Geek News Central Special Media Feed

Microphones do not have to be a boring grey color. They can have style! Neat Microphones, a member of the Gibson family, have two lines of aesthetically pleasing microphones that look like pieces of art. They look as awesome as they sound! Scott spoke with Product Manager of Neat Microphones, Clayton Harrison, at CES 2016. They talked about both the Bee Line and the Widgets line of microphones. Each style shows that microphones don’t have to look dull – they can be fun! Four of the microphones in the Bee Line are available now. All of them are high end USB mics. The Beecaster and the Bumblebee give you high quality, professional, results without the need for all kinds of extra equipment. The Bumblebee is intended for speech (and would be great for podcasting, Skype, and video blogging). The Beecaster has stereo capability and is good for music. Each comes with microphone pre-amps. They have headphone output and headphone amplifiers – which let you do direct monitoring without the latency associated with USB. The King Bee and Worker Bee mics are for professionals and aspiring professionals who already have a rig. They are also great for podcasting and provide top notch sound. The Widgets line have a super fun aesthetic and would be great for YouTube or Twitch where a person can be recording and seen at the same time. The microphones in the Widgets line are $99 each. You can find more information about the Bee Line microphones, and the Widgets line of microphones at NeatMic.com. Scott Ertz is a software developer and video producer at F5 Live: Refreshing Technology.

Watching movies at home is nicer when you have surround sound. However, it is not easy to put together a surround sound system. You have to plan ahead, mount speakers, and figure out how to hide all those unsightly wires. Philips Fidelio E6 provides an extremely simple way to get surround sound on demand. Scott spoke with Senior Manager of Philips Electronics, Ken Chan, at the Gibson Brands Booth at CES 2016. They talked about the Philips Fidelio E6 Surround on Demand speakers. What might look like one speaker is actually two detachable speakers. The speakers sit next to your TV. When you are ready to watch a movie, remove the top speakers and place them in the back of your living room. After the movie is over, you can easily put the detachable speaker back where it was. Philips gives you a very clean and tidy solution for true surround sound without any wires. The Philips Fidelio E6 Surround On Demand speakers have internal Wi-Fi. The detachable speakers have a battery inside them that charges when the speaker is attached. It can be fully charged in two hours. You can watch ten hours of movies, with surround sound, on a fully charged speaker. The Philips Fidelio E6 is not yet available in the United States, but may launch in Spring or Summer. The retail price $799. Scott Ertz is a software developer and video producer at F5 Live: Refreshing Technology.

There are many people who dream about learning how to play the guitar. Jamstik can help you make that dream a reality. It is a portable mini controller that was designed around the idea of making music more accessible to everyone. Nick spoke with Senior Producer Matt Cannon from Jamstik. It is a mini controller that has a sensor that knows where your fingers are at. It shows you on screen in real time either on your iPad, iPhone or Mac. (Android compatibility is coming). First timers can use the Jam Tutor app to go from knowing nothing at all about playing guitar to being able to pluck strings, fret their first chords, and more. What makes Jamstik unique is that it is one of the first devices to connect through Bluetooth and use BLE MIDI. It is lightning fast and has no latency. Another unique feature of Jamstik is that it feels natural and has real strings and frets. Musicians who travel, and cannot take their guitar with them, can bring Jamstik along instead. It comes with a travel case and fits in carry on. The ideas they get while traveling can be played and recorded in Jamstik. Jamstik is available via the Jamstik website, at Amazon, and at Apple stores. It is priced at $299. Nick DiMeo is an audio engineer and show host at F5 Live: Refreshing Technology.

Parents who are caring for a sick baby who might have a fever can find it difficult to check their baby’s temperature without waking him or her from a sound sleep. Lynktec provides a simple solution to that problem with Thermo, a non-contact smart thermometer. Daniele spoke with Marketing Specialist for Lynktec, Christa Knight, at CES 2016. Christa demonstrated how to use Thermo, their non-contact smart thermometer. She also explained the many things that the app can do. A small device that has a sensor can be connected to your smartphone. That device can be gently placed against a baby’s forehead to check his or her temperature. The baby can continue taking a nap. The device sends data to the app on your smartphone. You can immediately see if the baby is running a fever. In addition, the app keeps track of the baby’s temperature on a chart. That information can easily be sent to doctor. The app will also show you local hospitals and pharmacies and use Google Maps to tell you the route that will get you there the quickest. Thermo can also be used to take object and ambient temperatures. It gives parents an easy way to check how hot the baby’s formula is, and to make sure that bath water is at the perfect temperature. It can also be used to find out the temperature of a room. Thermo is in production and will be available in quarter 2 on the Lynktec.com website. It will be priced at $59.00. Daniele Mendez is a video host who specializes in covering live events for Plughitz Live.

Gibson produced their first electric guitar back in 1936 and since then, the name has been synonymous with the instrument. This doesn’t mean that Gibson trades on its history alone and the company remains at the forefront of instrument innovation. The latest “High Performance” series is the most innovative guitar they’ve ever made. Daniele Mendez gets a demo of the latest axe from Christopher Oliphant of Gibson. These new SG-standard guitars have a range of new features, from physical changes to the contour of the neck heel through to auto-tuning. The new G Force tuning system self-tunes to both standard and alternate tunings, and the new version is faster and more accurate than before. Extremely easy to use, all the guitarist needs to do is press a button and strum the strings. The guitar will take care of the rest, tuning only one string or all strings. It’s not just for electric guitars either as the G-Force system is now fitted to high-end acoustic guitars too. Amazing to watch in action! All the guitars are available now with prices from US$1,099 for the “High Performance” models. Daniele Mendez is a video producer at F5 Live: Refreshing Technology. Become a GNC Insider today!

Fitness trackers have been around from a couple of years and they’re beginning to evolve from simply measuring steps and reps to coaching for improved performance. Jamie and Nick get a demo by Fabian Walke to show how the Gymwatch exemplifies that next stage in evolution. The main difference between Gymwatch and other activity trackers is that it’s designed to be moved around the body to accurately measure the activity. Goes on the arm for arm exercises, on the leg for leg exercises. For the coaching, the Gymwatch reports to a companion app that not only counts the activity but also provides feedback to the wearer as to whether they’re doing the exercise correctly or not. Perhaps the wearer is overextending or perhaps they’re not doing enough: whatever it is, the Gymwatch will advise how to correct the exercise. The Gymwatch is available now for US$149. Fabian says $99 in the interview but it’s $149 on the Gymwatch website. Jamie Davis is the host of Health Tech Weekly at HTWeekly.com. He is a nurse, paramedic and health journalist. Nick DiMeo is a video producer at F5 Live: Refreshing Technology. Become a GNC Insider today!

Todd Cochrane talks to Ethan from Celluon about the PicoBit laser pico projector. The PicoBit is a pico projector shaped like a smartphone that uses a built-in version of the Android operating system. It has 8 gigabytes of built-in memory and a Micro SD card slot for extra media file storage. Since the unit runs on a laser light engine, there is no need to focus, and therefore no focus ring control. Depending on the darkness of the room, the unit is capable of projecting up to a 150″ inch image. It has a standard tripod mount on the bottom of the unit. They are planning an April release date with pricing at $379. Become a GNC Insider today!

Todd Cochrane talks with Crystal Griffith, Marketing Manger at Audio Technica. Crystal discusses the Audio Technica ATH MSR7 over-ear headphones. They sell for $249.95. Crystal also shows the ATH MSR5 in two different versions, the corded version selling for $149.95 and a Bluetooth version selling for $199.95. They also talk about Audio Technica’s new Bluetooth turntable that sells for $179.95. Become a GNC Insider today!

Todd Cochrane talks with Paul Meyhoefer, Vice President, J.K. Imaging Limited, Kodak about the Kodak PIXPRO 4k action camera. The Kodak PIXPRO 4k action camera uses a 4k sensor to record 360 degree video with a 235 degree band of view. The unit is able to use WiFi to produce a lower resolution live view on your Android or iOS mobile devices so you can check your camera aim. The device includes stitching software and editing software for both Windows and Mac. The unit can support up to a 128 gigabyte Class 10 (or higher) Micro SD card. An RF remote control is sold separately for $45. Underwater housings and other mounts are available for sale on the website. Kodak PIXPRO 4k pricing is $449 for the camera by itself. The Premiere Pack which includes various accessories is priced at $499. The Dual Pro Pack is priced at $899 and includes 2 cameras and accessories. The 360 degree videos produced are compatible with both YouTube and Facebook. Become a GNC Insider today!

Robin Raskin, founder of Living In Digital Times, talks with the guys about their experiences at 2016 CES. Living In Digital Times produces technology conferences, exhibits and events at CES and other locations. The guys talk to Robin about tech-enabled fashion, as well as the take0ver of electronic forms of money, driverless cars and other forward-looking trends brought on by the continuing forward march of technology. Become a GNC Insider today!

Patrick Hanley, Marketing Manager at Touch Technology demonstrates their new oem touch screen controllers. Patrick demonstrates a new force touch or three dimensional touch screen device mock-up, where increased pressure causes different reactions on the screen, such as a heavier line in a drawing. Become a GNC Insider today!  

Brian Stofiel, CEO of Stofiel Aerospace talks about launch services for micro/nano satellites. Traditional launch services are extremely expensive. The Stofiel Aerospace concept is to launch a 30 pound payload from a rocket from a balloon at 100,000 feet. They are working with governments to come up with a low earth orbit space that will allow small payload, rapid deployment satellites. The system they are planning will be able to launch within a couple of hours. These are short-duration satellites that will only remain in orbit for about two weeks before de-orbiting. Become a GNC Insider today!

Jamie Davis is joined by Daniel J. Lewis and Michael Day. They discuss their personal picks from 2016 CES. Michael talks about a spoon that is designed to automatically compensate for involuntary movements, allowing people with Parkinson’s Disease or Cerebral Palsy to feed themselves. Daniel talks about the IK Multimedia iKlip A/V, a sophisticated mounting device that allows a smartphone to be used as a light-weight, single hand-held video recorder with a wireless lav microphone and real-time audio monitoring. It should be available in the second quarter of 2016 and should be priced around $100 or under. Nick Demayo’s pick was the GymWatch Sensor, a Bluetooth-enabled device that you can clip on your arm that is able to detect range of motion, speed, etc. to ensure you are exercising properly and can report data back to an app on your mobile device. The app can graphically display your range of motion on your mobile device and also tell you verbally if you need to speed up, slow down, etc. to ensure maximum exercise impact. The GymWatch Sensor sells for $149 and $289 depending on model. Jack and Michael like Dog and Bone Bluetooth LockSmart, a Bluetooth-enabled padlock that sells for $89.95. Jamie found a ThinOPTICS flat smartphone-shaped pod that sticks to the back of your phone case that stores flat built-in reading glasses. Through the use of FlexGrip technology, the ThinOPTICS teading glasses securely stick to the bridge of your nose without arms and stores flat in the back of the phone case when not in use. The ThinOPTICS pod sells for $24.95. Or choose a phone case version to fit your phone for $38.95. Jamie Davis is the host of Health Tech Weekly at HTWeekly.com. He is a nurse, paramedic and health journalist. Daniel J. Lewis is the host of the award-winning podcast about podcasting, The Audacity to Podcast. Daniel helps others launch and improve their own podcasts for sharing their passions and finding success. Become a GNC Insider today!  

Todd Cochrane talks with J. George Land, Executive Director of Nexia Connected Home Solutions. Nexia Connected Home Solutions is a software provider that works with selected products from a select number of different home automation manufacturers integrating everything into one voice-controlled software application. Nexia offers Z-Wave gateways. The Nexia Z-Wave bridge sells for $67.00 on Amazon and can handle up to 200 Z-Wave compatible products from different manufacturers. With The Nexia Z-Wave bridge, you can control your connected home products from anywhere you have an Internet-connected mobile device such as a smartphone, tablet or laptop computer. Become a GNC Insider today!

Todd Cochrane talks with a Bill Lempesis, Executive Director of the VESA video standards organization. VESA now has 235 members and is currently concentrating most of its efforts around DisplayPort, a digital display interface standard. They discuss the current state of acceptance of DisplayPort. The new USB-C port is expected to carry DisplayPort video on a wide variety of mobile and other products in the near future. Become a GNC Insider today!