An iPod/iPad dock that adds video!

Wednesday January 19^th, 2011 Netcast 1268 

WowWee makes all sorts of great robotic gadgets, like their Robosapien or the WowWee Alive animals. But at CES 2011 they added a new product to their audio/video entertainment line. At a previous CES they introduced the Cinemin Swivel, a lightweight pocketsize digital projector with a unique built-in 90°hinge. The built in Pico project is powered by DLP Technology developed by Texas Instrument. Today’s Daily Giz Wiz, recorded live at ShowStoppers is all about the new Cinemin Slice. (Sounds like something you would order at IHOP!) Cinemin Slice is a real multimedia dock that includes decent sounding stereo speakers and an almost hidden, rear facing DLP projector. You can watch WVGA-resolution images – still or video –from just about any device that has video-out. Easiest to use are iPhone, iPad and iPod products because they dock in the device via the Apple 30-pin connector. But there’s also a place for HDMI, VGA, and AV connections. The Cinemin Slice still features their unique swivel design, so you can lay in bed and project movies on the ceiling if you like. And if you want to clear guest out of a room quickly, start projecting those endless, boring vacation videos, or the videos of the kids in the school play, etc. The device comes with a remote control and according to the folks at the WowWee booth, can project an image up to 60" in a dimly lit room. (That's from approximately 8’ to 10’ away.) MSRP Price is $429.99. But once it’s in stores, which will be the end of January, discounts will probably be available if you do a web search. 

There’s a video demo here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w9PSimyrO54 

And you can pre-order here:

 http://www.wowweetechshop.com/collections/cinemin/products/cinemin-slice

 SEE or hear this Netcast: www.twit.tv/dgw1268  

You know about Bluetooth Headsets, but how about a Bluetooth ball?

Tuesday, January 18^th, Netcast 1267 

On this Special Turn The Table Tuesday Leo finds a new kind of ball! (Recorded 'live" at ShowStoppers in Las Vegas.)

This is one of the gadgets that you think – how did someone decide to come up with that? Was someone playing with a regular ball and thinking, “gee, I wish this ball was Bluetooth so I could control it with my smartphone?” Whatever the process was, the Orbotix Sphero Bluetooth Ball is here. Well, not exactly here, but on its way. An exact release date or price has not been announced yet. The Sphero ball is lit from the inside and is about the size of a baseball. The folks at Orbotix said people should think of Sphero as an entirely new game platform – one that moves. The ball in you living room now becomes the object in the game on your iOS or Android device.  They’ve been working hard to fully develop a platform hoping it inspires developers to create tons of games.  Some examples they’ve shared already: solve a maze by rolling Sphero around on the floor, challenge a friend to a head-to-head sumo match or control a device in your friend’s apartment, from your apartment. They want people to know their API is open to all and they’re excited to provide a platform for application and game developers to create some cool new apps for Sphero. But the company reminds developers that the Sphero isn’t just for gaming. It can be used as an ambient data device to alert you of weather changes, stock market news, and more. The possibilities are endless! (Note to Leo: It's way too small to sit on.)

http://www.orbotix.com/

See or hear this Netcast: www.twit.tv/dgw1267  

My pick for the “best of CES”. (Recorded live at Showstoppers in Vegas.)

Monday, January 17, Netcast 1266 

Yes, there were an estimated 80 new digital tablets/pads at the CES, thousands of new iPod/iPhone accessories, thin and thinner TV's, some boasting 3D and hundreds of new cell phones. But here’s a gadget that’s like nothing we've seen before and a really exciting break-through. I’m talking about Pixel Optics emPower! If you wear glasses, you’ll want to know about these amazing specs. Once they’re officially launched starting Spring 2011, for the first time, emPower! eyeglass wearers will be able to control how they see when wearing these multifocal eyeglasses. Almost like magic, emPower! allows the wearer have their near or far eyeglass prescription present when needed - automatically. Because there’s an accelerometer built into the eyeglass frame, the glasses can shift to your reading prescription when you tilt your head down toward a book or newspaper. (The wear chooses “manual” or “automatic” mode.) These are the world’s first and only electronic focusing eyewear. emPower! focuses faster than the blink of an eye, without moving parts and without making a sound. Unlike today’s fixed optical power multifocal eyeglasses that control the wear’s vision, emPower! enables the wearer to be in control of their vision. The folks at emPower! told me the glasses have been under development for twelve years. Panasonic developed the electronics, which are so tiny they’re hidden in the frame along with the battery. To charge the battery in the frame, just lay them on the included induction charger overnight. The actual price will depend on your prescription. But the company said they’ll run about 30% higher than normal prescription glasses. Very exciting, space-age stuff! I have to say this again: looking at the glasses you would never suspect all or any of that technology is inside. There’s not a hint of electronics or wiring anywhere that the naked eye can see. For more additional information and a demo, check out company website:

http://pixeloptics.com/pages/electronic_eyewear.html 

See or hear this Netcast: www.twit.tv/dgw1266 

Instead of a normal “Back to the warehouse Friday”, today we do another DGW we recorded “live” at Show Stoppers in Vegas.

Friday January 14^th, Netcast 1265 

A high quality speaker system at an affordable low price. 

At CES quite a few manufacturers introduced portable speaker systems as more and more people carry their music files with them. At Show Stoppers, Pure Acoustics launched their own wireless, ultra-portable speaker: the HipBox. (Pure Acoustics is known for building high-end speaker systems and this certainly is their smallest entry ever!) The HipBox is a smart looking, pleasant sounding and ultra-portable speaker. You can connect the HipBox to any device, from smartphones to iPads and iPhones, and of course, any mp3 player via the headphone jack. With dual inputs, it can even play music or podcasts stored on USB flash drives or SD cards. The HipBox weighs less than nine ounces, so you can share your music and podcasts (know of any good podcasts??) anywhere: at home, the park, the beach, etc. This gizmo would also be good as a speaker for laptops or desktop PC’s. The company says the built-in lithium-ion rechargeable battery can also be used to recharge a dead smart phone if necessary. Fully charged, it offers about four hours of portable playtime. At the show, I saw two models. One had an FM radio and a small LCD screen that displayed the radio station frequencies. The other model, without FM, had slightly larger speakers and to my ear, sounded better. On the company website they only show the unit without FM. For now maybe they decided to just go with the one that sounds better. HipBox is available in four designer colors and retails at an affordable $39.95. 

www.myhipbox.com 

SEE or hear this Netcast: www.twit.tv/dgw1265 

LIVE FROM CES! Seven Daily Giz Wiz Netcasts. They start with today’s episode.

Tired of losing all those tiny little receipts you need to keep?

Thursday, January 13^th, 2011 Netcast 1264

Yep, those tiny little receipts you might need for expense reports or tax prep are hard to keep track of, and easy to lose. What if you could scan them anywhere you were? That’s where the Planon SlimScan can help! SlimScan is the first credit card sized portable scanner. It’s a full featured, high-resolution color scanner so small – how small? – so small and lightweight it fits into your wallet or credit card holder. (I think a credit card holder is a better place for it.) That way it goes wherever you go. It’s built of durable stainless steel. So if you’re a busy exec, especially one who travels, you deal with a ton of receipts. SlimScan lets you scan the receipts as you get them, or at the end of each day. Creating digital images ensures you won't lose expense receipts. You can create folders to group your scanned receipts by business trip, client, travel date, week or month, etc. SlimScan’s convenient reporting feature lets you easily assemble them into reports to expedite expense reimbursements and tax record keeping. It’s also great for capturing important contact information from business cards, even your handwritten notes on the back. Included Optical Character Reader (OCR) software can automatically convert the scanned images into editable form so you can import the contact information into Outlook, Microsoft Word or Excel spreadsheets to facilitate your follow up. SlimScan is $119.99. 

www.planon.com 

SEE or hear this Netcast: www.twit.tv/dgw1264