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Keep Your Tablet Clear with the Lenspen SideKick

Posted by Andrew at 5:16 PM on January 28, 2012

Lenspen LogoLenspen have a long history of products in the photography market and they’ve brought their expertise of lens cleaning to the mobile gadget space. Their client list reads like a who’s who of the photography market with Nikon, Canon and Sony all producing OEM-branded version of Lenspen’s lens cleaning tools. Todd and Don chat with Peter from Lenspen to get an update on the latest products.

Last year, Lenspen introduced the first SideKick and since then the product line has been expanded with new colours and new packaging. The SideKick is a matchbox-sized sprung-loaded carbon pad that is wiped over the screen and completely removes fingerprints from tablet and smartphone screens. Using a carbon-based technology, the SideKick absorbs oils without any abrasion leaving a perfectly cleaning screen. It then closes up to keep all the carbon inside and one cartridge will do 300-400 cleanings before needing to be replaced. The SideKick is available online and in retail stores from $14.99 for a single SideKick. Other package combinations are available.

Lenspen also has specific cleaning products for LCD monitors and screens, such as the Laptop-Pro, that removes both dust and fingerprints.

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

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Parrot Introduces Cool Products like AR Drone Mark 2

Posted by KL Tech Muse at 4:13 PM on January 28, 2012

Parrot There are some products that are shown at CES that are just cool and everyone who is a kid at heart just wants, the AR. Drone by Parrot is one of those gadgets. This year at CES 2012 they introduced AR. Drone Mark 2. The Mark 2 (aka AR. Drone 2.0) is controlled by a smart phone or tablet. It has a one button launch. Once it is launched it will sit and hove till the next command. The AR. Drone Mark 2 can fly up to 150 feet in the air, or as far as wi-fi will allow.  AR. Drone Mark 2 has stabilization and pressure sensor technology built into it. On the front is an HD camera and a standard def camera on the bottom. You can stream and record the video back to the phone via wi-fi. The video can then be uploaded to your favorite social site, including YouTube and Facebook.

It come with two hulls one for in home use and one for outdoor use. It is built to take some crashes, but if something breaks you can get replacement parts are on-line. The AR. Drone Mark 2 should be available according to Peter George of Parrot in the second quarter of 2012 for about $299.00

Once you are finished playing with the AR. Drone Mark 2, you may want to relax with a little music and some quiet time, well Parrot has you covered there too. They are introducing a pair of stereo cordless headsets that are noise canceling called the Parrot Zik . They work over either Bluetooth or the included cord. They run on a chargeable battery and give about 5 hours of listening pleasure. Once the battery runs down you can continue listening by connecting the cord. What makes the Parrot Zik headphones stand out besides the great style by French designer Philippe Starck are the controls on the headphones. There is a sensitive touchpad on the headphone which allows you to skip back and forth thru tracks by swiping right or left and control volume by swiping up and down. The headphones fold down flat to fit into a small carrying case. There is no price or launch date at this time, but they should be available sometime in 2012 at various retailers. All together Parrot introduced seven new products at CES 2012, including three additional products in the car environment and the asteroid marketplace.   You can take a look at all of them at their Web site Parrot.

Interview by Todd Cochrane of [Geek News Central](http://www.geeknewscentral.com ) and Don Baine The Gadget Professor of Geek News Central

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LG Styler Overview

Posted by KL Tech Muse at 8:34 AM on January 27, 2012

LG Styler If you are a businessman or women you know how important it is to have your cloths wrinkle free and smelling fresh. You also know how expensive dry cleaning can get. LG may have an answer for you, the LG Styler. The LG Styler is about the size of a storage wardrobe. The cloths hang from a rack and steam is used to gently remove wrinkles and odors. There are no harsh chemicals involved. It takes about thirty-nine minutes to steam and dry a shirt.

Right now the LG Styler is only available in S. Korea and Japan, but they hope to have it available in the U.S for around $2,000 by the end of the year. At this point LG is looking at selling the Styler not only to individuals, but also to high end hotels and other companies that cater to the business travellers. Wouldn’t it be nice to get to a hotel room, unpack and place your shirts in the LG Styler and then in less then 40 minutes you are ready to go. Your cloths smell fresh and are wrinkle free. The LG Styler isn’t supposed to replace dry cleaning, but it might keep your cloths ready to wear between dry cleanings.

Interview by Todd Cochrane of Geek News Central

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Trikke A Fun (Electric) Ride

Posted by KL Tech Muse at 8:29 AM on January 27, 2012

Trikke If you live in the city or suburbs and are looking for a vehicle that you could ride to work and have fun doing it, then you may want to take a look at the Trikke. As the word indicates the Trikke is a three-wheeled electric vehicle.  Because it has three wheels it is very stable and easy to ride. You simply turn the throttle and go. You can lean into the curves and the wheels never leave the ground. It folds up so you can easily fit it in the back of a car or carry it into the office. A Trikke weights between 35 and 48 pounds (with battery) depending on the model, so you are probably not going to want to carry it far. You can plug it into any outlet to recharge it. A battery takes about three hours to fully recharge.  On a fully charged battery a Trikke will go from 10 to 24 miles depending on model and weight of the rider.  You can reach speeds up to 17 miles per hour.

Trikkes are available in different colors and models and the prices range from $1300 to $2200 depending on the model. If you are a skier a Trikke would be a great way to keep in shape for the skiing season. You use the same muscle and movements on a Trikke that you do for skiing and it is low impact.  Easier to ride than a bike and a lot better on the bottom.

Interview by Todd Cochrane of Geek News Central

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G Form Extreme Gadget Protection

Posted by Andrew at 12:15 AM on January 22, 2012

G-Form Logo

G-Form is best know for its protective gear for high adrenaline sports but using this know-how, it’s protecting something much more precious – your expensive tablet with its Extreme range of cases. If you think this is gimmick, these guys dropped an iPad in an Extreme Portfolio from a weather balloon at 100,000+ feet….and it survived.

Todd talks to Rick Garrard to find out more about the high altitude drop and gets a demonstration of what happens when an 8 lb bowling ball lands on a packet of chocolate M&Ms covered with G-Form’s Extreme protection. Mmm, chocolate.

The Extreme cases and sleeves are on-sale now from $34.95 upwards for the iPad and Kindle Fire (or 10″ and 7″ tablets).

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

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Zagg HZO – Waterproofing for Electronics

Posted by Andrew at 11:57 PM on January 21, 2012

Zagg Logo

Zagg’s protective films are popular “first purchases” for new smartphone owners and at CES 2012, Zagg shows off their latest protection mechanism. Todd chats to Bill from Zagg to find out what it protects against.

The adage is that water and electricity don’t mix, and by extension, water and mobile devices don’t mix well either. Zagg hopes to change that with a new nanotech-based coating, HZO, that repels water so effectively that a dunk in the drink will have no effect on the device.

The HZO coating is applied during the manufacturing process so that every component is properly treated and waterproofed. There’s no physical skin or cover as the water-repellency is at the molecular level. Almost any device can be waterproofed – smartphones, tablets, MP3 players, headphones, but it has to be done during manufacture, not by the end-user.

Zagg is currently in negotiation with major OEMs so expect water-repellent devices to hit the market in 12-18 months and if you want to see an iPhone working underwater, then watch the video.

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

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Lethal Protection Life-Phorm Pro Gadget Positioning Device

Posted by Andrew at 12:03 AM on January 19, 2012

Lethal Protection LogoLethal Protection is the name of the company but it’s not a clue as to the product. It’s not a bullet-proof vest, it’s not ferocious guard dog but what is it? Todd finds out what it is from Melissa of Lethal Protection.

Winner of a CES Innovation Award, it’s called the Life-Phorm Pro and it’s an one-size-fits-all gadget positioning device. Only it’s weird…very weird…but in a cool way. Think GorillaPod but scary and it’s not just for cameras – tablets and smartphones fit on just as well.

Life-Phorm Pro with DSLR

The flexible six legs allow myriad standing, gripping and hanging positions, all the while keeping your gear off the floor. The Pro version is made from aluminum and carbon fiber, weighing in at only 8oz.

Lethal Protection is setting up manufacturing and production of the Life-Phorm Pro and it’s expected to ship in April of this year. The Pro version will run $149 and the basic version will be $69.

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

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Fisher Price Kid-Tough® DVR Demo @ CES 2012

Posted by KL Tech Muse at 9:05 AM on January 18, 2012

Fisher Price
Leave it to Fisher Price maker of great toys for kids and the kids in all of us to make a DVR that is kid friendly. That is what they were showing at CES 2012 the Kid-Tough® DVR.

The Kid-Tough® DVR is made for 3-5 year olds. It is rugged and easy to use. There is a touch screen kids can use to scan through the available videos. When they are ready to play a video just tap on the screen and it will start playing. They can also fast forward or rewind through a video. To record a video you just place the DVR into its dock which sits between your cable box and the TV, set the record time and hit record.

The Kid-Tough® DVR will be available around June-July. It will be approximately $150.00 and include the DVR, headphones, docking station, a car charger and a case. If you have a small child and take a lot of car trips this is worth a look

Interview by Todd Cochrane of Geek News Central

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Powerbag at CES Unveiled

Posted by Andrew at 1:27 PM on January 17, 2012

Powerbag logoDan from Powerbag shows off the latest in geek fashion, a messenger bag that has a built-in battery and charging system. Up to four different devices can be charged in the bag at the same time. Included are a selection of charging tips, including the Apple connector and USB variants. The battery capacity should charge a smartphone several times, or a tablet once.

Available now for $139 to $249 for a rolling bag with a bigger battery.

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

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XtremeMac Multi-Dock Chargers: CES 2012 Best in Show

Posted by KL Tech Muse at 4:05 PM on January 12, 2012

XtremeMac Anyone who has multiple iOS devices has run into this problem you have multiple devices to charge and only one outlet. That is where XtremeMac comes to the rescue. XtremeMac a leading designer and manufacturer of accessories and audio solutions for Apple Devices. XtremeMac is celebrating it’s 10th year anniversary, it was founded in 2001 the same year Apple introduced the first iPod. Since that time XtremeMac has been making innovative solutions to protect, power and play Apple devices. The brand also makes award-winning cases and speaker docks.

XtremeMac

This year at CES 2012 XtremeMac won a Best in Show award from iLounge for it’s newest charging dock innovations. XtremeMac is offering three new charging docks, the InCharge Duo Plus, InCharge X3 and InCharge X5. All three mult-dock chargers provide 10 watts per dock for quick and efficient simultaneous charging of any combination of iPod, iPhone or iPad. The Incharge Duo Plus allows you to charge two iOs devices at once through one socket. The InCharge X3 charges up to three iOs devices and the InCharge X5 can charge up to five iOs devices. All three charging are adjustable to make them case friendly. They have rubber feet to provide a stable platform and bi-color LED charging status indicators. XtremeMac can be found on Facebook and Twitter.   All three will be available in Q1 2012, pricing is unknown at this time.