP3 and Windows Media Audio files on to a 40MB PocketZip.
Unlike most of its rivals, the HipZip uses Windows Media Player 7 as its default software, which Iomega claims compresses data twice so that the 40MB PocketZip can actually store 80MB worth of music.
The player also features digital rights management (DRM) technology and has the backing of several record and book companies including EMI and Simon & Schuster.
The unit can also be upgraded to play back future formats including Dolby's AAC which some industry pundits predict will be the successor to MP3.
Iomega claims its price is cheaper compared with rival smart memory cards: the 40MB PocketZips, bought in packs of 10, work out at £8 each. Iomega promises that 100MB and 250MB PocketZips as well as pre-recorded disks will also be on sale next year. (AN)
Let Audrey be your guide
Audrey, one of a new breed of "lifestyle appliances", is an attempt to make accessing the internet as easy as using a TV set. The $499 device provides one-touch access to email, pre-set internet channels, a household calendar, address book and Palm HotSync technology, to synchronise with two Palm-compatible handheld organisers. 3Com, the developer, says you can "simply scroll through the content with a turn of Audrey's channel selector knob". Five channels (websites) have been set up for the US launch: ABC News, AccuWeather, ESPN (sport), CBS MarketWatch and MrShowbiz. Users can select another six channels from a short list. The European launch, expected next autumn, depends on 3Com "completing relationships with content partners to create the appropriate channels for [European] consumers", says a spokesman.
Audrey has a built-in microphone, stereo speakers and a V.90 (56k) modem, and can be operated using a stylus or an infra-red keyboard. It runs the QNX real-time operating system, and comes in five colours: ocean, meadow, sunshine, linen and slate. In the US, Honeywell has also started shipping the S7350A portable WebPad. This is much more expensive at $995, but has a wireless link to a base-station so it can be carried around the house. The WebPad uses Microsoft's Windows CE (originally, Consumer Electronics) operating system. See http://content.honeywell.com/ yourhome/ 3Com's Audrey, Netpliance's i-Opener, various WebPad designs, Microsoft's MSN Companions and similar devices are all targeting an "information appliance" market that IDC (International Data Corporation) predicts will grow to 89 million units worth $17.8bn in 2004.
Pick your own PC
Compaq UK has started shipping a new range of 10 Presario PCs aimed at home/internet users. The range includes six desktop PCs - one microtower and five minitower designs - and four notebooks running Microsoft Windows Me (Millennium Edition).
The desktop PCs use Compaq's My Style Accent Colour system, which lets users select colour panels and coloured speaker grilles to customise their machines.
The ranges include Smokey Quartz (supplied as standard), green, red, orange, blue and purple panels. Prices start at £849 including VAT for a microtower system with a 700MHz AMD Duron processor and a DVD drive.
Compaq has also started shipping a monochrome version of its small, fast handheld iPaq PocketPC for £288 plus VAT. Two expansion sleeves, available at extra cost, enable the iPaq to be used with standard PCMCIA/PC Cards and CompactFlash cards, including GSM cards and 802.11b wireless local area network cards. (JS)
