All posts by Todd Cochrane

The Ford Developer Program

CES 2013, Home, Mobile

Developer Program Ford Motor Company opened up their app program to all developers at CES 2013 The new platform is called Uplink it is a suite of technology that works with Connect to Sync. This program has gone through two years of beta testing using such apps as Pandora however now it is open to all developers. It should be opened to North America, Europe and China by the end of the year. Ford has hired people from the mobile industries work previously done some development so they are ready for the volume. They’ve have told developers there are certain categories they will not permit including games videos anything with a lot of texts involved. Ford has developed a multiple number of test that the developer’s app must pass before it is even submitted. These standards are available at the Ford Developer Program website. Ford would like developers to concentrate on using voice commands or if that’s not available quick touch. Right now Ford is concentrating on the driver and they want to make sure that the apps are distraction free.

Developers can work on either the iOS platform or the Android platform. The IOS platform works with the Xcode package in Objective C. The Android platform uses the Eclipse package in . Is it a Json library with an API call. The head unit software accepts and manage the information. The head unit software is being open to the industry. Ford is trying to work with competitors so that developers don’t have to develop a different package for each car company.

The apps once developed or tweaked for the environment will be available directly through iTunes and the Google Play Store. Ford is also continuing to work on opening up their diagnostic platform or OpenXC Platform to produce more data for research. If you are developer and interested in developing for the Ford platform you can find more information at the Ford developer website.

Interview by Todd Cochrane of Geek News Central for the TechPodcast Network and by Don Baine, the Gadget Professor. l

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The Neat Digital Filing System

CES 2013, Home

Neat The Neat digital filing system helps you organize your receipts and documents. It is a full system including both software and a hardware scanner. There are a number of ways you can get the information into the Neat system. You can scan the information in. You can email digital receipts using your Neat email address. You can use the Neat app on your iPhone or android phone and take a picture of the receipt and upload it to the Neat Cloud. If you want you can send a box of receipts to Neat and they will process them for you. The Neat system allows you to categorize and organize the information for tax purposes. It is fully searchable and with extended search it will also search such apps as Evernote and Dropbox. You can export the information and save it to PDF and you can also share the information.

The Neat mobile scanner is $199.95 and the desktop scanner is $399.95. There is a monthly fee for the service which starts at $5.99 for the basic service. If you are trying to go paperless and get organizer Neat maybe exactly what you need.

Interview by Todd Cochrane of Geek News Central for the TechPodcast Network and by Don Baine, the Gadget Professor.

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EnerGenie Saving Money and Energy

CES 2013, Home

Power EnerGenie makes products that helps you keep track of how much electricity you are using in your home and ways to control that usage. The basic product is a socket that plugs into the wall. You can then control any device that is plugged into it by your iPad or iPhone; turning the device on or off, setting a timer for either reoccurring or single phase. It can measures how much electricity is being used by individual devices. You can use it to do a cost relationship analysis. You can also compare how much is being used in the daytime and nighttime.

They also sell a Power Management System which you can set up either via USB or wirelessly. You can program it so each plug turns off and on different times. You can also group plugs together, so for example when you turn on your TV, your blu-ray player would come on. They are also going to be selling a portable charger which handles up to 40,000 mAh. The charger will be available at the end of Q2 for $250.00. The socket and power management systems are $50.00 and $150 respectively and are available now through Amazon and the Energenie website.

Interview by Todd Cochrane of Geek News Central for the TechPodcast Network.

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Tinké by Zensorium

CES 2013, Health

TinkéTinké by Zensorium measures heart rate, respiratory rate, blood oxygen level and heart rate variability. It compiles the heart rate, respiratory rate and blood oxygen level information into a score know as the Vita Index. The Zen index uses the heart rate variability to quantify your stress level. It is a small device, 1.65 long inches by 1.26 wide by .0275 deep which fits easily into a pocket or purse. It works by plugging it into the iPhone and then placing your thumb on the device for 30 seconds. The iPhone powers it and so there is no need for batteries.

The device is $119 and comes in a variety of colors.The Tinké is available through the Zensorium website. They are looking for distribution partners. The app is free and available in the iTunes store. You can share your results thru the Tinké network or other social networks. Within the Tinké network you add friends and post comments on their scores. You also have the option to keep your information private.

Interview by Todd Cochrane of Geek News Central for the TechPodcast Network and by Don Baine, the Gadget Professor.

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AfterShokz Bone Conductivity Headphones

Accessories, CES 2013

Aftershokz Aftershokz showed off their new headphones with up to 21 total improvements from the previous version. What makes these headphones different from most headphones is the use of bone conductivity. Bone conductivity was developed for the military and police, because they don’t go into the ear they allow you to be situational aware. You can wear them outdoors for such sports as running or walking and still hear what’s going on around you. Among some of the improvements that were made include sound quality, they fit better, are better looking and are sweat proof. They are 30% smaller and lighter than the previous version and they also included a reflective safety strip on the back. They fit most heads but for those with smaller heads there is a tension band included. Fully charged there is about 6 to 8 hours of playing time. It takes about 2 1/2 hours to do a full charge. You can control everything from the headset including volume, play, take calls and fast-forward and rewind.

There is a two-year no question asked warranty. The newest model is a wireless Bluetooth version which has an MSRP of $119 but should retail around $99.95. The wired version runs around $79.95 retail. The Aftershokz headphones won Design and Engineering Showcase Honors for innovation at CES 2013. You can purchase AfterShokz headphones at their websites and various online and off-line retail locations.

Interview by Todd Cochrane of Geek News Central for the TechPodcast Network, and Don Baine, the Gadget Professor.

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Nikon D5200 and Accesories

Cameras, CES 2013

wireless adapter Nikon has introduced new adapters the WU–1a and the WU–1b. These adapters allow the camera to connect wirelessly to a smart phone. It’s a small adapter that can be use with the new DSLR and Nikon 1 models. It cannot be used with older cameras because they do not have the correct circuitry. Not only does this adapter allow you to send the pictures from your camera to the phone wirelessly, it also allows you to trigger the camera directly from the phone. For example let’s say you want to take a picture of a group and you want to be in the picture; you can set your camera up, then place yourself in the group, then arrange the group the way you want using what you see in the phone as a guide, knowing that what you see in the phone is what the camera seeing, you can then trigger your shot using the phone.

Nikon’s newest camera is a D5200. It has a 24.1 megapixel sensor. You can take high-speed continuous shots up to five frames per second it has a high ISO sensitivity range of 100 to 6400. This allows you to get good pictures even in a low light situation. The D5200 Includes a stereo microphone and the ability to film in full HD. The LCD screen on the back flips out making the camera easier to use. The D5200 is $895 with full kit and $795 for just the body. The base price for the Nikon 1 S1 is $499 and for the J3 it is $599. You can find more about these cameras in the adapter at the Nikon website.

Interview by Don Baine, the Gadget Professor.

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Otterbox’s New Defender Charging Cases

Accessories, CES 2013

otterbox-logoTodd interviews Jess from Otterbox about their upcoming iPhone 5 defender series cases. The new Defender Series charging cases will double the battery life of an iPhone with the same protection that Otterbox is known for. The new cases come with an app that tells you the status of your phone battery, the case battery and estimates how long before you need to plug in the charger. The cases have a Micro USB connector so they are compatible with chargers and cords you have for many other phones and devices.

The cases for iPhone 5 will be available soon as they are approved by Apple. The MSRP is $129. For more information, check out otterbox.com

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Interview by Todd Cochrane of Geek News Central for the TechPodcast Network.

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YubiKey Neo

Accessories, CES 2013

YubicoYubico the maker of the YubiKey introduced a NFC version at CES 2013 . YubiKey is a One Time Password dongle. It provides a strong two factor authorization to any site or platform. All versions of YubiKeys use best practice security process. YubiKey works with various password managers such as Last Pass and PasswordSafe. You can also integrate with a VPN and software tokens. The traditional YubiKey works with multiple platforms including Windows, Linux and Mac, along with browsers like Chrome and Firefox. The new NFC version, theYubikey Neo can be used by simply tapping the YubiKey on to a NFC enable device.

The standard YubiKey is $25.00 and is available now. The YubiKey Neo which includes USB and NFC is $50.00. Right now there is a 7–9 week delay in shipping for the Yubikey . If you are looking for a way to keep secure then you may want to look into various Yubico products including the new YubiKey Neo.

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Zooka Bluetooth Speakers

CES 2013, Wireless

Zooka Anyone who has a tablet, or smart phone knows that their one weakness is their speakers. One solution is to use a speaker dock. The problem with this solution is that it requires an outlet to plug the dock into. This is not very useful if you are in a park or on a beach, the other solution is to use Bluetooth Speakers. This is where the Zooka speakers by Carbon Audio Inc come in. They are Bluetooth speakers made of medical grade silicon. There are no mechanical moving parts and no dock. It slides on to a tablet or top of a notebook. It was designed so it doesn’t hide the iSight camera. There is a kickstand which tucks away into the side and screws into the back. It includes:

  1. Two 30 mm speaker drivers at either end of the Zooka
  2. 30ft Bluetooth Range
  3. Rechargeable battery, providing up to 8 hours of playing
  4. Frequency response of 150 to 20,000 Hz

The Zooka is available at Target, Amazon and at Carbon Audio Inc. It comes in a variety of colors and is priced at $99.00

Interview by Todd Cochrane of Geek News Central for the TechPodcast Network.

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Ford Sync is Moving Ahead

CES 2013, Mobile

Ford Sync Developer Program Ford has been busy this year with Sync. It now includes apps like the Wall Street Journal, Aha Radio, Glympse, Amazon mp3 and USA Today. Newspapers like the Wall Street Journal and USA Today are read to you. Ford has open up Sync to developers and is excited about what they will bring to the Eco-system. The Tech Podcast Network is working on their own Ford Sync app.

Ford does it’s updates via a USB stick which they provide to Ford drivers free of charge. According to the Ford representative most users where able to do the update themselves.

The majority of new Fords now being sold have Ford Sync in them. One of the great things about Ford Sync is that it works in a noisy environment. You can use it in a convertible with the top down going down the highway. Ford believes that listening to their customers and developing and maintaining a quality product is key.

Interview by Todd Cochrane of Geek News Central for the TechPodcast Network.

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