Category Archives: Video

Powerocks Brings the Power to CES

CES 2015, Video, , , ,

Powerocks LogoUSB power packs for charging smartphones can be found everywhere and companies are striving hard to find their niche in a crowded market. Todd talks with Craig Miller from Powerocks about how they’re going to set themselves apart.

Powerocks has adopted a two pronged approach. It’s taking USB battery packs and giving them a lifestyle makeover, in this case a leather covering, to make them more appealing to a wider audience and sold in mainstream stores.

Secondly, Powerocks is using its battery expertise to build products that aren’t only smartphone chargers but are also chargeable batteries themselves. The Jump Starter vehicle emergency unit includes a 10,000 mAh battery, USB charging ports, an LED signal light, a torch, a distress alarm, a steel break-glass and a car jump-starter all in one unit.

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

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Sonavation Presents IDKEY at CES

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IDKEY M-SeriesAt last count, I had over 300 usernames and passwords in my password manager. It’s a ridiculous state of affairs and not one that is likely to change anytime soon. Whatever technique or tool you choose to use, you need a good balance between convenience and security. Sonavation‘s IDKEY might help increase both of those things, so Todd met with Jason Oliver from Sonavation.

The M-series IDKEY combines 16 GB of encrypted storage with a fingerprint reader, a small screen and a built-in database to manage confidential information. Simply, it’s a secure password manager that goes on a keyring. Once unlocked with a fingerprint, usernames and passwords can be read off the screen, or more usefully the information can be passed securely to a web browser or mobile device via wifi, bluetooth or USB. It’s FIDO-compliant and physically meets FIPS 140-2 Level 3, meaning that anyone who tries to take the hardware apart will destroy the data in the process.

Preorders are  for the M-series with availability expected in Q1 for $279. It appears from the IDKEY website that there is a cheaper version but no pricing is given.

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

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Sliingbox New Models Come to CES

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Sling LogoSlingMedia and its associated Slingbox are synonymous with place-shifting TV programming. Connect a SlingBox into a satellite or cable TV box, and you can then view your cable or satellite feed from anywhere in the world. Whatever can be viewed in the living room can be viewed remotely. Jamie and Todd chat with Andy Panizza about the latest developments from SlingMedia.

The Slingbox M1 ($149) is the entry-level Slingbox and it brings Wi-Fi connectivity to the whole Slingbox range for the first time, winning it PC Magazine’s Editor’s Choice. The Slingbox 500 ($249) introduced SlingTV which overlays program guides and additional information onto the home TV screen as well as providing place-shifting. Both models are available now.

Interview by Jamie Davies of Health Tech Weekly and Todd Cochrane of Geek News Central for the TechPodcast Network.

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AAMP Ensures Car Tech Stays Up to Date at CES

Auto, CES 2015, Video, , , ,

Aamp of AmericaWhile most people get a new smartphone every other year, buying a new car doesn’t happen as quickly. As a result, in-car technology can get out of date fast, particularly with respect to entertainment and communication. Fortunately, AAMP of America is here to help; Todd talks with Jeff Smith to find out what’s hot in auto upgrades.

With over 4,000 dealers, AAMP provide a wide range of after-market upgrades, with rear-view cameras and parking assistance being popular options. To keep up with manufacturer offerings AAMP does its own design and development to make sure its own products match or exceed the OEM products.

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

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Eliptic Labs add Ultrasonic Gesture Controls to Devices at CES

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EllipticLabs logoThe touch interface goes back as far as the early days of mobile devices to the Apple Newton and Palm Organiser. Elliptic Labs now add non-touch to the mobile user interface with ultrasound gesture recognition. Todd gets a demo from Laila Danielson, CEO.

Elliptic Labs use an ultrasonic speaker to create a sonic field around the mobile device. Moving a hand in front of the device creates ultrasonic echoes which are picked up by microphones and the changes in echo patterns are converted into gestures. For example, waving a hand from left to right scrolls a picture gallery. Moving a hand closer to the phone brings up additional information on a film or movie.

It’s currently a prototype device being shown to OEMs so expect the technology to appear on mobile devices in the next year or two.

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

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Schneider Optics adds High-Quality Lenses to Smartphones at CES

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Schneider LogoDigital pictures and smartphone cams have changed the photography industry beyond recognition in the last twenty years and the quality of this imagery is such that innovative filmmakers are using iPhones to record footage. One restriction remains and that is the lens itself; there’s only one and it’s fixed in place. But Schneider Optics might have a solution. Todd finds out more from Don.

Schneider Optics iPro Lens systems provides a selection of high quality optical lenses for Apple iPhones and the Samsung Galaxy S4, including macro, wide-angle, super wide, tele and fisheye. The system works by fitting the smartphone itself into a case and then mounting the lens onto the case with a bayonet connector to ensure the best possible alignment.

The iPro Lens is available now for the Samsung Galaxy S4, iPhone 4/4S and iPhone 5/5S. The iPhone 6 and 6 Plus variant will be on sale shortly. Lenses cost from $39 to $99, the case is $31 and there are also kits available.

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

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Corning Brings Protective Glass and Long Cables to CES

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Corning Logo

Corning are famous for their glass-based products, most notably Serengeti Drivers sunglasses and Gorilla Glass screens which protect the majority of mobile devices on the planet. Todd gets a hands-on demonstration of Corning’s latest products from Jon Pesansky and Gabriela Allen.

This year sees  come to market which roughly doubles the height a phone could fall without screen damage. Alternatively, the glass can be made thinner for the same level of survivability and a 0.4 mm thick piece of Gorilla Glass 4 is the same as a 0.55 mm of Gorilla Glass 3.

Partly as a result of the high data transfer rates, the maximum length of Thunderbolt and USB3 electrical cables is only a few metres. To address this, Corning have developed fibre versions of these cables which can run longer distances and put up with the abuse typically associated with plugging and unplugging cables. They don’t come cheap with a 5.5 m Thunderbolt cable costing $179 and a 10m USB3 cable costing $109. Available now.

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

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Floome Checks Your Alcohol Levels at CES

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2045 TechYou shouldn’t drink alcohol before driving as even small amounts of alcohol can impair your judgement. But, if you do need to check your blood alcohol concentration (BAC), then the Floome smartphone breathalyser from 2045 Tech can help you determine if it’s legal to drive. Fabio Penzo CEO shows Todd how it works.

Floome is a small palm-sized device that plugs into the earphone jack of a smartphone. The owner breathes into Floome and it then analyses the alcohol concentration and passes the data to the Floome smartphone app. The phone then shows the BAC on the screen along with a green or red indicator. The app has other features such as showing the location of the nearest taxi service or it can send “come and get me” messages with the alcohol level superimposed on a selfie.

The Floome will be launching in Italy for 49 euros and will come to USA in a few months.

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

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Program All The Buttons with Flic at CES

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Flic logoFlic is a bluetooth-enabled button. It’s a simple idea that has many uses from taking pictures with a smartphone to autodialling or even working as a personal distress signal. Nick and Todd met with Pranav Kosuri, co-founder of Shortcut Labs.

Flic is a coin-sized button that can be stuck or clipped onto almost anything. When pressed, it sends a bluetooth message that is received by the Flic app (available for both Android and iOS) and actions include controlling music, dialling phone numbers, sharing GPS position, taking pictures, dimming lights and more. Different things can be done depending on the number of clicks or if the button is being held down: one click could be take a picture, two clicks take a video. The possibilities are huge.

The Flic is currently on Indiegogo and $99 gets 5x Flics with delivery in April 2015.

Interview by Nick DiMeo of F5 Live and Todd Cochrane of Geek News Central for the TechPodcast Network.

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ProGearX Shows Off GoPro Camera Mounts at CES

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ProgearX LogoVideos from body-cams are more popular than ever thanks to products like the GoPro camera. And with that popularity and success comes a cottage industry of vendors who are supplying accessories for GoPros.

Todd and Nick had a chat with Noah Rasheta, CEO/founder of ProGearX, a company that specializes in mounting solutions/accessories for GoPros as well as other imaging devices. Noah was wearing one of his company’s products, a shoulder/torso harness that accommodates up to two cameras. Noah also brought ProGearX’s retractable “selfie-stick” style camera arm.

Interview by Todd Cochrane of Geek News Central and Nicholas DiMeo of F5 Live: Refreshing Technology for the TechPodcast Network.

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