Weekly Daily Giz Wiz – Week of April 2nd, 2012, Netcast 1359

The International Home and Housewares Show took place in Chicago, March 11^th to 13^th this year. For those reporters who couldn’t attend, a PR agency arranged for a local NYC event that featured many Housewares that were shown in Chicago.

T-Fal’s ActiFry has been around a while, but sells very well. (New, however, is being able to get one in black, as shown at the left.) ActiFry cooks food evenly thanks to the stirring paddle and the pulse heat system. It's best known for using very little oil, about a tablespoon, and cooking up to two pounds of food while evenly distributing the oil on each piece. No pre-heating is required and it's hands-free cooking. To make French Fries in ActiFry, place 2 pounds of freshly cut French fries into the removable pan. Then drizzle 1 tablespoon of your preferred oil over the potatoes (which is up to 200% less oil than might be used), and set the timer. The ActiFry does the rest. A spokesperson said it takes 25 to 35 minutes for the French fries to cook, depending on how crispy you want them. Set timer and wait for the alarm to signal the end of the cooking cycle. You'll have real French fries that only contain 3% fat, vs. 16-18-percent fat in a regular fryer. Plus, there’s no oil to store or reuse. It's also makes a variety of dishes such as meats, poultry, risotto, seafood, granola, & desserts. At the Housewares NYC event, I had chicken with cut asparagus, fava beans and sprouts. It was delicious and healthy. ActiFry has a steam free lid and viewing window so you can keep an eye on your food while it's cooking. The automatic lid opens at a push of a button and clean up should be a breeze because the removable pan, lid, paddle, and tablespoon are all dishwasher-safe. MSRP is $249.99, but do a web search for the best price. You should be able find it at many places for $50 to $70 less.

http://www.tefal.com/All+Products/Cooking+appliances/Fryers/Products/ActiFry/Actifry.htm

See or hear this Netcast: www.twit.tv/dgw1359

Video of the week - Vacuum at 118 miles per hour?

At the NYC Housewares event, I wondered about the strange shape of the Rowenta 18-V Delta Force Cordless Sweeper.  A spokesperson explained that the triangle “delta” shape lets this sweeper reach into the very corner of any room. The handle swivels 180° to easily grab dirt and dust. Add to that an engineered power boost, which accelerates vacuumed air up to 118 miles-per-hour! It’s a bagless design, with a 33 ounce easy-to-empty dust container. Rowenta says the Delta Force sweeper is the best sidekick a full-size vacuum.Once fully charged via A/C, you’ll get up to 40 minutes of cordless run time. You can use the Delta Force stick vacuum to clean hard floors and stairs, plus touch-up for carpeting. It picks up 99% of dust on hard floors, thanks to the patented suction-boosting delta head that features one large and two smaller canals. The integrated motorized brush that spins up to 3,000 RPM’s adds to the cleaning efficiency. The Delta Force Cyclonic system accelerates the vacuumed air through three filtration systems before it goes into the dust container. They didn’t have any dust at this event, but they did have small bags of oatmeal. I emptied one on a scatter rug and easily vacuumed it up. The Delta Force stands up for storage so you don’t have to worry about leaning it up against something, or it constantly falling over. It ships with a 6’ charging cord. Weighs less than 10 pounds.  It’s currently available in Harvest, but will be available in Pearl, Copper Red and Intense Blue, starting April 1^st. Under $180.

The Giz Wiz Video: http://youtu.be/LJeo9owftNs

More info at the company website: http://www.rowentausa.com/rowenta/frame.aspx

See or hear this Netcast: www.twit.tv/dgw1359

This link usually goes live Sunday, the day we record this show.

Here's something that 'steams' me!

I’m pulling together travel gadgets for ABC’s World News Now, so I was pleased to find a really neat travel iron at the mini-Housewares NYC show. It’s handy for travel, or if you’re a student, not a bad choice for the college dorm. Heck, it would even work for folks who live in a tiny apartment, or have a county home. It’s from Rowenta, and bears the travel name: First Class. It’s also known by the far less glamorous model DA1560.  Although it’s a compact iron, Rowenta says it has all the benefits of one of their full sized irons. The First Class iron generates powerful steam at a constant rate, but there’s a 'burst of steam' button to help remove tough wrinkles. It’s a 1000-Watt iron, so don’t use it at the same time you’re using a hair dryer or other high wattage appliance. The 400 Hole Stainless Steel Soleplate offers a generous ‘steaming’ area, but you can use it without steam too. The micro-steam soleplate has a precision tip for reaching narrow edges, seams and collars. The First Class compact iron has a 3-position thermostat for use on all fabric types. Also great for travel is “vertical steam capability”, which will let you remove wrinkles in hanging garments. A transparent tank that’s built into the handle holds over 2-ounce of regular tap water. It also makes the First Class iron more compact. The handle folds flat for storage. Ideal for overseas travel too, is a dual voltage switch so you can operate the iron at 110 or 220-volts. But wait, there’s more! A travel pouch is included. MSRP is $49.99, but it mostly sells for about $39.99. It’s here on Amazon for $39.99, but I haven’t shopped at this e-tailor:

http://www.amazon.com/Rowenta-Classic-1000-Watt-Stainless-Soleplate/dp/B001RNOQIQ

See or hear this Netcast: www.twit.tv/dgw1359

This link usually goes live Sunday, the day we record this show.

Leo’s Turn The Table Turkey – Surprise – It’s not a new phone this time.

But it is a new phone case! Well more than just a case as you can read on the company website:

Rokbed v3 is more than just a case; it’s a system. The new v3 includes never before seen features such as an integrated lock mechanism, anti slip grip, detachable lanyard and an optional magnet insert. Made from tough polycarbonate that is reinforced in critical areas the Rokbed v3 is also one of the most protective iPhone 4/4s cases on the market today, protecting your phone from six directions. It’s compatible with all iPhone carriers. Designed, engineered and made in the USA.

And now back to me! Leo liked the open grille work design. Cases are available in injection molded polycarbonate frame and thermoplastic non-slip grip insert and there's an aluminum version. He showed us how tight it fits, and explained that it probably won’t work well if you have a screen protector on your phone. Leo also like the Remote Mounting System (RMS), that lets you mount your iPhone most anywhere, car, bike, etc. with optional accessories. There’s are also add-on (optional) belt clips, or belt clips with bottle opener. There's even an magnet option if you want to quickly stick your iPhone onto a metal surface. Leo liked how all these various accessories lock securely into the back of the Rokbed case. He thought he might buy the tripod adapter for his iPhone case. The Rokbed v3 polycarbornate case itself is $39 and it’s available in a dozen colors. The aluminum version is $79. Options start at $8 and up. While looking through the company site Leo was suddenly disappointed that the company had sent him a lower price model and not one of their Rokform Limited Edition Luxury Series custom made cases with 24K Gold Plating or Chrome Plating. They retail for $299.99! (Leo was kidding, of course. I think.)

http://www.rokform.com/cart/Rokbed-v3.html

See or hear this Netcast: www.twit.tv/dgw1359

This link usually goes live Sunday, the day we record this show.

Leo tries Liquipel on his iPhone to make it waterproof --- it doesn't go well!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XGzxedgfiac&feature=youtu.be&t=29m21s

Back to Dick’s Gadget Warehouse - for a look at some 40 year-old headphones.

UPDATE: Several people have emailed to say Lafayette Radio did have some local stores, and the warehouse was not the only brick and mortar place to buy their electronics! Thanks for letting me know.

Probably about 40 years old, are my Lafayette F-780 headphones. If you’re old enough to remember Lafayette Radio you know they were like a Radio Shack-type company. They sold everything electronic, often under their own brand. The difference is Lafayette Radio didn’t have stores everywhere. Most everything was sold via their yearly giant catalog. I believe the only brick and mortar establishment was their warehouse in Manhattan, which was open to the public. You could buy stuff there, but there was nothing on display. You went to the desk with your list of catalog numbers, the salesman disappeared in the back and hopefully came back again with everything on your list. On Saturdays, when people had the day off, the lines were long! Some 40 years ago my Lafayette F-780 headphones were high tech in as much as they have a separate woofer and tweeter in each earpiece. I don’t recall any other headphones that were doing that, back in those days. Since the technology to suspend one speaker inside another hadn’t been developed yet, the separate woofer and tweeter are mounted side-by-side. I also liked the way they look, and still do! For their time, and even today, they sound really good. They have decent, undistorted bass and distinctive highs. Although they’re long gone, I found them on many lists of folks who collect headphones. A pair recently sold on eBay for $20. It was funny, because in the description is said something like: "beware, these headphones have a big jack at the end, so you will need an adapter. The big RCA plug on the Lafayette headphones are shown in the photo, along with the adapter you need to use them with today's 3.5mm headphone jacks.

See or hear this Netcast: www.twit.tv/dgw1359

This link usually goes live Sunday, the day we record this show.