A camping lantern that lets you see and "hear"!

From Lumilite, it’s the Mixi. This is a new product that changes the old fashioned lantern into a whole new multi-use gizmo. There’s a 7W U-tube fluorescent with it’s own high and low power mode. For nighttime operation there’s a nightlight mode which glows green, so you can easily locate the lantern in the dark. But there’s a bigger hidden surprise. Just press one button and twin speakers swing open to let you to play your music from your own device in any environment. Underneath the speaker-release button is the volume control for the built-in 2 watt amplifier. The unique designed speaker box delivers very decent sound for their size. Designed into the back of lantern is a slide holder for your iPod or any music player. Just use the attached universal input cable. It goes into the headphone jack of your music device. 4 “D” batteries power the entire unit, or you can use the external AC/DC adaptor (included). The Mixi lantern can be used indoors and outdoors. This is also a good device for emergency preparedness. Under $50. This is another item that won’t be on the market probably until July or August.

Automatic Back-up Come to a Flash Drive!

SanDisk, the company that created Compact Flash and SD memory cards, is forever coming up with new memory devices. One of my favorites is the Sansa View for watching videos on the go. The latest entry from SanDisk is their Ultra Backup USB Flash Drive. It offers one-button backup with some very techy software built in. It’s a touch longer than most USB Flash Drives and the Backup button near the top of the drive is unlike any found on standard flash drives. There’s a slider button that retracts and extends the USB connector. That’s convenient for travel because there’s no cap to lose. An orange indicator light glows bright and then dims through the translucent slider button when the drive is plugged in. You can have the drive do a complete backup or select the files and folders manually. As you select backup material, the software quickly recalculates how much space is required. In the software there’s an Update Icon, but it’s not to update your files. It checks the SanDisk site for software updates. Something I don’t recall seeing in any other backup software is the ability to select how many different versions of a file you want the device to save. If you're working on a project that keeps changing, you can save up to ten versions. I could have used that a few hours ago. I had 2 versions of Daily Giz Wiz gadgets and only one was complete. I overwrote the complete with the info from the incomplete one. Doh! Right now the backup software is PC-only. It’s the sophisticated software that drives the higher price for the Automatic Backup flash drives. So you wouldn’t buy this Flash drive just to use it a place to drop files manually. The Automatic Backup USB Flash Drive is available from 8 GB to 64 GB. Prices range from about $40 to $200, but do a web search because memory storage prices change pretty much daily! With a new gadget they’ll drop as more places carry it. Also prices are highest on the manufacturer’s website. They don’t want to be compete with their dealers, so they have the highest selling price.

http://tinyurl.com/d54xla

Presto! And your computer can run faster.

I have an older computer that has so many programs loaded on it; it takes 7 to 8 minutes to boot up. Yes, I timed it! There are so many pop-ups, things like looking for Logitech black & white web cam – stuff I haven’t used for years! I just never got around to dumping all the unused crap. Well, there’s a cure for that. Something that will let your computer start almost instantly. Instant-on and a Windows machine usually don’t’ go hand in hand. Mac and/or Linux folks know that instant-on exists. To the rescue comes Presto Instant-On from Xandros. They’re the company that produced part of the software that helped the first Eee netbooks dazzle with their quick startup! Now you can add it to your XP or Vista machine. The download is a big one, 463 MB! Yep, depending on your connection that could take half an hour or more to download. But once it’s installed when you reboot, you’ll find your computer starts with two choices: Windows or Presto. You have to make your choice in 30 second or Windows will auto startup XP or Vista in 30 seconds. I looked away from the screen and was surprised when I saw the familiar Windows XP screen. Then I rebooted and saw the Presto choice. Presto does boot rapidly; in under 15 seconds. It offers Skype, IM, WiFi access and a free office program that lets me open and edit Word files. Built-in too is a Firefox browser. More apps are available through the Presto Applications Store. As Leo said on the Daily Giz Wiz. Presto has found a way to bring Linux to a Windows PC. There's a free seven-day trial version available; and if you like it the full version is $19.95! If you change your mind after using it it’s simple to remove using the Add/Remove Program. It made my older almost unusable computer usable again. It’s perfect for web searching, emails and like text editing. And it shuts down in seconds too! What a treat.

 www.prestomypc.com

 Hear this Netcast: www.twit.tv/dgw834

A whole new kind of umbrella. It laughs at the wind.

The Senz Umbrella is aerodynamically designed to maintain its shape even under the some really bad weather conditions, The company their patented frame and powerful construction will keep it from inverting in winds up to 70 miles per hour for the original model or 40 mph winds for the mini model. I tried the mini model on a rainy, stormy day in NYC. I saw two people throw their umbrellas into the trash because the wind had turned them inside out. My Senz umbrella was fine. Another neat feature is the shape of the front of the umbrella. It’s been shortened to provide optimal line of sight from under the canopy. No more walking into people on the sidewalk or into cars when you cross the street. A longer back on the umbrella offers superior protection to keep water from dripping on your back. And this is smart: The tips on the end of the umbrella's spokes -- aptly named “eye-savers” -- are designed to protect your eyes, as well as those of passers-by. Pricing for mini $55.00; original $65.00. There is now an XL version too. The handle on the mini is very small. I didn’t try the original, but in photos, the handle looks much bigger, so I’d opt for that.

My umbrella came from www.spoonsisters.com

The company’s website: www.senzumbrellas.com

Hear this Netcast: www.twit.tv/dgw821

Quik-Brite – A set of 8 + 2 LED Lights that can be veryhandy.

modify remove organize post follow up

Wednesday, May 13^th, Netcast 828

Here's the TV offer. Total Value $100 -- I don't think so!You may have seen them advertised on television. On TV they sell them as four Quik Brite LED Lights which “double” to a set of 8 LED lights "if you order right away!". Then they throw in two “Bonus” Swivel Spots Quik Brite lights. The lights use a small stick-on magnet to automatically turn on when you open any drawer or cabinet - off when you close it! Although the ad says: “No installation” you do have topeel and place the LED’s and magnets in proper alignment so they turn on and off automatically! But they are good to use in closets, medicine cabinets, fuse boxes, tool boxes, anywhere you need a bit of light. The 2 tap-on SwivelSpots are supposed to go from mini floodlights to mini spotlights. But they’re single not-very-bright LED’s, so that change isn’t very dramatic. The swivel spots do swivel around a full 360 degrees! Marketing of these lights is all over the place. They’re about $15 via TV, and only about $8 on Amazon. I found a set of 10 at Bed, Bath & Beyond on a special deal for only $3. At the $3 price I’m sure they’re all gone! But at $8 they’re still under a buck each & it includes batteries! That's still a good deal.

http://tinyurl.com/r24ga5

Hear this Netcast: www.twit.tv/dgw828