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AGA's iTotal Control range cooker packs GSM connectivity, lets you pre-heat via SMS or web
There are many options available if you want to control your appliances over WiFi, but how about an oven with its own SIM card and phone number? That's exactly what AGA has done with its latest kitchen-oriented offering, the iTotal Control range cooker. Regardless of whether you're cooking in one, or all three of its ovens, sending an SMS message to this smart appliance lets you control each one. It even texts you back to confirm whether your commands like "baking oven on" successfully initiate. The cooker naturally works over WiFi as well, giving you an on-screen emulation of its control panel on either your computer's web browser or AGA's iOS and Android apps. An external GSM remote access device -- basically a router / modem -- connects to the appliance to make it all happen, with cellular service provided by Orange. Ready to get cooking? The iTotal Control is set to sell for a hefty base-price of £10,090 (~$15,826), and you'll also be tied to a one-year contract with Orange for £5.95 (~$9) a month to enable the texting functionality. Simmer over the details at the source link below.
R2-D2 Dark Roast Edition makes your coffee astromech-style, puts brew into 'homebrew' (video)
Has there been a gaping R2-D2-shaped hole in your gadget life ever since the Motorola Droid 2 R2-D2 Edition bowed out? The good crew at Instructables knows your plight and has designed the R2-D2 Dark Roast Edition to give your astromech desires an almost literal jolt of energy. The team's do-it-yourself project modifies a BUNN industrial coffee maker -- no slow-drip home unit here -- with a float valve and a generous mix of aluminum, brass, copper and steel welded on top. If you're particularly ambitious, you can even make R2 bleep his delight when you've got a fresh pot lined up. Constructing a Dark Roast Edition requires a good amount of electrical and metalworking savvy, but it might be worth your time while you wait for C-3PO to reach stores.
Mario gets roasted by gaming's all-stars
He may be stout, moustached, and not the world's highest jumper, but Mario knows "he'sa tha best!" Even during his brutal roasting by gaming's greatest -- he keeps a cool head! Also, he talks a ton of smack.
Where did "Blu-ray" come from? Adam Sandler knows
The name HD DVD, while not particularly original is at least pretty clear to anyone familiar with standard DVDs. Fans of Sony's Blu-ray technology certainly get the connection to its blue laser technology, but the average consumer might be a little thrown off. If you need more explanation of where the term "Blu-ray" originated, Adam Sandler -- star of Sony Pictures' first dual-layer 50GB Blu-ray release -- provided his own retelling of the events during a dinner honoring Sony CEO Howard Stringer recently. No matter how seriously you take his tale of a devastating cross-eyed blonde named Blu-ray who rocked Howard's world many years ago in Singapore, we're sure the company's shareholders hope making the name famous won't "destroy" the executive.
