The Giz Wiz, Week of Oct 23rd 2014, Show # 1491

Three new gadgets I found at the GetGeeked Event in NYC.

Lenovo's Yoga Tablet 2 Pro offers some very new features. 

At the GetGeeked Event in New York mid-October I stopped by the Lenovo booth to see what was new. When they mentioned a new tablet, I said: “Please, let it be different from all the other new tablets coming out.” Turns out, it is. The Yoga Tablet 2 Pro (which runs Android 4.4 KitKat) has one the biggest screens available. It’s a 13.3” QHD (2560x1440) display. It’s powered by the newest Intel Atom Z3745 processor and has 2GB of RAM, 32GB of storage, and a microSD slot to add up to 64GB more. There are two cameras; a 1.6MP unit on the front and an 8MP unit on the rear. There’s a ‘tube’ along the bottom of the device that packs many new, unique features. First there’s a healthy 9,600-mAh battery that Lenovo says will run the Yoga Tablet 2 Pro for up to 15 hours. Then there’s a built-in Pico projector for displaying your favorite movies, sales presentation, etc. -- up to a 50” on a darkened surface. (Battery life drops to about 3 hours when using it in projector mode.) To enhance your sound experience the Yoga Tablet 2 Pro has an 8W JBL speaker system (two 1.5W front-facing speakers plus a 5W subwoofer built into the back.) Weighing in at 2.09-lb, it still has Lenovo’s Stand, Tilt, and Hold modes, but now there’s a new “Hang” mode to mount the device on a wall. For connectivity there’s 802.11n and Bluetooth 4.0. There’s also optional LTE wireless. The Yoga Tablet 2 Pro will launch in late October for $499 (without LTE) and will be available from Lenovo.com and Best Buy.

Giz Wiz Video: http://youtu.be/tOvRaYKfZCA

More info: 

http://shop.lenovo.com/us/en/tablets/lenovo/yoga-tablet-series/yoga-tablet-2-pro/

See or hear this show: www.twit.tv/giz1491 

There are a lot of 3D Printers, here's a new 3D Scanner.

I don’t know much about 3D Scanners. I only reported on one, the Cubify, a $460 device that’s handheld. I learned about another one at the GetGeeked event. It seems two designers couldn’t afford a high-resolution 3D scanner, so they built their own. When 2000 people backed them on Indiegogo (they anticipated 150), they founded a company, Matter and Form Inc. (formerly Matterform). The company has just delivered its first 2000 3D scanners to designers, artists, gamers, engineers, teachers and creative families all around the world and secured $2 million in investment. Now it's gone into a 2nd production run with 3D scanners from this run slated to start arriving on doorsteps at the end of the October 2014. Matter and Form says their scanner is easy to use right out of the box and capable of color scans rivaling those produced by much more complex and expensive 3D scanners. It works with any 3D printer or online printing service and can scan solid items to create 3D representations in as little as seven minutes. Higher quality scans of larger objects can take as little as 45 minutes. It scan items up to 18cm (7.0 in) diameter x 25cm (9.8 in) height and can capture approximately 2000 points per second for (what they say is) amazing surface detail. Save to .STL, .OBJ, and point cloud .PLY formats. Matter And Form says their $579 retail price tag makes it significantly more affordable than many of its competitors. I’ll be relying on Chad a lot when I talk about this gadget since he’s far more up on 3D scanners than I am. 

https://matterandform.net/    

Company video: http://vimeo.com/100512780 

See or hear this show: www.twit.tv/giz1491 

Freewheel, something new and quirky, from Quirky.

It's not quite on the market yet, but hopefully it will be by the holidays. Freewheel is the creation of Dave Hennedy who presented it to the folks at Quirky. Here's a bit about it from the Quirky website. It’s time to start thinking outside the car. Freewheel lets you add remote-controlled wheels to just about anything. Attach it to your favorite things—like water bottles, bananas, or a snack tray—and control their movement right from your smartphone. Its flexible base secures objects, while the clamping arms keep everything in place. The clamping system can even secure irregular and round objects in place. It features integrated motor and battery units. Freewheel is built from plastic, silicone, steel and foam rubber. Dimensions: 9.25”-13.5” W x 4.5” H x 3” D (234mm-368mm x 114mm x 76mm) Price is expected to be around $100. 

To learn more about Quirky gadgets, or if you have an idea for an invention, the Quirky website is a good place to start.

www.quirky.com  

Giz Wiz Video:  http://youtu.be/h4Hpqp170uE

See or hear this show: www.twit.tv/giz1491 

Chad's Crappy Corner! The 4th gadget in Chad’s theme for October: Halloween.

The theme for Chad’s gadgets for the month of October is gadgets for Halloween! And this is his 4th week of Halloween Gadgets.

Chad's gadget this week is --- The Pumpkin Carving Power Saw. 

It’s from the Spirt Halloween Store and here’s what they say about it: 

You'll be a carving pro when you use the Pumpkin Carving Power Saw. This package contains 1 power saw, 2 replacement blades, a poker and 4 creative stencil patterns. $8.99. 

http://www.spirithalloween.com/product/sb-power-saw/ 

And the LED pumpkin light Chad showed is most likely this one. They threw that in at the last minute. 

www.walmart.com/ip/Pumpkin-Light-with-LED-Colors/16829763 

It’s out of stock online, but probably available in Walmart Stores, or some Spirit Halloween stores. 

And Chad’s take?  The Pumpkin Saw turned out to be a massive battery-eater. He had not even carved two letters of the TWiT logo when the 1^st set of 4 brand new AA batteries were dead. To save battery power Chad’s advice is to use a knife to cut straight lines in the pumpkin and only use the Pumpkin Saw for curved lines. He said the saw was great for cutting curved lines. Chad also found the plastic poker in the kit to use with the enclosed stencils bent early on. Chad recommends using a toothpick instead. The LED Pumpkin Light. At about $8 dollars Chad thought he wouldn’t bother with the Pumpkin LED Light, but he would just use a candle instead. Safely, of course!

See or hear this show: www.twit.tv/giz1491 

Dick's Gadget Warehouse. And how to submit your video to the show.

Each video submission comes to us with an email like this one:

Hello Dick & Chad,

I have been watching GizWiz for quite a while now, and just recently have gotten my wife in on the fun.  You have been saying that you were needing videos, and we thought hey, what the heck, lets submit one.  The quality is crappy, so it should be exactly what you wanted. Our Gadget is the AEE MD10 Action Camera.  It's kind of like a GoPro but cheaper. 

http://youtu.be/6teH9pMmVaY

We are big fans, and watch Chad in other projects he is involved wtih as well.  Keep up the amazing work guys, and thanks for giving us so many heart felt laughs. 

TSnowCrash & PigmyGamer 

That's Pigmy, as in small chad. :) 

See or hear this show: www.twit.tv/giz1491 

                              +++++++++++

We’re looking for more Viewer Videos! We’d love to include your video in an upcoming Giz Wiz Show, so let’s go going! 

Here’s what we’re looking for: Your home shot video – 2 to 3 minutes long, in any of the following categories: 

I bought a piece of crap: Did you buy something you ended up hating? We won't get you a refund, but we might be able to give a platform to vent your disappointment. Remember, "family friendly" language applies. 

I invented this! Did you invent something? (Or did a friend or relative invent something.) We can't market it for you, but we can help get the word out. Show us what it is, and how it works. Even if it's a prototype, you can get our (and the audience) reactions. No professional ads please. 

My Gadget Warehouse: Okay, so you don't have a warehouse. It doesn't matter. Just tell us about your favorite old gadget(s). When and where you bought it, and why you're still hanging on to it. 

My Favorite Gadget of All Time: Show us what it is, tell us what it does and why you love, or loved it! It can be a new gadget you just bought too. 

Post them on YouTube and send our producer, Jeff Needles, the link! We'll do the rest. (Or possibly nothing, but that's unlikely.) Remember, videos should be just 2 to 3 minutes long! Low production value is fine, but we should be able to hear you and see you! If we select and show your video on The Giz Wiz you will now be awarded with some sort of prize. Like an autographed MAD magazine and some piece of crap. So that's one more (so-so) reason to send in your video! 

All show submissions go to gizwiz@twit.tv  

Letter of the week:

Your Name: Jerry Mocaby 

Subject: Oh you have to review this.. 

Message: I'm an Android fan, but I ain't this big of an Android fan.

I think this would go over well on TWIT. 

https://www.googlestore.com/Google+Redesign/Brands/Android/Android+Meat+Brander.axd?cid=689&page_no=6

---And now back to me. After seeing the price of that gadget, I doubt we'll be reviewing it!

Besides it has no LEDs!

Dick De, The Giz Wiz