The Giz Wiz Show, Sept 24th, 2013, Netcast 1435

SanDisk has made a lot of fun devices over the years (other than plain old memory cards and flash drives) and the SanDisk Connect Wireless Flash Drive is one of them. It looks like a regular flash drive, but it's so much more. This one lets you store and access your music, videos, photos, and documents wirelessly on multiple devices. It even creates its own hotspot. The 150-foot range means you can share photos on your friend's Kindle Fire device across the room or stream a movie to your sister's laptop in the next plane row. The drive provides up to four hours of continuous streaming on a single charge. To recharge, simply plug the drive into your computer's USB port. SanDisk says you can connect to up to eight devices simultaneously, (I need to get more friends) and quickly move files between all your mobile devices. The drive can also stream video on up to three devices at once. Since this portable drive requires no Internet connection, cables, or router, it can travel with you anywhere. Using mine was a breeze. I downloaded the app on my Galaxy 4, and loaded music and a movie onto my SanDisk Connect Drive by dragging and dropping files to it from my computer. Then I connected wirelessly to the drive and all my content was there. This will be great for my iTouch which has really limited storage. For added security, you can password-protect your Wi-Fi connection if you want. There's a 16GB and 32GB version. Each one offers a microSD card slot for expanded memory. The 16GB is available for $49.99. It seems to make sense to pay the extra $10 for 32GB version which is $59.99.

There’s more info at the company website: http://www.sandisk.com/products/wireless/flash-drive/

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Need heat, just tell your thermostat that you're cold without getting out of bed!

At a Pepcom event a while back, a Honeywell spokesperson was telling me about their great new smart WiFi thermostat. I listened, but I didn’t think it was different enough from others on the market, like the Nest. But at the most recent Pepcom event Honeywell took a bigger step forward with their Honeywell Wi-Fi Smart Thermostat with Voice Control. It’s hard to see what’s new by just looking at it. It looks and does a lot of the same things as their current Wi-Fi Smart Thermostat. Namely, it controls your heat and cooling right there in your home, or you can control it over the Internet via their Android and iOS app. You still get to pick a background color to fit your room décor, and like the Nest, it will learn your heating/cooling needs over time. When I saw a big microphone on the display table, I wondered if the new Honeywell unit would also let you put on shows and sing-alongs. Naw. The spokesperson explained the new model’s claim to fame is built-in voice-recognition. The microphone was necessary only because the background noise at the Pepcom event was quite loud and commands might not be heard. To get your new Honeywell thermostat’s attention you say, "Hello, thermostat." Then you say things like, “I’m cold” or “I’m hot” and this clever device will turn the temperature up or down. You can’t request an exact temperature, but you could say “make it four degrees warmer or colder”. It seems like a bit of a learning curve to me, but the spokesperson gave a good example of where it would be a real advantage. You’re in bed and it’s freezing in the room; isn’t it nice not to have to get out of bed to physically touch the thermostat when you can just tell it what to do? Unfortunately, if you already own a Honeywell Wi-Fi Smart Thermostat, you can’t upgrade it to voice control. But if you’re in the market for a new thermostat and you want one that listens to you, the newest model will cost you $349. It will be available at end of October or early November at Lowes, Home Depot, Best Buy, and Amazon. 

Here’s the company website with more info:  http://wifithermostat.com/

See or hear this show: www.twit.tv/giz1435

Giz Wiz Video Of The Week: Hair! Hair!

I’m not an expert at growing hair, except for maybe my ‘stache. But the folks at iGrow Laser say they do know how to help most people grow new hair, or improve what’s there already. At Pepcom an iGrow spokesperson said there was not much they could do for me at this point. You need to have healthy hair follicles ready to be stimulated in order for a laser treatment to work. Here’s a bit more from their website: The iGrow is a revolutionary in-home hair growth system that provides full scalp coverage. It is fully portable, simple to use, and requires no manual movement. iGrow incorporates Apira Science's proprietary dual light Laser and LED design. Equipped with headphones and an iPod/MP3 interface, the iGrow is a convenient and highly effective Low-Level Laser Therapy (LLLT) system that delivers significant hair growth for men suffering from Androgenetic Alopecia (genetic-based hair thinning/loss). iGrow's® proprietary Low-Level Light Therapy (LLLT) technology utilizes a highly effective combination of red laser and LED light diodes to effectively stimulate and energize cellular activity causing an uptake in the natural function of the hair follicle. This proven 4 to 6 month process reverses hair thinning/loss, and effectively grows new healthy hair that is thicker, fuller and more vibrant.  (And now back to me.) There are “before and after” pictures on the company website. The system costs $649 at the same website. I search for discounts but found companies that said the suggested retail was something like $899, but you could buy it from them for $649.

Company website:  www.igrowlaser.com

Giz Wiz iGrow Video: http://youtu.be/m62CCsCP_vY

See or hear this show: www.twit.tv/giz1435

OMG Chad fills in again for Leo. It will be a surprise to us all what he finds to show!

Turns out we don’t need Jeff Needles to find crap for The Giz Wiz Show. Chad is perfectly capable of finding fun crap all on his own, as you’ll see from today’s gadget. It's the Hutzler 571 Banana Slicer. Chad showed us the amazing things it can do. Actually, he showed us the single amazing thing it can do, and it does it very well. It lets you slice an entire banana neatly, with one quick motion. Kids will love slicing their own bananas. The maker, Hutzler says it's way faster and safer than using a knife. Great for slicing a banana for cereal. The Hutzler 571 Banana Slicer is made from dishwasher safe material. Chad also pointed out that there are many funny reviews about this gadget on Amazon. So even if you don’t want to buy one, there’s fun to be had reading some of the reviews. And here’s the best news about this clever device. The Hutzler 571 Banana Slicer costs just $1.58. And it ships free from Hong Kong. That probably means a two+ week wait, so don’t buy your bananas until your slicer arrives in the mail. Strangely enough, I have one of these banana slicers. I was thinking of using it as one of my "What The Heck Is It?" games, but I won't be doing that now.

Hutzler 571 Banana Slicer   - As an Amazon Associate Giz Wiz Biz earns from qualifying Amazon purchases.

 See or hear this show: www.twit.tv/giz1435

Back to Dick's Gadget Warehouse! With another viewer video & how to sumbit your video!

A video submission starts with an email to us with a YouTube link to your video, just like this one. We prefer that videos are not shot vertically, but we liked the content of this one enough to use it anyway. It's a really beat-up gadget warehouse item from a 13 year gadget-lover! Here's the email:

hey leo and dickie d. im haley for fl. and here is a video of my favorite and only apple product.my favorite podcast.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r8QBbuSO8eY

love haley ;) 

p.s. nice dance moves leo

                                       *****

We'd love to include your video in an upcoming Giz Wiz Show.

Here's what we're looking for: Your home made Videos -- two to three minutes long - in the 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.

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 something you just bought too.

Post them on YouTube and send our producer, Jason, the link! We'll do the rest. (Or possibly nothing, but that's unlikely.) Remember, videos should be just 2 to 3 minutes long, 4 MAX! Low production value is fine. Even welcomed! That way our stuff doesn't look bad by comparison. We've set the bar low. Don't trip over it.

NEW! NEW! NEW! If we select and show your video on The Giz Wiz you will now be awarded with some sort of prize. It's Leo's way to get rid of all the "crap from Sky Mall" he's collected. So there's one more (so-so) reason to send in your video!

All show submissions go to gizwiz@twit.tv

Letter of the Week:

From: "Jason Gallaway"

Subject: GizWiz Theme Disco? 6yo son dances

I'm a fan of TWiT.tv via the SecurityNOW podcast, but slowly enjoying the other shows. However, my 6 year old son, was an immediate fan of The GizWiz. After watching Chad try to burn down the studio, I showed the opening to my son to give him something to work towards. The result was this dance:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-pCidXKmdoE

Sorry about the crappy video quality. I used my wife's iPhone figuring that the video would be fairly close to the quality of the stills, silly me.

Just thought you'd enjoy seeing one of your youngest fans.

- J.D. from Altoona PA

See or hear this show: www.twit.tv/giz1435