42 posts tagged “gps”

The Axius and Zeus Propulsion Systems, designed respectively for twin sterndrive engines and twin inboards, use pod units that can operate independently of each other.  This offers much more efficient and accurate control of boat movements.  They are connected to a computer which gives you easy manoeuvrability of the boat with the simple use of a joystick.  Just move the joystick and the computer will work out which pod units to use for the desired movement.  You can move the boat sideways, or just spin the boat around - docking and piloting made easy.  The Skyhook button, with the help of a GPS, keeps the vessel on a fixed heading (particularly useful in a tight area) even in strong currents and windy conditions.


Dick was invited to test the system at Chelsea Piers and had fun trying it out.  The Axius and Zeus can be found on selected models of Sea Ray boats, including the 350 Sundancer.  On some other models, they come as options.



Leo on Obama Watch
On Father's Day, Leo got what President Obama got, the same watch that President Obama has worn.  It says so on the back of the watch.  Obama's watch was given to him on his 46th birthday by the Secret Service agents responsible his security during his presidential campaign, available in the Secret Service employees' store.  It was made by Jorg Gray.  Read about it on the site onthedash.  Jorg Gray has now released a commemorative edition of the watch, available here.


4th July Fireworks
To celebrate the 400th anniversary of Henry Hudson's arrival, Macy's fireworks were moved to the Hudson River and so, much closer to Dick's boat, which he could watch without a TV.  But what's the fun of doing that?

A Gadget for Sign Language Users
Barbara Schneider from Sebastopol, California, has restricted shoulder movements.  When she heard about the Dynaflex Powerball Gyroscope (Episode 832), she checked out one of the videos and was surprised to see her former American sign language teacher, whom she had not seen for 15 years, discussing the advantages of the gadget for sign language users.

From the TWiT Cottage to Gizneyland
Barbara lives in Leo's neck of the woods and has sat in on one of Leo's shows.  The first time she visited the TWiT Cottage was when she went for a group meeting upstairs from Leo and stumbled upon him.  She will be staying with her brother in New York City in the last 2 weeks of July and has requested a visit to Dick's Gadget Warehouse, or a live taping of the Daily Giz Wiz at Gizneyland.

The Mysterious Case of the Missing Salad
A crime wave has hit Petaluma?  Leo put a salad in the fridge near the door one weekend.  When he returned at noon, the salad had gone.  Nothing else went missing.  Maybe it was Barbara.  Maybe Barbara is a stalker.  Dane Golden however is convinced that Leo has misplaced it.  If anyone detects the smell of rotting cucumbers, spinach, mushroom, artichoke hearts, beets, etc, report to Leo.


Listen to Episode 873
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Leo was tempted to buy the Palm Pre (Episode 862), but after Apple announced the features on the latest iteration of the iPhone, Leo got the iPhone 3GS instead.  It has a faster processor and hence the "S" suffix for speed.  In addition to the GPS which already existed in the iPhone 3G, the 3GS has a compass (as on the Android G1 in Episode 686) which in due course will enable more applications based on the magnetometer, e.g. like the Layar browser on Android.  The Find Me feature on the Mobile Me service will help you locate your phone based on its network connectivity.  The Kill Switch can remotely erase all your personal data on the phone via the internet in case you have lost the phone.

The auto-focus camera is now 3 megapixel, with the ability to change the focus after you tap a particular point on the LCD display, which also adjusts the white balance and exposure.  It's now capable of capturing video (640 x 480), with software to do simple editing or trimming on the phone itself.

Some of the other more commonly requested features, such as "copy and paste", MMS and tethering, have finally found their way into the iPhone 3GS.  Multitasking, however, is still restricted.

Video Trimming on the iPhone 3GS
Leo has tried the video trimming function oh his new iPhone 3GS, and it works for him.  Here's Apple's demo video:

Scott-E-Vest Wardrobe in a Tom Bihn Bag
For his China Tour and MacMania 9 Geek Cruise, Leo has packed an almost exclusively Scottevest wardrobe, in his new Tom Bihn Tri-Star (see Episode 865) which, it is hoped, Leo will cover on a TTTT.  Right now, Leo has finished the trip in China and should be in Japan on the Costa Classica.  Follow his AudioBoos, and view Leo's gallery on Smugmug.

Ed McMahon Dies
Ed McMahon, whose appearance in the Johnny Carson Show is often the subject of reminiscence on the Daily Giz Wiz, passed away on 23 June 2009, aged 86.

Another Cheesy Infomercial
Jayzee, better known as Toyota Boy, notes that cheesy infomercials have often been the subject of conversation on the show, and has recently seen a really cheesy one.  It's the Comfort Wipe, a toilet paper extension arm and holder.  The original infomercial can be seen on YouTube, but perhaps a more interesting version is a spoof of it shown on Jimmy Kimmel Live, featuring President Obama, also available on YouTube.

Bidets Rule Supreme
Alex Lindsay is much enamoured with the bidets in Japan which wash your behind (and some even blow-dry you), and offer choices of water-jet speeds and temperatures, and temperature-controlled seats.  They are available in the US and Alex has bought one for his family.  An extreme example is the Bio Bidet Supreme BB-1000 with Remote that leaves nothing to the imagination, but there are more reasonably-priced toilet add-ons on Amazon for your more basic comforts.



Listen to Episode 872
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A piece of software from CMS Products, the Bounceback Ultimate.  It backs up everything (data, operating system, settings) on your hard drive to any external USB hard drive, which is a bootable backup.  You can also back up to multiple drives, create versioned backups, enable encrypted backups, recover any lost data from the backup, restore your computer to a previous state, and if your hard drive has failed, even boot up from the USB hard drive (as long as your computer BIOS supports booting from a USB device).  You can buy from CMS a hard drive with the software installed, or you can buy the software as a stand-alone product.

Leo's China Tour
Leo is nearing his China Tour.  He'll be staying at the Raffles Hotel in Beijing first, visit the Great Wall of China from there, the terracotta warriors in Xian, the Li River in Guilin, turn back to Beijing before going on the Geek Cruise, which will visit places in Korea and Japan.  He will be leaving the TWiT Cottage on 2 July and come back on 18 July.

Missing 499
Curt Estridge, whose letter was referred to in Episode 841, listens to the Daily Giz Wiz at work with one earbud, leaving half an ear for his boss.  Curt does listen to a stereo podcast which it is OK to listen to with one ear, and that's "Says You", also available on Audible.  Curt loves the Daily Giz Wiz, and all the MAD Magazines he's won from the WTHII game.  He hasn't missed a MAD issue, except Issue 499 which he couldn't find anywhere.  Dick invites Curt to send him an email to sort that out.

Leo doesn't beg
Leo is looking for cycling accessories, including the cyclocomputer-GPS Garmin Edge 705.  Leo will not beg for it from Garmin, but Dick might.  Dick's got Plantronics to send Leo a Voyager Pro (Episode 829) for him to review.



Pre-View Unit Controversy
Just don't talk to Leo right now about review units, as yesterday, Leo, ever the nice guy, threw an uncharacteristic fit on TWiTLive during the Gillmor Gang show, over his being one of a select group of tech journalists who had been given a review unit of the Palm Pre.  Read a summary of it on John C Dvorak's blog, which also has a clip of the video that contains strong language from Leo in reaction to comments from Mike Arrington.

Anyone who has listened to Leo for any length of time knows how meticulous Leo tries to be in returning review units, and how many gadgets he's had to buy for himself, to avoid even the appearance of a possibility of conflict of interest, even though it is fairly common for journalists to keep some review units - in which case the reviewer needs to prove his credibility in the long term, and many journalists have succeeded in doing so.  But it is against this background that Leo's reaction and use of language must be understood.  It must have been extremely galling for Leo, who has spent so many years building up a reputation of integrity and a relationship of trust with his audience, to find himself at the wrong end of a suggestion of a possible lack of independence by another tech journalist as experienced and knowledgeable as Arrington, just because Leo got a review unit.

Arrington has put his side of the story on TechCrunch.  In the midst of the explanations and justifications in that blog post, Arrington has made an apology.  Leo in response has also made an apology in the comments section.  Read it all for yourself.


Listen to Episode 846
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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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Another gadget from the Miami Boat Show, the Garmin GPSMAP 640 is a dual mode GPS device which can be used as a marine chartplotter and a city GPS turn-by-turn navigator.  When placed in the marine mount or automotive mount (which come included with the device), it will switch automatically to the appropriate mode.  It has a 5.2-inch touch screen, 800 x 480 pixels, an SD card slot, waterproof, preloaded with BlueChart g2 marine data (such as tides and currents, depth contours) and City Navigator NA maps.

Workaholics
When TWiTLive was off the air recently for a couple of days, Leo found himself at a loose end home and became a little unbearable to Jennifer.  Dick likewise is a workaholic who has not taken a vacation for years.

A Fireplace for TWiT Cottage
Dick's friend Dennis Wunderlin (aka Dexterity Dennis) has a fireplace insert from Dimplex, and Dick recommends it to Leo for the old fireplace at TWiT Cottage.  Leo saw one in action on Valentine's Day in a San Francisco hotel and plans to get one for the Californian summer.  At least that will give him something to talk about on another TTTT.

Respect for the Sea
Dick was once out in the sea in his boat when it was hit by a huge wave and the boat was tossed straight up.  Since then, he's had a lot of respect for the sea.  He now has a smaller 22 feet boat and he seldom ventures out into the ocean unless it's really calm.

Christmas Gift on Valentine's Day
Ludwik of GizWizSearch is such a friend to DGW that Dick decided to send him a Christmas package of GizWiz goodies.  Dick sent it by priority mail and the parcel arrived safely in Poland for Ludwik on Valentine's Day.  Leo suggests that Dick sell a Ludwik Prize Pack.  Dick thinks a Bernie Madoff Treasure Pack might be a better idea.

A Choice for Tomorrow's Gadget
Dick has prepared a gadget for tomorrow's show, but a parcel has just arrived too.  Leo will have the choice.


Listen to Episode 773
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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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Thanks to a reminder by listener Steve Horlick, originally from Brooklyn who now lives in Gillette, Wyoming, Dick talks about the Panasonic CPA - the Check Printing Accountant.  From 15 to 20 years ago, this gadget looked like a thick calculator, which could print out your cheques (you would have to type in the details on the tiny qwerty keyboard), and even balance your cheque book.  Dick saw the demo, did not want to try it for himself, and did not want one for himself, not even for the Gadget Warehouse.

The Five Boroughs of New York
Dick and Leo discuss what is a "borough" in New York.  Find out a bit more from Wikipedia.

Landing on the Hudson River
Dick was alerted to the landing by Chesley Sullenberger of the US Airways jet on the Hudson River, but was advised that boat owners should not go down the river to where the jet landed.  So Dick doesn't have photos of the landing for us, but he has photos of the Hudson 24 hours after the landing!  Almost as good.  See Dick's photos on smugmug.

Butter and Margarine
Leo tries to lure Dick to this year's Butter and Eggs Day at Petaluma, on Saturday, 25 April 2009, with Petaluma's Cutest Little Chick.  Leo explains again how the perpetual parade works.  Everyone in town will be in the parade, except Leo, as he has to do the radio show.  Jennifer will be in it, doing her zumba class.  The theme of this year's 28th Annual Parade is "Recycle, Reuse, Remember".

The Fragrance of Petaluma
Two times of the year, in the spring and the fall, Petaluma has a fragrance pervading the town.  It's when the farmers lay down the fertilisers.  If you can't get enough of Petaluma talk by Dick and Leo, try the Petaluma Ristorante in Manhattan.

Mad In Your Eye
Dick has uncovered a case of trade paperbacks "Here's Mad In Your Eye".  Available at BuyMadStuff.

Stop Scrolling
One used to have to keep scrolling down on Dick's website to see all his stuff.  With a little help from Ludwik and GoToMeeting, Dick has finally given his stuff its own pages.

Nerdy Pleasure
Listener Andrew started watching Leo on ZDTV back in his high school days, when it was a nerdy pleasure for him.  A few years ago he was glad to find Leo's new podcasting empire.  He has recently discovered a gadget which is exactly what he has for a long time been hoping for and would very much like Leo to do a review of it.  It's the Car Camera Voyager Pro with GPS Logger from Brick House Security.  It has an internal "event" sensor for detecting speed, braking, acceleration and impact.  It constantly records a video, with GPS logging, on to an SD card, and will retain 10 seconds prior to and 30 seconds after an "event".  Plug the SD card into a computer and you can watch the video with your car's GPS location.



Another Record
Dick and Leo are enjoying themselves in this recording session.  Yesterday was a half-hour show, and today, at 33:55, this is the longest episode of DGW.


Listen to Episode 755
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Another GPS after Leo's TomTom One 3rd Edition (Episode 702).  Bushnell's BackTrack is designed for a limited and specific purpose.  No maps, no voice directions, just directions for getting back to where you started: your house, your car, and a customisable third location.  Good for camping, hiking, or getting back to your car-park.  Uses the SIRF Star III GPS Receiver.

Anti-Allergen
Kimberley suffers from a potentially deadly allergy to peanuts.  Having the Nirvana Organizer (Episode 691) is a life-saver for her as it protects her from any traces of peanuts which might be in the seat pocket.


Listen to Episode 711
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A portable and very affordable version of TomTom''s GPS devices, the TomTom One 3rd Edition has a 3.5" touchscreen LCD display, 1GB internal memory, lithium ion battery, and what Leo likes best is the offer of downloadable voices, including the Samantha voice, Dennis Hopper, Mr T, and user-created voices (like Glados of the Portal video game) - some of which have to be paid for.


The TomTom One 3rd edition also comes with a windscreen holder, a car charger and a USB cable.

From the Dean of the Faculty of Business Administration at the Uganda University
Leo wants to include Dick in this business proposal from the Dean, Joseph Owor.  For Dick's share of email scams, see Episode 525.

And now, a Real Letter
Bill Burgar from the UK uses a DGW theme to create a playlist for every day of the week, and uses the playlist as his "alarm clock".  Sometimes Bill has to catch up with the DGW shows, and has listened to 16 in a row.  Not recommended for keeping your sanity.


Listen to Episode 702
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A heads-up from a listener, Charles from Berkeley, California.  No need to worry about your shopping cart with your child sitting in it rolling down the slope.  At one end of the CartStopper is a giant suction cup, connected to a bungee cord with a hook at the other end which you attach to the shopping cart.  The device is strong enough to hold in place a full shopping cart with a child in it.

Leo thinks the CartStopper might be another Purseguard (Episode 406).  That's not going to please Shopping Mom Dyanne who designed the device!

CES 2009 Preview
Dick was at the CES 2009 Preview last week.  CES has to hold a preview in order to announce the CES awards in January.

Busy Bee
Busy Bee Ludwik Trammer is at work again.  He has some ideas for Dick's site, and is going to show Dick on Go To Meeting.  By the way, Giz Wiz Search now has a new .com URL: www.gizwizsearch.com.

The Joy of Gadgets
The Kodak Disc Camera (Episode 690) brings back fond memories of a strong and vibrant company for Brent [Cascamenti] from Rochester, New York, who has been working for Kodak as an electrical engineer for 27 years.  Brent has been a faithful listener since Episode 1, and thanks Dick and Leo for bringing him the joy of gadgets.

Skunk Works
Brent uses the word "Skunk Works" in his letter, which Leo explains to Dick, with a little help from Wikipedia, first used by Lockheed Martin in 1938.  The name has its origin in Al Capp's comic strip L'il Abner.

Dick's Thanksgiving
No small talk for Dick's party at Thanksgiving, where his pineapple upside down cake is de rigueur (in addition to the gravy of course).  For more on Dick's Thanksgiving celebrations, go back to Episode 199.  Whenever Dick misses his Thanksgiving fare, he can go to "Good Enough To Eat", all year round.  This is also the restaurant Dick took Leo for a huge breakfast when Leo was in New York (listen to the beginning of Episode 334).

Ready for TTTT
Leo had numerous ideas for last week's TTTT (see Episode 697), but only after the recording had ended.  This time, he's ready.


Listen to Episode 701
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