Weekly Daily Giz Wiz Week of January 9, 2012 - Netcast 1348

Leo & I both love watches. I especially like watches that do more than tell time. So when a PR contact asked if I’d like to try the WIMM One Android watch during CES, I said YES! It’s big, but I’m used to big watches. And besides since complicated watches display a lot of stuff, bigger is easier to read. The WIMM One does a lot. It connects to the web via WiFi, it connects to your cell phone via Bluetooth, and it has a bunch of built-in apps. There's weather, a stop watch, world time, and a CES app that will show events that are coming up and CES headline news. It’s not for sale in retail channels yet, but you can buy a WIMM One developer kit right now. WIMM is interested in getting people interested in writing apps for the watch. The WIMM One module snaps into a rubber watchband that’s included in the kit. It kind of looks like you’re wearing an iPod Nano. Unless you decide to buy an accessory that lets you carry the watch a different way, once you snap it in the provided band, it can stay mounted forever. To charge the watch, just lay it in the charging cradle, which holds it in place via magnetic force. The cradle connects to your PC via an included micro USB cable. An AC adapter is also included. The small, inch and quarter reflective color touch screen is easy to see outdoors. And there’s a backlight if you need it. You scroll through apps by flicking right to left and then up and down for various options. There’s even a Starbuck’s app, which you can use to pay for coffee at Starbucks with having to dig out your wallet. With Bluetooth & WiFi enabled, you’ll have to charge the WIMM One daily. I like being able to see who’s calling without taking out my cell phone. The caller info shows up on the watch face and gives you the opportunity to send the call to voice mail if you don’t feel like digging around to find your phone. $299 includes the module, strap, and charger.

www.wimm.com

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A 3-in-1 USB cable that can charge 3 different types of devices.

It’s called the Magic Cable Trio from Innergie. Innergie makes all kinds of USB charging devices for home, auto and travel. The Magic Cable Trio is pretty convenient. It provides you with one cable that can be used to charge and sync many different portable devices. The handy integrated smart multi-tip 3-in-1 design means you can use it for devices with a Micro USB (Blackberry, Smart Phones and more) or Mini USB connector. The Magic Cable Trio’s 30 pin adapter is designed for use with Apple iPod, iPhone and iPad and is certified for use with these devices. A complete list of all compatible devices the cable can charge is at the Innergie website. This is a real space saver for those who like to travel light, but carry an assortment of personal electronics that need charging. It’s brand new, so it may show up as “out of stock” for the next couple of weeks on some seller websites. (That’s as of January 7^th, 2012.)  It retails for under $20.

http://www.myinnergie.com/MCT/Default.aspx 

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Leo's Turn The Table Turkey!

Leo loves his new HTC Rezound phone. It features a 4.3-inch 1280 by 720 resolution super LCD display. And it has the four standard Android navigation buttons, which Leo likes. The front facing 8-megapixel camera offers dual LED flash. Its powered by a dual-core 1.5 GHz Snapdragon processor, which combined with Verizon's 4G network, makes this a very robust phone. All of this performance of course, drains the power rather quickly. So Leo added a double sized Trexcell 3800 MAh battery. The battery is fat and comes with it’s own back cover. It doesn’t make the phone look very svelte, but Leo says he can use the Rezound for more than 12 consecutive hours, something he needs. Link below.) The Rezound runs HTC’s own Sense software over Android 2.3 (Gingerbread), which Leo likes too. It ships with Beats headphones which Leo says offer better audio that the headphones you get with most other phones. It is an expensive phone too - $299.99 with a two year commitment. Leo said there might be better deals at Amazon.com. Here’s an Amazon link that explains dozens of other features of the Rezound and shopping options:

http://wireless.amazon.com/HTC-Rezound-Android-Verizon-Wireless/dp/B0061R3DVO

The Trexcall extended battery with case: http://tinyurl.com/77cwnhm

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

Here’s another Universal Remote Control that’s hard to lose.

A couple of weeks ago I reported on the Pillow Remote Control. (link below) It solved the problem of losing the remote behind a pillow, because that remote WAS a pillow. It cost $40. Here’s another remote that’s hard to lose. It’s the 8-in-1 Jumbo Universal Remote. It’s available on Amazon for about eight bucks. I actually found it for $5 at a Walgreen’s Drug Store! This over-sized universal remote can control up to five eight: TV, DVD player, satellite, cable, VCR and moe. It also features a sleep timer that can be set from 1 to 99 minutes. It requires 2AA batteries which arenot included. This jumbo remote is so big, it might be a bit hard to handle. It measures 5 inches x 11 inches x 7/8 inches. That’s something ironic about the instructions that come with this device. The Jumbo Remote is aimed at people who have trouble seeing the markings on a small remote, yet the instructions are printed in some of the smallest type I’ve seen. You’ll need someone with great eyesight, or a magnifying glass to pick out the proper codes for the devices you own. Also keep in mind many remotes these days are very specialized. For example, I was able to program this remote to control my Time Warner Scientific Atlanta Cable Box, but it doesn’t have all the button the cable box has. But it has all the important ones. And there’s one major drawback when the batteries die. The remote has to be totally reprogrammed! So be sure to write down each code number so you don’t have to go hunting for them again. But for $5 or $10 this Jumbo Remote can be very useful. (The same remote seems to be marketed under lots of different brand names, but you’ll notice the button layouts are identical. Here’s one I found at Amazon for under $6, but I haven't shopped there. I bought mine at Walgreens.

http://tinyurl.com/75udxr6  

Pillow Remote Control: (http://gizwizbiz.squarespace.com/?SSLogoutOk=true&currentPage=4  )

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Another visit to Dick's Gadget Warehouse!

It’s the year 2000, about twelve years ago and 3M comes up with the Inflata-Pak. With this clever device, you no longer need those bulky and annoying peanuts, bubble pack or wadded-up newspaper to protect fragile valuable items during shipment. 3M Inflata-Pak Air Cushion Packaging is really easy to us. First, place your fragile item inside the plastic bag, then blow through the handy straw to inflate the walls. The walls are double sided and close in around the breakable object. When the bag is inflated, which is rather quickly, remove the straw and pinch the top of the inflation valve for a tight seal. You’re done! Place the cushioned package in a box or courier envelope and you should have no worries about your shipment arriving safely at its destination. 3M says that testing in the lab shows that Inflata-Pak Air Cushion Packaging can withstand temperature extremes and air pressure changes. Inflata-Pak is available in small, medium and large Paks and in special Paks to protect bottles in transit. I did a web search and found they are still sold online. One link to a place that sells them is below. (I have no bought anything here.) As you can see in the video I put a china cup in an Inflata-Pak and dropped it on the floor. There’s was no harm done.

http://tinyurl.com/6ns4brl

Giz Wiz Weekly Video: http://youtu.be/AskPP_kZKO8

See or hear this Netcast: www.twit.tv/dgw1348  

This Netcast usually goes live Sunday afternoon, the day after we record it