21 posts tagged “sony”

The In Your Face Viewbase has an adjustable grip that holds all models of the iPhone and iPod Touch, or any PMP up to 2 inches wide, at the end of a flexible 8" neck, which you can clamp on to a tray table on a flight, your monitor, or above the dashboard.  Do not mistake it for the iFlyz which Dick did in Episode 783, even though it costs the same $29.95.  The Viewbase does not use a suction cup as does the iFlyz.  To salvage his pride, Leo tells us that he first saw this product in January at MacWorld Expo, way before Dick did the iFlyz, and you can use it as a hands-free device in the car, and in the gym, and sock yourself in your face, as Leo deftly demonstrates.



Airport Accommodation
Back in Episode 616, Dick and Leo complained how airports seem to have been designed to do everything to prevent you from sleeping or lying down.  Shashank Sivaji recommends the Dubai Airport, which has long wide lounge chairs.

NOT PR
Phil Baker, who wrote in Episode 795 about his book From Concept to Consumer, explains that he is no PR guy, but an engineer/product developer, and offers to show Leo gadgets in production in China.  Dick thinks he bought a Sham Wow towel from Phil, but he's obviously mistaken - a reference to This Week In Tech Episode 188.

The iPods have no built-in radios.  Many other MP3 Players support FM, but one that supports AM Radio is rare.  There used to be the Pogo Radio Your Way, which Leo and Ron Rosberg talked about on The Tech Guy (but never on DGW), but it was discontinued after Apple threatened proceedings because Apple claimed it looked too much like an iPod.

Now Bob Crane (who also sells LED lights, see Episode 277, and the Kill A Watt, mentioned in Episode 553), who is a radio lover, has made the CC Witness audio player.  It plays mp3 and wma files, and has an AM/FM radio, with presets, and you can record radio programmes with it.  A built-in microphone enables voice recording as well.  2GB capacity with an SD card slot.  USB interface.  A docking kit with the player is also available.

If you wonder why Bob Crane's website or company is called C Crane (as Dick did back in Episode 277), it's because his name is Robert C. Crane.

Online Shopping
Richard Wilson ordered online a Sony Bravia TV, but it never came.  Fortunately he ordered it using his Visa, and he was credited with the defrauded amount.  Safe and secure.  Just like the commercial.


Listen to Episode 642
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From 1994, Sony made this SRF-X90 Monocular Sports Radio.  It was a 8x magnification monocular made for live sports viewing, with an AM/FM stereo radio.  The idea was you could watch the sports event while listening to radio commentary through the earphones, complete with AVLS (automatic volume limiter system).  Water-resistant.  Worked on one AA battery.

One of these is available on Amazon UK at the time of writing.

Folding the Omelette
Dick once showed on Regis a set of Börnschaft copper-bottomed pots, all for $20.  Instead of folding the omelette, Dick folded the frying pan, live on TV.

WTHII Game Show
In response to Leo's question whether WTHII could make a TV game show (Episode 610), Michael Richardson writes in to say that there was already such a show, Liar's Club.  You can watch clips from the show on YouTube, such as this link.


Listen to Episode 620
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Toilet Tunes consists of 2 parts, a motion sensor which you stick to the underside of the lavatory lid (waterproof and washable), and a music player.  Keep the lid down at all times.  When the lid is lifted, the motion sensor will send a wireless signal to the music player which will start playing music or nature sounds of your choice (jazz, modern, Latin guitar, rain, ocean waves, mountain stream).  An idea of screenwriter Lewis Green, the intended purpose is to alert others that the toilet is being occupied.  A unique toilet privacy solution.

Or you can lock the bathroom door.

New Thursday Theme
The new Thursday Theme by Dan Lueders gets aired today.

GizWizBiz Ice Cube
The GizWizBiz Ice Cube is not available for sale, but comes free if you order 2 or 3 GizWizBiz Caps.

The Ancient Sounds of Tetris
19-year-old Samuel Lewis seldom gets nostalgic over Warehouse Friday gadgets, but he was born in the year the Nintendo Game Boy (Episode 595) came out, and had one of them when he was old enough to play it.  He now plays a Nintendo DS, but still has the tune of Tetris in his head.


Listen to Episode 604
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From 1994 came the first Quickcam, made by Connectix, a sub-$100 webcam that gave you 320 x 240 greyscale moving images.  The camera in the shape of globe sat on a pyramid base.  The webcam technology was subsequently acquired by Logitech which still produces the Quickcam series.

The Connectix QuickCam was also ranked 40 in 2005 in PC World's 50 Top Gadgets of the last 50 years.

Dying of Boredom
Mark Donna writes to Dick about an article from 1961 in the Weekend Magazine, via pixelmatic.com: "Will life be worth living in 2000AD?"  One of the predictions was that everything would be so easy that people would die of boredom.

Mad Minute
Sex therapist Dr Rude answers some of your questions.


Listen to Episode 580
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VCR Plus, started by Henry Yuen of Gemstar, was a system of codes for recording individual TV programmes on your VCR.  Each programme had its own code, so that you could just enter the code into the VCRPlus-supported VCR machine or remote control, and your VCR would start recording the appropriate channel at the right time.  Watch this TV commercial from 1987.

Audible Jingle
Geoff Smith has made an "Audible Pick of the Week" jingle for TWiT.  Check out his ringtones on thegeoffsmith.com/.

Keyboard Cleaning
Mike of Eagle River, Alaska took Leo's advice to heart and put his keyboard into the dishwasher, let it dry for a few days, and even put it in the oven.  The result upon reconnection?  Sparks flew.

Listen to Episode 560
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The SanDisk FlashBack Adapter from SanDisk is essentially an SD card reader/writer adapter for the Express Card slot on your laptop.  It comes with software which you can install on your laptop (Windows only) which you can configure to back up selected data in the background, on to an SD card.

IBM 1130
The Honeywell H316 Pedestal Kitchen Computer (Episode 515) prompted a listener (whose name Dick forgets to mention) to write in.  Back in 1970, he had a 5-year lease on an IBM 1130 with a card reader, printer and cartridge and tech support, for $2,000.   That's $2,000 a month.  For more on its history, visit IBM's archives.

This is Issue 114 for March 1985 of Gadget, "the newsletter for grown-up kids", sent to Dick by a listener.  Its 12 pages were filled with wonders of 1985 gadegetry, 23 years ago.  It had news of Sony's new 1-pound CD Player for $300, Canon's PC-20 Photocopier for $1,095, and Kodak's Kodavision "lightweight" 5-pounder 8mm video recorder for $1,900, and for an extra $300, you could get a timer/tuner for the Kodavision.  Other gems included a dental mirror, Intelliwriter, and a speakerphone.

No Letters Today
No letters today, but perhaps Dick is still looking for the letter from the listener who kindly sent him the Gadget Newsletter for the Gadget Warehouse.

Update
The listener who sent Dick the Gadget Magazine was British Columbia Provincial Court Judge Brian Davis.  See Episode 548.


Listen to Episode 510
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Made as a direct competitor to the iPod Shuffle, the Sansa Clip is about 2.2 x 1.4 x 0.65 inches, 0.1 pounds, available in 1GB, 2GB and 4GB models (the 4GB model coming at the end of February) and different colours.

To compete with Apple, Sandisk has packed in more features, including an OLED screen, FM radio, and a built-in microphone for voice recording, and much more competitively priced.  Connection to your Windows PC is via the included USB cable.  Naturally it comes with a belt clip.

From a Microbiologist ...
Seth, who was still a microbiology student in Provo, Utah in Episode 137 and let off by a policeman (a fellow fan of DGW) for the failed tail light in his car, has now graduated and is working at a clinical microlab at a hospital.  As a microbiologist, Seth comments on the Pocket UV Disinfector (for keyboards) discussed by Leo in Episode 462 (and earlier in Episode 432).  UV can definitely kill many harmful microbes, but the best practice for cleaning a keyboard is to use several anti-bacterial tools in conjunction with UV light (or direct sunlight), such as wiping it with a cloth dampened with mild bleach or hydrogen peroxide.

Leo's keyboards are so congealed with fungi and other growths that he prefers putting them through the dishwasher, which he uses for cleaning his rubber shoes as well.  Dick is not having dinner at Leo's, unless it's on paper plates.

Listen to Episode 493
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Read Dick's Write-Up

Its official launch is not until 1 March 2008, but the BeerTender is supposed to have its own unofficial fan site already.  Made by Krups for Heineken (after Philips pulled out of the venture) and resembling a coffee maker, it's a beer keg for your own home.  You can have the Heineken DraughtKeg or the Premium Light DraughtKeg.  It keeps the beer cool and the temperature can be adjusted to your own taste.  It tells you the temperature, how much is left in the keg and how many days before the beer will go stale.  Will be carried by Williams-Sonoma.  Leo prefers Chimay, a Belgian beer made by Trappist monks.

Perfect Podcast Playing Device
Colin L (aged 16) writes in response to Episode 433, in which Dick and Leo talked about the perfect device for listening to podcasts (as a result of a listener writing in about the Insignia Pilot).  He notes that the Sony PSP had been left out.  The PSP was the reason he listens to TWiT.  The RSS Feed feature on the PSP is perfect for podcasts.  He connects wirelessly using the PSP to the feeds on Leo's podcasts, and it streams perfectly.  The Zune2 and iPod Touch might be worthy competitors.

Listen to Episode 483
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Read Dick's Write-Up