The Giz Wiz, Week of December 10th, 2013 Netcast 1446

I love my Dropcams, and I love my new Dropcam Pro even more.

I have one on my boat and it’s a great way for me to give a quick look no matter when I am, to make sure everything is okay. And I have two Dropcams in my Gizneyland studio. I turn them on when we record The Giz Wiz, so folks can see ‘backstage’. And now there’s a completely reengineered Dropcam, called Dropcam Pro. This next-generation camera incorporates a six-element, all-glass lens, a first in the home monitoring category, and a larger image sensor to provide 2x sharper video during the day and 7x better performance in low-light conditions and at night. Dropcam Pro supports an amazing 130-degree field of view – 20% wider than the prior-generation Dropcam. And it now offers pinch-to-zoom with an enhance feature that supports up to 8x zoom for Dropcam Pro and 4x zoom for Dropcam.  A new microphone offers double the sampling rate and a new speaker for sound that’s louder and clearer. And for iOS folks, there’s mobile setup so you can set it up without a computer. (iPhone 4S or later, iPad 3rd generation or later, and iPad mini). Dropcam Pro supports both 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz Wi-Fi networks for improved wireless connectivity. And in beta is Activity Recognition. Using advanced computer vision and machine learning technology, Dropcam Cloud Recording can now recognize motion patterns in your video stream and group together like activities. Customers can name these activities and customize alerts for them. Bluetooth LE. Dropcam Pro integrates a low power Bluetooth LE radio that is used for mobile setup and allows Dropcam to integrate with additional devices. Greg Duffy, Dropcam CEO and co-founder should be proud of his latest ‘baby’.  Dropcam Pro and Dropcam include full 720p streaming, motion and sound activity alerts, night vision, two-way talk, and pinch-to-zoom. With the optional Cloud Video Recording service, customers can access stored footage for the past seven or thirty days. It’s still an indoor camera system, so keep that in mind when you’re installing it. Dropcam Pro retails for $199 while the Dropcam (formerly Dropcam HD) continues at $149. Live video monitoring is always free, but there’s Optional Cloud Video Recording. CVR plans are $9.95/month for seven days of continuous recording, $29.95/month for thirty days. Discounts are available for annual subscriptions and multiple cameras.

www.dropcam.com

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The Giz Wiz Video of the Week - The MeCam.

The MeCam is a tiny video camera you wear. Drew Martin, founder and CEO of the MeCam says that the MeCam is not meant to be a professional camera or a sports action camera, but rather a fun, whimsical gadget as reflected in the $50 to $70 price range. The company sent me one to try. It is a bare bones, but able device. The MeCam has no view finder, no display and just three simple buttons. It's designed to shoot 720p video as you walk, talk, or explore new places. There's a built in mic, which is very effective, as you’ll see in the video I shot with the MeCam. It records to a micro SD card. It also takes 5 megapixel stills. You can wear it with the included neck lanyard, or just pin it on your clothing. There’s a safety pin mounted right on the back of the MeCam. You do have to be careful you don’t bounce the MeCam as you walk, otherwise you’ll have very bouncy video. You charge the MeCam and download your pictures and video via USB. If you have a standard-to-micro USB adapter, you can also remove the micro USB card from the MeCam and put it directly into the computer. It’s available in colors and it sells for under $50.

www.mecam.me   

GIZ WIZ MeCam Video: http://youtu.be/REd5KUWaR5c

See or hear this show: www.twit.tv/giz1446

Bracketron NanoTek Stand Works To Keep Desks Organized And Devices In View

I always think of Bracketron as making large brackets for large TV's. It may have been that way in the past, but not now. Their new Nano Tek Stand is small; designed to hold all kinds of smart phones and mobile devices. It's nicefly crafted from aircraft grade aluminum. There's an integrated cable management system that lets you minimize or elimante the sight of the charging cable. The gripping surface securely holds devices vertically or horizantally. An easy wy to remove your device without accidentally lifting the NanoTek Stand, just give the device a slight turn right or lift. The company says you can use the NanoTek Stand for travel too, and I see this little guy as an ideal way to hold your device on an airplane snack tray for movie viewing. On the hotel nightstand it will hold your device in the ideal position for checking the time or incoming emails and texts. The stand securely grips to both desk and device thanks to an exclusive mounting technology that leaves surfaces and smartphones clean and residue-free. Available in silver and black, MSRP $29.99, but discounts are easy to find.

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Leo's Crap! (But sometimes it's something good. Occassionally, very good!)

Leo’s pick of the week was the Stryder Dart Blaster. On Amazon it’s called Combat Creatures Attacknid Vanguard Stryder. I’ve never seen this gizmo in action, but here’s the Amazon description: 

Doom Razor Attacknid - Take control of the ultimate blasting robot as you blast down targets (supplied), march over any terrain and with the 360 rotating head you'll be sure never to get stuck behind any obstacles. Controllable from up to 200ft with the 2.4ghz remote, indoors and out. March your Attacknid over all sorts of terrain from carpet to gravel and even snow. Doom Razor stands at 12" tall, comes equipped with the Doom Razor Red Exploda-Armor and red Electronic Battle Brain. With the Dissector Disc Blaster attached you can fire Powa-Discs up to 30 feet. If you come across other Attacknids - then quickly switch to Battle Mode and blast your opponents away. See the Exploda-Armor fly off the legs, hit the Battle Brain three times and watch your opponents Attacknid shut down. Alternative blasters, armor and Battle Brains available separately. 

Leo’s take: Well, this creature looked scary, but it didn’t do much in the studio. One possible reason is that it was a product sample and judging from the box, it looked like many others had played with this particular Attacknid. Also whoever sent it on to TWiT forgot to include the instructions. So the performance was underwhelming. I looked on Amazon and there’s one review. That person liked it and give it five stars. MSRP $79.99. 

See or hear this show: www.twit.tv/giz1446

Dick's Gadget Warehouse: Another viewer's video and how to submit yours!

Your Name: Alton Christensen

Subject: Photoplayer - Do you have one of these in The Gadget Warehouse?

Message: What an amazing device! Though not exactly a tiny gadget, I'm in filled with wonder and hysterical laughter as I watch this guy and the Goldbergian contraption.

http://youtu.be/yyUa9q-p19c

More on The American Photoplayer:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_American_Fotoplayer

Enjoy!  A

Before movies had sound, it was discovered that playing background music during a film could aid in developing a particular mood for a certain scene. Initially, small theatres would use player pianos to produce music automatically from piano rolls. After some time, some of these pianos were extended in size with pipe organs and sound effects inserted into large cabinets connected to the sides of the piano. The user of this new contraption, which became known as the photoplayer, could then create multiple sounds to match the actions on screen. Between 8,000 and 12,000 of these musical instruments were made between 1910 and 1928, with the American Fotoplayer Company's Fotoplayer being of the most popular brands. When sound films were first created in the late 1920s, the Fotoplayer became unnecessary. Therefore the American Fotoplayer Company ceased production of their product in 1925. Of the thousands of American Fotoplayers made, less than 50 survive today, and of those only 12 are known to still be playable. The appeal of the Fotoplayer to theatre owners was the fact that it took no musical skill to operate.

And now back to me: It may not have taken any musical skill to operate, but the guy in that video (Joe Rinaudo) sure is fast, clever and talented!

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We'd love to include your personal video in an upcoming Giz Wiz Show. (Yes, the video above turns out to be from YouTube, but we liked it enough to use. But we want your personally shot 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! 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! Low production value is fine, but we should be able to hear you and see you!   

If we select and show your video on The Giz Wiz you will now be awarded with some sort of prize. Like an autographed MAD and some piece of crap. So that's one more (so-so) reason to send in your video!

All show submissions go to gizwiz@twit.tv