The Weekly Daily Giz Wiz, Week of October 10th, 2011. Netcast 1335

A five year old web cam that is still a big seller!

If you’re a fan of the Weekly Daily Giz Wiz you know we’ve been having some audio and video problems for the past month or so. John and Alex at TWiT and I ran some tests off-air and found out the problem starts when Skype automatically increases my video to high def. I explained the problem to an engineer at Logitech asking if there was anything I could do to stop the problem. Here’s his reply: “Once Skype has detected your CPU spec, available internet speed, model of webcam for both the sender and receiver of the Skype call: Skype will start the video call in VGA (4x3 aspect ration, 640x480) after completing the system check mentioned above, if you meet the specs, then Skype increases your video to widescreen mode, first 480p and then 720p. (I was using the Logitech C615 which has amazing HD video quality.) There is no way to stop this from a webcam Hardware, Logitech Software or Skype Software settings. Its all Skype.” – Fortunately, Nick at Logitech said they’ve had one webcam in their line for about 5 years now, their biggest selling webcam ever, that should be able to solve the problem. It offers excellent video with a 2-megapixel sensor and Carl Zeiss lens. But it won’t go into the higher quality Skype modes. It’s the Logitech Pro 9000 Webcam. So I could check it out for myself, Nick sent one on to me. Set up was very easy, just plug and play. But if you want to make high quality video calls with 30 second-per-frame video, you and the person you’re calling via Skype should both have dual-core equipped CPUs. And yes, you need a fast broadband connection too. The Logitech Pro 9000 has some other nice features too, including RightLight 2 technology (to handle low-light situations), auto focus, and a built-in echo-canceling mic. I don’t use the built-in mic. Instead I have a Heil PR 40 studio mic. I did a test run with Alex at TWiT and that went well, with excellent video and no audio problems. The big test is recording an entire episode of The Weekly Daily Giz Wiz with this camera. By the time you read this, we will have done that. And you can see the results by click the show link below. MSRP for the Logitech Pro 9000 is $79.99, but it’s on the web for about $50. I haven’t shopped at this link, but it’s $49.99 here:

http://www.amazon.com/Logitech-720p-Webcam-Pro-9000/dp/B000RZQZM0/ref=sr_1_2?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1318053177&sr=1-2

See or hear this Netcast: www.twit.tv/dgw1335 

This link usually goes live on Sunday afternoon, the day after we record the Netcast.

Video the week --- we're going to the dogs!

On October 4^th, 2011 Petco and Sony (strange bedfellow, eh?) attempted to break a Guinness World Record for having the largest gathering of adopted pets and their owners. It was a so-so day with some rain before the event and the record (250 owners with their adopted shelter pets) wasn’t broken. Sony was on hand with tips on how to take great photos of your pets. The Petco National Adoption Reunion will be accepting photographs of your pet(s) online till October 31^st, 2011. For every photograph received, Sony will donate a dollar (up to $10,000) to help pets that are in need. There’s also a chance to win a trip to San Francisco for the best pet photograph submitted. More details are at the link below. At the event I got to briefly play with the Cyber-shot WX9. It’s Sony's entry point for getting an Exmor R backside-illuminated CMOS sensor. (Exmor R backside-illuminated CMOS sensor.) According to CNET these sensors, found in the iPhone, provide faster shooting performance and better low-light quality. They were previously used only in Sony's higher-end Cyber-shots. The WX9's has some nice features for a camera that retails for less than $200. There’s a high-res 3-inch LCD, a f2.6 25mm-equivalent ultrawide-angle lens with 5X zoom, and full HD movie capture. The pictures I saw on display where really great and I was surprised to learn this camera offers 16-megapixel resolution at that price. There are dozens of automatic modes, or better yet, you can limit it to 3 if you’re not interested in manual control. They are Easy, Intelligent Auto, and Superior Auto. The WX9's movie mode is capable of recording at HD resolutions up to 1,920 X1,080 pixels in either AVCHD or MPEG-4 formats. I didn’t use it, but there’s also a 3D shooting mode. The Sony WX9 is as low as $163.00 on Amazon. I haven’t shopped at any this places, but here’s the list:

http://preview.tinyurl.com/6hy8mfz

Info on entering your pet pictures:

http://www.petcoadoptionreunion.com/  

The ball I was playing with is the Arachnoid Ball from JW Pets. This squeaky, bouncy, rubbery, ball got a lot of attention at the event, even from the dogs! A natural rubber web design surrounds the squeaky toy inside, and there’s room to stick a treat inside to add interest to the toy for your hound. It sells for under $10. Available at Petco and other pet stores.

See or hear this Netcast: www.twit.tv/dgw1335 

This link usually goes live on Sunday afternoon, the day after we record the Netcast.

Something new under the sun from Eton.

Over the years, we’ve reported on a number of solar-powered radio devices from Eton. Now the company has introduced a new product that relies on solar-power but goes off into a different direction. The Eton Mobius is a solar powered iPhone charging case. Forget looking for an AC outlet. Now your nearest power source can be pretty much anywhere you go outdoors during daylight hours. This product is really handy for folks who don’t want to carrying a charger, or who forgot their charger at home. It’s also great for people who travel overseas. You don’t have to worry about which power adaptor to bring. The sun works the same everywhere in the world. When exposed to sunlight, the Mobius begins recharging immediately. The unit has a convenient LED light to let you know when charging is taking place. I found I could even get the charging light to glow under a lit light bulb. The Mobius features a built-in1800 mAh internal lithium-ion battery. A push button flashes a series of four LED’s to indicate the amount of charge left. When you’re near your computer, you can also recharge it via the included micro USB cable. The folks at Eton say the Mobius Solar iPhone Charging Case will let iPhone users double their phone’s battery life by offering up to 5 hours of talk time. But you don’t need to have a full charge. Even when the charger is used for just one hour, there should be enough power for 25 minutes of call time. The case is pretty slim and lightweight, especially considering the built-in electronics. BTW, the company warns folks to remove the iPhone if they decide to leave the Mobius sitting in the bright sun for extended periods of charging. Right now it available on Amazon selling for $75 to $80.

http://www.amazon.com/Eton-Mobius-NSP300B-Rechargeable-Battery/dp/B005HMCNO2

See or hear this Netcast: www.twit.tv/dgw1335 

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

Leo’s Turn The Table Turkey

What a surprise! Leo’s pick this week is a really great one! Leo bought the new low-price, ad-based Kindle. It has a 6" diagonal display that features the most advanced E Ink display, 600 x 800 pixel resolution, with a 16-level gray scale. Leo scrolled through some pages of a book on the Kindle, and even watching it on my monitor, I could see how clear the pages were. Unlike the original, there is no external keyboard, which Leo doesn’t miss. He said you can use the on-screen keyboard for the few times you might want to type, but be warned it’s one of those keyboards where you pick each letter with the cursor, one at a kind. This Kindle is small: 6.5" x 4.5" x 0.34" (166 mm x 114 mm x 8.7 mm) and lightweight at just 5.98 ounces (170 grams). Since it’s wirelessly, no computer is needed to download content. With 2GB of internal storage, you can store up to about 1,400 books. Amazon says a single charge can last up to one month with wireless off, based on 30 minutes reading time a day. Even with wireless always on, it lasts for up to 3 weeks. It fully charges in approximately 3 hours via the included USB 2.0 cable. The low price is based on the fact that you’ll see some ads, but Leo showed us the ads show on start up, and never appear while you’re reading. And the cost: $79!

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0051QVESA/ref=famstripe_k

See or hear this Netcast: www.twit.tv/dgw1335 

This link usually goes live on Sunday afternoon, the day after we record the Netcast.

Back to Dick’s Gadget Warehouse for the Kodak Carousel Projector.

I didn’t own one Kodak Carousel projector; I owned about 5 different models over the 40+ years they were manufactured! It was 1961 when the first Kodak Carousel Projector, model 550 came onto the scene. It used the round tray or Carousel to hold your slides. Over the years Carousel projectors added feature after feature such as remote control, a very reliable gravity drop slide system, angled back-lit control panels and long-life projector bulbs. I traveled with a Kodak Carousel back when I was putting on my Backstage at MAD Magazine Slide Show. When the high capacity trays came along, it was great. Instead of needing three standard 80 trays, I was able to get my show on two 140 slide trays. Then Kodak made projectors that allowed the slide tray to be removed even when the power was off. Deluxe models offered remote focusing along with useful features like forward/reverse slide change in a hard-wired control. A great feature added later on was the dark screen shutter that automatically blocked the light when there was no slide being projected. It was really jarring to be sitting in a dark room when a bright light would suddenly come on when the last slide passed. Another convenient feature: the remote control and the power cord stored in the base of the projector. Older Kodak Carousel Projector used a 500-watt lamp, and had a high/low switch. Then Kodak switched to a 300-watt, 70-hour ELH lamp with an on/off/fan switch.  Later, new bulbs lasted about twice as long, approximately 140 hours. The most expensive model I owned was the Carousel model 5600. It had deluxe features a built-in screen viewer and a built in light outlet. You plugged a lamp right into the back of the projector. The lamp went off automatically when the projector went on, and came back on when you shut the projector off. No more fumbling for a light switch in the dark. There was also auto-focus and even a built in reading light so you could see your notes as you projected your slides. I can’t remember exactly what I paid for it, but the MSRP was a huge $732.00! In 2004, Kodak manufactured its last Carousel projector.

See or hear this Netcast: www.twit.tv/dgw1335  

This link usually goes live on Sunday afternoon, the day after we record the Netcast.

Info on the game that encourages kids to eat properly that our letter of week referred to is here:

http://crunchacolor.com