PLUGHITZ Live Presents (Video)

Music is one of the best things in life. We all have times when we want to kick back and listen to our favorite playlists. And kids are no exception. Any of us with kids, siblings or nieces/nephews most likely have a playlist or two dedicated just to them. But if they are listening to their music from your device, that means that you are not. And most of us don't necessarily want to devote a phone or mp3 to our little ones and risk the device breaking.

Well, Jooki has the perfect solution. Jooki is a durable, colorful and portable Wi-Fi speaker for kids 3+ that comes with little toy characters. It is designed to allow kids to listen to their music and stories without the need for any kind of screened device. Each character is linked to a separate playlist (song, story, album or internet radio station), so when the child places one on top of the speaker, the music starts automatically.

A great additional feature is the app for parents. With this app, you are able to control the type of content the kids are exposed to, and also giving total control to things like the volume and play times . The app is also used to upload the content, create playlists and link the playlists to characters.

The player and five characters are priced at $199 and are currently shipping to the US. You can get yours here.

Interview by Scott Ertz of F5 Live: Refreshing Technology.

Scott is a developer who has worked on projects of varying sizes, including all of the PLUGHITZ Corporation properties. He is also known in the gaming world for his time supporting the rhythm game community, through DDRLover and hosting tournaments throughout the Tampa Bay Area. Currently, when he is not working on software projects or hosting F5 Live: Refreshing Technology, Scott can often be found returning to his high school days working with the Foundation for Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology (FIRST), mentoring teams and helping with ROBOTICON Tampa Bay. He has also helped found a student software learning group, the ASCII Warriors, currently housed at AMRoC Fab Lab.

Now very young children can learn the basic programming logic with Primo. It is a tactile programming language meant to introduce children from 3+ the basic skills meant to do programming in a manner that they can understand and get excited about without a screen. This is done through the eyes of Cubetto, a little wooden robot whose movements are determined by placement of colorful plastic pieces on a wooden track.

Each color represents a different command: green for go, red for right and yellow for left. The company tried hard to incorporate alliteration into the command colors so that young children will associate with it easily.

The price point for this learning experience is $225.00 for the basic pack including the robot, the command pieces and track and a map. There are additional sets available for $29.00 each and a Color Pack for $45.00. Availability is through Amazon, Barnes and Noble or smaller toy stores around the country or through educational catalogues.

Interview by Scott Ertz of F5 Live: Refreshing Technology.

Scott is a developer who has worked on projects of varying sizes, including all of the PLUGHITZ Corporation properties. He is also known in the gaming world for his time supporting the rhythm game community, through DDRLover and hosting tournaments throughout the Tampa Bay Area. Currently, when he is not working on software projects or hosting F5 Live: Refreshing Technology, Scott can often be found returning to his high school days working with the Foundation for Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology (FIRST), mentoring teams and helping with ROBOTICON Tampa Bay. He has also helped found a student software learning group, the ASCII Warriors, currently housed at AMRoC Fab Lab.

If you've ever been on-the-road and wished there was a way to brew your own coffee, then Cauldryn is for you. This seemingly standard insulated mug hides within it superpowers. Using a series of modular attachments, you can boil water, brew coffee and even sterilize water.

On the LED screen, you can set your target temperate and see how hot the water has gotten. Once it is to your desired temperature, you can make food, brew coffee or tea or even rehydrate dehydrated food. The portable battery pack can also charge your phone in an emergency. On a full charge you can boil water twice and brew coffee 7-8 times. The Cauldryn is a perfect accessory for camping or hiking.

In the control module they have added Bluetooth and Wi-Fi to use with Google Assistant, so when you're at home, you can simply say, "Hey Google, brew some coffee" and Cauldryn will do all of the work for you. The price point for this is $129.00 for the coffee module and $139.00 for the fixed module. For more information go to cauldryn.com.

Interview by Daniele Mendez of The New Product Launchpad.

Daniele is a student at Florida Polytechnic University who is studying Computer Science with a concentration in Cyber Security. In High School, she was introduced to the science and technology world through the Foundation for Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology (FIRST), a robotics foundation where students of varying ages can compete through tasks that their robots perform. With help from mentors she met through FIRST, she became interested in programming and developing. Today, Daniele is a special events host for F5 Live: Refreshing Technology and PLuGHiTz Live Special Events and a co-host for both The New Product Launchpad and FIRST Looks.

Have you ever recorded a video and it came out shaky, either because of wind or just holding the phone too long? Now there is a handheld device that enables you to record on your phone without worrying about being steady and balanced. It's called the Steadicam VOLT. It can be used on any smartphone including smaller phones like the Moto E or larger phones like iPhone 8 Plus or the Note S8.

The VOLT comes with an engine for stabilizing even the shakiest hand. The counterweights allow for non-powered balance during your recording. You can move about and never worry about your picture being distorted or off-balance. It uses a lithium-ion battery with an 8-hour life and the battery charges fairly quickly.

They are available now at Best Buy, Amazon and wherever Tiffen products are sold. The suggested retail price is $79.95. For more information go to steadicam.com.

Interview by Marissa Schiereck of The New Product Launchpad.

All of us have gotten behind the wheel of our cars knowing that we were drowsy. Thanks to Hundai MOBIS, that problem is probably going to be a thing of the past. It is called Departed Driver Rescue and Exit Maneuver or DDREM. This is an intervention system that safely transitions the vehicle from any kind of accident or veering off the road when it detects that the driver is falling asleep.

Since there are over 7000 fatalities from falling asleep at the wheel, this innovation is a wonderful piece of technology to have available for our safety. It places sensors and an infrared camera into the car along with control inputs to help detect that the driver is no longer in control of the car. It then takes over and transitions the vehicle to get back on track and safely pull off the road and come to a safe stop. It will then send an emergency alert to whoever the OEM or the driver has chosen. Hopefully this technology will be available in cars by 2022.

Interview by Marissa Schiereck of The New Product Launchpad.

The MoonRay Desktop 3D Printer from SprintRay is an all in one, high resolution system with a compact design that can fit into any workspace. It allows you to make a variety of different things from engineering to character design and everything in between. It's also wireless with incredible accuracy, solid durability, and great print speed at an affordable price. It also includes advanced hardware, software, and materials.

Both of their printers offer 20, 50, or 100 Microns of Z Resolution, up to 1 vertical inch per hour Print Speed and use Standard, Castable, Dental Materials.

With MoonRay D, you are able to print features as small as 75 microns in size. It's perfect for applications that demand the best in detail, precision, and accuracy. It's perfect for dental labs producing crowns and bridges, and for jewelers who print pieces for casting.

The MoonRay S has a minimum feature size of 100 microns, combined with a generous build area. It's ideal for creators and makers who need a larger build area, but still want great detail, accuracy, and surface finish. It is great for character designers, dentists, and engineers.

Interview by Jacob Cannon of FIRST Looks.

One of the things that CES does best is encourage new and better developments out of existing tech. This year, Quanergy is showing off their precision technology in Fisker's new car model (also unveiled at CES 2018), the EMotion. This autonomous vehicle is the first to have LiDAR Sensors built into the vehicle. Up until now, LiDAR Sensors have always been added on to existing vehicles, after the fact, to give them a certain level of autonomy.

Quanergy is the leading provider of solid state LiDAR sensors and smart sensing solutions. They lead the industry in all six key commercialization areas of price, performance, reliability, size, weight, and power efficiency, while meeting the mass deployment requirements of durability and dependability. The intricate design of their components are not only smaller to better fit into any design, but also more accurate than their larger counterparts.

The Fisker EMotion on display consists of five sensors staged throughout and provide it with an autonomous rating of Level 4. To find out more about Quanergy's software, technology and product line, check out their website.

Interview by Jacob Cannon of FIRST Looks.

This year, Vivitar is expanding their charging products in some really cool ways. Their new line, Tap Charge, is a group of wireless Qi chargers that include sweet new features. We especially like the one that is tilted up so you can see the screen while charging, instead of laying your smart phone down. This enables you to easily view and use the phone while its charging. It also has USB ports on the front to allow you additional charging solutions while charging your phone on the main pad.

There is a Bluetooth speaker with alarm clock that offers Qi charging on top. Perfect for your bedside to easily charge wirelessly without adding more devices to your night stand. And the Tap Charge Auto is the perfect accessory with Qi charging for the car. No more need to search for cords while driving, just leave the mounted charger plugged in at all times and drop you phone in whenever you need a to charge, and it's perfect for looking at your GPS on the go.

The line of fabric-covered Qi chargers is really unique and a nice change from traditional black plastic chargers. You can get a single pad or a hub that charges three devices at a time. So whether more than one family member needs to charge at the same time, or if you want to charge your air pods, smart watch and phone all at the same time, you are covered.

They are also coming out with a line called Snap Charge. For on the go charging, they have the best design for a portable power bank. It has a wall plug that is built in and folds away perfectly in a compact design. You can charge by a standard cord, or you can Qi charge on the top surface of the bank that uses micro suction to adhere to phone. We find this a better alternative to adding a phone case with battery charger because you can keep the case that you love and only use the add on when needed. We loved the design so much that we hope they integrate this sleek design into their charging line for other products, such as camera batteries.

Although we were really excited about all of these new charging options, the most unique product they were showing off, by far, is a line of clutch purses that include power banks inside. They have multiple styles to choose from and can not only charge with a standard cord but they also offer Qi wireless charging. Ladies can simply lay the clutch down on the table in front of them and place their phone right on top to charge, making the phone accessible to them at all times.

Prices will vary and will be between $10 and $80 USD.

Interview by Scott Ertz of F5 Live: Refreshing Technology.

Scott is a developer who has worked on projects of varying sizes, including all of the PLUGHITZ Corporation properties. He is also known in the gaming world for his time supporting the rhythm game community, through DDRLover and hosting tournaments throughout the Tampa Bay Area. Currently, when he is not working on software projects or hosting F5 Live: Refreshing Technology, Scott can often be found returning to his high school days working with the Foundation for Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology (FIRST), mentoring teams and helping with ROBOTICON Tampa Bay. He has also helped found a student software learning group, the ASCII Warriors, currently housed at AMRoC Fab Lab.

It's time to bring some fun into headphone experience, and Altec Lansing has done just that with the new Rumble Headphones. You may ask, why the usual name... and so did we. The answer left us wanting a full demonstration. The Rumble Headphones actually vibrate along with the bass that adds an extra dimension to your listening experience. When we first heard this feature, we thought well that's interesting. Then we tried them out for ourselves and were quite impressed. The bass is also variable and can be turned up or down, depending upon your preference within each song. These headphones come both wired and bluetooth, with a batter life of 20 hours. The fit is customizable to your comfort and let's not forget the variety of colors available so you can match your own style and personality.

Also being introduced this year are their own set of wirefree ear buds. They have a charge that offers 4 hours of battery life and come with a carrying case that also holds a 4 hour charge. The case also has the ability for Qi Wireless charging, which comes in handy with their newly introduced VersA Home Clock/Radio Speaker that offers Qi Charging on top. These air buds are extremely lightweight and comfortable in the ear and as with many of the other Altec Lansing lines, they come in a variety of cool colors.

Keep an eye out on their website for these new wearables as availability and pricing will be coming soon. I know that we will be.

Interview by Scott Ertz of F5 Live: Refreshing Technology.

Scott is a developer who has worked on projects of varying sizes, including all of the PLUGHITZ Corporation properties. He is also known in the gaming world for his time supporting the rhythm game community, through DDRLover and hosting tournaments throughout the Tampa Bay Area. Currently, when he is not working on software projects or hosting F5 Live: Refreshing Technology, Scott can often be found returning to his high school days working with the Foundation for Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology (FIRST), mentoring teams and helping with ROBOTICON Tampa Bay. He has also helped found a student software learning group, the ASCII Warriors, currently housed at AMRoC Fab Lab.

Altec Lansing has introduced a new line of Amazon Speakers this year at CES 2018 called VersA. The line consists of three speakers that are cute, lightweight and very functional.

First up is the VersA 2 Go, which is compact and great for our busy lifestyles these days. It is Amazon Alexa enabled using a button to activate. Features include multi-room pairing, 100-foot wireless range, up to 8 hours of play time and a waterproof rating of IP67. It offers immersive sound with its 1.75" woofer and 2" passive radiator. MSRP is $79.99, and it will be available Q2/Q3 of 2018.

Next up is the VersA Portable Speaker which has a larger footprint than its little 2 Go brother, but still compact, lightweight and versatile. It is Amazon Alexa enabled via voice command and has multi-room pairing with a 100-foot wireless range. It also offers playtime up to 8 hours and is IP67 waterproof rated. It's available now at an MSRP of $129.99 at Best Buy and Target. So grab them unused gift cards that you got for the holidays and buy yours today.

Lastly, and our favorite, is the VersA at Home. This speaker is a clock/radio for your bedside. It's Amazon Alexa Enabled via voice command, but also offers QI Wireless charging, so you can easily charge your smart phone right on top. It boasts a 30-foot wireless range, omni-directional sound, and a sleek design with digital display. It has an MSRP of $149.99, and will be available Q2/Q3 of 2018.

Interview by Scott Ertz of F5 Live: Refreshing Technology.

Scott is a developer who has worked on projects of varying sizes, including all of the PLUGHITZ Corporation properties. He is also known in the gaming world for his time supporting the rhythm game community, through DDRLover and hosting tournaments throughout the Tampa Bay Area. Currently, when he is not working on software projects or hosting F5 Live: Refreshing Technology, Scott can often be found returning to his high school days working with the Foundation for Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology (FIRST), mentoring teams and helping with ROBOTICON Tampa Bay. He has also helped found a student software learning group, the ASCII Warriors, currently housed at AMRoC Fab Lab.