The remote as an environmentalist

In this age of green, companies are experimenting with all manner of household devices designed to keep utility bills under control. They run the gamut, from gadgets that simply monitor consumption to those that shut off appliances automatically when no one's around.

Many of these products involve power strips and wall-mounted units, which aren't always in the most convenient places or out of mind and sight. So what's a sure-fire way to constantly remind us to conserve? The ubiquitous remote, of course.

The Energy Saver Remote offers a one-stop place to shut off all appliances rather than keeping them on standby mode, which typically consumes a minimum of 1.5 watts each hour, according to Coolest-Gadgets. All of which raises this question: Was "The Clapper" the first green remote?

Via CNET Crave

A US$47,000 turntable for Coneheads

Now this is the way to go. If you're going to get into this whole game of esoteric turntables, you might as well go all the way--and that's precisely what Montegiro Lusso has done with its latest offering.

The system is made of three cones consisting of aluminum and acrylic layers, giving it the zebra-stripe look. It also has a titanium cartridge, a synchronous motor, and a Da Vinci Nobile carbon-fiber arm, according to Gizmodo. (Speaking of Da Vinci, this may be the most unusual design since we saw the AAS-Gabriel museum-worthy turntable last year.)

Now the bad news--the price: US$47,000. That's right. But remember, in the world of exotic audio gear, it can always be worse.

Via Crave CNET

Big Respectable projection, micro beamer

Fancy a portable 22-inch screen anytime, anywhere? Then check out Earth Trek's 90-805R mini projector. A 105 x 58 x 25mm and 160g Korean concoction hailed as the world's smallest beamer in the market. Ideal for mobile warriors and busy executives on-the-go, this projection wonder features an inbuilt SD card reader, onboard MP4 media player and speakers.

Best of all, there is no need to scramble for power sockets as it's loaded with a Lithium battery pack and enough juice to last you for an hour or two. That's besides a contingency auxiliary jack for an external power adapter and A/V input to stream videos from the Internet via a laptop or PDA. Price and availability weren't available.

Via Akihabara news | Photo credit: Akihabara news

Philips' Eco TV: The Prius of televisions

It's official: The Philips 42PFL5603D consumes less power than any HDTV we've tested, regardless of screen size. The so-called Eco TV earned our nod for Best in Show at CES by hugging trees harder than any flat-panel HDTV yet. We based that decision partly on a Watts Up! power meter Philips had set up in its booth, which showed the 42-inch LCD sucking down electricity at a miserly rate between 60 and 80 watts.

As proven by our somewhat more rigorous power consumption test, the Eco TV deserves a place next to your Prius, your low-flow toilet valve, and your almost-watched copy of An Inconvenient Truth. The display set new records among all of the HDTVs whose power use we've tracked, scoring an average of 91.23 watts in the default picture setting, 67.29 watts in the power saver mode--that's right, barely more than a standard incandescent light bulb--and just 0.33 watt in standby (we suspect standby consumption is even lower than that, but our equipment can't measure that low).
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Atari's trip back to the future

The more things change, the more they stay the same. That, at least, can be said of Atari.

The company will be releasing a game that appears to compete with Nintendo's much-anticipated Wii Fit and its Balance Board, but it turns out that Atari had a board controller of its own back in 1982--we're talking the same year that Tron came out. According to Boing Boing, the Joyboard was a four-switch device that worked like a foot-controlled joystick but was eventually abandoned as "too finicky for nuanced control".

It seems doubtful that any of its original developers remain with the company, but Atari apparently still remembers that experience 26 years later and has gone with an interactive floor mat with its new Family Trainer title. It's natural to wonder whether Atari's fortunes might have been different if it had kept going down this path of development. But our guess is that it probably was just a case of being too far ahead of its time.

Via Crave CNET

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