It’s called Uppleva and it means “experience.” These new home entertainment units aren’t just the pieces of furniture where you can hang your HDTV — IKEA already has that kind of thing going on — but instead, it’s a complete kit that includes the entertainment unit, of course, but it also incorporates an LED TV, 2.1 sound system (with wireless subwoofer), Wi-Fi for smart TV features, and DVD/Blu-ray players. As with all other IKEA products, you’ll get a few options for colors and configurations, but they’ll all have to be put together yourself when you get home unless you want to pay for assembly.

So, who has IKEA partnered with to make these TVs? Samsung? LG? Sony? Nope, none of the above. Instead, the Swedish company has turned to TCL of China, the same manufacturer responsible for RCA products in the United States and Alcatel products in Europe. The LED panels are presumably 1080p full HD and IKEA is saying they have a 400Hz refresh rate, four HDMI inputs, two USB ports, and DivX HD support. They’ll be offered in four sizes and work with a single remote.

Pricing for the base model starts at SEK 6,500 ($995) and it goes up from there. Initial launch is being planned this fall in Sweden, France, Italy, Poland, Spain, Denmark, Norway, and Portugal. Worldwide availability follows in spring 2013.

[Source]

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From controlling a TV to helping us park our cars, smartphones these days are capable of doing a lot of things that make our lives a whole lot easier. And now you can add the Ikea SPOKA lamp to the list. The image above is not from the set of a new sci-fi movie, it’s a Spoka night lamp from Ikea being hacked  for Android automation.

The Spoka lamp includes an ATtiny2313 and an RS232 Bluetooth module, which will allow the lamp itself to be controlled with a standard Android-running smartphone.

What’s the big deal in coming up with such a hack, you ask? Well, the lamp originally features two modes which you can select with a switch at the top. Either you can select the slow change between blue, red and orange colors while dimming the intensity or you can keep the same colour and intensity. The hack will allow you to customize the patterns of light that the lamp can display. And later on you can also have it synchronize to music playback.

Maybe in the not too distant future, you can set your lamp to start flashing when someone pokes you on Facebook or have different colors indicate different things. Check out the video and you can leave your thoughts below.

[ source ]

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Moving can be a lot of hard work. You’ve got all that furniture and, well, it doesn’t all fit together like a good game of Tetris. Overcoming this common life dilemma is Casulo by Marcel Krings and Sebastian Muhlhauser. They’ve managed to fit an entire bedroom in a four-foot box.

Dubbed Casulo, which is the Portuguese word for cocoon, this contraption is a tightly designed box that contains a complete set of bedroom furniture. The two guys from the Koln International School of Design created the prototype Casulo in 2007 and, when packed up, it measures just 47.2 x 35.4 x 31.5 inches. Inside that box are a bed, mattress, tall shelves, two stools, height-adjustable chair, a desk with a separate cabinet, and an armoire to hang clothes.

Don’t believe me? There is a video that demonstrates exactly how this thing works and it’s pretty amazing. If you thought IKEA was clever with its packing, you’ve got to see this… the kicker is that the furniture can then be easily disassembled and shoved back into that four-foot box. Moving day couldn’t be easier. The whole shi-bang weighs about 350 pounds.

Another bold claim made by Krings and Muhlhauser? It will “never show signs of wear and tear.” Furniture that lasts forever, packs up easily, and completely populates your bedroom. Pretty crazy if you ask me, but great for someone constantly on the move.

[GizMag via Casulo]

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