33 posts tagged “bluetooth”

The Voyager Pro from Plantronics is a bluetooth headset designed for heavy business users, with a bigger size but better performance and battery time.  It has 2 noise cancelling boom microphones, one of which is used to collect sound for ambient noise analysis.  Great for blocking out wind noises.  When you mute the mic, a message only you can hear will tell you that the mic is muted.  Leo is loving the Calisto Pro from Plantronics, and this Voyager Pro sounds promising to him.

DGW in Surround Sound
Leo's new mixer from Telos, the Axia, will be capable of outputting surround sound called Dolby Headphone, and he wonders if listeners would prefer that.  How about good old Quadraphonic sound?

A TerraTrike for Leo
Leo has been sent a Terratrike (after Dick and Leo talked about it in Episode 815).  Leo took delivery of it during Maxwell's House last week.  Leo is going to review it in about 2 weeks' time.  It might end up as Abby's new transport, or TWiT's special limousine service.  Take a sneak preview of it here.

Better Laundry Rooms than Home Theatres
Kevin Sweeney from Grand Junction, Colorado has written to defend Dick about the Earth Day series, the Wonder Wash and the Countertop Spin Dryer (Episodes 818, 819).  He cannot believe how stoically Dick put up the abuse Leo dished out about them.  A lot more people have laundry rooms than have home theatres, and not everyone can afford the Mini E (Episode 811).  Kevin for one is going to give the laundry gadgets to his wife for their 20th wedding anniversary - and their final, add Dick and Leo.

Great Dinner Options
Dick went as a special guest to a convention called Boys And Their Toys.  On his way to the hotel, the young limo driver assured Dick that he had chosen the right hotel, because his dinner options would include Burger King, Taco Bell and White Castle, and the subway is just around the corner.


Listen to Episode 829
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The Calisto Pro from Plantronics takes care of all your phone needs.  It is a DECT 6.0 cordless phone which you can connect to the land line, with speakerphone function.  It has a USB connection for linking up to your computer as a VoIP or Skype phone, and can download your contacts from Outlook on Windows or Apple Address Book on a Mac.  It has a bluetooth headset which you can pair up with both the cordless phone or your cellphone, although you cannot switch between the two in the middle of a conversation.

Match Game Memories
Dick had a great time doing Match Game Memories on 29 March, and was very impressed by how quick Leo was calling up old footages of the Match Game.  Leo might add it as an additional audio show this week into the DGW feed.

Alternatively, you can download the video from odtv.me, thanks to kiwinerd.

Mailbag Podcast
Leo's sister Eva is helping out Leo with his emails.  Leo is thinking of doing a mailbag show with Eva going through some of the more interesting mails for Leo.

Studio 54
The Disco Letters Jingle gives Dick and Leo some disco flashbacks and reminds them of Studio 54, a popular venue during the disco era.  When Leo was last in Manhattan, he went there to see Cabaret.

Finally, Some Savings
Long-time listener and correspondent Steve Miller writes again.  This time, he's not buying any more gadgets.  He thanks Dick and Leo for covering the iCap (Episode 749), the Cell-Mate (Episode 744), and the Canon EOS 5D Mark II (Episode 742), two gadgets he doesn't want to own and one he can't afford.  Steve is a Nikon guy and was lusting after the Nikon D3X.

Circuit City Sale
Dick went to have a look at the Circuit City close-out sale but the prices had been raised and it was no bargain.

From the makers of the popular Gorillapod (Episode 151), the Zivio Boom by Joby is another bluetooth headset, in an already crowded market in Dick's words, but with a few neat features.  It has a boom mic at the end of a telescoping retractable flexible metal extension to bend it towards your mouth, with noise cancellation.  It has interchangeable earbuds in different sizes (mushroom or scoop shape) to fit your ears.  The earbud sits on a "ball and socket joint" which can tilt and rotate to give you the best comfort.  An optional earloop can be purchased, which attaches to the Zivio magnetically, to give you extra stability.


There are big tactile + and - buttons for volume adjustments, and pressing both at the same time mute or unmute the mic.  Tap the big round button at the top to answer a call, hold it down to hang up and perform other functions with this button.  The Zivio comes with a USB cable and an AC adapter,  You can charge the Zivio via USB or an AC outlet.  The AC adapter has 2 USB ports, so you can charge another USB device (such as your phone) at the same time.  And overall, it has a sleek look and design - as sleek as a Borg could possibly look.

Condemner Reports
Dick explains the hoops Consumer Reports has to jump through these days to give a full, responsible, and up-to-date review.  Leo reads the publication religiously and still sticks to Consumer Reports' shampoo recommendation, even though Jennifer continues to pooh-pooh Pert Shampoo.  Dick also confirms Bad Channelz's query from the Chatroom that he wrote Mad's satire pieces Condemner Reports.  And mazzingmazz from the Chatroom likes Dick's report, and has ordered one before the end of the recording session.

Audible Appreciation
Mr Foolish decided to check out Audible after listening to one Daily Giz Wiz episode in one of his ever-growing sleepless nights and was instantly hooked.  He also likes the occasional freebies from Audible.  Now he can't wait to read the books.

Helluva of a Town
Learn about the local geography of New York City, how Madison and Amsterdam Avenues intersect, or not, the Bronx and the Battery, and hear a performance of "New York, New York", the one from Bernstein's "On The Town".


Listen to Episode 769
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Polaroid has been trying to find its place in the new world of digital photography.  Their latest attempt is the PoGo (Polaroid to Go), a portable bluetooth printer that connects to your mobile phones via bluetooth and makes 2" x 3" borderless prints.  The cellphone needs to support Bluetooth OBEX (Object Exchange) profile.  A list of compatible phones can be found on the Polaroid website.



You can also print directly from any PictBridge-enabled digital camera, by connecting the devices using a USB cable.

The print is made using Zink Imaging's Zink technology - Zero Ink - on Zink paper.  Each 2" x 3" photo paper contains 100 billion yellow, magenta and cyan dye crystals which are activated by heat pulses to generate the colours.  Since no ink is used, the prints come out as dry-to-touch prints.  They have peel-off sticky backs which can be used as stickers.  A modern version of Polaroid prints.

The dimensions of the PoGo 4.7" x 2.8" x 0.9", with a replaceable and rechargeable Li-ion battery.  Each charge can print up to 15 prints.  the advertised print speed is 60 seconds from send to share, though in practice it's likely to take longer.  You can get the PoGo photo paper in packs of 10 or 30, costing about $5 and $13 respectively.

One From the Gadget Warehouse
While rummaging through his treasure trove that is the Gadget Warehouse, Dick stumbled upon a Polaroid Instant Slide device, probably one of the 35mm Autoprocessors from Polaroid.



Mr Hulot's Holiday - It's Playtime !
Jacques Tati was a French comedian who made a few classic films including Mr Hulot's Holiday (Les Vacances de Monsieur Hulot) and Playtime.

Here's the original French trailer for the film Playtime, where you can see a reflection of the Eiffel Tower on the door (or click this link):


For the scene in which what the lift (elevator) operator has to go through before he can get the lift to start, watch this clip (or click this link):

And for a rather interesting window cleaning scene, watch this clip (or click this link):


TWiT Nutwork on the PSP
Alex Rearick from Ohio learned about the "TWiT Nutwork" when the PSP gained RSS capability.  He listened to the back episodes, and enjoyed thoroughly the classic episode of the Key Buoy (Episode 149).  He's even got himself a GizWizBiz Cap.  New ones, with 30 hours of burn time, are available from Dick's website.

Leo has given his Supertooth Light (Episode 362) to Jennifer, so he can get the new and improved BlueAnt Supertooth 3 for himself.  Like the Light, the Supertooth 3 is a bluetooth hands free device designed to be mounted on the visor.  Its Text to Speech capability announces the Caller ID or the name of the caller, and you take the call by saying "Accept" ot the speakerphone.  Supports voice dialling (as long as your phone supports it).  Full duplex, noise and echo cancellation.  Instruction guides in 6 languages, although Leo's seems to stick to French.


Switching Roles
Leo suggests that one day Dick shoud be the host and Leo should be the Giz Wiz, then Dick would know how hard Leo works.

They've already done that, for this year's April Fools Day, in Episode 537 (Spear Hats).  Obviously Dick didn't feel that way at all.

Shoes and Frogs

Leo has lost his emails (which Dick forwarded to him), and Dick has to read one again.  In Episode 637, Leo seemed to think that the word "zappos" (as in the online shoe store zappos.com) is related to "zapatos" (the Spanish word for shoes).  Loyal listener Alex asks his Spanish professor, and apparently zappos means "frogs".


Listen to Episode 662
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Available in the US only at A T & T stores, the Southwing SH241 is another bluetooth headset in a crowded market.  Special features include automatic call pick-up, "Whisper Mode", in which the headset will whisper the incoming telephone number to you to see if you want to take it (the BlueAnt Supertooth Light from Episode 362 has a similar feature).  You can also listen in while a caller is leaving a voice mail.  It's also hooked up to A T & T's Voice Info for the weather, stock reports etc.

Rock That Ball !
As Dick observes, there's nothing Leo does that doesn't end up as a podcast.  Leo's trainer Al Scardino does a show called TWiT Fit every Thursday at 1 p.m. Pacifc time on TWiTLive.  Meanwhile, Leo continues to rock his Gophersport Ultrafit No-Burst Stability Ball (Episode 322), which goes ... "Round and round, and round it goes; Where it stops, nobody knows."  Like magic.

"I Am Incensed !!"
More on the DGW commercials.  Bruce Horn, Media Computing Systems Analyst/Administrator at University of California, Santa Cruz (UCSC), is incensed.  "Here you've been giving us the best, the funniest, the most informative pocast anywhere for the past few years," Bruce writes, " ... but the nerve of you wanting to get paid at least a little something for what you do!  Just to provide me with free entertainment? ..."  It turns out that Leo, whose father used to teach at UCSC, knows Bruce Horn.


Listen to Episode 659
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Cobra's MR F300 is a bluetooth handset designed for use on boats where there is a lot of ambient noise.  It pairs with your cellphone and produces loud and clear audio through its powerful speakers, with a noise-cancelling microphone which is enabled by pressing the PTT button (push to talk).  It's also waterproof for 30 minutes under 1 meter deep water.

A Sleeping-in Sunday Theme Coming Soon
Dick and Leo will be playing the new Sleeping-In Sunday Theme this Friday.

A Little Weekend Accident
Dick's boat was damaged by a giant wake caused by a big Staten Island Ferry as it zoomed by the marina.

Old Movies
Listen to Dick and Leo talk about Highway Patrol starring Broderick Crawford, and Plan 9 From Outer Space directed by Ed Wood (which they referred to back in Episode 176, when talking about The Amazing Criswell).

Make Your Own Ringtones
Dick was about to read again Shane Gibson's letter about making ringtones from DGW jingles (Episode 629), when he realised he had read the letter.  Leo suggests audiko.net for helping you make your own ringtones.

Pure White Noise
Regular correspondent Jim Levine thought he and his wife were the only people who couldn't sleep without the noise of the air-conditioner on, until he heard Dick (see especially Episode 559, the Marsona Sound Machine, although Dick has mentioned this habit of his in Episode 445 and most recently in Episode 612).  Jim found a CD which plays air-conditioning white noise, from Pure White Noise.

Eye Fi Explore
Leo has bought the Eye Fi Explore (Episode 608), just in time for his summer break at the Gray Eagle Lodge.


Listen to Episode 631
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This Siyoteam device combines a Bluetooth Adapter with a Card Reader, using a USB interface, in a tiny 2.7" x 0.9" x 0.67" body.  The bluetooth adapter is Bluetooth 2.0 compliant.  The card reader supports smaller flash cards: all cards from the SD family, Memory Stick family, MMC and TransFlash - but NOT Compact Flash.  Windows only.  Dick used it on his laptop to connect to the PLANon Printstik (Episode 613) using bluetooth.




Inspiration from a Toilet Roll
Life is like a toilet paper roll: The closer you get to the end, the faster it goes.

YooRyoo
Chris, signed "Yours in satire and underwerked", is an avid follower of DGW but is disappointed by how few of the DGW gadgets are Web 2.0 related.  Chris and his friends have created a website yooRyoo dedicated to Web 2.0 technologies, with a twist.  Learn all about My FaceLift, OnStarBucks and Yahoo's latest name change.

Mad Men
Mad Men is not about the Mad Magazine, but an AMC TV show about the Madison Avenue advertising industry set in the 1960's.


Listen to Episode 619
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The PLANon Printstik PS910 is a portable handheld printer which works with Windows and Blackberry phones.  It's 1" x 10.75" x 1.5" in size, 1.5 lb in weight, and prints black and white on to custom thermal paper (20 pages in one paper cartridge).  As with most thermal paper, it only prints up to the end of the document, so that a single print job does not necessarily use up a full page.  Connection can be via USB or Bluetooth.  Print resolution is up to 200 x 400 dpi, print speed is 3 pages per minute.  It uses a rechargeable battery, a full charge of which can print 30 pages.

It comes with an AC charger, one roll of paper cartridge, and an installation CD.  For $50 more, you can get the PS950 which includes a car adapter, a USB cord and an executive hardshell case for the cables and chargers, although the car adapter can be bought separately as an accessory for $30.  The refill paper cartridges are currently sold in packs of 3 for $25 (i.e. 60 pages, about 42 cents per page), or packs of 9 for $60 (about 33 cents per page).

Back to Square One
As the Chatroom noted while this episode was being recorded, Dick has previously covered another PLANon product, the DocuPen portable scanner, the very first gadget covered in DGW, Episode 1.

A New Sponsor ...
... for DGW, GoToMeeting, which Andy Marken used to show Dick a demonstration of Cyberlink's MediaShow 4 (Episode 583).  Listeners can try it for free for 30 days, at www.gotomeeting.com/gizwiz.  According to Dick's Digital Day Counter (Episode 611), it's been 195 days since the last cheque.  However long ago it was, It's been too long.

DownThemAll !
DGW marathon listener JR Rodriguez IV (see Episode 600) wants to thank Ludwik Trammer especially, for helping him download all 577 past episodes of DGW by setting up a special webpage for JR with all the right download links.  JR then used the Mozilla Firefox extension DownThemAll ! to download all the links on that page.

Any listeners who need to catch up with past episodes and want more convenient access to the download links can use the same webpage, at www.gizwizsearch.int.pl/list2.php, which automatically adds new episodes to the list.


Listen to Episode 613
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With effect from 1 July 2008, California and Washington will be among the many states which prohibit using your cellphone with your hands while driving.  One could of course still use a wired hands-free, but the Plantronics Discovery 925 will come in handy.  Super light-weight, it weighs in at 0.3 ounces only.  It comes in a carrying case, with a built-in rechargeable battery which recharges the device when you slot it into the case.

The package also comes with a USB charger and an AC charger, which you can connect to either the charging jack on the earpiece itself to recharge the device directly, or connect to the charging case to recharge the case.  3 earclips come as part of the packaged contents.

Plantronics' AudioIQ gives you noise cancellation, its multipoint technology allows you to pair up with up to 2 devices at the same time, and a single charge gives you 5 hours of talk time.  Leo thinks this is better than the Aliph Jawbone or the BlueAnt Supertooth Light (Episode 362) and feels very comfortable.  A worthy replacement of the Voyager 510 (Episode 252, which Leo lost while kayaking) or the Discovery 655 (Episode 173).

An Epitaph for Leo
Martin O' Connor from Galway, Ireland, who registered the url www.gadgetising.com (which has now lapsed) for Dick in Epsiode 148, suggests the following epitaph for Leo's tombstone, which Dick and Leo discussed in Episode 589 (while talking about the name for Leo's autobiography):  "Another TWiT, is in the can."

TWiTLive.com
Leo uses the URL twitlive.tv for TWiTLive.  A listener has registered twitlive.com and he is transferring the registration to Leo, which will take a little time to come through.

Thursday Theme?
Mike Wills of Podcastmike.com has done a Thursday theme for no-theme Thursday.  Maybe not, says Leo Cowell.


Listen to Episode 597
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