Another of Leo's Picks for 2011

Updated comments from Leo: He LOVES this iPhone a lot, but he says it does suffer from short battery life. He uses and likes the Mophie Juice Pack Pro to add battery life. See the next gadget below.

The original iPhone 4S post:

Lots of people were very interested in Leo’s pick for this TTTT. Leo had his new iPhone 4S. He spent a lot of time exploring Siri, the new feature that lets you use your voice to send messages, schedule meetings, place phone calls, and more. Ask Siri to do things just by talking the way you talk. Siri understands what you say, knows what you mean, and even talks back. You’ll have to watch or listen to this episode to hear all the strange things Leo asked Siri!  Leo loved it. He also pointed out that the iPhone4S probably has the best camera ever on a phone. It offers 8-megapixel resolution and a custom lens with a larger f/2.4 aperture. Video’s improved too, letting you shoot 1080p HD. There’s a ton more info in this episode, including something I never knew before. I asked Leo if he stood in line to get his iPhone 4S on the first day. He didn’t. It turns out that you can pre-order online, pay the regular price, and have it delivered the same day it goes on sale in the stores. Price will depend on your carrier and your model.

www.apple.com/iphone/

See or hear this Netcast: http://twit.tv/dgw1347   (Usually goes live Sunday afternoon, after our Sat recording.)

The original Netcast: www.twit.tv/dgw1336

Leo's Pick to boost the battery life of the iPhone 4S

Mophie says this is the best of seven generations of their famous Juice Pack line. The juice pack air for iPhone 4 combines a rechargeable external battery power concealed inside a protective form-fitting case. Even though it's a hard-shell case your iPhone 4 will still have a low profile look. Mophie expects the juice pack air for iPhone 4 to double the available power. That means a full charged case gives users up to an additional 6 hours on 3G, up to 12 hours on 2G of Talk Time; up to an additional 36 hours of audio playback and up to an additional 9 hours of video playback. It contains a lithium polymer battery that packs an incredible amount of juice in a small form factor, namely 1500 mAh. But wait, there’s more. It features built in overcharge, short circuit and temperature protection. And there’s still more! The case design acts as a virtual speaker box, redirecting sound from the bottom of the iPhone 4 to the front. I heard a little demo and it did sound richer in the Mophie Juice Pack. An integrated LED status indicator tells you how much “juice” is left and also displays how much time remains during the charging process. The design includes a new, soft touch, rubberized finish and silver band that mirrors the iPhone itself. Cost is about $80.

http://www.mophie.com/mophie-juice-pack-air-iPhone-4-battery-case-p/1145_jpaxp4.htm 

Hear or SEE this Netcast: www.twit.tv/dgw1197

Another Pick from Leo - one he's sorry about.

As much as Leo liked the UP, there turns out to be a manufacturing problem with it. Jawbone has recalled them and is refunding everyone's money. Leo feels bad that so many folks bought it on his recommendation. But Jawbone is refunding everyone's money. Hopefully will fix the manufacturing bug and get it out into the marketplace again. Here's Leo's original review:

Leo continues buying new gadgets to help him improve and track his sleep and his health via exercise. His latest device is the UP from Jawbone, the company well known for designing wireless headsets for phones. The Jawbone Up is worn on the wrist, where it measures activity, sleep and nutrition. It’s meant to be worn day and night. To make the internal battery last for up to 10 days without recharging, there are not a lot of lights and no screen at all. The UP looks at your exercise and general activity; and how long you sleep and how soundly. There’s also a food tracking function. That seemed a bit strange to me as Leo described it. An iPhone app is used to track nutrition as you take photos of your meals and describe how you feel after eating each thing. When you set the built in alarm clock it wakes you at an appropriate time in your natural sleep cycle, but always before the time you must get up. Leo likes to share, so the Up can let friends with similar units see your daily accomplishments, and perhaps make you want to do better. Leo likes it a lot because it goes on your wrist and stays there. He has misplaced up to three FIT exercise devices so far because they just clip on to a belt. The UP costs $99 and is available now.

http://jawbone.com/up

See or hear this Netcast: http://twit.tv/dgw1347  (Usually goes live Sunday afternoon, after our Sat recording.)

Original Netcast: http://www.twit.tv/dgw1341

Back to Dick’s Gadget Warehouse for the WheeMe.

Update:  Almost a full year has gone by since I saw the WheeMe at CES 2011. I thought it wouldn't make it. Now, 11 1/2 months later, the website is pretty much the same. None have been produced, but they are still taking pre-orders. A limited number of units will be produced early in 2012. We'll see.....   Here's the original post:

Every year at CES there are a couple of gadgets that I feel are not going to make it in the marketplace. The WheeMe is one of them. I’m not hoping this isn’t a hit, it just seems like people won’t say: “Wow, what a great idea. I need to get one of these!” I’ll tell you about it, and then if you have a minute let me know in the comments section if you’re indeed excited about buying one. The WheeMe is a palm-size robot designed to give you a self-administered massage. You put it on your back and it moves slowly across your body. As it moves, the company says: “patented nylon fingerettes gently stroke and caress providing a delightful sense of bodily pleasure.” I must say the built in tilt sensor technology is quite amazing. The WheeMe automatically steers itself over your body without falling off or losing its grip. Just when you think it’s going to fall off, it changes direction. The object is to lie down, place the WheeMe on top of your body and let it run. I asked for a demo and they were more than happy to provide one. It sort of feels like a small RC car is moving over your back, but I felt no real massage action. I did have a shirt on and the company recommends no clothing. The WheeMe doesn't offer any adjustments, so I don’t know if the pressure will be enough for folks to feel they’re getting much of a massage. On their website the company says not to expect a deep muscle massage because the WheeMe weighs less than ¾ of a pound. 3 AA batteries provide power. The cost is $69.00 and you can preorder one now. So sound like a good idea? Are you tempted to order one? 

www.dreambots.com

See or hear this Netcast: http://twit.tv/dgw1347  (Usually goes live Sunday afternoon, after our Sat recording.)

Original Netcast: www.twit.tv/dgw1285

The Weekly Daily Giz Wiz, Week of December 26th, 2011, Netcast 1346 -- The Best Of??

This week's show was supposed to be the "best of" The Weekly Daily Giz Wiz.

But when Alex Gumbel started going through the archives he came up with only 53 seconds that could possibly be called 'best of'. So we decided to the call this show what it really is -- "The Worst of the Weekly Daily Giz Wiz"! And there's a lot of the worst. Alex says it's a bit over two hours. 

My personal favorites are the 3D Weekly Daily Giz Wiz bits -- you don't need glasses to watch it, but it really doesn't work well on the audio version! So match sure to watch the video version.

 See or hear this Netcast: http://twit.tv/dgw1346