Category — Review

There is so much choice available out there when it comes to widescreen televisions but you will be hard pressed to find much better around today than LED TVs. Not only is this better for your bills and carbon footprint but it’s also competitive against other types of TV for the best image.

This technology is a development on the impressive Liquid Crystal Displays or LCD TVs that have become so popular in households around the globe.

With a standard LCD model the light which creates the quality picture on your screen is emitted from cold cathode fluorescent lamps.

However an LED TV uses Light Emitting Diodes (hence the name LED) to create the backlighting.

Ultimately this gives the viewer a much brighter picture which will bring the colours to life on the screen.

Contrast is also improved greatly by using this technology, as it gives you deeper blacks and brighter whites on screen so you get one of the best viewing experiences possible in your own living room.

With an ordinary TV, blacks can appear almost dark grey and lighter colour can often appear gloomy, but this is not the case with new LED technology because of its innovative backlighting system.

Not only do you get the best picture quality but you will also be doing your bit for the environment.

LED are not cheap televisions but depending on the make and model, LED technology uses up to 40% less energy than your standard LCD TV set and can help save money on your electric bill.

This not only helps the planet by reducing your carbon footprint but will also make that scary energy bill at the end of the month seem less frightening.

By taking all these factors into account LED TV’s seem to be the future of home viewing with its stunning picture quality and more environmentally friendly technology.

After reviewing the DC24 (read the review here), the folks at Dyson requested for me to review another popular model – the DC22. Naturally, I obliged as a big part of me was curious to try it out and compare it against the DC24 which had really impressed me.

I got the DC22 from their PR folk and this time, unlike the last, they had cleaned it up before handing it over to me so I could start using it immediately.

What’s in the box:

• The DC22
• Operations manual
• Quick start guide
• 5 year warranty
• Dual mode floor tool
• Stair tool
• Combination tool

Design

The DC22 is known as the ‘baby’ version of the DC23, both of which uses the proprietary root cyclone technology for increased and jitter-free suction. It is roughly 1/3 the size of the DC23 with a relatively small footprint that will fit well in most households and is rather lightweight for a machine with its capabilities. The most surprising aspect about the DC22 is that its suction power is in fact comparable with it’s older sibling, the DC23!

The overall design is pretty clever because it allows the entire vacuum hose to be wrapped neatly around the body of the vacuum and allow the handle to be hooked firmly against the side of the body. I’ve always been impressed with Dyson products because of their attention to detail in their product designs. Their vacuums may look like Rube Goldberg machines but in truth, are far from it because it embodies great functionality and ease-of-use

Having a relatively large dust canister means it is capable of vacuuming the common household several times over before it needs to be emptied. The canister sits snugly  at the front of the body, easily detached with the press of a button and comes with a trapdoor to easily dispose of the dust. It also comes with a lifetime HEPA filter that is washable and durable.

What strikes me the most is that the handle/wand is extremely lightweight which greatly helps with maneuverability. Unlike most other vacuums that typically employ metal for the wands, the DC22 uses reinforced plastic that is equally hardy, less the weight of normal vaccum wands. The DC22 comes with a 5m retractable cable that is located at the back of the machine. While this may be a minute detail, the machine does a really good job of retracting the cable without getting stuck even once during the many times I tried it, unlike the issue you get with most vacuum cleaners out there which choke when the cable gets tangled or is at an acute angle to the vacuum.

Testing

Before starting, here’s a list of tests I intended to put the DC22 through:

• different floor types – tiles, hardwood flooring, carpet
• tight spaces – crevices, under the bed, ceiling corners
• suction power – small to large particles

Trying to be as impartial as I could, I took the DC22 across the same surfaces as I did with the DC24. What I find most astounding is the suction power this little marvel had. It was able to pick up all sorts of dirt and debris (small to large – large being pebble sized particles) with no difficulty at all. In fact, the wand was so light and maneuverable that I had no problems whatsoever with tight corners and sliding door tracks. The DC22 worked so well on all 3 floor types, it made me want to do even more vacuuming! Mind you, the suction power can be slightly overwhelming if you’re thinking of using it on your curtains (don’t be lazy, curtains are meant to be washed, not vacuumed).

Hitting the ceiling corners was no problem at all as the machine is pretty lightweight hence lifting it whilst standing on a stool to reach the top corners of the ceilings in my home where spiders often spin their webs does not cause imbalance or lack of ability to maneuver freely.

The DC22 is perfect for homes with carpets because it does a crazy marvelous job of cleaning the dirt out of carpets – this is something you have to see to believe for yourself. In fact, head on over to major departmental stores and you’ll probably be able to catch a live demo of the DC22 in action on a carpeted surface.

After cleaning the house with the DC22, it was time to test how well it fared with cleaning and resetting it back for next use. The trapdoor dust bin made it easy to detach the bin with the flick of the release and i was able to empty all the dust particles into a bag without a mess. Next, I took the HEPA filters and put them through about 4 rounds of soaking and squeezing before the water dispelled from the filters became quite clear. I ran it a further 3 rounds to be certain I had quite cleaned the filters for the next round of vacuuming. The filters were extremely easy to clean and were left overnight to dry.

The next day, it was a piece of cake reassembling the washable parts back into the DC22 for another round of usage. This time, I vacuumed the interiors of both cars. I know it’s more of a home cleaner but I figured if it did cars well, it would be a testament of its performance in tight corners. Using the crevice tool, I was able to reach almost all areas without much difficulty at all. Overall, I have been extremely impressed with the Dyson DC22.

Here’s the lowdown summary of the DC22 from my test drive:

Pros

• Great design – function centric (dust bin with trapdoor, washable filters, wrap around hose)
• Liftetime HEPA filters – certified by the Asthma and Allergy Association
• Great maneuverability – extremely lightweight wand and all the tools necessary to reach spaces large and small
• Completely bagless i.e. no extra costs
• 5 year warranty

Cons

• Power cable could be longer
• Suction power can be a tad overwhelming to those who aren’t used to handling a powerful machine

Conclusion

I doubt anybody will have much to complain about this machine once they’ve had a try at it. The DC22 is simply an engineering marvel in terms of size, power and usability. Although Dyson vacuums are priced above the market average, there is good reason for it – it simply cannot be compared against the bulk of its competition. It would simply win hands down. I’ve never been this impressed with vacuum cleaners until my encounter with the DC22 and DC24.

If you’re looking to get a vacuum for the long term, this is the one you should be aiming for.

The pack that it came in was very similar in nature to the other two decal brands that I had reviewed previously (read my reviews on somethinurby and blank canvas designs) – a flat packed pink square package of which contained four sheets with the decals stuck on and a card to assist with the transfer process.

Thomas, from Tboox was nice enough to allow me to select from their entire range of Wink Wall Decals. Of the 49 available designs, I narrowed it down to the following  models – Circa, Snazzy and Pizzi. Eventually, I finally decided on Snazzy. The package was delivered very promptly by a very friendly gentleman from the courier service, also named Thomas coincidentally.

Naturally, I was excited to do the installation and couldn’t wait for the weekend to come quicker. Saturday eventually came and YinLeng and I (btw, she’s a real decal installation expert by now) decided to dive in to experience Wink Wall decals.

Unboxing

No surprises with the unboxing in any way. The package comes neatly flat packed in a bright pink jacket that embodies the playful nature of Wink Wall decals. Within the box, there were four sheets on which the Snazzy motifs were stuck onto. Along with the package is a translucent card for the installation.

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Asked to do a wallpaper review for my-iconicdesigns.com – a local online retailer of high quality wallpaper and wall art that carries the Ferm LIVING brand (a Danish company well known for its graphic touch on modern interior products) – I was given a catalogue from which to select a design to be used for the review.

Having decided that the wallpaper should be installed on the dining area wall, we proceeded to looking through the catalogue. Now, this was the really tough part as Ferm LIVING’s collection was simply brilliant and well suited for most any modern home and at the same time, coupled with the fact that like all catalogues, you only get a small sized sample of the product, which makes imagining the final product rather difficult.

After several rounds of deliberation, this was our shortlist:

1. Berry Black

2. Forrest Flower

3. Walldots

4. Squares

It only got more difficult from here on because these were now designs which we fancied from the original lot. We proceeded to drop Squares with the rationale that it was more suitable for a smaller wall section and the cool 3D effect might be slightly too much for dinner guests. Next up, we eliminated Berry Black after deciding that we didn’t want the dining area to look ‘rustic’. We were now left with Walldots and Forrest Flower – we kept holding up the two samples from the catalogue to compare and yet couldn’t really make up our minds on which was more suitable. At last, we decided on going with WallDots for its metallic element and the fact that it was more impactful than Forrest Flower.

Read the full review after the jump – find out how the installation turned out…

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Wall decals are the rage these days as a form of wall decoration in residential spaces. Homeowners are now able to add artistic touches to their walls with decals for an average price of RM100-200 which really is quite affordable if you compare it with buying a piece of artwork or decor for the wall. I’ve recently had the pleasure of being exposed to designer grade vinyl decals by Domestic, from France, which offers a large variety of decals by top notch European designers

Locally, they’re available from Creative Home Concepts and Macy’s. Although the price tag for these decals are higher than the commonly retailed ones which usually hail from Korea or China, you’re basically getting better quality decals made in France and paying for the intellectual output from well-known designers. If you look at it being a genuine alternative to wallpaper or even comparing it against artwork, then the price isn’t really all that expensive.

We decided that the one wall which we really wanted to decorate was the first floor living room wall which our favourite rustic couch was lined up against. This is the wall perpendicular to our wall-o-memories.  For a long time now, we’ve been looking for the right piece of art that would have to be large enough to be impactful, that we also liked. Unfortunately, we never got around to finding one which truly called out to us, at a reasonable price

I finally decided on Ich&Kar’s JunglePeas to create an extension of the green outdoors inside the living hall. I also really like the concept of creepers flowing down from the wall where the sofa is placed although in reality, I wasn’t sure if it’d turn out well at all. At RM421 per pack, we required 2 packs (each pack has approximately 60 creepers each).

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I was recently contacted by Dyson Malaysia’s PR and Marketing executive to use and review one of their world famous vacuum cleaners. Given the choice of their inventory, I selected the DC24 because I assumed that this would be the one that would be most popular common choice – great suction power but smaller footprint compared to its larger cousins.

The machine was delivered to my doorstep some days later. To my dismay, the machine wasn’t cleaned from its previous use and I had to go about cleaning it before really testing it out.

What’s in the box:

• The DC24
• Operations manual
• A quick start guide
• 5 year warranty
• Combination tool (basically, an extra suction tip)

Before trying it out, I decided to clean the HEPA lifetime filter to prevent any bias to the review. I had rather hoped to get a clean machine so I could start immediately but that wasn’t the case. What I really liked was the fact that the lifetime HEPA filter was so incredibly easy to wash. All you needed to do was soak it and squeeze all the water out to dispel the dust particles caught in the filter. Do this several times and you’ve got yourself a filter as good as new.

Once the filter had completely dried, I fitted it back into the DC24. Before I get ahead of myself and write about the entire experience, it’s best I touch on the design elements of the DC24 first

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**latest update – 3 Sep 2010**

The folks from Tboox have announced that users from howshouse.com only merely need to inform them verbally or email them at admin@tboox.com mentioning ‘howshouse’ and they will provide a 15% discount + free delivery off purchases!!! Ain’t that great?

The parcel that was delivered was simply delightfully packaged. On one side, it read ‘NEVER OVERSLEEP AGAIN’; on another, ‘ALARM CLOCK ON WHEELS’. I’ve read about Clocky in foreign tech sites some time ago, where its claim to fame is that it runs away from you when the alarm goes off so that you’ll have to physically get up to locate it and shut the alarm off.

Some say this is an annoying way to be woken up but others swear by it helping them get up on time for important meetings and interviews. I used to be a really heavy sleeper – my friends from uni can testify to this claim as they have seen me sleep through 25 missed calls, had the joy to slapping me across the face on occasion to get me to wake up, and had extreme peace within the household when I’m asleep and not singing off key. However, these days, I’m no longer the ‘log’ sleeper that I was and I wake easily to my cellphone’s alarm. Oh, how I wish I’d met you earlier, Clocky

Full review after the jump

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Bathroom cabinets are designed to help us better organize our bathrooms, providing sufficient storage space for all of our toiletries, towels, and assorted hygienic paraphernalia. The unfortunate truth is, even when we do invest in a great vanity, sometimes it’s just more gratifying (and so much easier) to just toss things into the cabinets without concern for order and finesse. Over time, these habits catch up with us, and before you know it it’s time to clean out your bathroom cabinets again.

The first thing you’ll want to do is throw excess items away. Did you find that bottle of moisturizer that’s been sitting in the back of your cabinet for the last two years? Toss it out. Throw away anything you don’t regularly use. If you don’t know what it is, or don’t remember buying it, you don’t need it. Throw it away!

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Asia is the largest and most culturally diverse continent on Earth, with thousands of years of complicated history and cultural evolution to its name. Asian cultures take great pride in their diversity and distinguished histories, and these values are quite apparent in even the smallest piece of oriental furniture. Oriental furniture as a whole is difficult to categorize, once again on account of the sheer number of unique cultures and stylistic variations therein, but in America, it is generally recognized to be modern Japanese or Korean style furniture.

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Coincidentally, about a week and a half after getting my sample from SomethinUrby.com (read my review and experience of their decal here), Joanne from BlankCanvasDesigns approached me to review their product, hence this post- HowsHouse.com’s second official review of a Malaysian online retail store for wall decals.

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