European Custom Installer

A surprise Amazon event has the online book retailer turned cloud and hardware giant present a list of Alexa-powered devices refreshed and new as long as your arm, with the most surprising offering being an Amazon microwave. No, really.

Released under the AmazonBasics brand, the smart microwave offers Alexa controls and a Dash button allowing one to instantly order popcorn. It does not have built-in voice control, but pairing with a nearby Echo device provides such functionality. It offers 700W of power and has a number of built-in quick-cook presets for food preparation made (even) easier.

Another oddball Amazon products is the Wall Clock-- a 10-inch, well, wall clock able to pair with Alexa devices and visualise any alarms or timers through a ring of 60 LEDs. Amazon also offers means to add more voice-controlled smarts to devices with the Echo Smart Plug, which provides voice controls to anything connected to an electrical outlet.

Accessory maker YesOJO has what looks like a clever solution for adding more kick to the Nintendo, in terms of both battery and audio power-- a speaker dock adding a pair of speakers and battery pack.

YesOJO is the company behind a projector dock for the Switch, and the speaker dock appears to follow similar lateral thinking in product design. Designed for use with the console in tabletop mode, it has a recess allowing one slot the Switch in place and promises both better sound and a more sturdy base compared to the built-in kickstand.

The dock also adds a cooling system and an integrated batter allowing for 8-12 hours of use on a single charge. It connects to the Switch via Bluetooth, meaning one can also use it as a standalone wireless speaker and a regular power bank.

CEDIA 2018 sees Séura present the Shade Series-- an outdoor TV range combining elegant design with best-in-class picture quality, brightness and audio performance, with 4K UHD models in 55-, 65- and 75-inch sizes.

According to the company, indoor TVs are not suited for outdoor spaces, being unable to withstand heat, moisture and humidity extremes. Meanwhile current outdoor TVs made for shaded areas are not bright enough and lack the sound quality for larger spaces. Shade series TVs promise to withstand the toughest outdoor conditions, while delivering 25% more brightness and 2.5x the audio output compared to competing full-shade outdoor displays.

Origin Acoustics launches the Seasons Bollard loudspeaker at CEDIA Expo-- a means to tackle the challenge of producing bass response from individual outdoor speakers in an attractive aesthetic.

While large subwoofers are often buried in the ground, the requirement to have the sub somewhat close to the mid/high frequency satellites can cause some design challenges. To solve the issue, each Bollard has an own 6.5-inch sub in the base of the enclosure. Burying the small sub base in the ground hides the larger portion of the enclosure from sight. The upper structure is a round enclosure design housing a 4-inch mid/high frequency transducer 45cm above the ground.

Optoma launches a full series of projectors-- the UHL55, LH150, LV130 and ML1050ST. The UHL55 is perhaps the most interesting, since it features Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant compatibility, integrated Android OS and a 4K UHD HDR media player.

As well as voice control, the UHL55 also includes auto focus and auto keystone correction, and NuForce stereo audio. The Android OS handles a number of media streaming apps, such as Netflix, YouTube, Spotify and BBC News, among others, and an Optoma Marketplace app provides easy access to streaming services and additional entertainment options.

Meanwhile the LH150 is a 1300 lumen 1080p LED projector. It carries a 12000mAh battery delivering up to 2.5 hours of viewing time, and the RGB LED light source provides up to 30000 hours. The LV130 is an ultra-portable 300 lumen WVGA projector. It has a 6700mAh battery, and connectivity via HDMI and MHL 2.2 inputs. The final projector, the ML1050ST, is an ultra-compact 1000 lumen short throw projector with WXGA resolution.