Home Tech

Microsoft Packs Xbox One With Home Entertainment Power
May 21, 2013

Microsoft has officially unveiled the Xbox One, promising it will usher in a new generation of games, TV and entertainment. The One comes a dozen years after the original Xbox video game console debuted, and eight years after its best-selling Xbox 360 proved that Microsoft was a serious contender in the gaming arena. The reveal took place at an event at its Redmond, Wash., campus on Tuesday.

How to Work at Top Performance From Home
May 16, 2013

It's not ink cartridges, printers and faxes anymore. The cloud and smart devices have changed the home office landscape -- for the better. There are now numerous free apps for instant messaging, video conferencing and cheap calls; plus it's easier than ever to keep coworking teams on the same page. Working from home lets businesses reduce real estate costs while boosting worker productivity.

Consumers Warm to Infrared Grilling
May 14, 2013

Like many sailors, Tom Dougherty likes to grill a juicy steak on his boat. And he has found that infrared technology sears his steaks to perfection, even on a small, sailboat-sized grill. "It creates an intense heat that allows you to sear your steaks and chops and holds in the heat," said Dougherty, director of sales and marketing for boat grill manufacturer Magma Products.

Gardening in Waterworld
May 07, 2013

One day, gardener Robert Mainville saw a show about hydroponics on PBS, and it fascinated him. Soon he had set up a hydroponic garden in his own yard -- forsaking his old soil plots -- and within months was harvesting tomatoes, cabbage, kale, and turnips. "It works fantastically," said Mainville, the owner of Cape Fear Hydrogardens. "The production you can get is amazing."

Digging Into Garden Planning Software
April 30, 2013

When Catherine Kasper Place in Fort Wayne, Ind., needed to help refugees plan garden plots for themselves and for the organization's community supported agriculture, it turned to GrowVeg.com's Garden Planner and its affiliated iPad app, Garden Plan Pro. "It's challenging just to manage one garden," said Holly Chaille, Catherine Kasper Place's director. "This is 36 different ones, with 36 different designs."

The Future Is Now With AT&T's New Home Automation Tech
April 26, 2013

AT&T has introduced Digital Life, a home security and automation system that realizes a goal the company set more than a decade ago of creating tools that would allow people to manage lights and security systems remotely. Digital Life will allow homeowners to control appliances, lock and unlock doors, and monitor their homes remotely using a number of mobile apps.

Amazon Box Could Be Another Ecosystem Building Block
April 25, 2013

The world's largest online retailer, Amazon, may soon challenge Apple, Google, Roku and other set-top box makers with a delivery device of its own. While cable and satellite set-top boxes remain among the most popular content delivery hubs in the living room, they have been challenged by other hardware, including game consoles from Microsoft, Nintendo and Sony, which can stream a variety of content.

Provo Is Next Stop on the Google Fiber Express
April 20, 2013

One week after the announcement that the Google Fiber network would come to Austin, Texas, Provo found out it will be the third city to get the search company's gigabit high-speed service. The Utah city, home to a much-criticized, money-losing fiber optic network, will sell it to Google for $1. The announcement means the company will eventually provide the city with Internet service that is 100 times faster.

Good Earth, Good Apps
April 12, 2013

When Leslie Sturgeon wanted to identify some brown spots on cucumber leaves in her greenhouse, she pulled out her phone and consulted the app she herself developed, iVeggieGarden. Before long, she'd identified the culprit -- angular leaf spot -- and could begin treating it. "We use it ourselves as a reference," said Sturgeon, owner of Moorit Software and Little Rest Farm in Brimfield, Mass.

One Ring to Rule iTV?
April 04, 2013

The long-awaited Apple TV set will finally hit shelves this year, accompanied by a controlling ring and a smaller portable screen, according to analyst Brian White at Topeka Capital Markets. After a tour of some of Apple's supply chain stops in China, White wrote in a note to investors that the launch of the "iTV," as he calls it, will happen later this year.

How to Get Light From Your Backup Battery
April 04, 2013

Over the last few months, we've been building out a solar generator. The project started as a simple, heavy-duty battery with a cigarette lighter adapter. We then added a photovoltaic solar panel with charge controller to the project to provide theoretically endless power for charging phones. The third part of our project is to add light.

How to Work Smart in Your New Rented Office 365
March 14, 2013

Microsoft's newest version of its Office product, Office 365 Home Premium, has a number of new features: You can install it on more than one computer; save documents online using tight integration with Microsoft SkyDrive; and store files offline as well as retain cross-device settings and themes via a new sign-in function.

Philips Wants Devs' Bright Ideas for Its Web-Connected Light Bulbs
March 11, 2013

Dutch electronics giant Philips, which launched its Hue Web-connected LED home lighting system in October, released a development kit Monday in the hopes of integrating official applications -- and more possible home uses -- for its technology. Developers can use the API as they choose, and can keep all their earnings from commercializing products.

Something to Jump Up and Down About: Dish Hopper
March 08, 2013

Earlier this year, Dish unveiled the latest version of the Hopper, its kangaroo-themed HD DVR system. The improved box features a 1,305 MHz Broadcom processor, WiFi connectivity, and integrated Slingbox and Hopper Transfers. For viewers, this means more recording options and more ways to enjoy TV.

How to Move Into Your New Rented Office 365
March 07, 2013

Office 365 Home Premium, the 2013 Windows 8 version of Microsoft's latest version of its Office product, amusingly remains a suite of applications that run under the Windows desktop -- as in earlier, non-tiled versions of Windows. Although Office installs quick launch tiles, each core element, like Word or Excel, is an application, not a ballyhooed app. Go figure.

Lights, Camera, Console: Xbox Live Premieres Its 1st Original Movie
March 04, 2013

A comedy film called Pulp will skip theaters and DVDs and instead premiere on the Xbox 360 -- the first time a feature-length film has ever been distributed exclusively on the video game console. The film chronicles the adventures of a comic book publisher recruited by police to stop a crime syndicate.

Consumer Signal Booster: An Electronic Gadget Grows Up
February 26, 2013

There's a little-known electronic gadget -- one that's generally not available alongside the colorful big-screen TVs and bass-pounding sound systems in seductive, sparkly urban consumer-electronics mega-stores -- that can be a life-changing device, nonetheless. For some people, it's much more important than the latest 4.7-inch smartphone.

Coming to Grips With Wire
February 21, 2013

If there's one area of complication in any direct-current, hobbyist tech project, it's wire. What gauge of wire should you use? How should you terminate it? How can you join wire on a budget? You'll encounter issues like this in any DC-current application project, whether you're working on audio amplifiers or other after-market automotive accessories, solar equipment or amateur radios.

Add a Solar Panel to Keep Your Backup Battery Topped Up
February 14, 2013

A few weeks ago, I wrote about building a simple, home backup power system for charging phones during extended electricity outages. However, there's a limitation to any battery system, and that is that any battery power supply will eventually become depleted. I reckon to get a theoretical 13 days out of mine. What happens, in a catastrophic event, if grid power isn't restored at the end of 13 days?

Sonos Raises the Soundbar Bar
February 13, 2013

Those who like to cut the cords but still get the best sounding audio with every note and chord will soon have a new mid-priced option, as Sonos has officially unveiled its long rumored soundbar. The Sonos Playbar, which will be available in March for around $700, is designed to provide all of a listener's audio needs in a single sleek package that can even be wall-mounted beneath a TV.