Category Archives: CES 2013

Dishwasher Safe Keyboard for Hospital or Home



SealShieldLogoSeal Shield has specialized in waterproofing keyboards for demanding medical and industrial environments – which means that it can take out any abuse that the family computer keyboard might have to endure at the hands of pre-schoolers or careless teenagers. At CES2013, the company introduced the 100% waterproof iPhone case, including waterproof earbuds permitting the user to listen to music while underwater. There is a full selection of mice, keyboards and accessories. The products are ruggedized for industrial and healthcare use, and are fully warranted. SealShield is a single use iPad waterproofing system that can protect up to 90 days. The company has a long history in the medical field and offers anti-microbial coating on the products as well.

TPN Interview by Andy McCaskey, SDRNews and Daniel J. Lewis, The Audacity To Podcast.

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Deluxe Headphones Feature ButtonLess Controls



ParotLogoParrot introduces a high end gesture based headphone controller on the Parrot ZIK, complete with active noise canceling technology. The unit removes 98% of the noise from the environment, using adaptive software and four separate microphones. Bluetooth connectivity is standard, both for listening to music and for coupling to the mobile phone. A bone conduction microphone allows coupling into the phone audio. Concert hallThe sound field is movable, allowing the creation of a concert hall experience with DSP. A six hour battery life is standard if all features are engaged. Up to 18 hours of music listening is possible if the other features are disabled.

TPN Interview by Andy McCaskey, SDRNews and Daniel J. Lewis, The Audacity To Podcast.

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For the Construction Site – The Job Rocker



InaudioLogoIon Audio’s Block Rocker is now on steroids ! The construction site is the next venue for the popular device which has been found all over the country in parks, backyard parties, bars and outside events. With a built-in Bluetooth system, music from smartphone or tablet can be connected wirelessly, without trying to pass audio through the regular 30 pin connector. A built in AM-FM radio complements the music from mp3’s for news and sports. The unit is designed to withstand common field hazards. Internal battery supplies hours of music on the work site. TPN Interview by Andy McCaskey, SDRNews and Daniel J. Lewis, The Audacity To Podcast.

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iGrill now on Android – with Geolocation and Social Networking



Two years ago at CES, iDevices Inc introduced a novel application for the iPhone – the iGrill temperature sensor. Theproduct continues to evolve. and is now available for Android and includes both geolocation and social networking. You might not think of GPS as being particularly useful for the iGrill accessory – but it turns out that thousands of people around the world are cooking out at the same time, and are very proud of what they do. iDevices links to their Facebook page, and allows them to post directly to their Facebook page. Mark Zuckerberg is a fan – cheerfully crashing the servers at iGrill as fans around the world checked them out.

iDevices does consulting for other companies, showing them how to integrate apps, geolocation and social media into their product lines. Their relationship with Apple enables new companies to quickly get on board.

The CEO of the company talks about iShower, and joint ventures with Targus and other companies planned for 2013. TPN Interview by Andy McCaskey, SDRNews and Daniel J. Lewis, The Audacity To Podcast.

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Better Way to Hold Your Phone, Tablet or e-Reader



handableLogoHandAble is a fashionable way to hold your phone securely. It can be attached to phone, tablet or e-reader, and adjusts from child to adult. To return the HandAble to the down and locked position, you just pull on the cord and stow the phone and HandAble device in your pocket or purse. Custom artwork is available for corporate gifts, political events or special occasions. Price class $12. TPN Interview by Andy McCaskey, SDRNews and Daniel J. Lewis, The Audacity To Podcast.

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Big Training Cost Savings for Win8 Tablet Users with Virtual Binder



gDocLogoOne of the hidden costs of any conversion is training large numbers of non-IT workers on a new system. Microsoft Partner Global Graphics has created the software equivalent of a three ring binder. Learning curve ? Approximately zero. The software application, designed from the ground up for the enterprise marketplace and Windows8 tablets allows you to gather up and collate documents from anywhere in any format – PPT, DOC, XLS,PDF, and then assign to pages and tabs within a smart equivalent of a three ring binder. You can share and archive binders and content selectively and confidentially and collaborate with friends and colleagues anywhere on the globe. Personal applications are also possible.

The content display is instantly familiar regardless of computer skills of the employee. And by using existing business documents, there is no re-scanning or conversion required to bring in existing documentation and reference materials.

Pages can be set to automatically update, and it is possible to add annotations, edit pages and documents, and electronically search by phrase, word or tab.TPN Interview by Andy McCaskey, SDRNews and Daniel J. Lewis, The Audacity To Podcast.

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Pick Rewards at Point of Sale



DynamicsEplateInstead of carrying multiple cards to qualify for various affinity reward programs, here’s a programmable credit card from Dynamics, Inc that allows you to choose where those charges and points get applied. When coupled with the smartphone app, you can change the reward program and premium that you wish. The merchant gets to put a special award directly in front of the consumer. Charities can also vie for attention . Over fifty brands are already aligned with the program. The awards are also available much more quickly than the regular reward system – allowing response in just a few seconds of the time that the purchase occurs. There is an open API allowing companies to customize and add incentives to their programs. TPN Interview by Andy McCaskey, SDRNews and Daniel J. Lewis, The Audacity To Podcast.

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Nesting Earbuds – Safety and Convenience



DigInnoLogoIf you have earbud style headphones, it’s a sure thing that they spend a lot of time tangled up in gym bag, briefcase or purse. Digital Innovations introduced us to a patented earbud winder / carry case that protects the headphones and keeps them available and untangled for immediate retrieval.  The holder is made out of soft and pliable silicone material with a rubbery feel that makes it easy to wind the headphone cords and stow the actual earbuds in the interior. Extracting them tangle free is available with a single pull. Price class $10 from Digital Innovations, Inc. TPN Interview by Andy McCaskey, SDRNews and Daniel J. Lewis, The Audacity To Podcast.

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More Mileage From Your Old iPad



d-red logoMounting an older iPad in a customized frame is a great way to extend the life of the device and at the same time provide a toddler with a unique toy that builds all sorts of skills. Building skills in numbers and letters, learning to draw, or just having fun, this is a sure fire way to keep little kids engaged for hours of constructive play. d-Redshop has developed an entire family of custom apps for the iPad that can be built into the frame, and then connected via Bluetooth. The company has a number of iOS based products. The toy applications are found at MyLearnToys.com.
TPN Interview by Andy McCaskey, SDRNews and Daniel J. Lewis, The Audacity To Podcast.

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UberConference Adds Visual Interface on Audio Calls



uberconference-geekazine-cesAudio phone conferencing has not changed too much in the last few years. More and more people are using conference calls. Coordinating who is there can be one of the toughest things. Add in *73 to mute and unmute or other hotkeys that require a cheat sheet.

Uberconference wants to do away with all that by creating a simple video interface. It’s not video conferencing but it will give you an idea of who is talking. The Uberconference interface will move the people around to highlight who is talking. The interface will also give the moderator the power to fix problems. If someone’s audio is interfering with the speaker then you can just use the Uberconference interface to mute or lower the sound. You can even throw “earmuffs” on a caller so they cannot hear the conversation (great for if you have to talk to your team).

Craig Walker used to work at Google Voice. He started UberConference to enhance the audio phone conference environment. Uberconference is free – with a pay version at $10  a month. The pay version removes all watermarks, gives you a local number to work from and also can call participants at scheduled times. www.uberconference.com

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Video by Jeffrey Powers of Geekazine and Nicholas Dimeo of F5 Live