Category Archives: CES 2013

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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MyCharge Gets Style at CES 2013

CES 2013, Mobile

myChargeWe have all been there — you are out and about and suddenly find that the battery in your smartphone has died. There are, of course, portable solutions for this. I spend a good deal of time hiking and camping in remote locations and have used a solar charger in the past to solve this problem, but it is a slow process.

At the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, MyCharge unveiled a whole new line of portable charging solutions. Depending on your choice from the new lineup, you can potentially charge up to three devices at one time. There are a variety of choices and also a variety of colors and designs to suit everyone’s tastes.

The new line, which will include the Lightning connector for Apple, is expected to launch in the April-May timeframe. Depending on the charger you decide on, the price can range from $39 to $129.

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

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LG Uses NFC to Connect Smartphones to TVs

CES 2013, Mobile

LG Logo

NFC has been a solution looking for a problem for some time, but products using NFC to solve real world issues are finally beginning to appear. Todd speaks with Brad from LG about how NFC is helping get video off smartphones and onto TVs.

Most people wanting to show video from their smartphone on their TV would automatically reach for a cable and then probably spend the next 10 minutes hunting around for the adaptor to plug the TV’s HDMI cable into the phone’s much smaller socket. NFC eliminates all this by wirelessly providing the information needed to stream the video to the TV using Miracast and all the person has to do is place his or her smartphone on the NFC tag. It’s not limited to sending video to the TV from the smartphone as the reverse is also possible: they can view what’s on the smart TV on their smartphone. Watch the video to see it in action – it’s very cool.

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

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IOGear Wireles 5×2 HD Matrix announced

CES 2013, Home

Welcome to IOGEAR USA - Rackmount KVM, Wireless Audio VideoIOGear makes some pretty cool hardware, some of which I use in my own home. Most recently the company made a trip to the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, Nevada to show off one of its newest offerings — the Wireless 5×2 HD Matrix.

The name may be a bit cryptic, so an explanation is required here. Perhaps you have heard rumors of wireless HDMI? Well, it is here now and this device has five ports and a receiver to prove it — that is four inputs and one output. There is full switching capability and it has a claimed range of one hundred feet. Plug in all of your devices and then place the receiver with a TV in another room and control everything wirelessly, even when two TV’s are displaying content from different devices. For instance, one can be using the Blu-Ray player while another plays DVR content. No more need for two boxes.

A two TV setup will run you $399 and the device will be available at the end of March. But honestly, you need to watch the demo posted below to really appreciate this technology.

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

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LG Optimus G Android Smartphone

CES 2013, Mobile

LG Logo

Regular listeners of GNC will know that Todd has been rocking an LG Optimus G Android smartphone (on loan from LG). Impressed with this device, he finds out more from Amy.

The LG Optimus G is powered by a quad-core Snapdragon S4 processor which takes everything in its stride, with super smooth graphics and slick multitasking. Todd rates the camera, too, with both stills and video footage looking fantastic. Overall, it’s a great package that’s worth checking out if you are in the market for a new smartphone.

Available through AT&T and Sprint in the US on range of contracts.

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

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GoPro Hero 3

CES 2013, Gadgets

GoPro, the popular mobile camera that has been used to capture video of everything from spectacular mountain bike crashes to shark encounters under the sea, was at the recent Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas.

GoPro showed off the Hero 3 Black edition, which is 30 percent smaller and 20 percent lighter than the previous model. The new Black Edition has a 12 MP sensor and can shoot 4k at 15 FPS. While shooting video users will also be able to tap a button on the camera to grab a quick still image. There are also dual mics and a photo-burst mode.

The new version will retail for $399 and include a WiFi remote. The camera is available for purchase now.

Interview by Don Baine, the Gadget Professor

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Lenovo shows off the Thinkpad Helix ultrabook

CES 2013, Computers

Lenovo, the company that bought out the IBM PC business, has become a favorite of businesses, as its Thinkpad and Thinkstation can be found in offices everywhere.

Now the company, in keeping with the times, is moving into the realm of Ultrabooks, which is the latest catchphrase in the tech world. The Thinkpad Helix is an 11.6-inch notebook that packs an Intel Core i7 processor, 8 GB of RAM, 1080p display and 256 GB SSD for storage. Those are all impressive numbers, but that is not really what the Helix is about.

The real magic, providing everything works as expected, is that this ultrabook separates to become a tablet. When in laptop mode Lenovo claims 4 four hours of battery life, but when it is converted to a tablet the company is touting six hours. It can also sit backwards in that keyboard base, making it a tablet stand.

The price starts at $1499 and the Thinkpad Helix will be available in the first quarter of this year.

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

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