Experience sound and silence at the same time. Hmmm, how can that happen?

TTTT  Tuesday, May 25^th, 2010, Netcast  1097 

Leo’s pick for this Turn The Table Tuesday is the Nokia Bluetooth Stereo Headset BH-905 with active noise cancellation. That’s where their catch-phrase sound and silence comes from.  This new Bluetooth stereo headset with active noise cancellation combines two in one – both music and calls – and provides clear sound by eliminating background noise with active noise cancellation technology from Wolfson Microelectronics. Leo made phone call while on the show to demonstrate that you can answer calls and talk on the phone with this device even though there is no sign of a microphone. Leo said he hasn’t taken a plane trip since he bought his new headset, but that listening to music was really excellent. The headset also has the ability to switch between music and calls with integrated call control. Here’s something I didn’t know and I don’t think Leo knew at the time we recorded this episode of the Daily Giz Wiz. (I found it on the company website.) Technically the noise cancellation is solved with a total of 10 microphones: 8 microphones for canceling noise and 2 microphones for capturing speech in loud surroundings offering advanced noise cancellation for clear sounding phone calls. The headset features a dedicated multifunction key for call management, as well as music and volume controls, and a switch for activating the active noise cancellation. And it works wirelessly with a wide variety of devices with wired on devices with standard 3.5mm jack. The Nokia BT905 retails for $299.99 

Company website: http://www.nokia.com/microsites/bh-905 

Leo bought his on Amazon (but I’m not sure it was here.) They offer a small discount. http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002SUEYU2/ref=olp_product_details?ie=UTF8&me=&seller= 

Hear this Netcast: www.twit.tv/dgw1097

Here's a nice safety device for the car you can hang on the car keys.

Monday, May 24^th, 2010, Netcast 1096 

The slide-out blade protector glows in the dark, an added feature.Swiss+Tech makes an entire line of “micro-tools,” each small enough to be worn on a key chain. (In a few cases, a rather large Key Chain.) The BodyGard 5-in-1 Emergency Tool is one they designed for the car. In one pretty small gizmo you get five devices: automatic glass breaker, safety-blade seat belt cutter, sonic alarm, flashing red distress light, and bright-white LED flashlight. It’s designed to help drivers escape from their vehicles when the windows or doors fail to operate due to vehicle damage, fire or submersion. The automatic glass breaker is spring-loaded to automatically deploy when pressed firmly against a vehicle’s side or rear window. (Be sure to view the usage guidelines.) The safety-blade seat belt cutter quickly frees both the driver and passengers from their seats if their seat belts do not unlatch after a vehicular accident. When not in use, the blade is housed securely within the casing to prevent either accidental or intentional cutting. Both the glass breaker pin and safety blade are made of high-carbon steel. The company says that not only can BodyGard be used in vehicle emergencies; it can also be used to signal for help or to ward off attackers when walking, biking and hiking. With the push of a button, its sonic alarm signals trouble with a high-decibel output. (I’m not so sure this will work 100% of time because in the woods, the sound won’t carry that far.) More likely attract attention if you’re lost in the woods is the bright, flashing red distress light. It’s push-button activated to signal for, and direct help to your location. And finally there’s a high-intensity flashlight can be used for night sight and safety. BodyGard is also impact-resilient and water-resistant, with a tough ABS construction and a limited lifetime warranty. It comes complete with a replaceable A23/12V battery and instructions for care and use. At less than 3” x 1-3/4” x 5/8” in size, and weighing only one ounce it attaches securely to a key ring and releases with a quick tug for fast emergency use. Price is under $15.00. 

http://swisstechtools.com/productdetail.aspx?PID=BrmD4QlW5MUA

You can also check out the 7-in-1 BodyGard at the link above. The link below is a place on Amazon you can purchase the device for under $15. (I haven't shopped there.) 

http://www.amazon.com/Swiss-Tech-BodyGard-Multi-Function-Emergency/dp/B000HKM69G/ref=sr_1_2?s=automotive&ie=UTF8&qid=1273946211&sr=1-2 

Hear this Netcast: www.twit.tv/dgw1096

This noisy alarm will get you up fast! (Well it would of, if it was still available.)

Back to Dick’s Gadget Warehouse, Friday, May 21, Netcast 1095 

The idea for the Rude Awakening Alarm Clock was inspired by inventor Kevin Mann’s mother, who would clang pots and pans together to get him and his three brothers out of bed when they were kids. It worked and Kevin figured “why not try to sell that ‘wake up’ experience to others?" This was back in the late 1990’s. Kevin added a “army sergeant” type voice screaming “rude” things over the noises of the pots & pans. Yep, it would be pretty hard to sleep though that digital racket! I don’t know how successful it was in sales, but it did get a lot of publicity when it first came out. If you wanted something more soothing that the noisy racket, the alarm also featured an AM/FM radio, which you could fall asleep to, or wake to. The Rude Awakening Alarm Clock/Radio was available at Spencer Gifts for $24.95 more than ten years ago. But today, I can’t find anything about it on Google. For the record, the annoying voice says things like: "Get out of bed or you'll be flippin' burgers for the rest of your life!"  And "C'mon, I said get your lazy ass out of bed, right NOW!". And "Listen, lazy bones...it's time to get your butt to work, NOW!” That goes on for 60 seconds, and then repeats. Yes, you would have gotten up! At least long enough to silence the terrible noise! 

Hear this Netcast: www.twit.tv/dgw1095

If you take lots of pictures on the road, this is a gadget you should check out.

Thursday, May 20^th, 2010, Netcast 1094

It’s called the Picture Porter 35, the ultimate digital camera companion. It’s a hard drive device that lets you back up your once-in-a-lifetime pictures and empty your camera’s memory cards so you can keep snapping away. You simply insert the memory card from your digital camera into Picture Porter 35 and download images into its built-in hard drive. But wait, there’s more! You can copy and archive photos directly from memory cards without having to lug a laptop with you. The Picture Porter has a large (color, of course) 3.5” LCD display so you can clearly inspect the photos before deciding which to keep, which to delete and which need to be re-shot. It supports all popular media card formats, including CF, MMC, SD/HC Card, MS, MS PRO, and xD-Picture Cards. You can also make yourself copies of photos taken from friend's and family member's digital cameras for instant archival of special picture moments. The USB-Host function lets you connect USB devices to the Picture Porter 35 with the cable included in the kit. For example, the device can connect to an external hard drive to make a secondary backup of critical photos. While viewing photos on Picture Porter 35's LCD screen, you can rotate, zoom, pan, view EXIF information and histogram, and play picture slideshows of your images (including RAW image content!) Leo makes sure all his devices support RAW images. And finally, you can also connect the Picture Porter 35 to a TV and share your photos and music with family and friends on a big screen. Other features include audio and video playback, a built-in speaker, audio recorder with built-in mic, and audio and video output. From the folks at Digital Foci. Available in a 500 GB ($499.00) & a 250 GB version ($399). 

Company website: http://www.digitalfoci.com/picture_porter.html 

The 500 GB version is $449 here on Amazon. I have not shopped here:

http://www.amazon.com/Digital-Foci-Picture-PPR-350-3-5-Inch/dp/B002RWJF8C

Here this Netcast: www.twit.tv/dgw1094

Where are my *&^%$ keys! Sound familiar?

Wednesday, May 19^th, 2010 Netcast 1093

The hand shows the credit card sized transmitter. The receiver is attached to the keys.The company that makes Key Finder says that on average a person spends a year out of their life looking for things that they’ve misplaced. And that recent scientific research shows that 80% of people have to search for their keys at least once a month, and for some people, it’s a daily activity. It’s not a daily activity for me, but it sure is more often once a month! There are lots of key finder gadgets out there, but this one has a really nice advance over the others. Like others key finders you press the button and follow the sound to your keys. The difference is that this Key Finderhas a very light and small transmitter. You can put the credit-card thin transmitter in your wallet. When you misplace your keys, all it takes is one press of the button on the transmitter to set off the alarm on the Key Finder. With the latest RF technology, the signal will even go through walls. The range is about 150 feet, and the sound emitted from the receiver is about 90 dB. And this Key Finder also triggers a blinking LED light making it a snap to let you know where your keys have hidden themselves. The lifespan of the included batteries is 1 year. It uses easily available CR2032 button-cell batteries. It will retail for under $20. This product is new to US, but popular in England. It should be available in stores in the next couple of months. 

www.bestkeyfinder.com 

Hear this Netcast: www.twit.tv/dgw1093