GADGETS
What if locking the front door of your home while you’re away was as easy as hopping on the Internet?
At the CEDIA Expo in Denver last week, Ingersoll-Rand Co.’s Schlage unit showed off door locks that can be wirelessly set or opened via the Internet, from a mobile phone or a computer.
The battery-operated locks have keypads that are locked and unlocked with 4-digit access codes (or old-fashioned keys, as a backup). Users who forget to lock a door and want to enter their code remotely can hop onto a Web portal or an application added to their mobile phones. These password-protected portals also let people change, activate or disable the codes.
The company says the wireless signals sent to the locks are encrypted.
A Schlage kit that includes the lock and the wireless bridge to communicate with the locks sells for $299, plus there’s a $13 monthly fee to use the applications that let the locks be controlled remotely. The system, which Schlage bills as the first of its kind, will be available in late October.
HDTVs ready for action: Sports fans, take note: Sharp’s new 42-inch LCD TV delivers high-definition images at fast speeds, allowing you to catch all the details of an action-packed game.
The LC-42SB45U model provides a lifelike 1080p resolution with a pixel response time of 6.5 milliseconds. Thanks to a PC input on the TV, you can also use the TV as a PC monitor. Encased in a black frame, it will go on sale this month for $1,400. Want a bigger screen? The 46-inch LC-46SB54U costs $1,600 while the 52-inch LC-52SB55U is $2,300.
Create wireless music zone: Sonos’ portable ZonePlayer and ZoneBridge devices make it easy to enjoy your favorite music throughout your home and outside on the patio. The nonamplified ZonePlayer 90 plays music that’s transmitted wirelessly through a connected stereo system from another ZonePlayer or a ZoneBridge device connected to your home’s network while the amplified ZonePlayer 120 plays transmitted music through connected speakers. Both players work with a variety of playlists, including iTunes, Windows Media Player and Rhapsody. The ZonePlayer 90 costs $349, the ZonePlayer 120 is $499 and the ZoneBridge is $99.
From wire reports