On this page you'll find the Daily GizWiz gizmos and gadget for January, 2008.
The newest will be at the top to make it (hopefully) easier for you to find what you're looking for.
I looked for this clip of William M. Gaines on To Tell The Truth for years!
Thanks to Adam www.gameshowutopia.net fame for finding it! It's from 1970, 39 years ago! Adam's a big game show fan and has posted some great stuff on You Tube.
But then I worked on To Tell The Truth (while writing The Match Game) and finally convinced Gaines to be on the program. He did great as you'll see. Be sure to watch the "mill around" at the end of the show. You'll see Dick De without a stache!
A panel including two game show legends, Bill Cullen & Gene Rayburn, cross-examines the founder & publisher of MAD Magazine. Dick DeBartolo, who was collecting paychecks from both Gaines and Goodson-Todman at this point, pops up during the credits.
William M. Gaines, Dick De, Nick Meglin, John Ficarra on Sixty Minutes! (with Morley Safer)
The Daily Giz Wiz, Week of January 28th, 2007 Monday, January 28thAOL DesktopNetcast 491 AOL Desktop – A Whole New Experience, and A Good One! AOL Desktop has many new features and AOL for Mac is back too. For both MAC and PC AOL Desktop is a new, all-in-one web software package. Since it’s web based most of AOL stays running all the time, so it only takes a few seconds to sign on for your mail. And the new “mail screen” on AOL desktop is great. It lets you check emails from all your accounts, even non-AOL accounts (Gmail, Verizon, Mac, etc.) without going to the other websites. And of course if you’re not a AOL member, or even ifyou are, there is a free version. AOL for Desktops installs in seconds and launches fast. Other features include Tabbed Organization: Tabs on browser and IM give you easy access and an uncluttered, organized view for all of your windows. AIM is built right in so you can see which buddies are online, chat and more. AOL Parental Control keeps you, your family, and your PC safer online at no additional charge. A highly customizable toolbar makes it easy to keep your favorites right at your fingertips with access to them on any Internet-connected computer. www.aol.com Hear this Netcast: www.twit.tv/dgw491 TTTTTuesday, January 29th,Netcast 492 Turn The Table Tuesday and Leo has another serious gadget! (What is going on???) Leo picked the Audio-Technica ATH-ANC7 QuietPoint Active Noise-Cancelling Headphones. (Since I don’t have a pair, here’s info from the company:):) These lightweight, compact headphones effectively reduce distracting background noise by up to 85% while offering the superior Audio quality that has made Audio-Technica a worldwide leader in electro-acoustic technology. Ideal for use with MP3, CD, DVD & in-flight entertainment systems, ATH-ANC7 QuietPoint closed-back headphones feature large-aperture 40 mm Drivers with neodymium magnet systems for deeper bass, extended Treble and higher fidelity. Noise-canceling electronics are fully Integrated in each earpiece, with no need for external modules. A single AAA Battery powers the active noise-cancelling technology; the audio functions in passive mode even without the battery. These headphones fold flat for easy portability. They include a detachable cable (remove for noise-canceling function without audio) with 3.5 mm mini-plugs, a full-size ¼” adapter, a specialized airline adapter for connecting to inflight entertainment systems, and a handy carrying case. Price is under $230, but if you do a web search you can find them for about $150. http://www.audio-technica.com/cms/headphones/f9450db308d97785/index.html Hear this Netcast: www.twit.tv/dgw492 Wednesday, January 30, 2007Netcast 493
A Tiny MP3 with a Lot of Features! The Sansa Clip! This music player from SanDisk is about the size of a matchbook. And it’s called the “Clip” because the clip on the back lets you clip it to clothing, backpacks, etc.Yet, it’s not only an MP3 player, but it has a bright color OLED screen so you can see each song title. Audio formats: support forMP3, WMA, WAV and Audible audio books. It supports music and subscription services like including Rhapsody To Go, Napster, eMusic and others. A built mic for voice recording. Built-in FM tuner, with user option to create station presets. The featherweight Sansa Clip, weighs only 0.9 ounces. There’s a 1 GB version for under $40, a 2 GB for under $60 and at CES they introduced the new 4GB version which should be out in sometime in February for under $80. It can play for up to 15 hours on its rechargeable battery! There is no memory card expansion slot, but what a value for what you get! www.sandisk.com Hear this Netcast www.twit.tv/dgw493
Thursday, January 31, 2007Netcast 494 Bet Your Pill Bottle Cap Can’t Do This!!
This Glow Cap from Meriden Health can start flashing to remind the patient it's time for them to take their medication. If this cap was glowing red, it's a warning that they already took their pills. There are sensors built into the cap that can actually tell the caregiver or the doctor if the patient took their pills at the correct times. In the elderly, this is especially important in preventing unnecessary complications. In addition to the pill bottle this company is working on a wireless modem so info from the pill cap can be sent to the doctor, or even to the drugstore when it’s time to reorder medications! And in case you keep your pill bottle in the medicine chest where you won’t see the flashing cap, no problem! They’ll be a plug in light that can be placed in a high traffic area that will mimic whatthe pill bottle cap is doing! This pill bottle cap is targeted to be available in the next 60-90 days. visit www.meridianhealth.com/technology
It’s Back to the Gadget Warehouse to Look at the TriggerAlarm
Again, this seemed like a real winner to me. A way to lock the trigger of a firearm that might be kept in a place where an unauthorized person might find it. This is from a press release:
Atlanta-based Firearm Safety Products, Inc., responded to this challenge with the creation of two products--TriggerAlarm and TriggerShield. Both have a "hands-off" symbol and clamshell-like design that covers the trigger area of most firearms, making them virtually unfireable by youngsters. Removal is extremely difficult for a child, yet provides immediate keyless entry for easy accessibility by adults. TriggerAlarm also features an alarm that sounds if tampered with, alerting adults and warning away kids.
But was it a hit? I don’t think so. On Ebay someone has been trying to sell ten of them for $10. That’s $1 each, and he’s had no offers!Both Leo and I thought it was such a bargain we should buy them. But since neither of us has a gun (at least I don't have one and I don’t think Leo has one) we decided to pass! I just checked again and the auction is closed. Hmmm, I wonder if Leo wanted them all for himself!
Magic Jack lets you make phone call over the Internet, just like many other VoIP (Voice Over Internet Protocol) services, but it does more. Magic Jack gives you your own personal phone number and even lets you pick from several different area codes -- most of time. I live in NY and couldn’t get a 212 number, but they’ve been unavailable for years. And you get voicemail, call waiting, caller ID, etc. Magic Jack is easy to use. Just plug the device a USB port on your computer. The instructions say not to use a USB Hub. Once it’s plugged you’re your computer, you plug a standard hard-wired phone into the other end of the Magic Jack. There is no software to install. The software stays on the Magic Jack. Now you're ready to make and receive calls for free with the US and Canada. Free, isn't exactly right, but it's pretty close. All you have to do is buy the phone jack for $39.00. That includes the hardware (The Magic Jack) and phone service for a year. There aren't any other costs. The second year the cost is only $19.95 because you already own the Magic Jack hardware. This is pretty neat. I used mine to make several phone calls and the call quality was great!
Leo looks to the sky for this weeks’ Turn The Table Tuesday!
He talked about mySKY from Meade. To quote their website it’s Your Personal Guide for Sky Exploration. A fun, interactive, multi-media, hand-held guide to the universe. The Meade mySKY locates and identifies celestial objects in the night sky using the latest in electronic technology. Featuring a full-color LCD screen. And if you’re really into the hobby, it has the added ability to control a Meade computerized telescope! It’s easy to use and no prior knowledge of the night sky is needed.Well you should know that the sky is “up” and you have to be outdoors! But this is good to know: The Meade mySKY aligns itself without any input from the user. Turn it on, point it at a celestial object, and pull the trigger to identify planets, stars, nebulae, galaxies and much more. The Meade mySKY has a database of over 30,000 objects, many which include color images and audio descriptions. It’s $399.99, but do a web search you can find it for about $100 less.
To get a good idea of what this does, let’s go back to the plain old Tornado I reported on about a year ago:
Here's an easy way to see what's on two different computers all on ONE screen! From the folks at DataDrive Through
The Tornado. Need to see what’s on your old computer? Just plug one end of the Tornado into your old computer’s USB Port and the other end into your new computer’s USB port and you can see the contents of both computers on one screen! I plugged into each computer and it worked perfectly. No software, no rebooting, no nothing. Each computer showed a split screen. The top of the screen said: “This computer” and the bottom half of the screen said: “Other computer”. I was able to drag photos from one computer over to the other computer just using the mouse. Two green solid LED’s indicate that both computers are hooked up correctly. They blink when they’re transferring info. Pretty neat gizmo, I’d say. Price is under $60.
Okay, all of that info holds true for the newiTornado, except now you can transfer files from PC to MAC, MAC to PC, and MAC to MAC. Still no software needed and you still have all the features listed above. The iMac version is under $80.Just FYI, the two computers have to be within 4 feet of each other.
It’s the new Travel Vest. I ran into Scott Jordan, the creator of Scott E Vest at CES and he was wearing one of his travel vests. I thought it looked great and told Scott the same time. Surprise. Ten days later my very own Travel Vest arrived via UPS. As Scott writes: Forget everything you think you know about travel vests. Our travel vest has more pockets, more style and more features than any other travel vest on the market. We’ve eliminated the traditional, clunky exterior pockets—not only do they look dorky, they reveal that you are carrying valuables. Our stealthy, streamlined Travel Vest is great looking and incredibly comfortable without drawing unwanted attention. With 22 hidden pockets and compartments, you won’t believe how lightweight our Classic Travel Vest is. Airport security becomes a breeze: just take off the vest and send it through the x-ray with all your gear safely stored inside. It holds so much, you’ll feel like you got an exception to the one carry-on rule. Recently I received an email from a Daily Giz Wiz listener saying that in all the cities known for pickpockets he feels safe having all his electronics on the inside in zippered or Velcroed pockets.$100.But there’s a 20% discount if you use the code: TWIT.
http://www.scottevest.com/v3_store/New_Travel_Vest.shtml Hear this Netcast: www.twit.tv/dgw489 Friday, January 25, 2007Netcast 490 Back to the Warehouse Friday.The IBM PCjr. The IBM PC Jr. is not actually in Dick’s Gadget Warehouse. After seeing it in person back in March 1984, I didn’t want one!But a listener thought we should talk about it because it turned out to be quite a failure! IBM had been building computers for business, so the Jr. was IBM's low-cost entry into the home computer markets. But at $1300 without a monitor it was in the marketplace for just about one year. Among the problems was its lack of expandability, and it truly awful 'chiclets' keyboard. It was rubberized and the key spacing made it almost impossible to touch type quickly. But the keyboard was wireless, using infra-red technology. But they were pitching schools to buy them and with the infra-red keyboard all you needed to do was point it at someone else’s computer and you can type on their screen!The machine had an 8086 cpu running at 4.77mhz and shipped with 64k of RAM, 32k of which was shared by the video system. If you wanted you could expand it to 128k by adding the internal 64k ram expansion. They you would have an amazing 256k! Did you own one of these?What did you think of it?dick@gizwiz.biz http://www.geocities.com/SiliconValley/Lakes/6757/index.html Hear this Netcast: www.twit.tv/dgw490
Photo from oldcomputers.net
UPDATE- 1/26/08 - Just 9 sets left! Were you, or are you, a fan of THE MATCH GAME? .....Now you can own a small piece of its history -- a 3" X 5' piece of history. Three actual Match Game questions! Check out all the details here: www.matchgamequestions.com
************************************************************************ Week of January 14th, 2007!
Monday, January 14th Netcast 481–
Now not only can your GPS talk to you, you can talk back to it!
Garmin’s new nüvi 880 uses speech recognition. There is no “training” required. Once activated, the user can manipulate controls by speaking the words that correspond to buttons on the touch screen display. Driving in an unfamiliar area and hungry? Use a voice command to select the establishment of your choice, and the nuvi 800 series gives you turn-by-turn directions to dinner. The nuvi 880 also knows the names of many large business chains. I asked for one of my favorites “Ihop” and was given the two closest locations. In case you’re lost, just speak the phrase, “where am I?” and the 880 will display your exact latitude and longitude coordinates, the nearest intersection, and the closest hospitals, police stations and gas stations. The nüvi 800 series will be available in the second quarter of 2008 for about --- $999.99!
Can't wait for the 880? I understand that the Garmin nuvi 780 has the same features as the 880, minus voice recognition. And if you rent a car from Avis, starting about March 15th, you can rent a special custom nuvi 780 for $11.95 a day or $49.75 a week. With built-in speakers and Bluetooth, you can use it to make cell calls via your own Bluetooth enabled cell phone. Like the 880, it features a bright, sunlight-readable 4.3-inch color touch screen display. And this you’ll love - if you can’t remember where you left your car the unit automatically marks where it was last removed from the windshield mount. The nuvi 780 unit also features MSN Direct. That means you can get up-to-date traffic, weather, news, stocks, even airport information! Avis tells me they'll be adding more features to the MSN Direct features throughout the year. And it has nothing to do with features, but I like the special red frame on the Avis nuvi!
On this Turn The Table Tuesday Leo talks about his newly acquired OLPC!
It’s that odd looking laptop that is being produced for third world nations and people like Leo. Actually as Leo pointed out on this Netcast, it is no longer available to ordinary folks. Up until the end of the year you could pay for two One Laptop Per Child Laptops and one would be sent to a needy child and other one sent to you. Actually it turns out the laptop packs a lot of features for the money and it also attracts a lot of attention AT CES a reporter was using one in the Press Room and he had a crowd around him, including me. Read more about it at the link below!
Love beer?I discovered this at CES, but Leo thinks this is going to be a big hit!
Heineken will launch BeerTender on March 1, 2008. Guess where the marketing tests took place? Rhode Island. Who knows, maybe Leo was involved! That’s his hometown. It’s a little complicated, so follow along. The current US DraughtKegs, while compatible with all BeerTenders (with the special tube) will not dispense all the beer. To answer this, Heineken is introducing a BeerTender compatible US DraughtKeg (five liters) that comes with the special tube and has a bigger carbonator inside. That keg is will be available nationwide in both Heineken and Heineken Light.Some models have computer operation and temperature controls with an LCD display, but on all models pulling a beer is as simple as pulling the BeerTender's handle. And if you've got kids, you can easily remove the BeerTender's handle. Best of all, the beer only touches the easily removable spout under the handle, making clean-up between kegs a breeze. The Krups B95 and Saeco A700 BeerTender models feature an LCD computer display. The display will tell you amount of beer remaining in the keg, number of beer freshness days remaining (up to 30 from the first glass), beer temperature above with programmed beer temperature below. . BeerTenders are not cheap. List price in the US will be $400, with street prices down to $299. I should add that this units also refrigerate so you can tell the wife to think of all the room she’s saving in the refrigerator by letting you buy one. www.beertender.com Hear this Netcast:www.twit.tv/dgw483 Thursday – January 17th, Netcast484 Like to snorkel?Here’s a neat, easy way to take underwater photos. The Liquid Image Digital Underwater Camera Mask allows swimmers to record underwater photos and video hands free.Whether it is backyard pool fun or stunning fish and coral from a special vacation, users will enjoy the combination of a camera and mask in one while swimming. The benefits include a hands free experience for easier and safer swimming.Other underwater cameras require the user to hold the camera while swimming to photograph their underwater adventures. To take a photo or a video, the user lines up the crosshair marks on the mask with the object, and then presses the capture button. LED lights inside the viewing area indicate the mode the camera is in when activated.Users can download the digital images and video they’ve captured to a computer through a USB cable. Software is included to edit photos and videos. Users can print or email the files to share with friends. The camera comes with 16 MB SD RAM internal memory. A Micro SD Card slot allows the memory to be upgraded to hold more images and video. The camera and mask combination is available in both a 3.1 and a 5.0 MP version. Powered by 2 AAA Batteries required (not included). $99 for the 5 MP Mask and $79 for the 3.1 model. www.liquidimageco.com Hear this Netcast: www.twit.tv/dgw484
Back to the Warehouse Friday, January 18th, Netcast 485 Since this all CES week, I went back to CESJan. 2004 and a press release of January 09, 2004 for an issue of CRN. Check out the prices! And notice that you probably never heard of any of these gizmos then, or now. Salton is bringing digital convergence to the kitchen and bedroom. They unveiled Beyond Connected Home, a family of networked small appliances and entertainment devices. The line includes the Beyond IceBox entertainment center, Beyond Home Hub control center and clock radio, and the Beyond Coffee Maker, Microwave and Bread Maker. The products, which are designed to interact via radio frequency (RF) technology, allow users to access TV programming, play digital content, go online and program cooking tasks. The IceBox entertainment center provides broadband Internet access, a flat-screen television, a DVD/CD player, an FM radio and home video monitoring capabilities in the kitchen. Already available in an under-the-cabinet FlipScreen model for $2,299, the Microsoft CE.Net-based IceBox also will be offered in a lower-priced, portable CounterTop version for $1,799 that's due to ship in the second quarter, Thompson said. Both products include a washable keyboard and remote control so users don't have to worry about spills. Salton, too, enhanced the FlipScreen model by reducing its weight, simplifying installation, and providing a brighter screen and Wi-Fi support for Web access. Designed for the bedroom, the Beyond Home Hub combines a clock radio, CD player and PDA-style display to act as a command center for Beyond appliances in the house. The $499 unit has a modem and an Ethernet port for Web access, allowing users to wake up and go online for news, weather, stocks and other information. They also can press buttons on the display to access Beyond appliances and wirelessly change their settings, such as instructing the coffee maker to brew a pot of coffee at a specific time. The Home Hub is slated to ship in the second quarter, Thompson said. The microwave ($179) and bread maker ($179) are due to ship in the second quarter, and the coffee maker ($99) is scheduled for release in the third quarter, Thompson said. Technology-savvy consumers stand to be the key market for the Beyond Connected Home line, according to Thompson. "Early adopters are a great target base for us.
Okay, so were you an early adopter?Did you buy any of these units? If you did, I’d love to hear from you!dick@gizwiz.biz.
********************************* Daily Giz Wiz, Week of January 7, 2008
I'm out at CES this week, so if you emailed me, or won a MAD Magazine, it will be a few extra days before I can get things back to normal.
Afraid of Germs?
Then you’ll love the Handler ---It’s ergonomically designed to fit easily in the palm of your hand. At the push of a button, a strong but lightweight gripping arm made from zinc alloy and coveredover-molded with hardened non-slip rubber pops out. The arm's curvature was designed to grip any diameter door handle and operate up to 60lbs of pull with minimal effort. The Handler not only keeps germs off your hands, it keeps germs off itself. (I have no idea how this works, but here’s what the package says:) The Handler is made with Nano Silvers that instantly kill the most common types of germs that can cause illnesses and infections. Tests show that these silver particles are highly effective in killing microorganisms ranging from harmful strains of e.coli that cause food-borne diseases to the staphylococcus bacteria responsible for serious infections. Labratory tests show that the handler kills 98% of methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus on contact and 99% after two minutes. $10.95 + S & H www.handlerusa.com Hear this Netcast: www.twit.tv/dgw476 Tuesday, January 8th Netcast 477TTTT It’s another Turn The Table Tuesday, and Leo Find a Free Program That Sounds Interesting. It’s called Qipit, and here’s some info from their website: Use your camera phone to copy written or printed documents when you are on the road: Use your digital camera to fax or email documents when you are on the road: 1. capture it: take a photo of your document 2. send it: via email or MMS with the desired recipients' fax/email info 2. upload it: to your Qipit account 3. share it: Qipit sends a clear digital copy of the document to your designated fax or email recipients 3. share it: use Qipit's online fax & email features to send a clear digital copy of the document to your designated recipients https://www.qipit.com/pub/main www.twit.tv/dgw478 Wednesday, January 9th Netcast 478
A New Cell Phone With A Touch Screen On The Outside
And a full Qwerty keyboard on the inside. It’s the LG Voyager. This is one of the hottest cell phones of the year. It was released in November. And in early December when I was at Verizon, it was already sold out and only available via the Internet.In addition to the touch screen on the front, and full keyboard on the inside, there are a lot more features. A hidden, built in antenna lets you watch video clips on the run, like ABC News Now five minute headline news. For $15 a month more you can watch whole TV shows, but not exactly the same as on your home TV.The selection comes from about 7 channels. I use mine to get and send (short) emails. And it also features full HTML Internet browsing. (That’s $5 more a month. Check out the Verizon website for all the options. I signed so many papers, I’m not sure what I signed up for. The VOYAGER will take you where you want to go with a music player, dual speakers for stereo sound, Bluetooth, and a 2.0 mega pixel camera & camcorder. Before I headed out to CES in Las Vegas I recorded 6 feature films on a 2 GB micro SD card so I could have my own entertainment on the trip. I like this phone a lot! $299.00 with 2 year contract. (I guess I signed up for that too!) www.verizonwireless.com www.twit.tv/dgw478
Thursday, January 10thNetcast 479 And Now A Techie Toy For Girls! DIGI MAKEOVER! Now girls with a passion for fashion can see who they can be with Digi Makeover. The touch pad console with digital camera plugs directly into the TV (via RCA plug) so girls can take their picture and get crazy with their very own makeover! Use the touch pad and stylus to change hairstyles, makeup and even accessories! Plus, Digi Makeover lets girls pose with friends in the photo booth mode where they can save five of their favorite creations. (Think of those fun house photos where you stick your head through cut-outs and have your picture taken.) ($59.99/ages 8+) www.radicagames.com www.twit.tv/dgw479 Friday,January 11, 2007, Netcast 480 CES 08 It's Friday, the day after CES 2008 closed! Since my first day back is a Gadget Warehouse Friday, I thought it would be interesting to check on one of my finds from exactly one year ago, The HydraBrush! I found it at Cherry Picks, held during CES in January 2007. Here's what I said it about it back then:
Brush all your teeth in under 40 seconds!
The HydraBrush Express is a power toothbrush unlike any you have ever seen. There are 8 micro brushes that surround your teeth and gums, top and bottom, at the same time! It is supposed to offer technology that takes the guesswork out of brushing. And forget that 2-minute timer in your current electric toothbrush to tell you when you are done brushing. The inventor of the HydraBrush Express says you can get the job done in 40 seconds or less with CONFIDENCE that you have done a PERFECT job! To use just gently bite down with your front teeth in between the opposing brush heads. The guide the handle all the way to right and all the way to left until the heads reach your back molars. You’re done! Every HydraBrush Express comes with 2 sets of heads: Standard Soft (light blue bristles) and to get you used to the HydraBrush, two Ultra Soft (red bristles) brushes.$129.00 www.hydrabrush.com
Okay, what happened in one year. I could not find anything about them at CES, but their website is still running! The price dropped to $79.95 as a holiday special, but I clicked on the "BUY" button and it's still at that price ten days after New Year. I knew a year ago, that $129 was a bit high. The normal price now seems to $99.95. On their website they list The Giz Wiz and Leo Laporte under their press coverage. I bet a lot of money went into the development of this product, so I hope the inventor succeeds. It's a hard road making an invention a hit.
In the coming week I'll have coverage of some of the unusual stuff I found at this year's CES and the shows that surround it. Hear this Netcast:www.twit.tv/dgw480
Okay, so you made a backup of your important computer files! And where is that backup? With your computer!So if there’s a fire or a flood, the backup is lost too.Unless you have the new hard drive safes from SentrySafe. The hard drive is in a SentrySafe FIRE-SAFE/Waterproof enclosure that protects data from fire and water. It is ETL verified for fire protection for 30 minutes up to 1550° F and ETL verified waterproof – meaning it is fully submersible for up to 24 hours. SentrySafe has partnered with Maxtor digital storage to provide consumers with affordable FIRE-SAFE/Waterproof hard drives. SentrySafe FIRE-SAFE/Waterproof Hard Drive and SentrySafe FIRE-SAFE/Water Resistant Safe will be displayed at the 2008 International CES, which runs January 7-10, 2008, in Las Vegas. But the Giz Wiz got a preview look. It will be the first time Sentry Group is an exhibitor at the CES. Both SentrySafe products won Best of Innovations 2008 for originality in design and engineering. SentrySafe Fire-SafeWaterproof Hard Drive with 160GB has a MSRP of $319.99. There are other models up to MSRP of $519.99. Yes, the awards are announced before CES opens! www.SentrySafe.com
TTTT, Tuesday, January 1st. Netcast 472 HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!! For this New Year’s Day Leo Picked the Amazon Kindle Since I have not seen this unit in person and Leo is in Egypt, I found this product info at Amazon.com: ·Revolutionary electronic-paper display provides a sharp, high-resolution screen that looks and reads like real paper. ·Simple to use: no computer, no cables, no syncing. ·Wireless connectivity enables you to shop the Kindle Store directly from your Kindle—whether you’re in the back of a taxi, at the airport, or in bed. ·Buy a book and it is auto-delivered wirelessly in less than one minute. ·Free book samples. Download and read first chapters for free before you decide to buy. ·Lighter and thinner than a typical paperback; weighs only 10.3 ounces. ·Holds over 200 titles. ·Long battery life. Leave wireless on and recharge approximately every other day. Turn wireless off and read for a week or more before recharging. Fully recharges in 2 hours. ·Email your Word documents and pictures (.JPG, .GIF, .BMP, .PNG) to Kindle for easy on-the-go viewing. ·Included in the box: Kindle wireless reader, Book cover, Power adapter, USB 2.0 cable ·Price $399.00.
Huh?The Giz Wiz is talking about a new cassette deck? Well, not an ordinary cassette recorder. It’s the ION USB Cassette Archiver.
I showed it on World News Now on ABC, and when I got to the studio, everyone on the crew was asking: "What a cassette deck from the Giz Wiz?" How old is that technology? But when they heard what it does, they were all impressed. This cassette deck plugs into your computer. Then as you play your old cassettes, you can digitize them so you can play them on your computer and download them to your MP3 devices! How many cassettes of old music do you have that you would like to save in digital form! It requires you to have iTunes, which is free, and as it digitizes your music, it puts them in an iTunes library so you can move them from there. It comes with two kinds of software. A barebones one if you just want to digitalize music, and more sophiscated program if you want to edit, remove background noise, etc. Under $150. Brookstone.If you do a web search you can find it for less.
Thursday, January 3rdNetcast 474 When you think of digital cameras, here’s a brand I bet you didn’t think of! Let’s take a look at the Norcent XIAS DCS-760. It’s a 7 mega pixel camera that features a 3 X optical Pentax lens system. It has a feature I like, 16 Mega Bytes of internal memory. Sure it’s not enough for any heavy duty photo shooting, but if you ever forgot to put in a memory card, you can at least shoot something! And it has a Secure Digital card slot. The design is quite handsome. I heard it was designed by an outside Industrial Firm. Captures high-resolution images up to 3072 x 2304. It has a 2.5" LCD screen, and you can capture video clips with resolution of 640 x 480, 320 x 240, and 160 x 128. Other features include built-in flash with auto, red-eye reduction, and 15 picture taking modes. (But I’ve never used that feature on any camera.) Here’s a feature I don’t think I recall seeing on any digital camera. The XIAS DCS-760 also comes with an audio record mode that lets you record voice only using the cameras built in microphone. You can simply set the camera to record and play back or download the audio file on to a computer for use later. You can also add a 30 second voice memo to pictures so you can use the camera to setup a slide show with quick descriptive narration of your pictures. Using the playback with the Video Cable and the recorded narration this camera makes a great video slide show anywhere. The price? I saw it at Wal-Mart for under $150! www.norcent.com Hear this Netcast www.twit.tv/dgw474
Back to the Warehouse Friday, January 4thNetcast475
The Fellowes Mobile Proximity Alarm
Here’s another gadget I liked a lot, that didn’t last too long. The Fellowes Mobile Proximity Alarm.It’s a two piece gizmo perfect for safeguarding your mobile devices from theft or forgetfulness. Place the transmitter on your laptop, garment bag, etc. Then if you forget the item as you leave or someone walks away with it, an alarm sounds at a 15 ft. distance between you and your electronics. It is slim and lightweight to keep you mobile, but it’s no longer made. If you do a search on Amazon you might find out still. Type in Fellowes Mobile Proximity Alarm.
