Wireless Wednesday for 1/13/16 - Best of CES

Rick is back from CES and the massive CES Show! What did he see?

Let's look at some of his favorites... as he presents his "Best of CES Picks"

Have a listen to Rick and Mitch: (Both Parts)

1.    A company called Steam CC and their Ripples machine and Ripples Maker app

Steam CC, the inventive company aimed at transforming a simple cup of coffee, debuted their latest innovation, the Coffee Ripples App, at CES last week, which connects users to Ripple-enabled coffee establishments. With the Coffee Ripples App, java aficionados can print any picture or message, let's call it a

“Ripple” onto a foam-topped latte or cappuccino.

Rick brought the logo of the Green Bay Packers and they transformed it onto the coffee.

 
2. ZeroHour Flashlights

ZeroHour flashlights are a new integration of premium tactical gear with portable power. Our products feature USB ports to power mobile devices, making them a must-have emergency device for light and power needs during outages.

Including the:

ZeroHour Relic XR Flashlight 3400mAh (Pre-Order for March 2016)

COMPACT TACTICAL USB RECHARGEABLE BATTERY BACKUP FLASHLIGHT The ZeroHour Relic XR set is our latest flashlight. It is a compact USB rechargeable tactical flashlight with variable control ring, tail-cap switch, and waterproof battery backup all-in-one. Our first flashlight, ZEROHOUR XD, set new standards for flashlights by offering the ultimate integration of light and power. This flashlight is also designed to be bike and weapon mountable and will work with any standard 1" bike or weapon mount. * Featuring an all-new variable control ring that allows maximum flexibility in choosing brightness from 0 to 1000 lumens, plus the option to click into XR's preset modes (10 lumens, 1000 lumens, Strobe, and SOS).
 

3.  Kwikset

Smartlocks are hot and they were all over the CES convention floor.
Kwikset is the leading U.S. lock manufacturer and makers of Kevo, the industry-first Bluetooth™-enabled smart lock.

** New Products from Kwikset

-Kevo 2nd Gen
The smart lock you've been waiting for. The 2nd generation lock features a refined user experience, improved design and the latest version of advanced SmartKey® security.
- Kevo Convert
An easy-to-install smart lock conversion kit that enables smart lock features to your existing deadbolt lock.

- Premis
The first Apple HomeKit-compatible smart door lock from Kwikset. Premis offers homeowners convenience of Siri voice control remote locking, unlocking and monitoring, keyless entry, advanced SmartKey security, and Kwikset patented SecureScreen™ Technology.
 

4. The Boomstick

BoomStick: A $99 device that is basically a clicker to boost your mediocre headphones or earbuds. If you don't feel ready to invest in an expensive pair of cans, this gadget is a great way to improve what you've already got, for less than $100 (which, really nice new headphones will easily out-cost.
It really does work...   at http://www.boomcloud360.com/index.php/

 
5.  Lenovo Wireless N700 Mouse

Lenovo Wireless N700 Mouse: This crazy-looking little Bluetooth mouse doubles as a remote; you can fold it into a clicker to use for presentations or a laser pointer.  You can buy it for under $60 at Amazon or www.shop.lenovo.com

App of the Week:

The Swivel Selfie  (Debuted at CES)


The Swivel Selfie. The Swivel Selfie is a real-time augmented reality mobile app for apparel and accessories that allows users to instantly try-on products using a mobile device by itself or in conjunction with a mirror, receive personalized recommendations, share looks, and make purchases.

Personalized collections or products are accessible at home, on-the-go or activated as shoppers pass displays or walk through departments in-store, enabling them to see how an item looks on their own image without needing to find their size or try it on in the dressing room.
 

Wireless Wednesday for 1/6/16 - Rick at CES

Rick is in Las Vegas this week for the massive CES show, otherwise known as the Consumer Electronics Show.

Rick arrived on Sunday. Monday started with the Storage Visions Conference, a 2-day conference on digital and data storage. Monday night was the CES Unveiled Show, a press only event where some of the new gadgets debut. Tuesday is "Press Day" and it's wall-to-wall press conferences with all the big tech companies. Tuesday night is the Pepcom media event and the actual show begins Wednesday.

Here are some of Rick's finds and observations so far:

1.    This Show is Big

CES takes up most of the Las Vegas Strip.  Last year there  were 176,000 people. This year they say around 160,000.  This is one of the largest trade shows in the world and many of the new products shown here won't debut until later in 2016.
 

2.  Press Events are Important

The show is so large, it would be impossible to see everything. Therefore the press (1000s of them) come in days before for press events and briefings.

Rick attended the Fitbit press conference at 7:30 am on Tues to hear about Fitbits new products which were shown off my former Falcon great, Tony Gonzalez.

 

3.  A "Smart Everything"

Smart watches, smart cars, smart beds, a smart refrigerator an even the debut of a smart spoon this week in Vegas.
New for 2016, Slow Control has a "smart spoon." Of course they do, but the thought here is noble in that a toy makes kids want to try and eat vegetables. It's said this spoon will come out in the first quarter of 2016. Who would've thought that a spoon could be smart?
 

4.  Older Brands Trying to Become New Again

Remember RCA, Panasonic, Pioneer, Casio and more...'
These iconic brands all have a big presence at CES and are reinventing themselves in different ways.
***RCA is introducing some new TVs and accessories, working on info for the others...

5. Andre Agassi partners with Square Panda for a line of educational apps and devices for kids up to the age of 8

Who would've thought tennis great, Andre Agassi would be so involved with learning and educational opportunities for kids. The Andre Agassi foundation has workd for 20 years with Agassi's charter sachool in Las Vegas and now he has a line of apps and learning tools for kids.

This is the first in Square Panda’s line of educational products aimed at promoting literacy among preschool children. Along with its debut, Square Panda is proud to announce the appointment of Andre Agassi as a board member. He is also a founder of the Turner-Agassi Charter School Facilities Fund which was established to provide investors seeking both financial and societal returns access to the growth of
America’s most innovative educational organizations.

Designed to teach, engage, and entertain early learners (ages three and up), the phonics play-set uses connected letter toys and multi-sensory apps to explore early reading skills.
Drawing from the latest research on phonics and multi-sensory instruction, Square Panda’s adaptive technology combines multi-sensory learning, humor, and exploratory play. Built upon proprietary hardware and software technology, its connected play-set adapts to recognize what a child is ready to learn and presents challenges to stretch growth and language skills.

See more at www.squarepanda.com

 


App of the Week:

Speedify

This is an app that debuted at CES...  Speedify Mobile
With Speedify Mobile, Android and iOS users can seamlessly combine Wi-Fi, mobile data and Bluetooth connections for faster and more reliable mobile Internet connectivity.

Speedify Mobile is solving the frustration that most smartphone users encounter daily, weak mobile or Wi-Fi signals that impede streaming media and make web pages fail to load. Speedify promises seamless mobile connectivity by intelligently switching between available Wi-Fi, mobile and Bluetooth networks or bonding them to create the best possible mobile experiences.

Speedify Mobile is also cost aware. It uses free Wi-Fi as long as it is available and will seamlessly move Internet traffic to mobile data only when necessary in order to conserve mobile data usage.

"We are thrilled to begin offering Speedify Mobile at CES 2016," said Chief Executive Officer, Alex Gizis. "We want to empower users all over the world with fast and reliable connectivity while ensuring they are getting the most out of their mobile plan."

The Speedify Mobile app establishes a connection to the company's Speed Servers in the cloud.  The technology works similar to a VPN by acting like a middleman between mobile devices and the rest of the Internet. The app works in tandem with their Speed Servers to intelligently divide Internet traffic at the packet-level taking best possible advantage of Wi-Fi and mobile data to deliver the combined availability and speeds of both connections. In this way, even single applications like streaming video, VPNs, and file transfers are given a speed boost on mobile devices.

To get started, simply download the app from the App Store for iOS devices or Google Play for Android devices. Speedify Mobile is being offered for free with 1 GB of speed-up data at launch with subscriptions for higher data use.   
 

Wireless Wednesday for 1/7/15: CES and the App of the Week

Rick is at CES  in Las Vegas this week. Looking at all the new gadgets and tech trends.

This is the annual Consumer Electronics Show and is attended by nearly 160,000 people.  It runs through Friday.

Have a listen:

listen to ‘Wireless Wednesday for 1/7/15 on 92.9 The Game’ on audioBoom

Let's talk about CES

1.  What is CES and what is it really like?

160,000 people. Long lines, expensive hotel rooms, for the most part.
Multiple convention centers. All the latest gadgets...

2.  CES Pre Show events

Officially, CES didn't kick off until Tuesday, but Rick already attended two pre show events- "Unveiled" and Pepcom's Digital Experience. These are "media only" events, where the press gets to see many of the new products ahead of time.
Rick went to both and both were crowded with new products and media.

3. Show floor opened today.

Miles and miles of aisles at LVCC< Sands Expo, and some of the convention centers in hotels.

4. Monday's Press Conferences

Many of the big companies have "press conferences" on Monday where they make new product announcements.  LG announced their new LG G Flex 2 phone and new washing machines and dryers.
Shaq was there for Monster audio and other celebs will be throughout the show...

What's Hot???

1. Wearable tech
2. Tech for the home
3. New Phones, laptops, micro chips

App of the week:

UA Record   -  Under Armour's new fitness app

UA Record, a new health and fitness network app that Under Armour is launching here at the Consumer Electronics Show.

UA Record, which you can download free starting this week in the Google Play Store or Apple's App Store, aims to simplify your personal health data with fitness activity tracking tools, and to connect you to a digital community of folks who might motivate you to get and stay in shape.
 Under Armour ambassadors you might choose to follow — among them ballerina Misty Copeland, skier Lindsey Vonn, tennis player Sloane Stephens and retired baseball star Cal Ripken Jr. You can also follow a feed from MapMyFitness, which Under Armour owns.

Record is a repository for tracking your steps, calories burned, sleep, heart rate and weight, with the data provided by third-party wearable devices and sensors.

After downloading UA Record and creating or logging into your account — you can use Facebook, or sign in with an Under Armour-owned MapMyFitness account — you connect the devices you'll use for tracking. Out of the starting gate, UA Record can connect to apps and devices from Garmin, Jawbone, Withings, MyFitnessPal, Fitbit, Suunto, Misfit, Wego, Polar and Fitbug.

UA Record is free right now, but premium features are coming

 

Wireless Wednesday for 1/8/14: With Mitch Evans - CES 2014

Rick and Mitch are back together in 2014.  The big Consumer Electronics Show is going on in Las Vegas.

Have a listen:

listen to ‘Wireless Wednesday for 1/8/14 on 92.9 The Game Part 1’ on Audioboo

listen to ‘Wireless Wednesday for 1/8/14 on 92.9 The Game Part 2’ on Audioboo

listen to ‘Wireless Wednesday for 1/8/14 on 92.9 The Game Part 3’ on Audioboo

Show Notes:

* TOPICS - The 2014 Consumer Electronics Show (CES) is underway in Las Vegas - We take a look at what is popular so far...  

If you have never been to CES - it is massive. Miles and miles of conventions space with every electronics company showing their new products


1.  Remote Controlled vehicles, cars, helicopters controlled by your smartphone

MOTO TC Rally, which debuted this holiday season. Griffin's booth will feature a large, 14’ x 9’ elevated racetrack with banked corners that will encourage CES attendees to take MOTO TC Rally for a spin around the track. The new remote-controlled race car connects to iOS devices via Bluetooth Low Energy (BTLE v4.0) and features super quick maneuvering capabilities via proportional steering; impact sensors that detect bumps and crashes changing the way the car handles; a fully independent, shock-absorbing suspension; power rear-wheel drive; and ground effect lighting.

 

Griffin’s new app-powered HELO TC Chopper, a Bluetooth Low Energy (BTLE v4.0) version of Griffin’s original twin-rotored HELO TC helicopter in high-visibility yellow. Using the free HELO TC Chopper App, users can fly the chopper in one of two ways: Touch Control, using the Multi-Touch display to maneuver the chopper; or Tilt-to-Fly mode, in which users tilt their iOS device to move the chopper forward, back and side to side. The Record & Recall feature can record and store up to three Flight Plans so users can repeat a favorite flight pattern easily. Make up routes among the furniture, missions to fly, obstacles to avoid, goals to achieve, and replay them later with friends. An Auto-Land feature brings HELO TC Chopper down for a safe landing with just a tap. HELO TC Chopper, regularly $49.99, is now available with special CES show pricing for $29.99 at store.griffintechnology.com/helo-tc-chopper.

 
MOTO TC Rally and HELO TC Chopper both require iOS 6.0 or later and are compatible with iPhone 5/5s, iPhone 4S, iPod touch (5th generation), iPad (3rd & 4th generations), iPad Air, iPad mini and iPad mini with Retina Display.



2.  Griffin's Multi-Dock

MultiDock, their premium business solution for charging, syncing, and docking multiple devices. Ideal for deployment in schools, businesses, and enterprise settings, MultiDock is available in two configurations: a single 10 bay unit and a stacked 30 bay cart complete with smooth rolling wheels, a handle and a lockable laptop tray. Six MultiDock units, capable of charging up to 60 devices at once.

 


3.  Biometrics that we all use

Fingerprint sensors and eye scanners aren't new, but their presence in consumer technology was minimal until last year's introduction of the iPhone 5S. Now smartphone and tablet manufacturers are tripping over themselves to build fingerprint scanners into their devices.

It doesn't stop at fingerprints. Thanks to the iPhone, the whole category of biometrics is suddenly red-hot. You can bet on devices, systems and even physical locks that scan some part of your body to use as your password. A lot of discussion will also focus on whether that's a good idea.
 


4.  The Connected House

We've talked about this before.  Rick was one of the first people that AT&T let visit their "House of Tomorrow." We soon won't be turning knobs and pushing button and flipping switches in the home. Most things will be controled by an app.

In 2017, more than 11 million U.S. broadband households will have a smart home controller, up from 2 million in 2013, according to research firm Parks Associates. AT&T and Comcast launched home automation offerings in Denver and across the country in recent years, allowing homeowners to control thermostats, doors, security systems and other products via tablets and smartphones.

Two years ago, Nest’s smart thermostat won a top innovation award at CES. Other stand-alone smart home products are also hitting the mark, such as the Philips Hue lighting system featuring smartphone-controlled multicolor LED bulbs. The system is very simple to set up and use.
The HomeSitter will alert you via your smartphone when there is an issue with your house or apt.

 "App"ifacation of cars

Audi chairman Rupert Stadler is delivering the second pre-show keynote this year, perhaps the most notable appearance by an automaker at CES. As such, Audi is expected to announce a major partnership, reportedly with Google and to integrate its Android mobile operating system into future Audi models.
Ford has also been at the forefront of putting all sorts of apps in cars.
“The whole automobile area is exploding in terms of not only electric cars, (but) cars that do things on their own." “They take over the driving, they warn you of lane changes, they tell you if you’re falling asleep. There’s all sorts of things like that out there that’s definitely very big and very fast growing.”

Apps of the Week  

Favado  (Free for iOS)

The Favado app aggregates sales data for your local grocery, drug and big box stores. You’ll find the freshest sale data from the weekly ad, and if a sale item also has coupons available, Favado will tell you where to find them. Build a shopping list from the sales, and you’ll be able to stop over-spending at the grocery store.

Favado makes it easy to “know before you go” and make sure you’re only buying your favorite items before they go on sale. Doing so can save you up to 70% on everyday items! You’ll save the most if you build a shopping list around the week’s sales, but you can also use the search function to compare prices before you run out for milk.

Money saving experts across the country hand select the very best sale prices, even secret sales, from more than 65,000 grocery and drug stores nationwide, and add them weekly into Favado -- so that the very best deals are right at your fingertips.
 
And Audio Roadshow  - A new app where you will be able to listen and leave feedback for the shows on 92.9 The Game and other CBS stations.

App will debut shortly.

Wireless Wednesday for 1/9/13: With Mitch Evans Talking Games and the CES Show

This week, Mitch and I talk about 2 new addictive games that are apps and I talk about some of the latest technology to come out of the 2013 Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas.

listen to ‘Wireless Wednesday on 92.9 The Game for 1/9/13 Part 1’ on Audioboo

listen to ‘Wireless Wednesday on 92.9 The Game for 1/9/13 Part 2’ on Audioboo

listen to ‘Wireless Wednesday on 92.9 The Game for 1/9/13 Part 3’ on Audioboo