All posts by Todd Cochrane

Protect your Kindle with Solarmio

Accessories, CES 2012, ,

These days many of us own the Amazon Kindle, and unfortunately many have found out just how fragile the device can be. Solarmio, who recently won an Innovation Award at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, has some solutions to protect your favorite e-reader. The new Solarmio Kindle case will not only protect the device, but it has a few other handy features like a light for nighttime reading with a separate battery to power it for up to 50 hours. The case not only can be charged by a standard USB cable, but also has a solar panel cover that can keep it charged as well.

The Solarmio cover is available now for $79.99. You can see a full demonstration in the video below, as well as find out more by visiting Solarmio on the web, where you can also purchase this cool case for your Kindle.

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

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Philips Introduces New AirPlay Line

CES 2012, Home, ,

AirPlay is a standard introduced by Apple, but it has been picked up by many audio hardware makers to get their products integrated with the Apple and iTunes ecosystem. Philips is introducing a whole new line of AirPlay-compatible products from entry-level all the way up to the high-end of audio.

Philips has a stand-alone speaker with built-in WiFi and a WPS button to easily connect to your home router and you can control them through an app of your PC, Mac, or mobile device. They are also introducing a new pair of headphones that are towards the high-end of this category as they made from premium materials like leather, memory foam, and have a durable, cloth-lined wire. You can see both products in the video below and also visit Philips online to get more info.

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

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Sennheiser RS 220 Cordless Audiophile Headphones

CES 2012, Home,

RS 220 Audiophile Wireless HeadphonesCordless headphones rarely have audiophile sound quality because of the data compression technologies used to transmit the music to the headphones, but Sennheiser‘s new headphones resolve this by using a lossless technology to transmit the sound. Eric Palonen gives Todd and Jeffrey more detail.

The Sennheiser RS 220 are cordless audiophile headphones, based on the reference HD 650 headphones. The wireless transmission technology is based on lossless Direct Sequence Spread Spectrum (DSSS) implementation. The charging base has both digital and analogue inputs.

The RS 220s will be available from March for $599. For comparison, the HD 650s are $499.

Interview by Todd Cochrane of Geek News Central and Jeffrey Powers of Geekazine for the TechPodcast Network.

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Silentium Active Noise Cancellation

CES 2012, Home

Silentium LogoSilence is golden and Silentium are working hard to achieve this with their active noise reduction technology. Andy and Don keep it down with Yossi Barath.

Silentium has developed an active noise reduction system that can be implemented in a single chip. The complex (and proprietary) algorithms programmed into the chip use noise cancellation (destructive interference) to reduce the amount of sound coming from a machine to make it quieter. Ventilation systems, air conditioners, computers and data centers are all examples of where Silentium’s system can be used to reduce the noise.

At CES, Silentium are releasing QB2, a headrest-embedded system which creates a bubble of quiet around a person’s head, perfect for air travel or similar passenger situations. Generally, Silentium doesn’t produce products but sells its technology to other companies for inclusion in their own.

All sounds intriguing.

Interview by Andy McCaskey of SDR News and RV News Net, and Don Baine, the Gadget Professor.

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Craftsman Internet Connected Garage Door Opener

CES 2012, Home, ,

Craftsman may not be a name you expect to see at the Consumer Electronics Show, which is generally all about computers, home theater, smartphones, and the like, but you may be surprised by the fact that they were there and they had some cool things to show off. How does the world’s first internet-connected garage door opener sound? This garage door opener has an app for checking it’s status and opening and closing it remotely. Handy for those time you drive away and forget to hit that close button.

There are apps to control it available not just for the PC, but also for both Android and iOS devices. This also eliminates the need to give out keys or passcodes to repairman and others, because you can simply let them in remotely. The device is already available from Craftsman at their website and at Sears locations. They are also working on many future improvements, like integration with home security systems. The device begins at $349 and you can learn more from Craftsman.

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

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