Maserati garage heaven
Now this is RIGHT up my street!
Onzo – Smart Energy Management
The thought of saving money, doing something good for the environment and having a new gadget to play with sounds good to me.
And it looks like Onzo deliveres all three.
Onzo designs innovative products that empower people through knowledge and understanding. Our smart energy kit, which includes an in-home energy display, sensor and website, enables utilities to put the end user in control.
Having spoken to Robert Clark, their communications manager, I have high hopes for this. It looks great, has some nice design features and benefits, and should be available later this year. A recent press release gave some more details:
The Onzo display breaks new ground by being designed from the outset with the needs of the user in mind. Every interaction is designed to be easy, engaging and useful. Its innovative features include:
• Versatile positioning, with a reversible back that will enable it to be free-standing, attached to a refrigerator or hung from a wall;
• A clear, simple display showing the most useful, actionable information;
• Intelligent EnergyTools with eye-catching symbols;
• A soft rubber surround to make the device tactile and increase its sturdiness;
• Easily rechargeable batteries.
The Onzo sensor clips to one of the cables coming from the electricity meter. It is designed for easy installation by the user. The sensor is pioneering in many ways:
• It “harvests” its power from the cable to which it is attached, removing the need ever to replace its batteries;
• It operates on ultra low power – costing less than a penny for a years’ operation;
• It stores up to 10 years’ data;
• It provides highly accurate measurement of energy consumption.
I’m hoping to be able to review Onzo in the near future so watch this space! Overall, it looks like something which I would use, looks good, so I would want to have it on view, and the link to a computer makes it very useful to look at the data and trending. Good job!
More images below…
Location Awareness – BBC Radio Lincolnshire
Last Monday I had another Radio session over at BBC Radio Lincolnshire on their tech slot. It’s starting to become a regular thing which is great, so a HUGE thanks to them for having me on! 
This week we were talking about location awareness and how it is becoming more and more prevalent. Listen to the chat below!
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Personally, I’m a massive fan of this technology and looking forward to when it matures. At present there are a few competing services, such as
And also Google’s Latitude
If Google bring out an iPhone application for Latitude, it will undoubtedly take off in a big way. At the moment it is limited to using it via the web on your computer or on some phones:
Google Latitude is a feature of Google Maps for mobile on these phones:
- Android-powered devices, such as the T-Mobile G1
- iPhone and iPod touch devices (coming soon)
- most color BlackBerry devices
- most Windows Mobile 5.0+ devices
- most Symbian S60 devices (Nokia smartphones)
Personally, I’m using Brightkite every now and then and used to tinker with fire eagle, but not at the moment. Is anyone using these services regularly and what for? Having spoken with @nofont, he had some great ideas about situation awareness which I talk about on the radio clip – your phone knowing whether you are at home, or out and about, in front of the computer, or in the car. This could start to be VERY useful.
What also really intrigues me is the marketing aspect of this technology. The next level of permission marketing will be location orientated – so services, brands and companies can alert you to things that might interest you. Yes, nig brother really is here. We just need to make sure he has permission to be.
Italian Lambo Police Car!
It doesn’t get much cooler than this – not the car you are going to outrun any time soon….
Is this the new MacBookPro?!
I wish it was, but it isn’t, but you never know! It is in fact a very nice mock up from someone over on MacRumours.
I’m going to be in the market for a new Apple laptop in the next 6 months. My first gen MBP is pretty slow now, has AWFUL battery life (and that is even with a supposed extra capacity battery), and is going to be used to show photos off at weddings (so risking people touching the screen) 
I must say that this mock up looks superb – but I am still lusting after the Air, as long as it has a +2.0 chip.
Catalunya Rally 2003
Well, a slight break from the wonderful world of the web, Apple and Technology, I thought you would like to see a short film I made from when Tom and myself went to the Catalunya Rally in 2003. Speaking of Tom, if anyone sees him, tell him he is rubbish at staying in touch and would be great to get together! (If you’re reading this yourself Tom, lets try and catch up soon!)
Enjoy!
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