Pelican Pro-Gear Backpacks Protect Your Mobile Gear

Accessories, CES 2013, , , ,

PelicanPelican began in the 1970s making equipment for the scuba market. They quickly expanded into making equipment cases for police, fire, rescue and the military. Pelican has recently gone into the consumer market. Their newest product line is the Pro-Gear Urban and Sports backpacks. These backpacks each have a copolymer blend plastic compartment that will hold up to a 17 inch Macbook. There is also one on the front for a tablet. The front compartment also has plenty of room for accessories. Both compartment have an O ring seal and are well padded and crush proof. There is also normal backpack compartments for your cloths and necessities.

The Pro-Gear Urban Backpack start at $250.00 and come in green, orange and black. They are well ventilated and the straps have extra padding on them for comfort. They weight about 6–7 lb. empty. If you travel a lot and are looking for a backpack that can take the abuse then you may want to take the look at the Pro-Gear Urban Backpack line at Pelican

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

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DRF – The Device Renewal Forum Certifies Phone Recycling

CES 2013, Gadgets, , , , ,

Device Renewal Forum

With over 2 billion wireless devices (mobile phones) produced every year, the recycling and reuse of these gadgets is an important environmental issue. Todd chats to Perry LaForge of the Device Renewal Forum about how many major companies are now approaching the issue.

The DRF’s mission is “to expand the growth of the device renewal market through the development of a common and branded certification process for renewed wireless devices”, which means that for consumers, a DRF-certified device will have been properly processed, removing any traces of the previous owners data, and confirms that the phone meets the technical requirements for use on a mobile network.

Several major companies, such as Sprint, are joining the scheme and for the sake of the planet, let’s hope the DRF is a success.

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

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PhaseHD Sends HDMI Farther – Up to 100ft

Accessories, CES 2013, , ,

PhaseHD Logo

HDMI is great interconnect technology but it’s really only designed for relatively short cable runs. What do you do if you want to send a 4K UltraHD picture 100ft? PhaseHD have the answer.

Canadian outfit phaseHD uses standard, albeit long, HDMI cables with smart adaptors on each end of the cable to transmit a clean signal at one end and boost the received signal at the other, while preserving the control signals needed for encrypted content. Obviously it’s more complicated than that and it’s definitely worth watching the video to understand how this technology differs from the video extenders that use cat 6 network cabling for long runs.

It’s not cheap either, with the expected price around $500-$600. Expect to see early adoption by event management companies and sports bars.

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

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Sphero Releases Sharky the Beaver Mixed Reality App

CES 2013, Gadgets, , , , , , ,

Sphero LogoGNC first saw Sphero at CES last year and it’s a really cool toy: a rugged waterproof ball controlled from a smartphone or tablet. So what has Sphero been up to in the past year…Todd and Don find out from Ian Bernstein, CTO Founder.

While the  hardware is unchanged from last year, Sphero has grown the number and type of companion apps from around 5 apps to over 20 with several produced by third parties. New on the scene is a mixed reality app which uses the tablet or smartphone’s camera to track Sphero and overlay Sharky the Beaver on the device’s screen. It’s particularly fun as the real-world interaction with Sphero creates a relationship with the cartoon character which makes it that bit more believable.

Sphero works with both iOS and Android devices, and retails for around $130. Lots of fun and there’s an SDK if you feel like rolling your own (sorry!)

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

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A Look at CE Design

CES 2013, Gadgets,

ViVickLogoHere’s some insight into the world of design – taking standard features and capabilities and presenting them in a fresh way. Vivick Designs in headquartered in Vancouver, BC and, since 1986 has been behind many of the designs for products we use and wear. In this interview, we look at two novel designs, one for a LED study lamp that combines a Bluetooth speaker system – and also allows connection from the regular desktop computer, and the other a portable power supply that is designed to power devices such as tablet or smartphone when regular AC mains power is not available. It includes a means of stowing the line cord, all a part of the design for use that the company has as a specialty. TPN Interview by Andy McCaskey, SDRNews and Scott Ertz, F5 Live: Refreshing Technology .

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Rocstor: Secure Storage with Data Encryption

CES 2013, Computers,

RocstorLogoKeeping data secure without having to load special drivers or programs offers a lot of appeal. RocStor builds ruggedized drive enclosures with built in encryption that mount just like a regular portable drive. Using access cards or a hardware token, the drive is built so that tampering will be immediately obvious. The drives are fully bootable in both Apple OSX and in Windows 7 and 8. It is particularly useful for financial workers, doctors, lawyers and others with high value data. Originally designed for US Government applications, this USA manufactured product begins at $250 for a 1TB drive. Firewire and USB interfaces are available. TPN Interview by Andy McCaskey, SDRNews and Scott Ertz, F5 Live: Refreshing Technology .

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HD HomeRun for All Your Screens in the Home

CES 2013, Home, ,

HDHomeRunLogoThe distribution of HD content within the home has been a problem – if you want to preserve video quality. HD Home Run is an established product that permits you to have the output of up to three tuners converted to broadcast quality MPEG-2, and then distributing it through the wired home network. However, as soon as you add a device like a smartphone or tablet, you will find that the on-board devices are just not able to keep up with the decoding task. Plus, the bandwidth on the home WiFi network is not going to be able to keep up. Networking of video in the home, using Conditional Access you are able to stream video to any connected device – wired, or wireless Android or iOs.  The new HD Home Run system takes up to four separate video streams and does a real time transcode of the MPEG-2 to H.264 that can be carried over WiFi, and easily decoded by the processor in the tablet or smartphone. The new system is fully compatible with Windows8. TPN Interview by Andy McCaskey, SDRNews .

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Action Packed 360 Degree 4K Video on a Budget

CES 2013, Gadgets, ,

EyeMirrorThere is nothing like the popular GoPro camera to get right in the middle of the action. This adapter from EyeMirror adds a full 360 degree view, and features a totally sealed enclosure so that the mirror never gets wet (tested to over 100 feet). The camera shoots at 4K, 24 Frames per second in a package that’s fully qualified for underwater adventure, and then the software translates it to a web page viewer that allows the reader to direct the view of the video to any point in the field of view.

The system is not only usable for outdoor videography, but there are security applications where a 360 degree surveillance field is of interest. The camera is $800, significantly less than other solutions – and it can be attached to conventional cameras and DSLR’s for photography on land. TPN Interview by Andy McCaskey, SDRNews
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Streaming Live 3D video

CES 2013, Gadgets, ,

PairasightThis is a developers dream project, from a new company called Pairasight. It has been over two years in development – with a prototype that has been fabricated on a 3D printer.  The capture device links to a smartphone which then transmits the signal to a website where it is displayed, and is viewable in 3D. The full 1080p video streams are both at 30 frames per second, from separate left and right 5 megapixel cameras, and include audio as well. The on-board processer CPU has less than 5% loading, and the developers anticipate that onboard realtime image processing will be in the next version of the device. With 600 mAh hour battery, it gives about 90 minutes of streaming – or about six hours without continuous streaming. Developers can have early access to the modules used in the device at SomThings.com, with single unit pricing of $200.

The initial applications for the device will be for EMT responses and repair or do-it-yourself advice with the realtime expert being connected on a wireless link. The developer’s hope that with early adoption efforts, it will become another tool for getting the right knowledge and skillset on site and on target. TPN Interview by Andy McCaskey, SDRNews and Scott Ertz, F5 Live: Refreshing Technology .

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Hold and Operate Your Tablet While on Skype

CES 2013, Gadgets

mobioAs revolutionary and handy as tablets such as the iPad have become in just a few years, they are still not set up to be easily held and operated during a Skype call or similar event. Participants end up propping the device at the right angle – which works until there is some screen action that needs to be taken or volume adjustment made – which knocks the camera view off center or topples the whole device to the floor. Mobio devices are manufacturer agnostic, equally at home on Apple, Samsung or other brands. And, for any tablet device it becomes a stand in landscape or portrait mode,depending on the application being run. For video or  still camerawork,  your hand does not cover the camera, making it easier to take steady shots, up close. Price class $45 . TPN Interview by Andy McCaskey, SDRNews and Scott Ertz, F5 Live: Refreshing Technology .

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