Kyle knows a little bit about that. He has family that has a visual impairment. He developed this prototype in hopes they can get around without having a full time caretaker.

The wrist belt looks like a steampunk iPhone holder. But it definitely has a good use. The idea is to put sensors in clothes and other areas, so someone can help them via a cell or Wifi connection.

Eyes on Demand at DEMO 2012

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Lookiloo

If you watch Community, you know about Leonard’s lucrative frozen pizza review. Imagine that Leonard did that review, which took you to Amazon to purchase multiple frozen pizzas. Yes -Amazon has Frozen Pizza.

Looqiloo is a site that gives your product video review a monetary value. The site is in Beta right now, but you can sign up for the service. You can use any video you create – even if it’s on YouTube.

Multi Voice Changer by Toysmith

Just upload the video, and let Looqiloo do the rest. For example, we had this Multi Voice Changer by Toysmith: I would create a small video, then post to Looqiloo. They have a direct link to Amazon, so if anyone purchases that toy, you could see a percentage of revenues.

Everyone’s videos will appear on the page, you just have to watch how they use it. You can also choose who had the best review of the product.

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BryteWerks Theater Projector

If you are a home theater expert, you know a good projector can really make your theater system shine. That is what BryteWerks does – they make movie theater projectors at consumer prices.

Bryteworks Model One is an all-in-one PC/Projector. With an internal processor and SSD drive, you can project video right from the machine, or connect another device to project a movie, slideshow, or computer. The 17 inch – square size is compact enough to set into a room without it taking too much space.

The initial $2,995 price comes with an ATOM processor, 2 GB memory, 60 GB SSD and more. If you need higher quality, they offer an i7 version with 250 SSD, NVIDIA GForce GTX 570 graphics and more.

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BodyMedia Seven Day Patch

We have talked with Body Media at CES. They have an ingenious monitor that you use to track your vitals. Now, they are showing off a patch you wear on your arm for seven days to find out how you are sweating, and how you are sleeping.

The new patch looks like the side of a shoe. You adhere it to your triceps, then work, sleep, shower, and whatever you do, for the next seven days. When done, download the information into the computer.

This patch will not only monitor your activity levels, it will also monitor the sweat and how you sleep. Of course, that can tell your doctor if you get the right amount of sleep in an evening.

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TrustGo scans malware, mobile phishing on Android

I download apps all the time to review. You might download apps to play games, or just for utilities. But some of those apps might be doing more than just turning your phone into a flashlight. They might be malware, or they could be taking more personal information than you know.

That is where TrustGo comes in. They look at the apps, then let you know if this app is safe to download. For Android (working on iOS), you install this app, then let it scan other apps that download.

This is technically not anti-virus, because TrustGo does a lot more. In this day and age, malware is only one threat.

TrustGo is available now for you to download.

2013 Ford Escape

On a sunny day in San Francisco, we joined Ford Motor Company to take a first drive of the 2013 Ford Escape. While it’s not the Ford Mustang first drive, this was a very important drive, for whereas the car enthusiast will get a Mustang, the family will most likely get the Ford Escape. For driving the kids to school, or for towing the camper or boat to a weekend adventure.

All in a 4 cylinder vehicle.

2013 Ford Escape 2 Liter EcoBoost

We drove the 2 liter Escape on this drive in Northern San Francisco area. The Escape also comes in 1.6 liter, and 2.5 liter. All with EcoBoost – Ford’s technology to direct inject gasoline (wiki on EcoBoost). With new technologies added to this vehicle, you can drive the mountains of northern California (or anywhere) without worrying if you can get up that hill.

New Technologies in the Ford Escape

Ford Escape with EcoBoost

Along with the SYNC Ford Touch system in the Escape, Ford has added 11 new technologies that no other small SUV has. Items such as active park assist, BLIS (Blind spot Information System), curve control, and torque vectoring control are some technologies that help you steer and control your Escape better.

Escape Lift Gate Technology

For the family – an innovative way to get into your vehicle. If your hands are full with groceries, or boxes, and you cannot get to the keys in your pocket to press a button, then by using the sensor on the bottom you can open the gate. Simply swipe your foot along the back bumper, and the gate will open. Swipe your foot again, the gate will close.

Ford Escape – the Good

This vehicle drives very well. Getting up hills is a breeze, and the control in a sharp turn is impressive. This is an automatic, but you do have the option to go into “Sport” mode. Perfect for towing, or just controlling your Escape a little better.

The ride is comfortable and quiet. Ford has been working on making a quiet ride, so you can really enjoy the sound system engineers have worked to perfect. Testing with an artist list that included ZZ Top – for clean, crisp drum sounds – to Lou Reed – in hearing the backup singers. Even Eminen was used to make sure this vehicle had the bass to appreciate this artists’ music.

Ford Escape – the Bad

Not much to say in the negative area. I personally wish the car was a little bigger. Otherwise, we felt a little lag in the EcoBoost kicking in. However, for a 4-cylinder engine, this is a minimal issue.

Ford Escape – the Verdict

Bottom line, if you need a car for the family – If you need a car for towing the boat, trailer or camper – if you need a car that will haul your 18 year old’s boxes off to college, then the Escape can be your car. This Escape can hold 5 people comfortably, and still have items in the back. With the active park assist, you don’t have to worry about parallel parking.

The smooth, quiet ride gives you a good feeling. The advanced air bag system in the Escape will keep your family safe in an accident. Starting at $22,000, the Escape will be a very affordable family SUV.

If you listen to podcasts or watch video shows, you probably hear the music in the background. You might be watching another show, and that same music shows up. This is most likely royalty free music – something you purchase to use for video content. It can enhance a podcast and bring a wall of sound, so the listeners enjoy your show a little more. Jeffrey Powers talks about some places you can go to get royalty free music, things to watch out for when you purchase a track, and how your can make your own music to use in the background of your own podcasts.

Sponsor: GoToMeeting with HD Faces makes it easy to collaborate online anytime. Try it for 30 days for Free!

Links for this episode:

• iTunes RSS Specifications
• Pond 5- https://www.pond5.com
• Royalty Free Music – http://www.royaltyfreemusic.com/
• Free Sounds for the Web – http://freesounds.info/
• Royalty Free Music on Amazon – http://amzn.to/HbO4Qr
• Garage Band for iPad – http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/garageband/id408709785?mt=8
• Ducking RDL ST VP2 – http://bhpho.to/RDLSTVP2

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Sonicbids at SXSW

While at SXSW, I sat down with Sonicbids - the online Electronic Press Kit (EPK). I was first introduced to Sonicbids around 10 years ago when the company came on the scene. I even signed up for the beta!

Fast forward to 2012, and Sonicbids is still running strong. With over 26,00 promoters and over 100,000 gigs booked in 2011, Sonicbids has been working social media before the term was coined.

Sonicbids can help people find gigs in cities they don’t live in. For example – if you are in New York, and you plan a trip to San Francisco, you can put up your EPK on Sonicbids, then network with other bands and promoters to find places to play and promote your band.

I sit down and talk with Tess at Sonicbids to find out about what Sonicbids is doing to get more people gigs.

Black Ford Mustang GT

It’s America’s Pony Car. the Muscle of Ford – the 2013 Ford Mustang is the American dream car. Has been since 1964 when the Mustang first came out (wikipedia). But in 2013, the Mustang got an overhaul that makes everyone drool. From the new look, to the new technologies inside, this 450 horsepower vehicle is going to be the leader in sports cars.

Mustang Exterior Features

The Ford Mustang V6 and GT models got some new changes. Starting with the front end – a more powerful design in the grill alone. The splitter and heat extractors on the hood of the Mustang GT show more power and a little more sport. The Signature HID lighting illuminate the roads. Best part, they are standard.

New wheels are on the 2013 Mustang, standard 17 inch for V6, 19 inch for GT, with updated designs and finishes to match the driver. Rocker panels bring a premium appearance for the driver – with the Mustang name on the inside, and painted to match the color of the car.

The rear-view mirrors have a little Easter egg to them. They project the Mustang emblem on the ground when the unlock button is pressed.

The rear-end lights come with smoked lenses and gloss black applique.

For a full rundown, see the video: Ford Mustang 2013 – Dave Pericak on What’s New

Ford Mustang Interior Features

There are a lot of great features to the interior of the Mustang. Of course, all leather seats, with option to upgrade to Recaro seats. This guarantees a fun, sporty, and comfortable ride.

The audio system is an upgraded Shaker audio, which comes in two options – Shaker, with 8 speakers, and Shaker Pro with 9 speakers. The Shaker Pro version brings in a complete acoustic experience. With the quiet interior, you can turn the music up to 11 and not hear a bad note. Believe me – we tried.

The Mustang GT Track package (Manual GT Mustang, only) come with a 3.73 axle, engine oil cooler, upgraded radiator and performance friction brake pads that you would see on the Boss 302. You do have option to switch from manual drive to automatic – that way you can push your Mustang the way you need to.

Mustang Instrument Cluster and Microsoft Sync

Just like all Ford vehichles, the 2013 Mustang can be equipped with Microsoft Sync and hands-free options. Ford apps like in-car navigation, heating controls, Sirius XM radio, and more. Additional apps like Nuance, Stitcher, iHeartRadio and more bring a full experience to your Mustang.

Additionally, a 4.2-inch color LCD productivity screen is located between the speedometer and tachometer. This screen allows you to access information related to performance of the vehicle.

A five-way button panel on the steering wheel allows you to navigate through the Track Apps Ford offers. You can check mileage, oil temperature, air/fuel ratio, g force, and even get a simulated Christmas tree for performance testing. All from your dashboard.

Track Apps:

• Accelerometer
• Acceleration Timer
• Brake Performance
• Countdown Start

Line of Ford Mustangs

Ford Mustang Driving – the Good

We took the top-of -the-line Mustang through the roads of Oregon. Testing the power and speed, this vehicle handled all we threw at it. The suspension was awesome – I didn’t bounce around at all. When you put your foot on the floor, the car responded in kind, and that made for a great drive around those windy roads.

I also didn’t feel cramped, like I do in most cars. The steering column fit to my larger hands and I was able to navigate around the steering column without taking my eyes off the road. Especially the cruise control, which I like to use in everyday driving.

Ford Mustang Driving – the Bad

The manual shift option felt a little lanky – I am used to paddles on the steering wheel, instead I had a up-down button on the shifter. I got a little cross with how it did shift.

The seats could have used a little more option. The day before, we drove the Ford Taurus SHO, which had some great features to the seats. While don’t care that much about the Shiatsu option in the Taurus, I felt I had more control over the adjustments in the seats. Would like to see that for the Mustang.

When I put the car in reverse, it had a punch to it. More than I would expect it to have – I was barely touching the pedal and kicking up gravel. While nice in a pinch, it could get away from some drivers simply backing out of a stall.

I had some problems with the Sync system – the turn by turn direction voice stopped working halfway through the drive. I was still able to use the system without missing a turn (the music would dim when a change was coming).

The Mustang does have a gas mileage of 19 city, 31 highway, but if you are “punching” the car, you might not see these numbers.

Overall Drive of the 2013 Ford Mustang

This was a fun little car to take on the twisting, turning roads of Oregon. It handled beautifully, and was one of the smoothest rides I have experienced in a while. This car commands, and as a driver, I felt empowered. The new track apps helped you understand how you were driving, and it does bring a little bit of fun to the drive.

Of course, the proof is in the pudding – Check out the Video of the Ford test drive above.

Special thanks to Mike Perlman for being my drive buddy. Check out TechnoBuffalo’s video on this Ford Mustang Drive

Ford Mustang 2013

While in Portland, Oregon, we learned all the new features of the different versions of the Mustang for 2013. From the Shelby GT500, to the Boss 302.

We look at the Front End with a prominent grill and the new hood vents on the GT which extract heat. The premium look takes out the black plastic, and replaced with standard rocker panels on V6 and GT. The side mirror also has a projection lamp where the horse shows up.

The front of the vehicle contains signature lighting. Two LED strips on day and night.  The GT also has LED fog lamps. The rear has signature LED tail lamps. The center stock lamp changes color to a reverse light. The black panel ties the lights together.

Wheels: three brand new designs, with a total of 12 versions to choose from. This makes a car you can customize.

The customers asked to get Recardo leather seats, and Ford answered by making that an option to other Mustangs.

Ford also added manual control for automatic cutomers to take over control. It will not second guess the driver. You can let it go up to red line before shifting – Ford will not assume anything. This will make for a better acceleration.

The GT will have a track package. Performance brake pads, large radiator, and other features that live in the Boss 302. Manual customers will also get hillstar assist. When you stop the vehicle on an incline, it will hold on to the brakes for up to two seconds, allowing them to engage the clutch.

The V6 performance package is added this year. GT suspension, GT brakes, union wheels and summer tires. So you can have fun with your Mustang.

The new Mustang track apps allows the user access to more information than they ever had before. How many G’s the car is pulling. Accelerations and deceleration. They even brought the Christmas tree into the car for convenience.

Overall, this new line of Mustangs looks impressive, and the sports car driver will have a lot of fun with the Mustang. I will have a first drive look of the Mustang in a future post on Monday.

For now, enjoy this video of Dave Pericak talking about the new Mustang 2013 models and features.

New York Film Academy at SXSW

If you want to learn more about making film, and are planning to take classes on it, you might want to check out the New York Film Academy. The school helps you learn how to use the video gear so you can take a job in film career path you want.

Alumni include Aubrey Plaza (Parks and Recreation), Nicholas McDonald (the Middle), Zac Wong (Road Runner), and more.

Jeffrey talks to Mike from New York Film Academy about the school. Jeffrey also uses the green screen they had set up.

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Part 1 – Flipside Fire Dancers

Part 2 – Flipside Fire Dancers

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Part 1 – Flipside Fire Dancers

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For instance, you can set up a trigger that states every time you eat at a certain place, your favorite non-profit gets $5 (or whatever you want to set). Have 100 people check in to Foursquare, donate money to a worthy cause.

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Jason Rupp of Ask.com on PollRoll

While at SXSW, I sat down with Jason Rupp of Ask.com and we talked about a new application they are rolling out. It’s first coming out for the iPhone, but will make it’s way to iPad, web and Android devices in the coming weeks.

The name of the app is called PollRoll. It’s a simple poll of a question you might have. You could ask who like Justin Beiber. Then again, you might see a nice pair of boots and ask if you should buy them.

PollRoll has the audience of Ask.com behind it. Therefore, if you have the poll open, you can get a wide variety of answers. Right now, you can see what your friends think, what the overall audience thinks, and what the local audience (in your area) thinks.

For instance, Jason was looking at a pair of boots. While the overall audience didn’t like them, 71% of people in the Austin area said he should buy them. Of course, his friends were split down the middle on the boots.

I asked what features were coming to the PollRoll app and if there was an API to be available for websites. Jason said they have been talking to the people here at SXSW, and have gotten a lot of great ideas, including real-time answer analysis, breaking it down a little more. He also said they will be looking into an API, because there was a lot of interest in that.

Check out the video interview with Jason. If you have any questions, Twitter me @geekazine and I’ll pass the questions along!

Corsair

At CES, Corsair brought some new gaming devices to make our MMO experience even better. The Corsair 90 Series is optimized for MMO and RTS games. The 60 Series are designed for first-person shooters.

With Cherry MX Red keys,these keyboards handle the sensitivity of the gamer. Each of the mice also rate 5700 DPI, and can change for your need on the fly.The M60 mouse also has a “sniper” button, which drops your DPI immediately to 800 (default).

Interview by Nicholas DiMeo of F5 Live for the TechPodcast Network.

Zimri speakers have a microSD slot to listen to music from the device, and volume controls on the bottom.

Zimri also has a charging solution battery pack, in both 3,000 and 6,000 mAH capacities. These chargers have two USB slots, with one being a rapid charger and go hand-in-hand with the speakers that they have.

Interview by Nicholas DiMeo of F5 Live for the TechPodcast Network.

shogun bros

Shogun Bros. shows off their X-1 combination mouse, gamepad and demonstration device. This is an all-in-one tool.

Shogun Brothers have partnered up with Assassin’s Creed to deliver customized versions of X-1. The X-1 is available in Altair White & Ezio Grey and sport a genuine leather look.

Interview by Nicholas DiMeo of F5 Live for the TechPodcast Network.

Sennheiser HD700 Headphones

Nick from F5 talked with Eric Palonen from Sennheiser to talk about some new products. The HD700 brings a brand new sound. This has a wide soundstage, because the transducers come in at an angle.

The HD700 also has a ventilated magnet system. This channels air pressure so you don’t get turbulence in your ears. That means the headphones will not create any type of air flow obstruction, so the speakers can work more freely to give you the best quality sound. End result is crystal clear, unadulterated sound.

Finally, the HD700 has a Vibration damping frame. It will reduce the vibration from one transducer to another. Pure sound all the way through.

Get the Sennheiser HD 700 Headphone at Amazon

This is for critical listening – audiophiles and recording agents. Anyone that is looking for those subtle nuances to create their wall of sound.

The HD700 headphones are not cheap, though. Prices start at $1,500 a set. However, if you need a high-quality sound, then the HD700 is what you need. The Snnheiser HD25 is a more affordable $350, and doubles as a smartphone headset. Eric also talked about the HD800, which is even better quality for larger ear cavities.

Interview by Nicholas DiMeo of F5 Live for the TechPodcast Network.

perch

Perch developed a product that will help solve the multi-charger programs. Perch Alarm is a device where you plug the charger into the Perch Alarm and then both into the outlet. Connect your device and you are charging as normal. When you are ready to leave if you try to disconnect the device and leave the charger behind, you will hear a chirping sound reminding you to take the charger with you. There is a home mode so you can turn the alarm off. Perch was a semifinalist of the Last Gadget Standing Award at CES 2012. They hope to release the product within 60 days and will be $9.95 one-third the cost of a replacement charger which cost around $29.95.

Prize Monkey

Prize Monkey is about instant gratification. They call him the Un-Kiosk.

The idea works like this: you pass by a monitor, and a monkey is jumping around. You connect on your smartphone and interact with the monkey. After a while, you win a prize.

Prize Monkey tries to work with companies that help reach consumers. It runs on the iPad (in this case). The redeem from the mobile device drops a prize from the kiosk.

It’s all about rewards for connecting and distributing.

Interview by Nicholas DiMeo of F5 Live for the TechPodcast Network.

Fulton Innovation

Fulton Innovation joined the Wireless Power Consortium and teamed up to create the Qi. This is the standard using E-Couple technology. Over 80 companies that allow interoperability across their devices and chargers. Motorola, Sharp, Energizer, LG and Samsung are these companies which will allow consumers to charge essentially any compatible device. There is even an option to retrofit the device.

The possibilities are endless and we’ve mentioned it throughout our CES coverage on our shows which you can find here.

Interview by Nicholas DiMeo of F5 Live for the TechPodcast Network.

Also See

CES Live Coverage: Phillips, Yale Locks, Vivick

Fulton eCoupled Lights Up Cereal Boxes

canon

The guys at F5 talked to Ben Thomas about the Canon VIXIA line of cameras. The M series, the higher end of the two model lines, features built-in WiFi, severl new menu enhancements, a new image stabilizer called Intelligent IS and a 20% increased low-light performance than that of its predecessor. The R series, these entry level models now pack a punch as they too include built-in WiFi.

Interview by Nicholas DiMeo of F5 Live for the TechPodcast Network.

Also check out - Canon VIXIA: Six New Models With WiFi, iPhone Tethering

Check out – Canon G1X Camera with Professional Features

Snoball

Wesley Faulkner is the Digital Strategist of Snoball. He joined us on the TPN CES Live coverage to talk about this great website. Snoball is a great way to get donations to non-profit organizations. Log on to Snoball and set up a trigger to give money to an organization.

Example: You can set a goal, and when you do, you can donate to a cause. So if so many people did this on social network (like on Facebook, checkin on Foursquare, Tweet with a hashtag), I could give X amount of dollars to my charity of choice.

This also works with businesses – after so many Twitter follows, a business could donate to their charity. So many Yelp reviews, they donate. And if a Snoball goes viral, you can place a cap on your donations so you don’t give more than you can afford.

There are over 1.6 million nonprofits to send donations to. These are 501C and 170C non-profits, as registered by the government. Start a Snoball, Share a Snoball and see the good.

For instance, there is a Snoball right now that when Jeremy Lin scores, someone is donating 5 cents to Garden of Dreams Foundation.

They are working on defined categories, but you can definitely search for local charities to give money to. There is no “random” option, but Snoball does feature charities that you could get behind.

This is all tax deductible. You can get a report at the end of the year who you gave money to.

Interview by Jeffrey Powers of Geekazine and Andy Smith of Geocaching World

California Audio Technology

CAT, or California Audio Technology was in the Venetian at CES. California Audio Technology is a high-end consumer audio company, and has been doing it for 22 years. CAT is showing off the best 2-channel listening area. Using Theta Digital amplifiers, CAT speakers can really show their stuff in audio sound.

California Audio Technology uses materials like Corian, Avonite, Stainless Steel, concrete, marble, granite. They use CNC machines to build their speakers to wristwatch quality.  Every component has a Neodymium Magnet driver. They sit in over 120 pounds of MBX 105 material. This can be accurate wherever you stand. That also improves depth quality and ease of hearing.

California Audio Technology, along with Theta Digital – can create awesome home theaters, recording studios, mega yachts, planes and more. They can even hide the speakers in the walls. They are also waterproof, so these speakers could work well around a pool, or on a boat.

If you are a true audiophile, you will want to look at CAT.

Interview by Nicholas DiMeo of F5 Live for the TechPodcast Network.

KidzVuz

Rebecca Levey from KidzVuz joined the TPN CES Live show to talk about Kidzvuz. This is a safe environment for eight to ten year olds.

Rebecca was a mommy blogger. As she reviewed, she thought – why am I reviewing the product? My kids should be doing that.

However, young kids shouldn’t be on Facebook or YouTube like that. Therefore, she helped create KidzVuz. This is a completely moderated site where parents have control over what is sent across the network. Kids can then comment and make videos, just like adults do.

KidzVuz also can teach parents about how they are sending their kids digital footprint across the internet. With KidzVuz, there is no identifyable information. They worked with Badgeville to put a competitive edge to the site.

Kids that love to collect or build get excited about this site. LEGO and other building blocks. Bookworms are also big on Kidz Vuz. Kids on vacation or cooking are also big topics.

KidzVuz is in full compliance with the Child Online Protective Act. The site is completely free and Banner-ad free.

Interview by Andy McCaskey of SDRNews and Don Baine of the Gadget Professor for the TechPodcast Network.