Giz Wiz, Week of June 4th, 2013, Netcast 1419

Bose adds a new way to listen to your tunes.

Bose invited journals to bustling Grand Central Terminal to introduce two exciting new products. (Excuse me for calling it Grand Central Station in the video, because yes, it’s Grand Central Terminal. Trains do not go on from there, just back to where they came from.) But Grand Central is where they unveiled their latest addition to the Bose SoundLink family. The newest member is the SoundLink Mini. This is a compact Bluetooth speaker A2DP speaker system. During the demo one of the folks from Bose walked around with the device in his hand, playing an unbelievable amount of music for the size. It measures just 2” x 7” x 2.3”. It weighs about the same as an average tablet at 1.5 pounds. An anodized aluminum housing is designed to resist scratches and is strong and durable enough for the rigors of everyday use. Several engineering advancements are integrated in the SoundLink Mini enclosure: two new passive radiators feature a patented surround to reproduce the lowest low notes. And new Bose transducers move twice the volume of air as conventional same-size transducers to deliver clear mid- and high frequencies. The SoundLink Mini speaker comes with a charging cradle, making it easy to grab-and-go, and a rechargeable lithium-ion battery for up to seven hours of listening away from power. Accessory soft covers in orange, green and blue, and a travel bag, will also be available. Price is $199.95 and it can be pre-ordered starting 6/5/2013. It will start shipping July 11^th, 2013.

www.bose.com

Giz Wiz Video: (I shot this video with my PivotHead Glasses, so please forgive my jerky moves!

http://youtu.be/7k0550CX41Q

See or hear this show: www.twit.tv/giz1419

Make your iPhone or iPod Touch into a mini-DJ booth!

Urbanears Slussen – a combination of pocket-sized hardware and free software that allows you to take the party with you, wherever you go. To unleash Slussen, plug the adapter into your iPhone, iPod or other iOS device. Connect your headphones and sound system into the adapter via the two 3.5mm jacks. Launch the app, and that’s it. With its pre-listening feature, you can ensure that the tunes are always bumping, even while preparing your next track. So you can blow the party up instead of out.

If that description wasn’t totally clear, Slussen is a way to make your iOS device a mini DJ mixer. Pre-listen to tunes before you mix them for your guests. It’s actually great fun. You see two turntables, each with a song you selected. You can scratch, sync, mix  – except – About 10% of the time, the software just wouldn’t load the song I wanted. If I just closed the app and reopened it, it was still flashing ‘loading’. Only rebooting my iPod Touch let me start loading tunes properly again. If you’re alone, that’s not a big deal. But if you’re at a party, that’s big drawback. The Slussen is only $15, and the app is free. Hopefully, they’ll fine-tune that software to fix that glitch, which I saw others found too.

http://www.urbanears.com/accessories/slussen

See or hear this show: www.twit.tv/giz1419

A first on The Giz Fiz - Chatroom's Myra Joyce Does A Review!

As this is being written (June 3, 2013) Belkin is just releasing their ULTIMATE KEYBOARD CASE for iPad 2, 3rd Gen and 4th Gen. I don’t have an iPad of any generation, but Myra Joyce, who is often at Gizneyland, does. So I thought it be something different if Myra did a review of this new device. And here it is:

The ULTIMATE KEYBOARD CASE from Belkin will add 15 ounces to your iPad. Not bad, it feels really light and well worth every ounce. Setting it up and and pairing it with my iPad was relatively easy, which made the microscopic instructions that came with the device mostly unnecessary. They keyboard is an inch and a half narrower than the wireless bluetooth Apple keyboard, but the smaller size has minimal effect on typing. The keyboard case only supports landscape orientation of the iPad, but it has slots to enable 3 different angles of view. Nice if you are watching videos and eating at the same time. For gaming or touch-screen apps, the case collapses to cover the keyboard and is pretty flat for holding. I did find the collapsed cover a little floppy so that got kind of annoying. My only real complaint was that the keyboard is a little sensitive and I occasionally ffffffffound myself typing a letter multiple times. Myra J.

A note from The Giz Wiz. We had an early pre-production release of the Belkin ULTIMATE KEYBOARD CASE so hopefully any keyboard problems have been addressed in the final version. On Amazon you can pre-order one, but shipping won’t start until June 17th.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00BWHILCY/ref=s9_al_bw_g147_ir03

See or hear this show: www.twit.tv/giz1419

Leo finds a brand new piece of crap for all to share!

Sure you want to lock up your laptop, your GPS, even your smart phone. But do you really want to lock up your ICE CREAM??  Well I guess if you love ice cream, and have to put in an office or home refrigerator where others love ice cream, you just might need the Pint Lock from Ben and Jerry’s. Yes, it a real device and you’ll see Leo demonstrate on this week’s show. Jeff Needles at TWiT found it while pretending to be doing important research. (Actually, I guess this is Important for The Giz Wiz.) The Pint Lock fits over the top of the pint and joins another section that slides over the bottom of the pint. Then the Pint Lock holds them locked into place until the ice cream owner dials in the 3-digit pin. Leo said the pin was 2B8 – as in “to be ate”. I assume you get to select your own combo, or there won’t be much security! There’s a sense of humor about the whole thing because there’s a message on the side of the Pint Lock that reads” I’m terrible sorry, but their is no “u” in “my pint”. It’s available for under $6 at the company website:

http://tinyurl.com/lhn2otc

See or hear this show: www.twit.tv/giz1419

And here’s the neat gadget John (Jammerb) Found.

Energizer LED Folding Lantern with Light Fusion Technology.

(From Amazon) A compact light with a bright light output, the Energizer folding lantern is ideal for outdoor entertaining on a back deck or patio and feels right at home on family camping trips and weekend getaways. Equipped with Light Fusion technology, the folding lantern's light panel features LEDs that never burn out or need replacing. The panel has several hundred tiny dots etched on it to evenly spread the light emitted by the LEDs, delivering vibrant, uniform illumination. Water resistant and ready to lead the way, the Energizer LED folding lantern also features smart-dimming technology, which makes it possible to vary the brightness to suit your needs and prolong the battery life. Simply press and hold the power button to your desired brightness. Under $30!

http://www.amazon.com/Energizer-Folding-Lantern-Fusion-Technology/dp/B00B0EZWCG

See or hear this show: www.twit.tv/giz1419

Back to Dick's Gadget Warehouse! With another viewer video & how to sumbit your video.

Our Viewer Video of the week started with this email:

Hey Dicky D and Leo! 

Thanks for all the great gadgets you are showing off including a lot of crap. But... There is only one gadget which I love so much, I don't want anybody to mock it. Yes, Apple does that by skew-morphing it, but hey, this is the real stuff, the real pathephone. No iPhones with plastic horns involved, just an old HTC wildfire android 2.1 to make the video (sorry for the ultraHD). I Love what you do with all the crap, Dutch people are crappy, they don't pay their bills in time or at all (going Dutch?) but OMG, do they have lovely gadgets! 

Link to video: http://youtu.be/3GzPZcrJZXI

Greets to ye'all at Twit,  Tim.  Leiden, the Netherlands.

See or hear this show: www.twit.tv/giz1419

We'd love to include your video in an upcoming Giz Wiz Show. Here's what we're looking for:

Your home made Videos -- two to three minutes long - (four maximum) in the any of the following categories:

I bought a piece of crap! Did you buy something you ended up hating? We won't get you a refund, but we might be able to give a platform to vent your disappointment. Remember, "family friendly" language applies.

I Invented This! Did you invent something? (Or did a friend or relative invent something.) We can't market it for you, but we can help get the word out. Show us what it is, and how it works. Even if it's a prototype, you can get our (and the audience) reactions.

My Gadget Warehouse! Okay, so you don't have a warehouse. It doesn't matter. Just tell us about your favorite old gadget(s). When and where you bought it, and why you're still hanging on to it.

My favorite gadget of all time! Show us what it is, tell us what it does and why you love, or loved it! It can be something you just bought too.

Post them on YouTube and send our producer, Jason, the link! We'll do the rest. (Or possibly nothing, but that's unlikely.) Remember, videos should be just 2 to 3 minutes long, 4 MAX! Low production value is fine. Even welcomed! That way our stuff doesn't look bad by comparison. We've set the bar low. Don't trip over it.

NEW! NEW! NEW! If we select and show your video on The Giz Wiz you will now be awarded with some sort of prize. It's Leo's way to get rid of all the "crap from Sky Mall" he's collected. So there's one more (so-so) reason to send in your video!

All show submissions go to gizwiz@twit.tv