34 posts tagged “portable”
3M Micro Professional Projector
Pocket Projector
Link: 3M MPro
The projector supports video only. Presumably if your presentation includes sound, that can be played and heard directly from your source device, such as your laptop, PDA, or cellphone.
On the body of the projector is an on/off switch and a focus wheel. It uses a rechargeable Lithium ion battery with a battery life of 40 to 60 minutes. An AC adapter is included which, when connected, automatically recharges the battery.
12 Days of GizWiz
Dick reminds Leo about Paul Minshall's "12 Days of GizWiz" video, which will be played in the next recording session. You can watch the video now in the Episode 722 blog post, or go directly to Paul's blog.
Dennis Wright from Manchester, England (who last wrote in Episode 606) warns against the perils of listening to DGW by commuting drivers. Dennis was listening to Episode 704 while driving and the ridiculous picture painted by Leo of Dick and Leo entertaining the troops by showing them the CartStopper (Episode 701) intended for mums cracked him up, giving him an uncomfortably close brush with the hereafter. He thinks that Dane, while editing the shows (although it should be Tony Wang doing it now), should include appropriate warnings against uproarious funny moments.
Skipping Christmas?
Dick and Leo should have enough pre-recorded shows to cover most of the holiday season before Leo comes back from France, and are considering skipping the Christmas and Christmas Eve shows. Dane reminds them that this would break the neat round episode numbering. Dick and Leo think they might just put in short episodes for those days with Christmas messages.
Listen to Episode 724
Go to TWiT
The Giz Wiz Home Page
Blue Snowflake
Portable USB Microphone
Link: Blue
Blue makes professional high-end microphones, but also podcasting mics. Leo used to use the Snowball, but he got the new Snowflake from Dr Bott. It is a USB microphone with a silver ball which slides flat into or sits up at an angle from, the holder. The holder can also mount itself on to the screen of your laptop with the mic sitting on top. No special driver required. Works on Windows and Mac. The mic works well even if you don't have your mouth up close to the mic.
Alessandro Abate corrects Leo again (after Episode 562), about the number of hobo names in John Hodgman's "The Areas of My Expertise". There are 700 in the Audible edition (not 300 as Leo said in Episode 567), and 800 in the paperback edition. It has inspired the site "The 700 Hoboes Project", at e-hobo.com. Accompanying John Hodgman on the guitar in the Audible edition is Jonathan Coulton.
Rock-Banding with Jonathan Coulton
Most listeners of Leo's podcasts, especially TWiT Episode 133, have heard about the live concert of Jonathan Coulton in which Leo, Merlin Mann and Veronica Belmont joined to play the song "Still Alive", written for the video game Portal. It's on YouTube.
Listen to Episode 602
Go to TWiT
The Giz Wiz Home Page
Ziszor
Portable Paper Shredder
Link: Ziszor
A Wireless Toaster
Karen Toast Conger, of ToastFloats, used to work for WatchGuard, a network security devices company. As a parting gift, she was given a very special toaster. Her colleagues bought her a Cuisinart toaster, took it apart, and put a WatchGuard Firebox X Edge wireless router into it. A wireless router, security device, and a toaster.
Listen to Episode 557
Go to TWiT
The Giz Wiz Home Page
Cliphanger
Clip for Mobile Devices
Link: Cliphanger
You can also get the Cliphanger Shield, custom-made for major models of mobile devices, which in addition to the Cliphanger includes a shield or case for protecting the device.
Petaluma Attractions
Now that the TWiT Studio is almost ready, Dick is keen to visit Petaluma and its many tourist attractions, including its bus stop, post office, parking lot, stop light and the lack of retail space. Leo is going to put Dick up in the Z, the M or the Hellton, or if Dick doesn't mind the distance, the Bates Motel.
The Land of the Rolling Hills
This year is the sesquicentennial of the birth of the town of Petaluma, even though its history is obscure, explains Leo, and no one knows what the name means - except Leo of course, who left us in no doubt in Episode 313 that it is a native Indian word meaning "the Land of the Rolling Hills".
But here's a conundrum. The Petaluma Firefighters celebrated their sesquicentennial last year, also according to Leo (see Episode 311). So people organised themselves into firefighters for a town a year before the town even existed? It must have been a fiery place 150 years ago. People after Dick's own heart, those early Petalumans. Safety first. Never mind building the town.
Butter and Eggs
Petaluma's Butter and Eggs Day will be on Saturday 26 April this year. Watch out for the Cow Chip Tossing Contest, the Cutest Little Chick In Town Contest, and the Rotating Parade. For Leo's descriptions of past parades, listen to Episodes 56 and 311.
DGW Audience
At the last count, the DGW audience consists of 4 listeners: Shane Shellenbarger, Mark Sukoenig, Myra Joyce (Girl Geek, aka Gadget Girl and Geek Chick to Dick) and Dan Lueders. Ludwik Trammer doesn't count as he doesn't understand English, and Brian Davis doesn't listen any more for obvious reasons (Episode 548).
Dean, Dan, Dufus, Dave et al
After calling Dane Golden correctly on Monday, Dick starts calling him Dean again today, and Leo finally tries to put Dick right. Dick complains that Dane should make up his mind about what his name is, and wonders why he doesn't address Dick as Chief, or Kimosabe.
Start the Law Suit
Peter Mangione writes in to tell on CBS Radio in New York, FM101.1. They have a programme called Turn-The-Table-Tuesday. Start the law suit !! After some discussion on whose idea it was to call the Tuesday podcast Turn-The-Tables-Tuesday, Leo clarifies the confusion. The CBS radio programme is called Turntable Tuesday. Stop the law suit !!!
For a reminder of how TTTT came about, see Episode 115.
Listen to Episode 549
Go to TWiT
The Giz Wiz Home Page
Belkin Mini Surge Protector
Portable Power Strip with USB Charger
Link: Belkin
Leap Year Contest
There are 18 winners for the contest (3 Maxtor drives, 10 copies of YouCam, 5 copes of CrazyTalk5). Check out if you're one of them.
Leap Day Warehouse Friday
Jim Driscoll has found out that the next leap day that falls on a Friday will be in the year 2036, and we will be having DGW Episode 7795.
Listen to Episode 534
Go to TWiT
Read Dick's Write-Up
The Energizer Duo
Portable USB/Power Outlet Charger
Link: Energizer
Jittery Jingle Singers
Recently the Letters Jingle has been a little jittery, and stutters quite a bit. Get your act together please, Leo.
From a Tired Lonely Soldier
Scott Brocks, who calls himself a tired lonely soldier, with an Army Post Office address, says the podcast means a lot to him, and thanks Dick and Leo for it. Dick prays that Scott is not being tortured in captivity by being forced into listening to 40 episodes of DGW in a row by al Qaeda. Dick and Leo thank Scott and other soldiers for their service.
Dog Cartoon
Listen to Dick's description of a cartoon in the New Yorker about how a private investigator dog gets the info he wants.
Listen to Episode 506
Go to TWiT
Read Dick's Write-Up
Zodiac2
Portable Game Console/PDA
Link: The Gadgeteer Trusted Reviews
Something's Coming, Something Good
As promised in Episode 350, Dick and Leo celebrate the 400th Episode with sound effects - a sneeze, a rattle and crappy sound quality from Leo.
Keeping Track of a Bluetooth Phone
Nils Anderson wants to have a USB dongle bluetooth-based alarm to keep track of another bluetooth device like his cellphone. Dick remembers Leo once did a bluetooth headset which alerts you if the cellphone goes out of range. They wonder whether it's a Plantronics Voyager or a Cardo, and think it's a Cardo. It is actually the Plantronics Voyager 510 which Leo reviewed in Episode 252, and a listener Peter Lee pointed out in Episode 281 that Leo forgot to mention these extra functions of the Voyager 510 in his original review. The Cardo Scala 700 (Episode 191) comes with a headset locator. It locates the headset, not the cellphone.
What makes a guaranteed hit
After 40 years of gadgeteering, Dick still doesn't know what makes a gadget sell. Dick and Leo talk about the iPod mini and Erich Segal's Love Story, the iPhone packaging, and then on to the Zune Phone as predicted on YouTube.
Listen to Episode 400
Read Dick's Write-Up
Go to TWiT
Callpod Chargepod
Portable Charger
Link: Callpod
Reminiscent of the Power Squid (Episode 24), which is a power adapter and surge protector, the Chargepod is a power charger for your small portable devices, such as iPod, cellphones and mp3 players. Less than 3" in diameter and 1" thick, it charges up to 6 devices with the appropriate adapter/tip.
Batteries
Dick tells the story about Duracell's project to produce a standardised rechargeable battery for all mobile devices, which got nowhere because manufacturers wanted to sell their own proprietary batteries. Leo gripes about Apple's recent patent application for their new MagSafe Charger.
Soccer Ball Ice-Cream Maker
Andrew Darlow, Editor of Imaging Buffet, heard about Leo's Cuisinart Ice-Cream Maker (Episode 347) and suggested the soccer ball ice-cream maker from Play & Freeze. Put the ingredients into the ball and just roll it. No need to crank or shake. Read the instructions here. Available at Amazon.
Stirring Mug
The maker of the Stirring Mug (Episode 354) is very pleased with Dick's plug on DGW.
Listen to Episode 368
Read Dick's Write-Up
Go to TWiT
Targus Flexible Mobile Keyboard
PDA Keyboard
Link: Targus
Turn-The-Tables-Tuesday
A flexible keyboard that rolls up for portability, which Akash Sablok introduced on "The Lab With Leo". Works with USB and PS2.
Setting the Bar
Tim from Australia notes that Leo has set the bar so low with the Spork (Episode 182) that anything else seems great.
GizWizBiz Hats ...
... are selling like hot cakes. Dick has sold 70 already and has only 30 left. Hurry up!
The Lab With Leo now on Google Video
All guest segments from The Lab With Leo are now on Google Video. Check them out. Dick and Patrick Norton were on the set recently. Photo available on Flickr.
Philips DCP850
Portable DVD/iPod/SD Card Video Player
Link: Philips
8.5" swivel colour LCD screen, plays DVDs, videos from the iPod (with dock), videos from SD card (DivX, MPEG4).
The DemonDialer
Fernando from Mexico loves the DemonDialer (Episode 355). It's an easy way to win TV phone-in contests and to call the fellow called The Tech Guy.
Vegas
Leo has just come back from the Electronic Entertainment Media Association Conference while Dick is going there soon for the Marine Accessories Aftermarket Trade Show. Leo did a keynote panel, and discovered that although over half of the "power consumers" had Hi-Def TV, none of them owned a Hi-Def Disc Player, to the chagrin of the movie industry.