Category Archives: CES 2012

Tylt: Adding Style and Design to the Everyday Wireless World

CES 2012, Mobile, , , ,

No matter what technology is involved, consumers are still anxious about their battery levels – and mobile connectivity is “critical path” to almost everyone’s business and personal lives.

That results in a bag full of cables, backup battery packs- usually one for each system. Add in wall adapters and tangles and the opportunity for a more elegant solution is right in front of your eyes.

Bringing Design to the world of power cables, Y adapters, power blocks, and battery chargers captures the innovative approach that comes when products are Built to Tylt.

Interview by Andy McCaskey of SDRNews for the TechPodcast Network.

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PrivacyStar: Call and SMS Blocking for Android and Blackberry

CES 2012, Wireless, , , , , , ,

If you want to insure that you are on the Election Year “Do Not Call” list, this is the app for you.

Privacy Star allows you to block numbers from annoying pollsters and solicitors, and if they get really obnoxious, report them to the Federal Trade Commission.  Similar calls from bill collectors including date, time and frequency are logged for action.

There’s also an optional Do Not Disturb mode, which forwards all non blocked incoming calls to voicemail with the option to send a custom text message acknowledging the call.

 

Interview by Andy McCaskey of SDRNews for the TechPodcast Network.

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iTwin: An Infinite Capacity Thumb Drive ?

CES 2012, Computers, , , , ,

There is nothing more handy than having a USB stick – the ubiquitous “thumb drive” or “jump drive” with your critical documents.

The problem is – the document hanging around for years on your desktop system is NOT on the thumb drive.

You need it Right Now! ASAP !

That’s the problem that iTwin solves.

You plug in Plug one half of iTwin into your online office computer. Drag’n’drop files into the iTwin window to share them. Take the other half of iTwin with you. You will have instant access to all of the shared files, from any other online computer.  No configuration, no VPN token card, no login.

Available for both Mac and PC, price class $100.

Interview by Andy McCaskey of SDRNews for the TechPodcast Network.

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Keep Your Tablet Clear with the Lenspen SideKick

Accessories, CES 2012

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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iBike Powerhouse for your iPhone

Accessories, CES 2012, ,

For a long time now cyclists, at least serious ones, have mounted mini computers on their handlebars. The devices provide information on time, distance, average speed, and even elevation and temperature. Now iBike is bringing us the ability to do all of this with our iPhone and eliminate that second device.

The iBike Powerhouse provides a weather-proof case for your iPhone that can be easily mounted on your bike’s handlebars and the accompanying app provides all of the data you are used to getting from a traditional cycling computer plus a whole lot of additional information such as a heart rate monitor, training plans, and more.

The product and app are the creation of real cyclists and coaches, so the information provided by the app is what even professional riders want and need to know. Check out the interview below with the iBike representative, who has a side job coaching Olympic and professional riders, to get more information on the iBike Powerhouse, along with pricing and availability. You can also visit iBikeSports to check everything out.

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

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Samsung Series 9 Notebooks

CES 2012, Computers, ,

If you are in the market for a new notebook computer then you may want to check out the latest offerings from Samsung with their Series 9 version, which was announced at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas just recently. Samsung calls it the world’s thinnest laptop, which is saying something given the MacBook Air and all of the new UltraBooks that were unveiled at CES.

The new Samsung Series 9 will come in both 13 inch and 15 inch versions. The new laptops are extremely thin and light and sport all-aluminum bodies. In addition, the Series 9 has a back-lit keyboard, a 128 GB or 256 GB SSD, an Intel Core i5 or i7 processor, and a high-resolution 1600 x 900 screen. The Samsung Series 9 notebooks should be available sometime this spring for an as-yet-undisclosed price. You can get a look at the 15″ version in the video posted below.

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

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Kidz Gear Volume Limiting Headphones

CES 2012, Home, ,

Volume Limiting Headphones

CES regular Jack Peterson talks with Todd and Don on the latest headphones for children from Kidz Gear.

Kidz Gear produces headphones with smaller headbands and ear cups to fit the smaller heads of children. This year they’ve brought to the market new wired headphones that have a built-in volume limiter that prevents children’s hearing becoming damaged through excessive sound levels. The headphones reduce the maximum sound level by about 20% into the 80-95 decibel range.

The new headphones are compatible with the iPad, iPhone and iPod ranges and include an inline remote and mic control. They’re available from the Apple Store or direct from Kidz Gear for $29.99.

An additional new product in the same vein is a volume limit cable which can be added to already-purchased headphones to make them safer for children. Priced at only $9.99, there’s currently a special price of $5.99 showing on-line.

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

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Polkast: Making Your Computer the Cloud

CES 2012, Computers

Polkast Cloud base solutions for accessing the data on your computer off site are great, but they have their limitations. First they are slow, because everything has to upload to the cloud first before you can access it off site. Second most cloud solutions have a limit on how much you can store on their sites. Third they can get expensive if you have to store a lot and finally you have to depend on them to be up.

What if you made your computer the cloud, that is the solution that Polkast came up with. You install the Polkast server on the computer you want to access the files from and then the Polkast app on your mobile devices including your smart phone, tablets or lap top. You can then access the files on that computer from anywhere in the world as long as the server is running. To access files using Polkast you have to sign in with a user name and password. Everything is encrypted while going from PC to PC or mobile device. Unlike a cloud base solution there is no storage limitation and it is as fast as your local ISP. You can share specific files with other people by email or through their Polkast account. The service is free for one computer for multiple devices it is $49.95 a year. If you are looking for a way to access your home files on the road, but are wary of a cloud solution, this might be a solution for you.

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

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Parrot Introduces Cool Products like AR Drone Mark 2

CES 2012, Wireless, , ,

Parrot There are some products that are shown at CES that are just cool and everyone who is a kid at heart just wants, the AR. Drone by Parrot is one of those gadgets. This year at CES 2012 they introduced AR. Drone Mark 2. The Mark 2 (aka AR. Drone 2.0) is controlled by a smart phone or tablet. It has a one button launch. Once it is launched it will sit and hove till the next command. The AR. Drone Mark 2 can fly up to 150 feet in the air, or as far as wi-fi will allow. AR. Drone Mark 2 has stabilization and pressure sensor technology built into it. On the front is an HD camera and a standard def camera on the bottom. You can stream and record the video back to the phone via wi-fi. The video can then be uploaded to your favorite social site, including YouTube and Facebook.

It come with two hulls one for in home use and one for outdoor use. It is built to take some crashes, but if something breaks you can get replacement parts are on-line. The AR. Drone Mark 2 should be available according to Peter George of Parrot in the second quarter of 2012 for about $299.00

Once you are finished playing with the AR. Drone Mark 2, you may want to relax with a little music and some quiet time, well Parrot has you covered there too. They are introducing a pair of stereo cordless headsets that are noise canceling called the Parrot Zik . They work over either Bluetooth or the included cord. They run on a chargeable battery and give about 5 hours of listening pleasure. Once the battery runs down you can continue listening by connecting the cord. What makes the Parrot Zik headphones stand out besides the great style by French designer Philippe Starck are the controls on the headphones. There is a sensitive touchpad on the headphone which allows you to skip back and forth thru tracks by swiping right or left and control volume by swiping up and down. The headphones fold down flat to fit into a small carrying case. There is no price or launch date at this time, but they should be available sometime in 2012 at various retailers. All together Parrot introduced seven new products at CES 2012, including three additional products in the car environment and the asteroid marketplace. You can take a look at all of them at their Web site Parrot.

Interview by Todd Cochrane of [Geek News Central](https://geeknewscentral.com ) and Don Baine The Gadget Professor of Geek News Central

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iLuv Wins With New Travel Gadgets

Accessories, CES 2012, ,

iLuv LogoiLuv will be familiar to many with their extensive range of matching accessories for tablets, smartphones and MP3 players. At CES this year, iLuv won no less than 5 CES Innovations Honoree awards to add to their collection of accolades. Todd gets a review of their latest products from Peter of iLuv.

The DreamTraveler is combined iPhone dock, USB charger and mains power strip squared aimed at those unfortunate souls who have to spend time in poorly equipped hotel rooms. It has two USB charging ports, three power outlets and an Apple connector for charging iPhones, iPods and iPads.

For the international traveller, iLuv has the RockWall, a dual USB charger that comes with the right mains plugs for different countries round the world.

Finally, the Mo’Beats is a portable tablet or smartphone cradle with Bluetooth wireless speakers that has a built-in lithium-ion battery which will run for about 4 hours.

All the products will be available in April or May. The Mo’Beats SRP is expected to be $89.99 but the website is currently showing $99.99. I think Peter gets his prices mixed up in the video as the RockWall is priced at $49.99 on the website and the DreamTraveler is $129.99.

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

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