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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

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    WORLD NEWS NOW

    Starting Oct 1 2022:   GO HERE FOR GADGETS I SHOWED ON WORLD NEWS NOW             

      https://www.gizwiz.me/world-news-now

     

    With co-host Rhiannon Ally & Andrew Dymburt.

    "Where more insomniacs get their news than any other source!"

    On these pages are gadgets I've shown over the past few years on the show. 

    To find out when I'm on TV again, or to learn about new gadgets between shows, follow me on Twitter:

    www.twitter.com/thegizwiz

    Want more Dick De?

    The Giz Wiz does a gadget show every week with co-host OMGchad Johnson:

                                                      www.gizwiz.tv

    Monday
    Aug012011

    When the power goes out, your cordless phone goes out too.

    Your cordless phones (not cell phones) will NOT work if the power goes off. But if you still have landline service, a hardwired touchtone phone will still let you make phone calls. That’s because your local phone company has back-up batteries and generators to keep power going to the lines. Of course if there’s an explosion, earthquake or major catastrophe, the phone wires under or over the ground will be damaged and not even landlines will work. Your back-up landline phone should be a pushbutton phone. A dial phone should still work, but for calling-in emergencies many services will ask you to input answers via the push buttons on your phone. With a rotary phone you won’t be able to send those tones, and after a while you will most likely be disconnected. If you have an UPS (Uninterrupted Power Supply) you can plug your base station for your cordless phone into that and have phone use until that battery goes dead. Today a decent landline, backlit keyboard phone is available at Radio Shack for under $20. As of mid-July Radio Shack was closing out an older model push button hardwired phone for under $5 at many of their stores. (Not available online.) I was too late to get one at my local Radio Shack, but maybe you can still snag one. If not, they offer several models under $20. That's a good buy in case there's an emergency and the power goes out. You'll still be able to make phone calls and hopefully be in touch with family, friends, and emergency services. You can also find hardwired phones at Amazon.com.

    www.radioshack.com .

    Saturday
    Jun252011

    A versatile travel light from Energizer.

    Here’s a slim, easy to carry light, that’s perfect for the outdoors at night. It’s the Energizer LED Area Light  From the Energizer TrailFinder line, this carabiner LED Area light provides 360 degree area of bright 50 lumens of light. Since there are LED’s on both sides of the light, it’s ideal for illuminating the interior of a tent.  It ships four with Energizer AA batteries which should give you about 5 hours of runtime. (Energizer doesn’t show at which setting you can expect the 5 hours of service. My guess it’s at the low setting, which is still pretty bright since all six LEDs are on. So you have four settings: Hi/Lo area light, directional flashlight, or “all off”. The slim design makes it easy to take anywhere. It’s available in several colors and sells for about $20.

    Company website: http://tinyurl.com/5u8l8xp

    Saturday
    Jun252011

    Be a freeloader! Harness the free energy of the sun.

    The Freeloader is shown in the photo.

    Meet The Freeloader and the Freeloader Pro.

    The Freeloader Portable Solar Charger can be used to power almost any hand held device anywhere, anytime. It can charged via the sun or a USB cable. Once charged, the internal 1000mAh Li-ion battery can power an iPod for 18hours, a mobile phone for 44 hours, PSP for 2.5 hours and much more. It has a tough, but stylish aluminum body, The two solar panels fold in over each other to reduce the size of the unit for travel. (It comes with its own carry pouch.) The kit includes a USB charging cable and a power master cable with 9 adapter tips. Freeloader's solar panels can charge its internal battery in as little as 8 hours or 3 hours when using the supplied USB charging cable. Think Geek says the Freeloader can store a battery charge for up to 3 months. But you should note that the Li-ion rechargeable battery requires 3-4 full charges before optimum capacity is reached. They suggest you initially charge it via USB. The Freeloader Pro with Cam CaddyFreeloader Pro (the one I showed on the air) has solar panels that slide closed for travel and ships with the Cam Caddy adapter that lets you charge batteries that don’t normally charge via USB. This is a feature I’ve never seen on solar chargers before and very handy if you need to charge a digital camera battery away from power and its own special charger. The Pro model also has a 1600 mAh battery. Right now the Freeloader is on sale at Think Geek for $39.99 (Regular price is $49.99) at the link below. The Freeloader Pro, which has the Cam Caddy, is $79.99. 

    http://www.thinkgeek.com/gadgets/travelpower/b1a6/

    This is the link for the Freeloader Pro:

    http://www.thinkgeek.com/gadgets/travelpower/beb8/ 

     

    Saturday
    Jun252011

    Add GPS to many Bluetooth devices that don’t have GPS built in.

     

    Before buying this product be sure to read all the latest info at the Dual website to make it will do what you need it do. Dual link is below.

    ThIf you have an iPad, you don’t have GPS. That’s true of a lot of other device too. But with the self-powered Dual Bluetooth GPS Receiver you can add GPS via Bluetooth! The XGPS150 is certified to work with all Bluetooth-enabled iPad2, iPad, iPod touch and iPhone models. But it also works with other Bluetooth-enabled smart phones, tablets and laptops, including Blackberry, Android and Windows devices that support Bluetooth SPP (Serial Port Profile). There is a Free App available, which shows satellite signal strength, current location, the battery level of the XGPS150, connectivity status and a few other device-specific tidbits. The app can be downloaded through iTunes. The XGPS150 Bluetooth GPS Receiver comes with the necessary accessories to be used for a variety of activities. The included non-slip pad is very useful for GPS navigation in a car or a boat. The two-piece strap which works as an armband and to secure the receiver to a backpack strap, for example, is great for outdoor activities such as golfing, geocaching, cycling, hiking and more. The XGPS150 is small, measuring about 2.25" square, which makes it very easy to take just about anywhere. Like with any other Bluetooth electronics, you will first have to pair the GPS Receiver with the device you intend to use it with. This should take less than a minute and then you can begin using your iPad2, iPad, iPod, etc. with apps that require GPS. Under $100.

    http://xgps150.dualav.com/

    Saturday
    Jun252011

    An easy way to take food to the great outdoors.

    Mountain House Freeze Dried Food $2.10/Up. No need to carry tons of food, plus ice and an ice chest on your trip. You can take lightweight, easy to make Mountain House Freeze Dried Food. Some freeze-dried items require no prep, like ice cream sandwiches and strawberries. I’ve used Mountain House Freeze Dried food for years on my boat, and it’s surprisingly tasty. The company says their the #1 brand of freeze dried backpacking foods and I believe them. They’ve been supplying freeze-dried food to backpackers, hikers, campers, and other outdoor enthusiasts for over 30 years. They have a wide variety of foods and desserts that are easy to prepare and have a long shelf life. I keep several packages of Mountain House Freeze Dried Food both in my apartment and on my boat. They offer complete food kits too for emergencies.

    http://www.mountainhouse.com/