Category Archives: Accessories

SteddiePod Brings Camera Monopod and Tripod Together



This is the funniest CES interview I’ve seen (which isn’t saying much, to be honest). Jeffrey and Jamie get a hands-on demonstration ofBarberTech‘s SteddiePod by Eddie Barber, which actually looks pretty handy, all joking aside.

The Barber Tech SteddiePod is billed as the “world’s most versatile camera support” and it’s a handheld camera stabiliser with extra features designed in, so it can be used as a tripod or with the boom extended to give overhead shots. The setup looks amazingly straightforward – there’s a good video on the Barber Tech website – and with just a few minutes easy work, the SteddiePod can be accurately balanced for a video camera.

The SteddiePod starts at $499 and is available from dealers nationwide. Barber Tech is “Emmy Award Winning” and has other products such as camera booms and teleprompters for the TV and film industry.

Interview by Jeffrey Powers of Geekazine and Jamie Davies of the  and the Nursing Show.


Comply Foam Upgrades your Ear-Buds



If you have ever bought in-ear buds with those rubber tips, you know what I am talking about. You want a comfortable fit that blocks out sound. That is what Comply foam is all about. Their tips use the same material as memory foam mattresses do. Therefore, the tips allow you to block outside sounds and give you a comfortable experience.

Comply Foam works with many popular model headphones. From beats, Skull Candy, Monster, Ultimate Ears. Some companies also package the foams right in their headphones.

They test every earphone that every tip holds to the earphone.

Interview by Jeffrey Powers of Geekazine and Andy Smith of Geocaching World

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Mavia: Diagnostic System for Older Cars



These days everyone is dreaming of high-tech cars, but not everyone wants to buy, or can afford, a new car.  Mavia is a new car interface that plugs into the diagnostic port of your existing car (1996 or newer) and brings most of that modern technology along with it.  It can geo-locate your car and there’s an app for your smartphone to control everything.

Mavia can not only diagnose or warn you of some car problems, but it can also connect with services like Facebook and FourSquare and alert you when you are in the area of one of your friends.  It can be set to let you know when you are near a location that sells something on your shopping list,  It can even notify you when your teen driver leaves a certain range, or just where they are period.

Mavia runs on the cellular network, but there is no monthly fee because it is subsidized by advertising.  The product is still currently in Beta and there’s no price point as of yet.  You can check it out at Mavizon.

Interview by Jeffrey Powers of Geekazine.


Sonomax Eers: Custom Molded In-Ear Headphones



Sonomax
Sonomax

How can they be off-the-shelf yet custom-fit? Easy, Sculpted Eers can be bought off-the-shelf in stores or online but come with a custom-fitting kit that takes five minutes to mould your ears and make a personalised earphone.

Nick from Sonomax, manufacturers of Scuplted Eers, gets Andy fitted with Eers at CESas you watch. The Sonofit custom-fitting kit inserts small bladders into each ear which are then filled with a quick setting silicone mix. The bladders expand to perfectly fit the ear and it’s completely painless. After 5 minutes the silicone has set, then it’s simply a case of detaching the Eers from the kit and fitting a small cap to each earphone to finish the process off.

Available now, Sculpted Eers cost CAD $199 for the single driver model and CAD $299 for the dual driver. There’s a store finder on the website or you can order on-line. New models are in the pipeline as well.

Interview by Jeffrey “Noddy” Powers of Geekazine and Andy “Big Eers” Smith of Geocaching World.


Protect your Kindle with Solarmio



These days many of us own the Amazon Kindle, and unfortunately many have found out just how fragile the device can be. Solarmio, who recently won an Innovation Award at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, has some solutions to protect your favorite e-reader. The new Solarmio Kindle case will not only protect the device, but it has a few other handy features like a light for nighttime reading with a separate battery to power it for up to 50 hours. The case not only can be charged by a standard USB cable, but also has a solar panel cover that can keep it charged as well.

The Solarmio cover is available now for $79.99. You can see a full demonstration in the video below, as well as find out more by visiting Solarmio on the web, where you can also purchase this cool case for your Kindle.

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

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Zimri Speakers – Small and Mighty



Zimri SpeakersEver wanted a small and compact Bluetooth portable speaker for your smartphone or MP3 player but always found that they came up a little short when it came down to how loud or powerful they were? Zimri Speakers has solved that problem.

The smallest speaker rocks not only the Bluetooth option but also an 1/8″ input and can pump the tunes for 6-8 hours on only a 2 hour charge. The sound volume is very amazing for its size, too, and it’s something you have to hear to believe. We also got to see a prototype of a larger Zimri speaker with a microSD slot and a much larger and louder bass response that is meant to act as a standalone MP3 player if wanted, but can also still connect via Bluetooth. Finally, a cube speaker we saw rattling across the table was explained and we learned that it has a super-enlarged bass driver yet still does not have the distortion you’d expect in a device of its nature. This one, too, has a microSD slot and volume controls on the bottom of the device and they are recessed.

We also got to see a charging solution battery pack, in both 3,000 and 6,000 mAH capacities. These chargers have two USB slots, with one being a rapid charger and go hand-in-hand with the speakers that they have.

Take a look at the video for a Bluetooth test on the little speaker that goes over 40 yards across the convention hall without losing signal!

Interview by Nicholas DiMeo of F5 Live for the TechPodcast Network.

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Kodak Playful Dual, M750 Easyshare



Kodak
Kodak

It was announced on Thursday that Kodak will be discontinuing their camera products. Both of these cameras will not be released. Nonetheless, it was a great interview with Jennifer Cicney of Kodak.

You can Read my thoughts on this.

Interview by Jeffrey Powers of Geekazine and Steve Lee of Waves of Tech

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Mionix Rage-Proof Keyboards, Precision Mousepad



We found a company called Mionix at Showstoppers during CES. They were showing off the Mionix Disciple 60, as well as a mouse pad that gives you more precise movements.

The keyboard is the Mionix Deciple 60. It has mechanical switches and a steel plate on it. Keys can be removed so it can be re-configured for MMO gaming. It lasts 50 million keystrokes. It’s thicker cable also brings USB and audio jacks to the back of your keyboard.

The NAOS mouse is also an ergonomic mouse that can do 128 dpsi recognition. However, your surface might be the bigger issue.

The mouse comes with software that can tell you how your mouse is fairing on the surface. Mionix does sell what they call the “World’s Best Mousepad”. This is perfect for gamers or artists that need that precision movement.

The Desciple is $149.99 – $79.99 – and the World’s best mousepad is $49.99.

Interview by Jeffrey Powers of Geekazine


Yurbuds, Ear Buds for the Athlete



Yurbuds Most people like to listen to music while exercising. The first thing you learn when you start exercising is that your ears sweat and most headphones don’t stay in sweaty ears. There is nothing more frustrating than having your ear buds constantly falling out, while exercising.

The company Yurbuds understands this frustration, they are athletes who make products for athletes. Their newest product is the Yurbuds Ironman Series. The Ironman Series Yurbuds are ear buds specifically designed for the athlete who carries an iPhone or iPod Touch. There is a three button control on the center Y which allows you move forward and backward through tracks, control the volume, and answer calls. On the other side of the Y is the microphone. What really makes the Yurbuds special are their proprietary twist and lock technology. Place the ear buds in your ear twist and lock them in place. Now no matter how much you sweat or it rains they will not come out. They are made of a medical grade silicon, so once they are locked into the ear they are very comfortable. They have a great sound quality, the speakers in the ear buds are tuned with the drivers and sound tunnel. The speakers in the ear buds are protected by their ergonomic design. You can remove the silicon cover and clean them with a little soap and water.

There is a life time guarantee on the product for damage done by sweat or rain. The Ironman Inspired earbuds cost $59.99 and are available through the Web site and various retailers including , Dick’s Sporting Goods, Apple and Target. Whether you are a world-class triathlete or a weekend runner Yurbuds were made for you.

Interview by Todd Cochrane of Geek News Central and Don Baine The Gadget Professor of Geek News Central

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Keep Your Tablet Clear with the Lenspen SideKick



Lenspen LogoLenspen have a long history of products in the photography market and they’ve brought their expertise of lens cleaning to the mobile gadget space. Their client list reads like a who’s who of the photography market with Nikon, Canon and Sony all producing OEM-branded version of Lenspen’s lens cleaning tools. Todd and Don chat with Peter from Lenspen to get an update on the latest products.

Last year, Lenspen introduced the first SideKick and since then the product line has been expanded with new colours and new packaging. The SideKick is a matchbox-sized sprung-loaded carbon pad that is wiped over the screen and completely removes fingerprints from tablet and smartphone screens. Using a carbon-based technology, the SideKick absorbs oils without any abrasion leaving a perfectly cleaning screen. It then closes up to keep all the carbon inside and one cartridge will do 300-400 cleanings before needing to be replaced. The SideKick is available online and in retail stores from $14.99 for a single SideKick. Other package combinations are available.

Lenspen also has specific cleaning products for LCD monitors and screens, such as the Laptop-Pro, that removes both dust and fingerprints.

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

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