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As the days get shorter, we all think of more and more reasons to stay indoors. Danielle Almond comes across some ideas that’ll make you go into glorious hibernation.
Curtain Call
No more sticky floors and people kicking your seats with Philips’ CinemaOne. This home cinema gives you the big-screen experience in the comfort of your own home and although it looks like an oven from the future, it’ll blow you away. The CinemaOne claims to have a widened sound field, which immerses you using psychoacoustics and is built-in sub-woofer will certainly give your ears a treat. Not only does it have the sound quality, it has the picture quality too with its HD 1080p—credentials no one can argue with. Plus, it also has a built-in universal iPod dock—I never buy a gadget without one—which allows you to play movies, music and view photos directly from your iPod on your TV screen using the remote. All this and its novel round shape and compact dimensions, about the size of a football, make it look the part as well. It will set you back £320 which is about one night out to the cinema with the missus.
Couch Idol
Rather than listening to songs made by someone else, why not listen to songs you’ve made on the Belkin Tune Studio? Not just for your own enjoyment, this home studio is able to turn any iPod into your own mobile recording studio so you can impose your gifts of atonality on guests and friends. It allows you to record your own mixes in high quality directly to your fifth-generation iPod so you can show-off your newfound DJ skills. Its USB connection also allows your mixes to be uploaded to a Mac or PC. It costs £150 and once you become more accomplished, you can use up to four different inputs or audio sources to make your mixes sound even more professional. Add some strobe lighting to your living room and you’d think you were in an Ibiza—except for those portraits of gran on the walls.
Hop to It!
So after a weekend full of raving to your own mixes, you’ll need some help to get you through the working week. For £169 The Gaggia K111 D will make you an authentic Italian coffee in the morning at a press of a button, so there’s no more need to stumble bleary-eyed into the nearest coffee shop. It couldn’t be simpler to use as it has an electronic control panel, perfect for when you’re still dragging your be-slippered feet. It’s named Gaggia after the founder of the company Achille Gaggia who first made espresso coffee popular back in 1947. Not only can you have espresso you can also have and authentic Italian coffee crema or long coffee, pronto!
Dream Tour
Why bother going out for a bike ride when you can do it from the butt-sized divot in your couch? In fact the X-Dream is arguably better than a real bike ride, as you can choose to ride in parkland, highlands or desert. Something you can’t do in London. The bike is designed so you feel like you’re riding a real bike with all the bells, whistles, gears and breaks. It also has a seat sensor so you can be portrayed on the screen to make you feel the terrain you’re riding on. In fitness mode, you can design your own customised rider, and ride as that character. But the X-Dream isn’t just a toy. It’s supposed to keep you fit and is designed for a total body workout. The programme shows another rider you can use to help keep pace. You can also hook up six of them together and race against your friends. But tell them to bring their own as they cost £6,000 each. |
