Philips' range of myLightAccent household accessories

Rainbow connection

Add a touch of colour to your parties with Philips' range of myLightAccent household accessories

by Ryhan Bte Mohd Yazid

Updated 02:21 PM Dec 21, 2011

Want to brighten up your house this Christmas, New Year and every other day of the year? Here's a nifty idea: Employ Philips' range of myLightAccent party gear.

With Philips' help, you may bring life - or in this case, colour - to even a glass of plain water.

Philips' myLightAccent range brings the hues of the rainbow into your home, says its press brochure. It will, at least, provide a talking point for your guests regardless.

Boasting a proprietary technology centred on LED lights and wireless induction charge, the myLightAccent range includes a vase, wine cooler, platter and coasters. All of these items feature colour adjustable ethereal glow, which can be set to change colours while your guests stare at it obsessively.

They also have an adjustable white-light brightness, soft-touch controls and are cordless and portable. The vase, platter and wine cooler are also weatherproof - for indoor and outdoor use - and tap washable. They are also scratch-resistant so they stay fresh even after prolonged use.

The Philips myLightAccent cooler, platter, vase and coasters are available at selected Philips Home Lighting stores and authorised Philips Lighting retailers.

Philips myLightAccent coasters

Add a dash of colour to your drinks this party season with the Philips myLightAccent coasters. Boxed in sets of four, the coasters offer six hours of operating charge on a 10-hour charge. The coasters are scratch-resistant, so when the party gets a little rowdy, your coasters stay safe. Colour code your coasters to match your drinks, or to identify your guests' cups - either way, it will be the light of the party. The Philips myLightAccent coasters are available at S$139 for a box of four.



Philips myLightAccent platter

Now that your coasters are glowing, let the appetisers take centrestage with the Philips myLightAccent platter. The lights glow softly from the bottom of the platter, perfectly complementing any glass or marble tabletop. However, do take note to choose the correct colour that would make your dishes look more appetising or you might find yourself saddled with lots of leftovers. The Philips myLightAccent platter retails for S$199.



Philips myLightAccent vase

With Philips myLightAccent vase, even nature is given an added chromatic boost. The soft glow emanating from the top and the bottom of the vase produces a very calming effect while its transparent body ensures the light show does not detract from the brilliant hues of nature - while boosting paler shades. The Philips myLightAccent vase is priced at S$249.



Philips myLightAccent cooler

Metal wine buckets are so last year. The Philips myLightAccent cooler is a transparent multi-hued wonder that will only get more interesting as the night wears on - and the bottles pile up. Choose to have a slow-changing hue or just to keep the one glow on through the night. This aperitif light show will definitely add a splash of colour to your shindig. The Philips myLightAccent platter retails for S$249 at any authorised Philips Lighting retailer.

Source:  http://www.todayonline.com/TechandDigital/EDC111220-0000097/Rainbow-connection

Read more...

Motorola working on two Razr-inspired tablets

02:13 PM Dec 05, 2011

NEW YORK - According to a report by Wired, Motorola will unveil two tablets before the year is out.

Crediting CNET, the Wired report said Motorola is working on at least two new Android tablets to launch on the Verizon 4G network.

They will be the first since the Xoom was launched in America in February.

The tablets will be called the 'Xyboard' and come in 8-inch and 10-inch iterations. They will be stamped with Motorola's famed Droid branding, said Wired.

According to CNET, which managed to get both devices, the tablets pack dual-core, 1.2GHz processors with 1GB of RAM. It is unclear if they are NVIDIA Tegra chips.

Both tablets have front- and back-cameras with screens shielded by the scratch-proof Corning Gorilla Glass, said CNET.

Wired observed the new tablets have taken more design cues from Motorola's smartphone Razr rather than the soft, rounded corners of the Xoom.

According to Wired, Motorola will do well to learn from the mistakes that plagued the Xoom's launch. While the tablet was the first to launch with Android 3.0, aka Honeycomb - the first Android OS built for tablets - the first Xoom tablets were priced too high for consumers.

Add to that its close launch date to Apple's iPad 2 and Motorola was faced with significant consumer indifference, said Wired.

Motorola sold 440,000 Xooms in the first three months of its launch, said Wired. Compared to Apple's 10 milliont iPad 2 over the same period.

According to the CNET report, Motorola's strategy this time is to market the 10-inch tablet to the enterprise crowd and push the 8-inch set as a media-consumption device.

Neither Verizon nor Motorola has acknowledged CNET's scoop. AGENCIES

Source:  http://www.todayonline.com/TechandDigital/Digital/EDC111205-0000100/Motorola-working-on-two-Razr-inspired-tablets

Read more...

iToys For Kids

This product photo provided by Crayola, shows the Crayola Color Studio and iMarker. AP

NEW YORK - Make room in the toy box for the iPad.

Crayola allows tots to doodle on the iPad using its iMarker just as they would a crayon on a coloring book. Tweens are able to belt out their favorite Miley Cyrus and Selena Gomez tunes on a Disney microphone that turns the tablet into a karaoke machine. And technology accessories company Griffin enables teens to fly its toy helicopter by using the iPhone as a remote control.

This holiday season, toy makers have turned Apple's pricey tablet and smartphone into playthings for  

kids. They figure in this weak economy, parents will be willing to splurge on toys for their children that utilise devices they already have - or want - themselves.

Ms Tiffany Fessler of Gainsville, Georgia, certainly was willing to do that even though when she initially bought her US$829 (S$1,065) iPad she never imagined she'd be sharing it with her 20-month-old son. But whenever she sat down to check emails on the iPad, he would climb onto her lap to use it.

So, Ms Fessler decided to get him the US$29.99 Crayola iMarker, which transforms the iPad into a digital coloring book using a Crayola's free ColorStudio HD app that parents can download. Kids can draw and color using the iMarker, which has a soft tip so it does not scratch the tablet's glass screen.

"When you have a screaming toddler in a restaurant or any public area, you want to have something to calm him down with," said Ms Fessler. "This is just another way to keep him entertained."

That the iPad and iPhone have infiltrated the US$22 billion toy market this season is no surprise. Smartphones and tablets - particularly Apple products - are more popular than ever with people of all ages. This year, Apple is expected to double the number of iPhones sold to 90.6 million worldwide, according to research firm Gartner, while the number of iPads sold is expected to triple to 46.7 million.

And Apple products have a certain "cool factor" with kids that toy companies, which can make up to half of their revenue during the holidays, are hoping to tap into. In fact, the iPad and iPhone are among the most coveted electronics this holiday season among kids. About 44 per cent of 6- to 12-year-olds want the iPad this year, according to a survey by research firm Nielsen. The iPod touch came in the No 2 spot with 30 per cent, followed by the iPhone at 27 per cent.

Not to mention, anyone who's a parent knows all too well that babies and older kids alike love to fiddle with or drool all over mommy's iPad. Nearly 40 per cent of 2-to 4-year-olds have used a smartphone, iPad or video iPod, according to a survey by nonprofit group Common Sense Media. That number rises to 52 per cent for 5- to- 8 year olds. And even 10 per cent of infants have used one of the devices before their first birthday.

"It's mostly something for kids to use in the car or at the doctor's office," said toy analyst Chris Baynes. "It's a way to get the kid to be quiet."

With that in mind, Crayola teamed up with Nashville, Tennessee-based Griffin Technology, which is mostly known for selling iPhone and iPad cases and car chargers, to make the iMarker and the ColorStudio HD app for kids. The iMarker, which is like a stylus that resembles a Crayola marker, is targeted at children ages three and up.

"Regardless who they buy it for, once it is in the household, we know that kids use it," said vice president of marketing at Crayola Vicky Lozano.

Analysts say these toys are just the beginning of a new niche for toy makers. Indeed, most of the companies say they plan to roll out more products for smartphones and tablets - including some that use Google's Android software - next year.

"I think it's going to be a growing segment," said Jim Silver, editor-in-chief at toy review website TimeToPlaymag.com. "Next year, there will be even more (products) than you can possibly imagine." AP

02:18 PM Dec 06, 2011

Source;  http://www.todayonline.com/TechandDigital/Digital/EDC111206-0000106/iToys-For-Kids

Read more...