Gizmodo Australia » weatherproof

Mammoth Innovizion 65-Inch Outdoor HDTV Is Fun For the Whole Forest

Jack Loftus — Sun, 12 Apr 2009 17:00:00 +0000

In college, the fellas and I would often drag a TV, couch and beer outside because it was ironic. The practice often led to a busted set. We could have used Innovizion’s gigantic weatherproof TV.

Weatherproof TVs are nothing new, of course, but this one pushed the envelope in terms of size with its mammoth 65-inch HD LCD screen. It’s also wireless, with a transmitter that allows campers (people) and camper (Winnebago) to be separated by more than 50 metres of wildlife, lush green lawn or, in the case of my house at the ol’ alma mater, patches of dead grass, beer cans, and the occasional prone body or two.

Alleged “glare reduction coating” helps when viewing the outdoor TV behemoth in direct sunlight, but the equally large $US35,990 price tag doesn’t really help anyone but Innovizion. Seriously, if you’re going to spend that kind of money anyway, might as well buy a few dozen “normal” HDTVs in a smaller size. As they burn out from moisture, dirt or the rain, simply replace them with a reserve. Stupid, yes, but so is spending $US36,000 on a TV. [Innovizion via Born Rich]

Timelapse Garden Video Camera Watches Your Garden Grow So You Don’t Have to

Dan Nosowitz — Sat, 28 Mar 2009 19:45:00 +0000

Sure, Planet Earth was great. But what if you want to get stoned and gawk at time-lapsed videos of your own garden? The Timelapse Garden Video Camera can make that happen.

The Timelapse Garden Video Camera (henceforth TGVC) is a weatherproof digital camera that’ll take interval photos and combine them into a neat 1280×1024 video file presumably via some custom software. The intervals can be anywhere from every five seconds to every 24 hours, and can shoot objects as close as 50cm away or as far as a 135cm wide view. It comes with a removable 2GB of storage and the battery will last for up to 4 months while taking a picture per hour. It costs $1US59.99, which is awfully cheap considering you’ll pay about the same for a half-decent point-and-shoot that’ll explode upon the first morning dew. Then how will you watch your tomato crop wither and die because you counted on God to water it for you? [Hammacher Schlemmer via OhGizmo]

Submersible Speaker Looks Like Sci-Fi Prop, is Wireless, Illuminating

Gizmodo US Edition — Tue, 27 May 2008 12:50:00 +0000

Looking like something Kubrick would’ve had lying around on the deck of his movie spacecraft, this speaker is designed to add some tunes to your poolside frolicking. Submersible down to 2.7 metres for up to 30 minutes, it’s also weatherproof so can tolerate exposure to the elements. It connects wirelessly to a powered transmitter-dock with an audio-in for an MP3 player, has a range of 45 metres and around a six hour battery life. One transmitter can even support up to 10 speakers. Each speaker also has four ultra-bright LED lights: adding a little moody illumination to your nighttime skinny-dip, perhaps? Available now for US$149.99 for base and a speaker, extra speakers are US$99.99. [NeimanMarcus via 7Gadgets]

Pentax Optio W60 Extreme Weather Cam Good for Dips, Not Dives

Benny Goldman — Thu, 22 May 2008 22:00:00 +0000

The Optio W60 is the most waterproof Pentax cam yet. A step up from the W30, it’s a 10MP point-and-shoot that will survive at depths up to 4 metres for two hours, good enough for the pool, beach and most non-competitive snorkeling. It also handles freezing temps (-10°C) and is certified dustproof against dirt, sand and dust. The Optio features 5x optical zoom, 28mm wide-angle shooting, and HD video recording. It comes in silver and blue and will be out in July for US$330. Maybe this summer I’ll test it against the Olympus 1030SW and others in a Bathtub Battlemodo. Additional picture after the jump. [Pentax]

Finally, An Outdoor TV For Australians

Nick Broughall — Tue, 13 May 2008 02:21:10 +0000

There’s nothing more Australian than a barbecue, unless of course you counter in watching footy. But generally the two don’t really go together – the TV’s generally inside while the barbie is generally outside. Sure, you can walk between the two, but who wants to do that, and either burn your snags or miss a crucial try?

“Bugger that for an idea”, said Melbourne-based Herma Technologies, as they hopped on a plane to Korea to join forces with iizel with the hopes of releasing the Korean company’s trademark outdoor TV screens. “We just want to watch the footy and cook a barbie at the same time”.

And thanks to their pioneering dream, you too can now enjoy the outdoor television experience. Herma Technologies have announced the new range of iizel TVs, including two “HD ready” models with a 1366 x 768 resolution (32-inch and 42-inch), to Full HD, 1920 x 1080 screens (42, 47, 52, 57 and 70-inch sizes available).

There are two ranges available: the standard range, which is suitable for temperatures between 0-45 degrees Celcius, and the Therma range, which will happily cope with temperatures as low as -20 degrees Celcius. The 1500 nits displays are designed to counter glare from the sun, and there’s all the regular connections so you can enjoy HD content too.

Every iizel TV comes with built-in analog and SD tuners, although speakers are optional, as are theft-resistant wall mounting brackets.

Pricing isn’t exactly wallet friendly:
32″ HD Ready – $4,599
42″ HD Ready – $5,799
42″ 1080P – $6,299
47″ 1080P – $8,199

But what price do you put on the perfect barbecue? Oh, only that much, huh? Well, that’s your loss then.

[Herma Technologies]

Bluetrek Updates Their Weatherproof Bluetooth Headset to X3

Jason Chen — Fri, 18 Apr 2008 19:20:00 +0000

It’s been more than two years since Bluetrek dumped their X2 headsets onto the world, which is more than enough time to perfect the design and functionality to make this X3 even better. Is it? Based on the stats, the talk time has decreased from 14 hours to 8, but has gone from 14 grams to 12 grams. It’s also cheaper than the original was, with a US$59 price tag and a launch date of June. Why would anyone need a weatherproof Bluetooth headset? Don’t look at us like we’re the only ones who call their accountants in the shower. [ElectricPig]

Weatherproof TVs Tested With Kool-Aid, Dirt (But No Pee Pee)

Jason Chen — Tue, 15 Apr 2008 00:40:00 +0000

Sound and Vision decided to take two “Weatherproof” outdoor TVs and subject them to months and months of torture in a short amount of time to see just how weather proof they really are. Both the Pantel PAN320 and Aquatic AQ-LCD17S-1 shrugged off dirt, water and fruit punch when poured or sprayed directly on them, but Pantel’s model had grey blobs when under extreme sunlight.

The creator says that this is a feature in the TV to black out certain areas in extreme conditions so the crystals don’t overheat, but it is quite inconvenient when this happens to you (turning the TV away from the sun cures it). Both these sets seem to hold up well under standard outside conditions, it seems, and should be worth your money if you absolutely need to be entertained at all times, even if you’re outdoors. [Sound and Vision]