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CES 2015 – Preshow Commentary



Todd Cochrane the host of the Geek News Central Podcast a 10 year veteran of CES discusses how the team coverage is going to shape up this year.


Audio Technica shows off new headset lineup



audio-technicaAudio Technica, as the name implies, is in the business of, well, audio products. Now the company is showing off its latest range of headphones, beginning with the standard ear-buds that most of us use daily. The new model is designed to conform to the user, and also includes an in-line microphone to handle those pesky telephone calls as well. It even utilizes a unique volume control that makes it cross-platform compatible — a concession to Apple’s proprietary controls.

The company also trots out its new gaming headset. This is an over-ear style, with a microphone built into it. That new model, the first gaming headset from Audio Technica, is based on the AudioPhile line, and that name alone should explain the quality here. You can find out more by visiting the site, and also watching the video below.

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

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ThingCharger Eliminates Cable Clutter



ThingChargerDevice chargers are the bane of modern life with a complete rat’s nest of cables and connectors behind the average desk. Todd chats to Seymour Segnit from ThingCharger about their Indiegogo campaign for a cord-free charger.

The ThingCharger plugs directly into a power socket, with the device’s charging connector on the top of the unit, and pass-thru power outlets meaning that you don’t lose the socket but even more cunningly, you can stack the ThingCharger to charge multiple devices at the same time.

A range of interchangeable charging connectors – Apple 30-pin, Micro-USB, Mini-USB, Apple Lightning – will be available so that different devices can be charged from the same charger and cleverly, the connectors can be stored in the ThingCharger so they’re much harder to lose. It’s brilliant all round, so much so that ThingCharger raised nearly $650,000 against a £25,000 target.

ThingCharger is expected to be available in Q3 of 2014 and you can now for $29.95.

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

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Livescribe 3 Smart Pen



Livescribe 3

Writing is one of humankind’s greatest inventions and it’s no surprise that despite the arrival of typewriters, keyboards, mice and voice recognition, most people just write stuff down in notebooks or on bits of paper. That doesn’t easily transfer into a digital record but Livescribe reckon that they have a solution to this problem with their digital pens. Todd takes notes with Brian Kemp.

Livescribe have a long history in this space, and their latest digital pen, the Livescribe 3, continues the tradition. Using specially printed notebooks, a tiny camera installed in the pen tracks the path of the pen across the page, converting the motion into handwriting that is then transferred to a nearby Apple iPad or iPhone using Bluetooth.

Once the writing is in the iPad app, you can then starting doing clever things, such as adding contacts to your address book or dialling phone numbers. An Android version is expected later in the year.

The Livescribe 3 is available now for $150 with notebooks retailing at around $25 for a pack of 4. The price of paper products varies depending on size and style.

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

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Switch Lighting



Switchlighting Switch Lighting was the winner of CES Innovation Award for Design and Engineering Award a CES 2013 for their latest LED three-way bulb,

What makes the Switch bulbs special is that they are filled with liquid silicon. This helps to keep them cooler than most LED bulbs. Because they are cooler the Switch lighting bulbs can be used in places that other LED bulbs can not like enclosed areas. Switch bulbs work like an incandescent light bulb, they are dimmable and spread the light out broadly. The newest bulb that won the award is the first three-way LED bulb.

Switch is based in California.

Their bulbs range from $40.00-$60.00 and are available through speciality retail store. Their bulbs should last up to twenty-five years and are recyclable. At this time Switch Lighting mainly sells to businesses and government organizations.

Interview by Jeffrey Powers of Geekazine and by Scott Ertz of F5 Live.

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Omnimount Ergonomic TV Mounts



Omnimount Omnimount the maker of ergonomic furniture is now making ergonomic TV mounts. The Omnimount mount for TVs allows a television to be moved easily up, down, forward and backward. If you are sitting on the floor you can lower the TV so that you are not craning your neck to watch it. The mount is also extendable so you can bring the TV closer to you. The mount can be extended out up to 28 inches. These mounts would be perfect for people who want to mount their television sets over their fireplace. The problem with this idea is that it leads to the viewer having to look up to watch it which is uncomfortable and unhealthy. With the Omnimount mount you can still place the TV over the fire-place and then bring it down when you want to watch it.

The mounts can handle monitors up to seventy pounds and come in various sizes. Mounts that handle smaller TV monitors are available now and those that can handle bigger monitors should be available soon at an MSRP of $449.00.

Interview by Jeffrey Powers of Geekazine.

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Brinno – Looking through the Peephole



Brinno LogoDon looks through the peephole with Chris Adams from Brinno at their latest home security cameras. Brinno are known for their time-lapse and motion detecting digital cameras and this is the latest addition to their PeepHole Viewer range.

The PeepHole Viewer digital camera is designed to fit over standard door peepholes to record activity on the outside of the door, either as short videos or else as still photos on a micro SD card. Connecting the camera to the peephole is very straightforward and a new peephole is included with the camera just in case the existing peephole is damaged or dirty. Footage can be reviewed on the camera itself or else transferred to a laptop or PC using the memory card to look at visitors in more detail.

Interview by Don Baine, the Gadget Professor.

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TrackingPoint Weapon System



tracking PointTrackingPoint introduced a precision guided firearm at CES 2013. The kit consists of a digital rifle scope and a guided trigger. This kit works with a traditional bolt-action rifle.

The way the system works is that you point the weapon toward the target and the system tags the target. The tag, which is a red dot will remain with the target even if the target moves. The system then calculates all necessary measurements including distance and wind velocity. When you pull the trigger the shot is held until you can align the target. A cross hair will appear and then the shot is fired.

The TrackingPoint system includes five processors within it. There is an image processor that processes up to 54 frames per second. There is also a DSP processor, an Arm core processor and a FPGA with RISC processor inside.

The TrackingPoint kit includes a rifle, a scope, the trigger package, 200 rounds of ammo, a pelican case, a wind bag and an iPad mini. There is also an app for the iPhone or iPad which allows you to stream and record video of your shot. The total kit will be around $20,000. More information is available at the Tracking-Point website.

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

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OtterBox Preserver Series of phone cases



otterbox-logo

Don Baine talked with Jordan Vetter at the Otterbox booth at CES 2014 about the new OtterBox Preserver Series of phone cases.

The Preserver Series is a waterproof and dustproof case that will keep your iPhone 5S, iPhone 5 or Samsung Galaxy S4 safe and sound while you enjoy whatever environment you find yourself in. All the phone’s functions, including the Touch ID sensor on the 5S, remain available while protecting your phone against water, dust and drops. The cases are fully submergible up to 6.6 ft. (2 m) for 30 minutes and can take a drop from up to 6.6 feet (2m) without damage.

otterboxPreserver

The OtterBox Preserver is available now in assorted colors for $89.95 from otterbox.com

Interview by Don Baine, the Gadget Professor for the TechPodcast Network.

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