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Category Archives: digital
Quickest Way To Charge Your Phone
Digidame’s blog platform, WordPress, has been cranky for the last few days. Email blasts have not be distributed to you in the usual manner. We hope this one gets to you on time. I urge you to read the last two posts about XY Find It and Ozobot. All you have to do now is scroll down.
Now for today’s topic. I have mentioned David Pogue’s new book, “Pogue’s Basics,” a few times over the several months. It reveals tech secrets that we should all know.
For example, if you are in a hurry to charge your smart phone, Pogue said, “The fastest possible is to plug it into the wall, using the little prong adapter that came with it. That’ll charge it 30 minutes sooner than using your computer’s USB jack.” He also recommends putting your phone on Airplane Mode. “It will charge nearly twice as quickly. All the electricity is coming into the battery, but none is going out; the phone isn’t wasting power hunting for a signal, checking e- mail, and so on.”
Either buy his book, or wait for me to post all of the nifty tips he has for us. I plan to learn as many of them as possible and pass them along to you. Hang in there.
The Big Black Hole
I’m always in panic mode. I’m one of those women who can’t find anything in my handbag. It doesn’t matter how big or small my bag is, I can’t find a thing.
I’m not unique. Most handbags are big black holes. You can put an item in, and one second later, you can’t find it. I have no scientific proof but items in handbags shift around pretty quickly. My things find their way to the bottom,instantaneously.
After I freak and pray to my higher power, I usually find what I’m looking for. I really want to avoid the panic attacks that I go through in the future. It takes so much energy out of me and is a big waste of time.
I think I found the solution at CES. It’s called XYFind It. It’s a Bluetooth LE powered tracking tag that you can attach to just about anything you don’t want to lose. The tag syncs with your smartphone. You can attach as many XY tags to your phone as you like.!XY is perfect for your keys, purse, tablet, luggage, etc.
XY explains on their site that “the average person spends 10 minutes a day trying to find lost things. That means that on average, you spend over 4 hours a month, 2 days each year, and 6 months of your life trying to find things you own. With XY, you can keep of track everything important to you, and take back that time.”
You can be sure that I spend much more time than the average person looking for things I think I lost. I cut and pasted information XY has on their site so you can completely understand how this works.
“The XY app listens to nearby Bluetooth LE signals. When the app finds a new tag, it checks our servers to see what information about the tag is available to you.
“Find-It: By activating Find-It mode, you can track any tag that is within range of your phone. The on-screen indicator will show you as you get closer to the tag, and will help you find your misplaced item. If the item is not within range, the app will show you where it was seen last.
“If you don’t want something to leave your side, you can activate Keep-It mode, and your phone will alert you if you move out of range of the tag.
“Lost-It: You can mark any tag as lost right from the app. Once it has been set as lost, XY will alert other users if they come across the item, or can just tell you where the item was just seen.”
Wow, that last feature is pretty amazing. I sometimes think I need an army to find my phone, my credit card and my eye glasses.
I got an XY at CES when I visited their booth. Now I am going to order more.
PRICING
1-pack, $24.95
3-pack, $59.95
6-pack, $99.95
10-pack, $149.95
KISS At CES
It pays to have friends in high places. Pal Steve Greenberg did a TV gig for Harman International at CES. In addition his usual Hollywood fee, they also gave him two tickets to the KISS concert that they were sponsoring at the Hard Rock tonight in Las Vegas.
I jumped at the chance when Steve invited me to join him. I attended one of KISS’ first concerts. It took place on Long Island and it was love at first sight. The face paint and stage outfits drove everyone wild. Wikipedia said it best. “KISS’ elaborate live performances, featuring fire breathing, blood spitting, smoking guitars, shooting rockets, levitating drum kits and pyrotechnics” is still a draw after many decades.
“The band has sold more than 40 million albums in the United States, of which 24 million have been certified by the RIAA and their worldwide sales exceeds 100 million records, making them one of the world’s best-selling bands of all time.”
The original 1973–80 lineup consisted of Paul Stanley (vocals and rhythm guitar), Gene Simmons (vocals and bass guitar), Ace Frehley (lead guitar and vocals) and Peter Criss (drums and vocals).
KISS is about technology. Thank you Harman for presenting this legendary talent.
Ford’s Smart Mobility Initiative
Image: CEA
Mark Fields, CEO, Ford
When I first read the copy I wrote below, I have to admit I sounded like a PR person for the Ford Motor Company. That’s not the case. I just want to let you know the steps they are taking to gain our trust as seniors. For some, they didn’t have that good a reputation in the last decades.
Ford has been exhibiting at CES for a number of years because it wants to be known as a technology-focused automobile company. Ford has also taken a lead on vocalizing the importance of innovation and the growing global transportation challenges.
In his keynote address, Ford CEO Mark Fields announced the company’s Smart Mobility initiative. There are 25 experiments ranging from big data analytics to a car swap service. Ford also wants to be a leader in autonomous cars. More from Ford in the coming weeks. A story in Detroit News explains more about the technology Ford is working on. Check out the videos below that demonstrates their commitment to performance.
Beam Me Up
I may not attend CES next year. I can send a Beam (from Suitable Technologies) to the show for me. That’s exactly what Beam, the company, did this year. Their CES booth was filled with robots, no human beings. It was awesome.
Humans doing booth duty at a trade show is so passé. Ha,ha. Beam is a remote-operated robot that will allow anyone to virtually be present at meetings across the nation. Unlike FaceTime and Skype, you control where the camera is going. The videos will explain how it operates.
Grandmas and grandpas who live out-of-state can visit with their families. Yes, it is costly, but with the price of travel, you could amortize it over the years.
The Beam Remote is five feet tall, weighs 95 pounds, can roll along at walking speed (about 5 feet per second), and has a 17-inch screen. It’s got two HD cameras, six microphones, speakers, Wi-Fi, and LED lamps.
The Beam is selling the robot starting at $16,000, and its charging dock for $950.
Watch the videos to fully understand Beam’s potential and capabilities.
Flying Machines
I taped this video at #CES 2015 Unveiled
I got so lucky at Unveiled #CES 2015, the press preview night. Hundreds of press people showed up to see many of the new products that were being presented for the first time. Somehow I got the front and center spot when officials at DJI gave their Inspire 1 camera drone a spin. I felt like I was receiving a private demo of DJI’s latest flying platform.
DJI describes themselves as a leader in easy-to-fly camera drones/quad copters for aerial views. Headquartered in Shenzhen, the area is known as China’s Silicon Valley. Offices can now be found in the United States, Germany, Japan, Beijing and Hong Kong.
The handheld camera mount is built to hold the DJI Inspire 1 camera and gimbal, allowing users to take their camera from the aerial platform and capture stabilized footage on the ground.
Trust me, this is going to be the next big trend in video photography. Prices have not been decided.
Scenes From CES 2015, Las Vegas
Getting here was pure hell. I have never encountered such a mob scene at Miami International Airport. There were 75 people on the First Class line before us. After waiting an hour, my traveling companion, (Steve Greenberg) and I got a skycap to check us in. We ran to the gate but American Airlines closed the door to the airplane and wouldn’t let us on.
We were miserable. Our luggage was on the flight. We just stood there in shock. After a lot of whining, we were rebooked on another flight. We were squeezed in the back of the plane with a woman who coughed all over us for three hours. We had to fly to Dallas and then pick up a second flight to Vegas.
We finally made it. We rushed from the airport to an event called “Unveiled,” because that is where the press gets to preview some of the new products before CES opens. It was outstanding. Sponsored by CES, it featured some amazing new ideas. I will try to showcase a number of them in upcoming days. Everyone in the room felt the excitement. This week is going to be amazing.
Here are some photos from Unveiled.
Gary Shapiro, (left) CEO, CES, being interviewed at opening of show.
The most popular guys in the room. The lead team from USA Today.
Back To The Future Of The Typewriter
My new friend, Gerald Posner (yes, the author) posted a story on Facebook from the Wall Street Journal yesterday about the growing number of people “rediscovering the virtues of a manual typewriter.”
Many of these folks are writers, people who have had a very special relationship with these machines because they helped them create their masterpieces. I can only assume that the sounds and the feel of the keys possibly bring back some of inspiration and motivation they had in their early years.
As a result of this renewed interest, several inventors are reinventing the typewriter to be digital machines. Two of them raised significant money on Kickstarter.
The first one is the Qwerkwriter.
The Kickstarter campaign explains that the “The Qwerkywriter is an 84 key, USB, Bluetooth enabled, typewriter-inspired mechanical keyboard that simulates a tactile clickity-clack feel of a vintage typewriter. It features custom typewriter-inspired keycaps, an integrated tablet stand, and a detachable USB cable via mini-USB port.” To learn more about what the Qwerkywriter can do, click here
The next digital typewriter is the Hemingwrite.
Kickstarter claims that The Hemingwrite is a distraction-free writing tool. “It combines the simplicity of a typewriter with all of the modern conveniences of living in 2014: cloud documents, e-paper display, and full-size mechanical keyboard. To read more about it, click here.
Both digital typewriters will be available later this year. Both Kickstarter campaigns point out that unlike computers these machines just allow writers type their stories without the distraction of the Internet. This may be what they need to stay focused. Good luck!
By the way, Gerald Posner’s new book “God’s Bankers: A History of Money & Power at the Vatican” is due out next month, I think it’s so terrific that, in my estimation, a major studio is going to grab the movie rights immediately,
Wikipedia lists Posner as an American investigative journalist and author of several books, including Case Closed: Lee Harvey Oswald and the Assassination of JFK(1993) which explores the John F. Kennedy assassination, and Killing the Dream: James Earl Ray and the Assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr. (1998).
His wife Trisha is also a very successful author and helps Gerald with his books as well.
This Is What Driving Will Look Like In The Future
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This just may be the unit that stops people from taking their eyes off the road while texting. Woohoo!!!
Navdy, a hardware start up company from San Francisco, is introducing its aftermarket LCD on-the-dash display sometime this year. It displays driving directions, messaging, and audio, right in front of the driver. Hopefully no more looking down when you want to answer a call or receive a text. It also offers gesture controls. That means you can wave your hand and turn on/off the radio, phone, app, and other options. Gesture controls are getting much more sophisticated, so at some point, we will all be waving our hands in the air to do many functions.
Navdy’s communications app integrates with both iPhone or Android. It answers phone calls and shows contact information. Music selection will also be featured.
Navdy will retail at $499.
Here are some of the specs:
5.1″ wide transparent Head-Up Display (HUD)
High quality projector.
IR camera for touchless gesture control.
Accelerometer, e-compass, ambient light sensor.
WiFi (802.11 b/g/n), Bluetooth 4.0/LE.
Audio out via Bluetooth or 3.5mm minijack,
mini-USB port.
Internal speaker and microphone with
noise canceling DSP.
I will let you know when Navdy is available at retail.
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