Episode 163: A post-holiday catch-up, Apple has broken iOS Braille yet again, and some cool gadgets at this years Consumer Electronics Show

Kia ora Mosen At Largers. A reminder that this podcast is indexed by chapter. If you listen with a podcast client that offers chapter support, you can easily skip between segments.

Here are the topics covered in this episode, and the time in the file for each.

Intro,0:00

My little boy got married,1:08

NZ appoints a nondisabled person to head the Ministry for Disabled People
Transition Unit,5:02

Amazon Alexa skills and Google actions for Mushroom FM and
MushroomEscape,8:11

A fun family Christmas,11:03

A lesson on how not to do customer service,14:11

A cool techy Christmas,26:41

Best Christmas present,29:40

Laptop considerations,32:02

Apple has broken Braille yet again,35:04

Tim’s New Hearing Aids part 1,44:54

Mike May and Gena Harper talk about the Consumer Electronics Show,54:19

Just some of the products mentioned include:

Robo Rock Vacuum (Smart Home Appliance)

It has rubber rollers to address dog hair without having to cut out hair.
Potential mopping feature, an auto empty doc where it goes and empties itself,
self-washing, self-refilling and self-cleaning.

My Eli (Smart Health) website not in English

Bracelet for security such as falling. Sends a message to all of your contacts.
Also, can send a follow-up text saying you are ok, very attractive looking
bracelet. GPS tracking, alarm and audio.

Circular Smart Ring from France (Smart
Health)

Track 24/7 health data. sleep, steps, biometric heart rate sensor, oxygenation.
Comes in silver, black, gold, rose gold. Planning to come to market in March of

  1. Approx. $259, can pre-order.

Letsfit (Smart Health)

Automatically track your heart rate, distance traveled, calories burned, time
spent active, all accessed through the app. Multicolor bands. Has a ten-hour
battery life. Approx. $50-70

Picoo (Electronic Game/Gift)

It’s a game console with 4 hand-held controllers. The controllers make sounds,
have lights and vibrate. Buy them through Picoo. Working with a Dutch
organization that works with visually impaired children. There is also an app to
choose different games. Launched on Jan 5th. Approx.$250

Govee (Home)

Aura Smart Table Lamp. Personalize simple color patterns, 20 different scene
options, hands free voice control through Alexa or google assistant, timer
schedule to turn on/off, and syncs to music. Approx.$64.99

Edge Sound Research (Audio)

Experiential Audio. ResonX is a modular device that can be attached to the back
of a chair to turn the chair into the diaphragm of a speaker so that you can
feel and hear every sound for maximum immersion.

Jordilight (Outdoor)

Swiss army knife on flashlight. Dog collar accessory, junior model in
development. Flexible, magnetic. 19 LED lights controlled in the app, each can
be set independently to a range of 256 colors, and brightness. 7 preset modes,
SOS mode, 100, 50, 25 % brightness, night rider, party, and compass modes.
Waterproof. Launches last week of March.

Liddle speaker by D3 Products
(Audio)

Bluetooth speaker, compatible portable speaker can be attached to any surface
and works with all devices.

Airxom (COVID)

A respiratory device protective mask to filter microparticles, bacteria, and
everything from. Charge the mask with usb and lasts 8 hours. French company.
Approx. $350 coming out March 2022.

Steam-box (Home)

Self-heating lunchbox. Tactile dots to set 5 minutes of heating and other
features. Enjoy a hot meal anywhere, anytime. Rechargeable, uses an app. Weighs
3 pounds. $230 in April, presale price of $189

Invoxia Smart Dog Collar (Electronic
Dog)

The first biometric health collar for dogs, ready this summer. It has an app,
$99 $13/mo fee.

Smart Dog Collar (Electronic Dog)

Make clear and reliable phone calls to your pet on AT&T‘s nationwide network.
Stream music to your dog. No SIM cards. No Activation Fees. GPS tracking and
training techniques such as clicking, beeping and pain-free vibrating. Data
bundles are $10/mo for 1 gb data, 500 minutes of calling, 2000 minutes of
music, or $15 for unlimited. From $199

GAF Energy (Home)

Solar shingles performance of a standard roofing shingle,

Bosch (Smart Home Appliances)

24” oven that works with Alexa, you can verbally tell the oven to cook, what
temperature to bake and for how long. A refrigerator that keeps track of your
food and offers up suggestions on what you can make with the ingredients you
have in the fridge. A dishwasher that can figure out what is in the dishwasher
and what setting it needs to use to clean those specific dishes. You can also
make favorite settings such as it is lasagna night and it knows what types of
dishes you will be putting in it for lasagna night and you can choose the
lasagna night setting.

Miela (COVID)

Air purifier, has 7 filters, subscription plan, app. Has ability to turn off and
on by the air purifier. Don’t need an app

ActivMotion (Smart Communication)

Ears and hands-free communications. Two models, Eminentia clips over the ear and
Crura also has a module along the cheek housing the microphone

Shiftall Mutalk (Smart Communication)

Bluetooth microphone that prevents your voice from leaking out. It goes over
your mouth to trap sound. Can strap around your head or simply be held to your
mouth.

Targus (Accessory)

Eco Smart, Cypress Collection. All from recycled products. Backpacks and
suitcases. They are in the price range of $129 – $149. TO9 office
anti-microbial, price $119.

My Manu (Smart Communication)

Affiliated with T-Mobile. All voice activated. Can stream from Spotify,
translate, text message, cell service, total hands free, 4G connected. Has ear
buds and a thin that hangs down around your neck. Coming out later this year,
price point around $150.

Lovebox (Communication
Gift)

Little box with a heart on the front. Visual, screen is inside the box, send
messages through an app. Can purchase different hearts and icons for the front
of the box.

Motion Pillow (Smart Health)

Machine learns your sleeping habits, and inflates and deflates airbags to rotate
head to open the airway.

Benjilocks (Smart Home)

Fingerprint locks. Array by Hampton is the app for the locks.

Hydrow Connected Fitness Rower (Smart Health)

$2,295 + $38/mo membership (might be a discounted price)

Rowing machine with screen and classes

Clmbr (Smart Health)

Two models, one has a small touch screen, the other is a large. Bluetooth
enabled screen. Touch screen with all their on-demand content. Has companion app
called clmbr. $2,799 + subscription of $40/mo

Starcase (Smart Communication)

Smart LED Battery case, provides full recharge of your phone, syncs with
contacts and other apps. Different lights, icons, scrolling texts and
notifications. $149.

IHome (Smart Home)

Charges, usb chords, humidifiers, Ear buds, headsets, blue tooth products

Navitas (Technology)

Fast charging charges that can be purchased on Amazon

The Bonnie Bulletin recounts an unpleasant guide dog-related incident with a
happy ending,1:53:42

Closing and contact info,2:03:45