A VCR with tons of features including one you probably never heard of!

Dick’s  Gadget Warehouse Friday November 6^th, 2009, Netcast 955

The knobs on both the VCR & the remote are the Jog Shuttle.This JVC VCR was top of line in the late 1990’s. It was the model JVC HR 710U. The feature you probably heard of was the Family message center. The FMC let you display messages to your family on your TV screen. This was supposed to make them more noticeable than a hand written note. But it sure was a lot more trouble than using pencil, paper & a bit of tape. When there was a message for a family member, the VCR display would blink to alert them. Then you would turn on the TV and there would be your message! There were 9-pre-programmed phrases. These could be edited, making it easier than having to type the whole message from scratch. You edited the messages or credit new ones with a virtual keyboard. So to leave a message, “I’ll be home late” would most likely make you late leaving too! More useful features on this VCR included VCR Plus+ with "Cable Eye" Cable Box Controller. Then there was the Shuttle Plus on Remote , plus the Jog/Shuttle on front of VCR. You could use this to do some crude editing, by be able to move the video almost frame by frame. And there was Insert Editing with Flying Erase Heads & audio dubbing. It also had front and rear S-Video Inputs, plus S-Video out on the back panel. I believe I paid about $600+ for this high tech (for its time) machine!

Hear this Netcast: www.twit.tv/dgw955  

A good gadget to help prevent the spread of germs.

Thursday, November 5^th, 2009 Netcast 954

This is the latest Touch-Free soap dispenser from Simple Human. With a really bad flu session upon us, there’s whole new awareness of washing hands often to get rid of germs. That’s why this gizmo could be a welcome addition to your kitchen or bathroom. If you have trouble getting your kids to wash their hands, having this “magic” gadget will most likely have them washing their hands often. Simply place your hand under the sensor and it will dispense a measured amount of soap automatically and stop. An LED display lights up when the sensor is activated. By pressing a button on the unit you can select any of the four volume settings that allow the pump to dispense preset amounts of soap or lotion. I’m using Dial Antibacterial Liquid Soap and I found the lowest setting works best. You can use it to dispense hand soap by the bathroom sink or dishwashing soap by a kitchen sink. It can also be used to dispense hand lotion or hand sanitizer. But it’s not recommended for very thin liquids or exfoliants. It operates on 4 AA batteries, which are not included. Right now it’s available only on the Simple Human website, but it will be available in stores like Bed, Bath & Beyond soon. Price is $29.95 on the website, but that might be less when it’s in retail.

http://www.simplehuman.com/products/soap-pumps/sensor-soap-pump-2.html

Hear this Netcast: www.twit.tv/dgw954

We talked about “The Pod” & the “Gorilla Pod” for steadying your camera. Now here’s a new way to do it!

Wednesday, November 4^th, 2009, Netcast 953

It’s called the SteadePod Tripod. The Gorilla Pod and The Pod are both good when you have a place to rest or hang your camera. The SteadePod is for when you’re standing with nothing around to brace your camera or yourself. (Filming in an open field, at a parade, etc.) And you can use it in places where you can’t use a regular tripod for your camera or camcorder! This little device is a touch smaller than of pack of cards. Here’s how it works. First attach your camera to the standard tripod screw. Then extend the cable, step on the footpad, pull up to place a small amount of tension in the cable. You now have a steady picture. It’s compact and lightweight. You can use it in low light, long exposure or high zoom situations. It’s perfect for travel, sporting events, hiking, and museums. The SteadePod can be used with still or video cameras but I think it would work best with smaller cameras & camcorders. A ratchet and locking mechanism allows positioning of the camera for a steady picture nearly anywhere between 6” to 6’. A swiveling camera pad enables seamless transitions from portrait to landscape compositions. It weighs less than 4 ounces. The suggested MSRP is $29.95. It debuted to the public at the PDN PhotoPlus Int’l Conference & Expo in October and should be on sale by the time you read this. And hear this DGW episode.

www.steadepod.com

Hear this Netcast: www.twit.tv/dgw953

Can you hear me now? I couldn’t before, but now I can!

Turn the Table Tuesday, November 3^rd, 2009, Netcast 952

For this week’s Turn The Table Tuesday Leo talked about the 5BARz Road Warrior. This is a cell signal booster for your car, home, office, or hotel room. Leo said it’s not tiny --/Dimensions: 5.0” x 4.75” x 1.35”   /Weight: 1 lb (0.45kg) but it’s portable and powerful enough to maintain your cell connection anywhere you can plug in. There’s no installation, but it does need power, either AC or 12 volt via your car’s cigarette lighter. It’s for people who need to be in touch via cell phone but go to areas where for some reason they just can’t get a signal. That’s when you plug in 5BARz, when you need a boost for faster Internet services, including 3G, and stronger signals for better cell phone reception calling out, or receiving calls. Works on your cell phone, PDA, and data enabled laptops. In your car: Simply plug into cigarette adapter, dock your phone and you’re set. In your home or office: Simply plug into power supply, pull out dock’s stand, dock your phone and it’s ready. While you're traveling you can use 5BARz at your hotel. Just plug it in and dock your phone. Their website says: 5BARz Road Warrior is the one product that promises 5BARz of coverage for all cell phones on all nationally advertised cell phone plans. Works with virtually any mobile device. Provides the signal strength you need to stay connected to: Cell phone voice calls, instant messaging, mobile web browsing and e-mail Specifications: Maximum input power: +20 dBm / Output power: .25 watt average /1 watt maximum peak  / Frequency bands: Full band US Cellular and full band US PCS /System gain Cell/PCS: 40/45 dB, self-optimizing /System noise figure: 5 dB nominal at maximum gain / Remember: The 5BARz Road Warrior is not a wireless device. It needs a connection to a power supply. Kit includes everything you need to take 5BARz where ever you go: 5BARz Road Warrior dashboard unit Cigarette lighter adapter, Phone dock with USB 2.0 Adapter, AC Wall power supply. Price: $299.99. And it’s exclusively available at this site:

http://www.repeaterstore.com/cellynx/5barz-road-warrior.html

Hear this Netcast: www.twit.tv/dgw952

This is a one a of kind camera – at least for now!

Monday, November 2^nd, 2009 Netcast 951

You’re taking pictures at a party and everyone wants to see them. So you pass the camera around and each person pushes another wrong button until your camera is in some weird mode you can’t figure out! That won’t happen if you own the new Nikon COOLPIX S1000pj. That’s because the pj stands for “projector”! Yes, Nikon has introduced the world’s first projector camera. Hidden in a point & shoot camera that’s just about the same size as dozens of others, is a built-in video projector. Shoot pictures and the camera projects them and the same with your video clips. You can project on any flat surface at up to 40 inches in size. (Of course the darker the area you project on, the better the results!) The projector brightness is up to 10 lumens and the image size ranges from 5 to 40 inches. (The throw distance is approximately 10 in. to 6 ft. 6 in. (26 cm to 2 m). Now about the battery life. Projecting photos will drain it fast. Nikon says battery life will be approximately 1 hour. (But you can buy an optional AC adapter if you’re going to do a lot of projecting. The projected resolution output is equivalent to VGA quality.  A handy projector stand is included, along with a remote control. You can use that to operate the projector, even release the shutter when you shoot photos. Other features include 12.1 effective mega pixels and a 5x wide-angle zoom-NIKKOR lens, 5-way VR Image Stabilization system and a bright, high-resolution 2.7-inch LCD.  Price is $429.00. Discounts are tricky to come by. I did a web search and the cheapest I could find it for was $399.99. But it’s a fairly new camera, so prices may drop more. There’s more info at the company’s website:

http://www.nikon-coolpix.com/en/?cid=IGD98BGZIG0#/camera4

 Hear this Netcast:  www.twit.tv/dgw951