Weekly Daily Giz Wiz, Week of June 27th, 2011, Netcast 1320 - Mini-Mid-Year-CES.

Add GPS to many devices that don’t have GPS built in.

The people at Dual were very unhappy on the way Leo & I talked about their XGP150. So I removed my description of the device and replaced it with those from Joanna Lukins, Director of Marketing, Dual Electronics Corporation. These are her comments:

• Please note that the XGPS150 is not a stand alone GPS. You cannot really use it by itself. It is a Universal GPS Receiver that works with many of today’s most popular electronics adding GPS capabilities to these electronics and allowing them to do more. 
• The XGPS150 works with iPad, iPod touch, iPhone and other Bluetooth-enabled smart phones, tablets and laptops, including Windows, Android and OS X devices.
• While there are devices that already have GPS capabilities built-in, the XGPS150 will benefit both: those that don’t and those that do. In the case of the iPad, there are Wi-Fi only (no GPS) and Wi-Fi + 3G iPad devices. Many consumers chose the Wi-Fi only iPad because they are significantly less expensive.
• Why would you want to add GPS to your iPod touch, iPad or other smart phone or tablet? Mainly because having GPS capabilities will allow this device to be used with apps that require location information. You will open your device to many new uses. For example, you would be able to turn your iPod touch or an iPhone into a range finder with apps for golfing. You could use it with Geocaching apps, and apps for fitness and outdoor activities which allow you to track and record your route and your speed. Most social networking apps, including Yelp, Gowala and Foursquare also require location information. The large screen on the iPad is great for navigation in the car, on a boat and even on an airplane and there are many apps available on the AppStore with built-in maps for navigation that don’t require Internet access. The XGPS150 is ideal for travel – take it with you and use it with one device or switch between devices – set up takes only a couple of seconds. And all accessories are included.
• The XGPS150 has its own built-in rechargeable battery that lasts 8.5 hours and recharges with the included USB cable (12V adapter also included) It is only 2” square and very light so you can easily take it anywhere you go. The non-slip pad makes it easy to use it in a car, on a boat or in the airplane’s cockpit, and there is also an armband for outdoor activities. And here is how the XGPS150 benefits a device that already has GPS capabilities:

1.  It is a lot more accurate than for example the GPS inside the iPad or an iPhone, which is important for many applications including navigation, geocaching, golfing, etc.

2.  It does not drain the device’s battery, as it uses its own rechargeable battery that lasts for 8.5 hours of continuous use and even longer when not used non-stop. So you can turn off your device’s GPS by putting it in an airplane mode and use the highly-accurate GPS from the XGPS150

3.  It is wireless, and it can be positioned up to 33-feet away from the device it works with, with the optimal view of the sky for best GPS performance. So when you are in the car for example, position the XGPS150 right next to the car’s windshield on the dash board, while your iPod or iPad can be close to you for easy viewing and access.

Here is the direct link to the product on the company website:

http://xgps150.dualav.com/

See or hear this Netcast: www.twit.tv/dgw1320

Video the week --- The Celestron SkyProdigy.

The Celestron SkyProdigy is a revolutionary line of three new telescopes, recognized as an Innovations Honoree at the 2011 CES. They’re designed for people without any prior knowledge of astronomy or telescopes.  All you have to do is turn any of three telescopes on and watch as the SkyProdigy “looks” up to the nighttime sky to get its bearings. In less than three minutes you can take an exciting tour of outer space using SkyProdigy’s internal database of over 4,000 celestial objects. (The built in digital camera is for internal use only and there’s no digital output. I thought about that too and got the answer.) The integrated imaging camera and patented StarSense Technology to automatically align with the night sky and determine where the telescope is currently pointing. The camera automatically captures an image of the sky, which is processed internally to positively identify the stars in the image. Once a positive match is found, SkyProdigy determines the coordinates of the center of the captured image. The process is automatically repeated two more times so that the system has three known alignment points that can be used to make an accurate model of the night sky. From this information the user can select any celestial object in the hand controller’s database, and SkyProdigy will automatically move itself to the correct position. 3 models from $699.00 to $799.

Ben from Celestron explains what this amazing telescope can do:

http://youtu.be/9_gTltZ-31Q

http://www.celestron.com/c3/category.php?CatID=122

See or hear this Netcast: www.twit.tv/dgw1320

Here’s a new portable hard drive that play your content on three different devices ---at the same time!

The GoFlex Satellite Mobile Wireless Storage device allows you to carry your media library with you while on the go. Then you can wirelessly stream movies, photos, music and documents to your iPad, tablet or smartphone via WiFi. The GoFlex Satellite provides both a fast USB 3.0 and USB 2.0 connection. The downloadable Media Sync software makes it easy to transfer media and documents from your PC or Mac computer. The 500 GB GoFlex Satellite device can store over 300 HD movies, so you'll never have to worry about running out of space on your iPad or tablet. At the demo I went to I saw an two iPads and a smart phone displaying three different videos all being feed wirelessly from a single GoFlex Satellite. It was pretty impressive. With a full charge you should get up to five hours of wireless streaming. Now there’s no more worrying about running out of space on your iPad or Smart Phone. Price is $199.99.

http://www.seagate.com/www/en-us/products/external/external-hard-drive/goflex-satellite

See or hear this Netcast: www.twit.tv/dgw1320 

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

Like Bling? Then you’ll love Leo’s pick for this week!

The folks at Crystal Case sent Leo a specially designed TWiT bling encrusted mouse. (You'll can see the TWiT Crystal Case mouse in the video verison of the Weekly Daily Giz Wiz. Link below) Although they don’t sell the TWiT logo mouse, they sell a lot of other bling-covered products. They have mice, photo frames, cell phone cases, even headphones. In the photo is their new, limited edition black and gold Fleu De Lis  Saints Crystal Rhinestone Mouse. You can still use this mouse with any laptop or computer. All you need is a USB input. This Crystal Rhinestone mouse has a left and right button and also a scroll wheel on it. When you plug this corded mouse in, it will light up with blue and red LED lights. I expected them to be priced much higher than they are. The Fleu De Lis mouse is just $29.99.

http://www.crystalcase.com/

www.twit.tv/dgw1320

This week a different "Back to Dick’s Gadget Warehouse".

This week’s Dick’s Gadget Warehouse is a little different. It’s a look into a future gadget warehouse addition. The Polaroid Pic-300 isn’t the warehouse now, but I don’t really understand how this new camera is going to be a success in the digital age. I wish Polaroid success and I hope I’m proven wrong. The Polaroid Pic-300 is an updated version of the classic Polaroid instant camera for years ago. The company says their new Pic-300 is ideal for your wedding, anniversary, birthday or other big event! Like the original Polaroid camera, this one takes and develops pictures in about a minute. Unlike the original Polaroid, this one prints much smaller photos. They’re about the size of a business card: 1.8 inches x 2.4 inches. The camera uses PoGo Zink Photo Paper and you get full-color glossy prints without a printer. Each photo print is dry-to-the-touch, water resistant and features an adhesive back so you can stick it and display it anywhere you like. The original Polaroid had a new battery in every pack of film. The Pic-300 uses four AA alkaline batteries. Cost of the Pic-300 is $89.95 and it’s available in three colors. Film is $9.99 a pack, which prints 10 photos. So even though they’re quite small, they still cost about $1 each. You can knock the cost down a little by buying film in 3 and 10 packs.

http://www.polaroid.com/en/products/classic-instant/polaroid-300-classic-instant-camera

See or hear this Netcast: www.twit.tv/dgw1320