Giz Wiz #1551 December 31st 2015, our 35th Independently Produced Giz Wiz Show

HAPPY NEW YEAR! Thanks to our wonderful Patreon supporters The Giz Wiz Show can continue into 2016!

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Last week OMGChad & I did our favorites gadgets of 2015. This week we cover the worst, the wildest and the weird gadgets we talked about during 2015. Let's start with the worst piece of garbage of the entire year.....Zoomies! Here's the original report. 

I never had a pair to try, so when I saw them on sale I bought a pair of Zoomies to try out. First some hype about them from the web: “Great for bird watching, sporting events, concerts & more. Also great for reading, sewing, crafts, watching TV & more. Zoom 300 ~ 400%. The Zoomies are fairly straightforward to use; just put them on as you would a pair of sunglasses, and adjust the focus with the knobs positioned near the hinge of each temple.  And now back to me. Wow, these are awful. On my pair, the focus knob on one side turns, but hardly moves on the other side, so they’re a pair to adjust. Optical quality is poor. And as you’ll see in the video, the Zoomies reviews on Amazon are terrible. In case you still want to try them, or buy a pair for your kids – who might think they’re cool (for about 30 minutes). Some come with a case, but I did not get any accessories with mine. They wouldn't have helped the quality anyway.

Giz Wiz Video:  https://youtu.be/1eUtHfsAPGU

Amazon link:  http://www.amazon.com/As-Seen-On-TV-ZM013124/dp/B00DVQF1F4/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1428524566&sr=8-1&keywords=zoomies   As an Amazon Associate Giz Wiz Biz earns from qualifying Amazon purchases.

See or hear this show: www.gizwiz.tv/episode/1551

One Of Chad's Crappiest of 2015!

Here's the original review:

Chad polled our Patreon supporters and for the August theme they selected “gadgets under $10.”

Chad's 2^nd under $10 gadget is the Visual Effects V8190 Mini LED Strobe. Here's what the company says about it, and it's not much!

Utilizes 3AA batteries, with speed control, led strobe. $6.59.

Chad's Take: This was a last minute purchase since the gadget Chad really want to show didn't arrive in time. Chad showed us that this Mini LED Strobe is pretty badly made. The front piece of plastic really doesn't fit and the hanging bracket looks like it might just be able to hold it up. The “strobe” consists of just two LEDs. There is a speed control that works a bit. But it doesn't work well enough that you really get the strobe effect that makes things look like they're moving in slow motion. At slow speed it looks more like a flashlight blinking than a strobe. Since it's battery operated Chad didn't expect too much light out of it, but unless you really darken the room, you're not going to see much of an effect.  Then again it was under $10.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B004DAGYRG?vs=1  As an Amazon Associate Giz Wiz Biz earns from qualifying Amazon purchases.

See or hear this show: www.gizwiz.tv/episode/1551

We don't know if this product really exists but we sure had fun with it!

Talk about a 'cuckoo' idea....... and we did.

As I've often said on Giz Wiz, a lot of times we can judge how well a new gadget will do by the amount of money and the interest it amasses on Kickstarter, Indiegogo or any other backing website. A gadget I thought was doomed from the beginning was The Cuckoo Clock Watch. It looks like others agreed. They were looking for a goal of $50,000. At the end of their campaign they had raised $2,450USD. In other words, it was 5% funded. In case you're still interested, here's more info on The Cuckoo Clock Watch. 

https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/the-world-s-1st-wearable-cuckoo-clock-watch/#/

See or hear this show: www.gizwiz.tv/episode/1551 (Goes live 1/1/16)

I bet you haven't seen a gadget like this before!

Doing a little bit better raising money was another strange gadget Bassaware. They were on a funding platform called crowdsupply where they reached 11% of their goal. Here's all the info on Bassaware.

Like low, low notes when you listen to music? This is one of most bizarre gadgets I've seen in a long time. The bassAware Drop is a new type of wearable audio device that uses vibration to create a massive bass experience. Here's how the company describes it: Wear your Drop to experience immersive sound and heavy bass that you can FEEL, anytime you’re wearing headphones from any audio source: your phone, music player, tablet, laptop, or game console controller. And now with our new bassAware Boost Mic Mode technology, you can also instantly sync bassAware with your home stereo, the sound system at a club, or the PA system at any venue - perfectly in time with the music coming from the speakers. The Drop delivers an unbelievable personal bass Boost! It’s super portable - you can take it with you anywhere - it’s small, lightweight, and battery powered. Everywhere you go - you’ll feel that visceral punch like you’re in the club or in front of a giant stack of speakers. And now back to me. The unit runs on a 2600 mAh li-ion battery pack with level indicator for an estimated 12-20 hours of use for each full charge. I did try the bassAware Drop at the GetGeeked event in NYC. You can feel the bass, but I also felt weird having this device on my back. Maybe younger folks will like it more. The other problem to my mind anyway, is the price. It's $349 for the model that's ready to go out of the box, or $279 as a kit where you get all the hardware but provide the way to wear it.

Company website: http://www.bassaware.com/

Company video: https://www.crowdsupply.com/bassaware/bassaware-drop-a-wearable-audio-device  

See or hear this show: www.gizwiz.tv/episode/1551 (Goes live 1/1/16)

Another One of Chad's Crappy Choices 2015

Here's the original post and an update: February's theme is  “survival gadgets” and Chad’s gadget for this week is the Cigarette Cigar Lighter Watch! Here’s what the company says about it:

Our Cigarette Cigar Lighteris comfortable to hold in your hand. It has special design, fashionable looking appearance makes it unique to others. In addition, it is very simple to use. If you want to smoke, pls press down on the button to the top and release its flame ready to serve your needs, great novelty cigarette lighter for smoking people. 

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00IP23W7S/?tag=051-20 As an Amazon Associate Giz Wiz Biz earns from qualifying Amazon purchases.

And Chad's take?  Although it works well and Chad was able to light a candle with it many times, he said it wasn't too practical to use. Chad said it's also very large, looks like it made of tin and has a plastic band. The 3 small watch faces are just painted on and don't do anything, but the large watch does keep accurate time. Of course we're talking about a timepiece that costs less than $11.00. As a novelty, it's okay, but unless you have a need for a watch with a cigarette lighter in it, there's no need to buy this.

See or hear this show: www.gizwiz.tv/episode/1551