Octa Brings Innovative Tablet Accessories to CES

CES 2015, , ,

Octa logoTablet computers have become such mainstays in our day-to-day lives that it’s nearly impossible to remember what life was like before them. And while tablets are often lightweight and easy to use, sometimes it’s necessary to get them into more comfortable or convenient positions. That’s where Octa and its full line of accessories come in.

Todd and Nick got a hands-on demo from Prometheus of Octa. He showed off several of the company’s products, noting that they had won an award at CES 2015. Octa has an impressive line of accessories for turning tablets into truly hands-free devices. Pricing starts at $79.

Interview by Todd Cochrane of Geek News Central and Nicholas DiMeo of F5 Live: Refreshing Technology for the TechPodcast Network.

Become a GNC Insider Today!

[cessponsor]

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | RSS | More

Roadie Tuner Helps You Stay In Tune at CES

CES 2015, , , ,

Roadie Tuner logoWhether you’re a musician or a music fan, no one appreciates an out-of-tune instrument. And while there are plenty of solutions out there to help players keep their strings properly tuned, they usually require weird workarounds or clunky devices.

Todd and Nick met with Sam Force of Band Industries. Sam showed off the Roadie Tuner, a mechanical Bluetooth-enabled guitar tuner. Just put Roadie Tuner over your instrument’s tuning pegs and the connected smartphone app takes over, analyzing the sound coming from the strings and telling Roadie Tuner to turn the pegs accordingly.

Roadie Tuner would make for a fine accessory for beginners and guitar vets alike. It is currently available for $99 direct from the Roadie Tuner website as well as a growing number of retail outlets.

Interview by Todd Cochrane of Geek News Central and Nicholas DiMeo of F5 Live: Refreshing Technology for the TechPodcast Network.

Become a GNC Insider Today!

[cessponsor]

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | RSS | More

ProGearX Shows Off GoPro Camera Mounts at CES

CES 2015, Video, , , ,

ProgearX LogoVideos from body-cams are more popular than ever thanks to products like the GoPro camera. And with that popularity and success comes a cottage industry of vendors who are supplying accessories for GoPros.

Todd and Nick had a chat with Noah Rasheta, CEO/founder of ProGearX, a company that specializes in mounting solutions/accessories for GoPros as well as other imaging devices. Noah was wearing one of his company’s products, a shoulder/torso harness that accommodates up to two cameras. Noah also brought ProGearX’s retractable “selfie-stick” style camera arm.

Interview by Todd Cochrane of Geek News Central and Nicholas DiMeo of F5 Live: Refreshing Technology for the TechPodcast Network.

Become a GNC Insider Today!

[cessponsor]

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | RSS | More

Ford SYNC 3 at CES

Auto, CES 2015, Mobile

Ford LogoIn the good old days, cars had heaters and radios. if you were lucky it might have had a cassette player. Getting directions involved winding down the window and asking a local. Today’s vehicles have zoned environmental controls, multi-source AV, GPS with maps and drive train telemetry to three decimal places. All this is fantastic but while you’re figuring out the way to San Jose, you don’t have your eyes on the road.

Ford wants its drivers and passengers to have a great journey but to get to their destination safely, and in an unprecedented move, Ford invited customers to their advanced car simulator in Dearborn to help design the next iteration of their infotainment system. With over 20,000 pieces of feedback, Ford developed SYNC 3 with safety and ease of use at the fore. Big touchpoints keep hands on the steering wheel longer and voice commands now produce what the driver wants rather than purely what is said.

Todd chats with Gary from Ford about the company’s approach to the latest iteration of Ford SYNC, which will be available on 2016 model cars.

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

[cessponsor]

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | RSS | More

Unleash the AirDog (at CES)

CES 2015, Gadgets, Toys & Gaming, Video, Wireless

AirDogWith the advances in drone technology, it’s easy to fly most drones these days. To fly a drone well and record video at the same time still takes a great deal of skill. It’s especially difficult if you are the pilot, cinematographer and star all at the same time. If this is your problem, then the AirDog is the solution. Todd cries, “Havoc” and lets slip the AirDogs of war.

The AirDog drone has two unique selling points. First, it folds up to fit into a backpack and second, it can follow its owner from the air, filming the action. The owner wears a wristband somewhat reminiscent of Jack Harkness which lets the drone track the owner’s position. Various parameters can be set to adjust how the AirDog positions itself relative to the owner, such as height and distance. Seriously cool.

The AirDog will be available later in the year for $1,500 but are open for a little under $1,300. You’ll also need to get yourself a GoPro camera.

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

[cessponsor]

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | RSS | More

Perfect Your Swing With Babolat Play

CES 2015, Health, Toys & Gaming, Wireless

Babolat PlayTo improve at any skill or game, it’s often practice, practice, practice but today’s technology can help point out the areas to work on. Babolat‘s rackets are world famous and used by some of the top tennis professionals and for tennis fans, Babolat have developed a connected tennis racket based on their AeroPro Drive to help them hone their game. Eva shows Todd the new racket, Babolat Play.

The Babolat Play racket looks like an ordinary racket on the outside but with sensors integrated into the handle, players now have access to a pile of information – power level, impact position on the racket head, type and number of strokes (forehand, backhand, serve, overhead smash), top spin or back spin, all provided through a smartphone app for both Apple and Android. The racket can be taken on court for six hours between charges and over 150 hours of performance information can be recorded between downloads, which can be either via USB or Bluetooth.

The Babolat Play racket will be on sale in March for $349.

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

[cessponsor]

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | RSS | More

IC Real Tech Allie Camera at CES

Accessories, Cameras, CES 2015, Video, Wireless

IC Real Tech logoWeb and IP cams are ten a penny these days, but the IC Real Tech Allie takes expectations to a whole new level with a near 720 degree field of view and the ability to stop time. Todd gets a demo from Matt on how the Allie Pro can see everything.

The Allie Pro is an IP cam with two lenses, one on the front and one on the back, that have overlapping fields of view. As result, when viewed in real-time on a tablet or smartphone, the image can be panned round in nearly 720 degrees; left-to-right, up-and-down with no blindspots. The complementary apps on both iOS and Android can either use touch or the motion sensors to move round the image. Live video is fed through but if something catches the eye, the video can be paused and the frozen image explored in more detail.

There are three models in the range, Allie Play, Home and Pro, with increasing levels of video resolution and prices to match at $399, $599 and approx $1100 for the Pro. All available in late Q1.

These cameras are awesome and I can see tremendous potential for pseudo-telepresence, perhaps combined with a simple VR setup like Google Cardboard. Turn your head, turn the view. And think of a head-mounted action cam version! Watch the video – you’ll be impressed.

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

[cessponsor]

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | RSS | More

Kelvin Wireless Wine Thermometer at CES

Accessories, CES 2015, Gadgets, Home

Kelvin LogoWatching the video for the Kelvin Duo wireless wine thermometer put me in mind for a glass, so as I write this, I’ve a tasty little Sicilian red to hand. But how do I know that I’m getting the best from the wine? Let the wine breathe – check. Wide glass – check. Temperature….hmm, not so sure about that…and that’s where the Kelvin thermometer comes to the rescue.

The Kelvin Duo consists of a thermometer band that goes round the bottle, transmitting the temperature to a receiver which in turn shows the temp on a small screen. The screen’s backlight is colour-coded to red, green and blue for too warm, just right and too cold.  The Kelvin is straightforward to use: first choose your wine, second select the category of wine from a choice of ten (four for white, three for red, two for sparkling and one for rosé), next put the band on the bottle and the bottle in the fridge. Finally, wait for the receiver screen to get into the green (or just flick into the blue) then pour and enjoy!

The Kelvin Duo is already on sale in the UK for £39.99 and will be coming to the US in the coming months with a price somewhere around $70-$80.

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

[cessponsor]

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | RSS | More

Liquid Image Ego LS at CES Unveiled

Accessories, Cameras, CES 2015, Gadgets, Video, Wireless

Liquid Image LogoLiquid Image weren’t a company with which I was familiar but having looked at their website, they have an impressive range of action cameras, with some interesting models where the camera is integrated into a scuba mask or ski goggles. At CES Unveiled, Todd interviews Melanie about Liquid Image’s new streaming wireless camera.

The Ego LS is hand-sized wearable and mountable camera not unlike others on the market but its key feature is that it can stream video over the Verizon 4G LTE network including XLTE allowing for fast live streaming. In addition to 4G LTE, the wireless features include Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and Low Frequency RF, which keeps the camera in standby mode for over a day without draining the battery. This makes the camera very flexible with a range of wireless coverage options and the Ego can simply record to memory if there’s no wireless at all. Neat.

The Ego LS model 800 is expected to retail at $399 and will be available in Q1 2015 for the US, with availability in other territories including Europe, Russia, Japan and Canada in Q2 and Q3.

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

[cessponsor]

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | RSS | More

Indiegogo’s Slava Rubin at CES

CES 2015

Indiegogo logoIn less than ten years, crowd-funding has come from nowhere to a seriously considered option for many startups and entrepreneurs. Crowd-funding isn’t only about the money, it’s about being able to engage early with potential customers to make better products.

And when it comes to crowd-funding, Indiegogo‘s right up there at the top and at the top of Indiegogo is Slava Rubin, co-founder and CEO. In a great score, Todd and Jamie interview Slava about Indiegogo’s trail-blazing approach, venture capitalists and the latest expansions into charity (Indiegogo Life), commerce (Indiegogo InDemand) and merchandise (Amplifier).

Interview by Jamie Davies of Health Tech Weekly and Todd Cochrane of Geek News Central for the TechPodcast Network.

[cessponsor]

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | RSS | More