The Giz Wiz Show, Week of February 12th, 2014, Show #1455

A workout partner for your wrist. 

There are a lot of fitness tracking devices on the market these days. These watch-like fitness monitors can keep track of steps taken, stairs climbed, calories burned, distance walked, and in the case of the Fitbit Force, hours slept and sleep quality. If you want, it can even wake in the morning via vibrations so not to disturb others. (Of course you have to be wearing your FitBit Force all night for these sleep funcitons.) The Force can automatically sync the data it recorded to your PC, Mac, iPhone and many Android devices. This is all done wirelessly, when you get in range of the receiver included with your Fitbit Force, which is plugged into your computer. Once you go online, everything you do day by day is there on your Fitbit dashboard. You download the app when you first get your Fitbit Force, and enter age, weight, etc. Then you can use it to set a goal and use the LED display to track progress. To help you along, you earn badges for daily, weekly and lifetime achievements. It seems childish, but I was happy when my Fitball started to vibrate to draw my attention to the fact I had reached my first 10,000 step day. The FitBit OLED display shows your stats on the go and wirelessly syncs them to many popular smartphones. It’s water-resistant, not waterproof. You recharge it about once a week via USB. You’ll get an email telling you when it’s time to charge your Fitbit Force. I’ve had mine for about two weeks now, and I like it. If I find my step count low for the day, Fairway my dog, gets an extra long walk, or I climb some extra stairs. There is one annoying side of the Fitbit Force. The band is a pain to put on and it can open easily if you’re not very careful. There are many stories online of people who have lost their Fitbit Force days after buying it. The band should be redesigned. It's available in Slate or Black. $129.99 

http://www.fitbit.com/force

See or hear this show: www.twit.tv/giz1455

UPDATE: Because some people have developed a rash from the Fitbit Force band, sales have been discontinued while Fitbit does a redesign. If you already have own a Force, you can get a refund. Info is on the company website or click link below. This affects only the Fitbit Force, not the other models.

https://help.fitbit.com/customer/portal/articles/1425569   

Giz Wiz Video of the Week. A kitchen drawer of utensils for your pocket?

People have been telling me about a neat little camping utensil I could find online for about $5. “Here’s what the description: This sturdy tool is made of high quality stainless steel. It includes a sharp knife, fork, spoon, corkscrew and bottle opener. A great tool for weekend camping The tool even separates, so you can use the knife and fork in different hands. It comes with its own storage bag. Folded length: 4 1/2-Inch Weight with bag: 5.3 oz.” 

Giz Wiz YouTube Video Demo: http://youtu.be/qJZE9DYZyKg 

See or hear this show: www.twit.tv/giz1455

First there was the "ChargeCard". Now there's the "ChargeKey".

Last year at CES we were introduced to NOMAD’s first product, the ChargeCard. The ChargeCard, about the size of a credit card, has a flip out cable that becomes a real small USB charger for your smart phone. People were so interested in it, NOMAD had $161,897 pledged even though their goal was $50,000. At CES 2014, the company released their new ChargeKey. This is an even smaller charge cable. Billed as the world’s most portable USB cables, ChargeKey is available in two versions. One for iPhone 5, and one for micro USB devices like the Galaxy S4 & S5. Shaped like a key, ChargeKey fits onto any keychain. Use it for charging from any USB port (works just like your standard smart phone cable) with full data transfer when connected to a computer. Now no matter when you go, you can always have a charge cable handy! They’re $25 each. 

http://www.hellonomad.com/  

See or hear this show: www.twit.tv/giz1455

Chad's Crap, but it could be good too!

Chad’s pick of the week was pretty neat! He showed us Think Geek’s Light Kicks, (as suggested by Jeff Needles.) First here’s a bit of info via Think Geek. Light Kicks are designed to pulse and fade to your step. Simply attach the Light Kicks to your sneakers, choose from a variety of colors and flashy effects with the included remote control, and dazzle everyone around you with dynamic splashes of color instigated by your feet. You can add amazing Multi-Color LED light effects to any pair of shoes, great for dancing, clubbing, grocery shopping, etc. Effects can be synchronized with your stepping as five different modes provide awesome light show variations. Included IR remote allows each foot to be programmed independently. And now back to me. Chad and I thought Light Kicks were really fun. Be sure to watch the video to see Chad running around in them outside the Brick House. But remember, you supply your own shoes which should be 4"+ wide with at least 3" of lacing on the front. Chad explained that the shoes you choose to use really need laces for proper attachment. Light Kicks run on 6 1.5V AAA batteries (not included) and one 3V CR2025 button cell battery for the remote, which is included. To save power, Light Kicks automatically turn off after 2 minutes if no steps or remote actions are detected. They are NOT water resistant. Kit includes 2 light strips and one IR remote. $39.99.  

http://www.thinkgeek.com/product/efec/?pfm=Search&t=light%20kicks%20led%20shoe%20light%20system

See or hear this show: www.twit.tv/giz1455

Dick's Gadget Warehouse. Yes, it's a real place.

Since OMGChad is the new official cohost of The Giz Wiz, I thought it would be fun to replay a video I shot at Dick’s Gadget Warehouse about four years ago. It turns out a lot of people, even Leo Laporte himself at the beginning of the Giz Wiz, thought Dick’s Gadget Warehouse was just something I made up. No, it’s a real storage area inside the Sofia Storage warehouse right in New York City. I'm in the Amsterdam Avenue building, one of 3 locations owned and run by the Sofia Family for more than 100 years! I’ve had a space in the Sofia Storage warehouse for about 30 years now. My space is full of MAD stuff, old gadgets and lots of---well, plain old crap! Here’s info on the Sofa Storage Warehouses in Manhattan. They also have an affiliate warehouse in Brooklyn. There's a link to discounts too below.

www.sofiastorage.com  

If you're looking for storage space go to the offers page. With one of the offers, we could both save $100.

http://www.sofiastorage.com/media-events/offers 

Giz Wiz Warehouse Video: http://youtu.be/dwP53XCL8fk 

See or hear this show: www.twit.tv/giz1455

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We've run out of usable viewer “gadget warehouse” videos! We’d love to include your video in an upcoming Giz Wiz Show. But it doesn't have to be a 'gadget warehouse" video. 

Here’s what we’re looking: Your home shoot video – 2 to 3 minutes long, in 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. No professionally made videos please. It makes us look even worse than we are.

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 be rewarded with some sort of prize. Like an autographed MAD magazine and maybe even 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

Letter of the week:

Dr_Mom from the chatroom added her experience with fitness bracelets.

Hi Dick & Chad,

With Chad being so concerned about his health I though I'd chime in with my experience in exercise bracelets.

I actually tried wearing three bracelets at once (the UP24, Nike FuelBand & the Old Apple Nano (with the built in pedometer) while also wearing a FitBit One clipped to my bra. The first thing I've discovered is that NONE of them agree with each other. After today's gym workout (stairmaster followed by weight lifting) and a brisk session of dog running (my Yorkie doesn't walk anywhere) I got the following results:

Fitbit One 4611 steps and 1272 calories
Nike Fuelband 3589 steps and 400 calories
iPod Nano 2751 steps (doesn't do calories)
Up24 3294 steps and 900 calories

After this I had to check my arm to see if it was still attached to my body since the results seemed to be from 4 different people.

The problem I realized is that the wrist bands measure arm movements and not steps (the Fitbit one seems to be better at measuring actual steps). I found that out when I first started wearing the FuelBand and got credit for 500 steps by brushing my teeth with an electric toothbrush! You don't want to know how many steps the Up band said I'd done while sitting in the recliner knitting on a scarf. They also all seem to have different methods for translating arm swings into steps which is why the number of steps are so different. The FitBit One actually measures how your body movement instead of arm swings so I think it's probably a bit more accurate unless you're on Leo's ball.

What I have found that they do do well is to give you daily activity graph so you can see if you're getting all your activity in at one time or evenly spaced through the day.

Oh well I think I'm going to use the one which gives me credit for the most exercise & calorie burning while taking it easy.

Lil