Video of the week: Not all things have to be high tech to work well.

Take for example the Nut Gatherer. Have a nut tree? The Weasel Nut Gatherer is an easy to use rolling pick up tool for nuts and more. Picks up pecans, acorns, walnuts, butternuts, hickory nuts, chestnuts, filberts, gum balls, seeds, and more. It’s easy to roll. There’s no bending over and it saves time.  Also picks up fruit and small balls. When I saw this device at the Hardware Show I asked “does this thing really work?” They lady at the Garden Weasel booth, it does, here try it yourself. She put assorted nuts, even lemons and limes on the floor and handed me the large Nut Gatherer. I picked up just everything on the floor in no time! (Watch the video, link below.) Roll it over just about any surface and nuts, etc. are collected in a durable steel wire spring basket. The basket can be emptied by spreading springs apart. You can clean it with a water hose. Dimensions: 48" L. x 6" W. x 10.5" D. 39.5" with a powder-coated metal handle; foam handle grip. Available in a large and small version. About $25 to $35 depending on size and store.

www.gardenweasel.com 

Direct link to the Nut Gatherer: http://tinyurl.com/3zhhvzu

Video of Giz Wiz using Nut Gatherer: http://youtu.be/l7_7cJekq_E

See or hear this Netcast: www.twit.tv/dgw1315

A tool box you can wear on your key chain! (Well, a bunch of small, useful tools.)

Need we say: Keys & key ring NOT included.The folks at Swiss+Tech Tools are masters at designing multi-functional micro-devices small enough to fit on a key chain. At the National Hardware Show they were showing their newest, the MicroPlus EX 9-in-1 Key Ring Tool. This is a lightweight, pocket-sized, key-ring tool kit that includes pliers, wire cutter, wire stripper, wire crimper, bottle opener, #1 flat screwdriver, #2 flat screwdriver, #1 Phillips screwdriver and #2 Phillips screwdriver. The ANSI standard screwdrivers snap into position with ease and change tips in seconds. Open the pliers to use the wire cutter, wire stripper or wire crimper. Open the pliers completely to use the bottle opener. (Some many gadget today include a bottle opener!) Like all Swiss+Tech tools, a patented quick release mechanism securely locks the Micro-Plus EX 9-in-1 onto a key ring. Solid stainless steel construction should provide a lifetime of readiness. I asked if this little gizmo was TSA approved and the company spokesman said it was since it doesn’t contain a knife blade of any sort. On their website the price is listed as $9.95 and $14.95. It seems the only difference is that one that cost an extra $5 is gift packed. Once this gets into distribution you’ll probably find it for even less by doing a web search.

www.swisstechtools.com

See or hear this Netcast: www.twit.tv/dgw1315

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

No, it’s not a new tablet this week, it’s a new iPad Travel Stand! 

It turns out I’m not the only one sending Leo gadgets to use for his Turn The Table Turkey. This find is from Steve Gibson. He discovered it, and like it so much he sent two of them to Leo. Now Leo likes them too. It’s the Arkon iPad stand -(IPM-TAB1-R)- and it not only works with the Apple iPad & iPad 2, but Leo said it's fine for his Samsung 10.1 tablet and his Blackberry Playbook too. It’s a really small, travel-friendly tablet stand that holds your tablet in landscape or portrait mode. Leo also likes the fact that the angle of your tablet can easily be reset to whatever you like. The company says it was recently named best travel stand of 2010. It’s great for that small airplane tray table so you can watch movies, read an eBook, view photos, etc. even in coach. How small is the Arkon iPad Stand when folded? 7” x 1” x 1”.  Weight: 2.9 oz. Leo also likes the non-skid cushioned pads which add stability to the tablet so doesn’t move around as you use it. But wait, there’s more! The MSRP is just $17.95. However Leo says if you do a web search you can find it for as low as $10, plus S & H! Now that’s a really decent price!

http://www.arkon.com/iPad_accessories/iPad_stand.html

See or hear this Netcast: www.twit.tv/dgw1315

Back to Dick’s Gadget Warehouse and mid-year 1997 noise reduction headphones.

"Noisebuster Extreme" from Noise Cancellation Technologies was one of the first to produce a low-cost noise reduction headset. This is a two part system joined by a wire. The battery pack took 2 AAA batteries and had an on/off switch with a red LED power indicator. It also had a slider bar to vary the amount of noise reduction and an input for an external audio source such as your MP3 player. It came with an adaptor so you can use it to listen to movies when flying. I mostly kept the slider bar in the max position, otherwise you heard too much of the outside noise. It wasn’t nearly as effective as high end noise reduction headphones like the Bose, but it was pretty good for the price. I think the MSRP was $69.95, very low for the time. And they often sold for far less. Since this was about 25 years ago and noise reduction was a still sort of a new thing, people found them quite amazing. As headphones they were quite good. And you could use them to listen to music even if the batteries were dead. But to my ear the music sounded much better with the Noisebuster Extreme turned on. They were comfortable over the short haul. On a transcon flight you would most likely take them off from time to time to rest your ears. The company Noise Cancellation Technologies has a website, but I don’t see anything for sale on it. About twenty years ago they did come out with a second version of the Noisebuster Extreme, an all in one model, but I don't have them in the warehouse. By then I had my first pair of Bose Quiet Comfort headphones.

See or hear this Netcast: www.twit.tv/dgw1315

If you're interested in buying a box of crap from Dick's Gadget Warehouse (some good stuff just might be in there too) - drop an email to dick@gizwiz.biz and put "box of crap" in the subject line. That's it. I'll email you all the details and you can decide to order a box or ignore it all!

The newest addition to Dick's Gadget Warehouse - StickiDigits.

They were giving away product samples of a new product at CES 2011 called StickiDigits. People spend a lot of money to rent a booth at CES and then they need to spend four days manning it. One person told me they estimated that they spent somewhere between $15,000 to $20,000 to set up and man a booth for the run of the show. Since folks go there with high hopes of having come up 'the next big thing' I don't like to put down their dreams. With that said, sometimes I don't have high hopes for a new product I might find on display. Take for example, StickiDigits. They are 'custom designed finger mitts' -- inch and a half long pieces of rubber with a hole in the middle and a sticky back. The object is to put them on your fingers and then hold one of your electronic devices that you hope you'll never drop. You mark where your fingers are placed and then  peel the backing off the StickiDigits. Now the next time you pick up that device, you slide your fingers into the StickiDigits feeling secure that it won't slip out of your hands. They flyer says they will arrest the development of Carpal and Ulnar Tunnel Syndromes. I have no idea about that, but I see one major drawback. Once the StickiDigits are in place, you won't be able to put in down on a flat surface. And with a StickiDigit in place, I don't see how a cell phone would fits in a standard case. Others may have felt that too. It's 5 months since CES and the company website is not up and running. It's registered - but ads from Go Daddy come up, along with an offer to sell the web address, so I guess that the reception at CES didn't warrant going away with a full scale roll-out. But next year they could be back with a winner!

www.stickidigits.com

See or Hear this Netcast: www.twit.tv/dgw1314