The Weekly Daily Giz Wiz, Week of December 12th, 2011 – Netcast 1344

It's the "Under $20 Stocking Stuffer" Week on The Weekly Daily Giz Wiz!

We start with the Multi-Task Light Pen that lets you jot down notes in the dark. Or if you wake up in the middle of the night, you can jot down your dreams. There are pens on the market that have a light at the writing tip, but the Multi-task Pen is different. An LED light attaches to the side of the pen with a flexible gooseneck so you can direct the light’s beam to the page of a book, something you dropped under the dresser, or something you have to repair in dark! You can also use it to illuminate the lock when you're trying to open a door in the dark. And of course, there’s a push-button retractable pen. The LED light uses three replaceable LR41 button cell batteries which are included. Ink refills are available for also available for purchase. The Multi-task Light pen measures 5 inches long by 1/2 inch in diameter. Retail is just $12, but I found it at this link on Amazon for $10. (I have not purchased anything here, but I've had good luck purchasing many things through many Amazon.com e-tailors:)

http://www.amazon.com/Zelco-Multi-Task-Light-Pen-Silver/dp/B0023RS6JA

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This link usually goes live on Sunday afternoon, the day after we record the Netcast.

Video of the week - The Rock-It 2.0.

There have been a few vibration system speaker gadgets over the past couple of years. Basically they turn any surface into a speaker! But up to now that cost $50 to $80. But now comes the Rock-It 2.0 Portable Vibration Speaker for under $25. I actually paid just $19.99 at Bed, Bath & Beyond. I like this little gadget a lot. It’s small enough to take just about anywhere, and it can be powered by 2 AAA batteries, or even USB. You get a USB cable in the box, along with a audio extension cable - two nice bonuses. If you’re in your hotel room and you want music without using your headphones, but plug the 3.5 mm headphone out jack into your iPhone, MP3 player, etc. Then turn the Rock-It on and put the vibration disc on just about anything. I tried it on many different cardboard boxes, an empty plastic bowl, even a wooden table top. I’ve heard of people using it on a Styrofoam cooler. The quality of the sound varies with what you stick the vibration disc on. In the video I shot I just held the vibration disc against the surface I was turning into a speaker. It probably would have sounded a bit better if I used the little stick-on discs that comes with the Rock-It 2.0. You’re not going to use this as your main speaker system, but for a hotel stay, or any place you need a way to play music (or a movie soundtrack) louder, this is great, inexpensive solution. Seems to be $24.00 an Amazon & just $19.99 at Bed, Bath & Beyond.

http://video.bedbathandbeyond.com/v/20193/rock-it-2-0-portable-vibration-speaker-system-accessories/

Weekly Daily Giz Wiz Video: http://youtu.be/diA7RqKJ6QA

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A really inexpensive stocking stuffer with some nice health benefits!

What’s a bigger drag than brushing your teeth? It wasn’t fun when I was a kid, and I’m not crazy about doing it even today. But how about a toothbrush with a built in flashing LED? Now I’m interested! Invented by a dad and his young daughter, the FireFly flashing toothbrush encourages kids to brush more thoroughly than regular toothbrushes. The FireFly light up timer kids toothbrush lights up and flashes for 60 seconds, the dentist recommended time for kids to thoroughly brush each row of teeth. Total recommended time is two minutes. The light can be activated easily by a press of a button or tap on the bottom of the brush. This allows kids to learn and take charge of their brushing at a young age. And to learn to love LED’s too! They can’t cheat by pushing the button again to turn the light off before recommended the time is up. Yes, I tried. Once the light is activated it flashes for a full one minute. The company says that their FireFly Toothbrushes have helped millions of kids establish good brushing habits. The flashing toothbrush comes in a variety of fun styles and colors including Barbie, Spider Man or Hot Wheels. If it’s not going to be a Holiday surprise, you can have your kid pick out his or her FireFly Toothbrush at one of many local retailers like Wal-Mart. FireFly makes a line of electric toothbrushes for slightly older kids. The two newest are the Barbie and Batman Battery Powered Rotary Toothbrushes. They incorporates Dr. Fresh’s signature FireFly light-up timer – a colorful light that when activated at the touch of a button, blinks for two minutes. But the toothbrushes do more than motivate kids to brush longer.  They help them brush better with their high-speed dual action rotary vibrations, proven to remove more plaque than a manual toothbrush. The prices are decent too. They range from about $1.50 to $8.00. Lots of info on what toothbrushes to use by age is on the company’s website: 

www.fireflytoothbrush.com 

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And now a Weekly Giz Wiz Bonus Gadget!

Here’s a gadget I bet no one on your gift list owns: Toe Tunes – Slippers with built-in speakers! And why do I know no one of your gift list has them --- because they don’t exist. Only the realistic box that shows Toe Tunes in use is real. Yes, this is a Prank Pack, one of a line of fake gift boxes that show off-the-wall gadgets what looks real, until you think how really stupid the “gadget” is! From the Toe Tunes Slippers box: "Tired of headphones that cover your ears? Feeling disconnected from the outside world? Fed up with wires bumping against your head and body? ToeTunes is your solution!" More from the box: "Before you head to the pricey spa, remember that as little as 4 of your favorite tunes played in direct contact with your feet is just as therapeutic, and more fun for those around you!" That comes from a chart that shows how your Toe Tunes compares to Massage, Acupuncture, even new socks. No surprise, Toe Tunes is the no-contest winner! And I love the part of the Prank Pack that describes the included Extra Bonus that lets you turn your slippers into headphones with the included headband. A picture shows a young man enjoying his music with his slippers held tightly against his ears. Fold up your Prank Pack and put your real gift inside, sit back and watch your friend try to act like they “love” it! You could put a pair of socks inside and I’m sure they’d be thrilled to how new socks rather than useless ToeTunes. The box has full-color printing on all 6 sides. Size: 12" x 9" x 4" (30 cm x 22.5 cm x 10 cm) Cost is $8.00 or 3 for $20 on the company website, plus $5 shipping for any number of boxes. I saw them at Bed, Bath & Beyond for $5.99.

www.prankpack.com  

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And now it's time for Leo's -- er, Tom Merritt's Turn The Table Turkey!

So strange that I did toothbrushes on this episode of the WDGW and Tom’s Turn The Table Turkey was a toothbrush too! Tom bought the Brush Buddies Bieber Singing Toothbrush. It features two Bieber hit singles: Baby & U Smile. Except Tom said they’re really not tailored to the toothbrush. Dentists recommend you brush for a full two minutes in order to insure your teeth are properly cleaned. So when you start the Bieber Singing Toothbrush, the sound chip starts too. But when the two minutes are up, the sing just gets cut off. It comes a soft DuPont bristles, ergonomic designed toothbrush head. Unfortunately when Tom opened his toothbrush package he discovered the brush head was in an unsealed pouch. Ugh. The brush head is replaceable, but Tom will have to return his for a proper replacement if he wants to keep it. Then Tom told us there was more bad news. The toothbrush stopped working almost instantly. Perhaps this is not a good stocking stuffer. But just in case you’re not concerned, I’ll finish the description. There are two buttons - 1 button when you wake up in the morning and 1 before you go to bed.  Each button plays a different song, but each day the two songs are always the same. The battery is replaceable. On Amazon the Bieber Singing Toothbrush is $11.99, but Tom bought it at a drugstore for $9.99.

http://www.amazon.com/Justin-Bieber-Singing-Toothbrush-Somebody/dp/B005CWS2C4/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1323570196&sr=8-2

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Back to Dick’s Gadget Warehouse for the SiPix Blink Digital Camera.

In last week’s Gadget Warehouse segment, we talked about the Casio QV-10 digital camera, introduced in 1996. It was said to be the first under $1,000 consumer digital camera. The introduction price was a “low” $650. For that price you got a camera with a whopping 2 MB of non-removable memory. It had no flash, and it offered a resolution of 320 X 240. Some 15+ years ago this camera was the "gee wiz" talk of all my friends. People loved seeing their digital image on the  QV-10’s 1.8” LCD color screen. This week we move up six years to 2002 when the the Si-Tex Blink digital camera came on the market. This was a very basic focus free no zoom fit-in-your-pocket digital camera. It has a suggested retail price of $59.95, but could easily be found at a street price of $39.95. For $40 it wasn’t a bad deal. Especially when you compare it to the digital camera from Casio six years earlier that sold for about 15 times the price! ($40 vs. $600+) The specs are way better too. 640 X 480 resolution photos vs. 320 X 240 for the Casio. Neither camera had flash, but the Casio did have a 1.8” color LCD screen for framing shots. None on the Si-Tex, you framed your subject via viewfinder. The Casio only had 2MG of memory, whereas the Blink had 8MG. Using the USB cable you’re your computer, The Blink could even function as a web-cam as long as you were in a brightly lit area. As I recall photos taken with the Blink were fine for emails, and maybe wallet-sized blow-ups. But hey, we’re taking about a camera that cost $40! Power was supplied with a single AAA battery. A problem with the 1^st Blink, that was solved shortly after with the Blink II, was that you lost your shots when you replaced the battery, so you had to download them to your computer quickly. When I put a new AAA in my Blink it still turns out and I can go through the basic info menu on the tiny black & white LCD screen. It includes a photos taken counter, Hi / Low resolution, and some other info represented by dots that I can’t figure out. The instruction book was lost long ago. I just heard it beep, so it has auto shut-off too. I wanted to see what kind of photos it took, but I can’t find the cable that came with the Blink either. And I don’t recognize the video out fitting on the camera. This was before micro & mini USB cables that are pretty standard now. Doesn’t matter, I have no plans to use it to take photos anymore, but as a camera oddity, it’s still current!

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