Homes and Gardens

Calling this an alarm clock is a vast understatement both in abilities and indeed in size. It has sat by my bed for several days and roused me in the morning even before the buzzer/sounds/radio has sounded simply by it’s built in light.

Over the last few months I have told you about various Oregon products but not the one they are best known for Weather Stations, I got one early in summer and just recently a second model both can prove extremely helpful.

When you hear mention of the name “Air Force” then your thoughts will probably gravitate towards that branch of the armed forces that operates in the sky. However in this case the subject matter is more land-based as it deals with the force of air rather than the force that rules the air. This “Air Force” is a cordless vacuum cleaner from Rowenta.

With three weeks over Christmas and New Year with no events or conferences I am sad to say that DIY finally got to the top of the list, so two new tools from Worx finally got a good test and jobs were completed with ease.

Having first seen an early example of this product at a Panasonic hosted event in Munich, early last year, it has taken until now for me to get my hands on a sample for reviewing. I have to say the wait was worth it.

I have to confess that the continued popularity of digital photo frames has surprised me a little to say the least. Initially I suspected that they would be a passing fad and would quickly loose their original appeal for users.

As my search continues to find a perfect HD box with PVR I move onto this Humax box that I first saw it as a prototype in early summer, now deep into winter one has arrived to be thoroughly tested to see if it meets my high standards.

Three things are certain to start an argument, religion, football and coffee. Stearing well away from the first two I look at my first machine from Nespresso, I have looked at several Dolce Gusto machines but this is my first Nespresso.

The various range of coffee machines from Nescafe bearing the name Dolce Gusto have been amoung the most popular reads, everyone needs coffee to get you going in the morning, some bear the name Krups who make the machine, the coffee that goes in them is Nescafe.

We tend to forget that a radio is a wireless device. As such it could access the Internet and your computer’s digital content.

When showing off your latest power tools for the home, it makes sense to select an appropriate location. In the case of Bosch, this meant a location known as Home Sweet Home. Despite the recent adverse weather conditions, I was there on behalf of Gadgetspeak.

Unlike the unit recently reviewed from Tefal this does not require a stove just a 13amp socket to plug it into. These items used to be called pressure cookers as they cook quickly, now the name is a Multi Cooker as it is versatile.

This gadget is highly recommended as a great value item - you could invest in several job-specific power tools and find that each one in itself was not as accomplished in its job as the Bosch PMF. This is a genuine all-rounder and it is hard to find fault with its design, ability and versatility

A neat cube shaped coffee machine, with Douwe Egberts coffe pods, certainly packs a punch.

The Tefal Actifry Family, lets you cook fried-style food with a fraction of the calorie count. Healthy fried food, made easy.

While this is only a smallish shop they do have a thriving mail order business. I am telling you about just two items from their wide range of gift items that are sourced from places around the globe and I understand the makers are paid a fair wage.

Known for their small precision craft drills Dremel have now introduced the Trio - similar is styling to a small hand-held router or electric jigsaw this versatile tool will cut, rout and sand.

Cooking for Geeks is as much a workshop manual as a cookery book. It discusses the tools, and how to use them; and the components, and how to assemble them; as well as, finally, some plans -- sorry, recipes. It should be very useful to those who want to learn about cooking but need to know what actually is going on. Furthermore, it gives quite a number of tips that could well be new to many experienced cooks.

Many of our often-used gadgets and tools have shrunk in size over the years. In line with this concept Worx has developed a range of tools for the handyman.

I remember well the adverts for Sodastream in my childhood, but only now do I have the pleasure of owning this remarkably handy soft drinks machine. It's fast become one of our favourite kitchen gadgets. As it says on the box SodaStream turns tap water into fizzy drinks in seconds.

The vast majority of items I tell you about are sent for review, however just occasionally I purchase something myself as here with this Currys Essential Upright Freezer that replaces a unit that reached end of life.

Better known for its mobile phones, DECT handsets and walkie talkies, Doro has developed an alarm clock with a choice of wake-up methods

According to the Worx literature, the Sonicrafter is “probably the most useful invention since the Swiss Army knife”. While I think that is rather an exaggeration it is, nevertheless, an extremely useful and versatile power tool that is able to tackle a range of jobs that more conventional power tools cannot deal with. Consequently, it could well enable one to deal with a difficult task and thus be a useful addition to one’s tool kit.

Frying Pan, Saucepan and Pressure Cooker all from Tefal. The first one of the range bearing Jamie Oliver’s name. All were replacing antiquated items and as with most decent new products you wonder why you waited to renew.

During the recent long summer spell of hot weather this was a lifesaver to me. The main difference between a fan and air conditioning, the latter costs a fortune to cool the air down, the former does not cool the air but you feel cooler.

Two rather different products the first for DIY fans that can save expensive redecoration bills as you can get an expect finish via good preparation. The second a tool that could save you a very expensive visit from a plumber.

Like most quality ‘Microwaves’ of recent vintage it is far more than a Microwave. It is a grill, convection oven and Microwave in one and the secret lies in its ability to use any combination of the three at any one time.

Another item that I discovered at a recent Panasonic white goods event that I my ignorance did not know they produced. However as they have been big – mainly in Asia – for around 50 years it is certainly worth a look.

For many a good night’s sleep is rare, others need help in the way of sleeping pills, alcohol or maybe just a milky drink. Here is another way, no pills, no hangover in fact it is just following a light played onto the ceiling above your bed.

This device can check what, how and when causes the astronomical electricity bill. Every modern device tells you somewhere how much power it uses, unfortunately normally few people tend to initially take much notice.