Leo hasn’t bought a new digital camera in about a month, so it’s time to get one!

Tuesday, February 1^st, 2011, Netcast 1277

Leo started this Turn The Table Tuesday by pretending his pick for the gadget of the day was the new GizWiz.Biz LED 3.0 hat. If you want more info on that gizmo, it’s here:

http://gizwizbiz.squarespace.com/giz-wiz-garbage/ 

Here’s his real gadget pick! Getting ready for his three-week trip including far off places like Antarctica, Leo adds another digital camera to his vast collection. This time it’s the Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX5. This compact digital camera has an ultra-bright F2.0 ultra-wide-angle 24mm Leica DC Vario-Summicron. (The F2.0 lens is twice as bright as a F2.8 lens great for really low light situations!) This camera also features a 3.8X optical zoom. Since I don’t own this camera and haven’t even played with one, I’m relying on the Panasonic website for the specs. The Lumix LX5 has a 10.1-megapixel CCD. Leo doesn’t believe in carrying a dedicated camcorder these days because today’s digital cameras can shoot amazing video. In addition to Motion JPEG images, the DMC-LX5 can record high-definition movies in AVCHD Lite. This feature almost doubling the recording time in HD quality compared with the conventional Motion JPEG format. A hot shoe allows for the attachment of a wide-variety of accessories, such as an optional Live View Finder. That can help shooting under strong daylight with high visibility or an external flash. Leo said it is difficult to compose a photo using the LCD screen to shoot in bright sunlight since there is no built in manual viewfinder. To help with that problem the 3.0-inch LCD has been redesigned with a High CRI (Color Rendering Index) backlight LED to greatly increase the color reproduction. That makes the screen more visible both in shooting and playing back images in any conditions from at dark night to under bright sunlight. And battery life has been extended to shoot 400 photos per a single charge. Price is right about the $400 mark if you do a web search.

http://panasonic.net/avc/lumix/compact/lx5/index.html  

See or hear this Netcast: www.twit.tv/dgw1277

Flipit adds a USB charging port to AC outlets that are already in use. ….Huh? Read on.

Monday, January 31^st, 2011, Netcast 1276

So you’d like to charge your cell phone each night when you go to bed, but both outlets near your bed are in use. No problem! The Flipit! USB charger lets you charge your USB device even when all the available AC outlets are in use. Here’s how it works. First flip out the power tab on the Flipit device. Then unplug any device that’s already using one of the AC outlets near the spot where you want to charge your cell phone, PDA, etc. Now plug that AC device back in, but put the plug right through the Flipit tab. Now the AC device has power again and your Flipit device has power too, ready to charge your USB device! Just plug the USB charger cable from your device into the USB port on the Flipit. With a 270° rotating power tab you can aim the USB cable in any direction to keep it from blocking other devices. The Flipit tab folds into the device for travel. It’s a real easy way to add a USB charger port for mobile phones and MP3 players any place there’s an AC outlet, even if it’s already in use. Actually it only works on an outlet that already is in use! Under $15.99. It’s from the folks who make Socketsense, the extending power strip that allows you to extend the distance between AC sockets to make room for those giant transformer plugs.  

http://ideativeinc.com/flipit.html 

Hear or see this Netcast: www.twit.tv/dgw1276 (If this link isn’t live, please check back in an hour or two.)

And now, we leave the world of tech for a look back at another bit of 21 year old“Mail Order Crap” from Dick’s Gadget Warehouse!

Friday, January 28^th, 2011, Netcast 1275

Slash Heating Bills! Sleep Snug and Warm

With the FEATHERLITE SPACE BLANKET.

Forget those heavy blankets on your bed and be warm as toast with the new miracle space age covering that is as light as a feather and folds to a pack that fits easily in any pocket. New 1990 design!

The FEATHERLITE SPACE BLANKET is from an aluminum-like substance created for U.S. astronauts. It shimmers and shines like a Star Wars cape. You can almost see cosmic power radiating from it.

Does not use one watt of electricity! Completely safe! You can cut nighttime heating bills in half, or even eliminate them altogether with the FEATHERLITE SPACE BLANKET. It will keep you and your family as warm as an electric blanket without the hazards of electricity. 

Even more snug and effective than expensive down comforters and energy consuming electric blankets. Reflects and maintains 80% of your body heat even at sub-zero temperatures. 

Cost:  $5.95 plus $2 for “speedy postage”.  

I had no desire to wrap myself in a big sheet of tin foil, so I never tried my amazing blanket. And if I did use it, I don’t know how I would ever be able to fall sleep with the crackling, wrinkling noise this foil-like covering makes! Strangely one edge of “the blanket” is serrated like it was ripped off a very large roll of tin roll, and it probably was! 

See or Hear this Netcast: www.twit.tv/dgw1275 

Jawbone comes up with a brand new Bluetooth gadget.

Thursday, January 27^th, 2011, Netcast 1274 

Jawbone, the company that makes many different Bluetooth headsets has introduced their first product that isn't a headset. However it still involves sound and Bluetooth technology. It’s a small, high tech stereo speaker that connects to your phone, computer, PDA, etc. via Bluetooth. You can use it as a Bluetooth speakerphone or a way your tunes for everyone in the room. It's called Jambox, and Jawbone has jammed a lot of features into a little box. (But I assume the name refers to ‘jamming’, as in music!) The Jambox is small - 5.9″ by 2.2″ by 1.6″ - so it’s not pocket-sized unless you wear a Scottevest jacket! It comes in four ”copy-writer inspired colors” - Blue Wave, Black Diamond, Grey Hex and Red Dot. Once the internal battery is fully charged, the company says you should get up to eight hours of operation. Inside the enclosure are two powerful acoustic drivers and a moving passive-wall bass radiator for very decent sound considering its size. Jawbone claims that the JAMBOX is the only speaker in the world that gets smarter with time. It can be updated with apps, software and new features at the Jawbone online platform, MyTALK. Audio alerts include battery life, caller ID, call functions and more. JAMBOX can also be personalized with voice and language options. Leo expressed an interest in hearing this unit in person, so when he made a whirlwind trip to NY I brought it along when we met for dinner. He liked it a lot and it’s going to be part of the gear he takes on his three week foreign trip. The price is upscale too, $199.99. As it gets into the marketplace, I assume some discounting will be available. 

http://www.jawbone.com/product-jambox-overview 

See or hear this Netcast: www.twit.tv/dgw1274 

An iPhone 4 case that does something different.

Wednesday, January 26^th, 2011, Netcast 1273 

I don’t own an iPhone 4, (I do have the latest iPod Touch) but people who do own them and use them a lot, often seek out a case with a built in battery. Tekkeon has introduced a different kind of iPhone 4 case. Like all the others on the market, the myPower battery case separates into pieces. With other cases, the battery is always built into the bottom of the case and the top is a bezel that completes the case. But the folks at Tekkeon told me that had decided to make a different kind of iPhone 4 case. (Not to be confused with their earlier iPhone 3 leather case.) When you open the package of the myPower for the iPhone 4 you’ll still find a case in two sections. I knew this case would work with my iTouch 4, even though the it wouldn’t fit properly. So I docked my iPod Touch to the bottom section of the case which contains the 30 pin connector. I click the myPower switch to on – and – and nohing happened. Oh well, time to read the instructions. Opps, I see now! No wonder nothing happened. The bottom part contains the connector, but it’s the top piece that includes the battery! I clicked the top part on, connected the two together and flipped it on. Yes! Now it worked. But it works in a different way from  other charger/cases. When you switch it on, the Tekkeon myPower battery alone powers your iPhone 4. You’ll see the iPhone 4 power icon switch from battery to the AC symbol. It powers your phone without charging the internal battery. I asked the folks at Tekkeon why they took that approach and they said it was easier on your iPhone 4 battery not to be constantly charged, drained a bit, charged, etc. Their idea is to run your phone off the myPower battery knowing you still have all your iPhone 4 battery power. When the myPower battery dies, it automatically switches to the iPhone 4 built in battery. Another feature of the myPower is the ability to switch out the top battery section for a spare, assuming you bought one.  A second battery is only about 1/3 the cost of the entire kit. The myPower ion battery adds 1200 mAh to your iPhone 4. (A spare is priced at about $25) A 2200 mAH module will be available soon for about $10 more. But, of course, it will be thicker. If you like lights, the Tekkeon will disappoint you a little. Rather than a segmented battery level indicator, it uses a single light with two colors to indicate the amount of power left. Weighing in at only 1.84 oz (51.5 g) the myPower for iPhone 4 is almost undetectable from a plain old hard case without power. MSRP: $80. Discounts can be found by doing a web search.

 http://www.tekkeon.com/products-mypower-iphone-1280.html 

See or hear this Netcast: www.twit.tv/dgw1273