All posts by Todd Cochrane

Panovise displays its camera mounts at CES

February 16, 2014Auto, CES 2014Todd Cochrane

<img class=”alignleft size-full wp-image-47475″ alt=”panavise” src=”https://geeknewscentral.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/panavise.png” width=”228″ height=”71″ />Panovise makes mounts for may devices, including smartphones. Todd stopped by the booth to take a look at the mounting systems for portable cameras, such as the GoPro.

The systems are very advanced. You begin with the stand, such as suction-cup mount, and then add the various attachments for whatever device you are going to be using with it. The kit is called the Action Grip, and you can expect to pay somewhere in the $40 range for the starter set. You can find out more by watching the video below, and you can also visit <a href=”http://www.panavise.com/” target=”_blank”>Panavise</a> on the web.

Interview by Todd Cochrane of <a href=”https://geeknewscentral.com/”>Geek News Central</a> for the <a href=”https://tpn.tv/”>TechPodcast Network</a>

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Xi3 Low Power PCs

February 15, 2014CES 2014, ComputersTodd Cochrane

David shows off Xi3‘s latest developments including the X7A modular computer and the Z3RO Pro. If you haven’t seen Xi3’s offerings before, you need to check them out – they’re small cube-like units totally unlike your normal case.

The X7A is aimed at the power user with a quad core AMD Trinity processor, Radeon graphics, 8 GB RAM, SSD (up to 1 TB) and more ports than you can shake a stick at. The modular part means that in future you’ll be able to upgrade components without replacing the whole unit. Prices start at $1099.

The Z3RO Pro is more budget friendly, starting at $549. With only a dual core processor and 4 GB RAM, it’s more suited to general office activities, but it will run two monitors. The killer feature here is that it consumes only 15W of power.

Interview by Todd Cochrane of Geek News Central for the TechPodcast Network.

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iRing the First Motion Control Device for iOs

February 15, 2014Accessories, CES 2014, Computers, GadgetsTodd Cochrane

iRing is the first motion control device that works with the iPhone and iPad. It will work with various music apps including The Groovemaker and VocalLive and more. The iRing FX/Control app runs in the background and talks to the other app, meanwhile the iOs camera picks up and follows the motion. The ring has controls on both sides. Instead of moving your fingers back and forth on the apps. You control the beat by moving the ring back and forth over the apps and the pitch by moving it closer and farther away from the app that you are using.

The iRing can be used by someone who knows very little about music but also by an experience musician. Although right now the ring just works with music apps that IK Multimedia has created, but according to IK Multimedia there is no reason it shouldn’t work with other types of apps. They are offering an SDK and licensing to app developers in hopes that more apps will be built that use the iRing. The iRing will be available starting the 1st quarter of 2014. It will cost $25.00 for two rings and the utility app.

Interview by Don Baine, the Gadget Professor.

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Panovise displays its camera mounts at CES

February 15, 2014Accessories, Auto, CES 2014, Gadgets, MobileTodd Cochrane

panavise Panovise makes mounts for may devices, including smartphones. Todd stopped by the booth to take a look at the mounting systems for portable cameras, such as the GoPro.

Interview by Todd Cochrane of Geek News Central for the TechPodcast Network

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Striker shows off some cool products for all sorts of uses

February 15, 2014Accessories, Auto, CES 2014Todd Cochrane

Striker Hand Tools Company is a unique corporation in today’s technology world. It makes a variety of items for various different purposes, including your home and car. Recently we got them to show off some of the coolest items.

Starting with the Simple Sucker, which is perhaps the simplest phone mount you will ever find. It is a simple rubber stand with suction cups at both ends to stick to a surface, such as a car windshield, while the other end holds your phone, making for an easy GPS mount.

Striker also showed off the Flex-it Light, a unique flashlight-type system that can be utilized during home repairs or while camping. It can be bent and manipulated into all sorts of shapes to light your way in most any direction. It has two rare-earth magnets so it can stick to metal surfaces — such as working on a breaker box when the power is off. Striker also shows off several other models of lights, but you will need to watch the video below to get the full details and demos.

Interview by Todd Cochrane of Geek News Central for the TechPodcast Network

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Monoprice shows off its latest line — monitors

February 10, 2014CES 2014, Gadgets, TVs, VideoTodd Cochrane

If you are not familiar with Monoprice, then probably you should be. For those who frequently need computer and home theater cables, which is likely everyone who reads a tech news site like this, it the place to shop. But the company isn’t just about cables anymore. I bought outdoor speakers from it a while back, and it sells things like switches as well.

Now Monoprice in branching out further, this time encompassing monitors. The company shows off both a 30-inch monitor, as well as a 29-inch ultra-wide. The big one is available now, and retailing for $682. The monitors also come with some impressive guarantees from the company, that allow for easy replacement if there is any problem whatsoever.

Interview by Don Baine, the Gadget Professor

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TrackingPoint Weapon System

February 4, 2014Accessories, CES 2014, Gadgets, HomeTodd Cochrane

tracking Point TrackingPoint introduced a precision guided firearm at CES 2013. The kit consists of a digital rifle scope and a guided trigger. This kit works with a traditional bolt-action rifle.

The way the system works is that you point the weapon toward the target and the system tags the target. The tag, which is a red dot will remain with the target even if the target moves. The system then calculates all necessary measurements including distance and wind velocity. When you pull the trigger the shot is held until you can align the target. A cross hair will appear and then the shot is fired.

The TrackingPoint system includes five processors within it. There is an image processor that processes up to 54 frames per second. There is also a DSP processor, an Arm core processor and a FPGA with RISC processor inside.

The TrackingPoint kit includes a rifle, a scope, the trigger package, 200 rounds of ammo, a pelican case, a wind bag and an iPad mini. There is also an app for the iPhone or iPad which allows you to stream and record video of your shot. The total kit will be around $20,000. More information is available at the Tracking-Point website.

Interview by Todd Cochrane of Geek News Central for the TechPodcast Network.

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OtterBox Preserver Series of phone cases

February 1, 2014Accessories, CES 2014, Home, MobileTodd Cochrane

Don Baine talked with Jordan Vetter at the Otterbox booth at CES 2014 about the new OtterBox Preserver Series of phone cases.

The Preserver Series is a waterproof and dustproof case that will keep your iPhone 5S, iPhone 5 or Samsung Galaxy S4 safe and sound while you enjoy whatever environment you find yourself in. All the phone’s functions, including the Touch ID sensor on the 5S, remain available while protecting your phone against water, dust and drops. The cases are fully submergible up to 6.6 ft. (2 m) for 30 minutes and can take a drop from up to 6.6 feet (2m) without damage.

The OtterBox Preserver is available now in assorted colors for $89.95 from otterbox.com

Interview by Don Baine, the Gadget Professor for the TechPodcast Network.

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iSmartAlarm at CES

January 31, 2014CES 2014, Home, WirelessTodd Cochrane

Don Bain and Todd Cochrane inteviewed Zac Sutton of iSmartAlarm about their home security system, called CubeOne, at the broadcast booth for CES 2014.

The iSmartAlarm system plugs into your router and all of the remote sensors communicate with the CubeOne box which syncs with the cloud and an iOS (or Android) app to give you a security system that is infinitely customizable. Sensors and controls that can be hooked to the system include Remote Switches, Streaming Cameras, Door and Window Sensors, and motion sensors. The system can be controlled by a web interface, App or a remote control.

The iSmartAlarm system is available now for $349 for the Premium Package and $199 for the Prefered Package. For more information or to buy, see iSmartAlarm.com

Interview by Todd Cochrane of Geek News Central for the TechPodcast Network and Don Baine, the Gadget Professor.

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QisDesign Designer Lighting from BenQ

January 31, 2014Accessories, CES 2014, HomeTodd Cochrane

BenQ aren’t really known for their designer lighting but this is what Bob Wudeck brought along to Don and Todd at CES. BenQ has a range of about forty different lights and lamps sold under the QisDesign brand, and on show is a beautiful flexible table LED lamp. Inspired by the human spine, the Hatha LED table lamp won a series of design awards, including a Red Dot Design Award in 2012. It’s definitely designer lighting with a ticket of price of $450 and this is one of the cheaper ones!

More ordinarily for CES, Bob also brought along a BenQ GP20 projector. This 700 lumen HD projector is designed for cord-cutters and watching video rather than execs and Powerpoint slides. The HDMI input is ideal for connecting up a Roku for Netflix viewing and it’s quite portable at only 22 x 62 x 18 cm. Bob says in the video that it’s only 720p, but the specs at BenQ say 1080p; worth clarifying before shelling out around $700. It’s a nice little unit.