Going camping? You just want this Emergency Portable Weather Radio.

Sure you can get weather on your smart phone, but what if you go to an area where there’s spotty cell service. Or your phone battery power is low. And will your cell phone issue alerts if you’re not paying attention? Twenty-four hours a day, this portable Public Alert Monitor receives and displays National Weather Services weather bulletins, alerts, watches, and forecasts, U.S. Emergency All Hazards bulletins, and local Emergency Alert System (EAS) bulletins and warnings. The automatic alert system triggers the radio speaker and audible-visual alert for instant awareness of conditions affecting life and property. Featuring advanced S.A.M.E (Specific Area Message Encoding) technology, the radio can be programmed to receive information specific to your geographic area. When traveling, boating, hiking or working outdoors, the WR601 will always keep you informed. Be sure to read all the instructions and to set the code for your local area. I went to the website listed in the manual and set mine for local NYC weather alerts. And read about the various modes BEFORE you go out into a lonely area where you need to know the weather! A good feature is the non-volatile memory function. It saves settings in the event of power loss. At home you can use it on the AC adapter – which is not a charge unit, but it will save battery life. This newest version is yellow. The older model is white. Suggested retail is $39.95, but I found it on Amazon for about $30. But I have NOT shopped at that website.

http://www.amazon.com/Oregon-Scientific-WR601N-Weather-Wr601n/dp/B003S81Q04 

See or hear this Netcast: www.twit.tv/dgw1319

Think Outside The Bag!

Okay, forget Purse Guard. Leo hated it! At the Holiday Gift Preview I learned about a clever new device for hanging bags, purses, etc. on the edge of a table. Clipa is the bag hanger that goes on- not in-your bag -- for quick access. Unlike regular purse hangers, there's no digging to find it, no twisting or unwinding to use it. You wear it as jewelry. Several of them at one time if you like. (And want to buy a bunch!) Stop for a snack, or coffee? Simply hang your bag off a table or other surface. When you're ready to go, just pull the strap and let Clipa fall back onto the bag. Independently lab tested, a Clipa purse hanger easily holds 45 lbs. With a safety factor of 3, it securely holds the heaviest handbags. Works almost anywhere. Ideal for tables, chairs, doors, rails, fences and carts. Use it in restaurants, bars, restrooms, sporting events, theaters, casinos, salons, cubicle walls, and more. A variety of tarnish-free finishes complement most hardware so Clipa looks like it's part of the bag. Step up to our Swarovski crystal models to add extra sparkle! $19.99 to $39.99.

www.clipa.us

Dick’s Video from the Holiday Preview Show: http://youtu.be/sYa_6xvls20

See or hear this episode: www.twit.tv/dgw1319

Water Conservation For Dummies -- The Kit.

At the National Hardware Show, PF WaterWorks, an innovative consumer products company, launched the "Water Conservation Kit For Dummies". At first I missed the word “kit” and thought it was a book. But no, it’s an easy-to-use water conservation kit, just like it says. The company says customers will be amazed at how much water they can easily and comfortably be saved. The kit includes both a WaterSense labeled easy-to-install showerhead and WaterSense labeled bathroom sink faucet aerators. These water-efficient plumbing fixtures will provide immediate savings with payback in just a few months. They use about 20 percent less water and perform as well as, or better than, conventional models. The kit can save over two hundred dollars annually for an average family of four while saving tens of thousands of gallons of water per household annually through increased water efficiencies, water reductions, and energy savings from reduced demand on the home hot water heaters, wells and septic systems. And installation looks super easy. Screw off the old, screw on the new. For some reason the front of the Home Water Conservation Kit for Dummies says “Save over $200 each year” and the back of the kit says “Annual Savings – Electric $366 – Gas $251”. So you’ll save more money by reading the back of the kit! It’s available at the link below for about $23, but I have NOT bought anything on this particular site on Amazon.

http://www.amazon.com/Water-Conservation-Kit-For-Dummies/dp/B00551QKTE/ref=cm_cr_pr_pb_t

Company website: www.pfwaterworks.com

(As of June 18^th, 2011, this kit was not there yet. It is a brand new product. But there are several other products there that we’re talking about in the past.)

See or hear this Netcast: www.twit.tv/dgw1319

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

This week Leo tells about the new ad-sponsored Kindle. He said when people ask “should I buy it”, he always answers “yes”! And why? Because it’s an incredible buy. It’s Wi-F enabled with a 6" display that uses the new E Ink Pearl Technology. And Leo showed us the ads on the Kindle. There are just two of them, and once you start reading with the Kindle, they disappear. Here’s some info from Amazon: The Kindle is our #1 best-selling item for two years running. It's also the most-wished-for, most-gifted, and has the most 5-star reviews of any product on Amazon. And now it's even better! 50% better contrast with the latest E Ink Pearl technology. Read in Bright Sunlight - No glare. New and Improved Fonts. New crisper, darker fonts. New Sleek Design with a 21% smaller body while keeping the same 6" size reading area - 17% Lighter - Only 8.5 ounces, weighs less than a paperback.    Battery Life of Up to Two Months - A single charge lasts up to two months with wireless off. Double the Storage - Up to 3,500 books. Built-In Wi-Fi - Shop and download books in less than 60 seconds. 20% Faster Page Turns - Seamless reading. Enhanced PDF Reader - With dictionary lookup, notes, and highlights.” And now back to us! Leo showed us how fast books download, how fast the pages turn and how unobtrusive the ads are. He also showed us that font sizes are available to make the type size HUGE! That’s why he thinks it’s an incredible value at $114 - with free shipping!

http://tinyurl.com/6xm6sjd

See or hear this Netcast: www.twit.tv/dgw1319

Back to Dick’s Gadget Warehouse to find a gadget from CES 1990.

You can stilll find the SY-DS1 on EBay, like this one.At CES 1990 Panasonic introduced their SY-DS1 sound enhancement system. If you didn’t have the room, or the money for a complete sound surround system the SY-DS1 was an interesting alternative. It had a space-ship look, and was an add-on audio upgrade device that didn’t require much installation. Just placed it on top your TV set, hook up a pair of RCA jacks and you were done. Well, it also needed AC power, but that’s easy too. While the SY-DS1 didn’t fill a room with incredible sound the way many of the high end digital signal processors of the day did, for it’s size it could really enhance the usually low-fi TV sound on smaller sets. The unit included two built-in speakers; it’s own amp and a signal processor. The user controlled digital delay & digital display really punched up the sound. At the Panasonic booth they let me hear the audio – which I thought was excellent – before they showed me how small the component was. The cabinet was black with moving green LED’s, so it looked high tech too. You would adjust the reverberation time to suit what you were watching, and the room you were watching it in. A little too much time delay and it was suddenly the house of echos! It also had it’s own volume control. It wouldn’t work with the real low-end TV because the set has to have output jacks to feed the audio to the SY-DS1. Although small, the unit weighed a lot, which I assume was due to large magnets in the speakers. At a suggested retail price of $250 it was on the pricey side. But if you heard a demo of one, you could probably be interested.

See or hear this Netcast: www.twit.tv/dgw1319