ELECTRONIC HOUSE: Gadgets Gone Wild

As I wait excitedly for Santa to deliver my goodies, I'm hoping he gets his gift ideas from Electronic House, the newest magazine on the MagSampler.com shelf. It's an electronic gadget lover's dream, filled with big screens, hidden speakers and home theater installations that must strike fear into the owners of the local multiplex. The basic philosophy of this monthly, published in Framingham, MA, is that just as one's house is wired for electricity, it should also be wired with the high-tech cables and electronic paraphernalia that bring music, computer connections, sophisticated lighting and mammoth-screen video images into virtually every room with the touch of a button or two. Some of the stuff in the December issue of Electronic House is frankly outrageous, such as an 80-inch high-definition plasma TV from Samsung, priced at $90,000 to $120,000―the magazine doesn't say what the extra $30 grand gets you. I guess when you're trudging off to the Toyota showroom, it's good to know there's a Lamborghini or Maybach out there waiting for you a few years down the road. A big deal in the world of electronic houses is hiding all the expensive stuff: wires in the walls, wireless devices, retractable screens, speakers that don't look like speakers. I liked the ad for speakers that are hidden in the ceiling; you activate a remote and they drop down at angles of 15, 30 or 45 degrees, and can then be rotated to any position. The issue features a number of articles describing whole-house installations, and it's apparent that it's preferable to build a new house with all that wiring in the walls instead of trying to retrofit an old Victorian manse. You'll also find a couple of lavishly illustrated spreads on home theater setups, rows of upholstered motorized seats and all. If high-tech home electronics is your thing―or if you just want to see what all the fuss is about―Electronic House is for you. An annual subscription (12 issues) is $29.95 from the publisher; you can get a sample copy from us for $2.59.