Top
About Me

 

Known as MAD's Maddest Writer, co-host of The Giz Wiz with OMGchad at www.GizWiz.TV, The Giz Wiz on ABC's World News Now, and on Tech Guy Labs with Leo Laporte on www.TWiT.TV

Search Giz Wiz Biz
This form does not yet contain any fields.

    The Giz Wiz is a weekly guest on The Tech Guy Show with -- who else? - The Tech Guy himself, Leo Laporte.

    Leo Laporte & I chat about some sort of fun or weird gadget weekly his The Tech Guy Radio Show. The show is syndicated by Premiere to over 180 radio stations around the country. Leo's closing in on 1.5 million listeners! I'm on the Saturday Show with The Giz Wiz Gadget of the Week. My spot is on about 1:45 PM PST / 4:45 PM EST. 

    And if you watch The Tech Guy stay tuned. Because after the Tech Guy Show  Leo does The New Screen Savers Show, and then I return to do Giz Fiz PM, a show with viewer questions, Match Game questions, videos, guest of the week and more! That starts when New Screen Saver ends..about 5:00 PM PST/ 8:00 PM EST. Watch it all at

    http://www.twitlive.tv/

    All The Tech Guy Labs show notes, shows & info can be found here:

    http://techguylabs.com/radio/ 

    Below are the gadgets we've talked about on the show.

    Friday
    Sep252015

    One of my favorite gadget companies files for bankruptcy.

    I was saddened to hear Quirky had filed for Bankruptcy. Quirky produced clever, useful gadgets created by inventors all over the country. Anyway could submit to Quirky for a really low fee of $10, if I recall correctly. The Quirky website members would vote on inventions and offer suggestions to make gadgets better. Everyone involved in a final product shared in the revenue. Quirky developed and manufactured the product. (Or had it manufactured for them.) One of my favorite Quirky gadgets of all time is Pivot Power. It's still available. As a matter of fact, as soon as I heard about Quirky going bankrupt, I bought two new Pivot Power strips to hold for the future.

    Here's what Pivot Power can do: It features six pivoting outlets to accommodate plugs and adapters of all shapes and sizes. It can bend to hug furniture so it's easy to place just about anywhere. Even the 4-foot extension cord has a flat, 45-degree plug so it doesn't hog outlet space. The bending outlets solve a big problem.  You know the deal. You buy a power strip and find you can only use half the outlets because those big power adapter plugs ends up covering 2 or 3 other outlets. Pivot Power bends and flexes so you can find the most convenient angle to handle those monster transformer plugs. Because there’s a hinge between every outlet on the strip, you have a lot of flexibility of which way to face the plug. I also like the fact that on the higher end models there's a glowing blue ring that lights when there's power in the strip, so you can tell at a glance that's it powered up. Years ago when I spoke to the folks at Quirky they told me the young man who came up with the Pivot Power idea had already made hundreds of thousands of dollars so far from his invention! It's available online and at stores. I saw it at Bath, Bed & Beyond too. It's here on Amazon for just $12.50 in black. Some colors are higher priced, but I prefer black. NOTE: I couldn't figure out why some models were $10 to $12 while others were $18 to $25. It turns out the higher priced models have a built-in surge protector and the on/off power indicator switch. So the description carefully before ordering one if you want surge protection. My model does not have surge protection or indicator on/off switch. It's model PPVPP. It was $12.50 and was Amazon Prime. Pivot Power is available in many colors too. Also there's a Junior 4-plug model. Amazon link:

    Quirky PPVPP-BK01 Pivot Power - Black    

    And here's the dark green model I just purchased. It has the surge protection and on/off indicator light switch. It was $14.99 on 9/26/15 and it's Amazon Prime:

    Quirky PPVP1-GR01 Christmas Pivot Power 6 Outlet Flexible Surge Protector Power Strip - Green

     

    Friday
    Sep182015

    The Powerkey Mini Power Cord & A Pen+Stylus - all for your key chain.

    Powerkey Mini Power Cord. USB ports seem to be everywhere, yet somehow that connecting cord is always missing, or inconveniently tangled in the bottom of your bag right when you need it most. The PowerKey is here to save the day! Durable and sleekly designed to attach to your key chain, simply pop open the protective cover, plug in to charge or sync. There's a micro USB version for most Android phones and a Lightning version for Apple products. MSRP for the Apple Lightning connector is $24.99, and for the Micro USB, a lot less at $14.99. These are brand new and were not on Amazon yet as of 9/14/15, but they are on the company website. Once PowerKey is in wide distribution, I think discounts will be available. PowerKey is available in four colors which you can learn about here:    

    http://www.niteize.com/product/PowerKey-Mini-Power-Cord.asp 

     

    INKA Mobile Pen + Stylus. Under $12. Made of durable nylon and carbon fiber that's tough, lightweight, and corrosion-resistant. One of the device contains a pressurized cartridge of blue waterproof ink, the pen writes smoothly and consistently in extreme temperatures, upside-down, and at any altitude - even underwater. The cap at the opposite end of the Inka Mobile opens to reveal an easily accessible touch-screen stylus - perfect for everything from quick notes to business presentations. There are two models- one clips to your key chain, the other offers the option of a pocket clip, plus biner S hook so it can also hang from your key chain if you wish.  

    You can see all the color options at: http://www.niteize.com/

    Wow, this link on Amazon is for an e-retailer selling the clip-on key chain version for under $7. (I did not buy mine here.)

    Nite Ize IMP-M3-R7 Inka Mobile Pen - Retail Packaging - Lime

    The pocket clip/key chain version is here also for about $7.00

    Nite Ize Inka Mobile Clip Stylus Pen - Retail Packaging - Black

    Giz Wiz Gadgets For Your Key Chain Video:

    https://youtu.be/0IjeSinUqTg

    Friday
    Sep112015

    From the upcoming December 2015 Star Wars movie, meet BB-8, the app enabled Droid.

    Over the years, the popularity of Star Wars grows. And now with all the great advancements in technology, (not to mention salesmanship) it's possible to bring a new part of Star Wars: The Force Awakens into your home. (And that's even before the movie opens in December, 2015.) Meet BB-8 - the app-enabled Droid that's as authentic as it is advanced. BB-8 has something unlike any other robot - an adaptive personality that changes as you play. Based on your interactions, BB-8 will show a range of expressions and even perk up when you give voice commands. Set it to patrol and watch your Droid explore autonomously, make up your own adventure and guide BB-8 yourself, or create and view holographic recordings. It’s now possible to explore the galaxy with your own trusty Astromech Droid by your side. BB-8 is more than a toy - it’s your companion. That's amazing you have $149.99 to pay for his friendship! It's Amazon Prime, but not in stock as of 9/10/15. But there are many places like Think Geek, ToysRUs, etc. selling BB-8. And my take on BB-8? I think kids and Star Wars fans will love this Droid. There's a bit of a learning curve, but with just the little I toyed with it, it was fun. Watch the Giz Wiz Video for a few hints on what to expect setting up the BB-8 the first time.

    Giz Wiz Video: https://youtu.be/amdXxr3KTDs

    Sphero Company Video: https://youtu.be/-1Y2WfcCb4M

    Friday
    Sep042015

    Everyone smile! Even if you're standing behind me, because I'm shooting in 360 degrees!

    This week Ricoh announced their new THETA S 360 degree camera. It's the RICOH THETA S, the newest model in the RICOH THETA series of spherical cameras that capture 360-degree scenes that surround the user and later, the viewer. The RICOH THETA S captures high-resolution spherical images of up to nearly 14 megapixels. It can also record spherical video in full HD (1920 x 1080 pixels at 30fps). Maximum recording time of  video with the new model is 25 minutes using the 8GB of built in memory. Ricoh says the better quality images are enabled by an enlarged image sensor and fast F2.0 lenses that allow more light through Ricoh’s proprietary ultra-small twin-lens folded-optical system. Spherical images can be uploaded and share via Facebook, Twitter and Tumblr, and posted to Google Maps, Google+ and YouTube 360°Channel. The application program interface (API) for RICOH THETA S is based on Google-supported Open Spherical Camera API for compatibility with Google’s services. Coinciding with the launch of the RICOH THETA S, Google Maps today introduced the new Google Street View app that allows you to capture and publish your photo spheres instantly to Google Maps for people all over the world to explore. It should be available by November and the MSRP is $349.00. The black camera in the photo is the new S model. More info on it and the lower cost models (shown in color) are on the company website. Several of us at the press event walked over to Times Square to shoot a bit of test video. The video I shot is at the link below. While watching it, use your mouse (or finger) to look all around Times Square. It's pretty amazing.

    Comany website: http://www.theta360.com/

     

    Giz Wiz 360 video: https://youtu.be/rKIFeirXfBc

    Friday
    Aug282015

    You can't pick this padlock.

    And why can’t a thief pick a Quicklock padlock? Because this new high-tech lock has no keyhole. And it has no combination dials. It just has a single button on the front. You use that button to open the Quicklock a lot of other ways. Push the button once and then you can open it with your smart phone via Bluetooth, or an NFC (Near Field Communication) tag, a NFC card, even an NFC wireless ring. Yeah, I know, you don’t own a NFC wireless ring. That’s okay, Quicklock has them as an option. There are several Bluetooth locks in the marketplace but Quicklock says their’s is the only NFC + Bluetooth padlock on the market. I like the idea of having multiple ways to open a lock. I asked how you charge the lock and how often you have to do it. The company spokesperson said it charges via USB, but the internal battery only has to be charged as little as once every two years! This lock is also good for folks who have limited vision and find it difficult to use the dials on a regular combination lock. The price? $49.95 includes the lock and two NFC cards. You can see the other options available to open your Quicklock at their website. Of course you can also open it with your Bluetooth enabled phone - iOS or Android. The fastest way to open the lock is something the company calls "Auto unlock". Auto unlock lets shackle release as soon as the lock and your smartphone are linked. You don't have to even press the button on the front of the lock. There's also a new Quicklock door lock, which operates in a similar manner. It's $79.95. Check out the company video and website. 

    Company videohttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zbxc1FxqHP4 

    Company websitehttps://www.thequicklock.com/