Weekly Daily Giz, Week of October 3rd, 2011, Netcast 1334

It's toy time on this episode of The Weekly Daily Giz!

Dexim makes a lot of Apple accessories. One of their newest is the AppSpeed, a Gyro Controlled RC Monster Truck. I just measured it, and this Monster Truck is about 4” long and 3” high, but it’s really big in entertainment value. The App Speed Monster Truck comes with a custom RF Transmitter that fits in the bottom of a ton of iOS devices. (They’re all listed on the company website, link below.) The transmitter doesn’t require batteries, because it’s powered by your iOS device. The first time you plug it in, you’ll be asked to download the app to control the AppSpeed Monster Truck. Power for the monster truck comes from an internal battery. The kit comes with a USB cord to connect to your computer. You can also use a USB AC wall adapter for charging, if you have one. A blinking red light tells you the truck is charging and it turns solid red when fully charged. My truck charged quickly, I’d say in about 15 minutes. For that amount of charging, you should get up to twice the run time, about 30 minutes. It also has a quick battery charger that requires 3 AAA batteries (not included) if you want to use the truck on the go. In Dexim video on the web the truck is seen running over grass and some roughish terrain, so you may be using it outdoors too. Once powered up, you can select gyroscope power or touch sensor mode to control it. In Touch mode you drive by swiping your finger across the screen. In gyro mode, tilting your iOS device controls your truck. There are also some menu presets that tells the truck to ZigZag, Spin, or – strangely, dance to music. Actually, I would have liked this feature better if you could select the music, but the truck only dances to the one built-in song. Dexin says you can control the Monster Truck from a distance of roughly 50 feet. As of now, the AppSpeed IOS Controlled Monster Trucks are the first to market (available in black or red), but various new vehicles (mini cars, sport cars, etc.) and devices (boats, helicopters, etc.) are expected to be available in the future. Surprise! In the past 24 hours (as I write this) Dexim has added two brand new race cars to the line. MSRP is $69.99, but do a web search for a lower price. I’ve seen it for $59.99 already.

http://www.dexim.net/us/products/Entertainment-1.html

See or hear this Netcast: http://twit.tv/show/weekly-daily-giz-wiz/1334

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

Video the week --- Toy cars that drive across your iPad.

Disney has combined a real hold-in-your-hands toy car with a virtual Cars 2 world online with their new Appmates. The Cars 2 toys use the iPad as a virtual interactive play mat for kids, and for adults too. Disney calls them these miniature model cars Appmates. You get to drive them and interact with other cars via a free downloadable app. Once the car is placed on the app's colorful background, the scrolling begins! You cruise (and crash) your cars in different locations in world-famous Radiator Springs - a neat location from the movie. There are five different racetracks, where you can race against on-screen, but still fun-to-beat, virtual opponents. Each car features a unique sensor on the bottom that unlocks features and content specific to that movie character. One of the things the spokesperson from Disney pointed out at the press preview is that the cars have no electronics of their own. Even though it doesn't even have a battery, Disney technology makes it appear as though the car has working headlights and an illuminated number on the top! (Most likely their version of fiber-optics.) Cars 2 are sold in two packs. They feature Lightning McQueen, Tow Mater, Finn McMissile and Holley Shiftwell. (There are single packs too, but it's a better value to buy two at time.  In November, Apple Stores will sell an exclusive two-pack featuring Francesco Bernoulli and Shu Todoroki. The other cars are available October 1^st. 

Giz Wiz Video: http://youtu.be/8xb11TQy4XM 

Disney Video: http://youtu.be/VaNzbCtxtcY 

Available at the Apple Store. As of Oct. 1^st, they are not yet at:

www.disneystore.com

See or hear this Netcast: http://twit.tv/show/weekly-daily-giz-wiz/1334  

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

Let the fireworks begin!

No, it’s not a disagreement between Leo and myself, it’s Uncle Milton’s Fireworks Light Show in My Room. (Another candidate for products with really long names!) Compared to today’s toys, which can be wildly complicated, this one is pretty simple. The only thing you’ll find in the box is the Fireworks Light Show device itself. You’ll need 3 AA batteries to power it, and probably a tool or two to cut all the cords that hold this thing in the box! This Fireworks Light Show is light, portable, and techie looking, so you can show it off at the neighbor’s house. Basically it lets you “fire” off your own optical fireworks. And since they’re optical fireworks, there’s no danger of fire or explosion. It’s designed for kids six and up. The Fireworks Light Show comes with 8 different fireworks, which you select by turning a big red dial. A nice touch is that there are different realistic fireworks sounds to make each fireworks display unique. Here’s how it works. Once the batteries are in place, find the on/off switch. It’s really hidden, but you’ll find it up under the trigger. Turn the device on and “arm” it, by pulling back on the launcher at the bottom of the device. That starts the firework launching sound. Wait a second or two and squeeze the trigger. That starts the visual display – the firework comes on, gets bigger and fades. You should project them on a white wall, in a darkened room for the best effect. And Uncle Milton warns not to look into the device when the light is on. It’s fun for parties and to impress friends, but there’s no way to change out the discs for other displays. The Fireworks Light Show is on Amazon for as low as $20. Wal-Mart has it for about $23.00 MSRP is $29.95.

http://unclemilton.com/in_my_room/fireworks_light_show_in_my_room/

See or hear this Netcast: http://twit.tv/show/weekly-daily-giz-wiz/1334 

Available at the Apple Store. As of Oct. 1^st, they are not yet at:

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

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

Leo’s in love again. Not, no with a new camera, but with a new phone – The Sprint Samsung Galaxy S2, which Leo said for some reason Sprint calls the Epic 4G Touch. It’s an Android phone powered by Gingerbread. Leo says the phone “flies” through chores and its new favorite. It has 4.52-inch Super AMOLED Plus screen, which is a touch larger than the current 4.3-inch screen on many Android phones. The Samsung Galaxy S2 Epic 4G Touch is powered by an ARM Cortex A9 1.2-GHz Exynos dual-core processor. In addition to a speedy Internet browser, the phone can shoot HD 1080p videos via the phone’s 8-megapixel primary camera. There’s also a front-facing 2-megapixel camera for two-way video calling. It has 1GB of RAM and Leo already added a 32GB SD card. Leo showed us how thin the phone is and how easily it fits in a shirt pocket. The case is plastic, but Leo says it still feels fine. Cost with a 2-year data plan is $199.99, pretty much the going rate for all the new smart phones.

I’ve not shopped here, but it’s online here for $149.99:

http://www.wirefly.com/eCommerce/SpecialOffer.aspx?cid=36210_a77277b851e844a1b179f4a1c1d82c3a

See or hear this Netcast: http://twit.tv/show/weekly-daily-giz-wiz/1334    

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