Alright, I know what you are all wondering; “Norbert, what is the next Killer App from CES 2012?!” Well, sit on down, kick your shoes off and let me tell you a little story.

They say a man’s best friend is his dog, and in the digitial world things are not too far off from that.  One day on a college campus a young man was watching video content on his mobile device while on his way to class and when he got there he had to stop the video.  When class was over and he got back to his room he wanted to pick up the video right where he had left off.  No luck.  He had to restart it and find the part where he stopped.  Well, that doesn’t sit well with a student going for his Masters Degree in Instructional Technology.  What he did was find a way to take any streaming video content found on the web and be able to access it, stop it, and restart it right where he left off.  Ok, so that is not that impressive, but what if I were to tell you that he made it so that you could share this content with anyone else with a smartphone or web-connected device, wirelessly?  By the just flick of a finger no less!

This technology will not require a box or cables and its completely free (and all legal like too).  All one needs is a piece of equipment like a TV, tablet, computer, or another smartphone that has the ability to get to the web via a browser; so that you can “Fetch, Toss, and Share™” whatever streaming video content you can find.   And its called Shodogg™, your new best friend in the digital media world.

Shodogg™ will allow you to find digital media content and let you manage how, when, and where you consume it; what you watch it on; and whom you share it with.  It is, for all intents and purposes, the MacDaddy of media managers.  Shodogg™’s revolutionary media management system makes streaming video and content easier for consumers while preserving owners’ rights and business models.  Its mobile app turns smartphones into sophisticated controllers.  A simple interface solves viewer frustrations in accessing, navigating and managing media through the Internet.  Users have portable, quick and efficient control without complicated hardware set up, anytime, anywhere.  Shodogg™’s architecture enhances the viewing experience through social interaction, shared playlists and co-viewing occasions.  If you don’t believe me that this is the coolest Killer App yet, just let me tell you who has already invested in it; actor Seth Green.  

Control all of your videos from your smartphone! Shodogg™’s “Dogg-Ear™” overlay allows users to play and pause videos, create and share playlists and easily sync their smartphone with any
web-enabled device.  Basic controls such as play, pause and fast forward are customizable to work with any type of app or specific media player.  With Shodogg™’s Device Manager, it only takes seconds to sync up any smartphone to any web-enabled device.  Simply enter the self-generated eight-digit code, name the device and voila…your device is now Shodogg™ enabled!

Shodogg™’s “Fetch. Toss. Share.™” system allows users to easily move content between their devices, enabling them to watch streaming videos wherever and whenever they want!  When users Fetch any streaming video to any smartphone, content owners retain control.  When users Toss (direct) a stream to play on their desired device, content files still don’t move, staying secure on the original source server.  When users Share favorites, Shodogg™ respects intended ads and branding, and offers customized branded experiences to the second screen.  With Shodogg™, you can easily move video between any of your web-enabled devices.  You can easily toss videos from your smartphone to a computer, laptop, tablet or web-enabled television.  Plus, you can continue your video right where you left off!

Fetch videos from any second connected screen back to your smartphone.
Toss   videos from your phone to any second, web-enabled device.
Share Shodogg™ makes it easy to share your video playlists with friends via email, Facebook and Twitter, and this is what’s known as “Shodogging”!

A little Q & A about Shodogg™:

Q. What is Shodogg’s business model?
A.  We have both a consumer and a licensing model (b2b). The consumer model, which will be launched as an app, allows users to access, navigate, control and share content across multiple screens like never before.  The second focus is on licensing. We know there is a need for a “cleaner” user experience on connected devices. The idea of having to build apps for every TV or tablet is costly and inefficient, to the user and content owner. We can enable content owners to stream video to any connected device, thus lowering development costs and increasing user satisfaction by embedding our technology into their current apps.

Q. When will Shodogg be widely available?
A.  We are formally unveiling our product at CES 2012 and plan to be in beta in mid March.  Shodogg’s alpha is currently available on an invite only basis.

Q. What smartphones are supported by Shodogg?
A.  When we enter Beta in March, Shodogg will be available on IOS, Android, Blackberry, and Windows 7 devices.  Basically, it will work with any type of smartphone.

Q. What browsers will be supported for the Shodogg Viewer?
A.  When we enter Beta in mid-March, Shodogg will support Chrome, Safari, Internet Explorer 9 and Firefox.  We are working diligently to port our viewer to other browsers, and will inform our users as more browsers become available.

Q. When will Shodogg be available internationally?
A.  We are presently focused on getting the US and Australian markets off the ground and have plans to enter other markets once we have developed these markets to our satisfaction.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 48:57 — 33.6MB)

This is Totally Cool Tech Podcast Edition #541 – CES 2012 Recovery, for Friday, January 20th, 2012.

Totally Cool Tech is a proud member of the Techpodcasts.com network “If it’s tech, its, here!” where all the member shows produce family friendly and work safe podcasts & the Blubrry.com podcast community. Go check out both of these sites for other great podcasts.

We have a new sponsor and I want to tell you about Mozy Pro for Business

Sponsor: MozyPro Online Backup: Simple, Automatic & Secure Backuphttp://mozy.com/pro

Thanks to Bruce Barr aka Mr. Gadgets for the use of the iSound portable USB battery during CES.

This Episode’s Totally Cool Tech:

• GreenSmart – Eco Friendly Bags for Your Devices
• iGo Audio Home Theater TV Stands – $400 to $1,100
• Agloves Touch Screen Friendly Gloves – $18 to $24
• iPole-Mini Camera Holder – $25 @ fastcap.com
• gobandit LIVE – WiFi Action Camera – $Pre-Order
• Sphero – RC Ball – $130 @ Sphero
• My Son’s Challenge to You -
  “What is your favorite Tech?”
  Send in your video or audio submissions.

If you have any questions or comments just email me: tctpodcast@gmail.com.

If you like the show, and I think you do, please recommend us to a friend.

All of the Show Notes, Links, and Contact info are on the website at www.totallycooltech.com.

Hey, do you know about some cool tech that you think should be on the show? Then please send an email or audio comment about it to  tctpodcast@gmail.com or you can call the Totally Cool Tech Podcast listener line @ 540-999-TECH. Look for me on Twitter, just search for TCTPodcast.

Alright everybody, I will see you next time.

Totally Cool Tech Podcast listener line @ 540-999-TECH
Email: tctpodcast@gmail.com
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Twitter: norbtek

CES Day 2 brought a wonderful surprise when I was out in front of the main entrance to the 2012 International CES about to go inside when Jennifer and Jean Spencer from Agloves came up to me.  These two highly energetic and personable ladies recognized my name and show name on my CES Press Badge because I had featured their awesome CES 2010 award winning gloves in my December 2011 Christmas gift list post #537 “Gifts For Her”. 

Now you might be asking the question; “What are Agloves?”  Well, Agloves are like your standard light winter everyday knit gloves, but adapted for a touch screen world.  Unlike other “Touch Screen” gloves that may only have touch screen material on the tip of the index finger, or on tips of multiple fingers, if you are lucky; Agloves have a conductive thread woven throughout the that allow the wearer to use any touchscreen device to text, type, call, swipe, pinch or operate without having to take them off.  They are knitted with a silver thread, hence the ‘Ag’ (the periodic table symbol for silver)  in the Aglove’s name, which is highly conductive and lets you use any part of your hand like you finger, knuckle, or even your whole palm if you like, to effectively operate an iPhone, iPad, Droid, MP3 player, or any other capacitive touch screen device while keeping your hands warm.

They thanked me for including their product in the list and provided me with a pair to review.  I told them that I will be giving them to my wife to do the testing as she just got the Kindle Fire for Christmas and that she would like a new pair of gloves anyway.  So before they rushed off into the convention, I had Jean do a quick Ustream broadcast which you can check out here; Agloves @ CES 2012.

The best feature of the gloves in my opinion is the price.  The gloves range from $17.99 to $23.99, and they have three styles to choose from.  If you would like to check out these gloves yourself, just go to the Agloves site at; http://www.agloves.com

OK, so I walked around a lot at CES 2012 and I saw a lot of ear buds there, a ton of ear buds in fact; ones that were water-proof, ones that form fitted to your ears , ones that were jewel encrusted, and ones that had cool graphics on them, but they were all still just ear buds.  Then I walked past the Skunk Juice booth.  Their ear buds were not flashy or sparkely but rather plain looking, except for a little “S” on them that looked like a skunk’s tail; however they were still just ear buds and I wasn’t going to stop, until one of the girls at the booth said; “Hey, wanna hook up?”  Of course I stopped dead in my tracks, who wouldn’t, right?  Well this lovely young lady wanted to know if I wanted to “hook up” with her and check out what she was listening to on her MP3 player.  Ok, I’ll play a long, “Sure” I said, and with that she handed me a set of FG100 Skunk Juice ear buds that were already “hooked up” to hers.  Now I know what you’re thinking, the two pairs of ear buds are connected to an adapter and then into the MP3 player, right, wrong!  These ear buds are connected together magnetically, and not only that, they sound pretty darn good too.

So she begins to tell me about the Skunk Juice unique magnetic connectors and that not only can you let a friend listen to what you are listening to with out an adapter, but you can share it with up to three friends for a total of four people listening to music or any device that accepts a 3.5mm stereo jack.  Also, one of the great features of the Skunk Juice ear bud’s magnetic connectors is that if you walk away from the device you are hooked up to, or the cord gets snagged on something, the magnetic connection will break apart and keep your device and ears safe from damage and possibly save you some embarrassment as well.  So if you and your kid brother are “hooked up” to an iPad while watching a video on the way to grandma’s house, and when you get there you jump out of opposite doors of the minivan, you won’t wind up jerking each other backwards; your ear buds just pop apart and you keep going.  No damage to you, your kid brother, and more importantly, no damage to mom and dad’s iPad.

Now I find these ear buds to be different from the rest because they are innovative and safer than ordinary ear buds.  Like their website says; “The SkunkJuice earbuds spread a potent mix of good audio quality similar to a skunk, but without the funky smell.”  That is not only funny, but true, and who wouldn’t want to “Hook Up” with a good looking young lady??

Oh yeah, if you are not a fan of ear buds, don’t worry, Skunk Juice has you covered, they will be coming out very soon with over the ear headphones that have the same magnetic connection technology built right in and work will other Skunk Juice over the ear headphones and ear buds.  Now how’s that for some Totally Cool Tech?

I have been all over CES 2012 this week and have noticed that there are somethings here that, in my opinion, just do not belong.  Gadget Accessories.  Now don’t get me wrong, I have no problem with businesses making accessories for our portable electronics products and I even own and use them myself, however the vast amount of personalized or custom cases for phones and tablets as well as the ton ear buds in a multitude of colors here at CES is, well, ridiculous.  From what I’ve seen I would estimate that 40% of the booths here at the 2012 International CES are just simple accessories that do not add to the functionality of any of the devices for which they are made and are by no stretch of the imagination “innovative”.

It seems like you can’t throw a dead cat (my apologies to the ASPCA) at CES 2012 without hitting at least two vendors selling or displaying these types of products.  Could someone please explain to me how a Rhinestone encrusted iPhone 4 case is something positive or innovative in the Consumer Electronics environment?  How is the tablet folio at one booth more innovative than the one in the booth right next door with the exact same look and functionality?  Everyone makes a sync/charging cord or a docking station that works exactly the same or just slightly different and there are a plethora of solutions for mounting a tablet to the wall, which are really pretty much all the same.  Seriously, it’s a tablet for crying out loud.  It’s supposed to be portable so why do I need it mounted to the wall?

Now I don’t want anyone to be unclear on what I’m trying to say here.  I’m not against these companies making and selling these products because they can be useful too, and let’s face it, someone will buy them, maybe not me, but someone for sure.  However, this is CES, the Consumer Electronics Show, not the  Customized Electronics Show.  So save that stuff for the County or State Fairs, late night TV Infomercials, the pages of a magazine, the internet, or better yet have your own convention.

What I am trying to say is that this show is supposed to be for the the devices, products, and technologies that will innovate and revolutionize how consumer electronics are made, operate, or are utilized, not for what consumers will wrap around them.  With that being said, I did find a few things that might fit in this category but did innovate and make an improvement that is positive for the owners of electronic devices and the industry, but you’ll have to wait just a bit for the posts on those.  I’m just sayin’.

Last night the awesome folks at MakerBot Industries, creators of the Thing-O-Matic and most recently the Replicator, were hosts for a Pizza Party at the Las Vegas Pinball Hall of Fame.

Myself and my two cohorts were invited to the casual shindig to share in pizza, beer, and some old school fun. Bre and his crew shuttled a few dozen fans from the Las Vegas Strip to the Pin Ball hall of Fame just off the strip which had dozens and dozens of working vintage pinball and arcade games from the 1950′ to present day with the majority being from the 60′s, 70′s, and 80′s.  My friends and I chatted with the MakerBot crew about their company and played lots of pinball.  It was refreshing to play games that were the original interactive games where natural gravity and physics ruled the roost and your ability to “bump” the machine might help your ball go where you want or you could “Tilt” the game and end it right there and then.  It was the best use of a quarter in Las Vegas bar none.  Our quarters lasted us almost 2 hours and that is about 1:45 minutes longer than at a slot machine.

Thanks to Bre and  MakerBot crew for a great time and congratulations on their CNET – Best of CES 2012 Award for Emerging Tech!
   

I am one for eliminating cords as much as possible if you can not corral them well.  I hate it when I have to pull a wire or cable out of that rat’s nest of a mess that always occurs  behind the TV stand.  Well, I did find a solution for at least some of my problem.  Atlona’s LinkCast Wireless HD Audio/Video System, which received a CES Innovations 2012 Design and Engineering Honoree Award, allows home theater enthusiasts, gamers, laptop users and more to connect multiple HDMI-based devices to an HDTV or projector wirelessly up to 40 feet away.  I visited the Altona contingent in Booth #21706 at the South Hall lower level of the LVCC, here at the 2012 International CES, and they demonstrated their LinkCast Wireless HD Audio/Video System.  The system includes one A/V base station (AT-LINKCASTAV), one LinkCast System Expander (AT-LINKCAST-HTX) and a remote control.  The LinkCast A/V base station connects to the HDTV or projector’s HDMI input, while the LinkCast System Expander plugs into virtually any audio/video device with an HDMI output and standard USB connection for power.  To further eliminate cable clutter, installation challenges and costs, up to five different devices can be wirelessly connected to one LinkCast Wireless HD System with additional LinkCast System Expanders, each sold separately.  LinkCast System Expanders are conveniently powered by standard USB connection, eliminating the need for an additional power supply and also include a remote control to enable switching between all devices connected to the LinkCast system.

The LinkCast Wireless HD Audio/Video System provides a quick and easy way for users to get content to their HDTV or projector, without having to learn a new user interface or complex lists of instructions or connections.  The unit supports uncompressed video resolutions up to 1080p HD and 1280×1024, including 3D video, with a latency of less than one millisecond for incredibly reliable wireless HD video performance.  In addition, LinkCast supports Lossy audio formats such as Dolby® and DTS digital audio, as well as the WHDI 1.0 wireless home digital interface standard, and HDCP 1.2 protocols.

The Atlona LinkCast Wireless HD Audio/Video System will be available within Q1, 2012 to consumers at an MSRP of $299.99 along with additional LinkCast Wireless HD System Expanders at $119.99 MSRP each.

Now I have talked about remote controlled front door locks in the past because I want the ability to unlock my front door like I open my garage, remotely and with out a physical key.  Well this week at the 2012 International CES I had a not only a chance to see one work but I actually got to operate it myself; thanks to the fine folks at SimpliciKey in Booth #3608 located in the LVCC North Hall. 

The nice thing about SimpliciKey is that you can operate it in any one of three ways; physical key, key pad, and keyfob, but the awesome news is that they will have an app later in 2012 that will work with the lock.  The system will allow you see who has accessed the key pad, used the app to open the door, email you when your kids come home, and allow you to remotely open the door from work when the repairman arrives.  SimpliciKey’s system brass deadbolts are manufactured with carbon core centers and full 1” bolt extensions for maximum security.  The reversible lock system fits both right-and left-hand doors, and easily replaces existing deadbolts with a quick 30-minute installation without any additional holes or drilling, and come in three finishes – Satin Nickel, Polished Brass and Aged Bronze.

The units, available at Home Depot and at Costco stores or online at HomeDepot.com,  are going for about $230 a set which includes:

• Heavy-duty, all metal construction with bump-resistant keyway
• Full 1” bolt extension for maximum security
• Reversible lock system to fit both right-and left-hand doors
• Nor hard-wiring needed, only requires four (4) AA batteries
• Lifetime finish and mechanical warranty
• Two year electronic warranty
• Meets ANSI Grade 2 Certification
• Easy to install in 30 minutes

Three Modes of Entry Features:

Keyfob

• Includes 2 remote control keyfobs and the ability to program up to 6 additional
• Up to 50 ft. range
• 128-bit AES Encryption

 Keypad

• Can program 16 unique 4-6 digit codes which can be changed at any time
• One touch locking action
• Backlit and alphanumeric
• Features sliding cover, allowing for security and a sleek look

 Key

• Includes two 6-pin metal keys
• Features bump-resistant keyway
• Brass deadbolt with carbon core center
• ANSI Grade II

Starting my day out at CES North Hall of the Las Vegas Convention Center. I have checked out two vendors already today and hope to bring you a lot of cool tech.

I met the friendly people for Bracketron Tuesday during CES 2012 and they were kind enough to introduce me to their wonderful line of products that they have for mobile devices.  I was shown the their 2012 Innovations Award Nominee, the iDock; the worlds first powered and motorized, in-wall iPad mounting solution.  Let me tell you, this was one elegant design and implementation.

Now I could go on and tell you about all the cool mounting solutions for all of your mobile device for your vehicles; including your Big Rig and your boat, or I could tell you about the nifty car charging solutions they have like the AC wall adapter that you can plug in your car’s power adapter cord to and recharge your device.  Which, by the way, to me is the smartest thing you can get because really, how many of us have multiple car chargers that work with for our devices? Lord knows I have at least three or four alone that will fit numerous phones and other gadgets that I and my family own.

I could also tell you about the nifty charging / sync cables that they offer like the two-in-one combo USB to Micro USB or Apple’s 30-pin connector.  Now that has got to spark interest in anyone with both Android and Apple products in their family, like me.  The business end of the cable has a Micro USB connector that has a tethered Apple 30 pin connector that will allow you to synchronize both Apple and Android devices with the a single cable.  No more packing a rats nets’ of cables everytime you go on vacation.  I would personally suggest getting two of these because you know that you have more than one device that needs charging at one time and they could have exactly the same connector or totally different ones.

But the reason I’m here is not to tell you about all that.  No sir, I’m here to tell you about the great device that they have that will rid you of phantom power and help save your mobile device’s battery life.  The amazing Mastertool Corporation, ace subsidiary of Fly-By-Night Industries, has entrusted who? Me! To show who? You the handiest and the dandiest charging tool you’ve ever seen, and don’t you want to know how it works!  Of course you do!  Well, OK, I’m not Gallager and this device is not the Sledge O’Matic, but it will squash that phantom power usage you get from leaving an AC wall adapter/charger plugged into the wall.  This handy little device will help save the planet and your electric bill…one charge at a time! The Mushroom GreenZero Wall Travel
Charger features our exclusive GreenZero Technology — the most eco-friendly way to
charge mobile devices while totally eliminating the wasteful stand-by consumption
(Zero idle power) that other chargers consume when left plugged in.

• Unique design features one-click charging
• Automatically shuts off with zero idle power when device is fully charged
• Portable design to take with you and charge on the go
• Available in Apple 30-pin (UGC-387-BL), USB (UGC-380-BL) and micro-USB (UGC-386-BL)
• On/Off Mushroom switch doubles as cord management.
• $35, $28, and $30 respectively.

Now me and my family have several devices that use the little AC wall plugs to charge those devices and, much to my chagrin, we do not always unplug those chargers once we are done charging the devices.  That wastes energy because even if I remove the device from the charging cable that adapter is still using some energy to transform or step-down the power from 110v AC to 5v DC, generating heat.  No more I say!!  Get the Backetron Mushroom GreenZero Charger and do yourself, your family, your pocket book, and the economy a favor.