Weekly Daily Giz Wiz Week of February 13th, 2012 - Netcast 1352

A bit more than two years we talked about the iMoshi Interactive Voice Clock. Now comes the Ivee Digit voice responding clock. Strangely, the two clocks look almost identical. Even the names are similar, but Ivee knows more. She responds to 43 voice commands and has a built-in FM radio. It has a nightlight and 3 sleep sounds to help you fall asleep. For the alarm, you can choose 1 of 3 different sounds. The display auto dims in low light and you can set the brightness. And yes, you can set it so low, it’s off! (Something Leo always wants in electronic devices so he can sleep in darkness.) When you want to give a command you wake the clock by saying "Hello Ivee". I tried to fool her by saying: "Hello Moshi", be she ignored that. You do have to say: “Hello Ivee” before each command, but there’s a voice off button also. With voice off, a chime tells you when to say the command you want. Some people like the idea of voice control, rather than hitting the wrong button to set an alarm. After the alarm rings in the morning, you can stop it and nap again but simply saying "snooze". To turn the alarm off completely, say "off". That prompts Ivee to say good morning, and to tell you the time, date and temp. You change setting by saying “settings” and then Ivee runs through the list. Sometimes that can be annoying because it might take two or three steps to do when you want. The volume control is a slide switch with low, medium and high. I find the speaker volume on the low side, even in the high position, but since this will probably be right next to your bed, it might be okay. Ivee Digit is under $60. You can check Amazon for discounts.

www.helloivee.com 

See or hear this Netcast: www.twit.tv/dgw1352 

This show usually goes live Sunday, the day after we record it.

Video of the week - And this week the video is "live".

I love my Dropcam. It lets me check in on my boat from any place I have WiFi! At CES Dropcam introduced their new HD WiFi Video Cam. (I'm adding one to the Gizneyland Studio so you'll be able see the east coast half of what goes on when we record The Weekly Daily Giz Wiz!) Like their earlier ECHO model, you can use the Dropcam app to view your camera on Smart Phones (Android or Apple) or computer. You can check in on pets, the baby, the baby sitter, etc. anywhere there’s WiFi. (During hurricane Irene, my Echo Dropcam let me monitor my boat from home throughout the entire storm!) This new model is much smaller. The camera itself is about the size of a hockey puck and it sits in a hinged aluminum base. You can rotate the cam and adjust the hinged base to any angle you like. You can even pop the camera out and make it almost invisible in a dark corner since it’s black. The new HD WiFi Dropcam uses a single cable for set-up and then for power. (Unlike the Echo there’s no Ethernet option, just WiFi. Setting up the Dropcam is really easy. There’s no software to install! Just plug the Dropcam HD into your computer via USB, create an account at the Dropcam site and pick the local WiFi network it will work on. You only have to do that once. After that, it automatically logs on when it’s powered on. New also is a 12-LED infrared light array around the lens for nighttime use. The Echo has a microphone, but the HD WiFi has a speaker and a microphone for two-way communication. The camera includes their free basic service that you lets you view live streaming video on a computer, Android or iOS app - assuming they're getting WiFi. For $9.95 a month you can get a package that includes seven days of archive access and the ability to download clips to your own computer. At the current time (2/10/12) you get two weeks of the enhanced service for free so you can check the out the enchanced plan. The new camera comes in at a lower price too, $149.00. Till February 15^th, you can pre-order and get free shipping. The actual camera will ship late March.

www.dropcam.com

See or hear this Netcast: www.twit.tv/dgw1352

A full-featured sound bar designed for smaller spaces.

Companies at CES were showing huge sound bars with room filling sound. And then, of course, Leo talking about the Beringer iNuke Sound Dock, that weights 700 pounds and costs $30,000. On the other end of the spectrum is the Haier 20” Soundbar. This neat gizmo is designed for the small apartment, bedroom, kitchen or any place you want music from your iPod, iPhone, or iPad. It's also perfect if you have a small flat screen TV that could use a real speaker upgrade. It offers great sound for it’s size, from iPod, iPhone, the built-in FM radio, MP3 player, and your TV. Haier’s 2.0 Channel Soundbar enhances your device’s sound experience with its twin 3” full range speakers and 20W of power. It’s wall-mountable, so it’s a great accessory for any small flat-panel tv that needs better sound. The SBC20 Soundbar dock can charge and play iPod/iPhone/or iPad and make use of functions like the FM tuner through the included Haier Audio App. It also ships with a remote control, AC Adapter, 2 x AAA batteries, RCA stereo cables, 3.5mm to RCA Y adapter, component video cables, wall mount guide paper, wall mount screws. (Every Apple device that the Soundbar is compatible with, is on the Haier website. MSRP is $99.99, but it’s shipping now and should be available at a discount.

http://www.haieramerica.com/20-2-0ch-core-soundbar-sbc20 

See or hear this Netcast: www.twit.tv/dgw1352 

This show usually goes live Sunday, the day after we record it.

And now it's time for Leo's Turn The Table Turkey!

Today Leo’s cup runnith over. He talks about 3 gadgets from Dr. Bott! It seems Leo did not stop by their booth at MAC World, so they sent him a backpack with the gadgets they were showing. 

(The phone he mentioned is the is the Samsung Galaxy Note. Here’s his review on the new TWiT show Before You Buy,

http://twit.tv/show/before-you-buy/6) 

From the Dr. Bott Website: The Mugtuk Monster case is the first of it's kind. Combined with the Mugtuk Monsters App it creates the interactive plush friend for your child. The "Tuk" act as a lovable case that your iPhone or iTouch slides into. Each Mugtuk Monsters case is designed to fit each Mugtuk Monster App character, but are interchangable so you can chose your favorite case or have them all. Maggie is the youngest (and the sweetest). She just wants to play and have fun. 

Leo's take: "Fun to play with for kids, and we did some smiles out of it watching Leo play with it. Probably a hit with kids. $19.99

http://www.drbott.net/product/287650-MAGG/ 

From the Dr. Bott Website: TekChick Designs makes earrings and other jewelry from recycled computer parts. These earrings read I Command Q - using the I, CMD, and Q keys. If you're calling it quits, these are the earrings you need to let everyone know, just remember to save first. TekChick Designs was founded by 13 year old entrepreneur Taylor Burghard. Taylor believes that style and intellect are not mutually exclusive, that young girls can look good, feel good and still be smart, active and environmentally responsible. Recently featured in TIME Magazine for Kids as an example of a successful, young businesswoman, the company is currently branching into clothing and other TekChick branded products. 

Leo's take: He was very Impressed that this 13 year old girl has done so much at a young age. He thinks the product is clever and fairly priced. I, and I believe the chat room, agrees it’s a clever use of recycled computer parts. $12.95 

http://www.drbott.net/product/782362-ICMQ/ 

From the Dr. Bott Website: Magnus is the perfect low-profile stand for your iPad. Primarily aluminum. Magnus is first machine-crafted and then hand-finished using the latest manufacturing techniques. After that, customized magnets are placed into the stand, and rubber feet are attached to the bottom surface. A lot of hard work goes into each of these, and it shows. Magnus works beautifully with unfettered iPads, even ones covered by protective skins. Magnus may look like it's defying gravity, but it feels like a permanent attachment. You may need two hands to separate Magnus from your iPad. Ingredients: machined, recyclable aluminum, nickel-plated neodymium, recyclable plastics, recyclable carton, PET-coated paper fiber. 

Leo's take - a beautifully made iPad stand. It holds the iPad in one place only and it not adjustable. But Leo felt it would be great for anyone who uses their iPad as a photo frame. He loved the magnetic attachment & felt no one else had thought to do this. I thought this stand would also be great for anyone who uses their iPad to watch movies. $49.95. 

http://www.drbott.net/product/302121-MAGN/ 

See or hear this Netcast: www.twit.tv/dgw1352

This show usually goes live Sunday, the day after we record it.

Back to Dick’s Gadget Warehouse - Last of the Kodak Moments.

January 1966 Kodak introduced the DC40 camera. It could store up to 48 pictures, but it did have a card slot. The instruction book offered this advice: When the camera is full, the count displays "0" and the "0" flashes if you press the shutter button. No pictures can be taken at this point until you have deleted stored pictures. Then there was the Kodak DC50 which added a zoom lens. But compared to today, the operation was pretty lame. From the Kodak website: KODAK DIGITAL SCIENCE DC50 Zoom Camera Specifications: Type CCD still frame camera. Image size 756 x 504 high resolution. Bit depth 24-bit color. Speed: With flash—pictures can be taken every 8 seconds / Without flash—pictures can be taken every 5 seconds / Power sources Batteries:  4 AA batteries or Power Adapter. / Dimensions: Approximately 6.1 x 5.3 x 2.2 in. (155 x 135 x 55 mm) / Weight: Approximately 1 lb (0.5 kg)  ----------  And the street price back then: $699! In today’s dollars that’s probably more than a grand! Imagine what you can buy today for that kind of money! ….I wish Kodak luck in reorganizing. I sure owned an awful lot of Kodak products in my life, and many are still in Dick’s Gadget Warehouse!

See or hear this Netcast: www.twit.tv/dgw1352

This show usually goes live Sunday, the day after we record it.