We made it to week 3 of the Weekly Daily Giz Wiz - and so far the reviews have been good. (And "good" for us is "excellent" for anyone else!)

The New, Improved Weekly Daily Giz Wiz for the Week of April 4th, 2010

Some weeks ago a reader let us know about sort of strange new merging of devices for the kitchen. It was the Breville Toaster with built in Internet Radio. It's not yet available in the US. But there's another new gadget that IS available here in the US. ADE Germany, respected for its hospital, industrial and kitchen scales, has entered the market with it’s own unique mash-up. Called the Joy scale, it’s the first electronic kitchen scale with a built in licensed iPod docking/charging station. So now you can cook while listening to your favorite tunes. On a crowded kitchen counter it eliminates having to have a a stand alone iPod docking station. The Joy Scale offers results in pounds, fluid ounces, or grams and it weighs dry and liquid ingredients in increments of .04 ounces / 1 gram. The add-and-weigh (tare) function allows for weighing all ingredients in the same container. Battery and overload indicators keep users alerted to how the system is functioning, and an automatic shut off helps preserve battery life. The large weighing surface is made of safety glass, for worry-free weighing. The docking port is compatible with all current iPods. And need we say it, no iPod product is included! The single speaker is located in the base and provides decent sound for its size. Obviously you’ll be using this a background music player as you cook. The scale is powered by one CR 2043 lithium battery, included. You must use the AC adapter, which is also included to power the speaker and charge your iPod while it’s docked in the Joy Scale. Price under $100.

http://tinyurl.com/3dylz46

See or hear this Netcast: www.twit.tv/dgw1308

A new way to make "crank" calls. (Okay, that's a bad pun.)

Eton often teams up with the American Red Cross to produce useful safety devices. One of their newest products is the Axis self-powered Weather radio and “safety hub”. (Model Safety starts with being able to power this device from three different power sources. You can use 3 AAA batteries, AC power, or hand power. The person powered (meaning you!) aluminum crank charges the internal rechargeable NiMH battery. The NiMH battery is included. (But it’s not connected, so do that first if you get this radio.) The AC adapter is optional. I guess Eton figured you’ll mostly be carrying this device in the great outdoors, miles away from power. The Axis contains a digital AM and FM tuner with bright red LED readout. For emergencies, all seven NOAA weather band channels are available. The radio can alert you to oncoming storms. The company says you’ll get 15 minutes of radio or light power for every 90 seconds of hand cranking. But wait, there’s more! There’s a built in white LED flashlight and a red flashing LED light for emergencies. And this is really great for emergencies: a USB port that can provide power for charging many cell phones! Connectors on the Axis have rubber gaskets and plugs so you won’t have to worry about moisture out in the elements. On a camping trip you can listen to the tuner with your headphone via the built in 3.5 mm headphone jack. You can also listen to your own MP3 tunes via the Aux-In jack. To help improve radio reception in the wild, there’s an adjustable telescoping antenna. With the built in battery and 3 AAA batteries installed, the Axis weighs one pound six ounces according to my MyWeigh postage scale. Height: 6.38 inches Length: 6.63 inches Width: 2.13 inches Suggested retail is $69.95. Amazon and Brookstone should have it by the time you read this.

http://www.amazon.com/ARCPT300W-American-Self-Powered-Weather-Charger/dp/B004P0MVHG

See or hear this Netcast: www.twit.tv/dgw1308

A massage chair designed to look more like an ordinary chair.

At the Health & Beauty Show in March, there weren’t many actual gadgets – other than things like water bottles, fresh dried veggies, etc. But I did find one real gadget. It’s from Panasonic and it’s not a 3-D TV. You could use it while you watch TV though because it’s a massage chair! Panasonic did some research and found that people like massage chairs, but often don’t have the room for them in a small home, or especially in an apartment. So the idea so to design a massage chair that didn’t look like one. The result is the Panasonic Massage Sofa Chair model EP-MS40. It really can pass for a normal easy chair with a low profile, contemporary design. But hidden inside are the relaxing “fingers” that can deliver a complete, neck-to-hips massage. At only 34 inches tall and with a leg and foot massage ottoman that folds seamlessly under the seating area, the Panasonic Massage Sofa Chair can fit into any home or office decor. Despite the low-profile design, the EP-MS40 delivers a balanced, full body massage without reclining and automatically adjusts to the height of the user. There’s a range of advanced massage modes including four pre-set programs - Full Massage, Mini Massage, Relaxation Mode, and Variety Mode. Two manual programs - Targeted Massage and Pinpoint Massage - allow the user to focus on specific areas of the body exclusively. The EP-MS40ET has a Latte finish, but it’s also available in green. Maximum User Weight is 220 lbs. The chair itself weighs 216. MSRP $2499, but you can find it for under $2,000 on Amazon. Here’s the video from the Health & Beauty show:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rpuL9l1hsrg

More info from Panasonic: http://tinyurl.com/3dylz46

See or hear this Netcast: www.twit.tv/dgw1308

So what is FitFu and do you want to get it?

For this week’s Turn The Table Turkey Leo picked an app from iTunes called FitFu. He did a little demo of how he worked on this week’s episode, but here’s some background info from the company website. How can FitFu help me stay active? We're all different, which is why FitFu is designed to fit around you. Track your motion. Using the accelerometer on your iPhone or iPod Touch, FitFu gives you feedback to help you keep going and reach your goals. (This was pretty impressive. When Leo did some sit-ups on his ball, FitFu was able to count them!!) Celebrate progress with friends. Friends are the key to sticking to your goals, so we've made FitFu social; whether you want to cheer them on, thank them for help or just compare your progress. (Leo still Tweets his weight and now he’s tweeting his exercise progress!) Discover a new way to stay motivated. The more you and your friends are active, the higher your level and the higher your points. And points mean prizes; unlock new content as you progress. Want to try it? It’s just 99 cents! I don't mind paying the 99 cents, I'm just not sure I want that little character ordering me to do exercises and then telling my friends about it!

www.fitfu.com

See or hear this Netcast: www.twit.tv/dgw1308

Exercise or else no TV, or Video Games, or Music!

From Dick’s Gadget Warehouse comes:  WHERE IS IT NOW?

Back in February 2006, Daily Giz Wiz #4, the gadgets of the day was The EnterTRAINER – It was a way to power Your TV with Exercise by using TheEnterTRAINER. Here’s info on that weird device:     

Powerup Fitness keeps exercisers from slacking off with the EnterTrainer. This is a pulse monitor with a built-in universal remote control. Ease up your exercise and it turns down the volume on whatever you're watching or listening to. If you slack off even more, it will shut it off!!! Then it turns it on again when you pick up your pace again. And as you approach your target range, the volume goes back to its preset level so you can enjoy it once again. What’s different about the EnterTrainer is that it works with any device that uses a remote control, not a single device as in some units in the past. Under $100. That was a bit more than six years ago. So Where’s Is It Now? The company website is still online, but the “buy” button is disabled:

www.theentertrainer.com

But don’t be depressed if you REALLY want one. You can find it on Amazon and the price keeps dropping! This is the price as of March 22^nd, 2011: List Price: $139.99 / Price: $40.29 / Sale: $30.99  You Save: $109.00 (78%)

http://www.amazon.com/EnterTRAINER-Power-Your-TV-Exercise/dp/B000F8KUN4  Seems like it has been priced as low as $25 if you do a web search.

And here’s the original Daily Giz Wiz show from February, 2006: http://www.gizwizsearch.com/episode-4.html?q=%22The+EnterTrainer%22

See or hear this Netcast: www.twit.tv/dgw1308