The Giz Wiz, Week of August 6, 2013, Netcast 1428

The Cocoon SLIM Backpack is perfectly engineered for the tech-minded person going back to school. Two padded and lined pockets are designed to cradle and protect your laptop (up to 15”) and your tablet (up to the large iPad size). I travel light, but my 11” Acer laptop and 10” tablet fit perfectly in their own compartment. A separate compartment of the Cocoon SLIM backpack is what makes this backpack truly different. It contains the first full-size GRID-IT! pocket. GRID-IT is a series of overlapping elastic strips of varying sizes that enable you to store almost everything you need to carry in a vertical position. With each cable, wire and gadget held tightly in place and in plain view, it’s virtually impossible to have a messy backpack where everything sank to the bottom. With water-resistant ballistic nylon and waterproof zippers, everything inside the SLIM backpack stays safe and dry. The adjustable shoulder straps, minimalist design, and gunmetal hardware offer comfort and style. Fully packed, the SLIM is only about 3.5” deep, so it looks good, even on your back!  Under $80.

http://www.cocooninnovations.com/product_info.php?cat_id=68&product_id=244

GRID-IT accessories without a backpack: http://www.cocooninnovations.com/cat_info.php?cat_id=61

See or hear this show: www.twit.tv/giz1428  (Goes live late on 8/6/13)

Giz Wiz Video of the Week: A great lunch sack for the very young Star Wars fan.

Thermos has been creating unique products for over 100 years. I’m found two that really caught my attention. The first one is perfect for the small-fry Star Wars fan. It’s the Thermos R2D2 insulated lunch sack, complete with blinking lights and fun sound effects. A button on the top turns the lights and sound effects on which run for about five seconds and then automatically shutoff. Use this fun lunch container each day instead of using disposable bags, and you help reduce waste. This lunch container is 100 percent pvc free with peva lining, featuring closed cell polyethylene foam insulation. It even has a padded carry handle. Recommended for children five years and older. To keep it clean, just wipe with a damp cloth. $16.99 on Amazon. 

Giz Wiz YouTube Video: http://youtu.be/AzZ9iKO61j8 

See or hear this show: www.twit.tv/giz1428 

Another clever idea from Thermos.

This product doesn’t come with the lunch sack above, but it’s a perfect addition. The Thermos Stainless King Vacuum Insulated Food Jar.  Thermos says their vacuum insulation technology virtually eliminates temperature change within the food container by creating an airless space between two stainless steel walls. It keeps food hot items for 7 hours or cold items for 9 hours. Holds 16 ounces. The contoured body shape is easy to grip and the wide mouth opening is easy to fill. The lid also functions as a serving bowl. A nice bonus feature is a full-size folding stainless steel spoon that locks right into the lid so you won't need to worry about packing a separate utensil - or worse, forgetting to pack one at all! 100% BPA free. Available in Cranberry & Midnight Blue.     

Giz Wiz YouTube Video (same video as above) http://youtu.be/AzZ9iKO61j8 

See or hear this show: www.twit.tv/giz1428 

Rabbit TV - Is it worth the money?

There are lots of people discussing Rabbit TV on the Internet. Some say “it’s a scam”, others think their ads are misleading, and some think it’s worth the $10 bucks a year. I’ll give you my take on Rabbit TV in a minute, but 1^st here’s some of the description from Amazon:

The Rabbit TV USB gives you access to over 2000 free internet TV stations and over 9000 radio stations! Just plug Rabbit TV in, and turn any computer into the most incredible entertainment system ever! Now you can watch thousands of internet cable TV shows on your computer for free, whenever you want! The Rabbit TV USB fits any PC, desktop or laptop and easily installs in seconds. As long as you have internet access, you can watch Rabbit TV stations on your computer! Use Rabbit TV at home, at work, on campus, hotel rooms or at the airport. You'll never be bored again! Watching TV on your PC has never been easier!

So I bought one at Bed, Bath & Beyond for $9.99 + tax. I plugged into my computer, set up an account and started scanning for stuff to watch. I see why people say the ads are misleading. I wanted to watch ABC News, so I clicked on that channel. I saw and ad and then a banner that kept repeating, “Check back for streaming video from ABC News.” So I couldn’t watch ABC the way I would see it on TV. I did search for “Giz Wiz” and dozens of my World News Now spots are there, but of course, that’s not live ABC. They also say you can watch thousands of movies, even current ones. Then they say they just added “Slum Dog Millionaire”. Hmmm, didn’t that come out in 2008? But the bottom line – for $10, I think Rabbit TV is worth it. Yes, it all free content, content you can search and find on your own for free. But they’ve done a very good job of pulling all this stuff together and putting it in categories, in one place. This is perfect for the non-techie person. Plug it in, set up an account and start watching. You can even move it from computer to computer, Mac or PC. But remember – you MUST have an Internet connection to watch anything. They say you can even “Watch Movies at the airport.” Yes, you can, but you need to provide the WiFi for that to happen.  Still for $10 bucks for the device and a year’s service, I think it’s worth it. After a year, it’s $10 annually to keep the service going. It was cheaper at Bed, Bath & Beyond than at the company website where it’s $10, plus $6.95 S&H. You can get another one free for $6.95. That’s a total of $23.90. Two would be $19.98 at the store. They’re $11 on Amazon with free shipping if you’re a Prime Member. There are also hundreds of reviews on Amazon. Rabbit TV averaged about 2.5 stars (out of five) from 217 reviewers. Leo's take on this device: Don't Buy It! He's buying one to see what is actually on the flashdrive. 

www.rabbittv.com 

See or hear this show: www.twit.tv/giz1428 

Leo's Crap! (But sometimes it's good.)

On this episode of The Giz Wiz, Leo and TWiT’s Jeff Needles duke it out with the Splash Attack Splashball Combat Dual Set. These pistols shoot splat balls. Leo said splat balls are like little water-soaked sponges. He also said he could feel them when they hit, and he had three layers of clothing on, so caution is required. I wasn’t in the studio, but it seem that before you fire the splat balls, you fill a tube with water, which the splat balls soak up. The splat ball tube then connects to the top of the gun, and you fire them at your opponent. There are about 10 splat balls in each ‘load’, but they’re reusable. In the kit on Amazon, you get two Splashball Combat pistols. They come with enough splat balls to get you started. You can buy extra spat balls online too. Under $29 at Amazon. 

See or hear this show: www.twit.tv/giz1428 

Back to Dick's Gadget Warehouse! And how to submit your video for The Giz Wiz.

A submission always starts with an email like this one:

Hello Dick, Leo, & Jason!   My name is Steven Sarkhosh (the 'O' is pronounced like it is in Ocean) or BobMcBob like I am known in the ChatRealm. 

I first wanted to thank you for providing years worth of fun and laughter. I am a huge Twit.tv follower and try to watch as many live shows as possible including the Giz Wiz. I know that this sounds bad for to your advertisers, but the Giz Wiz is only one of two shows that I actively go back and download even if I've seen it live (NSFW is the other one). 

Anyways I would like to submit to you my Video Entry for an item in my Personal Gadget Warehouse. It is a very special item to me as I inherited it from my Grandfather who passed away a few years ago at the nice young age of 93. It is a Texas Instruments TI-1265 Pocket Calculator released all the way back in 1977. I spent a lot of time with my grandparents as a young child and I fondly remember my grandfather teaching me how to use this calculator for the first time. As far back as I can remember this calculator sat in it's box on his desk in his home office only coming out for balancing the checkbook and to quiz me in 3rd grade multiplication.

I hope you enjoy watching this video I put together as much as I fun making it.

YouTube Link Here: http://youtu.be/GVN0Y0C_Q6k

Thank you again and I hope you keep the show going for another 60 years (watch the video!)

Kind Regards,  Steven Sarkhosh (aka BobMcBob in IRC) 

See or hear this show: www.twit.tv/giz1428  (Goes live late 8/6/13)

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We'd love to include your video in an upcoming Giz Wiz Show. 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! Did 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. 

My favorite gadget of all time! Show us what it is, tell us what it does and why you love, or loved it! It can be something you just bought too.

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, 4 MAX! Low production value is fine. Even welcomed! That way our stuff doesn't look bad by comparison. We've set the bar low. Don't trip over it.  

NEW! NEW! NEW! If we select and show your video on The Giz Wiz you will now be awarded with some sort of prize. It's Leo's way to get rid of all the "crap from Sky Mall" he's collected. So there's one more (so-so) reason to send in your video! 

 All show submissions go to gizwiz@twit.tv