Tech Tuesday on Sirius/XM PGA Tour Radio for 8/13/13 - Gadgets That Multi-task

 Rick and Brian have a lot of fun this week with gadgets that serve more than one function.

One even will make you a big breakfast in less time.

Have a listen

 Show notes:

* TOPICS - Multi-tasking Gadgets - Gadgets that serve more than one purpose
-Rick is in Cincinnati this week at the Western & Southen Open Tennis Tournament
- He's always multi-tasking - so let's talk multi-tasking
We all want to get our money's worth out of our gadgets, so sometimes they can do us proud and serve more than one use...

1.    West Bend 4-Slot Egg-and-Muffin Toaster   $59.00

    Four slice toaster, with egg cooker and meat warmer, 1800-watt, cetl listed
    Defrost function for defrosting breads, bagels and croissants
    Light to dark control setting for toasting preferences
    Egg cooker tray to scramble or poach eggs, basket to soft or hard boil up to 8 eggs
    Meat tray to warm pre-cooked meat, fruit or vegetables
 


2.  PHILIPS COOLING PAD

Cooling pads can be clunky platforms that protect your knees from the heat generated by laptops. In addition to this, the Philips Notebook cushion speaker pumps up the volume of the notebook (of course, it uses up a USB connection too). The Notebook sleeve, on the other hand, protects against heat and doubles up as a useful protective cover for carrying the machine.
 


3.  Zumreed X2 Hybrid headphone

Zumreed X2 Hybrid headphone
Available abroad, this is a headphone that bundles up as a speaker. This noise cancellation headphone has a switch that, when turned on, transforms the outer ear cups of the headphones into speakers. The ear cups can be rotated and the headphone can be placed on a flat surface while in the speaker mode. For using it as the speaker, you need to charge it using a USB cable. A one-hour charge gives it enough juice for four hours of music playback.

 
4  ECLIPSE case by  ElementCase.com

A great protective case, but with a bonus.
Designed with a unique resonant audio technology – Sound Boost System (SBS) – to channel sound from the phone’s rear-facing speaker around to the front, these impact-resistant, carbon-fiber laden cases offer superior protection and multimedia enjoyment.


 
5.  Blue Microphones Mikey Digital

Why We Like It: Plug this award-winning mic into your iPhone, Touch, or iPad to transform it into a versatile mobile recording rig. Back on campus, you might use it to capture lectures, interviews, or your own personal voice memos. But out and about, it's great for capturing CD-quality stereo music, whether it be a bar band or full blown concert. Plus, it's the world's only mobile mic with both a 30-pin Apple connector and a multi-source auxiliary input, so you can plug your guitar (or any device with a line out) right into it. And since it rotates 230 degrees, it's also great for recording quality audio with whatever video you're capturing on the go with pretty much any i-thing.
How Much: $100

 


Weird Golf Multi-Tasking - 6.  Odyssey "Diamond" putter
Price $161,000

It's not only a putter, it's an investment
Aren't they always telling us to buy gold?
Golf is traditionally an expensive sport by default, but a few hundred dollars for an 18-hole round is chump change next to this Odyssey Gold Diamond Putter.

At a steep price of $161,000, this shimmering gem-encrusted piece with its 18-carat white gold club head its 240 rubies definitely isn't your grandmothers mini-golf chipper. On top of its ruby and gold extravagance, however, the aptly named Oddssey Gold Diamond Putter also features over 368 diamonds which, for those counting, is definitely more than a paltry sum.

So it's a putter and an investment

Has anyone bought one?
 

Tech Tuesday on Sirius/XM PGA Tour Radio for 8/6/13 - Back to School Gadgets

Rick and Brian talk "Back to School" today.

Have a listen:

* TOPICS - Back to School Gadgets and win a iGear Slim Tough Case for your iPad

Notice that smile on parent's faces....  It's because school is getting ready to start.
Let's look at some cool back to school gadgets - Some of the sames ones I brought on CBS Better Mornings Atlanta last week

1.   PlanOn ScanStick - A full desktop scanner that looks like a pen. 

www.planon.com

The Planon ScanStik is the most compact, sleek design, full page color scanner available.   $159.99
It has a MicroSD memory slot, when loaded can store 1000's images at 300-600dpi resolution in color or black and white. Scanning a page takes just 4 seconds. When you get back to the computer, plug it into the USB to transfer images and at the same time it recharges it's battery. Never worry about needing new batteries and also better for the environment.
 

2.  iGear Slim Tough iPad Case - Protect your iPad to the max

www.igearunlimited.com

The case school systems use to protect their iPads and tablets. Slim design, built in kickstand, durable and low cost.  You can drop it from 20 feet, scratch proof, ultimate protection for your iPad
Also has a nice kickstand


 3.  Club Glove Backpack

www.clubglove.com

The last backpack you will ever have to buy.  We all know Club Glove from their luggage and golf bag covers.  They also make the backpack I use.  I've taken it all over the country and it still looks brand new.
Durable and versatile with 7 total pockets to keep all your gear organized and can easily accommodate a laptop computer. With adjustable, padded shoulder straps. Made in USA. Limited lifetime warranty.

    19" H x 16" W x 9" D • 44 linear inches
    Constructed with Invista™ Cordura® 1000 D water resistant nylon up to 3x stronger and lasts up to 5x longer than standard polyester
    1600 D ballistic nylon base
    Reliable and durable YKK® zippers
    Sturdy top handle
    Water bottle mesh pocket, 1 mesh zippered pocket plus 2 interior mesh pockets
    2 front pockets plus main pocket

 
4.  Masterlock Password Plus Lock

Every student with a locker needs a combination lock. This one has letters and numbers.
Easy to read black on white letters/numbers
Set-your-own 3-letter/1-digit combination for thousands of combination options
 
5.  The Cookoo Watch $129.99

www.cookoowatch.com

A Bluetooth smartwatch that does many things when you pair it with your iPhone or iPad.  Alerts you when you have an email, text message or Facebook message.  Will also alert you when you are separated from your phone.  You can check in on Facebook by pressing a button on the watch.  Remote phototaking and music playing
 


***  A giveway this week  -  An iGear Slim Tough Case
the one I talked about earlier
Follow @RickRoswell,  @BKatrek and @igearunlimited to win

 

Tech Tuesday on Sirius/XM PGA Tour Radio for 7/30/13 - "Kid Safe" News SItes and a Giveaway

 Rick and Brian talk about getting your news online and kid-safe news websites.

Rick also has a giveaway for listeners, but the deadline is Friday at noon.  So get listening.

* TOPICS - 2 Ways you can get breaking and current news on Twitter and some Kid Safe news websites.  And win a iPad Sleeve from Mujjo

I, like many found out about the San Francisco airline crash a few weeks ago on Twitter.  More and more people are getting their news via a Twitter feed. 

1.   Use "Twitter Lists"

 Twitter gives users the option to build a list of selected accounts so that they can view them all at once. This list can be designed to showcase related, newsy information.
By building a list that is full to the brim with awesome news resources and powerful journalists, you can have a customized partial Twitter feed that is full to the brim with great information.  Twitter lists are easy t oset up.


2.  Follow The Top Twitter News Sources

Of course, there’s the question of who to follow and who to add to your Twitter lists. Fortunately for you, I’ve composed a list of a few decent Twitter accounts which will help you find news and get leads to news stories.
  Associated Press
    BBC Breaking News
    BBC World News
    Breaking News
    CNN
    CNN Breaking News
    NBC
    Your local TV News Stations

***  Safe News Sites for Kids
Child-Safe Websites Where Kids Can Catch All The Recent News

I probably picked up my first newspaper at the age of seven or eight and haven’t stopped since. It started with reading the comic strips first and then the sports page and that too hasn’t stopped since. Of course, I did catch all the happenings between pages one and last too.

Sadly, what also hasn’t changed is the cliché – there’s no news like bad news. I don’t think a diet of bad news is quite right for children before they hit the right age. Agreed, you cannot keep the bad winds away but just like using parental controls to limit their exposure to the Internet, you can monitor the news they consume too. We have looked at some excellent email apps for kids and we have also taken you through some child-friendly ways to search the web. Now, let’s look at some child-friendly ways to get your children into the habit of reading the news on the web. Who said good parenting was an easy job!

Here There Everywhere  -  www.herethereeverywhere.com

Here There Everywhere attempts to mix the best of news with the interestingness of storytelling. Designed for elementary and older school-aged children, the child-safe news website can be read by children alone or with a guardian. The site is colorful but neat and the news span across topics from health and education to offbeat pieces. Of special interest could be the “You Ask” columns where kids are encouraged to comment

Time for Kids   www.timeforkids.com

t’s always worth a read with its comprehensive coverage on all the recent news children might be interested in. Quite a few of the “journalistic” news pieces are actually written by kid reporters, so that’s something to aspire to if your child is interested in the field. Time for Kids also covers special topics in many mini-sites which are generally around a common theme like this one which is on the Women History Month. Articles are written in a clear, easy to understand voice and illustrated well.

Nick News

Nick News is the online face of the show Nick News with Linda Ellerbee hosted on Nickelodeon since 1992. The original show’s format fosters discussions on world topics and is a very good educational platform for both children and teenagers…not to mention adults too. Nick News on the web takes the stories and features them online along with other current topics of the day. A range of issues are covered and politically sensitive topics (like the recent Zimmerman trial) are not barred. The TV show is the longest-running kids’ news show in television history and has collected 20 Emmy Awards during its run.

Tween Tribune - For all ages   www.tweentribune.com

Tween Tribune is a daily news sites for kids, tweens and teens. From K-4 to teachers and parents, everyone can use this site to find relevant content to teach and learn from. The news stories are thoughtfully divided into age groups taking into consideration reading and comprehension levels. The stories are selected by professional journalists.

***  A giveway this week  -  Win a Mujjo iPad case/sleeve
A Mujjo iPad sleeve    www.mujjo.com
High quality, beautiful sleeve for your iPad
Follow @RickRoswell,  @BKatrek and @MujjoStore to win

 

Tech Tuesday on Sirius/XM PGA Tour Radio for 7/23/13 - Improving Your Writing and Typing Skills

 Brian and I talk about typing on our mobile gadgets and how to be quick and efficient - we also talk about the new Samsung Galaxy S4 Active

 Have a listen:

Show Notes:

**Rick is at professsional tennis in Atlanta this week.
* TOPICS - Tips for improving your online writing speed and efficiency and the latest version of the Samsung Galaxy S4

For a lot of people the longer it takes them to type something, the more frustrated they get
Do you spend a lot of time writing or replying to people online.. here are some tips

1.   Typing for speed

We all have out own typing style, but if you find yourself struggling, you might want to go back to the basics.

You can always recognize an expert typist by the position of their fingers, hovering over the center of the keyboard with the left index finger over the “F” key, and the right index finger over the “J” key.  This can change up depending on the size device your are using.
Spend a few weeks to a month using one or several of these tutorial resources to learn touch-typing, and practice it daily until you can hit typing speeds over 60 words per minute

2.    Write Fast but Also Write Well

Write something you would be proud to have somebody read.  Use correct capitalization and punctutation. Make sure what you write makes sense.

3.   Read!  - Helps you improve Reading Comprehension and your writing
It's a good sign people are reading more.  Mainly becasue of digital publishing and easy to get books.  Easy to read on our mobile devices


4.  Create and Outline before your write

Lay out an outline to cover all points you want to touch on. If this is an employee review at work for example, then create 4 or 5 section headers that touch on key characteristics about the person that you want to discuss. If this for blog, then create headers that touch on each step of the process you want to cover.  If this is a Facebook post, put down what you want to say in an short outline and see if it makes sense.


5. Find a Device You feel Comfortable Using

Certain devices - smartphones, tablets and even laptops fit the layout of our fingers better than others.  If you are going to be a power user and log a lot of typing, make sure your gadgets fit your hands and fingers.

6. Edit

Finally, you’re almost done with your masterpiece. Fix spelling and grammar by taking a minute or two and go over what you have written before you post or hit that send button. editing will take from 5-10 minutes max.  Use the editing features of your phone or tablet or word processing app.


*** The latest smartphone to arrive at Rick's house
The Samsung Galaxy S4 "Active"

The waterproof version of the popular new Samsung Galaxy S4

A toughened smartphone able to handle dust, water, and all that an active life can throw at a handset.
Take pictures underwater.  it can be submerged in 1m of water for up to 30 minutes.
Only an 8mp camera on this version compared to the regular Galaxy s4

Tech Tuesday on Sirius/XM PGA Tour Radio for 7/16/13 - Where is Rick and Smartphone Camera Tips

 Rick joins Brian this week to talk about one of the best golf destinations in the U.S. and they talk smartphone camera tips and the British Open.

* TOPICS - Where is Rick?  and ... Tips for taking better pictures with your smartphone and tbe Open Championship App

*Rick is playing golf somewhere this week....
* It's Mississippi and www.visitmississippi.org

SMARTPHONE CAMERA Tips

1.   Crop, Don't Zoom

Many smartphone camera offer a digital zoom function, but you're almost always best served by pretending it doesn't exist. Even in the liveview preview, you'll be able to see how noticeably your picture blurs when you zoom.  Don't zoom.

2.    Edit, Don't Filter

If you want your images to be unique, the last thing you should do is paint them with the same filters that literally millions of other people are using. For the record, I'm not anti-Instagram. I think the sharing element is fantastic, but the the filters aren't that great.

3.   Fake Blur

Depth of field will always be one of the biggest challenges for a smartphone camera. Wide angle lenses and tiny sensors make any substantial background blur difficult to achieve. But faking it almost always makes th
If you want the viewer to focus on one specific thing, make it the central object in the frame. Try to keep your backgrounds as simple as possible, even if it means asking your subjects to turn around or move a few steps back. It's worth it.

4.  Ditch The Flash

The problem with many smartphone flashes is that they don't actually, well, flash. They're glorified LED flashlights. They are bright, but the color temperature can be gross and they miss one of the primary duties of a strobe: freezing the action in the frame. The actual "flash" duration is much too long, so you end up with an image that's both blurry and terribly-lit.
Often, your best bet is to seek out another light source. It likely won't be perfect or even flattering,.

5. Watch The Lens Flare

Adding lens flare is another trend in mobile photography right now that's getting more overdone by the minute. But, this one can actually work for you if you do it the natural way.
If you want to control the flare in your shot, move the sun (or whatever bright light source is causing the refraction-based mayhem) around in the frame. As you get closer to the edge, you'll often see the flare spread out and become more prominent


****The British Open App - Free app for the 142nd Open Championships
Put out by the R&A  for your iphone and Android

Brings you live scoring, video highlights, latest news, weather updates and Championship statistics for Muirfield.

Combined with an interactive course guide, player profiles, live radio and video highlights the app will bring you close to the action.