Gizmos for Geeks

Since I installed my IR distribution system a few years ago, things have really progressed! Channel Vision’s All-In-One IR System is not your older brother’s IR distribution system but includes an IR Repeater with a plasma-proof receiver and 2 dual IR emitters as well as multiple mounting possibilities for the IR receiver.

Keep your home theater devices behind closed cabinet or closet doors, even when they’re in use. The All-in-One IR System makes sure that all of your A/V components receive the commands sent from your existing IR remote controls, even without line-of-sight access. A tiny receiver can be placed near your television or set up in a hole drilled in your equipment cabinet, and this system will deliver your commands to up to eight individual home theater components.

Suggested Price: $99.99

Buy Now!

Turning lights on and off are just a fraction of what you can do with your home automation system. I/O Linc’s INSTEON Remote Control Door Strike Kit actually allow you to allow entry or exit by locking or unlocking doors at a press of a button, even remotely from work.

The electric door strike is hardwired to the delay timer/relay and both are powered by a power supply. The delay timer/relay is then connected to the output of the included I/O Linc - INSTEON Low Voltage / Contact Closure Interface (1 In / 1 Out), which simply plugs into an available outlet. When I/O Linc receives a signal from any linked INSTEON device, the built-in programmable relay can keep a door or gate open for up 25 seconds before automatically locking. By using the delay/timer relay, you gain the added flexibility of keeping a door or gate unlocked for up to 60 minutes. This kit gives you the control to regulate access to and from your property.

Suggested Price: $137.99

Buy Now!

Here is our 2009 updated version of the ‘What to Bring Particularly if You’re Press‘.

Read the rest of this entry »

Do you accidentally leave your garage door open when you leave the house or do you hit the garage door button in your car and take off only to come home hours later to find the door open due to an issue with the garage door? Besides letting the elements into your garage, security for items in your garage and your whole home are at risk when this happens.

Finally a home automation garage door sensor an operator is available for INSTEON. There have been X10 products that you could use with your DIY home automation system, but now you can enhance your true INSTEON network using the I/O Linc - INSTEON Garage Door Control and Status Kit.

The included garage door sensor mounts to the garage door and is wired directly to I/O Linc’s sensor input. When the garage door is open, the garage door sensor triggers I/O Linc to send a signal that will turn on an INSTEON controlled light and/or report its status, for example, to KeypadLinc status LED’s or PC software. Additionally, I/O Linc’s output relay wires to your garage door motor just like your existing button, allowing you to remotely operate your garage from any INSTEON controller.

Suggested Price: $79.95

Buy Now!

For the fifth straight year the Geeks are preparing for our annual pilgrimage to the holy land of consumer electronics… the Consumer Electronics Show.  Rather than report on every gadget at CES, we’ll provide our slant on the larger trends and focus on the few groundbreaking gizmos similar to what we’ve done over the past two years.  Stay tuned to the site - best way is to subscribe to our RSS feed.

If you are a fellow blogger coming to the show, learn from our past mistakes and read our articles on what to bring and tips for effectively covering the show.  With technology advances and lessons learned, we plan to update the list of what we are bringing later today.

Jeremy at LiveDigitally has analyzed and has CES down to a science for marketeers and bloggers.  He has a list of why CES this year will be awesome or lame.  Jeremy also maintains a CES survival tips list that is a must read if you are going to CES (chapstick - chapstick - chapstick).

If you are in town for CES and want to meet up at some point with the Geeks, shoot us an email.  This is the best opportunity to network with other CE fans and followers.

Here’s to yet another year at CES… hopefully all our gadget dreams will be fulfilled this year!

Happy New Year from the Geeks at Gizmos for Geeks!

It’s incredible to think back to our humble beginnings in 2004 and what we’ve done, who we’ve been able to met and what we’ve been able to do thanks to this blog.  Some of my favorite items include being able to go to CES for 5 years in a row (leaving on Monday to make the trek to Vegas for the big one!), meeting and talking with Joe Dada from Smarthome (yes, I really am a geek!) and being on the radio which turned into a weekly gig for months.

We thank you for tuning in and following along with what interests us, and hopefully with what you are interested in.  Happy New Year!

In honor of the new year, aka 2009, Smarthome is offering a coupon for use today only to save $20.09 off of any purchase of $100 or more using the ecode ENEWYEAR9.

Ring in the New Year right and automate your house!

Sling Media is rolling out a SlingPlayer Mobile for the following Blackberry models: BlackBerry Bold, BlackBerry Curve 8900, BlackBerry 8820, BlackBerry Curve 8320, BlackBerry Pearl Flip 8220, BlackBerry Pearl 8120.

It’ll probably run on Blackberrys running on EDGE, but it’ll probably suck b/c EDGE networks are just too slow.

Head to the beta site for more info and downloads.

Like most other vendors that haven’t done as well as they liked for the Christmas period, Newegg has lots of post-Christmas sales to get those #s up. Some of these deals easily probably beat the ones prior to Xmas. So take a look if you’re considering some piece of equipment to complete your dream system.

What can we say about the V9 that hasn’t already been said in the media? The phone is a mini-computer in the palm of your hand. Boasting the latest server technology, the V9 runs on the 3G network ensuring web browsing is done at maximum capacity. Much like other phones on the market, the V9 has a 2.0 Megapixel camera, a digital screen on the top portion of the flip phone, so that messages appear without opening it up, Bluetooth capabilities and the jazz of emailing and text.

If color’s a problem, do not fret, this phone comes in various ones to satisfy your needs. The reviews are in and they are stellar! A word to the wise, purchase the screen protectors and look out for the hidden fees with the voice dialing when you get the free Bluetooth headset. With built-in capacity for a 4gb or 8 gb MicroSDHC card, music and pictures instantly transfer over to your phone and can be used as an alternate MP3 or MP4 player.

Buy Now!

Written By Devicepedia