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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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    Monday
    Dec032012

    A Giz Wiz Video - The Remote Control, Pick Your Favorite Color, Christmas Lights.

    Who could resist an ad like this: 2 PACK! - Set of 10 Multi Function LED Christmas Light Set With Select a Color Technology! You can select the color you want them to be AND they come with a remote!

    'Tis the season to get festive! Brighten up your home for the holidays with this Set of 10 Multi Function LED Light Set! Each unit includes 2 strands of 10 LED Remote Control Christmas Lights that can be changed to suit your mood. Advanced lighting technology allows you to select the color of lights you want! Settings include off, blue, white, green, red, orange, blue/white alt., red/green alt., red/blue alt., and 5 color multi. Includes a remote to select color.  And now back to me. I bought these lights and I like them a lot. Even though the offer included 2 completely separate 10 LED light units, you cannot connect them to each other. That’s because of the color changing technology, I assume. But you have  a total of 20 LED lights. Lighted length 9' per strand, 11' total length. You can use them indoor or outdoors. Since they’re LED lights, they’ll save energy over traditional lights. The company says they’re water and weather resistant, cool to the touch and there’s no glass bulbs to break or replace. The price is really good! Two sets for $9.99, plus $3.99 shipping. Less than $7 a set with shipping! Once this Giz Wiz show airs, I think they’ll sell out fast! OPPS. THEY HAVE SOLD OUT ALREADY. SORRY ABOUT THAT.

    Here’s my Giz Wiz Video demo: http://youtu.be/3EnP9uvRuYM

    I'm sorry to say the minute my video ended and we posted the link below, all the lights were immediately sold out!

    That Daily Deal LED Light Set was still available 5 PM EST, 12/4/2012 http://thatdailydeal.com/home.php?id=24818 

     See or hear this show. www.twit.tv/giz1393

    Monday
    Dec032012

    An inexpensive mono speaker that fits in a pocket.

    This little mono iHome speaker (iHM61) puts out a lot of sound for its size. Like most tiny speakers, you can’t turn the volume very high or they’ll vibrate and/or distort the sound. These little guys are not Bluetooth or WiFi. They plug directly in to the earphone jack of your phone,  mp3 player, laptop, etc. This newer model puts on a mini light show, but iHome still makes a similar model without LED lights. (iHM60). This speaker is powered by a built in rechargeable battery and charges via any USB port on your computer, or you can use an AC adaptor, not included. It uses a mini-USB plug, not the more popular micro-USB. But it was ready to run out of the package, so it was pre-charged, or at least partially charged. Even though the case is plastic it seems rugged enough for travel, an ideal use for this little speaker. If  you don’t like the colors changing, you can hit the mode and let it glow in the color you like best. Or you can let it cycle through all its colors, or just turn it off – which can add to battery life. The color changing is NOT coupled to your music, it cycle through them. You twist open the speaker bellows for added bass, and close it  to an even more compact size when you want to pack it away. It come with a handy travel pouch big enough to hold the speaker and the multi-use cable. The cable is used to charge your iHome Speaker and to hook it to your device’s headphone jack. It’s available on the web for under $25. It’s $24 here with free shipping for Amazon Prime Members. I haven’t shopped at this e-tailor.  

    http://www.amazon.com/iHome-iHM61-Changing-Portable-Speaker/dp/B0062W0XD4/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1354641494&sr=8-1&keywords=ihome+color+changing+speaker

    See or hear this show. www.twit.tv/giz1393

    Monday
    Dec032012

    Leo's "Crap From The Sky Mall Catalog!" Pick Of The Week!

    Since Leo was away from the studio for 3 weeks, we didn't have time to poll our fans to find what crap he should buy. But he's back with a brand new poll! Vote now for what Sky Mall crap Leo should buy next!

     

    Monday
    Dec032012

    Gadget Warehouse Time! And it's a video from one of our youngest fans.

    This week's viewer video came to us with this email:
    "Hey I'm Luca from Canada, Techaholic11 in the chat room and here is my gadget warehouse video:
    .
    .
    I also got an older video about this product that has a little more detail: http://youtu.be/ZpIl7uE-AsE.
    .
    PS Love the show!"
    .
    Luca
    .
    As you can tell by his voice, Luca sounds like he's quite young. Unfortunately he didn't include himself in this video. And as our producer Jason Howell pointed out, you can tell he's young when the iPod Mini is in HIS gadget warehouse as something very old. Of course by gadget standards, it's is very OLD!
    UPDATE: It turns out Luca was the chatroom when we recorded this show. He's 11!
    .
    See or hear this show. www.twit.tv/giz1393
    .
    We love showing videos from our fans! We just might show one of yours too, but you need to send it to us first! Here's how:
    .

    Want to be a part of The Giz Wiz Show? Then submit your own video! 

    Here's what we're looking for:

    Your home made Videos -- two to three minutes long - in the any of the following categories:

    I bought a piece of crap! Did you buy something you ended up hating? We won't get you a refund, but we might be able to give a platform to vent your disappointment. Remember, "family friendly" language applies.

    I Invented This! Do you invent something? (Or did a friend or relative invent something.) We can't market it for you, but we can help get the word out. Show us what it is, and how it works. Even if it's a prototype, you can get our (and the audience) reactions.

    My Gadget Warehouse! Okay, so you don't have a warehouse. It doesn't matter. Just tell us about your favorite old gadget(s). When and where you bought it, and why you're still hanging on to it. 

    And a new category: My favorite gadget of all time! Show us what it is, tell us what it does and why you love, or loved it!

    Post them on YouTube and send our producer, Jason, the link! We'll do the rest. (Or possibly nothing, but that's unlikely.) Remember, videos should be just 2 to 3 minutes long. Low production value is fine. Even welcomed; so our stuff doesn't look too bad by comparison. We've set the bar low. Don't trip over it.

    All show submissions go to gizwiz@twit.tv

    Friday
    Nov232012

    Leo's Back From Down Under For The Giz Wiz - Week of November 27, 2012. Show 1392

    First there was Boost from IFrogz. Now there's BoostPlus. We all know the audio from a cell phone, tablet, PDA, etc. is pretty awful. You can buy an external Bluetooth speaker, assuming your device is Bluetooth enables. Or you can buy the iFrogz Boost NearField Audio speaker. Just put nearly any smartphone or digital media device on top of the Boost and it magically amplifies the sound. Have the sound playing on the device and make sure the speaker on your device faces the blue “on” light of the Boost. Then lay it on top and it works. No wires. No Bluetooth. No Synching. No problem. An auxiliary line-in jack is provided for devices without external speakers. I also think there’s better bass sound when used with a wired connection, but a lot of the “magic” is missing! If you think the Boost has a hidden microphone, you’d be wrong. TheBoost uses iFrogz’ patent pending NearFA technology that actually syncs the audio signal from inside your device before pumping it out the two high-quality 2W x 2RMS speakers. The company says: “Your tunes are boosted with room filling sound.” I don’t know about that, but it sure does make it loud enough for several people to enjoy. TheBoost gives up to 15 hours of play time when powered by three AA batteries - or can be powered by a Micro USB cord (sold separately). Remember that this is not a stand, so it’s not ideal for amplifying sound from a video you might want to watch on your cell phone, or other device, but it probably will work with a little jury-rigging. MSRP is $39.99. If you do a web search, you can find a lower price.1The BoostPLUS works exactly the same, but it adds an additional speaker, for a total of 3. It does a bit better, but the retail price is $59.95. It isn't on Amazon as I write this - 11/27/12. But it is on the manufacturer's website:

    http://www.zagg.com/ifrogz/

    Here's the original 2-speaker unit for under $28.00.

    http://www.amazon.com/iFrogz-Near-Field-Portable-Speaker/dp/B007CU56X2/ref=sr_1_1?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1354067033&sr=1-1&keywords=ifrogz+boost

    Giz Wiz video demo of the original unit: http://youtu.be/fxyaii65EnE

    See or hear this showwww.twit.tv/giz1392