A couple years ago I set out to look for a wireless VoIP handset that I could use around the home. Unfortunately, I came up short on products that I would actually buy — most were simple Skype powered phones or SIP enabled phones with horrible UIs. The best bet, even today, has been to install a VoIP app on your Wi-Fi smartphone (i.e. Fring). But what if you’re like me and want a dedicated home phone with both smartphone and VoIP capabilities? Well, that may soon become a reality. Pictured here is DSP Group’s DECT multimedia phone reference design [PDF Brochure] that leverages the Android OS (including apps from the Android market) and provides DECT wireless, Wi-Fi connectivity, DLNA media streaming, TV remote functionality, home automation control, and full web browsing through a 3.5-inch touchscreen. In other words, this wireless home phone can be used with your traditional landline service and / or be used as a VoIP / Google Voice phone. Presentation video below. [via] MORE »

I can’t understand why this wireless HTPC keyboard hasn’t received more attention! Originally introduced by Cideko late last year, a new, co-branded version of the Cideko Air Keyboard will be sold by MSI this Spring, according to Cideko’s news announcement (pics of the MSI branded product available here). However, you buy the original Cideko Air Keyboard from Amazon.com TODAY for $89.99. Product highlights: 50 meter wireless range, compatibility with Windows / Mac / Linux, QWERTY keyboard, multimedia keys, left/right mouse buttons, and the best part… a gyro mouse that lets users move the cursor on-screen with simple wrist motions. I also dig that it’s similar in size and design to a game consoler controller. Check the demo video below and see if you don’t come away impressed. MORE »

No one likes the idea of hooking up an external USB storage drive to a media playback device. Think about it… do you really want to carry your hard drive back to a PC every time you need to add or delete files? Or how about sneakernetting your drive to different rooms in order to serve a handful of devices around the house? Yeah, I didn’t think so. Enter the IUM Infinite USB Memory Device from Infinitec. This USB dongle is able to wirelessly stream files from a paired PC and present available files to the connected game console, HDTV, photo frame, digital media adapter, or blu-ray player as if they were stored locally on a USB flash drive. The only drawback: IUM can only be paired to one host PC at a time (requires installation of the Infinite Portal PC application) — unlike the recently launched HSTi Wireless Media Stick which can gather content from shared files on networked PCs and storage devices via a browser-based management screen (demo). The IUM is set to launch March 1, 2010. Price: TBD. MORE »

If the slew of QWERTY keyboards recently launched for your HTPC haven’t fit the bill, have a look at Adesso’s latest full size, 30 foot range, 2.4Ghz RF wireless multimedia keyboard. What makes the $119.99 Adesso RF SlimTouch Pro Touchpad Keyboard (WKB-4200UB) different from most other wireless keyboards is that it places the built-in touchpad (with left/right buttons and a scroll strip) where the number pad usually goes and includes 6 multimedia buttons right along side it for quick access. Adesso’s designers even thought ahead and included sleep mode and power on/off buttons to help users extended the keyboard’s battery life (requires 2 x AAA batteries) when not couch surfing. Overall the WKB-4200UB’s design is quite nice and can be easily be used as a replacement desktop keyboard, if one wanted to. [via] MORE »

A reader of Lifehacker submitted a tip to the site detailing how one can use a Zune Wireless Remote (two versions available: new, old - pictured above) or Xbox 360 Universal Media Remote with Windows 7 Media Center. The hack is simple enough to do, requiring a single digit in a command string to be changed (see quoted text below). In a nutshell, the edited string tells media center to scan all IR channels using 0 instead of 1 by default, So if you’ve got a Zune or Xbox 360 remote handy (both run on channel 8) and an IR receiver connected to your PC, you’re good to go. MORE »

Sure the idea of ripping all your Blu-ray discs to your PC’s hard drive or networked home server sounds appealing, but the reality of going through the process isn’t quite as pleasant — especially when you consider how much storage space you’ll need (an uncompressed Blu-ray movie copy can be 25+ GB in size). Enter the S1Digital Blu-ray Disc Changer (MSRP $1,499). According to the company’s press release (attached below), the S1Digital Blu-ray Disc Changer can supply your Windows Vista / 7 Media Center PC or Windows Home Server an instant catalog of available movies to play or serve up. In addition, S1Digital is bundling in a free copy of the My Movies add-in to manage your collection and pull all the relevant metadata and cover art to keep your library of Blu-ray movies up to date. MORE »

What do you know? Multi-touch has been integrated into an HTPC remote for Windows Media Center. The attached video demo shows how Elan Microelectronics Corp.’s capacitive touchpad Smart Remote Control works in conjunction with Windows 7’s built-in touch features over RF. You’ll notice that it makes browsing photos and web pages on your TV a relatively enjoyable experience. Plus, it can operate in 6 modes: handwriting, mouse, remote control, joystick, presenter, keyboard. No word on pricing or availability, but they should definitely be rolling this gadget out ASAP (a quick search online reveals it’s been under development since early 2009). MORE »

Here’s an intriguing device that made its first appearance at CES. The $119.99 HSTi Wireless Media Stick is a USB dongle that you can attach to any media playback device that can read files from a USB drive (i.e. Blu-ray player, TV, stereo, game console, digital picture frame, etc.). Unlike a traditional thumbdrive with limited storage capacity, the HSTi Wireless Media Stick aggregates shared media files from network connected PCs and presents them to the device its mounted to as if the files were stored natively. Once a file is chosen for playback, the HSTi Wireless Media Stick then streams the file via 802.11n Wi-Fi from the respective computer. MORE »

Now here’s a tempting piece of gear showcased at CES. Iomega this February will be launching a $99.99 NAS adapter, called the iConnect Wireless Data Station, that will take any USB hard drive or thumbdrive and make its contents available through your home network or remotely via 802.11n Wi-Fi or Ethernet. In addition, the iConnect features a built-in DLNA / UPnP media server (for streaming photos, videos, music to computers and digital media adapters), Apple Time Machine compatibility, torrent download manager, and printer server which can all be administered through the product’s web interface. Iomega is even throwing in some of its popular EMC software to help users backup computers and keep files synchronized. Not bad for less than a hundred bucks. MORE »

The folks at Boxee are teasing fans with computer renderings of the remote they plan on shipping with the Boxee Box by D-Link. Being that the images posted are “first drawings [...] of Astro’s original idea,” it’s probably fair to say that the final remote will be slightly different — but we’re hoping not too much. Inspiration from the remote comes unabashedly from Apple’s 6-button remote, but with a QWERTY keyboard twist. UPDATE 1: Gizmodo has pics of the Boxee Box and Remote in the flesh direct from CES. UPDATE 2: Avner Ronen on the Boxee Blog says the QWERTY remote will be sold separately, but will also work with other devices (I’m guessing he means other computers) running Boxee.