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Can Sony's 'TransferJet' tech banish cables?

Ian Robson — 1209735240

With Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and soon Ultra WideBand and Wireless USB polluting our airwaves, why does Sony think another wireless technology will prove a success?

Unlike the four mentioned above, Sony's TransferJet technology isn't proposed as a disruptive transmission force: it uses electric induction to transmit data rather than the radiation field antennas used by 802.11 Wi-Fi kit.

This means that TransferJet won't interfere with or be degraded by any surrounding radio signals – and this includes natural interference. Most personal area network applications don't need to be wireless over any significant distance.

Could TransferJet replace USB cables?

Think about what you use wired USB for now; it’s mostly suited to transferring large data files from external storage devices, or perhaps synchronising your smartphone. The common thread is that you are usually not too far away from the device you are transferring to.

What users want is an untethered and seamless connection to a large number of consumer electronics devices, with no setup, no interrogating interface and no connection drop-out when you least expect it.

An exclusive demo at Sony’s Tokyo headquarters revealed the potential of TransferJet. Once a close proximity connection is recognised, TransferJet’s induction coils jump into life with almost instant device ID recognition.

"Just touch two electronic products together and files are transferred automatically. TransferJet eliminates the complex setup procedures required by existing wireless systems, and no access point is necessary. Furthermore, users are also able to register their electronic products to enable TransferJet to recognize specific products. For example, by registering only the devices within their household, users can prevent external data leakage. Operation is also very intuitive, and as there is no host/target relationship, data transfer can take place between mobile phones and PCs for example, as well as between mobile devices." - Sony Develops New Close Proximity Wireless Transfer Technology "TransferJet"

Putting the 'jet' into TransferJet

In each case, the receiving device connected in about a second and transferred around 40 high-res JPEGs in a few more seconds to a connected display. A similarly seamless demonstration was given of a 1080p HD video playing on the screen.

With TransferJet’s real-world transfer rate of around 375Mbps, there’s even enough headroom for simultaneous applications.

With wireless technologies criticised for draining the power from diminutive devices, we asked Sony how much energy TransferJet required for operation. While Sony is playing its cards clse to its chest, it told us that the power used by TransferJet (per bit of data transferred) is a mere fraction of that used by other wireless technologies such as Wireless USB, 802.11a/g and Bluetooth 2.0.

Sony seems to have a front running attitude to what’s required for the public at large. And more importantly, it’s demonstrating full working products already.

Updated: Is a Blu-ray player really worth buying?

Ian Calcutt — 1207839600

High-definition TVs are everywhere but the vast majority of what people watch on them is still old fashioned standard-def material. There are now plenty of choices for getting spectacular HD content onto the screen, not least of which is Blu-ray.

However, there are also lots of HD movies on Sky, you can upscale any DVD to near-HD levels of quality and there's the promise of Freeview HD by 2012. Blu-ray might have won the format war, but is a Blu-ray player really worth getting?

"No," says Ian Calcutt

Blu-ray is not the only way to enjoy an HD quality picture. A good upscaling DVD player (like the Denon DVD-1730 ) will cost a fraction of the price of a next-gen disc spinner, even producing 1080p resolutions in some cases. DVD is hardly about to die out.

Blu-ray hardware is expensive. It's all very well if you're a gamer and have a PlayStation 3 (by far the best Blu-ray player, by the way), but home cinema buffs have to pay over the odds for a decent standalone player.

Ok, so the format war between Blu-ray and HD DVD did create consumer confusion. But the competition did drive hardware prices down to almost ludicrously low levels. Did you know that since HD DVD bowed out, prices of some Blu-ray players have actually gone up?!

HD DVD was pretty finalised as a spec, but Blu-ray's hardware and software are still evolving. Some older Blu-ray players have no Ethernet ports for accessing upgrades and interactive disc features via broadband. Many also lack outputs to make the most of the picture and sound that discs can deliver. Some players don't support 7.1 channel audio and many don't meet the latest v1.3 spec of HDMI , allowing for better colour and lip-sync. Don't buy a Blu-ray player unless it supports the full Profile 2.0 spec.

You can get HD movies, sport, drama and documentaries from satellite and cable TV. Both platforms also use PVR technology for on-demand HD viewing.

Finally, the internet will become an increasingly important way to deliver HD. So, unless you really must build up a collection of discs on your shelf, why do you even need another disc player? Microsoft's Xbox Live already offers HD downloads to subscribers and you should expect other download services (including Apple's iTunes) to follow suit in the future. Why do we need another disc format, when digital delivery is obviously the next big thing?

"Yes," says Matt Hastings

Blu-ray won the high-def disc war, so it's the only way to watch true HD movies on your TV (unless you're a Sky HD or Virgin Media subscriber).

Even the best upscaling DVD players are no match for genuine HD source material. Why stick with DVD's dated video system (based on very lossy MPEG-2 compression) and rely on an upscaler's guesswork at what bits of the image are missing? Get the whole thing for real on Blu-ray disc. For those movies you still own on DVD, Blu-ray players upscale too, so you get the best of both worlds.

The average TV is getting bigger as technology improves and relative prices come down. Normal DVD pictures are going to start looking increasingly worse in the months and years to come. As a delivery system for HD, Blu-ray is a natural fit for big TVs.

Blu-ray can support films in the higher quality 1080p progressive scan format. Some players also offer a 24 frames-per-second output for as close a match to the original cinema copy as possible. You don't get 1080p with HDTV broadcasts and HD DVD players are not yet 24fps-compatible.

The audio capabilities of Blu-ray also far exceed those of DVD. Lossless high-end formats such as Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD are making movies sound as good as they did to the engineers in the mastering suite.

Like computer memory, you rarely realise how much you're going to want until you're outgrowing your system. At 50GB, Blu-ray has the highest capacity among disc-based media. And its future potential for storing top-notch pictures and high-bandwidth sound is currently unbeatable. Blu-ray can also be put to many other uses, from HD computer games on Sony's PS3 to backing up massive amounts of PC data.

Updated: 10 of the best 32-inch HD TVs

John Archer — 1207825200

Did you know that 32-inch TVs have apparently now been usurped by 37-inch models as the UK's TV size of choice? Nevertheless, the humble 32-incher still has a heck of a lot to offer. It satisfies two completely different buyers: people after a decent-sized TV for their decent-sized living room; and those more TV-centric people who fancy a second high-def TV in the house.

So now that we've established just how many of you could potentially be interested in buying a 32-inch LCD, it's time we got down to business. Here's TechRadar's Top Ten best 32-inch TVs... all HD ready, of course... (prices quoted are best online prices as of 10 April)

10. Sharp LC32AD5E, £449

The LC32AD5E is Sharp’s current entry-level, HD Ready set with no frills and an appealing price.

An extensive selection of connections include the now de rigueur two HDMIs (version 1.2 not 1.3, sadly), a component video input and a PC port. It's a good-looking set, and while colours can tend to look a little off-key during dark scenes, the performance is good for the price point. The factory picture settings don't do the Sharp LC32AD5E justice.

The occasional weak colour tones are counter balanced by some really intense, vibrant saturations. And we were also impressed by the crispness of the LC32AD5E’s HD playback. [Read the full Sharp LC32AD5E review]

Key specs: * 1366x768 native resolution * Digital tuner * two HDMI inputs * VGA port * 19kg

9. Hitachi 32LD9700, £689

There was a time when this now slightly ageing LCD TV was pretty much state of the art. But it's now being usurped from its class-leading position by younger, fitter models. Nevertheless, its punchy, noiseless, colour-rich and ultra-stable pictures, neat design and unusually wide viewing angle still combine to make it one to consider. Especially now that age appears to have substantially withered its price... [Read full Hitachi 32LD9700 review]

Key specs: * 1366x768 native resolution * Digital tuner * Picture Master HD processing * two HDMI inputs * 28kg (weight)

8. Panasonic Viera TX-32LXD700, £700

This is the first of three Panasonic LCD models to make our top 10 - not bad for a brand supposedly more into plasma. With outstanding pictures and features galore, the 32LXD700 is actually Panasonic's flagship 32-inch LCD.

So why isn't it higher up our chart? Because we don't think its distinguishing features of an extra HDMI port, SD card slot and more powerful speaker system justify the price hike over the brand's cheaper models. [Read full Panasonic Viera TX-32LXD700 review]

Key specs: * 1366x768 native resolution * Digital tuner * V-Real 2 and 100Hz processing * two HDMI inputs * 19kg (weight)

7. Panasonic Viera TX-32LMD70, £434

And so we come to Panasonic's second top 10 model. And this one's actually the brand's entry-level offering. Which means that, as well as the third HDMI, SD card slot and enhanced audio of the 32LXD700, it also lacks that model's 100Hz processing for smoother, crisper motion handling.

But while we do certainly miss 100Hz here, the set still manages to deliver a performance that trounces the majority of its direct competitors. [Read full Panasonic Viera TX-32LMD70 review]

Key specs: 1366x768 native resolution * Digital tuner * V-Real 2 processing * two HDMI inputs * 19kg (weight)

6. Sony KDL-32D3000, £599

In terms of specifications and features, the first of Sony's 'proper' second-generation Bravia LCDs is outstanding. New v1.3 HDMIs, 100Hz processing, 24fps signal handling and 10-bit colour reproduction join the already impressive Bravia Engine imaging system.

Our only quibble is that it's hard to appreciate the full worth of some of these features on a 32-inch screen, which makes the TV look a touch expensive. [Read full Sony KDL-32D3000 review]

Key specs: 1366x768 native resolution * Digital tuner * Bravia and 100Hz processing * three v1.3 HDMI inputs * 17.5kg (weight)

5. Philips 32PF9641D, £678

Philips has a confusing habit of using different generations of its Pixel Plus picture processing system on different models across its LCD range. And it turns out that the Pixel Plus version on the 32PF9641D is now two generations old.

But that doesn't stop the TV from producing superbly sharp, detailed, colour-rich and high-contrast images. Instead it just means you can pick the set up for a relative song. Kerching! [Read full Philips 32PF9641D review]

Key specs: 1366x768 native resolution * Digital tuner * Pixel Plus 2 HD processing * two HDMI inputs * 23kg (weight)

4. LG 32LB75, £479

Obviously we're not so shallow as to be seduced by looks alone. But, well, they do help... And anyway, even though the first TV from LG's new Design Art range is possibly the prettiest 32-inch TV ever, that's certainly not the end of its charms. It also boasts all manner of excellent features - including 1080p/24fps compatibility and LG's XD Engine processing - and comfortably LG's best LCD pictures yet.

Key specs: 1366x768 native resolution * Digital tuner * Advanced XD Engine processing * three HDMI inputs * 12.6kg (weight)

3. Panasonic Viera TX-32LXD70, £599

We've picked Panasonic's mid-range 32-inch LCD, the 32LXD70, as the brand's highest-placed model for the simple reason that it seems to offer the best combination of price and features.

Plus, of course, with 100Hz processing on hand to join the ever-dependable Panasonic V-Real image engine, its pictures are an absolute joy from start to finish. [Read full Panasonic Viera TX-32LXD70 review]

Key specs: 1366x768 native resolution * Digital tuner * V-Real 2 and 100Hz processing * two HDMI inputs * 23kg (weight)

2. Samsung LE-32R87BD, £406

Samsung's enviable position as the world's biggest producer of LCD screens means it can sell LCD TVs like the 32R87BD at prices rival brands frankly have to crucify themselves to match.

Crucially, the 32R87BD's appeal isn't exclusively its groundbreaking price. It's also adorable to look at, crammed with unexpected features and flexibility, and - with the exception of a little motion blur - a really excellent performer to boot. [Read full Samsung LE-32R87BD review]

Key specs: 1366x768 native resolution * Digital tuner * DNIe and Movie Plus processing * three HDMI inputs * 13.1kg (weight)

1. Philips 32PFL9632D, £763

This Philips model may not be the most expensive in our top 10, but it's also comfortably the best. Driving it right to the top of our 32-inch pile is its remarkable new Perfect Pixel Engine processing, which works in tandem with an innovative multi-source backlight system to largely eradicate LCD's problems with motion handling. At the same time, it serves up sensational sharpness, colours and black levels. Truly benchmark stuff. [Read full Philips 32PFL9632D review]

Key specs: 1366x768 native resolution * Digital tuner * Perfect Pixel Engine processing * three HDMI inputs * 18.2kg (weight)

Geek Girls taking over

Audley Jarvis — 1206969637

A US study has found that women have become more adept than men at using some forms of technology, and are more likely to engage with social networking sites. However men still rule the roost when it comes to movie downloads.

The Women and Digital Lifestyles study was carried out by US market research company Solutions Research Group and interviewed over 2000 women of various ages.

The study (PDF link) found that women are more likely than men to stream online content from network TV websites, with 18 per cent of respondents claiming they had watched a stream during the past month, compared to 11 per cent of men.

Women better at video

Women are more at home with digital video recorders (DVR) too, with US women found to be using such technology an average 9.3 times a week, compared to 8.3 times by men.

Men still dominate the console gaming sector by some margin, even though the number of women playing console games had risen three percent from 2007’s figures to 38 per cent.

However women were found to have moved ahead of men in the PC gaming sector, with 70 per cent of women claiming they had played a PC game in the past month.

Men better at piracy

The survey also found that US women have taken to social networking more keenly than men, with 42 per cent of online women using sites like Facebook and MySpace compared to 41 per cent of men.

In fact the only major area where men continue to dominate is in digital movie and TV downloads. The survey found that man were 1.5 to 2 times more likely than women to use P2P software, or buy shows from iTunes.

The future of technology is 'hacked'

PC Plus magazine — 1206100095

Pretty much everything in the world of tech these days is being hacked, either unofficially - in the case of iPhones - or with the manufacturers' blessing, as in the case of Intel and AMD.

Intel's 'Bad Axe' motherboards, for example, make it easy to overclock your CPU, and AMD-owned ATI provides an overclocking tool called OverDrive with its Radeon graphics cards.

Meanwhile Apple admits that 1.45 million of its iPhones are 'missing in action', which means they've almost certainly been hacked to run on other phone networks or to run unapproved applications.

The company has tried to fight the trend by 'bricking' iPhones - issuing software updates that disable hacked phones altogether - but it can't hold back the hacking tide. As soon as Apple has disabled a hack on the iPhone, the race is on to hack the firmware again.

It seems that if you can't beat 'em, you need to join 'em. Apple has already demoed its iPhone/iPod Software Development Kit (SDK), which will enable developers to supplement or replace the iPhone's standard applications. The hacking community has already unlocked it.

Meanwhile Google and Intel are offering eminently customisable, Linux-based platforms for phones and PCs in the form of Google's Android OS for phones and Intel's Mobile Internet Device (MID) platform for small portable PCs. Things are getting interesting.

Personal computing gets more personal

The open source Google Android platform brings the DIY/customisation ethic to mobile phones, a platform previously famed for the networks' strict rules on what applications handsets could run. Personal technology, it seems, is about to get even more personal.

Don't like your PC's performance? Hack the CPU. Wish your phone was a better games machine? Hack it and install an emulator. Don't like the way the web works? Install Firefox's Greasemonkey add-on and bend the entire Internet to your will. Reckon Half-Life 2 would be better if it featured a virtual Eamonn Holmes doing handstands? Build your own mod.

In many cases hacking can make an existing product even more attractive and boost sales. Some products have even been improved. TiVo devotees, for example, added Wi-Fi to the company's first-gen DVRs; while coders added applications such as My Movies and MCE Customiser to Microsoft's early Media Center software builds.

On a very basic level, how many of you hacked your DVD players to unlock its region coding? Sites like DVDexploder exist for precisely this reason.

Hardware firms now know that if they don't support the very lucrative modding market, their rivals will. Software developers know that community-created add-ons and extensions can make their programs more compelling.

And websites and services know that the more goodies they can offer, the more people will use their services - which is why Google and Yahoo! encourage developers to build 'mashups' from their various online services, Facebook offers an application development platform to annoy users more efficiently and publishing platforms such as Wordpress use 'widgets' to integrate popular services such as Flickr or Google AdSense.

There goes your data

When you install a widget built by Google or Microsoft you can be confident that it's not up to anything dodgy, but can you say the same for a third-party website add-on from a developer you've never heard of?

The risk from malicious online applications is fairly small - the very nature of the Internet means any dodgy deeds would be quickly exposed and widely publicised - but there are real concerns over data privacy and security.

For example, if you install a third-party Facebook application you'll be warned that Facebook doesn't screen or approve application developers and cannot control what they do with your data. As application developers are global, it's safe to assume that they neither know nor care about the Data Protection Act or other UK-specific legislation.

Website mashups - such as combining mapping services with other sources of data - are a particular concern, because by aggregating multiple data sources they can create worrying new applications.

As Tom Owad describes on AppleFritter, it's relatively easy to combine mapping data with Amazon wish lists. As he demonstrates, once you've done that you can see where, say, people who want to read 1984 live - and zoom right in to have a look at their house.

Add in someone's Flickr photos, the classified ads they've posted online, their Facebook news feed and the electoral roll data used by sites such as 192.com and you've got an extremely comprehensive picture of someone's life.

Middling security

Another concern about mashups and third-party applications is what's known as a man-in-the-middle attack. As IBM Research's Paul Karger told the 2007 IEEE Web 2.0 Security and Privacy Workshop, "With mashups, the presence of a man-in-the-middle is totally legitimised. The operator of the mashup might be trustworthy, or the operator might be an evil attacker, and the end user has no way of knowing the difference."

Even if the middleman is legitimate, that doesn't mean your data is secure. No matter how well various websites and services protect your data, if the site that combines them doesn't take security equally seriously then it's a very weak link in the chain - and a potential goldmine for the various villains that infest the Internet.

For most of us, though, the risks of open platforms and online data are massively outweighed by the benefits. After all, if it weren't for openness the Internet as we know it wouldn't exist. Would you trade today's Internet for the walled garden days of CompuServe and AOL? No, neither would we.

Apple TV DVR worth 'billions', says analyst

Don Reisinger — 1205833523

Apple could walk away with 'billions' if the company releases an Apple TV DRV, says American Technology Research analyst Shaw Wu. His comments were made in response to the recently uncovered patent filing of an Apple TV DVR boasting recording and playback controls of live programming.

Wu believes the DVR features outlined in the patent filing could be found in the third or fourth iteration of the Apple TV. They would finally turn the device into a profitable business venture instead of the 'hobby' Steve Jobs was quick to call it when it was first introduced last year, he said.

Apple TV is a 'minor contributor'

"We estimate Apple TV to be a very minor contributor today at 0.3-0.4 per cent of revenue or $100-125 million (£50-60 million) annually," Wu wrote in a note to clients. "We believe adding the ability to watch and record live TV could turn this into a billion dollar, if not multi-billion dollar business."

Wu contends that adding DVR features to the Apple TV would increase the cost of the product by a "negligible amount". He believes it fits into Apple's plan of upgrading the device on a more consistent basis with features that consumers have been asking for all along.

Apple declined to comment on the possibility of an Apple TV DVR, but judging by the sudden increase in rumours surrounding the upgrade, look for more on this in the coming weeks.

CD burner that's a 1TB hard drive

Audley Jarvis — 1204822742

Industrial CD-ripping specialist Ripfactory has turned its attention towards the home audio server market with the launch of a new automated burner that doubles up as a 1TB Network Storage Device. No, that wasn't a typo: this little ripper really can store one terabyte of music. That's around 250,000 individual MP3s at 4MB a track.

Called the Ripserver, it looks much like any other square black box, but plugs into a network connection and can be used to automatically rip CDs to a user-selected bitrate in either FLAC or MP3 format. Simply insert the disc and it’ll do the rest, adding all freshly ripped content to the media library before gently spitting the disc out when it’s done.

Rip Van Winkle

The device runs on a Linux operating platform and is configured via a simple web browser interface. In addition to the actual music, it’ll also store useful metadata including album covers. A USB port also allows secondary or backup storage devices to be attached.

Taking care of media server duties, the Ripserver’s integrated UPnP server includes both Twonkymedia and SqueezeCenter for media serving to any network-connected audio device.

Compatible with a host of media server devices from the likes of Buffalo, Escient, Sonos, Logitech, Netgear, Sony and Philips, the Ripfactory Ripserver is available now. It'll set you back £599 for the 500GB model and £699 for its 1TB big brother.

Niko joins the io-homecontrol alliance

TechRadar Staff — 1204220847

Niko NV has joined the io-homecontrol alliance – an open grouping of European companies pooling their technical know-how in order to produce simple yet reliable wireless home automation systems for everything from lighting to security systems.

Belgian company Niko will bring its specialist electrical switching solutions knowledge to the alliance, affording io-homecontrol users the freedom to control light intensity, colour and ambiance

In addition to Niko, io-homecontrol also comprises; ASSA ABLOY door solutions; Honeywell International control technologies; HÖRMANN Group doors; Somfy motors and VELUX windows.

Interview: Philips on what's next for the digital home

Mary Branscombe — 1203079517

As the head of R&D for Philips, Johan van de Ven ought to know what’s going to happen in the technology market. We asked him to give us his predictions for the future of home and mobile entertainment.

Now we’ve all got flat screens and HD systems, what’s next? Will we all be putting a PC in the living room? If you look at connectivity in the home - the jury is still out. But in general, we still have a few big hurdles especially for internet connected products and wireless connectivity in the home. What a consumer is still looking for is the value proposition - what is in it for me?

But probably even more important is how do I operate it in a simple way? People are puzzled - they are actually taken aback by the complexity of setting things up. Sometimes it works flawlessly and you are pleasantly surprised, but mostly it’s still a job that requires lot of attention, a lot of time, a lot of manuals - which I think is keeping us back.

Why is connectivity still so tricky?
Standards are still not mature everywhere. There’s the 11s [802.11 wireless standards] but also something as simple as HDMI. HDMI is more or less a standard but in the new versions there are still disputes among the founders, what exactly should be in and what’s not, and that doesn’t make life easier for consumer.

And what’s the Philips solution?
We have to create more simplicity and better user interfaces. The PC has become an intrinsic part of the equation. But the PC is almost a synonym for complexity. It’s difficult to set up. When you plug all the cables then the misery starts. The moment people have to start looking for the manuals you know you have missed the opportunity.

If you browse through the manual of a Philips product in the future, you will still be able to find out which connectivity standards it uses - 802.11 g, a, b, n, or anything else - but you will have to browse through and look for the technology specs. Consumers shouldn’t have to care.

What services do people want? Is the digital home still about music and video and TV – or is it home automation and remote control?
In the US most households now have more than one set top box in the home; with DirecTV the average is three. People want to have one of these boxes and connect them up wirelessly and connect the other rooms through this one central point.

I have a lot of MP3 music on the hard disk and I have some sort of a home network - but I still have problems making it work all the time which means I'm copying USB disks all the same time.

Consumers would like access to their music from all the rooms in their home from the same source where it’s being managed. With multimedia we’re further along the learning curve than home automation and control but there’s also energy and sustainability.

The user interface for all of this is going to be very important. If you want to manage your music and video content from another room then you have to have the user interface to browse and to stream; user interface and remote control is very much part of the solution.

And that’s true for home automation. Lighting, climate, temperature in your home, maybe even moisture control, multimedia content, security - they can all go through the same system. I absolute see this coming. But we’re missing the standards, we’re missing the ecosystems and we’re missing the business models.

Are mobile phones going to become music players and portable TVs? Are we going to connect them in the living room?
I have a [Nokia] N95 and I use my phone as an MP3 player which is a trend - most people will be doing that in the future. We have worked with Nokia but it’s extremely challenging to make this really work.

Flash is growing at an amazing rate; 8GB storage sticks are becoming normal, soon it will be 16 and 32GB. You’ll have unlimited storage on the flash memory - why shouldn’t you be able to use your mobile phone as your NAS?

You can enjoy video wherever you have a screen to enjoy it. There’s TV content that’s relevant on the go - news flashes, certain long tail content, YouTube clips. There’s already video on mobile phones. But people want to really enjoy premium video in an environment where you have everything you want.

We want to bring something more than just a TV picture, to try to create a total experience in the TV room or the media room or the home cinema. It’s also about light and sound and video. TV on your mobile - would you pay for a subscription? Will you look at ads? Will there be TV on mobile - there will. Is it the same TV experience as TV at home – no.

Disney’s New 'House of the Future'

Adam Hartley — 1202916564

Want to know what 'the future' is going to look like? Of course you do.

Disney has announced plans today that it is to open a new ‘House of the Future’ attraction at Disneyland's Tomorrowland this coming May.

The $15 million, 5,000-square-foot attraction is a collaboration of The Walt Disney Company, Microsoft, Hewlett-Packard, software maker LifeWare and homebuilder Taylor Morrison.

Showcasing the digital lifestyle

Disney’s new ‘smart’ house is set to look like a normal suburban home outside, but inside is set to feature cutting-edge hardware, software and touch-screen systems to simplify modern living, all being demonstrated by Disney actors.

"It's much different than a spiel that you would get at a trade show," said Dave Miller, director of alliance development for Walt Disney Parks & Resorts. "We won't get into the bits and the bytes. It will be about the digital lifestyle and how that lifestyle can help you."

What the future used to be like

Disney’s last "House of the Future" was a pod-shaped, plastic dwelling that opened in the late 1950s and only stayed open until 1967.

"The 1950s home didn't look like anything, anywhere. It was space-age and kind of cold," according to Sheryl Palmer, president and chief executive of Taylor Morrison. "We didn't want the (new) home to intimidate the visitors. We want the house to be real accessible to our guests."

In the latest version, there is talk of systems to allow residents to transfer digital photos, videos and music among televisions and computers in different rooms at the click of a button and touch-screen technology built into appliances, furniture and countertops.

Hang on a second! This isn’t ‘the future’, surely we can do all of this stuff already?

Not waiting for robots

“The home will also feature new uses for devices that many visitors may already own, as well as technologies that are still five or 10 years down the road,” said Mike Seamons, vice president of marketing at home automation software specialists LifeWare

"If people walk through there and say, 'I don't have anything in this house at all,' then we've totally failed," Seamons said. "We're not waiting for robots to happen in order for it to be a reality."

Source: Associated Press