YOUR PLACE HIGH-TECH HOME.More modern conveniences all under one roof By now, most people use some kind of gizmo Slang for any hardware device. See gadget. that makes life on the go a little easier - a laptop, a digital phone, maybe even a palm pilot. What more could you possibly ask for, right? Well, some techie A technical person. See hacker and programmer. folks believe you can ask for a whole lot more, which is why they've developed a line of affordable doodads for the one place wireless technology has overlooked. Welcome to the home of the future. Here you can tune in to your favorite Internet radio Listening to audio broadcasts via the Internet. There are more than 4,000 broadcasts available on the Internet that can be streamed and played by a software media player in the computer or in a stand-alone Internet radio with the software built in. station from any stereo in the house, organize your schedule and never miss a call even if you can't find the handset. Seriously. Sony's Digital Spread Spectrum phones allow you to answer from either the handset or base unit. It's virtually two phones in one. The 2-in-1 phones sell for less than $200, and are available at all Sony-authorized retailers. But wait, it gets even better. Take the device that allows you to access Internet audio See RealAudio. from that chintzy chintz·y adj. chintz·i·er, chintz·i·est 1. Of, relating to, or decorated with chintz. 2. a. Gaudy; trashy: chintzy merchandise. b. Stingy; miserly. clock/radio on your nightstand night·stand n. See night table. to the luxury surround-sound stereo system in the living room. The iM Remote Tuner by Sonicbox Inc. brings the Web into the home without holding its user captive at the monitor. And it's easy to use. Connect the base unit to your PC and the receiver to a radio, and use the hand-held remote tuner to dial up any station on the Web, MP3 or Windows Media Microsoft's audio and video framework for Windows, which embraces playback, encoding and streaming. Windows Media Player is the digital jukebox and media player that comes with every version of Windows. play lists. The iM Remote Tuner is available in limited quantities for $99.95 at www.sonicbox.com, and shipping is free. For Mac users, there's the Kima by Akoo.com, www.akoo.com. It does virtually the same thing as the iM Remote Tuner except it can only transmit within 1,000 feet of your computer. It comes with two units, one that connects to an audio source and sends wireless signals to the receiver you place about 10 feet away from the stereo. Kima is also PC compatible, but will not be out until early next year. Need to write that one down so you don't forget? Maybe you need Audrey. No, Audrey is not a girl but a palm pilot designed for the home. It comes in a rainbow of colors, and is fashionably retro. Just picture an Etch-A-Sketch with an antenna and wireless keyboard that allows you one-touch access to e-mail, Internet channels and a monthly planner. Starting at $499, the Audrey is less expensive than a home computer. Designed by 3Com, the wireless appliance is as easy to use as a TV. Turn the knob at the bottom of the touch screen and scroll through a filmstrip film·strip n. A length of film containing a series of photographs, diagrams, or other graphic matter prepared for still projection. filmstrip n → tira de diapositivas of preselected Internet channels - ABCNEWS.com, AccuWeather.com, ESPN.com, CBS (Cell Broadcast Service) See cell broadcast. MarketWatch.com and Mr. Showbiz. You can also customize your own. A series of smaller buttons access other functions. Say you want to send an e-mail. The Audrey is designed so you can type, scribble scribble - To modify a data structure in a random and unintentionally destructive way. "Bletch! Somebody's disk-compactor program went berserk and scribbled on the i-node table." "It was working fine until one of the allocation routines scribbled on low core. or speak your message before sending it off with the tap of a stylus - the antenna thingamabob that glows when you get e-mail. But this gizmo's best feature is its palm syncing capabilities so now, wherever you go, you can access Audrey's calendar, e-mail and address book from your palm pilot. Even on the go. - Sandra Barrera SKIP THE LINES: If the idea of navigating the vast aisles of your area Home Depot The Home Depot (NYSE: HD) is an American retailer of home improvement and construction products and services. Headquartered in Vinings, just outside Atlanta in unincorporated Cobb County, Georgia, Home Depot employs more than 355,000 people and operates 2,164 big-box sends a chill down your spine, you can satisfy your home improvement needs at www.cornerhardware.com, which includes all kinds of hardware, tools and guides to help you with that home project. < HOME, SWEET WHITE HOUSE THE GRAND TOUR: So, you've got your place decorated for the holidays. And so do Hillary and Bill. For a sneak peak at their house, tune into HGTV HGTV Home and Garden Television at 7 tonight and again at 10 as Joy Philbin Joy Senese Philbin (born February 1, 1941) is the wife of television personality Regis Philbin. She hosted the HGTV television show At Home With.... She occasionally co-hosts with her husband on his show Live with Regis and Kelly when Kelly Ripa has the day off. takes us inside for ``The White House Christmas 2000,'' a one-hour special on the work involved in preparing the president's place for Christmas dinner Christmas dinner is the primary meal traditionally eaten on Christmas Day. It is often seen as the main event of the day for which the family all gathers and eats together. . While many of us complain about a single day to decorate the tree or a night of baking cookies, HGTV spent an entire week inside the White House as dozens of interior designers and artisans created special ornaments and decorations for the famous Blue Room, State Dining Room The State Dining Room is the larger of two dining rooms on the State Floor of the White House, the home of the president of the United States. It is used for receptions, luncheons, and larger formal dinners called State Dinners for visiting heads of state. The room seats 140 guests. and the East Room. In addition to seeing the work in progress, viewers get to tag along with the first lady's social secretary, the White House chief florist and chief pastry chef to see the final results. Encore presentations will air 10 a.m., 3, 7:30 and 10:30 p.m. Dec. 25. Philbin, who's Regis Philbin's wife and a frequent co-host on his morning talk show ``Live With Regis,'' will be back on HGTV in April to host the new ``At Home With ...'' series that will take viewers inside the homes of other rich and famous folks and share a few landscape and interior design tips. - Barbara De Witt IN THE GARDEN FOR THE BIRDS: Bird feeding seems simple enough. You put up a feeder. You fill it with seed. But what kind of seed? How do you clean the feeder? What do you do about the squirrels, deer and other critters that make meals out of the birds' food? Those are the kinds of questions that author Sally Roth addresses in ``Backyard Bird Feeder's Bible'' (Rodale Inc.; $29.95). The book covers a variety of topics, including bird behavior, information on individual birds and the plants that attract them, simple feeders you can make yourself, migration patterns and tips on cleaning feeders. It even covers bird feeding on a budget and alternative foods you can feed the birds, such as doughnuts, cereal and pasta. - Knight Ridder Newspapers CAPTION(S): 5 photos Photo: (1 -- color) no caption (Sony's Digital Spread Spectrum) (2 -- color) no caption (iM Remote Tuner) (3 -- color) no caption (Kima) (4 -- color) no caption (Audrey palm pilot) (5 -- color) no caption (``Backyard Bird Feeder's Bible'') |
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