Tag Archives: CES 2012

Craftsman Internet Connected Garage Door Opener

February 8, 2012Accessory, cesAssurelink, CES 2012, Connected Garage, Craftsman, SEARSAlan

Craftsman may not be a name you expect to see at the Consumer Electronics Show, which is generally all about computers, home theater, smartphones, and the like, but you may be surprised by the fact that they were there and they had some cool things to show off. How does the world’s first internet-connected garage door opener sound? This garage door opener has an app for checking it’s status and opening and closing it remotely. Handy for those time you drive away and forget to hit that close button.

There are apps to control it available not just for the PC, but also for both Android and iOS devices. This also eliminates the need to give out keys or passcodes to repairman and others, because you can simply let them in remotely. The device is already available from Craftsman at their website and at Sears locations. They are also working on many future improvements, like integration with home security systems. The device begins at $349 and you can learn more from Craftsman.

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

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Fisher Price Kid-Tough® DVR Demo @ CES 2012

January 18, 2012Gadgets, Gear, Information, Special MediaCES 2012, dvr, kids, toysKL Tech Muse

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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The Roku Streaming Stick & Channel Update

January 17, 2012Gadgets, Information, Special MediaCES 2012, Roku, smart tvKL Tech Muse

I am a big fan of Roku. I currently have version one of the Roku 2 XS which I love and version 2 is even smaller. However both have the problem of being separate boxes which means more wires to run to the TV and another power cord to plug-in. Roku has an answer to this problem the Roku Streaming Stick. Ed from Roku showed off the product at CES 2012

The stick is a little larger then a regular USB stick and plugs directly into a HDMI port. It is Roku’s answer to smart TV. It has the same chip and ram as the Roku 2 XS with the same great performance. It is based on the MHL standard. The one problem I see is that for this to work the TV has to be MHL capable, which I suspect many TVs especially with the lower price models are not.

This may confuse consumers, Roku needs to make it clear which TVs this will work with or what to look for It will come with a motion control remote that has WiFi built-in. The remote control will have power and control out. The Roku Streaming Stick can also be controlled by the TV remote.

Roku Streaming Stick

The Roku currently has 400 plus channels. The channels are organized in the store by categories, including favorites, religion, sports, movies and more. Among the channels available in the Roku store are TPN.TV and the Blubrry Network. Roku is continuing to update the channel store, to improve its interface and usability. The Roku is currently in over 2 1/2 million households and is still growing. The Roku Streaming Stick should be available in fall of 2012 and run between $50 and $100 depending on model.

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

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Energizer iSurge @ CES 2012

January 17, 2012Gadgets, Information, Special MediaCES 2012, chargers, energizerKL Tech Muse

Energizer introduced their newest Isurge Travel Charger at CES 2012. The newest charger is specially made for micro USB powered device. It has a cable which allows you to plug-in a micro USB powered device. It has two USB ports which have 2.1 amp shared. If you plug-in one device it will use all 2.1 amps. If you plug both it will share the 2.1 amps.

Iphone iSurge There are three surge protected outlet on the side. The plug rotates 180° which allows it work no matter how the outlet is set up. This new charger should be available later in 2012 and will run $59.99.

Energizer has already released a charger which is specially made for the iPhone. It has a 30 pin connector at the top, that the iPhone plugs directly into. It also has the two USB ports and the three surge protected outlet on the side. It is also $59.99 and is available now

Interview by Todd Cochrane of Geek News Central

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Schick Hydro 5 Razor Ultimate Review!

January 17, 2012Accessory, ces, Special Mediaaccessories, CES 2012Todd Cochrane

During the fun at CES 2012, Jeffrey Powers stopped by the Schick booth, where barbers were on hand to take care of that stubble – on his head. The barbers were using the Schick Hydro 5 razor, with 3 vibration settings, for a smoother shave.

Elliot from Elliot & Co was the barber who tended to Jeffrey’s hair. During the event, he talked with Jeff about the Schick Hydro 5 razor.

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Sony Bloggie Live Product Announcement

January 17, 2012ces, Special Mediabloggie, ces, CES 2012, SonyTodd Cochrane

Sony Bloggie Live

The Bloggie Live itself is an update of last years Bloggie Touch. With a big touchpanel and 1080p video (at 30fps), you can do video and stills on the camera with the 12 MP still image capture and 1080p /30 and 720p/60i. You can also do video and stills at the same time (but not while streaming).

“We keep the Bloggie very simple and easy to use,” says Amy. “The large red button remains, your power button and photo button are the other two. It is fully PC and Mac compatible.”

You can live stream into Qik (which needs to be set up ahead of time) and record at the same time. People on Qik can send messages – you cannot respond, but you can see that information on the screen.