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We can't count how many times we've wished for something like this. If car makers have long known the convenience of an electronic remote key, why haven't homebuilders figured out a similar concept for the front door?

Locca Access is one such remote system made by a U.K. company that can unlock your door from up to 50 meters away. (That's about 164 feet to us Yanks.) It can store up to 19 keys and promises to work even in a power outage, running on its own battery for 48 hours.

The kicker? Red Ferret … Read more

Crave has had a longstanding tradition of ranting over indecipherable timepieces (among other things), but usually our tirades are reserved for ill-advised wristwatches. So we were depressed to learn that the inexplicable trend has progressed to the wall in the form of the "ChronoArt II." Don't take our word for it: Red Ferret says the clock pictured here should read 8:30. Sure it does.

We've had it with monthly subscriptions. It's the reason that we haven't gotten rid of our our old TiVo box, which we purchased with a lifetime subscription in 2001, even though it sometimes seems as if we can store only two or three shows on its tiny hard drive.

And as much as we like the idea of satellite radio, we're too stubborn (cheap) to pay any monthly fees for it. All of which is why we're intrigued by the idea of the "Acoustic Energy Wi-Fi Internet Radio."

Sure, we can tune in … Read more

We're saddened to say that there appears to be an infinite supply of date-repellant products on the market. As if we needed more proof, another example has surfaced in the form of a gadget that pays homage to--what a surprise--Star Trek.

VOS Systems has created a talking light dimmer that Chip Chick says features "the voice of Majel Roddenberry (AKA the computer)." The dimmer is equipped with voice-recognition software so you can do your best William Shatner impersonation on it too.

You'll have plenty of time to practice on Saturday nights. Come to think of it, … Read more

We have seen a Hello Kitty alarm clock, a flying alarm clock and even a sonic boom alarm clock. But Clocky may be one of the most interesting alarm clock concepts.

Not only does this alarm clock wake you up, it BASE jumps off your night stand and runs away to make sure you are really awake. You need to chase it down to turn it off.

Clocky, PopGadget noticed, came out as a concept prototype last year and is finally available at Nanda Home for about $50.

The alarm clock offers one snooze option of up to nine minutes … Read more

We had vowed not to post any more items on alarm clocks, but this could be a Valentine's gag gift for a loved one obsessed with 24. As you rightly guessed, the alarm on Banpresto's "DangerBomb Clock" can be disarmed only if the wires are connected in the correct sequence, according to Akihabara News. It might not be quite so lame if they combined this with the "Sonic Bomb," blowing out the eardrums of the hapless victim who doesn't get to it in time. But that's just us.

The onslaught of flat TVs has clearly been confounding for furniture makers, which have lost their staple faux armoires and have been struggling to come up with an equally popular replacement ever since. Evesham, at least, is making an effort to add function to form with a TV stand that also serves as a surround-sound system.

The "Sound Stage X1" matches many of today's plasma and LCD designs with a glossy black and glass finish, which masks nine--count 'em, nine--speakers built into its frame, according to Pocket-lint.

The stand isn't the cheapest at nearly $600, but … Read more

Add NHT to the list of home audio companies aiming to get a piece of the flat-panel TV pie. The respected speaker manufacturer has just announced its Verve line of home-theater speakers, which are specifically designed to complement the flat-panel HDTVs. The Verve line will be available in a variety of configurations ranging in price from $1,359 to $6,750, each of which will comprise two relatively trim models of satellite speakers and one slimline subwoofer.

The two satellite speakers measure 5.5 inches wide and 6.25 deep. The larger one is 15.5 inches high and is … Read more

"Roombas" and "Scoobas" are fine for what they do, but--how shall we say this--they're kind of dumb. The "Microrobot UBOT," on the other hand, is kind of like a Roomba with a college degree.

Rather than randomly vacuum or scrub as it bumps its way about the house, the UBOT senses its target floor, sweeping and mopping at the same time in a single pass while avoiding duplicate cleaning. But just like some overeducated humans we know, it can correctly perform its duties only with the help of others--in this case, bar codes … Read more